Day 366: The Last One

December 31, 2012: I thought it would be fitting for the last picture to be a self portrait, and in the true spirit of my lack of effort this past 3 months, it's nothin' special.

But the important thing is that this the last one.  I'm a little surprised at the bubbling up of emotions as I finish this project- pride, nostalgia, relief...I can't believe I actually accomplished this.  When I started, I didn't even have any clear-cut goals, just an interest in photography and an idea that sounded like fun when other people did it.  I thought it would be a good way to get back into a hobby I had set aside.  I also thought it would help me document Owen's life and not let months go by without picking up the camera.  (Mission accomplished.)  I also got some unexpected bonuses along the way, like learning to shoot manual, and taking some really inspiring photography classes, something I've always wanted to do.  I'm nowhere close to where I wish I was with my skills, but I think the more you learn, the more you realize how much you don't know. 

I can't say that I've enjoyed all the aspects of this project.  Some days I simply hated it.  Some days I cheated.  I never imagined the challenges I would have trying to think of new ideas of what to shoot in my little humdrum life, or the time it would take to take photos, edit, and blog.  And I will probably never do this again.  But now that I don't have to do it every day, I hope I can find the fun in photography again.  2013 is going to be a life-changing year; I'm excited to use some of what I've learned when the new baby arrives.  And I hope to still post on the blog.  Just not every day. 

Happy new year, and thanks for sharing 2012 with me.

Day 365: Gears

December 30, 2012: Owen's magnetic gears that he got for Christmas (he calls them "twisty twists")

Day 364: Toys

December 29, 2012: The new Christmas toys (and some old toys, too) have taken over the living room.  Time to go Container Store shopping? :)

Day 363: Slinky

December 28, 2012

Day 362: Sunshine

December 27, 2012: It's been winter for less than a week, and I'm tired of the cold.  Most of the trees have lost their leaves, especially with the windy storms we've had this week, but this tree in our neighborhood is still vibrant with its yellow leaves.  The sun was shining through, making the leaves look like they were glowing.

Day 361: Sparkles

December 26, 2012: I got a bokeh filter kit for Christmas, and this was my test run with the star-shaped filter.  I wanted it to still be obvious that it was a Christmas tree.

Day 360: Christmas Dinner

December 25, 2012: Christmas dinner was at our house.  This one is the silly picture; the serious one was boring.  I like all the details in this picture that will remind me of this Christmas.

Day 359: Christmas Eve

December 24, 2012: I love that Owen is such an appreciative gift-receiver.  This was Round 1 of Christmas gifts (Christmas Eve with the Averills), and to everything he opened, he exclaimed, "Whoooooaaa!" and played with it.  These remote control cars weren't even one of his gifts, but they still made him giddy.  They belonged to the Averill girls, but Owen and Grammy still had a fun, giggly time racing them around the room.

Day 358: End of the Rainbow

December 23, 2012: This photo was taken from the top of the parking garage at the BART station, and I like how the rainbow goes right into downtown Dublin.  It was one of those rainbows that you feel like you could chase and find the end of it.

Day 357: Stockings

December 22, 2012: I love our stockings.  They are probably my favorite part of our Christmas decorations.  The fact that I made them all makes them much more special.  But I need to hustle if I'm going to finish the last one before next Christmas.

Day 356: Party

December 21, 2012: I accompanied Jeremy to the Academy of Art holiday party this year, with promises of food, drink, and Bingo.  It was pretty fancy, especially when you consider that the only Bingo I've played recently has been courtesy of the Trinity Lake Lion's club while wearing flip flops and sitting in a lawn chair.  When there are prizes like $5,000 cash and European vacations, you definitely listen to the Bingo numbers being called.  We didn't win anything, but I did get to dress up a little bit and it was fun spending a night out with Jeremy, something we don't do quite often enough.

Day 355: Christmas Tree

December 20, 2012: A little iPhoneography of our Christmas tree

Day 354: Candy Cane

December 19, 2012: I'm a little bit of a pushover when it comes to Owen and dessert, mainly because he's so restricted with what he can eat because of his food allergies.  So when he wanted to buy these green candy canes, we bought green candy canes.  The dye stained his mouth so much that he needed a bath to get his skin back to a normal color.

Day 353: Christmas Balls

December 18, 2012: I love myself some Christmas sparkle.

Day 352: Story Time

December 17, 2012: Before bedtime is story time, and lately Owen is into reading comics on Jeremy's iPad.  Like father, like son.

Day 351: Widmer World

December 16, 2012: One of Owen's favorite things about this holiday season is the Christmas lights.  So naturally we had to take him to Widmer World, a massive Christmas light display put on every year by a family in Pleasanton in their yard.  Photos of Christmas lights never do them justice, so just imagine that the entire front yard is a flashing display of lights that coordinates with Christmas music, and the back yard is full of winding paths of Christmas lights and animated decorations. 

Day 350: Blocks

December 15, 2012: These blocks were a Christmas gift from Grandma and Grandpa 2 years ago.  Owen still plays with them, and on this rainy weekend, we kept rotating in the old toys to keep him entertained.  Now he can build things on his own instead of relying on us like he did when he was a baby.

Day 349: Colors

December 14, 2012

Day 348: Cuties

December 13, 2012: I can't get enough of my favorite citrus fruit.  I like their cute stickers, too.

Day 347: Magazines

December 12, 2012: When I got a bunch of free magazine subscriptions awhile back, I decided on some old favorites.  Now that I get to read them all every month, I realize that they represent a range of Dianas past and present.  We've received Entertainment Weekly for years and years.  National Geographic Traveler was my favorite when we were getting ready to go to Europe.  Before that, In Style was my go-to for fun reading (even though I've never really been fashion-y).  And Martha Stewart and I have had a longstanding relationship that dates back to my crafty days, although recently it occurred to me that she and I are a little out of touch.  I think the thing that made me come to this realization was an article telling what to make with all those pesky apple peels that are left over after making apple pie.  As if that's something I'm worried about.  But Real Simple fits me pretty well at the moment.  Look at that cover story--A Year of Organized Living!  Now that's something I need.

Day 346: Reflection

December 11, 2012: There I am in that ornament.

Day 345: Rain Boots

December 10, 2012: Owen's new rain boots that he picked out came in the mail, and he was so excited to try them on.  He put them on his feet, tried to stand up, and fell right down.  We had a laugh, and then he proceeded to fall a dozen more times on purpose.  He figured out that the boots were a little too big, and didn't want to wear them anymore.  I tried to convince him that he could still wear them even though they are a little big, but he said, "Mommy, you can just put them back in the box now."

Day 344: Cooper

December 9, 2012: I was taking some Christmas pictures of Cooper, and he started out feeling pretty shy.  This was at the beginning when he was playing around and trying to run away and hide.

Day 343: Christmas Tree Farm

December 8, 2012: It's always colder than you think it's going to be at the Christmas Tree Farm, so before we left to cut down our tree, we put on old pants and shoes that we didn't mind getting muddy, and bundled up Owen in his coat, hat, and gloves.  He wanted to bring Chip and Dale but I didn't want them to get all dirty, so we convinced Owen to keep them in his shark backpack.  I thought Owen would like tromping around the tree farm more than he actually did, but he said he was cold and that he wanted to go home.  At least we got a break from the temper-tantrum-throwing kid we had for most of the rest of the morning.  And we got a lovely tree.

Day 342: Fog

December 7, 2012: Only a couple weeks into this cold, wet weather, and I am already sick and tired of it.

Day 341: Gnarly

December 6, 2012: A dull gray sky and a gnarly, leafless tree

Day 340: Baby Boy

picture coming soon...

Day 339: Beads

December 4, 2012: It's my go-with-almost-anything necklace Robin got for me in South America, although I can never remember what country.

Day 338: Winter Wonderland

December 3, 2012: With our mild climate and lack of snow, the white blanket of fog some days is the closest thing I'll ever see to a winter wonderland in our neighborhood.

Day 337: Fleeting Inspiration

December 2, 2012: A few months ago, when the weather was warm and I was on summer vacation, I thought, Hey, I should grow my own herbs!  So I went out and bought a fancy pot and a bunch of herbs, and Owen and I planted them together, the whole time anticipating all the yummy foods I would spice up with said herbs.  Then I got pregnant and didn't want to taste much of anything, let alone something with a strong flavor or smell.  Add to that the fact that school started and I was suffering first trimester exhaustion, I ended up with a fancy pot full of shriveled up dead herbs, severely neglected.  The recent rain has made my basil magically reappear, but it's a crippled, pale basil, not something I want to put on anything I'm going to eat.

Day 336: MY Blocks

December 1, 2012: Sometimes I get a little tired of Owen's "boy" toys, but his Legos (really not Legos, but Mega Blocks) are something I can have some fun with.  The only problem is that Owen always has the nerve to take the blocks for himself while I'm busy building something!  This weekend I made him a pretty awesome Hall of Justice for his Super Friends, and a Hall of Doom for the bad guys.  All in all, not a bad way to spend part of our long, rainy, inside weekend.

Day 335: All of Her Toys

November 30, 2012: What a generous little brother Owen is.  He lovingly brought Sydney all her toys.  The whole basket full of them.  Sydney was not that impressed or enthused, but she patiently put up with it, probably feeling pleased just to get some attention.

Day 334: Hero Up

November 29, 2012: Superhero Squad and Super Friends are the thing right now.  These are Owen's Avengers toys the way he set them up, about to fight some crime.

Day 333: Rainbow Leaves

November 28, 2012: The point of this photo was the fact that the leaves on this tree looked like a rainbow, gradating from orange to yellow to green.  Alas, there is only so much you can do with an iPhone, a shaky hand, and a dog pulling you because she wants to continue her walk.  Maybe this calls for a redo.

Day 332: Camping In

November 27, 2012: Owen got out his pop-up tent, and had the idea to bring all his "snugglies" inside while he played a puzzle game on my phone.  It was like his little clubhouse where he could play undisturbed.

Day 331: Ruffles

November 26, 2012

Day 330: Little Forest

November 25, 2012

Day 329: Arcs

November 23, 2012

Day 327: Thanksgiving Part II

November 23, 2012

Day 326: Thanksgiving

November 22, 2012: My new dining room, all ready for family and a yummy Thanksgiving feast

Day 325: Grandma's China

November 21, 2012: I was so excited getting the china all set up for Thanksgiving dinner.  No, we're not that fancy, but I've always wanted to have a nice holiday dinner table, and it's my first chance to do it.  It means extra dishes we have to hand-wash after we eat, but I'm willing to do it just so we can use Grandma Illingworth's china.

Day 324: Anakin

November 20, 2012: Before there was Owen, and even before Sydney, there was Anakin the umbrella plant.  Jeremy and I bought it back in 1998.  I don't remember the exact circumstances, but I think it was something we bought together and took care of together, and Jeremy came up with the Star Wars name.  When I moved to San Diego, I brought Anakin with me to remember Jeremy by.  I remember flying back home for a holiday and bringing it with me on the plane.  Like, in my lap.  Why?  I have no idea.  I guess I thought it couldn't last a few days without me.  At the time it was a little tiny thing, and now it's about four feet tall.  It's been around for almost 15 years, lived in 7 different homes, and whenever I'm sure it's about to die, it surprises me with its resiliency and comes back to life with more tiny little leaves. 

Day 323: Ikea

November 19, 2012: A lot of people don't like Ikea.  I am not one of them.  I spent several hours there browsing, which put me somewhere between pure giddiness and a meditative state, and when I left I had a brand new dining room.  Mmmmmm.

Day 322: Photo Shoot

November 18, 2012: The prospect of getting half off holiday cards if I order by November 19th (plus free shipping) sure did motivate me to get them done early this year.  The rain has made it challenging to get outside to take photos, but luckily it let up for awhile today.  I took Owen outside for a "photo shoot" and had Jeremy play around with him to get some fun shots.  This isn't the one I chose for our Christmas cards-- I have to keep that a surprise.  And now what a relief to have the Christmas card task checked off my list so early.

Day 321: Twinkies

November 17, 2012: I haven't had a Twinkie in years, and now that Hostess is going out of business, I keep thinking about Twinkies and how much I want one.  I don't even really like them; it must just be a pregnancy craving, or maybe just a case of wanting what I can't have.  (Besides, I'm more of a HoHo girl.)  But I waited too long, and now I probably won't be able to find one anywhere.  This was the Hostess section at Target, and 7-11 only had Donettes and Fruit Pies.

Day 320: Magnets

November 16, 2012: Owen knows how to spell his name!  Okay, that's a little misleading.  He knows, "O, W, E, N- Owen!" but he's still learning to identify the letters.  He can find "O" and "2," so he and I set up these numbers and letters on the refrigerator.

Day 319

Day 318: Berries

November 14, 2012

Day 317: I Love Lamp

November 13, 2012: Of all the things I remember from Grandma and Grandpa's house in Arizona, it's this lamp.  I love, love, love it, and no picture will ever capture the brightness of its colors.

Day 316: Sand Castle

November 12, 2012: Owen wanted to go to the park on our Monday off together, and today he didn't even really play on the playground.  He was all about the sandbox.  I actually remembered to bring a bucket and a shovel, and we made sand castles together.  The little sticks of tanbark are "flags."

Day 315: Wrestling

November 11, 2012: On Saturdays and Sundays, Owen counts down the minutes when he can go wake up Daddy and wrestle on the bed.  All you can hear is giggles and growls, and all you can see is flailing limbs.

Day 214: Snoogle

November 10, 2012: It's called a Snoogle, and it's supposed to help you sleep when you're pregnant.  I had been so uncomfortable trying to sleep (even more than normal) and this was much cheaper than a new bed.  It is literally like four feet long, and I wrap myself all up in it.  I've been sleeping better than ever.  If I need to get up suddenly, it's kind of a mess to untangle myself, but it's worth it.