my favorite photos of 2010

[january]

the month we found out we were adding a fourth to our family …
I don’t remember the exact day, but we were so excited.

[february]

oh man, morning sickness reared its ugly head in february, and I didn’t venture far from the sofa except to make several trips to the bathroom so I could put my head in the toilet. this day, I was feeling ‘meh’ so we went to the playground … I do remember that the fresh air really did make me feel a thousand percent better.

[march]

I was so sick that I took less than 30 pictures during the whole month of march, so I am surprised that one of my favorite pictures of the year came out of that month. ken had to go to charleston for business, and we tagged along … one of the best parts about being a stay-at-home-mom. I had no idea how loud this picture would speak to me until I brought it up on my computer. I can just imagine what’s going through her head as she looked out over the water … man, I hope this girl reaches for the stars.

[april]

a trip to a small carnival in the local mall parking lot brought me one of my most favorite pictures ever. I can practically feel the tipping of the bucket, the wind through my hair, the slight sinking feeling in the tummy as you get to the top and start your way down.

[may]

this picture screams volumes to me. we were at a crowded art festival in downtown greenville, and emma was nervous with all of the people around. she clung to ken’s neck so tight, he had marks at the end of the evening. I talk a lot about how loud and boisterous and crazy she is, because that’s the side that takes after me. that’s the side that I know what to do with. but this is the other side of emma. the soft side. ken’s side. and I love this side equally as much as ‘my side’ even though I don’t always know how to deal with it.

[june]

okay, this is me. popsicle juice dripping down her arm and off of her elbow. messy blonde hair. sundress. sitting on the front porch steps watching the sun go down. blue eyes. summertime.

[july]

emma’s first trip to disney world. silly shy emma, mickey with his fingers in his mouth [like her], sweaty, hot, tanned. I was 7 months pregnant and kind of miserable but unbelievably happy at the same time.

[august]

the [over a month early] arrival of our newest family member … lucy jane. I am constantly amazed at how God brought her into our lives at the perfect moment, and I thank Him every day for her safe arrival. the best part about this picture? even at just an hour old, her grasp on the blanket that is covering her … oh, that is so very her. she still does that. even now as she’s rolling over, she usually takes whatever she is laying on with her and pulls it onto her face. it’s amazing to me that she is still who she was then.

[september]

gah. this just takes my breath away and makes my heart swell to the size of a watermelon.

[october]

actually, my favorite picture from october is the picture of lucy’s feet that’s currently in my header, but you guys see that all the time, so this was a close second … emma riding a horse at her cousin sydnei’s birthday party. the tongue sticking out in concentration? I die.

[november]

I have a lot of fall pictures from november that I really love, but this one epitomizes september + october + november for us. it was truly the hardest time of my life. I chose to breastfeed lucy, in spite of the fact that she has severe “silent reflux” [ha! nothing silent about it!!] and a milk allergy. she takes meds twice a day, and I am following a dairy-free diet, but we are doing it. november was the month of turnaround … the month that lucy started smiling and cooing and being happy. breastfeeding has definitely been one of the most difficult yet most rewarding things I’ve ever done. and I am so proud of myself for sticking it out and continuing to do it, in spite of the fact that I really really really miss cheese. and chocolate milk. and doughnuts. and biscuits and gravy. and cheese. and pizza. and cheeeeeeeese.

[december]

I know you’ve seen this one, but, man, it just punches me in the face … in a good way. I love it. I want to plaster it all over my walls. I want to carry it around in my wallet and show it to everyone I see. I want to say, ‘this is my baby! my premature baby who cried and screamed the first 3 months of her life! look at her now!!’

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so I went through and chose each month’s pictures without really thinking about the subject … and 11 out of 12 are pictures of my kids. I love that.

my life IS my two girls. my whole being is poured into their daily lives.

I don’t care about perfect exposure or shutter speed or selling my prints or having my pictures in a book or magazine … all I really want to do is capture my daughters’ lives the way that I see it.

what you see here? this is what I see on a daily basis.

isn’t it beautiful?

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