The dragon's name is, "Cat" Naturally.
She loves that book - just like I did when I was little.
I like this picture because I think it captures Abby well.
My three year old...bruised, pant-less, surrounded by toys with her nose in a book.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
saturday morning
Yesterday was a good morning - a little lazy, a little productive, a little fun.
The girls and I got up and played downstairs while daddy slept in a little bit. We decided to make a fun breakfast, so we pulled together our resources and had fun with it. Abby was a pretty good little help in the kitchen.
After breakfast, we woke up daddy and I decided to play. I haven't picked up my camera this whole month. I'm not sure why - but it's probably a combo of being sick, being busy, the days being dark and short and just feeling uninspired. But yesterday, I decided I would try to take some snapshots to get the juices flowing again. And we had a fun time.
I let the girls play around on my stripped-down bed and I just snapped. Most of the pictures weren't as technically spot-on as I like - but it doesn't really matter. The blur and the grain, the blown out spots and the missed focus - it all captures that morning pretty well.
And that is something I need to remember. I sometimes feel like if I can't produce an image that is technically sound AND beautiful, then I shouldn't show it or share it or keep it. But I need to remember that sometimes, it doesn't matter if my ISO was too high or if my processing is ambiguous - it's more important that I have captured the memory of my girls playing together.
That being said, a few of my favorites from our Saturday morning shoot.
After our shoot, it was more play time, more laundry time, lunch time, nap time, and then we all went and ran errands. It was a good day, as Saturdays should be.
The girls and I got up and played downstairs while daddy slept in a little bit. We decided to make a fun breakfast, so we pulled together our resources and had fun with it. Abby was a pretty good little help in the kitchen.
Our Squirrel breakfast. I wish I'd taken a better picture, but the phone was all that was handy.
Abby was quite pleased with it....although I think her favorite part was "raining syrup" on the little critters.
After breakfast, we woke up daddy and I decided to play. I haven't picked up my camera this whole month. I'm not sure why - but it's probably a combo of being sick, being busy, the days being dark and short and just feeling uninspired. But yesterday, I decided I would try to take some snapshots to get the juices flowing again. And we had a fun time.
I let the girls play around on my stripped-down bed and I just snapped. Most of the pictures weren't as technically spot-on as I like - but it doesn't really matter. The blur and the grain, the blown out spots and the missed focus - it all captures that morning pretty well.
And that is something I need to remember. I sometimes feel like if I can't produce an image that is technically sound AND beautiful, then I shouldn't show it or share it or keep it. But I need to remember that sometimes, it doesn't matter if my ISO was too high or if my processing is ambiguous - it's more important that I have captured the memory of my girls playing together.
That being said, a few of my favorites from our Saturday morning shoot.
After our shoot, it was more play time, more laundry time, lunch time, nap time, and then we all went and ran errands. It was a good day, as Saturdays should be.
Friday, January 27, 2012
dear girls
There are about a ba-jillion things I want to teach you. Some are more important than others. For instance, if you ever have a stained coffee pot - you should know that swirling ice, salt, and a lemon wedge inside will clean it, but that's probably not as important as knowing something like - don't hold grudges. Because grudges? They're useless and only hurt you. But - that's a discussion for another day. Today, I want to tell you a few things about politics.
Yes, politics.
You won't care about politics for a long time. My first political memory was when I was in 4th grade and my teacher took a poll of who we each wanted to win the presidential race. Bill Clinton, being from Arkansas, easily won our little class election, but I remember my teacher asking us why we voted for who we chose. Most, if not all of us, answered "because that's who my parents are voting for" And, you know what? When you're 9 -that's probably ok. But, my teacher's point was that we should never base our opinions just on what the people around us do - we need to learn to think for ourselves, and to think critically.
She was a great teacher.
Your Grandpa is a moderator - he is very good at navigating the waters of strong opinions and simultaneously not offending anyone and not compromising his points of view. It's a skill, an art, perhaps, that not everyone has. I remember when I was in middle school, he taught me that the best way to win an argument was to completely understand the other person's position. You have to know the arguments against your point of view in order to effectively defend them. This is how I convinced them to let me have my first kitten. I wrote a long letter of all the arguments they had against my pet-ownership and provided counterpoints to those arguments. In the end, they were left speechless and I got a kitten.
(ok, maybe they wren't speechless, maybe they were stifling their laughter at my seriousness and dedication and desperate plea for a feline companion. But, I got one in the end, so it matters not.)
I'm getting off track.
Here's what I want you to know.
When you grow up - don't accept what other people say without thinking about it. Especially in the realm of politics. If you like a candidate, know why you like them. Also? and maybe more importantly? Know why other people don't. Research things. And just in case this is still an issue a decade from now - "research" is not the same as "google"
Be informed. Be smart about your opinions.
And when you can do that? When you know not only what you believe, but why? You can stand your ground with confidence.
That being said, don't be afraid to listen to new information, or to change your mind. Always be openminded and respectful of different points of view. If you are informed, you won't be threatened by people who think differently than you. And you will always be surrounded by people who think differently than you. It is what makes this country so great. It's ok to disagree with someone, as long as you know why you disagree with them and that you do so respectfully.
I will try to teach you these things. Both of you. Because they're important. A person who can think critically will do well in life. So, file this away, and know that your daddy and I will do our best to raise you so that this comes naturally to you.
I'm sure it will. You girls are pretty awesome.
Love,
mom
Yes, politics.
You won't care about politics for a long time. My first political memory was when I was in 4th grade and my teacher took a poll of who we each wanted to win the presidential race. Bill Clinton, being from Arkansas, easily won our little class election, but I remember my teacher asking us why we voted for who we chose. Most, if not all of us, answered "because that's who my parents are voting for" And, you know what? When you're 9 -that's probably ok. But, my teacher's point was that we should never base our opinions just on what the people around us do - we need to learn to think for ourselves, and to think critically.
She was a great teacher.
Your Grandpa is a moderator - he is very good at navigating the waters of strong opinions and simultaneously not offending anyone and not compromising his points of view. It's a skill, an art, perhaps, that not everyone has. I remember when I was in middle school, he taught me that the best way to win an argument was to completely understand the other person's position. You have to know the arguments against your point of view in order to effectively defend them. This is how I convinced them to let me have my first kitten. I wrote a long letter of all the arguments they had against my pet-ownership and provided counterpoints to those arguments. In the end, they were left speechless and I got a kitten.
(ok, maybe they wren't speechless, maybe they were stifling their laughter at my seriousness and dedication and desperate plea for a feline companion. But, I got one in the end, so it matters not.)
I'm getting off track.
Here's what I want you to know.
When you grow up - don't accept what other people say without thinking about it. Especially in the realm of politics. If you like a candidate, know why you like them. Also? and maybe more importantly? Know why other people don't. Research things. And just in case this is still an issue a decade from now - "research" is not the same as "google"
Be informed. Be smart about your opinions.
And when you can do that? When you know not only what you believe, but why? You can stand your ground with confidence.
That being said, don't be afraid to listen to new information, or to change your mind. Always be openminded and respectful of different points of view. If you are informed, you won't be threatened by people who think differently than you. And you will always be surrounded by people who think differently than you. It is what makes this country so great. It's ok to disagree with someone, as long as you know why you disagree with them and that you do so respectfully.
I will try to teach you these things. Both of you. Because they're important. A person who can think critically will do well in life. So, file this away, and know that your daddy and I will do our best to raise you so that this comes naturally to you.
I'm sure it will. You girls are pretty awesome.
Love,
mom
Thursday, January 26, 2012
problem solving skills
Yesterday, a man ran in front of our car after the light at the intersection had turned green. I slammed on my breaks to avoid running him over and he braced his hand on the hood of our car and gave me this look like "sorry about that!" and walked off. I was pretty annoyed. Y'know, I tend to dislike running over people. Abby then asked, "Mommy? Why did that man almost hit us?"
The rest of the conversation when like this:
Me: "I don't know, but he wasn't being very safe"
Abs: "Yeah, he shouldn't go in front of cars. That's dangerous."
Me: "yes, it is. You are absolutely correct"
Abs: (thinking)..."maybe we just need a cage."
Me: "A cage?"
Abs: (still thinking it through)..."Yeah...a cage! Yeah. We'll just get a BIG cage, and put it at the end of the sidewalk. Theeeeeen, all the people will walk into the cage and get trapped."
Me: (laughing) "Well, ok, but how will they get to the other side of the street?"
Abs: "They can't. They're in the cage. But they wouldn't go in the street"
Me: "Ok, sounds like a good idea to me"
Abs: "Yeah! We just need to find a cage. A big one. Maybe at Target or somewhere."
People of Boston, you've been warned. We're looking for a cage.
The rest of the conversation when like this:
Me: "I don't know, but he wasn't being very safe"
Abs: "Yeah, he shouldn't go in front of cars. That's dangerous."
Me: "yes, it is. You are absolutely correct"
Abs: (thinking)..."maybe we just need a cage."
Me: "A cage?"
Abs: (still thinking it through)..."Yeah...a cage! Yeah. We'll just get a BIG cage, and put it at the end of the sidewalk. Theeeeeen, all the people will walk into the cage and get trapped."
Me: (laughing) "Well, ok, but how will they get to the other side of the street?"
Abs: "They can't. They're in the cage. But they wouldn't go in the street"
Me: "Ok, sounds like a good idea to me"
Abs: "Yeah! We just need to find a cage. A big one. Maybe at Target or somewhere."
People of Boston, you've been warned. We're looking for a cage.
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