Embrace the camera: bubble edition.

We're embracing the camera again this week with The Anderson Crew...and taking it to the bathroom 

(as I promised my eight year old, no private parts will be shown).

My kids still LOVE to take baths together...especially in the big bathtub in my bathroom.  I usually can think of a million excuses to say no to their bubble bath requests, but tonight I said yes...

I'll never get tired of looking at those sweet toes.

Embrace the camera: driving to school edition

Linking up with Emily again this week for Embrace the Camera...

My thought behind this photo session?  Let's photograph the quintessential mom+children activity...

driving in the car.  

Oh, the joy. 

*and, just to be clear, we were in the school parking lot when these photos were taken.  The car was not moving*

And this is how they were really feeling...

Shore needed to show everyone that he recently lost some teeth...

Not our best photo session but it's all we've got this week.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Embrace the camera: wedding edition

Are you embracing the camera this week?

Or as Emily says:

are you jumping in front of the camera and actually capturing yourself?

your family wants you too, so what's holding you back?

This week the whole family went to a wedding so we ALL tried to embrace the camera. 

Together.

*Corey is growing out his Obi-Wan Kenobi beard for halloween...gotta love that.

It was a perfect fall evening...

My favorite part of the wedding?  Just being with this crew.

Embrace the Camera...soccer edition

Embrace the Camera...a weekly post inspired by

Emily at the Anderson Crew

Corey was in Iowa, I had been doing it on my own all day, and now we were attempting to get out the door to go to Soleil's soccer practice.

All I really wanted to do was take a quick photo of my daughter looking extra "girls rule" in her soccer getup...

but then I handed the camera to Shore.  

And he took it from there.

Real life at our house...

Embrace the camera. weekday morning edition

Embrace the Camera...inspired by Emily at the Anderson Crew

I'm not sure why I decided to attempt a photo session with the kids this morning.

It started out as a bribe..."whoever gets dressed and has their teeth brushed gets to take some photos with mom..."

As soon as the words came out of my mouth I realized that they had sounded about as cool as offering up carrot sticks as an after dinner treat.

But, the kids played along anyway...

and then they had to get the dogs involved...

and then it started to get a little crazy...

but in a good way.

And then it just fell apart...

and I was very glad to be able to drop them off at school.

Embrace the camera.

Embrace the camera.  

Purposely put yourself IN FRONT of the camera.  

Create visual memories with your children.

Inspired by:

Emily at the Anderson Crew

I've been off on a flea market (Junk Bonanza) adventure this week...so I'm giving you a photo of Soleil and me from this past winter.

Soleil's sweet face and the sparkle in her eyes...awww, it makes my heart warm.

I'm so happy to be home.

Embrace the camera: First day of school.

As inspired by The Anderson Crew's Challenge

(The following text came from her blog):

so, have you ever embraced the camera?  if you haven't, why not?

it's important for your kids/family members/etc. to have memories of YOU.  one day, you won't be around, and all they will have are those 2 pictures you let someone take of you at christmas time.

stop messing around and make some memories...and capture those memories...with YOU IN THEM.

it's that important.

We're looking a little intense in this photo.  I guess we're still working towards "embracing" the camera.

This was breakfast this morning at our house.  My kids were fueling up for their first day of school.  Shore is now a First Grader and Soleil is in Third Grade.  

They were ready...and so was I.

Bye-Bye summer!!!

*OMG, I just noticed that there are PAPER TOWELS in this photo!!!  They were left over from our cabin vacation...I promise! 

Don't hate.

Embrace the camera. Saturday morning edition.

Inspired by the Anderson Crew here is my Embrace the Camera entry.  I'm calling this "Saturday Morning Edition"...I'm extra crusty and unwashed but it's oh so real.  

I was going to crop, blurr, sepia tone these bad boys all up...but instead, I'm just giving them to you raw, and in their original state.  We're embracing the camera here, right?!?

I adore this family of mine.

may The Force be with you...

today and every day.

Arriving late to this party...

I recently stumbled upon a very inspiring blog...The Anderson Crew.  Ever hear of it?!?  You gotta check it out...http://andersonfamilycrew.blogspot.com/.  On it, Emily (the mom and blogger), came up with this wonderful idea/motivational tool/challenge to get all of us moms to take more photos of ourselves.  I've got a button link on the right...

Here's her idea (cut and pasted from her blog):

embrace the camera.

do you have pictures of yourself, with your little people?

in this day and age of the "momarazzi", many of us are always behind the lens...rather in front of it.

some of you feel much more comfy behind the lens, and i get that.

look, you think i want pictures of myself in the same velour jogging suit for the 3rd day in a row {i slept in that jogging suit each night too---i know, gross, right?}

well, i don't really want those pictures...but my kids do---or, at least they will one day.

how many of you LOVE looking at pictures of your parents, when they were young{er}?

i'm raising my hand!

sadly, i don't have a lot of pictures with me and my mom from when i was younger.

i am off to change this for my kids.

i want them to have an abundance of pictures...to remind them of these days that we spent at home together.

the days may seem to drag...but honestly, the years fly.

is my son really about to graduate...from kindergarten?

wasn't it yesterday that i was wiping his diapered bottom?  and now i am wiping his pee up from all around the toilet. embrace the pee.

and embrace the camera.

She(Emily) has challenged all of us bloggers to start taking more photos of ourselves (even when we're feeling/looking gross) and posting them on our blogs under guise "embrace the camera"...and link it up with her.

She started this whole phenom back in May so I'm a little late (hence the late to the party title of this post) but I'm just gonna jump in anyway.

So here goes nothing...Embrace the Camera, Day 1 - August 29, 2011

Shore, Soleil and me at the Minnesota State Fair today.  It was our annual trip with my dad.  

Wonderful, delicious, fun.