Category Archives: 52 project

2018 Portrait Project

by

I wasn’t going to do another year of the Portrait Project. It’s been so hard to keep up with it as well as make sure I post here each week. But then I finished making the book with all the portraits of 2017 and Ellie wanted to go through the older albums and so we’ve been reading them, one book a night. I have 5 of them. One for every year of Ellie’s life so far. Ellie has been loving hearing each photo’s story so much that I knew after reading the first book to her, I had to continue with the project… These books are way too important to me and to her. So, here it is…. 2018’s first photo…

“A photo of Ellie, once a week, every week in 2018.”

1/52
DSC_0311
Eloise: January 2018, you are 5 and 5 months old, running down a sandy hill at the beach close to our home. After a strange December, we are getting our groove back. Walking the beach, enjoying the sunshine and watching you grow into a beautiful, young lady, ready to take on the world.

Advertisement

Portrait Project

by

46/52
46:52
Eloise: It’s moments like these that make me feel really good about our choice to home school you for kindergarten. You delve into a project and figure things out on your own and then proceed to keeping building… layer upon layer of learning.

47/52
DSC_0324
Eloise: I am certainly thankful for you, my spunky, precocious, incorrigible, funny 5 year old.

Portrait Project Catch-up

by

I’ve been taking them…. I just can’t seem to find the time to post them. Here we are almost 5 weeks behind again…

36/52
DSC_0268
Eloise: You started your first official year of Home school Kindergarten in September. We’re taking it slow and allowing for lots of play and exploration of your interests as well as throwing in a bit of those “academics” too. I’m excited for this journey, however long and fruitful it may be.

37/52
DSC_0260
Eloise: Hair flying all over, glasses on because your friends are wearing theirs too, milk mustache and always in mid-sentence. Perfect Ellie portrait.

38/52
DSC_0421
Eloise: Your Aunt Katie is getting married and I captured this great shot of you at the rehearsal. You are very excited to be the flower girl and I can’t wait to see you walk down the aisle throwing those petals.

39/52
portrait
(Unfortunately I wasn’t able to capture any photos myself of Ellie walking down the aisle, so this photo is courtesy of my cousin, Laura Shine- thank you!)
Eloise : You did a wonderful job walking down the aisle, as the flower girl in your Aunt Katie and Uncle Nick’s wedding! You loved playing the part of the “flower fairy girl”!

40/52
DSC_0266
Eloise: We headed up the coast this past weekend to go apple picking this year. However, it was sadly too late to pick apples, so we enjoyed the hay maze, horse rides, tractor rides and fun with friends instead- and brought home a pumpkin too.

Portrait Project

by

32/52
DSC_0240
Ellie: Five years ago I was still pushing through a very long, rough labor (22 hours to be exact)… and at 10:00 pm on August 5th, you finally showed your face sunny side up! you are my greatest joy and my greatest challenge. You are full of spunk and imagination. You are fierce and mighty and gentle and funny. You want to be a paleontologist, zoologist, geologist, engineer (so you can build your own theater), and then actress (so you can sing The Last Unicorn song for anyone who asks).
You love dinosaurs and dolls equally and think Madagascar Hissing cockroaches are cute. You live for play dates with your friends but will still cuddle with me when ever I ask. These five years have been amazing…. I love you Kid of mine!

Happy Birthday Ellie Lou! Your Mamasaurus loves you!

31/52
DSC_0215
Ellie: zoned out watching Dino Dana on t.v., naked with a dino mask on. This is classic Ellie.

30/52
DSC_0195
Ellie: My beautiful sunshine girl. You love riding your bike anywhere and everywhere! A perfect summer day riding down the beach boardwalk!

29/52
DSC_0364
Ellie: It’s always “the best day ever” when you get to play with your friends, paint together and make music together! You are one lucky little girl!

“The 52 Project! A photo once a week, every week in 2017”

Portrait Project

by

22/52
DSC_0232
Eloise: When you are out in the wilderness, you become quite the wild child; climbing trees, fearless and free. I love that you have such respect for the wild but are still so curious and excited when you get to spend time in it. Watching you build this relationship with nature makes my heart happy.

23/52
DSC_0247
Eloise: We came home to find our praying mantis eggs had hatched and some how our mantids had escaped. Praying mantis’ were crawling all over the place and we had to hurry and catch them all and get them outside. You were thrilled about this mishap and helped me collect the little fellas and had a field day with them out in the garden.
“Mama, I’m going to be a Paleontologist, a Veterinarian AND a Entomologist!”
I bet you will be, my little nature girl!

Portrait Project

by

16/52

DSC_0209

Eloise: You learned to ride a bike a couple months ago. Four and a half and riding a big girl bike with no training wheels! (I won’t tell you how long it took me or your Auntie Hayley to learn to ride a bike). 😉
Now you are mastering riding. We’ve been taking you on longer rides, and in different areas, so you get used to all types of riding concerns. You just light up on that bike and when you are going, you are going! It’s been exciting to watch you learn so quickly!

52 Project

by

4/52
dsc_0201
Eloise: We visited my parents house this week and for the first time since I can remember, the “creek” near the house I grew up in was filled with water. As a child, I played in this “creek”, catching tadpoles, finding moss and bugs and just being a kid out in nature. We took Ellie down the rocks and into the creek bed. She explored for quite awhile and it made my heart sing to see her playing in a space that I had once played as a kid.

5/52
dsc_0232
Eloise: Every week we have a little nature school with your closest friends. I lead the group. Last week we learned about moss and lichen. We went to one of our favorite parks for exploring and found all sorts of neat specimens. I love watching you learn and explore nature. My budding naturalist!

“The 52 project, a photo once a week, every week in 2017”

1/52 and 2/52

by

Happy New Year! Hoping you had a wonderful holiday and New Year.
Well, here we go again… the 52 project. I’m hoping I do a better job this year than I did with last year’s. Although, it looks as if I’m already behind two weeks. Gah!
1/52
1:52
eloise: A walk to see the baby seals with friends, some pink binoculers, a rainbow knit hat and a tutu- a perfect beginning to this New year.

2/52
DSC_0224
eloise: “Mama, I can climb to the very top, all by myself! Watch me…. Ta Da!”

joining Jodi for the 52 project 2016!

Portrait Project (catch-up)

by

Playing catch-up once again here on the blog. I swear I’m constantly thinking about this space, but I’ve just had so much trouble finding time to get here. So here are 29 and 30 a week or two late.
29/52
29/52eloise: I couldn’t help myself with this one. Here we were in Washington, two years (to the day!) and in the same spot I took your portrait as last time. My you’ve grown. I’m so glad you got to visit this very special place and spend time with your Great Grandmother. I’m also so very glad you got to meet your Great Grandpa Earl before he passed away.

30/52
30/52eloise: Summertime. Naked, reading books in her tent outside. A week away from turning 3. This portrait is the epitome of Ellie.