I have to admit that I struggled a lot with this week. I don’t mind doing self portraits, but I was completely lacking creativity. I feel like I can only do them when I am in the mood. But, after multiple failed and boring attempts, I had to choose one.

Meh. Not my best week I guess. Hopefully when the next self portrait comes around I will have something a little more creative to share. In the meantime, check out Ali’s post to see her SELF PORTRAIT.

And, just for fun, some outtakes:

Archer loves when we take pictures. I had to bribe him to give up the remote today and hide it so he won’t go looking for it… The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree I guess.

xo, B.

This weeks theme is MOTHER, and although I am by no means a die-hard breastfeeding advocate, it is something that has allowed me to bond with both of my babies. I cherish these moments between us, because I know that all too soon they won’t need or want these cuddles. For this week I wanted something intimate, and something that spoke to my current journey as a mother. There are many traits that make me a mother, and I know these things will change as time goes on, but for now this is one of the most dominant, and will always be one of my most treasured memories.

Click here to see Ali’s interpretation of MOTHER.

We are taking a vacation from our computers this week, spending some much needed time with friends and family, so I don’t have much to say, but here is a glimpse at Week 25 – you can tell it is summer time when all of the images are at the beach or a pool!

In case you were wondering where Gryffin was all this time…

Eyelashes, anyone?

Cheers!

B

Thanks for coming to check out our first Two x Fifty-two Blog Circle! There is some amazing talent in this group, from all over the world. Please click through the circle to see some serious eye candy!

Because Ali and I started 2 weeks later than the rest of the group, we only have 2 images to choose from for our first blog circle. But as soon as I saw her first week image I knew it was going to be a favourite. Some photographers shoot for the light, but Ali shoots for the shadows, and it gives such depth to her images. I love this shot of the vines out the windows with the light coming through, and the texture from the glass gives it all an element of mystery. Plus those tiny little sunbursts? Perfection! This is the stuff I always see, but can never capture quite right.

Click through to Claudia’s post to see her partner’s work, and from there you can head over to Ali to see which of my images she liked best!

Happy Canada Day weekend to all of you in Canadaland! 🙂

Week two of my Project 52 with Ali was, again, somewhat of a struggle for me. As you can imagine, our mornings aren’t very calm or smooth around here right now. I am not a morning person what-so-ever, so finding inspiration so soon after I wake up is not an easy task. I had an image in my head of me laying snuggled with Gryff while Archer climbs in from the foot of the bed like he does most mornings. Unfortunately, I am usually delirious at this point in the morning and don’t often notice him in bed with me until he has already started talking (read: yelling) about breakfast/having to pee/dinosaurs, etc. This is usually followed with some frustration on my part as I try to bargain with him to quiet down and exit the room smoothly before Gryffin wakes up. Not usually my finest moment of the day.

Occasionally my brain is alert enough for my tactics to be successful, and Gryffin is able to continue his slumber while I get up with Archer. Doesn’t he look so peaceful in that morning light? And check out that ginger hair!

Click here to check out Ali’s interpretation of MORNING, and come back tomorrow to check out our first months blog circle!

I think at 8 weeks out, we are finally starting to find a groove with this whole ‘two kids’ thing. I say that now, and in about 2.5 minutes things will change and I’ll be trying to stay above water again. But in all seriousness, the newborn fog lifted around 5-6 weeks and my body has officially adjusted to the sleep deprivation, and I feel like I have a handle on things. Getting out of the house is easier and staying home is easier, and we have had less tantrums and tears (these are not exclusive to the 2 year old). Why am I telling you this? I don’t know…. on to the eye candy!

With summer in full swing we are spending a lot of time outside, and when we are inside you can almost guarantee someone is in just their underwear.

You might have already seen these on my Facebook, but I can’t stop gushing. I left the room one afternoon and came back to see Archer holding Gryffins hand and chatting away to him. I obviously sprinted for my camera, and boy am I glad I did. I know their moments together won’t always be so tender (why are boys so rough?!), so I am happy to have this memory in the bank.

To get my creative juices flowing one afternoon I thought I would do a little mini lifestyle shoot with the boys (story of their life), so we went outside to do our favourite things and I tried to get a few more details than I normally would.

Gryffin blowing his own bubbles 😉

The week ended with some Father’s Day festivities. Believe me when I say we have some pretty awesome fathers in our life – Eric, of course, and both Papa and Pepe are strong influences in our life. I am thankful everyday to not only have these men for our boys, but also for me.

Meme and Pepe couldn’t bring a gift for Eric without bringing one for Archer. He has barely let Optimus Prime out of his sight since he got it.

I can’t leave this post without saying how great of a father Eric is. I have never been more proud of him and the way he continues to rise for us. He is the most hardworking guy I know, and he is already instilling that into the boys. I knew on our wedding day that I was making a good decision, but never did I expect this much good to come of it.

Happy belated Father’s Day to all the great Dads out there!

B.

Well I have another fun series starting for you all this week. Through the photography community I have met a ton of amazing people, many of which inspire me and are constantly pushing me creatively. For the next year I have teamed up with the talented Ali over at Smith & Archer Photography (How’s that for a coincidence?!) for a 2×52 project. Each week we have a theme and we both blog our images, and at the end of each month we will choose a favourite from each others set and hop in a blog circle with a few other pairs doing the same project. The best part about this is that we are spread out all over the world! Ali lives in Melbourne, Austraila, and works as a science teacher and photographer. She also has 2 kids, so I am excited to see some parallels in our lives even though we are on opposite ends of the Earth.

Our Week 1 theme is LIGHT, and I have to admit I struggled. It was such a broad theme that I couldn’t decide how I wanted do it. Finally on the last day of the week I spotted a few baby dinosaurs sitting in this perfect pocket of light on our dining room chairs.

Click over to Ali’s post to see how she interpreted this weeks theme.