When Ceara was here for Christmas (yay!!!!) I was able to shoot her family.
I know there are people I talk about over and over on the blog that you really don’t know, and Ceara is one of them. Ceara and I grew up together and really became close in middle school when she befriended me even though at her sleep over birthday party I hid in her room reading baby-sitter club books while the other guests watched a scary movie (I think it was Aracnophobia, but we can’t really remember). We were on dance team together, sang silly songs (mostly Madonna) together very loudly in the car and obsessed about movie stars (her = George Clooney, me = David Duchovny) through high school. She went to U of O, I went to Oregon State (supposed enemies, but I’m not very into that rivalry). The main bummer about that was the distance. We talked at least once a week and her parents would come get me at my dorm when they went down to watch her perform (she was a music major and has an amazing voice). Then she went and met this hot guy who she fell in love with and MOVED ACROSS THE COUNTRY (is this not acrossed the country? Have I been saying this wrong my whole life?).
So I visited her in Arkansas where she got married, and in Vermont where she lives now. I’ve been there three times, twice with Tuesday. Vermont is very pretty, but too far away. This was never more clear than the family shoot. Her darling boy (here 8 months) has changed so much from the little cute lump from when I visited last time.
I set this shot up and her husband held down the shutter and hoped for the best. I think he took like 20 shots in 2 minutes, hehehe.
Love this woman and her family. I’m so glad we got these photos. The only time I could shoot them was on Christmas eve morning because her husband is an athletic trainer and had to work up until the holiday, and leave right after. I walked into her dad’s home not knowing what to expect (like most shoots!). But I’m not afraid to move furniture and open doors to get some light (like I did here). I don’t mind a little noise (if it was film you’d call it grain). I prefer it actually to smooth weird processed looking skin. The shot you see when my blogs header starts up (if you haven’t clicked over to the actual site from reader or an RSS the header is a slideshow, check it out) is her baby when he first woke up from a nap. Ceara was snuggling him and it was so sweet, so glad I brought my camera in to capture it.
So, how do you think you say her name? Trust me, she’s heard it all!
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Celebrating crafts, kids and the everyday through photographs.
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Celebrating crafts, kids and the everyday through photographs.
So we took Tuesday to Disneyland for her second birthday….
Yes, yes, we took an almost two year old to the “greatest place on earth.” Now I know right up front that not everyone is a huge Disney fan, that’s totally fine because honestly I’m not that into Disney myself. Tuesday doesn’t watch any TV or movies at all*, so we were not going to show her all the characters. People did wonder why take her then. Well I didn’t watch much TV when I was young myself, and we went to Disneyland for vacations and I just remember it being an AWESOME vacation place. I know how much she likes to watch people and knew she would have fun just doing that if nothing else. We got a bit of flack at the decision to take such a young kid and I was worried that it would be super over stimulating for her. As a precaution we decided to stay right on the property so that if we needed to we could go back to the hotel easily. So how did it work out?
Whatever you think of Disney they sure know families, and kids especially. The last time I went to Disneyland was on my honeymoon and it was like we were at a totally different park this time with a kid. I passed by all the little boat rides, the play areas, the slower things when I was there just with Bj, but this time that was mostly what we did. As an added bonus we had two sets of grandparents, two uncles and an aunt to keep Tuesday entertained (and allow Bj and I to go on some fast rides—hello space mountain!). I love family vacations and I hadn’t been on a big one in so long. It was three days of fun and family.
Staying in park was so cool. Between the hotel, downtown Disney, California Adventure, and Disneyland (my mom and step-dad got us park hopper passes) we never left the magical little bubble. It was weird to go on a long walk all the way around Disney the last day and see the “real world” just outside it. Tuesday did so well and had so much fun running everywhere and pointing out the train, or any roller coaster that looked like a train. Talk about heaven for our train obsessed girl. She’d point to one and insist mama or papa go on it so she could watch! It was a lot of work to keep up with her and I only brought my camera into the park for an hour one day, on her “birthday”. So most of these photos are from relatives (thanks!).
(trying out my blogs gallery function, I think you’ll have to pop out of reader to use it, not sure. Hmm, not liking the slideshow so much, I’ll have to mess around with it some more, sorry it’s so huge, I have no idea why!). So have you been to Disney with or without a kid? What did you think? Have you ever been on a birthday? Because Tuesday was treated like a super star (I’m sure the cape helped). She met princesses and loved them, even though she had no clue who they were besides pretty dressed up ladies giving her hugs. The one thing she did not like? Any character with a fake head! Ha!
*A couple days before we left Tuesday and I both got sick, she was puking and I was drowning in the sorrow of a terrible cold. I popped in two Disney movies: Toy Story 3 (Tuesday speak: “the guy show”) and Monsters, Inc (“the Monkey show”) since we could both barely move. I can’t believe how quickly she knew these characters and pointed them out in Disneyland. Man they suck your kids in quick, watch out! -
Celebrating crafts, kids and the everyday through photographs.
This weekend I had a much MUCH needed sewing day at my friend Kristen’s home.
And I actually did get a lot done (that’s the beginning of my entry into the second project modern challenge). But after a long and challenging week (Mostly sleep wise. As in, I’m not getting any because someone is waking up SIX times a night) this was so needed. Not the sewing as much as the girl talk. The laughing.
Machines chugging along, seam rippers always at the ready. Sciarrino just took one to this:
With great results (I’m sure she’ll share soon). I know not everyone understands or enjoys crafts and traditional women’s work. I think there is something liberating about it now that it can be done just for fun, instead of necessity (luckily for most I know). The thing about it being necessary back in the day was that almost all women did it. They had to. Now that is not the case, so it’s easy to feel alone in a little craft bubble. Maybe you tell someone you spent hours spinning a skein of yarn and they look at you like, “um, you can buy that made… and out of washable acrylic too!” They don’t understand. These girls, all my craft buddies (and most of you I’m guessing) get it. They get the community aspect of it, the fun, the freedom of a thread, glue, yarn, fiber, paper.
And we laugh and eat, and eat, and sew, and eat, and laugh. And it’s quite fabulous really.
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