And That’s [not] A Wrap!

Our mini holiday photo-shoot?

It went well. Got some real winners.

Why do you ask?

Pool Fun

We went back to the Mount Lake Terrace pool yesterday with my Mom. Surprisingly, it was packed. Crazy, considering that it was empty on Monday. 

And it wasn't as warm this time around either. 

No good, Peeps.

 Ben was a little more reserved this time around, perhaps because we were dodging bigger kids for the majority of the time. 

Is the swim diaper still on?

Good.

Yikes, that was the penultimate Weekly Photo! Only one more!

Ben - 50 Weeks

Huh. The kiddo is pointing to his ear in half of these pictures. What does that tell you?

Double ear infection?

Why yes. 

Weekly Photo Catch-up

As we wind down with the photos from Ben's first year, I've had a few moments to reflect on the project. 

Here we go:

1. I won't lie: It's a lot of work
2. That said, I really look forward to setting up our mini photo shoots and then reviewing the photos later to find the 'winner(s)'. Today I found myself practically begging for Ben to go down for his nap so I could look at this set of photos. Then I realized how messed up that was. So we sat down and ate cheerios instead. Such is life. 
3. It is less work as you go along. Most of these were shot "on the fly": on a walk, playing with boxes in the living room, in the Costco parking lot, etc. The only one where I actually got out and balanced the camera settings was for the 49 Week outdoor shot (which was for another project...more on that later) and for the scooter shot (which backfired on me anyway as he promptly waltzed into the bathroom to check out the sink fixtures). Frankly, he's a lot harder to pose now that he's mobile. Hence the 'on the fly' shots - some even with a camera phone (although the quality is crap on those). 
4. I wish I was better at taking pictures indoors. I really like outdoor shots but my indoor ones - especially in a house that is poorly lit - are not that great. I really, really need to work on my basic photography skills, especially my understanding of aperture/shutter speed/ISO.  I'm tired of struggling in this department. 
5. Given that new parents take vast amounts of pictures of their newborn children anyway, this project probably wouldn't be that much of a stretch. I'll bet many of you already have pictures from each week, you just don't realize it. Or perhaps they're still on the camera. Adding a quick caption isn't that much extra work. 
6. I use Apple's Pages program to insert the shapes and lettering. It's quick and easy. There are many, many other programs that would work as well: Picassa and Word, to name a few. 
7. One thing to consider: If you do it for your firstborn child, be prepared to do it for successive kids as well. It was be so sad for your first child to have this wonderful documentation of their first year... and then nothing for the littler ones. So take that into account when thinking about tackling this project. 

Ok, there you have it, Peeps. Now on to the pictures.

Oh, one more thing:  I am very aware that all my photos are over-edited. But I just can't help myself. It's so much fun to bump up the saturation, do color corrections, and crop like crazy. So, I guess my goal into the new year is to become more proficient at photography so that I don't need to do so much work to make the pictures look good. How's that for a New Year's resolution?

I'm telling you - boxes make for awesome toys. This one gave us weeks of entertainment. 

This little man sure likes shopping carts. Costco is the only place where the carts are double wide: two babies can sit side by side. Clearly, Ben needed a twin. 

The kiddo is still working on his scooter skills. 

Sometimes working on the plumbing is far more interesting. 

Dad, I think I found your problem!

Speaking of having a hard time taking photos: I was working on a thank you card project (you might have noticed that piece of white poster board in his lap) but the little one would absolutely not sit still. Scrap that project. 

 And lastly, just hanging out in the crib. In his skivvies. 

 xxoo, 

Sonja

Happy New Year!

Peeps, 

Best wishes for a wonderful and exciting 2012!

May you enjoy peace, health, and happiness. 

On a personal note, I think 2012 will have a hard time beating out 2011. This was a wonderful year for our family and I feel so grateful and blessed to have such wonderful people in my life. 

That said, I almost feel like I shouldn't be expressing such joyful gratitude, as 2011 was a fairly miserable year for so many in our country and around the world. For those folks, I remain hopeful that the coming year will be more fulfilling and prosperous. 

And lastly, thanks to you, our dear readers, for keeping up with our blog and joining us for the crazy ride. 

Love, 

Sonja, Chris, Benjamin, and Bailey

Oops...haven't posted the weekly photos for a bit.

The kiddo is on the move. Holy Moly this child is fast.

 If I squeeze really tight, maybe I can fit through here!

 [This was taken at the Ravenna Community Center - they have a ton of Ben-sized toys]

This was my first foray into fabric hat making. It's not too shabby, if ones doesn't examine the seems too closely. 

We've been calling him "Santa's Little Elf" all morning. 

xxoo, 

Sonja

Ben - 45 Weeks

You don't sit around in your skivvies and an aviator hat chewing on your tooth brush?

All the cool kids do it. 

And the winner of this batch of photos is clearly this one, according to the bambino's parents:

Ben - 44 Weeks

Are you at the point yet where you're going "Holy Frijole, Sonja, 52 weeks can't come soon enough. I am tired of these weekly photos"

I'm getting there myself. 

Both Chris and I have a soft spot for this particular green pj set of Ben's. It's the kind with the built-in feet. I call it his turtle suit and it reminds me of the clothes worn when I was a kid. 

Plus it's easy to put on: one zipper, one snap, and you're done. Easy peasy. Good for the kid that can't bear to sit still. 

Ben - 42 and 43 Weeks, Plus 10 Months

Can you tell it's winter around here? These pictures are all in shades of grey and black. Ugh. Matches my current mood. 

I didn't buy anything on Cyber Monday but I will fess up and say that I very carefully perused the sale destinations available on Alaska Airlines. 

They had awesome deals to Belize. $350, roundtrip. Still happening, too. 

Sun, sand, jungles, caves, warm water. Oh my. 

Right this moment we could be sitting in a hammock on Long Caye, fancy drink in hand, doing nothing at all. 

Benjamin would have loved it. Hermit crabs to chase, tropical food to eat, and a bathwater-temp ocean. Another time, Dear Baby. 

In the meantime, put on your hat and bundle up, we're heading outside. 

Thanksgiving 2011

My Dears, 

Wishing you a very, very merry and joyful Thanksgiving holiday. 

May you stay safe, enjoy the company of friends and family, and eat lots of pie.  

Love,

Sonja, Chris, and Benjamin

Ben - 41 Weeks

We did a bit of experimenting with paint this morning. 

Here is the fresh, clean ‘before’ shot:

The masterpiece in progress:

Some of the paint actually got onto the paper. Most of it morphed into body paint. 

And, finally, the color of the bath water: Swamp green. 

I’d show you the finished artwork except that it was basically a soggy, pulpy mess by the time he was finished. So much for saving Baby’s first artwork. 

Ben - 40 Weeks

Baths in our house usually go like this:

Splash, splash, splash, chew on bath toys, splash, splash

And then it winds down a bit:

He takes stock of the surroundings by peering over the edge:

And then:

"Ok Lady - I am done with bath time. Get me out NOW."

Ben - Weekly Photos

Ben - 39 Weeks

 This week the kiddo is exactly as old as he was in utero. 

I only know that because I was trundling along through my last few weeks of pregnancy thinking that I had at least another week left before the bambino made his entrance.  

Not the case. 

Ben - 9 Months

I think this month’s photo just might be my favorite. 

 Yes? No? Maybe so? Here are the other pictures.

Halloween 2011

Our Little Rooster

May you have a safe and merry Halloween!

My Dears, If we’re friends on facebook then you’ll have noticed that I posted a picture of Ben in a slightly altered chicken costume. There is a reason for that and I’ll post picture of the final product shortly. xxoo, Sonja

Ben - 38 Weeks

Peeps, 

I blatantly cheated on these. They’re from Week 37 but I wanted them to reflect a week that was closer to Halloween….so I moved them. 

 He’s never going to know. [Unless he reads this blog of course. In which case I have more to worry about than this post]