Our goal is to capture our own families in a real and beautiful way.  Some people call it “lifestyle”, some call it “real life”, some call it “unposed”.  No matter what you call it, our desire is to snatch the moments that represent the relationships, the dynamics, the reality, the beauty, the truth, and the life of our families and record them here on our blogs as well as in print at the end of the project.

Each month we will each choose to fill in the blank with our word of choice.  Some of us may choose to use the same word all year and some may choose to change it up each month.  We will each link to the next photographer until our circle is complete.

We hope this project inspires you to take more pictures of your own families so that those unique moments that make your family unique will never be lost or forgotten.~ Wendy VonSosen.

Each of us will put our own spin on this project, making it more meaningful to us.  I wanted my monthly post to be in the form of a letter to Brooks.  When the year is complete, I hope to compile the monthly letters and images into a book.  My gift to him and to myself.  Here is our story of April 2012.

Dear Brooks,

Where does the time go?  As I write this, we only have 5 more weeks of school until summer vacation!  I know you are already counting down the days, yet I’m not ready to have you move on to second grade.  We will enjoy the last weeks of first grade!

Our Easter tradition is to spend the holiday with your cousins in Santa Barbara.  On Saturday, we spent a gorgeous morning walking the dogs on the hill (your happiest place on earth) then a quick trip to farmer’s market for strawberries and pumpkin pie.

Uncle Joey warmed up the pool for you two and you swam and swam and swam.  You and Sky have so much fun together.

When we stay at Auntie’s house, I always leave the iPad out for you to keep you entertained while everyone else sleeps in.  I came downstairs to this face … so sad when you deleted your  game account.  Some lessons hurt more than others.

You two waited so patiently for the Easter bunny to hide the eggs.  It seemed as if he would never come.  You even left carrots for him out front, but we think the dogs ate them.  ;)

After baths, you and Sky were ready to open your Easter basket.  This year the Easter bunny left each of you beach gear … I loved it a bit more than you did … you were hoping for a little more candy.

I’m so thankful that we got these pictures with Grampy.  Not long after Easter, Grampy’s health took a big dive.  This past week he stopped eating except for a little apple sauce or an egg each day.  It’s hard to get his medicine when he won’t eat.  My mom and brother are no longer able to care for him.  They had to make the tough decision that he needs to move to an assisted care facility as soon as possible.  We will head to SB as soon as Grampy is moved.  I’ll pray that it is a manageable transition.

You and Sky were the first to discover the Easter Bunny finally made his way to our house.  This year there was a little twist to the hunt.  Each of you had 25 eggs to find with your initial on it.  When you found someone else’s egg, you had to silently leave it.  You were such great finders!!  It was so much fun to watch!

Here is a bit of our month on Instagram!  You finally lost your first tooth … at 7:30 at night.  You raced into my room, with blood all over your chin and the biggest smile on your face.  You told me … ‘I dug my nail under my tooth, heard a crack and yanked it out!’  I had a Tooth Fairy book that I had saved for over two years, waiting for that first tooth.  You also wrote the sweetest note to the TF!  Just 10 days later you repeated the whole thing and yanked out another tooth because you wanted something to share at school that day.

A bee sting gone wrong … huge infection and a 2 1/2 hour trip to the ER resulted in antibiotics and a splint.

I had to get a snap of your room after a long, tired weekend … your Sunday night meltdown meant LOTS of tissues thrown dramatically all over the floor.

I missed this post last month so I’ll sneak in the only two images I have from the month… Brooks’ Character Counts Student and his Fun Run.

So proud to call you my son,

Mommy
xoxo

This month I’m so happy to continue with my talented, dear friend Becky Earl with What __ Looks Like.

If you missed the beginning, you can catch up on…
What Responsibility Looks Like
What the Last Days of Summer Looks Like
What Almost 7 Looks Like
What Making Memories Looks Like
What December Traditions Looks Like
What The Magic Of First Grade Looks Like
What Being a Tourist in My Own City Looks Like

I missed my ‘just us’ post last month and almost missed this one.  Yesterday morning we had two minutes to take a quick snap before we left for school.  I’m so glad we did.  It’s really not too hard to get something … just a commitment.  I’m thankful to my group for inspiring me to keep going with this project.  xoxo

One of my favorite things about this image is that it shows off the new gap in my little first grader’s smile.  He was thrilled to finally lose his first tooth earlier in the month and then the second just a week later.  I also love his new summer hair cut!  He was very clear with the hairdresser that he wanted tiny spikes.  It’s hysterical watching him do his hair in the morning … just the right amount of gel … applied just so.

Here’s another in color … totally my ‘mini me’.  ;)

I’m finally breaking out my new 5D Mark III … these were shot at 6400 without any noiseware.  I LOVE how it handles high ISO and white balance!

Please continue the circle with the very talented Melissa Deakin | Buffalo, NY Family & Child.

Just Us Twelve Times

San Diego Family Photographer | Jules Trandem Photography on Facebook | The Bloom Forum

Please continue on with the circle with my friend  Jayme Franklin | San Francisco Family Photographer.

In case you’re following along on the progress of  ’my story‘ for 2012 …
The breakfast green smoothie has continued to be my favorite meal of the day.  I love it so much I ended up ordering a juicer, too…there are some mornings that I’m a little sick of the extra pulp in my drinks, so I may switch over to some days using the juicer.  Even though I’m not on a diet and I don’t have a scale to keep track of progress, I can tell I’ve lost weight because none of my clothes from last fall fit.  It’s pretty fun looking through my closet finding new/old pants that I haven’t wore in a long time.  :)  And, I can actually see my cheekbones again!!!
The progress of our new plan to eat close to an organic,  whole food nutrition plan has been working well for Brooks, too.  He’s finally putting on a little weight during his growth spurt, which I love!  He also loves helping to pick out his fish from the market each week.  It’s so sweet when he asks if we should have fish or chicken for dinner!  He also devours huge salads and large amounts of raw veggies!!  Since I’m off of sugar, he’s also doing his part to cut back.  On his own, he’s decided to have fresh berries or mango for dessert many nights out of the week.  Even at school he makes sure to fill his tray with extra fruit and veggies!  I LOVE it!
To help make more time for me, I decided to drop out of two of my personal project groups.  It makes me so sad not to be a part of these talented groups, but it’s just the right thing for me right now.

Just Us Twelve Times

San Diego Family Photographer | Jules Trandem Photography on Facebook | The Bloom Forum

Our goal is to capture our own families in a real and beautiful way.  Some people call it “lifestyle”, some call it “real life”, some call it “unposed”.  No matter what you call it, our desire is to snatch the moments that represent the relationships, the dynamics, the reality, the beauty, the truth, and the life of our families and record them here on our blogs as well as in print at the end of the project.

Each month we will each choose to fill in the blank with our word of choice.  Some of us may choose to use the same word all year and some may choose to change it up each month.  We will each link to the next photographer until our circle is complete.

We hope this project inspires you to take more pictures of your own families so that those unique moments that make your family unique will never be lost or forgotten.~ Wendy VonSosen.

Each of us will put our own spin on this project, making it more meaningful to us.  I wanted my monthly post to be in the form of a letter to Brooks.  When the year is complete, I hope to compile the monthly letters and images into a book.  My gift to him and to myself.  Here is our story of February 2012.

Dear Brooks,

What a fast and furious month this has been.  If feels like just yesterday that we started February and yet it will be over in just a few short days.  You continue to inspired me with your thoughtfulness and your unbridled optimism.  When I’m tired (or grumpy), you seem to know just what to say or do to bring a smile to my face.  It makes me laugh thinking of the little inside jokes that we share.  You really are a funny boy.

Our after school schedule is pretty busy with sports so by the weekend, we are happy to have at least one pj day to relax and rest.  During these days, you build battle after battle after battle.  Cars, animals, blocks, legos, star wars, and knights are the stars of your battles.  I love listening to you act out the conversations in the battle with enhanced battle noises.  You can also frequently be found building and rebuilding your many lego creations.  It drives me a little nuts when I see a carefully built lego castle (always an important piece of a good battle) fall to the ground and then completely taken apart.  When I ask why you destroy these (expensive and time consuming structures) this way (with just a tab bit of annoyance in my voice) you tell me it’s because you’re just a boy and that’s what boys do.  Boys are suppose to build and destroy and build again in a new way.  Ah.  Yes.  You’re so right.  This is just one of the many lessons you teach me every day.  Thank you.

We recently had a week off of school for what most call ‘ski week’.  Instead of traveling to Santa Barbara, we had a staycation filled with lots of sleep and many things checked off of our to-do list.  On Wednesday, we decided to be a tourist in our own city.  February is museum month in San Diego and the best place to go is Balboa Park.

The day started with a little walk around the park before we entered the Natural History Museum.  We had the opportunity to explore the ‘Titanic Exhibit’.  It was fascinating to see the artifacts from that fateful trip.  At the beginning of the tour we were each given a boarding pass with the name of one of the actual passengers.  By the end of the tour, we found our whether or not our passengers made it off alive.  Sadly, both of our passengers had died.  It was a very powerful tour.  The skull exhibit and the 3D shark film were also so interesting.  You were so fascinated by everything.  I loved watching you soak it all up!

After a delicious lunch at ‘The Prado’, we went to the ‘Reuben H. Fleet Science Center’.  It’s been years since you’ve been there.  The first time we were there, you were 3 and only played in the under 5 section … fun for a short time, but nothing too exciting.  We walked into the museum around 1:00 and you played and explored and laughed and learned and concentrated until 5:30 … and even then I had to drag you out of there.  You just couldn’t get enough!!  The Keva planks were your favorites of the afternoon.  We hung out there for 2 hours.  I loved watching you build and create with such concentration.

On the way back to the car we passed through this darling area overflowing with gorgeous colors!  You found the perfect hopscotch and even asked if I wanted to take a picture in front of the pretty doors.  OK.  :)

Goofy boy!  Such a silly little thing.  You think it’s so hysterical when you have the remote … love your pose.  And this second image … one other thing that draws squeals of laughter from you … that special little sound you discovered you can make with your hand on the back of your knee.  Really?!   Who teaches you these things?  It’s so not my favorite sound in the world!

The next day we continued our staycation with a visit to Coronado and the Loew’s Resort.  We arrived super early so we could enjoy the day by the pool.  It was such a surprise when we discovered they had upgraded our room to a bungalow suite when they found out we were locals.  The room was huge and had an amazing view of downtown San Diego.  After 4 trips to the pool and 4 baths in the gigantic tub filled with more bubbles  than I’ve ever seen, you begged to stay another night.  We were both in heaven simply relaxing in our own big comfy beds, me reading (finished the Hunger Game series in 4 days) and you happily reading and watching netflix on the iPad.  It wasn’t possible for us to stay a second night this time, but I promised we’ll go again soon.

I loved watching you swim back and forth working on your strokes.  You’re such an awesome little swimmer.  I grew up swimming and it makes my heart sing to watch you.  I especially love your butterfly (even though you don’t believe me that it’s called the butterfly) … cutest thing in the world.  I can’t wait until summer when you get to compete in races!

The view from our room… during the day and night.

Some instagram favorites …

Thank you for being such a blessing to me.  I appreciate how you can so easily make me laugh.

Love you to Tatooine and back,

Mommy
xoxo

This month I’m so happy to continue with my talented, dear friend Becky Earl with What Family Time Looks Like.

If you missed the beginning, you can catch up on…
What Responsibility Looks Like
What the Last Days of Summer Looks Like
What Almost 7 Looks Like
What Making Memories Looks Like
What December Traditions Looks Like
What The Magic Of First Grade Looks Like

Jenny Watts – Dallas TX Photographer | Maureen Wilson – McComb MS Photographer

Jasmine Sargent – Bismarck ND Photographer

San Diego CA Child and Family Photographer | Photo of the Week

This isn’t a new image, it’s one I took when Brooks began his reading life and I started my photography career.  As a teacher, learning to read is so important and I know how challenging it can be for some children.  It was hard for me, and I didn’t want Brooks to go through the same struggles that I did.  When Brooks entered PEPP (pre-K), he knew all his sounds but he couldn’t name the letters (he went to a Montessori pre-school).  All he cared about was playing, building, and rolling around (wrestling) on the carpet with his friends.

Once upon a time I was so worried about how school would go for him.

He had zero interest in learning anything which is why I placed him in a two year developmental kindergarten program.  In California, the cut off date for incoming K’s is December 1st.  With a late fall birthday, he was eligible to begin, but he would always be the youngest and he had no interest in school.  I gave him one of the greatest gifts I could … the gift of time.  He was given an extra year to explore and play while he was learning.  He had so much fun, he didn’t even know he was learning the valuable skills that would help him be successful.

In this image, he was reading one of his first emergent reading books that he brought home each day.  It helped to develop the confidence and skills needed at his pace.  He’s been so blessed to have an amazing teacher each year.  Now as a first grader, I get to take a peek at him through the common door to our rooms and see him with his face buried in a book or immersed in a discussion in his reading group.  It makes my heart sing!!  I couldn’t be more proud!

I realize that each child is unique, but if you are ever in a similar situation and have the ability to give the gift of time, I promise you would never regret the decision.

Please continue on with my very talented friend, Jessica Drossin | Los Angeles Photographer and Photography Textures Creator.

San Diego Family Photographer | Jules Trandem Photography on Facebook | The Bloom Forum

Here is the card we sent out to friends and family!  Enjoy the day with your loved ones!

We’re off to celebrate at school.  It’s my favorite school holiday party!  The children are so sweet opening up each card and rushing over to their friends to say thanks!

xoxo

Jules

And here’s a link to last year’s Valentine’s Day post.  For two years in a row, Jamie Schultz Designs have won me over!

San Diego Family Photographer | Jules Trandem Photography on Facebook | The Bloom Forum

Jenny Watts – Dallas TX Photographer | Maureen Wilson – McComb MS Photographer

Jasmine Sargent – Bismarck ND Photographer

San Diego CA Child and Family Photographer | Photo of the Week

We didn’t stay long, but managed to come home with two images for today!

If you followed my ‘fifty two on friday’ group, you might have seen on my final post  that part of my goal for the 2012 was going to be to take better care of me.  The first thing I did was run out and buy this awesome  blender!  Brooks and I now head to our new favorite market, Sprouts, filled with local and organic produce and food.  By the end of the trip, our cart is PACKED with the yummiest fruits and veggies that we work together to pick out.  My new breakfast of choice is a green monster smoothie … 4 kale leaves, a giant handful of spinach, 1 mini cucumber, 1 carrot, 1 piece of celery, 1/2 lime, a big slice of pineapple, and protein powder.  It’s seriously sooo good!  What I’m most proud of is after just 3 days my coffee no longer was appealing.  So shocking to anyone who really knows me!  I LOVED coffee … and I drank a LOT of it.  Every. Single. Day.  Now I’m a tea girl!  I’ve been loving the TAZO teas that they sell at Starbucks.  Not only have I kicked coffee, but also my once a day habit of a Diet Coke.  Gone.  Another shocking change is that I’ve lost all cravings for sugar!  Sugar has been cut out of my diet for 3 weeks and I haven’t’ missed it once.  The happiest change with all of this is the amazing increase in my energy … from the moment I wake up until I go to bed.  It’s just crazy!  This little blender changed so much for me in just one  month.  I’ll let you know how February goes!  :)

Please continue on with the circle with my friend  Jayme Franklin | San Francisco Family Photographer.

Just Us Twelve Times

San Diego Family Photographer | Jules Trandem Photography on Facebook | The Bloom Forum

Jenny Watts – Dallas TX Photographer | Maureen Wilson – McComb MS Photographer | Jasmine Sargent – Bismarck ND Photographer

San Diego CA Child and Family Photographer | Photo of the Week