Category Archives: Photography

The Blahs

It seems I’ve hit that time of the year that I refer to as “the blahs.” I think the darkness sucks up every little bit of motivation that I might otherwise have to leave the house and… do something.

So, this weekend, I spent a lot of time indoors doing laundry, cooking and otherwise just wasting time. It was not at all productive and now I feel guilty and like I wasted a couple of days when I could have CHANGED THE WORLD. Not really, but leaving the house for more than grocery shopping may have helped my state of mind a little. I am grateful that I still had a teeny little burst of motivation when it was time to take down the Christmas tree last week otherwise I’m pretty sure it would have stayed up until May.

Not that the weekend was a complete loss. The boys started swimming lessons on Saturday. Thomas took to it again like a duck to… well, you know. Samuel surprised me by actually staying in the pool, the entire time. We last attempted swimming lessons with him about 18 months ago and gave up after a few lessons because it felt like a waste of time and money for him to sit on the edge of the pool and watch the other kids swim. This time he seems a lot more motivated and, although he didn’t participate fully in the games, he did stand in the general vicinity of the other kids and may have even listened to the teacher a few times. Baby steps.

The boys also spent a surprising amount of time outside on Sunday afternoon despite the freezing temperatures. I’ll never take a frozen puddle for granted again. That, and digging a hole in a pile of dirt, kept them occupied for hours.

This week, my goal is to get rid of the blahs. I have a ton of work to do at my day job so I’m not sure if that will help… but I am determined to take out my camera at some stage and capture a little more of our lives right now and I may even do some (gasp!) exercise. It’s about time I started using that gym membership. The more I exercise the more motivated I will be to exercise, I just need to get started.

To close, I’ll share a photo I took on another frozen weekend. Samuel found a piece of ice in the backyard and declared it the “BEST DAY EVER!” I wish I had this kid’s enthusiasm… and fashion sense. Bathrobe and gumboots = awesome!

A Familiar Sight

It would be interesting to go through all of my photos and see just how many times I have photographed Mt Hood – and from how many different viewpoints. It would be interesting… and very time consuming so likely not going to happen.

This view of Mt Hood captured from Powell Butte on a sunny Portland Winter’s day.

Best Face of 2012

When you have two children, how do you choose a best face for the year? This was the dilemma I faced when searching for a photo for the latest I Heart Faces challenge. It seems unfair to make me choose, but if I must…

I chose this photo of Samuel because it reminds me about how much fun it is to have a four year old in the house, even if it can be really tough at times. It reminds me about the value of imagination and how 2012 was the year of superheroes and ninjas and magic and trolls. It reminds me that, while I often wonder about how different my life would be with a little girl in the house, I am so very very lucky to be the mother of two fun, smart, creative boys.

Photo Challenge Submission

Neighborhood Discoveries and Sub Arctic Portland

Over the break, Kei and I tried our best to get the boys out of the house each day for some sort of physical activity. Sometimes it happened and we wore them out enough for them to sleep well but other days saw us barely getting out of our pajamas. When it’s dark and cold in Portland, the thought of getting dressed can sometimes seem like just too much effort.

On this day, we braved freezing temperatures to ride our bikes to the grocery store and then onto a relatively new playground near our house. Nothing too thrilling, but family time nonetheless and a reminder than we don’t need to hike a mountain to get out and have fun with the kids. The playground was built to be accessible by kids with disabilities and the boys just loved it. I can’t believe it took us so long to try it out. My favorite part? The fake grass that looked and felt almost real but came without a side of mud. I’m tempted to lay some in our backyard.

Oh, and I know for a fact that we were braving freezing temperatures because it started snowing while we were at the playground. Not a blizzard, but a few tiny little flakes. Still, I live in Portland so calls of “it’s snowing!” soon rang across the playground – most of them coming from the adults. Those calls faded when the flakes stopped falling about 3 minutes later.

Samuel struck a pose for this next photo. Watch out America’s Next Top Model.

I asked him to let me take a photo of his pink cheeks and nose.

Getting to know the locals.

This adventure marked the first time that Thomas rode his own bike on the road. Kei rode up front with Samuel in the bike trailer and then I brought up the rear. We took the back streets but it was still a little terrifying to know that my baby could drift into the street at any moment. I may have sounded a little frantic at times as I reminded him to watch the road (not me) and look out for parked cars and keep to the right. Still, he did a great job and only complained that his legs were tired for the last 15 minutes or so.

So proud of him, although I needed to find a little zen of my own after the stressful bike ride.

Today’s Photo of A Serious Boy

If often happens that I fall in love with a photo but don’t necessarily have words to go along with it. And too many photos have been ignored because I felt pressure to add commentary.

So, this year, one of my goals is to upload photos to this blog more regularly- some with words and some without.

2012: A Quick Look Back (Part 2)

Part two of my look back at 2012. Part 1 ended in June while we were in Australia. It was a long trip (6 weeks) so July picks up right where we left off.

July

  • Animal fix at the Melbourne Zoo
  • A most sophisticated afternoon tea with the ladies
  • Inspiration overload
  • Boomerang training
  • Kid-free in the city
  • Adorable animal overload
  • Bringing some Australia home to Portland

August

  • Eating his weight in watermelon
  • Random moments of zen
  • Seattle-bound
  • Visting the Star Wars lego window display (an annual Summer tradition)

September

  • First day of 1st Grade and Pre-K (and the first time with two boys at the same school)
  • Seven years old
  • Soccer season part 1
  • Soccer season part 2
  • Lingering days of summer light

October

  • School performance by little bunnies
  • Apple tasting
  • A close encounter with a Big Friendly Giant
  • Bring on the rain and the beautiful colors of Autumn
  • Ninjas, Wizards and Jedi’s.

November

  • Leaf joy
  • Fiery foliage
  • Discovering Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge
  • Quiet moments at Powells
  • Thanksgiving soccer games with friends
  • All aboard the Polar Express

December

  • The countdown to Christmas
  • Christmas Tree hunting
  • Christmas adventures in the city
  • Peacock Lane
  • Family fun
  • Ready for Santa
  • Saying goodbye to 2012 at Zoolights

So, with that, it’s farewell to 2012. It was a good year for the Ishidas and I just know that 2013 is going to bring more joys, challenges and, above all, fun.

Happy New Year!

2012: A Quick Look Back (Part 1)

2012 went by in a blur – so it’s a good thing that I capture everything through my camera. I’m pretty sure I’d forget about 90% of the year if I didn’t have the photographic proof (hey, that’s right, I went to Vegas… and Austin… and New York… and Australia!).

Here are just a few month-by-month highlights, complete with photographic proof. January to June shared below. July to December coming tomorrow.

January

  • Rang in the new year with my brother Ben, sister-in-law Emma and not-so-teeny tiny Charlie.
  • Snow on the mountain and a few flakes on our tongues in our own backyard.
  • Vegas, Baby… (work-related)
  • Shopping with Batman

February

  • Samuel spent a lot of time insisting we call him either Superman or Clark Kent.
  • Thomas lost his first tooth.
  • Surprise! More snow, and on a leap day.

March

  • Warm enough for a hike through Forest Park
  • Spring break trips to kid-friendly places.
  • A quick work visit takes me to Austin, TX

April

  • Dry weather inspires sidewalk art
  • Blooms of Spring
  • T-ball season begins
  • TEDx Portland

May

  • Celebrating 37 with a Nicole day.
  • 13 years of marriage inspires a gift that looks back
  • Another work trip takes me to New York City
  • Working toward a yellow belt
  • My favorite superhero turns 4

June

  • Saying goodbye to daycare and kindergaten.
  • A marathon flight to Australia
  • Quality time with the grandparents
  • Catching up with Charlie
  • Mid-Winter Aussie bonfires
  • Wide open spaces

July to December posting tomorrow.

Wordless Wednesday: Zoolights on the last day of 2012

This year we got it right – arrived just as the sun was setting and the gates opened, boarded the second train with almost no wait and brought our own (delicious) Hot Chocolate and snacks, and dressed appropriately for the below-freezing temperatures. The skies were clear and the air was icy but the kids did not complain once about the cold. The perfect sendoff to 2012.

A Small Flurry: Happy New Year

Happy New Year! We celebrated with a few snow flurries (emphasis on “few”) and a freezing cold walk around Zoolights. After a delicious sushi dinner, the kids stayed up to watch a replay of the London fireworks on YouTube (Samuel declared them better than Sydney) and then the ball drop on East Coast time. Kei and I shared a bottle of champagne and managed to make it until 12:01 before calling it a night. We’re party animals.

I’ll be back later with more pictures of Zoolights, and a few favorite photos from 2012. For now, I’ll share a couple of photographs that I titled “spot the snowflake”

Wishing you a great start to 2013.