Quarterly Top 5 Photos: July, August, September

Wow, another three months have flown by. Before I post this quarter's favorites, I am going to link to my quarterly post for last time. I did the post, but then we went on vacation for two weeks, and I was without any internet access for the entire time that the linky was open. I know that it's strange for that to happen in this day and age, but it's true. I figure, if anyone wants to look at the photos from the second quarter, feel free. ;-)

 Link to Quarter 2.

On to Quarter 3--these are all photos that were selected for my Project 366 as well, so if you follow this blog, you've seen them all before.  But they're worth seeing again, in my opinion!

I like this photo because I feel like it's a quintessential summer image--kid reading for pleasure, barefoot, oblivious to the world around her.

Another traditional summer shot. My son Earnest on the Fourth of July.

I love this shot, even though it's a bit overexposed. I was just shooting like crazy, and lucked out in capturing it.

This photo is sort of amusing, in that there was chaos all around Trust, but yet, she appears very Zen.

  Here's Imp, my youngest. I think this captures his personality pretty well.

Thanks for looking.

Frame A Day '12: Week 38--9/16-9/22

September16--Men at Work--We went to our state fair today, because I asked to do it for my birthday.  We bumped into this guy in one of the pavilions.

September 17--Pretty Flowers--We often have flowers in the house, but it's never better when they're for your birthday from your husband.

 September 18--Piecing it Together--My mom got Imp a new puzzle today at the dollar store and Trust helped him put it together.

 September 19--Imp Boy--When we get home from school, Imp needs to burn off some energy.  He spent a few minutes running around.  I managed to get him to pause long enough to capture this image.

September 20--Gimme a B!--What to give the kids for dinner when you have leftovers that only the adults really like?  The kids were so excited with alphabet soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.  Imp in particular has been working on writing his letters and numbers, so he got a real kick out of identifying those floating in his soup.

 September 21--Walk Softly and Carry a Big Stick--Last week we started using a new shortcut to walk home from school on Fridays.  It provides all kinds of opportunities to commune with nature, including the discovery of walking sticks...or just any old type of stick.

September 23--Bread Bowl Yumminess--For a long time, I have wanted to try to make bread bowls to hold soup.  Today, I finally was successful in finding a recipe which fit the bill.  The bowl contains a baked potato soup that was enjoyed by almost everyone.

Some thoughts as we enter the last quarter of this project:

--It may seem like I am ignoring Trust lately.  I keep track of the photos on Excel spreadsheets, including who is in each photo, and she is actually still way ahead of her brothers for photos of her this year.  Somehow, in the spring, with all the authors project photos and with all the activities she does, she is ahead of both the boys by about 10-15 photos total.  I am making an effort to ensure that they are more or less equal.  I didn't have the huge discrepancy last year and I don't want that to be the case when I make the book for this year.

--I'm getting burned out.  I think some of it is the fact that I'm back at work, and it's always an adjustment to our schedule when I go back to work after a semester or summer break.  I just feel like I am having to cram finding a shot into an already busy time of day, and I feel really uninspired.  I also think some of this is the fact that I am really well into the 600s as far as consecutive days of taking photos, since I did this project last year as well.  

Frame A Day '12: Week 37--9/9-15

September 9--Watercolor Wonders--Trust, Earnest and I went to a family day at a local museum.  In addition to looking at the exhibits, the kids could partake in watercolor painting and making collages out of paper, cloth, ribbon, feathers, etc.  Earnest is really concentrating on his rendition of the "very hungry caterpillar".

 September 10--Best Friends--Trust and Imp will often say that the other is his or her 'best friend'.  This picture sort of captures that sentiment.

September 11--Swing High, Swing Low, Swing No?--My older two kids love to swing...the higher the better.  Imp sometimes prefers to be grounded, even while he is playing with a toy airplane.

September 12--Just Like Handy Manny--Imp cracks us up with the way he expresses himself.  Today he walked up to me with the pencil tucked behind his ear and commented, apropos of nothing, that he was "just like Handy Manny".

September 13--Stunt Biker--Earnest was showing me how he can do tricks on his bicycle.

September 14--Rock Steady--Imp's gross motor and speech therapy moved to a new building, which includes a wonderful bright playground.  While Imp was working with his therapist, Trust and Earnest enjoyed a few minutes trying out the equipment.

September 15--Birthday Cake...and Cheese--We celebrated my birthday tonight with cake since we have plans tomorrow.  My parents came over and the boys made us all laugh with the silly faces.  I think they are incapable of just smiling for the camera these days.

Frame A Day '12: Week 36: 9/2-9/8

September 2--A Zen Moment--I took the kids to the local lake today, for the only local beach outing this year.  Despite the kids having a crazy fun time, Trust also managed to have a peaceful moment.

September 3--[Fast Ride] Debut--After taking this summer off, we bought season passes for our local amusement park for next year.  These entitle us to season pass privileges for the remainder of this year as well.  We visited today, and it was a lot of fun as we haven't been since last October.  The best part is that Imp is now tall enough to ride a bunch of 'bigger kid' rides which he proclaimed "awesome"; it was so awesome that the three of them rode this one three times in a row.  It's interesting and startling to me that we're at the point where the kids can go on many things without our having to accompany them.  I'm not sure how I feel about this, actually.

 September 4--Hello Again--Imp went back to school.  He is in the Owls' preK class this year, and it was nice to see that they were happy to have him back.  I am amused by the survey on the left...what kid wouldn't like ice cream?  Although, the survey on the right from last week is surprising in its few pizza dislikers.

 September 5--Star Wars Ship Fun--We've been cleaning out the basement, and Chretien found some collectible Star Wars ships that he gave to the boys to play with.  What is it about boys and the irresistible pull to Star Wars and space?  My daughter has zero interest in these toys.

 September 6--The High"light" of His Day--Now, if only he could really read...

September 7--Run To You--I picked the kids up at school today by walking, as I had done every day last week.  The kids like walking, and in Earnest's case, running ahead and then running back to us.  I told him that it makes the distance longer, but he doesn't seem to mind.

*September 8--Bend it Like the Boys--This was Earnest's first day of soccer, ever, and he took to it very well.  His best friend, N, is on his team and they are really going for it! 

Frame A Day '12: Week 35: 8/26-9/1

August 26--Happy Birthday, Grampy--My dad's birthday is this Wednesday, and we all got together for a yummy meal at my parents' house and then even yummier desserts!  I love the expression that my dad is giving Imp.

Last year, I made a book with my Project 365 photos and I plan on doing the same this year.  I know if my mom were in more photos this year, I'd crop her out of this one and just have my dad and Imp.

But since she hasn't been in a photo yet this year, she is staying. It's too bad Chretien's water bottle is blocking Imp. I did get rid of the drinking glasses in front of my dad, but missed the bottle in front of Imp. Ah, well.

 August 27--My kids' school has a nice tradition of having the younger kids' new classroom teachers send them a letter via snail mail right before the start of the new school year.  Earnest received his letter from his new teacher today.  We're almost there!

 August 28--I Knead to Help You--Trust has been planning a special 'back to school' dinner for over a week now.  She selected recipes for meatloaf, cheesy pretzels, corn and rocky road fudge from a kids' cookbook.  We had an extra helper with us as we prepared the food.  In particular, Imp really enjoyed kneading the dough for the pretzels.  He could be overheard saying, "I'm going to make a car, and an airpane..."  All that kneading made the pretzels yummy!

 August 29--My Weird School--Today was the first day of school, but what grades are the kids starting?  I made these signs for another Back-to-School photography project, and I got the kids loosened up by letting them switch the signs around, which they loved. 

 August 30--Biker Boys--Our neighbors are away on their honeymoon and we borrowed their flat driveway for a safe place to bike.

 August 31--Digging for Gold--Imp and I went to a park twice this week; Wednesday morning was a bit of a disaster because we shared the playground with a school's kindergarten playdate.  We had a 'raincheck' today and it was much more enjoyable.  Both days, though, he loved this crane and digging a hole.

September 1--No Paucity of Popcorn--We went to a craft fair today and bought a bunch of kettle corn to bring home to share.  The fun thing about this photo is that we have a similar photo,right down to the shirt Trust was wearing for Day 246 in 2011, which was the Saturday of Labor Day weekend.

Best Photo for August

It's time for the "I Clicked It Up a Notch" photo submission for August. I like the photo I am going to submit for the mood, of the way a child's summer vacation should be.   I think my daughter has the right idea.

Frame A Day '12: Week 34: 8/19-25

August 19--Just Chillin'--We did a lot of relaxing this weekend.  It may look like my kids are in a closet watching TV, but it's really the crawl space in the boys' room that we've converted to their own playspace.  They love retreating there to watch a show of their own choosing, or to have a "sleepover".  It's actually quite cozy.

 August 20--Witch Day Is It?--So what if it's August?  It's never too early to get a jump on Halloween witches, no?

 August 21--BFF--Trust's friend slept over and they tried out their artistry with some chalk self-portraits on the driveway.

 August 22--Limbo Like Me--We went to the library for a dance party.  The kids had fun dancing to all different dances, including the limbo finale.  Imp's expression here just makes me smile.

August 23--Lazy Daze of Summer--Trust enjoys a relaxing read on the hammock.

 August 24--En Garde!--We met up with my sister and the kids at a fair.  The highlight for everyone was the balloon creations.  Ninja Imp  challenged his fellow ninja cousin to a dual.  The outcome was fun for all.

August 25--Apple of My Eye--We went to an evening viewing of the Lorax at a local park.  Prior to the show, there was face painting for the kids.  Trust always manages to come up with something different to challenge the painters.  In honor of the impending start of school, we have an apple.