29/52

 "A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013"

Nona- A pause outside the flower shop.

Dash- Every night, without fail, someone is thirsty and wants out of bed:)

I have been quite busy this week with tying up lose ends before our move. Today was our last visit to the farmers market here. If you didn't know already, Saturday is our family day and we go to the market and come home and cook a yummy meal together. Today it was heavily raining. I dressed the kids to get wet and headed out. The kids played in the puddles while I stood under a big umbrella, sipping a soda, eating a chili dog while listening to The Smiths  being covered by a local guitarist. I think we all had a good time:)

28/52

 "A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013"

Nona- Doing her favorite thing in the world(besides eating berries), coloring! We sat coloring butterflies out at the nature preserve this morning. The weather was perfect!

Dash- Having his first game of "hopscotch". He was actually very good at it!

Following along with Che' and Fidel!

27/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013"

Dashiel- On top of his uncle's shoulders at the Dragon Con Parade.

Nona- Trying hard not to show her sleepliness...she lays her head on the bed, but only for a second! Then she's off again!

Following along with Che & Fidel with 52.
Favorite this week- Bijou and her floral crown.

The children and I were lucky enough to get to go to Dragon con this weekend. Nona meet tinkerbell and Dash sword faught just about anyone who would play along. I wish I could say (or show) better portraits this week, but truth be told, I hate crowds! 

26/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013"

Dashiel- "Im a cool guy."

Nona-Pre nap time book-Little Miss Bronte-Jane Eyre. I love those toes!

Following along with Che & Fidel with 52.
Favorite this week- Quinn and his birthday hat.

I love Dash's photo this week. He looks so grown! And Im so glad I have at least one child who's easy to photograph. Nona from birth has given me trouble; she never stays still and if I ask her to smile, she'll scream! Today, I gave her a book and she gave me a brief min of her time:) So sweet!

25/52

 "A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013"

Dashiel- A red balloon kinda day.

Nona- Taking her little cart for a spin, baby carrots in tow.

Following along with Che & Fidel with 52.
Favorite this week- Blue skys and beach fun with lily.

It has been a very long time since my husband has been home for a week straight. Usually, he's three hrs away, working hard on various music projects. We were glad to to have some nice family time. 

This weeks weather has been so mild; perfect for park visits and farmers market fun. At the market I bought the most incredibly moist banana bread. And my husband picked up fresh bread, bacon, tomatoes and lettuce for BLT's.  Yumm! Off to eat!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

24/42

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013"

Dashiel- Flashing a sweet smile on our rainy day walk under his umbrella. 

Nona- Admiring her treasure's; two rocks and an acorn from our walk. Nona refuses to use an umbrella... :)

Following along with Che & Fidel with 52.
Favorite this week- Casper !

Another rainy week! We decided to make the most of it and get outside and play.  Here's hoping for some sunshine(and less humidity)!

23/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013"

Nona- Peeking up from her game to check on the parakeets. I love her little smile. She looks like Amelie Poulain here, oui?

Dashiel- Computer lab time. It was humorous to watch him race. Every so often, he would lean over to see if the boy next to him was winning, leaving his car to smash into anything and everything. I think in this picture, his car ran into a lake!

Following along with Che & Fidel with 52.

Favorites this week- Alice and Vicente, Ronan, and Jacob!

This week we visited our local library. Wow, I had no idea how far libraries have come! We make our way into the children's section and we walk into a whimsy light forest. The kids let go of my hand and dart inside! I try to focus their attention and we start to make rounds. First the aquarium, then- chalk table, giant abacus, parakeets, frogs, tarantulas, puzzle table, computer lab...etc. It was hard to get them to pick out books but we finally settled on a few. I even found some great French language dvds(Muzzy) for children. In the end, I had to drag my children out of the library, promising to come back tomorrow. What a wonderful problem to have!

22/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013"

Nona- Sitting at the family table, by herself, for the first time. 

Dashiel- Where's Waldo? This book has actually kept his interest since we got it last month. Win!

Following along with Che & Fidel with 52.

Favorites this week- Chloe, Sofie & Otto.

Have a wonderful week everyone!

21/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013"

Dashiel- He was very explorative with his movements. At first he laid on his back kicking his feet, then he made duck shaped shadows with his hand and lastly he asked me if he could dance. In this shot he just sat there in awe, smiling.

Nona- She paced back and forth for awhile, laughing. She then grabbed her brothers' airplanes and made shadows. Then investigating the projector, she discovered the "on/off" button and "click" on, off, on, off, on...

Following along with Che and Fidal with the 52 project!

Last week favs- Junie and Oliver.

I made some transparencies this week and the children seemed to really love them. I made Dash a image of an erupting volcano and for Nona, I made a kaleidoscope. I've had an overhead projector for awhile now and I'm so glad to finally put it to use. I will most certainly make a bunch during winter time and maybe even get some tangrams for more light play! 

Have a lovely week everyone!

20/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013"

Dashiel- Rainy days and pretending were at the beach. sigh.

Nona- Watermelon sherbert for the little lady. 

Favorite(s) from last week- Mummy Karma, Alligator is for best, and little wild moose!

Following along with Che & Fidel with the 52 project!

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

19/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013"

Dashiel- Having a serious case of the sillies.

Nona- Waiting for her smoothie. She went from happy to sad in a matter of seconds. I think she was just ready for her afternoon nap.

Favorite from last week- this little squish!

Following along with Che and Fidel with the 52 Project

As I find that my time here in Birmingham drawing to a close, Im feeling just the slightest bit sad.  I cant help but think that I was really closed off to my current city. Perhaps it was a defense mechanism or maybe knowing we wouldn't be here long, but I didn't really seize all opportunities to explore and make new friends here. 

Today, we visited Red Cat Coffee House. I discovered this little gem a couple weeks ago while visiting Pepper Place Farmers Market and I must say, what a great cup of joe! The kids smoothies were totally yum, too! We didn't get to stay long, as miss Nona was not enjoying herself, but I very much suggest you visit if you are ever near!

Oh, and don't you love Dashiel's felt crown!? If you want one for your little one, you can get one online from TREEHOUSE -Kids and Crafts. I love this store so much!

18/52

"A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2013" 

Nona- My little bird watcher.

Dash- He's come a long way from when he was little...he just didnt like grass. "Im relaxing here."

I really wanted to get in as much outdoor time before the crazy heat kicked in this summer. 80 degrees is tolerable but really...any hotter then that and I think everyone gets a bit crabby. I made the kids a little picnic outside and blew bobbles. Nona collected rocks. Dash spotted a lizard. Really nice day!

Following along with Che and Fidel with the 52 project!

17/52

"A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2013"

Dashiel- Running ahead, he paused to let us catch up. I promised him a Steel City Popsicle and apparently, I need to "keep up" with him ;)

Nona- On her tip toes...trying to smell the wild flowers.

Wow, it only took me 6 months but I found a farmer's market. Im not sure why it took me so long but Im glad to have some fresh farmer's eggs, sweet potatoes, strawberries and green beans in my fridge. I still really miss the Athens market as we built our saturday tradition there but Im glad we have a new place to build more memories.

Following along with Che and Fidel with the 52 project!

16/52

 "A Portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013"

Nona- Visiting a new park, Nona climbed to the top of the slide to scope out the scene.

Dashiel- My son requested that his face be painted as a green kitty. And his shaved ice of choice-green apple. Can you guess his favorite color?

Favorites this week-Megpie, & larissia,

Following along with Che & Fidel

Had a great time at our neighborhood block party, today! Parrots, face paint, food trucks, live music, games etc. I just wish I had another peach shaved ice!

15/52

"A Portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013"

Nona- Organizing the pegs at the light table. She was very focused!

Dashiel- Pausing for a second to let me take a quick flash. He ran in circles chasing the lights as they changed their color.

Following along with Che and Fidel and the 52 project.

Favorites- abigail and the future- wow!
last day of may- elsa is adorable!

 We decided it was time for another visit to the McWane Science Center for a little fun. 

I love to see what exhibits the kids gravitate to. The water table was a hit with Nona last time, as well as this go around. The light table and the light floors were a hit as well. Dashiel surprised me a little though with his fascination with the "naturescope" area which consisted of birds, bugs and even decomposition. 

Dash has been so interested in science lately which really excites me. Bronson(my husband) and I have spent the last week going over the solar system with him. You should see his face light up when he tells us about the planets. What a smart little guy.

14/52

 "A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013"

Nona- Its been rainy all day today. Nona was content to sit in the window and watch it fall.

Dash- My goodness! My boy is growing up! Today he received his first "buzz" cut from dad.  I told him I missed his long hair and he said, "dont worry mom, it will grow back."  

Favorites this week- Casper (water color perfection), Lo (so HIP), and Lotus, Noah and Parker (shadows and man made forest-two of my favorite things)

Following along with Che and Fidel and the 52 project.

13/52

 "A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013"

Nona- Still fighting off her tummy bug from earlier in the week. She goes through bouts of smiles then just wanting to be held or take a nap. I think she'll feel much better tomorrow.

Dash- Its Record Store Day. Dashiel said that the Water Liars-Wyoming is getting a lot of good press right now. haha. 

Really, he had no idea of why I wanted him to hold a record up...but he was just happy for me to take a picture of him. I also decided to do polaroids this week. Wish I had a better scanner to get some better detail, but hey these types of photos are suppossed to look blurry etc.

Favorite this week- Little Alice from Rubacado Acido

Following along with Che and Fidel and the 52 project.

12/52

"A Portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2013"

Dashiel- Pinwheels and all smiles outside one of our favorite local restaurants- Last Resort Grill.

Nona- Not feeling well after catching a tummy bug. This little lady is getting some extra love and attention this week.

Following along with Che and Fidel and the 52 project.

Favorites from last week- These siblings from Megpie and Hello Sisilia . Too sweet!

11/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013"

      Dash- My goodness, this face! I love it! And he absolutely loves confetti!

         Nona- In her new romper. She just wanted to help me clean up the mess!

                                                     

  Following along with Che and Fidel and the 52 project.

Im behind again on the 52 project. I think I really just needed a little break. I very much admire all of you that can keep up weekly. I cant imagine doing a 365 project! Hopefully, we'll get all caught up soon. Also, I got a new camera this week! Bear with me while I learn the in's and out's. 

10/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013"

Nona- A glance out the window during snack time at out friend, lily's house.  

Dash- Flashing little sister a smile. Hot tea and pop corn! Yumm!

Following along with Che and Fidel and the 52 project.

Last weeks favorite-Theo from Abigail and the Future.  Love that expression!

9/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013"

Dashiel- This birthday boy wants to take this plane for a spin!

Nona- A pretty spring day lead us outside for some play time. Can you see the curiosity and mischief in her eyes?

On the 12th of this month we celebrated Dashiels fourth birthday at the Southern Flight Museum. Dash loves airplanes and when I came across that cute aviator hat from Soil, well... It just seemed perfect! The kids loved it! 

After the museum we surprised him with chocolate cake and a little razor scooter (which he was crazy about!) Overall, I think he had a great day. I have more pictures to share from his birthday soon!

Following along with Che and Fidel and the 52 project.

Last weeks favorite- Charlie from Little Green Shed. I just love everything about this photo; The colors, expression etc. It feels like an old photo. 

Ike and Jane- Athens Ga

I've been so nostalgic for Athens, Ga! It was such a treat to get to come back and visit one of our favorite local cafe's- Ike and Jane. I&J is a hotspot on saturdays; often selling out of some of their specilaty treats like the apple turnover, red velvet and Elvis donut (peanut butter glazed with banana and bacon).

Our Saturday tradition often consisted of a cup of Jittery Joes coffee and (for me) zucchini bread on the way to the farmers market. While our visit was short, Im so glad my littlest, Nona, got to have her first donut on this trip. I certainly suggest grabbing a bite here if you are ever in town:)