Using Pocket Page Protectors and Project Life to Catch Up on December Daily

I’ve fallen way behind this week in my December Daily process.  I had a major infection in my mouth due to a tooth that needed removed in the second week of December and never managed to get caught back up! I decided to focus my second week of December Daily on using pocket page style protectors and project life cards so that I could work on quickly catching back up. 

December Week Two Highlights

The highlights of our week included treating ourselves to Starbucks, getting my tooth pulled, looking at Christmas lights with Atty, and making Jello Jigglers.  We also took an inventory of what Christmas presents had already been purchased (I shop throughout the year), and decided what else we needed to buy.  We played, a lot!  Atty loves to toss balloons back and forth.  She can play with a balloon for about an hour, which is amazing in toddler time.  I also picked up a couple new learning games for her.  One was a matching card game using seasonal (winter) icons, and she had such a blast playing with it!  We also began our traditional holiday evening movies marathon.  We started with watching Elf, and also managed to watch The Grinch, Rudolph, Frosty, and The Cat in the Hat's Christmas special this week.

Choosing Your Cards and Page Protectors

I started my process this week by choosing a selection of pocket page style cards and protectors that would accommodate my photos from the week.  I also wanted to leave some openings to add in some clear elements and shaker pockets.  I used a mix of different manufacturers such as Simple Stories, Pink Paislee, and Becky Higgins Project Life (Heritage Core Kit).

The Project Life App

Another way that you can catch up quickly on your December Daily project is through the Project Life app if you have an iPhone.  I did a quick review this week on the print quality and how you create a project in the app.  This would be a great way to quickly get caught up on December Daily, so that all you have to do is slip them into 6x8 (or whatever size) pockets and move on to this week!  I also used this app to do my journaling and create collages of my photos for this week.  I enjoy processing my photos this way because everything is all together when I get to assembling my pages.

 

Washi Tape Shaker Pockets

Embellish to Tell the Story

It's officially fall, and you're planning that quintessential pumpkin patch trip with your family.  Your toddler had so much fun last year, and yet you didn't quite get the photos you wanted.  Nor did you enjoy it because you chased them around the whole day snapping 1000s of pictures.  Once you got home you were exhausted and had no desire to weed through all those photos.  When you finally got around to it, you just couldn't find the one that expressed the joy of your child's experience.  Your photos didn't capture those key moments - their wonder of the giant pumpkins, their excitement to walk the fields to find and pick their very own pumpkin.  Or their amazement at each turn of the corn maze.

Today, I've got 8 tips for you to help capture these key moments you want to remember, so you can get back to living those special, beautiful moments.  These tips really helped me get the most out of our trip to the pumpkin patch this year.  Last year's trip was frustrating and difficult due to having a one year old who didn't want to cooperate at all (after about an hour at the site)! 

This year, I knew I needed to be better prepared, because life has changed drastically for us.  Jamie's recent disability meant that I was going to be the one doing most of the activities with our daughter, instead of just snapping pictures of them.  Since Jamie is now wheelchair bound, he wouldn't be able to navigate the dirt and gravel pathways easily and definitely wouldn't be doing things with Atty like feeding the animals at the petting zoo and running through the corn maze with her.  So I came up with a quick and simple way to make the most of your pumpkin patch trip so that you get photos you love that truly capture your precious memories - plus allow you to get back to living and enjoying your experience with your family!  Double win!

1.  Get on your subject's level.  

When you get on your subject's level, it lets you see the world a bit more like they do.  Think about different angles that enhance the story of this experience.


Our local pumpkin patch ends up being a huge festival with tons of activities for the kiddos.  They have a petting zoo, mining camp, mini maze, hayrack rides, tractor rides, u-pick fields, corn maze, pony rides, and honestly, just a ton of stuff to do!  Here, I have an example of the difference between shooting at your eye level at your subject and getting on your subject's level.  This first photo is of my darling daughter looking at the young pigs.


However, for the this second photo, I got closer to her level to really capture her interest in the pigs.  I just love the intimate feeling you get from this photo.  The photo draws you into the scene, and you can almost feel the awe and joy she had when she experienced these piggies.  She was so excited to see all of the animals that she squealed at each and every one.  Additionally, she had to feed every single animal, even the crazy goats that I really thought were going to nibble on her fingers once she ran out of food!

2.  Capture the environment.

In your first couple of shots, capture the environment or event so that you can have those over and done with.  This gives your photos the feel of the place and the background for your stories.


This photo instantly captures the scene and environment of our trip to the pumpkin patch.  Not only does the patch have u-pick fields, but they have hundreds of pumpkins all over the site.  Before we even got activity tickets for the day, Atty had picked out three pumpkins to take home with us!  She loved running around this particular group of pumpkins while we waited for Daddy to get our tickets.  And she wasn't even phased when she sat down on the stem of a pumpkin and got an owie!

3.  Zoom in on the details.  

Use close up photos to expand on what made this experience special.  Was it the awe when your child saw their first pumpkin?  Or was it climbing on the biggest pumpkin on the site?  Focus on these unique aspects of the trip.


This photo of my daughter captures our hayrack ride out to the u-pick fields.  Honestly, I didn't realize it was going to be a 30 minute experience, which Jamie couldn't go on with us.  I thought we were just going out for a ride around the fields...It was our first time!  That's my excuse anyway!  So the story of this photo was that she was getting sleepy, and it was really close to time to go get in the car so she could take a nap on the way home.  Yet, she really enjoyed watching the fields go by, and she even insisted on getting out to pick another gourd herself! That was totally awesome!  And we would have missed out on this experience if I would have had my way, because the fussy baby was getting on Mommy's nerves.  But this hayrack ride gave both of us a slight break so we could have another great experience before we headed out.

4.  Capture relationships with family and found objects.

Capture your child's relationship with others in your family, as well as with things they find in the environment.  These things really help capture what made this experience special.


This is one of the few photos I got of Atty with her daddy.  We were debating on whether we would eat while we were at the festival or if we were just ready to go.  I love this photo because both Atty and Jamie are so sweetly touching each other.  They both needed a breather and a bit of a break, and I like the feeling of comforting each other that comes across through this photo.  Neither one likes big crowds and having a bunch of strange people around them, so experiences like this can be hard on both of them.  Despite this, they had each other to help get them through and they both had a blast together.


One of the great things about our local pumpkin patch are these wagons that they have for hauling the pumpkins.  Oh my goodness!  What a time and muscle saver these guys are.  And yes, despite the fact that I know children are not suppose to ride in them (there was also a big sign saying this, just in case people didn't think about it), Atty insisted and I let her.  It made getting around the huge site so much easier.  She didn't ride in the wagon the whole time, but there were moments that I was so glad we snagged one when we walked in (unlike last year - ugh).  In my defense, we bought pumpkins so I felt justified in using a wagon - it wasn't just for her!


Atty had so much fun with the wagon.  She quickly figured out how to get out of the wagon, as you can see above.  She also spent quite a bit of time pulling the wagon around and trying to push it into trees.  I love this photo (above) because it not only captures a bit of the overall scene in the background, but it also shows her in the process of climbing out of the wagon and pausing to see where she wants to go next.  What else does she want to go discover or play with?  It's kinda like she's pausing to take everything in.  So awesome!

5. Get in the photo with your child! 

Capture your child's relationship with you, even if you have to hand off your camera to someone.  This is really important if you're the primary photographer in your family, like me.  You can never have enough of these photos!


This photo was just a quick little selfie of our shoes that I took on our hayrack ride.  It's a little different, but it does document our relationship.  She's very close to me, standing on her own, but holding onto Mommy while we go through this new experience together.  She's not quite sure what's going to happen, but that's okay, because we'll be together.


This photo is another excellent one for documenting our relationship.  Jamie took this one, as Atty and I took part in her first pony ride.  She loved the ponies and wanted to go pet them from the moment we walked through the gates.  However, she was very nervous at the prospect of riding one.  There was a brief moment that I thought for sure there was going to be a toddler meltdown and we weren't going to do the pony ride after all.  Yet, she did so great!  She held on perfectly to the saddle horn (I think that's what it's called) and let Mommy stay close in case she started to slip.  I was a nervous wreck the whole time.  I had troubles keeping up with the pony and keeping her balanced as she tossed around a bit.  By the end of the ride, Atty didn't want to get off!  It was adorable.  For me, this photo is all about trust.  She trusts that Mommy is not going to let her fall off, and in turn, she had a blast.  I just want her to know that every step of the way, Momma's going to be right here.

6. Catch the curiosity and discoveries.

Capture your child's discoveries.  This is especially important for toddlers and young children.  They are constantly finding something new and exciting.


This photo is from the u-pick fields.  Atty decided we had to get off at the gourd fields (it was the second stop on the hayrack ride).  She wandered around the field for a couple of minutes tripping over the vines before she found this lovely yellow gourd (which looks a bit like a mini pumpkin).  She managed to pull it off the vine all by herself.  Not only did we get pumpkins again (like last year), but this year she was able to experience where they actually grow and pick one herself.  Totally love that!

7.  Grab some action.  

Kids are always on the go - especially toddlers!  Make sure you capture that part of their ever-changing personality.


This photo was just a quick snap of Atty running through the mini corn maze.  First, she explored it slowly going through all the turns.  Then she decided to have Mommy chase her through it, which of course turned into chasing Mommy through it.  Again, I tried to get closer to her eye level so that this child sized maze still had the same impact in the photo as it did on her in that moment.


Honestly, when I captured this photo I was just playing around with the phone while pushing her.  We were still waiting on Daddy to get the activity tickets and she noticed the swing.  I am so glad I got some of these photos though, because she ended up swinging on three separate occasions.  That girl loves to swing!  These types of pictures often capture that pure childhood joy that brings back the viewer's own childhood memories.

8.  Get them involved.  

Whether you decide to do selfies, hand over the camera to them, or have them help pick the spot for your family photos, let your kids help capture this experience.  This is especially good if your kids are camera shy, and it can often help you land more smiles and personality than forcing them to participate.


The selfie above was on our hayrack ride back from the u-pick fields.  I'm holding on to her as she sits on my lap, while she is clinging to her brand new, handpicked gourd.  I love that contrasting bright blue sky in the background!  And let's be completely honest here, she's two.  I don't really care that she isn't looking at the camera, because the photo captures that moment versus being a perfectly posed photo.


In this photo, you can see my daughter's favorite way to use the phone.  She loves to take selfies!  This is such a quirky part of her personality.  Whenever, I am flipping through my photos on my phone I find these little surprises.  I love that she is taking after her Momma and having fun taking photos!

With these 8 tips, you'll come away with at least 10 photos that you really love and that truly document your experience.  Plus by focusing on getting these kind of shots, you free yourself up to get back into the action yourself.  Take some photos and get back to living and loving these precious moments!  Plus going in with a plan with greatly lower your personal stress about documenting the trip "perfectly."

Everywhere around us the signs of fall are starting to appear!  From the brisk, chilly mornings when we set off to daycare and work to the colors that are starting to pop up.  The leaves are slowly shifting to oranges and reds.  Pumpkins and apples are appearing in great variety. 

Fall is probably my second favorite season (my first being spring!).  I love the cooler weather, the gorgeous colors, the comfort foods that become prevalent, the emphasis on family that appears at this time of year, and the change in the fruits and veggies that we eat.  In the summer, we tend to eat foods that are quick, often cold (so we don't have to make the house hotter), and full of raw veggies and fruits (generally).  Once fall comes, we shift to stews and soups and other comfort foods that are slow to cook and fill you up with good flavors! 

Anyway, today's just a quick post about all the early signs of fall I keep seeing in my journeys.  I hope you enjoy!

Pumpkins and Gourds

Oh my!  The pumpkins are already out in full force.  I'm super excited to go to the Alpha Giant Pumpkin Festival with my daughter again this year!  She had such a blast last year.  It was her first year to actually see a pumpkin.  And she had to turn every single one.  She will also be old enough to do a variety of other activities at the Festival so I think it will be a fantastic day for the whole family.  But enough about that - PUMPKINS! 




Whether you enjoy the orange pumpkins, white pumpkins, foam pumpkins, painted pumpkins, ugly pumpkins, whatever kind of pumpkins you love - they are officially here!  Yes!  We will be doing some foam pumpkin activities this year, and I'm super excited and impatient to do them with Atty.  However, I'm trying to hold off until the Festival so that her interest in them is renewed and she actually wants to play around with them!
 

Mums

I love mums.  This is really strange concept for me, because I have always hated mums.  But when we got our first place (like 6 years ago?) together, Jamie and I got a couple of mums from my sister.  I loved the last bit of color in our yard before winter set in.  There is just something about the bright colors of mums that brings a smile back to my face, despite the chilly weather and the expectation of winter that fall seems to bring too.

The month of July was devoted to playing outside and trying new experiences in our house!  We played with bubbles, we painted, we played A-L-O-T in the yard, we played with the baby in the mirror, we played with our lovely grandparents, we watched trains, and did I mention we played?  This month I have 20 photos from the highlights of our lovely month.  I hope you enjoy the glimpse into our daily lives.

Jamie and Atty made several trips up to see me for lunches.  I loved it.  It was always a surprise and we would all eat lunch together.  She is so amazing.  She is starting to walk this month, she is officially sleeping through the night, and drinking whole milk.  And she will finally say "Mama" when I'm around.  Yay!  She has been saying "Mama" for months, but never to me or when I am around (or on the phone).  She's a bit rotten.  She loves music and dancing and has become a huge Sofia the First fan (as well as Jake and the Neverland Pirates).

We got a visit in to Grandma and Grandpa Bobb to celebrate the Fourth of July.  Since it was an afternoon event, we weren't sure when she might take a nap.  So we brought all of her naptime necessities, including the fuzzy pillow and catepillar - which she had to show off to Grandma!


Jamie found this cute set of plastic bowling pins and bowling ball at Walmart after Atty enjoyed knocking the sensory bottles over.  Except, I think they weren't a very good idea....she loves to hit people in the head with the bowling pins.  But she does have a blast with them.  She can use them to make music and drum on her various containers (that her toys are suppose to be in!) and she likes to chew them on.  She doesn't really use the ball to knock them over, but she will gladly knock them over all by herself if you will set them up (over and over and over and over again!).


And BUBBLES!  We weren't sure how she would do with bubbles so we just got a small bottle...Then we went through the small bottle in about thirty minutes as she giggled and laughed and tried to pop them.  So we went ahead and bought a bubble gun, as well as a bubble wand (for big bubbles).  She giggles hysterically when they pop on her and loves to try and catch them!


We also bought a set of "colored" bubbles, which is like bubble paint for lack of a better description.  I began by just blowing the bubbles, but she wasn't very interested in them (and you can't tell they have color until you pop them).  So then I got out her big pad of paper and starting blowing the bubbles on it and she went crazy for it.  She smeared the bubble paint, she popped the bubbles, she tried to eat the paper (big surprise there), and we just had a blast with them.  And surprisingly, the bubble paint that got on her skin came right off when we were done with no staining.


We also discovered birds and trees and how cats climb trees this month.  Each of those things has a story itself!  One afternoon, Jamie and Atty were playing in the yard, and the hummingbird that has taken up residence decided that she was a super sweet berry (she was wearing all red) and poked her five or six times.  She was not pleased.  Atty also discovered trees and leaves, because I have been making her touch things whenever we see something new.  She is not a fan of new things, and is a bit fearful of touching things sometimes.  So we've been practicing touching leaves when they happen to be close by.  Finally, Atty chased Athens up the tree one afternoon and then wouldn't let her come back down!  She kept pointing to the tree and saying "At!" (Cat).  Nonetheless, these experiences have Atty looking up and paying attention to what might be up in the sky.

Atty loved playing with her big ball in the yard.  She would chase it all the way to the fence, and then bring it back to you.  She bounced on it, she flopped on it, she tried to eat it.  It was hilarious.  She even picked out this specific ball (it was clear and had yellow and pink flecks of color).  Unfortunately, it went flat.  Bad ball!  And is not reinflatable.  So we need to get her a new one.


We have made it an evening tradition of going to Culver's to get the flavor of the day ice cream and then sitting down by the river and enjoying our yummy ice cream.  Typically, this has been an attempt to get Atty to go to sleep (normally on the weekends).  And so, Atty tasted chocolate (hence the chocolate mustache) for the first time this month.  But shhh - don't tell :)


Atty loves watching the trains go by.  She is utterly fascinated.  No matter what is going on or what she is doing, she stops to watch the train.  Sometimes they are too loud and scare her, but she keeps on watching them.


In anticipation for our vacation at the end of the August, we finally bought a mirror so that we can see her in the back seat.  Oh My God.  We should have done this so much sooner!  When Jamie put in the mirror, she kept trying to grab it and kept saying "Bebe".  She loves being able to see the baby in the mirror all the time now!


Chasing the cats around the yard continues to be a favorite activity.  Except, now the cats have to be much more creative in how they escape from her!



At the beginning of the month, we were just able to stand up without pulling ourselves up.  Now, at the end of the month, she can take steps all by herself.  Her current record is 17!  I can't believe how fast she is growing up!


And teeth!  Oh how I cannot wait until this teeth stuff is over!  At the beginning of the month, we had four new ones coming in, and now it looks like we have two more in the back coming in.  Ugh.  We have gone through two tubes of Orajel.  Poor girlie.


Now that Atty has transitioned to whole milk, I finally got to drink my summer time Sangria!  Jamie and I drank almost a whole bottle on a Friday night after I got off work.  It was so sweet, he made me dinner and then ran me a nice bath.  Very relaxing!


Grandpa Kershaw has been helping us with this walking thing!  He has so much fun with her!  They spend every morning eating breakfast together, while he reads the paper.


Thanks to Grandpa Kershaw, the playpen has become an acceptable place for independent play again!  After breakfast, Atty plays in the playpen until it is time for her morning nap.  This is a huge help to Mama when I'm trying to clean up after meals, as well!


Atty even managed to get Grandma Kershaw outside for playtime!  Since I spent most of last week on third shift, Atty has gotten used to Grandma time.  And she demands Grandma play with her and hold her and pick her up, if she hasn't spent enough time with her that day!

So that's our month in review!  I hope you enjoy this little update on our little darling munchkin!  Hopefully, I will get to scrapbook some of these photos and stories in September.  This month will be devoted to completing her baby book before she turns ONE at the end of August!  Stay tuned for all kinds of baby book (and themed book) creations this month.

June has been kind of a crazy month for us.  Honestly, neither Jamie nor I took a lot of photos at the beginning of the month.  I have really no explantion for why, except maybe I was burnt out from doing Layout a Day in May, and therefore, did not want a ton of photos for June?  I don't know.

June 3rd

June 7th

June 11th

June 12th

June 14th

June 16th

June 17th

June 21st

I spent several days researching solid foods that were okay to give to Atty at her age, because she is refusing to eat baby food.  If she can't pick it up and put it in her mouth, she doesn't want it.  Needless to say this has made feedings a bit more difficult.  She loves peas and Gerber puffs and Cheerios, but we were looking for ideas of items that would actually give her more nutritional value.  While I was looking for food ideas, I ran across the idea of Sensory play.  

Technically, I kind of knew about sensory play from past research, but this weekend I decided to give it a try with her.  The first thing we did was created a "water bin" (we actually got a baby pool for this purpose).  We gave her a variety of "toys" to play with from funnels, measuring spoons, some regular pools toys that she can't put completely into her mouth, and a big rubber ball (cuz she loves balls).  At first she wouldn't get it to the pool and just splashed in the water from the outside.  Eventually, she decided to get it - and Momma realized I really should have taken off that diaper...I do take it off (and her onesie) when she gives me the opportunity.  She really enjoyed her pool and all the different items that we put in for her to play with.

June 22nd