13/52 and why you should never ask your kid to pose

A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2014.
Joining in with the 52 project over at practisingsimplicity.blogspot.com

Also some reasons why not to ask kids to pose for these:)

Early spring evening light

The warm spring light is here- even though spring itself is nowhere to be found. Even the birds seem thoroughly confused. I walked out of the house this morning to a chorus of birds and snow- all at the same time. Siena has been preparing compost for days and we were supposed to map out the garden today, but it just didn't seem right.
After getting a week of being able to take the kids to the park and the woods, it seems crazy that we are back to running around inside- ice skating on linoleum floors and dance parties to get all that energy out. The kids spent a happy hour if not more playing hide and seek, and while that seems like probably the most mundane of events- it is actually rather monumental given that Reed seems to have finally gotten the concept; it's not just looking for someone, but waiting in the other room until they hide and then methodically, in his case, visiting all the places Siena hid not one minute before and solemnly announcing "no"- as in "she's not here." My favorite part? The unwavering and unshifting (even after the 50th time) excitement at finding 'yeya' ('Siena' in Reed-speak).

12/52

Aunt and uncle were here over the so-called Spring Break and the kids had only eyes for them the whole week...

A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2014.
As always joining with 52 project over at practisingsimplicity.blogspot.com

11/52

Joint picture this time…smitten sister

A picture of my children, once a week, every week in 2014.
joining in with 52 project over at practisingsimplicity.blogspot.com

10/52

Ice and cold are still with us, but at least it's been sunny so the kids went out to the porch to get some sun- and only then did I realize we had not had an outdoor picture for several months!!!! So ready for all of the ice to be done…for now its a toy.

A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2014.
Joining in with Jodi at practisingsimplicity.com

9/52

A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2014.

Reed- gotta hide this thing every once in awhile- there is only so much patience one can have for ear busting pitch
Siena- early morning cuddled with big bear. Siena's cuddlies go in and out of favor. For years it was Benny Lava (a little bear/bunny) and a little doll Judy. Then it was Angelina, and now it is Big Bear. I hope she has a few more years of toy cuddling ahead of her.

Last week I really liked the pippi with pippi, lamb loves fox has amazing images week after week, but I love the ones from this week in particular, finally I was moved by the sibling love here.

My little ballerina

I am of the "my kid is too young to have to take anything seriously" school. But of course, when and if she seems serious about something on her own accord, I am not about to stand in her way. Such is her love of ballet. Siena started dancing when she was so very little. When she turned three and until we left Australia she went to the local ballet academy, which was located on the very edge of the Sydney Harbour. Sitting on the verandah waiting for her half an hour class to be done, knitting yet another hat for my little son who I hand't met yet is one of my most vivid and dear memories of Australia. When we moved back to the Midwest Siena at first attended a relaxed creative moment-type class which she found insufficiently demanding and not so ballet-like. So this January she started pre-ballet at our University and she is loving it. It is hard to get her out of her ballet clothes…my dancing princess.

Dress-up

Dress up never gets old for kids (or adults I dare say). My favorite part about it, as a parent, is seeing the stories that seem to burst out of them the moment they dawn a crown or a cape. It is as if there was a story dreamt up in their quiet moments that was just waiting for the exact right moment and right attire to come flooding out. These are not simple stories of princesses and kings; each seems to have a history (just like it often happens in a dream) and they also never seem to end…I think it takes a lot of written stories that finish in "the end" to force their little minds to think in beginnings and ends.
And so for awhile longer, until they start thinking all stories must have an end and a message of some kind, I am trying to steal their pretend story moments and make them my own.

8/52

A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2014.
As always joining in with Jodi, over at practisingsimplicity.com

Light, light, light...
The spring is far from here yet, but the sun has peeked its shiny head more often…and we cannot wait. The other morning birds woke me up! Birds! And by the number of them hiding in the hollows of our crab apple outside the homeschool room, we might have a whole chorus once the spring is properly here. For now, we are still counting down the days.

Last week I was inspired by the light and the angles of sunny and scout and I was so moved by the images of sage and her mom.

7/52

Cold, snow and being sick….

A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2013.
Joining in with Jodi over at practisingsimplicity,com

We are sooooo ready for spring!

6/52

A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2013.
Joining in with Jodi at practicingsimplicity.com

Siena- got to join in with pre-ballet this semester and is loving it (and so is mommy who is balleting it up with her on Saturdays)

Reed-entering the dress up phase...

Why Having an Older Sister is Awesome

She'll read to you

she'll play legos with you and not complain when you 
for the hundreth time break her buildings or take her legos

she'll sing with you and let you hold the mic

guitar it up with you

share bananas (that mommy cannot cut up as fast as you two can eat them)

draw with you

….
….
….

but you gotta understand having an older sister comes with certain hazards like pony tails and expertise in applying makeup….