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!

some vacation favs

We just returned home our vacation to Toronto and Niagara Falls, and I spent much of this evening going through and editing our pics. From a technical perspective, here are some of my favorites:

All set to cross the border!

A cable car driving alongside the harbor:

The CN Tower:

I don't really know what my son is doing but this gesture w/ his hands appeared in multiple shots:

Lookin' cool while waiting to enter the Blue Jays/Yankees game:

My youngest loved the Hippo Tour!

After about a week in Toronto, we drove to Niagara Falls for a couple of days. This was our view at breakfast...

...and this was our view at dinner!

Birthday Photo Shoot

I dressed up my youngest in his birthday party shirt (which matched our "Very Hungry Caterpillar" party theme!) and headed out to the backyard for a mini photo session. HOW is this boy two already?!

Hey, Girlfriend!

The other day I took a few shots of my friend's gorgeous little girl for an Easter card. She kept taking her headband off, and I snagged a shot of her trying to share with me. It looks better on her. :)

Two Cute

Thanks to Brooke again, I had the most amazing time taking pics for her friend Joy's twin boys.  Like most of us moms, we tend to be so focused on taking pictures of what our kids are doing that we miss out on being a PART of what our kids are doing.  Joy was looking for someone to do what she didn't want to do this time - run around with a camera and snap away at these gorgeous boys.

This party was also the first time I really played with my flash.  It was fun experimenting, but any good flash-work was purely unintentional. :)