Author Archives: Nicole

Missing Out

I enjoy participating in the I Heart Faces photo challenges each week – mostly because they give me a blog topic and a reason to dig out photos that may otherwise be forgotten. And every once in a while these challenges spark a thought or reflection that may otherwise have slipped by.

This week’s challenge, “Innocent Wonder” sent me digging through photos from the past couple of months until I stopped at this one.

The obvious connection to the theme is the memory of a day with friends at the science museum. A rare opportunity spending some time with my boys as they explored with their eyes and their hands. In this photo Samuel is digging into a sand bath with his friend Patrick. Every so often he’d find a plastic animal and ask me what it was before burying it deeper under the sand or finding a suitable rock to rest it on.

But more than just a photo, this shot makes me think about moments that I am missing. When Thomas was Samuel’s age, I was blessed with a four day work week and the attention span that comes with having just one child. Thomas and I would visit the science museum at least once a month to play in the toddler area where I basked in the wonder of his learning and development and enjoyed that short, but significant, time we had together – just the two of us. I worry that Samuel is missing out on that same experience and, OK, I worry that I am missing out on it more.

I doubt there is any one person who feels as though they couldn’t do with just a little more time. My fear is that I haven’t been using mine wisely. Kei is in charge of pick up and drop off for Samuel so I took on the duty of putting him to bed each night for a little bonding time. Lately, however, I have been more worried about getting him to bed quickly and without too much frustration, rather than enjoying the short time we have together each day.

He’s only going to be two years old for a few more short months and I realize that I am missing this most precious period when his language development and curiousity for life is at its most powerful. This photo made me realize that I need to pause and take the time to bask in the wonder a little more and worry about bedtime a little less.

Wasted Weekend

The MLK long weekend had so much promise. 3 days to recharge and relax, get some things done around the house and spend a little fun family time together. We had plans for sledding, we were invited to a sushi party at a friends house, I was going to be ALONE on Monday. Yes, it definitely had promise.

But alas, Samuel’s illness that began Thursday night turned into a five day event, taking me down for a day and Kei for a few hours in the process (he got off easy in my opinion). Thomas seems to be the only one unaffected so far (banging very hard on the closest piece of wood I can find). I am starting to feel almost back to normal today, although a little weak and out of breath. Samuel woke up chatty and happy – a far cry from yesterday when he lay on the couch for hours, even while the TV was turned off.

So, needless to say, there hasn’t been a whole lot of time for blogging and taking photos between loads of laundry (about 10 loads since Thursday), looking after two boys and trying to squeeze in a little of my day job. Oh, and Kei is in week #2 of his job so him taking a day off to balance the childcare has not been an option. Feeling sorry for me yet?

OK – enough complaining. I am going to power forward and make it to Friday and then I am going to collapse in a heap. Good thing I have a girls spa weekend away in the not-to-distant future. I seriously am counting the days.

And since I haven’t picked up my camera in a while, I only have a few iphone photos to share. The boys and I managed to venture into the front yard on Monday for about an hour while the sun was shining. That 60 minutes may have been the only thing to preserve my sanity.

My Baby As He Should Be

Samuel is sick. Not “slight sniffle and a little cranky sick”. Nope. He is “barfing until the pile of laundry hits the ceiling” sick. Thankfully we seem to have some temporary relief from the carnage and he is sleeping soundly on the couch right now. He didn’t get to sleep until 2:30 this morning and was up at 6am so he has some catching up to do. Come to think of it, so do I.

Looking forward to the next few days when (hopefully) my baby is back to his normal self. In case you’ve forgotten what that might look like, I share with you a quick modeling session that Samuel and his Daddy blessed me with a couple of weeks back.

Show me happy!

Show me thoughful!

Show me surprised!

Show me angry!

Show me scared!

Now please get well soon so I can see happy again.

 

Say Cheese!

I need to take more photos – at least that’s the conclusion I came to while sifting through recent photos for this week’s I Heart Faces photo challenge. I find winter in Portland to be such a tough time for inspiration. On the rare occasion that the sun is shining, I usually find myself driving in the car or sitting in a cubicle. Of course my christmas present should help get me out of this rut – but first I need to learn how to use it.

Thankfully I found one little gem that was perfect for this week’s challenge. I took it a week or so before Christmas. I know the cheesy smile is frowned upon in many photography circles, but this face means that Samuel actually wants me to take his photograph – and Samuel is usually very clear about where and when he wants his photograph taken. The kid definitely has the attitude of a 2 year old.

2010 A Look Back: The People I Love

3rd and final post in my attempt to wade through thousands of photos and choose my favourites from the year. It began with “The Places I’ve Been“, then “The Things I’ve Seen“. This post will share a few of my favourite photos of “The People I Love”.

2010 was a great year for family bonding. We managed to see almost every single member of our immediate families – both Kei’s and mine. With my family in Australia and Kei’s spread between Ohio and Japan, this was no easy task.

In just twelve short months we:

  • Were witnesses to a beautiful wedding in Melbourne. A wedding that has resulted in the promise of a new little addition to our family in May (nephew #6).
  • Caught up with Aunts and cousins from across Australia, many of whom I hadn’t seen since my own wedding over 11 years earlier.
  • Sent our children off with the grandparents for  their very first overnight stay without us and we all survived the separation -even the grandparents.
  • Watched my three nephews experienced the Pacific ocean for the very first time, all while trying to come to terms with the fact that I now have a nephew in college.
  • Stood back and observed while a twelve year old bonded with his four year old cousin over Star Wars.
  • Traveled back to the place where we first met to visit a mother-in-law who we had not seen in over 12 years – and then marveled at how quickly it felt like no time had passed at all.
  • Felt immense relief and joy when a five year old boy literally jumped into the arms of the grandmother he had never met.
  • Caught up with a long lost brother and his young family – nephews #4 and #5.

Sure, it was expensive and, at times, exhausting, but the one thing that I think about when I reflect on the past year is how incredibly fortunate we are to have a family that remains connected despite the enormous distances that keep us physically separated. Here are just a few of the many photos that I took celebrating this connection.

And finally, our little family on January 1st as we look forward to making more connections in 2011.

My Favourite Face(s)

I’m still working on my final “look back at 2010” post. So far I’ve shared favorites from the places I’ve been and the things I’ve seen. Next up I’ll share some 2010 photos of the people I love, but in the meantime I thought I’d stop by to share my favourite face(s) of 2010 for the latest I heart faces challenge.

I didn’t have to go far back to choose this photo. I took it on a train while we were on our way to Narita airport after a wonderful vacation in Japan. I just love the pure joy that you can see in their faces and this is the image I try to bring up in my mind every time they fight and cry and complain. We are blessed to have such happy children (for the most part) and I think this photo is the perfect reminder.

 

2010 A Look Back: The Things I’ve Seen

Part two of quest to share some of my favourite photos from 2010. You can see part one: the places I’ve been here.

Looking through my favourite photos for “the things I’ve seen” has been a great reminder that I need to take more photos of the everyday. Perhaps it was due to the amount of travel that we did, or the fact that I quit project 365 after just a few months, but I found that I wasn’t very good about documenting our day-to-day lives this year. Definitely something I plan to focus on in 2011.