Memories, Dreams, and Reflections: 2011

One of the things that inspired me to even start this blog was Ramblings and Photos and her weekly Scavenger Hunts.  I've obviously been slacking, but I still love perusing her blog each Sunday and checking out everyone's shots.

This past week, I was on winter break and so I made it my mission to participate in the Hunt.  Of course, with my luck, the Hunt is on break too!  Bummer.  I did, however, find this awesome activity and couldn't wait to get started.

Me! - I am definitely most proud of simply starting this blog.  It has made me more aware of what I'm doing and given me the opportunity to meet some awesome new people.

I Love You - These three handsome men are my world, and I just love them to pieces!



Still Laughing... I can't help but crack up every.single.time I see this shot.  And you know why he was crying?  Because I tried to wipe the sauce off of his face and he wanted me to "leave it there."  Silly boy.

Winter Wonderland - Funnily enough, this Winter shot was actually taken in October!

Birthday - Ryan turned 5 this year.  I didn't want him to wait until dinner to blow out his candles, so I stacked some cinnamon rolls and threw on a few candles for a little birthday party.

Friends - We are missing a pal here, but this is a shot of me and 2 of my 3 closest friends.  Love these chicas!

I Was Inspired... This cell phone shot was taken the afternoon after Hurricane Irene ransacked much of New Jersey (and other parts of the country, of course, but I only live in one state!).  If this isn't a symbol of inspiration and hope, then I don't know what is.

Spring Fever - My monkeys love hanging out on their swingset!

Travel or Vacation - I love this shot of the CN Tower in Toronto!

Summer Days - I think this shot speaks for itself. :)

A Day In My Life - Another cell phone shot!  I really don't know what I'd do without my daily cup-o-joe.

All Smiles - I have yet to decide which face makes me smile more. :)

Autumn Harvest - It was so freaking hot that day that it hardly seems appropriate to share this photo under the "Autumn" tag, but hey - pumpkins aren't very summery!

Family or Home - This was taken on Ryan's birthday at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC.

Celebrate! - Happy Birthday, Ryan!  These are slices of the delicious cake that my awesome sister-in-law made for him.

Let's Do It Again... - Yay beach!

I Miss You - This is my youngest, so I technically don't miss him because he's right here with me, but holy cow, do I miss this age!  I love where my boys are currently (5 and 2-and-a-half) but I sure do miss these teeny, squishy babies!

Beautiful - My mommy.

Dress Up - May the force be with you.

Macro - This is from the butterfly exhibit at the Bronx Zoo.

Holidays - Danny takes a break from the egg hunt to give me a little smile.

My Favorite - One of my favorite memories might just be from a few days ago when I was about 18 inches away from Daniel Radcliffe.  And dudes?  He totally autographed my nook for me.

Don't Ever Change - Cliche, I know, but I just adore our little family so much and while no one is perfect, I hope we're always this happy.

Just Because...So There! - This picture still cracks me the hell up.

Hopes and Dreams - This isn't my photo (see below) but it's a great representation of what I hope to achieve - balance.  I wear multiple hats in my life, and it's a constant struggle to keep so many balls up in the air.

(photo from Breaking Muscle)

Wishing you the best in 2012!

Best of 2011

I don't like to make New Year's "Resolutions" because the word alone lends itself to failure, and who likes failing?  So instead I'll just discuss my "To-Do List for 2012."  Among the obligatory weight loss and more quality family time, I really want to get back to blogging.  I maintain 3 blogs that mean a lot to me (this one, my cooking blog, and a family blog), though I apparently use the word "maintain" loosely.  But I love to blog, and I love having these creative outlets, and I really want to give myself some kind of routine in the coming months.

To start off, I figured I'd share my favorite shots from each month during the past year.  They might not be my best work from a technical perspective, but each one not only makes me smile, but also taught me something.  Enjoy!

January: For Christmas last year, my husband gave me a new lens.  I couldn't wait to host a little photo shoot with my kids... and Ryan couldn't wait to explore with his new telescope.

February: This isn't even that great of a shot, but I am in love with the look of concentration on his face.

March: This shot is a little distorted but how can you look at that face and not smile?

April: Another shot that's distorted since it's so wide, but I love it.  It's hanging up in my family room.

May: I don't remember what captivated Danny's attention (presumably a plane or helicopter) but I'm sure glad I captured that sweet expression.

June: This is another that makes me laugh - taken during a little dinner al fresco.

July: This is one of the shots I took when my "baby" turned 2.  It didn't make the frame, but he's holding a giant ballon in the shape of a 2 and is enamored with it.

August: I love this shot of my two landscapers!  And the glare is truly indicative of how beastly hot it was.

September: Ryan looks so official and dedicated in his soccer get-up!  Too bad his David Beckham stint only last a practice and a half.

October: He was determined to carry his own pumpkin, and only after he dumped it into the wagon did he finally admit to it being heavy.

November: I have nothing to say about this shot except that it makes me giggle every.single.time I see it.  You can practically HEAR him saying "aaarrrrrrrrrrr."

December: I just love this.

Bonus: This was taken on Christmas morning, and I snapped it before my flash was ready to go off.  This resulted in a super dark photo that I nearly deleted before doing any editing.  I'm so glad something told me to hit that auto-contrast button - their faces are PRICELESS as they see Santa's bounty for the first time.  This photo serves a reminder to me that photography is not about capturing the perfect photo - it's about capturing the perfect moment.

Happy 2012!

Jamie's Bridal Shower

I was thrilled when Jamie asked me to photograph her bridal shower. She's such a fun lady and I'm excited to have gotten to know her over the past couple of years.

I have a crazy amount of pictures to get through, but I couldn't wait to show Jamie a few right away!

Up Up and Away!

This past weekend was the annual Quick Check Balloon Festival, and the balloons launch from an airport not too far from us. We usually drive around and find a spot to park (usually in a location where we can also purchase Munchkins!) but this year we hit the jackpot.

As we drove around "following" them, we actually stumbled across where they landed. And they clearly don't have a designated landing site, as evidenced below; they land where they land, even if it means landing in someone's front yard.


This one literally landed in the middle of the road. They eventually moved it to a driveway so that they could properly deflate it and pack it up.

Many landed within a block or two of each other. The neighborhood was just buzzing with crew trucks and excited families. Can you imagine going out for a pizza and coming home to finding this?? (Or worse... coming home to find out that you MISSED this!)

My kids, of course, thought our night was just amazing. I'm pretty sure we'll never experience a balloon festival quite this exciting again!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Happy Sunday! Usually Sundays are pretty bittersweet - who doesn't kind of dread the end of the weekend?? But my weekend was pretty busy, actually, so I'm almost looking forward to going in to work tomorrow for a few hours. :)

Plus, Sundays bring the next 5 items on Ashley Sisk's scavenger hunt list!

1. FINGERTIPS: I recently upgraded to an iphone, and my oldest has used it more than I, I think. He's a master at Angry Birds!

2. WALKING EMPTY STREETS: "Walking empty streets" is what I WISH I was doing in this photo, rather than waiting in a very long line to cross the border!

2. REPEATING PATTERNS: We chased some hot air balloons last night during the Balloon Festival and watched them actually land in people's yards.

4. FLOOR: I love catching them being silly. And I really want to bite his belly.

5. THEN AND NOW: This is, obviously, from the archives... but in the middle of a crazy heat wave, it's sometimes nice to think about the weather from a few months ago!