Day 60: Ready?

...almost. Open House is tomorrow night, and I've still got some last minute things to do (plus a lot of cleaning) but the classroom is mostly ready. And now, off to bed. Tomorrow is going to be one busy day.

Day 59: Stars

I got this paper lantern for Owen's room for like 12 bucks at Ikea awhile ago. Every time I turn it on, it makes me so happy. I love all the little stars that illuminate the walls around it.

Day 58: Daffodils

The bulbs my class and their fourth grade buddies planted in the fall are blooming!

Day 57: Tortoise

Today I took Owen to the zoo (first time just the two of us) and we had so much fun. I don't think I could have done it by myself a few months ago, but Owen is getting more independent each day- he did a good job walking around a lot by himself, listening to me, and not running off too much. We had a picnic lunch right in front of the tortoises' grazing area, and over the course of our lunch this tortoise slowly made its way next to the fence where we sat. This photo shows the texture on one of its legs.

Day 56: Self Portrait

56 days and no pictures of me. That's pretty typical. I'm always the one who takes the pictures, so I'm never in any of them. I'll have to work on that. More self portraits to come...

Day 55: Shadows

I'm definitely in a rut, photographically speaking. Sometimes (most of the time?) it seems like this project is just one extra thing I have to do. That's a good thing because it makes me keep taking pictures. It's a bad thing because I just don't have time sometimes. And with my day-to-day routine of full-time work + a 1 year old, it makes me feel like life is a bit mundane. So here I am seeking out something new, and Sydney got to enjoy it by going on a walk to find something new.

One of my objectives with this 365 was to improve my photography, and I feel like I haven't really explored that yet. For now I just have to ride out this busy time of year and wait till things calm down, and then maybe I'll have time to crack open a photography book or read some blogs or whatever. The good news is that there's always spring break, summer vacation, weekends...

Day 54: Palm

Day 53: Band-Aid

He had dirty hands, a dirty and snotty nose, even a dirty diaper (like, dirt inside the diaper), but he couldn't be happier playing outside. Somehow the Band-Aid from last night made it through Owen's dirty day, even through tonight's bath.

Day 52: My Stash

You have no idea how happy it makes me to fully restock my snack drawer at work. I've perfected my stash with the ultimate mix of sweet, salty, crunchy, chewy, chocolatey, caffeinated, pretty much anything I ever want to snack on. Last week the snack drawer was looking a little like Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard, but my aforementioned trip to Trader Joe's fixed that. I really do like it to look that perfectly arranged (I know, I know), but seeing it all neat and pretty brings me a little piece of joy every day.

Day 51: Ribbon

I wanted to make a memo board for Owen's room, so I headed off to JoAnn's to get some supplies. I got bored while I waited for my number to be called at the fabric cutting counter, so I took some pictures (incognito of course, because I wouldn't want to risk looking uncool at the fabric store).

Day 50: Bring Home Some Sunshine

Sunflowers are my favorite, but I brought home some daffodils instead because they're such a sign of spring and I am so tired of winter. On another topic, when I told Owen we were going to Trader Joe's, he got excited because he thought I said we were going to Skippyjon Jones. (Funny if you have a kid or know of the books.)

Day 49: The Artist

Date night with Jeremy (which we need to do more often!) We went to the Vine Cinema in Livermore, which has become my favorite place to see a movie. You can order beer and wine from the bar in the lobby, and get food delivered from Zephyr right to your couch in the theater. Plus the movie was good, too.

Day 48: I'm So Happy I Can Dance

*Sigh* Owen figured out how to use my ipod. (Well, kind of.) He figured out how to press the button in the middle to make the picture light up. As you can see from the song selection, Owen's music has invaded my ipod. (I like how you can see his reflection right above the speaker.)

Day 47: Art

Owen likes being just like Daddy. Here he is helping draw on the computer.

Day 46: Pokey Balls

Owen collected these on our walk today. We just called them "pokey balls," but I wondered what they were, so I googled "pokey tree balls" and I found out that they're sweetgum tree seed pods. See, you learn something new every day.

Day 45: My Valentine

My valentine, reading a valentine from my other valentine.

Day 44: Hearts

Day 43: Markers

I am amazed at how quickly Owen can make a mess with his markers. I went to clean up his breakfast dishes while he colored, and when I looked up, he looked like this. I could get upset, but it's just too funny! And anyway, that's what washable markers are for, right?

Day 42: Valentines

My valentines for my class are all ready to go! They fold into origami jumping frogs, so I folded a few of my extras just for fun.

Day 41: Coils

a snail shell Owen and I found while on a walk

Day 40: Gung Hay Fat Choy

The Adventure Time kids (from the after-school daycare at my school) had a Chinese New Year parade today, complete with dragons, lions, and drums.

Day 39: Cuddle Time

Almost bedtime, cuddling and watching "Jeopardy!" with me

Day 38: Dirt

I'm always a sucker for a baby butt-crack shot. Owen was playing outside in the dirt and mud at daycare, and he was having so much fun that I had to tear him away literally kicking and screaming when it was time to go home.

Day 37: Happy Girl

Dog pictures 2 days in a row? Well Sydney is my first baby, after all. She may be getting older (9 this year!), but she still loves going to the dog park. Just not for an hour like we used to do. Nope, she's happy to leave after running around for just a few minutes now.

Day 36: Sunshine

Sydney does a lot of lounging around the house, and she always finds a sunny spot.

Day 35: Dinner with Friends

...at Oasis Grille in Pleasanton.

Day 34: Wheezy

Owen had a pretty rough day today. After having a cough and being a little wheezy (but happy) yesterday, he woke up this morning miserable. By noon he was gasping for air and inconsolable, and I left work to take him to the doctor. We spent the next four hours at Kaiser waiting for Owen to stop crying so the doctor could listen to his chest, getting three breathing treatments and a chest x-ray, and waiting some more. Luckily Owen pulled through at the end and started breathing a little more normally, or else we would've ended up in the ER. Long story short, Owen has bronchiolitis and he got an inhaler and prednisone, and we go back to the doctor tomorrow morning. I took this photo as he started to feel better between breathing treatments, and he played with a water bottle and watched "Follow That Bird" on a VHS tape they had. Long day--now I'm ready for some sleep; let's see if Owen will let that happen!

Day 33: Nemo!

Owen's "aquarium" fish circle around and around, and he always looks for the clownfish (Nemo or Marlin depending on his mood). I love how enchanted he looks here.

Day 32: Crayons

Washable crayons. That's how the Salibas roll nowadays.