Holiday Traditions And Cards

Hello again! Where do I even start? It sure has been a while since I've posted anything on this dusty old blog. While things have been quiet here, they definitely haven't been quiet in real time - life keeps roaring by at breakneck speed, bringing new changes around every bend.

The biggest change in our family, that you've probably spotted in the above pictures, is a new family member. I'm excited to introduce Syreca - she is a family friend who needed a safe, stable place to stay for a while. Syreca is such a joy, and we all adore her. She's brought a lot of fun and laughter into our lives - things are never boring around here (not that they ever were!)

I love the holiday traditions our family has created over the years. Pumpkin picking before Thanksgiving, baking special once-a-year treats, Advent devotions with the kids, picking out a live Christmas tree and decorating while listening to Bing Crosby and the Mannheim Steamrollers, candlelight Christmas Eve services at church... I love it all and just wish it didn't go by so fast! This year will be extra fun as we enjoy these traditions for the first time with Syreca.

One of the things I look forward to the most every holiday season is putting together Christmas cards to send out to all our friends and family. Tiny Prints offer some of the most beautiful holiday card designs with endless customization options, and their customer service is always top notch! 

I really love the design we picked out this year (we've been learning that it really is amazing how far just a moment of peace can get you when life is noisy, busy and chaotic!) This particular template allowed for several pictures, utilizing space on the front and back which I really appreciated. I love the surprise of the bokeh glitter envelope liners when you open the envelopes!

If you're doing some Cyber Monday shopping today, you can get up to 50% off EVERYTHING on the Tiny Prints website today using the code: HAPPYMONDAY - check it out!

This post was in partnership with Tiny Prints; all opinions are my own. 

Golden Hour

What started as a bone-chilling, damp, foggy morning turned into a pleasant afternoon, and then an absolutely gorgeous evening. It felt really good getting out of the house for a little walk and some playground time.

Matt brought his mini-drone to play with. It always draws a crowd of interested kids.

I recently exchanged my old Nikon D80 for a Sony RX100 Mark IV. It feels really weird holding such a tiny camera after lugging a big DSLR around for so many years. I feel very attached to my old Nikon - its original purpose was to distract me from the heart ache and bitterness of losing our first baby after a miscarriage, and has seen me through the births and milestones of three healthy babies, and so many other huge life moments. That being said, this little Sony is winning my heart. It's truly amazing to be able to take RAW images and 4K video on a camera that's tiny enough to fit in my pocket! It captures the light beautifully.

The Sick Day

Every winter, it's inevitable - everyone gets sick at the same time, and in that awful mix of sickness, snow storms and cabin fever I find myself feeling horribly claustrophobic and ready to run away.

We're running out of ways to entertain ourselves after almost a week of consecutive snow days and sick days. So we made a movie! About being sick! (Be forewarned, there's a lot of runny nose action - not recommended viewing for the squeamish or germophobic.)

It was a fun project for this week. I know nothing about putting together video, but as I fumbled slowly through the editing process I found I loved how different it was from taking and editing photos. I needed a good challenge! 

I think we're finally pulling through this awful virus, and the sun is back out today after a very snowy start to our week. March may come in like a lion, but - it's MARCH! Spring is practically here. I'm so excited.

Hello, It's Me...

...I was wondering if after all these months you'd like to see...

...Two really mediocre pictures from Christmas Eve. (Womp womp.)

I had to pull out my SD card for another project this morning, and found it really funny and sad at the same time that there were only 10 pictures on the card, all from Christmas Eve, which means:

1. I didn't take any pictures of Christmas Day, or Matt's birthday, or Oona's second birthday.

2. I haven't picked up my camera in a really long time.

3. I haven't touched this blog in a really long time.

Life got really busy after Christmas. The biggest change is that I just got a part time job! I'm not quite ready to talk about it on here, but it's an exciting turn of events for me. My life is not at all like I imagined it would be as a kid, and that's something I sometimes get anxious about. However, I have to say I'm kind of enjoying being surprised by each unexpected twist of the road.

I think things will be quiet here for the rest of winter. Matt and I have an exciting trip planned for April which I'm excited to document here, and with the return of spring and summer always comes a renewed interest in taking photos so I don't think this is the end of blogging for me, just a short hiatus as I get adjusted to some big changes in life.