It’s that time of the month again! The Life Story Series!

Ever see a photographer who starts out with a 365 day project, or even a 52 week project and never finishes? Yeah, me too. Well, I recently joined a group of a few other busy photographers who decided to commit to a 12 month project! If we fail this, we’ll be taking donations for a time management seminar. The best part is that it will be totally candid, lifestyle shots of each of our own families/lives. We don’t even have to dredge up random people or make our kids pose for us. We’re calling the series “The Story of ________” and we’ll each be filling in our own blanks. At the end of this post is a link to another photographer who participated and she’ll be linking to someone else. It’s a whole big circle of stories in pictures. Click through and enjoy!

Like most boys, my Moose Man loooooves his trains. And because I featured the Bug last month and her loves (dancing and princesses), I figured it would be only fair to feature her brother and his #1 passion– Thomas the Tank Engine.

Like most toddler boys, Moose adores all things Thomas, especially his train table.

But unlike most boys I’ve been around, the train table is Serious.Business.

He rarely smiles when playing, but furrows his brow as if he is hard at work, concentrating on something really important.

He must be having fun, however, because heaven help the person who tries to take him away from the table!

I’m fairly certain that if you let him, he would happily spend the entire day at the table, completely engrossed.

I just love how carefully he lines his trains up and pushes them around the track.

Sometimes he’ll talk to his trains. “Hold on, James. Go, Thomas!”

And here are his two heroes. His two most absolute favorite trains. Toby, and Handcar. These are the two that go everywhere. In bed for naps. In the car. The grocery store. (even invoking a panicked sprint through every aisle when accidentally dropped– thankfully they were recovered safely)

Do you have kids who love all things Thomas? Who is their favorite?

Click here to continue the Life Story Series chain!

© lux amoris 2011

© lux amoris 2011

I met this gorgeous mama-to-be at a field in Baltimore at sunset recently. She is expecting twins, and doesn’t she look amazing? I am so excited to meet her babies!

Isn’t that sunset just amazing? Isn’t SHE just amazing?

© lux amoris 2011

It’s a Sign!

There is nothing more fun than discovering the right word at the right time. It may be meaningful and telling or it could just be something random and entertaining. Signs can warn us, lead us, remind us or even state the obvious. Whatever the case, it’s our job to interpret the signs as they pertain to our own lives. What the signs really say is up to us.

Note: Words and phrases are everywhere. We are inundated everyday with messages. Be aware of the words you take in each day. Seek out the affirmations, answers or reminders that are out there looking for you today!

Today was stressful. Woke up late, kids didn’t want to eat breakfast, urged and rushed and pleaded and warned them though getting dressed (really, does it REALLY take 15 minutes to put on your shirt?), teeth brushed, hair brushed, no, put your shoes BACK on, and out the door to get bug to preschool.

Rush back, and Moose-man was having whining meltdown after whining meltdown, and he kept taking it out on the Christmas tree. He didn’t sleep well last night, which means I didn’t sleep well last night. We were both in pretty awful moods, feeding off of each other. After a particularly frustrating round of alligator wrestling that some call diaper changing, I threw my hands up in the air and announced that I was DONE.

I sat back and glared at the tree, after all, this was the number one source of our frustration. And I noticed I was eye to eye with this little snowman, quietly holding a sign that read “magic.”

It was a nice reminder to stop, take a deep breath. Let it go. You can’t expect holiday magic to just show up out of nowhere. You get out of life exactly what you put into it.

So when the little ones wake up from their naps, I think I am going to slow down, not worry so much about the dishes, and infuse some magic into our afternoon.

What signs are you seeing?

© lux amoris 2011

Reflecting the Season

Reflective surfaces can be creative muses in your photography. There is no way of knowing exactly how the reflection will translate. That’s what makes it so much fun!

Have you ever looked into a mirror as a means to see things a little differently? Look around and see how unique the world around you can look in reflections. Mirrors, glass, metallic surfaces all offer us opportunities to see and shoot with a unique and often unexpected perspective.

Shoot something in a reflective surface today and see what you find. It could be you looking back at you, or it could be some other kind of seasonal magic. It’s all in how you look at it.

Today, I am reflecting and remembering those who are no longer with us. I was given this snowglobe as a gift several years ago and it holds a dear place in my heart. It’s an angel releasing a dove. It symbolizes peace and love to me.

I was enchanted by the reflection of the windows on the globe, and how I could see the same window twice (once in focus in front of the angel, and again upside down and out of focus behind the angel)

Do you see the eagle silhouette in the window? It’s from my husband’s grandfather’s funeral. He was an amazing man and I wish I had known him earlier in his life. Even so, I am glad for the time that I did know him– I used to visit once a week while my husband’s grandmother gave me lessons in watercolor painting (she was an art teacher) back in 2001. He had a great sense of humor and you could really tell that he was SO proud of his grandsons. It’s hard to believe that nine years have passed, but his presence is missed. Not a holiday goes by where someone doesn’t recount a story or two.

If you have a moment, join with me in remembering those who are no longer with us. Celebrate their lives, and the time you were gifted to spend with them.

Peace and Love to you all.

Miss you, Dad-dad.

In remembrance of Walter S. Kunz

Day Six– Every Little Thing
Begin this day with eyes wide open to the tiny wonders that are constantly swirling all around you. Even at the most ordinary time of day, while doing the most mundane tasks, little moments of enchantment will reveal themselves. Find some small delight today.

This exercise was frustrating at first. I spent quite a while aimlessly wandering the house with my camera in hand, waiting for something to jump out and inspire me.

We all know inspiration doesn’t work that way. The harder we look, the harder she hides. So I straightened up the house a little bit, while peeking out of the corner of my eye, trying to act all nonchalant while still hunting my enchanted moment. I got frustrated. I complained to my husband, “There is nothing enchanting here.” He laughed– he is a creative person, so he knows that you can’t look for it, and he knows that I know better.

So I sat down at the table, ready to skip this assignment entirely. I sulked a bit. And when I looked up, I was eye to eye with the centerpiece. Red and gold glittery ornaments piled high in a glass vase. But there was something more to it, the way it sparkled under the lamp, the angle I was viewing them, the depth.

There is was, my enchanted moment. Waiting for me to stop looking for it, so it could show itself.

Day Seven– Express Yourself

Being (and staying) balanced can often be as easy as checking in with ourselves from time to time. Tuning into our own body and mind is a simple emotional gauging tool we often overlook. Today, take a few moments to be still. Breathe in and out and just allow yourself to be and to feel. (I’ll wait)

Well? How are you today? What is your body saying? How about your mind? Your heart? Listen to the shouts and the whispers and take it all in and then exhale. Now, get your camera and interpret those feelings.

I sat back on the couch and closed my eyes. The house was quiet. The toddler was napping, the preschooler out with the grandparents. The husband was playing his video game. The house was picked up already. A rare moment of being already caught up on the countless lists.

I listened to the steady rain pattering on the roof, and opened my eyes. Not much light coming through the windows, it was so dark and dreary out.

I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite indulgences is to lounge in bed during the rain, listening to the sounds it makes. Maybe read, maybe nap, but relax in stillness and peace. It’s an indulgence that was common before the kids came along, but is fairly rare these days.

Hmm. Quiet house. No pressing need to accomplish anything, no lists nagging at me. Why was I still sitting on the couch?

© lux amoris 2011

Being away from a computer all weekend means not being able to keep up with the photo prompts! But I’m almost caught up. I’ll post today’s image tomorrow.

Day Three: All You Need is Love.

Love is at the top of the list when it comes to the meaning of the holiday season. Love of family, of friends, of ourselves. Love for the Earth, love of the Devine, love for humanity, love of the ages. They say that love is all you need and in so many ways, they are exactly right!

Today, focus on love. Feel it. Be it. Capture it. Share it.

Note: Hearts are the obvious choice when visually translating love. I don’t know about you but obvious or not, I cannot get enough of them! If you choose a heart today for your prompt see if you can find one that might be a little out of the ordinary. Feel free to just let yourself stumble upon on something (hearts are everywhere when you start looking for them) or create a vignette of love to shoot. Either way, let your heart be your guide!

I love the idea of finding hearts in unexpected places, to remind us all about the love of the season. What is more unexpected than dumping your marshmallows into your hot coca and finding a heart waiting there for you? Guilty confession: I may have added a few extra marshmallows to make it a more obvious heart.

Day Four: You Hold the Key

We all have at least one magic remedy that no matter what, will give us the perspective that we need. The key is to remember what that is and pull it out when we need it most. Because this month is about enjoying ourselves and not letting the craze out there get the best of us, use today to remind yourself of your own soul cure so you can have it at the ready for whenever you might need it. What helps you to slow down, take a deep breath and enjoy the moment? Capture it!

Alas, this is a filler image.

My magic remedy for soothing my soul is to stand outside under the night sky and stare upward at the stars. Listening to the silence of the night, where the only sounds are leaves rustling in the breeze, and letting go of all my stress. Looking up at the stars makes me feel more like a part of this universe, and it reminds me of how small I am in the grand scheme of things, so whatever stress I am holding is nothing in comparison to the vastness of the universe…. so I just let it go.

I had hoped to take my tripod outside to capture the stars, but it’s been nothing but cloudy. So I found this little star treetopper, intended for the little tree in my daughter’s room, and used it to represent the stars above. Hopefully we will get a clear night soon and I can try to shoot this again.

Day Five: The View from Here

Chances are it’s chilly outside today. After all, winter is coming. Whether you choose to brave the cold and venture outside today or you gaze just out your window, take a few moments to enjoy the view.

A picturesque landscape, falling snow, the road that stretches out before you, winter foliage; it could be anything. Take stock at what beauty Mother Nature has dished up today. With a deep breath, take it all in, and click.

It’s a dark and dreary day (I’m talking ISO 3200 at 2:30 in the afternoon under open sky) so I wasn’t feeling a grand vista of my neighborhood. Instead, I opted to open my eyes to the beauty in a much smaller scale. I wasn’t expecting much, surely my dinky little yard in the rain held no wonders… but I was pleasantly surprised to find this little beauty in my Indian Hawthorne bush. One random vibrantly orange leaf amidst green leaves, and the most perfectly round little dark blue berries. It brought a smile to my face.

© lux amoris 2011

Wow– two days in a row, on time. This is like a record for me!

This is Day Two of Picture the Holidays, a fun journey I am taking to remember the peace and joy of the season, to refocus and not get caught up in the frustration and stress that are far too easy to overtake life.

“Beginning December in a calm state of mind might seem easy (now). But, the frenzy of the holiday season can get the best of us and sometimes can come on with very little warning. There will be good days and bad but the gist is to look at this holiday season a little differently. This season we aren’t only going to ‘hope’ to enjoy it (amidst the chaos) we will enjoy it! It only takes a little reframing.

As a symbol of looking at things a little differently, today you’ll be using a literal frame for your image. You get to decide what goes in your frame today and how you choose to capture it!”

This one was a challenge for me. I am very often a literal person, and so I roamed the house with my frame in hand, peering through it. I looked at the light peeking through the windows, at the colossal mess on the living room table, at the pile of dishes in the sink. I thought about setting the frame aside and tackling the mess instead.

And then it dawned on me. What am I wanting to reframe this month? A shift away from worries. A move away from stress. Less focus on the to do list and more focus on the magic of the season with my family. WITH my family, not just along side of them, physically there, but mentally checked out like we are all so apt to do.

Reframe this month.

Focus on the season.

With the family.

Ok, so maybe it is too literal. But that’s ok. It’s a great reminder to me.

Put away the lists. Release the stress. And enjoy my family.

How are you going to reframe your December?

© lux amoris 2011

Hey, look at that, after just over a year of catch-up blogging of my once-a-month portrait project of my kids, I am nearly up to date.

Granted, this is a bit cheesier than my norm with the fake pumpkin props, but this is a yearly tradition that I am glad to capture, and will continue to capture in the years to come.

My little bug is getting so BIG!

She’s such a ham and I love it.

Silly faces and all, I love them.

The Big Man.

He was not feeling especially cooperative that day, but I do love his sullen little expression. A glimpse of teenage years, I’m sure.

How Moose really felt about having another portrait day.

And just for fun, a comparison of the pumpkin shots through the years:

© lux amoris