Under Cover

Friday was laundry day at the Pieper house. As I was putting the clean sheets back on our bed, two littles were caught under the covers. 

I love these photographs.

I love that starting another daily photography project encouraged me to get under the sheets and photograph their laughs and giggles.

Capturing these small details of our everyday lives has been so good for me. These are the moments I don't want to forget.

365: December Favorites

Although I forgot about blogging in December, I did not forget about the final month of my 365 project. (Thank goodness, that would have looked silly!)

I felt like December was one of my easier months to photograph because it was the final stretch of my project and I was so excited to finish strong. I also loved the bits of Christmas I was able to capture (like the above FOUR different pictures with Christmas trees) along with our many outdoor adventures.

We found a new favorite park with a paved trail and lots of ducks and geese to feed. We also ventured out to Lake Las Vegas where we unexpectedly found an abandoned (and almost ghost-town like) resort filled with closed down shops and immaculate and picturesque architecture. I kept repeating to Joseph, "THIS is the perfect place for family pictures!" I'm already working out the details of our next trip.

With my 365 project finished, I have plans to print my pictures in a series of photo books. I was originally just picking out my favorites but then it felt so important to me for each photo (good or bad) to be included. Each was a part of my journey. Each was a special moment/day from the last year.

A look back at my 365 favorites:

The beginning

May 

Halfway  

July 

August

September

October 

November

December (above!)

 

365: November Favorites

To be honest, I don't remember much about November. We all took turns being sick, visiting the doctor, staying in bed, losing sleep, and feeling miserable.  Besides that...I think I vaguely remember a turkey somewhere in there?

Thankfully we have all fully recovered and J is back to his bubbly happy self. Now I look at him and suddenly he is a month older and full of new tricks!

He is all about adjectives lately. His favorites are "nice" "soft" "pretty" and "crazy". (Lucky me, I get to be crazy mommy while the horse is pretty.) He also loves to use colors to describe everything. Yesterday we had a little disagreement over the color of the orange... he insisted it was yellow.

J has also become my little helper in the kitchen. He stands up on the kitchen chair while I place our ingredients on the table. He gets overzealous when scooping the flour, sugar, or cinnamon and will use any measuring spoon or cup he can find to dig in. I've learned to make recipes without eggs in the dough, like our favorite Slice of Pumpkin Spice Cookies, because he has no self-control and HAS TO taste the cookie dough. 

Last week J found a his pair of sandals and learned to put them on all by himself. Now whenever we ask him to get his shoes he grabs his sandals and insists on wearing them over his socks. Styling I know! Thankfully December in Las Vegas won't be too chilly.

365: Florida Escape

So I don't know if anyone caught my post last week, but Joseph and I spent two days in Florida while J stayed home and played with Grandparents.

This year for Christmas we decided we wanted to do something together instead of buying each other things. (But for the record, I would be okay with both.) So when Joseph found flights to Florida for $14 we hopped on a late night flight to wake up to a beautiful sunrise in Ft. Lauderdale.

After a nap and a long drive down to the Keys, we headed to the beach for a day of swimming, snorkeling, and exploring.

Although we had a lot of fun, we were always thinking about our little guy left at home. Sure it was nice to not worry about nap times, diapers, and snacks but we couldn't help but think that we might have had a bit more fun if he had been there.

Finishing the day with a slice of Mrs. Mac's Kitchen key lime pie was the perfect way to end our first day in paradise. We both quickly decided (as we were fighting over the last few bites) that a whole pie is really the only way to go. 

365: October Favorites

Fall is surely here and we are finding many ways to celebrate. From a visit to an apple orchard, to cooking up warm pumpkin spiced goodness, we are truly loving this cool weather. (And by cool I mean high in the 60s, sorry friends up North!).

Little J was in heaven this month when we flew on a plane to visit both sets of his grandparents in Idaho. Heaven because of the airplanes and also the doting grandparents! He was happy to point out the different parts of the plane, wave to the pilots, and have an excuse to watch Cars uninterrupted. 

J also learned about the magic of trick-or-treating when after visiting one house dressed as a cowboy, he left smiling with a candy clutched in each hand. The best part? He was completely content with trick-or-treating one house and we went home and enjoyed the rest of the night with a big bowl of candy (meant for the trick-or-treaters that never came).

365: Halloween

  
Remember when my baby J was a puppy for Halloween last year? Okay now you do. 

Well this year I thought it would be fun if he was a puppy again this year. (Read: the costume still fit and I thought it would be cute and easy on my part.) 

False. The puppy costume would not be worn no matter what I tried. Instead the puppy costume was carried around, kissed, and pushed in the stroller. Second option, a dog walker who pushes dogs in a stroller. Original I know!

This week when I was folding laundry I came across a pair of Wrangler jeans and the cutest plaid cowboy shirt. Add a stick pony and we have ourselves a cowboy! 

The pony was also carried around, kissed, and tucked into bed. This cowboy sure knows how to take care of his animals.

365: My Little Jet

Have you ever wondered if you gave your child the wrong name? I have.

And by wrong I don't mean WRONG just, "Oh that name might have suited him/her better than his/her given name." 

When I was pregnant with J, choosing a name for him was always an ongoing discussion. Joseph and I decided from the beginning to keep the names between us to avoid any outside opinions. You know, like the Texas Roadhouse waitress that wants you to pick her son's name because she LOVES her son's name. 

We always had a few names that I liked, he liked, and (depending on the day) we both liked. One of the names we mostly agreed on for our little boy was Jet. (Or Jett, we never worked out the spelling.) My husband loves airplanes and we pictured an energetic ball of energy just like his dad. It was perfect!


But then we had doubts. What if he is a calm and quiet boy? (Now I'm laughing that we ever worried about this!) What if he doesn't enjoy airplanes like his dad? What if what if what if. 

Oh and then Joseph insisted that his middle name be Jackson. (Like Jett Jackson from that show when we were kids. His other favorite name was Colby Jack. Yes, the cheese.)

By the time J came into the world, we had given up on trying to make Jet work and decided on a more traditional name that I (secretly) had been calling him from day 1.

And then what happened? Our little boy grew up, fell in love with airplanes, and runs around the house at jet speed all day. I guess he always will be our little jet plane.

365: Pool Time

Well fall is surely here and the weather is cooling. This chilly (high of 80 degrees) weather has quickly put an end to our daily trips to the complex swimming pool and we are all missing it terribly.

I will miss our swimming routine, with J grabbing his suit and his space ships and running to the door. He knew just where to stand and when to turn when applying his sunscreen. 

Although he didn't care much for the swimming part of going swimming, he loved the sunshine and splashing in the pool.

Sigh.

Now on to finding new ways to use up this boy's boundless energy. 

Suggestions welcomed!

365: September Favorites

Our first month of living in Las Vegas has flown by and I can't believe it! I have been (pleasantly) surprised at how fast we have adjusted to living in the heat. 

Last night we went out to play at the park and I had goosebumps on my arms the whole time. The temperature? 65 degrees! Oh man I am going to have issues when we fly home to Idaho this Christmas.

I love looking back on the month and remembering the things I have learned. From the above photographs I can tell that I am experimenting with the beauty of black and white matte images. 

Also, I have been learning all that I can and exploring food photography. I love making new recipes and photographing the journey. (Who knew I could make tasty bread?)

365: Cheerios and Childhood

Not a surprise, but the first word out of J's mouth each morning is the one thing most pressing on his mind. Sometimes he says thought provoking and intriguing ideas. 

But usually he just screams, "CEREAL!" (or, "TRUCKS!")

This boy is an eating machine. It isn't uncommon for him to eat more than I do at breakfast. And where does all this food go, you ask? It must be going to brain power to say words like bulldozer and ambulance because we all know he continues to stay in the 8% percentile for weight. 

Oh well. With two tall skinny parents what more could we want?

Last night at dinner he saw the cheese and held it up to his face and said over and over, "Oh cheese! Oh cheese!" This morning it was, "Oh cereal! OH cereal!" (Said with a voice filled with awe and adoration.)

I sure hope Joseph and I don't talk to our food like that. Hm, maybe to each other but certainly not to our Cheerios.

365: This Little Boy

Well I don't know how it happened. And I don't have any decent excuses as to why I missed it. 

All of a sudden there is a little boy sleeping in the crib that use to be for my baby. 

This little boy doesn't cry when we lay him in bed like the baby would, instead he calls out, "Bye trucks! Bye bye planes!" And then he sings himself to sleep.

Now instead of signing "more" in baby sign language, this little boy throws himself on the ground repeating, "down down down" in case we didn't see that he is throwing a tantrum to get what he wants.

More importantly, this little boy says, "tinkyou" and "mom" which are the best words ever. (!!)

He is also under the impression that "please" is best used when strung out for several seconds and uttered very close (read: touching) mom's face.

This little boy still loves books and after reading with Daddy, he always impresses me with his new vocabulary. This week he has been telling me all about the planes with engines and wings and the airport.

This little boy loves all things that move and uses his imagination in his play. He likes to tear his toast into pieces and drive them across the table making car noises and crashing them into one another.

It is hard to believe that this little boy is growing and learning so fast. Didn't he just turn one like...yesterday?

365: Red Shoes

I love picking up my camera to capture just one photograph of our day. 

I don't usually start the morning with my 365 project on my mind. But because I have my camera sitting on the kitchen counter, in the center of the house, I see it often and remember to use it.

This day, J found a pair of my red flats in the closet and was trying them on. I didn't take notice until he walked over by the sliding glass door. The light coming through the sliding glass door was just too perfect for me to resist. 

And obviously this was after lunch and after someone made a mess of his shirt. Hm. I'm guessing jam was the culprit.