Catch the Moment

catch the moment: week ten

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

Week 10 proved to be a fantastic week!  The weather is warming and we celebrated our big boy’s 4th birthday. I’ve yet to get his party post up yet but did write his love letter before time got away from me. I’ve got so much to write about but am struggling to find the time to blog lately. Thank goodness for this project – it definitely keeps me coming back, even when I’m feeling stretched for time.

Linking up again with our hostesses, Mindi (Simply Stavish), Sarah (Nurse Loves Farmer), and Stephanie (Behind the Camera and Dreaming).

Without further jibber jabber, here are week ten’s photos:

64/365: March 5th. I found this love letter in Theo’s back pocket after school. Apparently he made an “all diamond ring” for his favorite teacher.

65/365: March 6th. This was the day of Theo’s birthday celebration at school.  It was so super cute (and one of the things I need to include when I write about his birthday party) but this photo is grainy because I had to zoom in to crop out other students in the class.  

66/365: March 7th. Our first day in 2014 playing outside!  It was in the 50s, which felt just about like the 70s considering the long, cold winter we’ve had. You can see the snow still in the background, even after many days above freezing. 

67/365: March 8th. Theo’s 4th birthday. I felt lucky, loved, and happy to have so much family around to celebrate Theo’s special day. Especially my mama!

68/365: March 9th. Theo playing with his new Lego Movie trash chomper set. A gift from friends, of course! 

69/365: March 10th. Monthly dinner date with my friend that lives too far away. Hello fresh-made-at the-table guacamole! And tequila sunrise!  I think I have a new favorite restuarant. (Locals, it’s Adobo Grill downtown, have you been there??)

70/365:  March 11th.  Had to pull off to the side of the road on my way to work when I saw the beautiful fog rolling across the field with the sunrise in the background — see? Daylight Savings Time is good for something after all! 
So, I just realized as I was putting this post together that it was very THEO heavy, which makes sense since it was his birthday week.  But there was this photo from Day 70 that almost made the cut. I just have to share it since it almost looks like Dexter moved out: 
70/365 (BONUS!): March 11th. Second time playing outside this year and I treated the boys to their first ring pops.  Theo’s was gone in minutes and we ended up throwing Dexter’s away hours later because he couldn’t seem to figure out how to eat the whole thing. It was a glorious 65 degree day that has me excited for more Spring weather! 
SOOOooo the weekly question for you — which photo was your favorite? I love the genuine smiles on my mom’s and Theo’s faces on Day 67.  I’m also in love with 69, 70, and 70(bonus).  Sorry — I can’t pick just one this week!  What? I told you it was a great week…
xo,
~C~

catch the moment: week nine

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest
Week nine: done. This project is not getting any harder – In fact, think it’s actually getting easier. I’m just accustomed to carrying my camera around with me and looking for things to take pictures of. My next photography goal is to stop being a wuss and start taking pictures even when I know people are looking at me like I’m crazy!  Sometimes I shy away from pulling out the giant camera because I know people are thinking I’m one strange lady. 
Linking up for week 9 with Stephanie @ Behind the Camera and Dreaming, Mindi @ Simply Stavish, and Sarah @ Nurse Loves Farmer for Catch the Moment 365.
57/365: February 26th. I tried to get an up-close shot of this church in week 6 but was scared off by someone in the parking lot.  I don’t know a lot about architecture, but I just love this kind of historic building. 

58/365: February 27th.  A lotta TMNT going on in this photo.
59/365: February 28th. Friday morning stop for tea at my favorite spot.
60/365: March 1st. An after-dinner trip to Target and just one of many photos from my “Day in the Life” post. 

61/365: March 2nd. Sunday morning craft project – I made this little page for Theo’s birthday celebration at school.
62/365: March 3rd. Monday afternoon Lego time. 

63/365: March 4th. Mr. Dextie Bear was being such a cutie in the car on the way to the sitter.  
I’m enjoying the project so far and like all of my pictures this week for one reason or another, regardless of their artistic quality or depth. I think my favorite is day 58 for the rich colors. Which one is your favorite this week? 
xo,
~C~

a (satur)day in the life

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

As a bonus challenge for the Catch The Moment 365 project I am participating in, it was proposed that everyone try documenting an entire day in photos.  We’ll be linking these posts up via our hosts, Nurse Loves Farmer, Simply Stavish, and Behind the Camera and Dreaming.

So this is a pretty typical Saturday on a weekend where we have little or nothing planned.  You’ll quickly see (as I did) how much our life revolves around eating and sleeping.

Saturday, March 1st.

MORNING:

Despite our pleading to not wake us up before Mr. Sunshine comes to visit, we were up and at ’em by 7am. They did a little shirtless marker play while I was fixing breakfast.  Saturday’s breakfasts are usually pretty hearty and pretty tasty, too.  They gobbled up cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon, jelly biscuits, and blueberries.

After breakfast, I enjoyed a second cup of coffee while Ryan paid bills, the boys played, and I attempted to watch the news.
Typical laundry room scene if/when laundry doesn’t get done during the week.  And it rarely does.
With the boys’ first swim lesson at 11:30am, I decided around 9 that I better see if they had swimming trunks that fit.  It was a good opportunity to dump their disastrous sock & underwear drawer and do some organizing.
Packed up and ready for the pool & gym.
Knowing they’d be eating a later lunch, I gave the boys a big snack of cheese, graham crackers, ham bits, and juice before we left.
Theo’s excitement was beyond words. He couldn’t wait to jump in and splash around! They both had fun.  They’ve got a lot of learning to do.  🙂
AFTERNOON:
Red beans and rice with smoked turkey sausage for lunch. They loved it! I fixed this for dinner Thursday night.  I’m always surprised when they like something new!
After some negotiations, we got them down for a late nap that didn’t last very long.
Meanwhile, Ryan finally took down our Christmas lights since A) the temp was above 0 and B) there wasn’t a foot of snow on top of them.
And I…
took advantage of the quiet and soaked in the boys’ tub (our bathroom only has a shower).
The boys woke up shortly after I got out.
EVENING:
Doing the dishes while cooking dinner and snapping a few pictures of Niko watching a squirrel. The boys were multi-tasking in the next room too, playing Legos and watching a cartoon.
Gyros for dinner:  Another unexpected hot hit with the boys.  Dee-licious!
An after dinner trip to Target …
that didn’t end well.
This tantrum brought to you by a 45 minute nap and parents who declined to buy their kid a toy. My plans of going to Kroger after Target were delayed.  It was 8pm and we decided to just head back home.  I think it sets a bad precedent to buy kids toys every time you take them to the store…I mean, at some point they have to accept reality.  Saturday night, this was our reality.  We got some looks – some disapproving and some understanding nods – as we were leaving Target with a screaming kid but… oh well.  He was over it by the time we got home and (hopefully) learned a lesson that acting this way doesn’t get him what he wants.
Bedtime Stories around 8:30pm.
Once the boys had settled and were quiet, I left again to pick up a few groceries.
It was pretty dead – I was in and out and back home before 10pm.
A small bowl of cherry cobbler ice cream, Breaking Bad, and then bed around midnight.
And that’s it – the play by play of a day in my life.  As I was trying to remember to take pics of just about everything that took place yesterday, it seemed like such a huge hassle. But for some reason, I’m kind of partial to this post.  I have a feeling these are the kinds of days that I will forget to remember. I’ll remember the trips to Disney World and birthday parties, but I won’t remember the details of random Saturdays that all seem to run together.  I might have to do this a few times a year.  Hope you enjoyed your day – and mine!
xo,
~C~