IHF {All Boy}

With Father's Day is coming up, the theme this week at I Heart Faces is "All Boy".   My son definitely fits that theme - even with two big sisters as role models.  He loves his cars, trucks, trains and dinosaurs and is crazy about anything involving a ball!   Oh... and he loves his doughnuts too!  

Head over to iheartfaces.com to see some amazing 'all boy' images!  

IHF {Hey Girl}

The theme this week at I Heart Faces is "Hey Girl", in honor of Mother's Day and girls and women around the world.  Here is my baby girl ... growing up way too fast.  I hope she keeps those freckles forever!     Check out more "hey girl" photos at I Heart Faces.

IHF {Happiness}

I'm love participating in the I Heart Faces photo challenges!  They are so much fun and inspirational!  This week's theme is happiness.  I have lots of pictures with smiling faces, but I just love this moment between my friend and her son.  Silliness tends to bring on the happiness!!   Head over to iheartfaces.com for more happiness (and maybe some silliness too!).

Project 52 Week 12: Hunger

Wow - week 12 already!!! Time is really flying by for me this year.

I really did not have any idea what I was going to do for this week's theme.  None.  And I know nothing about The Hunger Games (other than the movie comes out this week!).  I almost was going to skip it.  Then my daughter brought home her Weekly Reader News magazine from school and on the front cover was a story about the growing hunger problem in the U.S.  The article states that more people visited food banks in 2011 then ever before.  Some food banks had to reduce the number of items people could have because of the demand.  The article goes on to tell kids how they can help:  Hold a food drive, get involved (local soup kitchens, etc.), spread the word about hunger in your community.  I want to help. My first step was to dig into the pantry.  The next step will be delivering and donating to the Food Bank.  We need to fix this problem.

Project 52 Week 11: The Eyes of March

I love these eyes...

and these..

and these too!

 They belong to my favorite people in the whole world!

Project 52 Week 10: Be Still

My kids cannot 'be still', but these apples were pretty good at it.  I also wanted to test out my new lens (Nikon 85mm f/1.4) on some not so squirmy subjects.  I still need to practice with it a lot more, but so far I'm loving it!

85mm, f/2.2, ISO 250, 1/40

IHF {Beautiful Black & White}

I Heart Faces is changing their format a bit.  Instead of weekly challenges, there is now going to be one big monthly contest.  The first place winner will receive a prize!!!!  How exciting!  There will also be an end of the month 'just for fun' contest.  I so love IHF!  The theme for this month's contest is Beautiful Black & White.

Here is my submission and one of my most favorite recent images of Emily.  I was practicing with window light and my little model was helping me out.  I just love her sweet little pout in this picture.  And you can't tell here, but that pout is covering her super sweet toothless grin - I'll save that for another post!

Project 52 Week 9: A Great Leap

I wasn't sure how I was going to portray this week's theme, but then Matthew started taking some 'great leaps' while we were outside one morning.  I started snapping away and went for the obvious!

Project 52 Week 8: Cabin Fever

Well, I can't say that we've really had cabin fever this winter.  Although it snowed on Sunday night, today was 70 degrees!  And we've had several days like that.  But on the day pictured below, it was dreary.  And rainy.  And cold.  And it was on the weekend - which makes it even worse.  Going outside to play was not an option ... and so I guess a little 'cabin fever' did set in.  But that's over now and we are back outside playing soccer and football in the front yard!  

Can't wait to see how everyone else dealt with their 'cabin fever' this week!  

IHF {Hugs & Kisses}

She just LOVES her little brother!!  And he just adores her!

Jump over to iheartfaces.com to see more "hugs & kisses"!

Project 52 Week 7: True Love

Sisters

Boy, this week was hard (I feel like I keep saying this!).   I wanted a picture of my 2 year old son hugging our dog, but that just didn't happen.. at least not while I was ready to snap the picture.  Or, I would have liked a photo of my oldest daughter comforting her little brother after he bumped his head.  So sweet, but again, no camera.  

I decided to take some pictures of my daughters, but I questioned whether or not I was truly demonstrating the theme.  After all, they fight like crazy.  There are those rare moments, though, when I witness the true love they have for each other.  They are sisters, bonded forever.  And it is my wish and my belief they'll be the best of friends as time goes on and will love looking back on this photo.  

Or maybe I should have just stuck with the hearts below... ?

IHF {Heart}

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!  Oooo... how I LOVE Valentine's Day!  I love reading the cards that my kids bring home from school.  I love the candy conversation hearts!  I love that my beautiful girl has her birthday just before this fun day!  My best valentine gift ever!  And...we always get to celebrate with a heart theme!  This year, instead of a cake... heart-shaped donuts!  Happy Birthday to my sweet valentine!

Check out more "Hearts" at iheartfaces.com!  

Project 52 Week 6: Drink Up

Vino!

It is Week 6 of Darcy's Project 52 and I am still committed!  It is so much fun and it is forcing me to step out of my comfort zone quite a bit.  The prompt for this week is 'drink up'.  I really wanted to make some sort of fancy, fruity, tropical,  drink or a steamy, whipped coffee beverage (not that I can really make either one), but it just didn't happen.  What did happen was that I found pretty good deal on a pretty good Pinot Noir.  I couldn't resist buying in bulk (ok, well, just 3 bottles)! 

Project 52 Week 5: Shadows

This week's theme over at my3boybarians.com/ is Shadows.  This sounded easy enough at first, but as I got into it, I realized the challenge really lied within the creativity.  My first attempt was a boring shadow of myself holding a camera.  I am sure this would have been be fine, but I wanted to keep trying.  A few of my other attempts involved a plastic flower and a pinecone.  Those weren't so good either.  Here are my best attempts, but I still think I can improve...

Other attempts:  

I really think I should have included a portion of my son with his shadow.  These just seem a little creepy by themselves to me for some reason!

I Heart Faces: Oh So Silly

This week's theme over at I Heart Faces features silly faces and goofy poses!  Such a fun theme!  

My little guy loves to be silly.  He makes me laugh every day!  He loves when I call him 'goofball' for acting so silly.  He hardly has time to look at me for a picture, but I managed to snap this one on the verge of some extreme silliness!  I love this little goofball!  

Be sure to head over to iheartfaces.com to check out more goofy, silly photos! 

Project 52 Week 4: Self Portrait

OK, here I am ... 

This week's theme was challenge for me, but it was also a very valuable experience.  I learned several things:

• How to use the self-timer on my camera
• That I look a lot more like my mom than I ever realized
• And that I have a new love for Lightroom's adjustment brush -which allowed me to reduce the clarity of my skin, thus reducing my wrinkles! :)

Here are a few more:

I thought my legs were a little weird in this one, but I liked my smile a bit better...

...so I tried to blur them a bit, but I think it might be a little cheesy looking now!

Asleep ... By the Book

This week's theme at I Heart Faces is "By the Book".   Emily had been reading "Fox in Socks" by Dr. Suess a few minutes before I snapped this photo.  And if you've ever read it, you know just how tiring this book can be!  It is full of tongue twisters and it completely exhausts me too!   Sleep well little girl - you can finish it later.

Be sure to head over to iheartfaces.com to check out more entries featuring books!

Project 52 Week 3: I Dreamed a Dream

What are you dreaming about, baby girl?

This week's theme is "I Dreamed a Dream", inspired by Dr. Martin's Luther Kings famous speech.  I thought a lot this theme and about the dreams I had had for myself when I was younger.  I realized that my dreams had really come true and that I am living the fairy tale I had imagined for myself - happily married with three beautiful children.

Now my dreams are for my children.  They are so happy and secure right now and I want that for them always.  While they sleep, I wonder what they are dreaming about.  I wonder what their dreams will be.  Who will they become?  I want their dreams to come true as well.  Sometimes watching them sleep grounds me and reminds me of how just much I have to be thankful for.

Sweet dreams to all my children.

Project 52 Week 2: Made with Love

Cookie Time

We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE homemade chocolate chip cookies at our house.  It is a miracle that we got them on a plate in order to take a picture, because they certainly do not last very long!  And my family thinks I make them better than anyone in the history of chocolate chip cookie making.  I must say, they are pretty darn tasty and I secretly eat more than my share!

But the cookies pictured above were only photographed by me.  I didn't make them.  I recently passed this special family secret onto my 10 year old daughter and she loves to make them.  She gets a little help with the oven, but other than that, she does it all herself!   She made this batch because her Grandpa loves them too and he was visiting the next day.  She also shared them with us!  And they were very good.