Growing

One of the things I love about photographing children is watching them grow. Here are two repeat clients with a before and after. Julian is above and Sasha below:julian.jpg sasha.jpg

The Little Brother

_MG_5195.jpgOur friend Ann gave Sam this cute little onesie and a tee for Ben that says "I am the Big Brother". She says it is so we can tell them apart. Thank goodness because Ben was getting tired of wearing the tiny diapers.

Holiday Grinch

When I was a kid I loved the holidays. No school, yummy food and lots of decorations. My mom did a great job at making the house really cozy and lovely. I got so used to her doing all the work that once I lived on my own I never started doing it myself. It was as if I expected the tree to decorate itself or for my mom to come in the night and get things set up. So I went without. And I got used to it. I kept telling myself that I would start decorating and getting into the spirit after I had kids. Because I would have so much more free time right?Now the holiday season is upon us and I have a newborn and a crazed toddler and the thought of not only lugging a tree into the house, but managing to decorate it and guarding it against corgis and toddlers, is exhausting. But then I really want my kids to have holidays as great as mine were. I keep telling myself that they're too young and won't remember/notice anyway but I could see myself using that argument for the next twenty years. And now that Josh and I are together we not only have Christmas (an atheistic version) but Chanukkah as well. Ugh. I did manage to buy a menorah last year but damn if we didn't forget to light the candles every night. Maybe this year we will do better. Or we can just give the kids more material to use in therapy later on. "My parents never even got it together enough to buy us a Christmas tree . . . "

The Pool


_MG_9403_bw.jpg, originally uploaded by lazygirl.

We went to the local pool the other day with some new friends. It was really nice, although I was less than thrilled to put on a bathing suit just 5 weeks postpartum.

Biblioholic

I have a new problem to add to my long list of existing ones. I am a big reader (no that's not my problem although I have an ex-husband who would disagree). I can go through a dozen novels in a month easily. In Berkeley I got really good at using the library system and saving the cost of buying books as well as the space of storing them. But since we left I have been buying them instead. Costco and Target in particular are dangerous for me since they're "cheaper" there. But this is all besides the point. The point is that I keep getting books that I have already read. In the store I read the book summary, I even read some pages of the text to see if it's familiar, but I have still managed to buy three book lately that I have already read. I need to start some sort of Excel spreadsheet that tells me what I have read—how depressing is that? Alzheimer's here I come.

Nakedbugs

One of my favorite things about having a child is hearing the crazy things that come out of their mouths. I keep promising myself I will write them all down, but never find the time (wonder why that is). Lately Josh and my favorite has been 'nakedbug' which is exactly what it sounds like when Ben says 'ladybug'. It is ridiculously cute. Another favorite of mine is when he asks a question he swaps the verb and the noun. So he'll say "Where the cheese is?" It's like Yoda does English.

Tattoo Mama

A woman I met through flickr sent Sam a 'new baby' present and included a little something for Ben. One of these was a packet of horse tattoos. About two weeks ago Ben and I put them on—mine on my ankle and his on his arm. His is long gone. Mine is not only still there but barely faded. And YES I have taken several showers in the interim. So not only am I walking around in public with clothes covered in spit up and stained, I also have a horse tattoo on my ankle. And that would be cool if I were seven.tattoo.jpg

Film is Not Dead, But Damn It's Expensive

h0026_1007.jpgI don't know what it is about film but I still love it. I shoot 97% digital but there is something about film that digital could never replace for me. I think the best explanation I ever got was from my friend Amy who said "It's just so creamy." But boy has it gotten expensive and hard as hell to find anyone who develops the old school way. I went to pick up my order at the only place in town that still does this (and of course it's at the other side of town from me) and the order was a whopping $225. I almost had a heart attack right there. And this was just for reprints and one enlargement. I will always love and shoot film. At least until I go bankrupt. h0035_1007.jpg h0036_0907.jpg

Thomas the Tank Engine as Allegory

It's ironic that Ben watches so much 'Thomas and Friends', which was created by a minister, considering what heathens his parents are. Josh and I always deconstruct the underlying messages in the show about how being useful is more important than anything and how one must not cause confusion and delay. Boy would I big in big trouble. I am ALL about confusion and delay. The ethics in the show (as many of you are probably already well aware) are a bit of the old puritanical variety. It's all about hard work and sacrifice and not getting too big for your bonnet. I do like the emphasis on teamwork and helping out your friends. And I love how the fat, white, bald man is running the show. Gee, where have we seen THAT before?I read somewhere that it's bad to make fun of your child's program while they are watching and enjoying it (imagine that!) So when Josh and I really get going I have to remind him and myself to shut down the peanut gallery. Analyzing 'Thomas' should be restricted to a private activity, like some illicit vice we have. Don't think that's what the minister had in mind, do you?

Aphorist Nerd

The other day I was listening to npr and heard a show about a new book called Geary's Guide to the World's Great Aphorists. I must admit that this is my kind of book. I am a bit of a geek that way. Here are some of my favorites:"Nobody ever forgets where he buried the hatchet." (F. Hubbard) "Any idiot can face a crisis. It is this day-to-day living that wears you out." (A. Chekhov) "Don't always follow the crowd, because nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded. " (Y. Berra) and the best one: "The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." (A. Einstein)

Mosquito Bites


Mosquito Bites, originally uploaded by lazygirl.

This is what happens when virgin Californians move to Texas in the summer.