The Well Rounded Mama

A Very Happy Mother's Day

How can Mother's Day NOT be wonderful with 10 cute little feet like these?

 

I am so thankful to be a mom.  It is the only thing I wanted growing up and it is the only thing that kept me alive during my darkest days.  It was a desire deep and strong and for the years that I thought it might not be a possibility, it was even deeper. I've known what it is to long for children.  I've known what it is to think maybe it just isn't going to happen.  I've known what it is to hope and pray and wait, only to start over again. I've known.

 

And I've also known the joy that comes with two pink little lines.  I've known the joy of watching my body grow with new life.  I've known the giddy expectations and dreams that play out during pregnancy. I've known the utter joy of holding a child for the first time. 

 

Being a mom is my greatest accomplishment. But it is far from over. I've brought children into this world but I have yet to complete my task -- to raise them up to be responsible adults ready to love and serve others with every gift that God has given them.  I've a long way to go, but I am feeling the joy along the way.

This year for Mother's Day, I didn't want much.  I have everything I need and so much of what I want. So instead of gifts, I asked the family for two things:

 

1. Let's give gifts to those who need it far more than I.

2. Let me try to take some family pictures

 

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Rather than buy me gifts that I didn't need, I asked the children to select gifts for the kids in the care of Embracing Hope (Ethiopia). The toys will go to the new daycare that is run so that the mothers (who are trying to support their children on less than $1 a day) can go to work. Matchbox cars, a wooden tea set, an animal puzzle, and books. Can you guess who picked out what?

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My family put up with my trying to capture on (digital) film what I feel in my heart.  I can never do it, but these will have to do for now...

 

My five little loves...

 

So blessed to be their mama...

 

And I am so thankful for my partner, best friend, and love...

 

Me and my newest little blessing...

 

The precious girl who first made me a mama...

 

My amazing little ladies...so many dreams!

 

And my handsome young men...

 

My little guy who makes me laugh every day...

 

And yet with all his silliness, he has a tender heart... (and his littlest sister has the cutest faces!)

 

And speaking of funny faces, what do you see?

Look closer...

 

Even with all their funny faces, my heart swells with thoughts of what I have been given...

 

And I am happy that we love deeply and laugh freely...

 

A very happy Mother's Day indeed.

A PHOTO A DAY

I know I am about a week late in posting this, but hey, better late than never, right?

Last January, after completing my first year of Project 365, I wrote a post about my feelings and suggestions about the project.  I re-read the post today and really have nothing new to add. I finished my second year with the same happy results and the same confidence in my goals. I have never set out for this to be a showcase of photographic skill...for that I would take and choose different photos.  Instead, I do this to capture the every day moments of our lives...the moments that I would surely forget if I didn't preserve them now. As I look through another year of memories, I am so thankful to have captured moments like my kids jumping on hotel beds, the bead I pulled out of Levi's nose, the books that changed me, the yummy food we ate, the day Alaina learned to Google, crazy things about living in Asia, life changing moments, moments days I would rather forget, creativity at its finest, special celebrations, anticipation, and more.

And so I start another year, full of hope and excitement for the precious moments that will be preserved.  And after realizing that I only appeared in nine photos all of last year (one of which was just my ankle), I have vowed to stop hiding and let myself be seen.  I don't like pictures of myself, but I desperately want my kids to know I was a part of their life, not just the person documenting it.  And for the record, Jason appeared in over 30 photos, the boys were both in around 80, the girls in 90, food was showcased in over 40 photos, and my proudest accomplishment...all four kids were in 27 photos!

And now for my favorite twenty photos from A PHOTO A DAY 2010 (there was no way I could narrow it down to ten). These are twenty photos that, if I were to lose them, I think I would cry.

In chronological order...

I just adore this photo...my sweet girl in her batik shirt and henna tatoo. I love that my kids are growing up in Asia!

 

This photo just makes me laugh. How many kids can devour meat on a stick like this??  Katie still loves her sate ayam!

 

This photo, which hangs as a HUGE canvas on our wall, reminds me of where we live. The rice paddies, the mountains, the beauty. LOVE it.

 

Two of my three favorite men

 

An amazing birthday party for my amazing seven year old

 

My sweet and loveable twenty pound ankle weight

 

Me and my boys.  I never had any clue how much I would LOVE being a mother to boys!

 

A reminder of all of the fun and amazing things we do as a family

 

One of those moments where I just think, "WOW!  I have four AMAZING kids and I hope they have the most AMAZING childhood ever!"

 

A beautiful reminder of our trip to India...a place we all love so much!

 

A photo that could represent many, many others.  My four year old is, I believe, allergic to clothes and would prefer that he never have to get dressed.

 

Another classic Levi photo that portays his personality so well!

 

My sweet, sweet Caleb who loves his baby kitties more than life itself.

 

The sweetest moment...EVER.

 

Just a cool, cool photo.

 

Our sweet dog that I miss so much

 

Eleven years and counting...

 

It's so easy to forget how blessed we are, and how that blessing is supposed to be poured out onto others

 

Every family needs to laugh and have fun together

 

The greatest Christmas gift I could ever ask for

 

 

Can't wait to see what 2011 holds!

A New Favorite

I have a new favorite photo.  My little girl -- maybe my last little girl -- who loves to grab onto the bottom of my legs and hold on for dear life as I drag her around the house trying to do whatever I need to do. Life with little ones goes so fast and I want to soak in and enjoy EVERY. SINGLE. MINUTE.  Even if it would be easier to get housework done without a 20 pound ankle weight.

Just Look at This Face

One of the sites I enjoyed last year was i heart faces.  I enjoyed looking at all the entries for the various contests and seeing different people's takes on a subject matter.  The site is celebrating its first birthday.  And although I don't usually enter their contests, I had a photo ready to go for this weeks challenge of BEST FACE.  This is my dear sweet Katie's best face...being stuffed with chicken sate. That girl can INHALE some meat on a stick!

Fix It Friday

I LOVE photo editing....it is just so fun to have a photo and play with it.  I am guilty of even taking my friends photos off of Facebook and editing them...just so I can see what they would look like with my touch :)  I don't do anything with them -- it is just fun to play. 

So, it is no surprise that when I came across the site I♥faces awhile back, I was excited about their Fix-it-Friday feature.  They show a photo and then people get to edit it the way they want and then show the results.  My kind of fun!

This is the first week I have participated and it is SO fun!  I just need to write down my steps next time!

Here is the original photo.  The gal who took this wanted an edit that would be more appropriate for the time period of the the girls outfit.

And here is my edit:

I feel like I could have pulled this from my great-grandma's photo album :)

Happy editing!