Tweet

Today I will start a series of posts that are probably the most requested ones of all time.

Photography for Mommies

(it’s like “photography for dummies” books, but it’s mommies. Get it? Get it?)

It’s not a series for people who are well versed in photography. This will be written for beginners, new mommies and veteran mommies, who are looking to get better pictures of their kids and themselves, and their families, and their dog, you get it!

I wanted to start this series with a post about photography gear for two reasons:

Tweet

I would like to thank all our readers and supporters for being so awesome

and wish you all a Merry Happy Warm Christmas!

Here’s a smile from our little angel!

Tweet

Let’s start with our swim classes. Like most of you pointed out on facebook to calm my fears of having to dunk Alexis, first swim classes are introduction to water. That means: getting comfortable in the water, learning to reach the ledge, singing songs and just in general having fun. Sounded great to me!

We arrived to our first class ( that was back in September I think) and were the third mom/baby pair at the class, the other two with a 1 year old and a 2 year old. What I didn’t realize was how basic the class would be. It makes sense now: introduction to water!

Tweet

I used to not like writing or reading Instagram posts. I felt the photography was lacking and I like “purdy” pictures. But I am starting to love Instagram photos more and more for one reason. As Alexis gets older and more mobile, it is becoming harder to have my big heavy camera with a big heavy lens on hand for those cute fun and precious moments that happen in a blink of an eye. In addition to that, she is obsessed with pressing buttons on my camera, which means as soon as I pull it out, Lexi crawls to me which makes it impossible to take A picture, let alone a candid one. So taking cell phone pictures is the only way to really capture the amazing girl that she is. I really don’t like to have become on of those moms that ONLY takes and posts pictures of their kids, but that’s most of what I do all day and it’s hard NOT to take pictures of your kid. So lately, as I have been going through my Instagram photos, I’ve been loving how real authentic and fun they are. Just our life: dirty, messy, funny, real every day life. So this feature is here to stay, as evidenced by its newly created category :)

OCTOBER 2012

A massive Zulily order of books. We actually really like these and most of them are impossible to find otherwise.

Tweet

Hey, guys!

I wanted to share my Black Friday shopping sites and ask about your favorites as well.

I sure as hell won’t be going to actually stores during this madness, considering I don’t go to stores on normal days. We did do the whole midnight Black Friday experience one year when our Italian friends were visiting and it was actually fun to do it once to see how crazy it gets.

So this year I am sure even more people will be shopping from their couch. So will I. Andrew will be taking Lexi and, armed with a credit card and a list of items,  I will be buying stuff we’ve been holding off on buying till this day.

Traditionally every Black Friday we buy new towels, new sheets and new dinnerware. They are the cheapest than any other time of the year and it’s nice to get nice new linens every year. Most of the other items get bought when they are needed during the year, like electronics and camera equipment, because Black Friday usually has deals on more mainstream stuff like low end DSLRs and low end lenses.

Btw, if you’re looking to buy a low end ( does not equal bad quality, just means cheaper and simpler) DSLR, I would recommend Canon T3 for $449  or a newer T3i for $150 dollars more.

Here’s where I will be shopping personally:

Tweet

I’ve been meaning to catch myself up on photo posts for a while now and I think I am pretty close. My goal being, to be able to post current happenings in photos right after they take place rather than wait till I get through the backlog of photos. This is sort of a photodump. As much as I try not to do it, it is sometimes necessary. Next up: my first solo fun outing with girlfriends (which really happened in August, oops) and of course THE REST OF THE DISNEY POSTS (I promise they are coming)

1. Birthday Beaching

These photos got lost in the mess that my TAOMAB folder is at this point. But Lexi is so cute in some of them I couldn’t leave them off the blog. This was the morning after AJ’s birthday. It was stormy and overcast, so we had only a short swim but the beach was gorgeous in its frowny state.

Tweet

Note: The photos below are from the archives pulled solely to add mood to the post. They have nothing to do with it otherwise

This topic has nothing to do with parenting or babies but it is one that Andrew and I occasionally discuss, so I thought I’d bring it up as food for thought. No lesson or moral here, just some musings.

We are very much into analyzing our feelings. Before Lexi was born, we’d sit there for hours talking about our childhoods, about our emotions, our upbringings, about our inner most feelings, about those hidden emotions we all feel on daily basis without realizing it, about searching for the true feelings behind our actions, etc.

We are all full of emotions. Some can deal with them better than others, some can control them better than others, some feel more, others feel less. Emotions, to me, is a fascinating phenomenon. I love reading about the nature and science of emotion and now that I have a daughter, it has become even more important for me to fully understand how to properly handle children’s emotions as well as control your own, at least in front of them. I am not perfect, but I am learning.

This morning, Andrew and I had this conversation (which is what made me write this post):

Tweet

***

Instagram LOVE!

{or trying to catch up on photos}

I’m pretty sure these are from September. Though looking at them and seeing how little Lexi was just over a month ago blows my mind. This could not be September. She could not have been NOT crawling and pulling up on everything just a month ago. Not possible. And yet here it is. My baby who grows by leaps and bounds at this point. Definitely makes you want to have another. Eventually. Not now.
See what we’ve been up to { or WERE up to a month ago. Eventually I will get current, I promise :)}

Tweet

***

I wanted to share this collage I made out of the photos I took of me and Lexi. These are so far my favorite photos together, and it was the most spontaneous photoshoot ever,  with a remote and my camera propped up on a trashcan snatched away from the office, contents dumped on the floor, because it was the only thing I could grab fast and with one hand.
But the photos turned out to be the most authentic and cool that I have ever taken of the two of us.

We just had fun.

Laughed, blew raspberries together, kissed, tickled toes, read books, goofed around.
I am slowly getting back to taking self-portraits with Alexis and I know I will cherish them forever.
{ To see the photo, click CONTINUE READING below}

Tweet

I haven’t been able to share my Instagram photos, so here are some starting from August. Instagram is probably the best way to see what real every day life is like for us. If you’d like to follow, just shoot me a quick email before sending a request. I want to keep my Instagram community small so that I could interact with more people. Below are some of my August picks.