Quarterly Favourite Photos | Apr–Jun 2011

Time for a wrap-up of my favorite photos this quarter!    I couldn’t decide on just five, so I made some collages.  Making collages is a pain, so the mere fact that I did three of them proves just how hard it was for me to simply narrow down my choice to just five.

 

In no particular order…

 

1. This is my hands-down favorite of Josh and Zoë so far.  I love that Zoë had her arm around Josh and I love the fact that they actually ran off, posed themselves, and called out to me to take this photo.

 

2.  I love their little hands… sometimes clammy, with pen marks all over, dirty fingernails and all.  I love the way their little hands fit in my bigger ones.  I love how they’re still a bit chubby and dimply for now.

 

3.  Zoë’s first time on stage / first ballet performance.  I love how excited she was.  I love how she danced her heart out.  Sitting in the audience, Chris, Josh, and I were just bursting with pride.

 

4.  My girly girl and her beautiful smile that lights up my day.

 

5.  This is Zoë sitting on Chris’ shoulders while watching Josh at his soccer class.

 

It might seem that this quarter, it’s a bit Zoë-heavy… only because Josh is tougher to get a good shot of these days. 

 

 Amber {Amber’s Articles}, Sarah {Nap Time MomTog} and Courtney {Click It Up a Notch} are hosting this fun photo meme.  Do go visit with them and check out some outrageously

Shoots, Leaves, and Blooms

 

I have been in a bit of planting frenzy lately.  Remember the four-leaf clovers from Sonya?  First, we got those hairy shoots; now we have these…

 

We’ve had quite a few more clovers since this shot was taken.  When they remember, Josh and Zoë would offer to water the plants.  Catch phrase here –when they remember.  No, we are not getting any pet any time soon.

 

My dwarf cosmos?  Is blooming.  I love its bright yellow flowers!

 

The coriander seeds I planted last Friday?  Look –babies!

 

I still have plenty of others that I hadn’t planted yet –rosemary, basil, strawberry, ornamental peppers, lavender.  I don’t have enough space on our window ledge.  Already, I have the orchids there, Tommy (who’s really tall, but no tomatoes still!), the two clover plants, the dwarf cosmos, a bonsai, a citronella-like plant (I don’t know the name), and now the coriander.

 

IwishIhaveagardenIwishIhaveagardenIwishIhaveagarden…     

Cool Down

I don’t bother checking the temperature. 

I know it’s hot. 

I feel the heat and the humidity. 

Ugh.

 

We had the kids’ water bottles with us, but somehow they feel it’s more fun to drink from the water fountain.  Even though they didn’t know how to control the flow of the water and got water squirted up their nose, in their eyes!  They went back again and again…

 

 

…until they had to make way for these thirsty lacrosse players who came trooping along for their turn at the water fountain.

 

{Texture:  Kim Klassen’s Golden | 73% soft light}

Are you feeling summer yet?

Scavenger Hunt Sunday | Faceless Portrait

 

1.  Faceless Portrait – Zoë, our beach baby.  She has grains of sand on her back and arms from being “buried” in the sand up to her neck.

 

2. Eyelashes

 

3.  Leaf veins – I was looking for leaves with more prominent leaf veins, but these leaves caught my eye.  The underside of the leaves is red, while the top side  is your usual leaf-green.  They’re rather pretty, aren’t they?

 

4.  Window – From the archives, this one.  From a trip to Antibes in 2003.  While Chris was in meetings, I was exploring the old part of town.  I love the wrought iron grills on this window.

 

5. Paint – The Snazaroo face paint that I use on Josh and Zoë.

{Linking up with Texture Twist / Used Kim Klassen’s Chamomile Texture}

Summer Concert – Zoë’s Turn

Zoë had her first “Summer Concert” last night.  She had  been looking forward to this ever since she watched Josh at his Summer Concert last year. I remember how she kept saying, “Next year I will be the one on stage and KoKo and you and Daddy will clap for me.” 

 

Since then she had watched many many times the DVD’s from Josh’s Summer Concert last year and the previous years that she could already tell which number would come next and she could sing along and do the dance moves to some of the numbers, too.  So, you could say she was totally prepared.  It was like she was working toward this one night this whole year. 

 

Here she is in her “costume.”  That’s her swimsuit peeking out from under the shirt.  She’s in two numbers –one in English (in the outfit you see below) and the other in Chinese (in her bathing suit).

 

 

Because we booked our seats late (yes, we had to pay to watch her perform!), we got seats on the leftmost side of the hall, but still near enough for me get some halfway decent shots with my limited zoom.

  Hosted by Cecily and Lolli  

Apart from that first few seconds when she first went onstage where she was doing this thing with her tongue that she always does which betrays her nervousness and shyness, Zoë just shone.  She danced, she sang, she waved… she had fun!

 

Their class did extremely well.  Everybody got into it and it was such a joy to watch.  I still smile when I scroll through all the photos from last night.  I can’t wait for the DVD!  I have a feeling that we will be playing that over and over and over and over again for the coming year… until her next Summer Concert.

 

Credit:  Templates courtesy of Michelle Kane Photography

Flame Tree / Flower Rub

Every year I look forward to seeing the flame tree burst forth with its blooms.  The bright fiery red-orange blooms against the yellowish-green foliage is such an amazing contrast that I always marvel at their beauty whenever I see them.

 

 

This year, in particular, because we’d had such dry weather, the blooms are particular bright and plentiful.  According to my friend’s husband, who’s an expert on all plant things.

 

 

Zoë gathered up these blooms that had fallen to the ground.  She said that she wanted to make a flower rub.  She must have done this at school, because I didn’t know what she was talking about.   With an I-can’t-believe-my-mommy-doesn’t-know-this kind of sigh, she said, “Okay, Mommy. Let’s bring these home and I will show you, okay?  You just have to put the flowers on a paper and then put another paper on top. Then you press hard. Then you rub a crayon over the paper.” {We ended up having to look for leaves for this project.  Flowers don’t “rub” well, we’ve learned.}

 

 

 

Soccer Snaps

For one hour every Saturday, I sit/stand and watch.

I cheer and clap.

I snap.

Texture:  Kim Klassen’s “Granny’s Cupboard”