Tag Archives: photo session

Our Toddler’s Presidents’ Day Photo Shoot

02/15/2016 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

This is a post from Presidents’ Day last year. I love looking back to see how much our little girl has changed, so I figured I’d share.

Happy Presidents’ Day! I’ve never done much for the holiday, but having a day off from school and work (for some) meant I never had a problem when it rolled around. So, happy birthday, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln!

As a stay-at-home dad, I obviously don’t have “off” in the work and school sense, but I do get to have Going Mom home with me for an extra day. Our beautiful Texas weather has subsided temporarily so going outdoors is not that appealing, but hopefully we’ll have a good time together with Avery.

Ever since she won the Metroplex Baby and Kids weekly photo contest, Avery seems a little more confident when we take her picture. And recently, she struck several poses in one photo shoot that I’m going to share with you now. You’re welcome.

I’m not so sure I’m ready to do this photo shoot.

Okay, starting to feel a little better in my ability to exude ultimate cuteness.

Hey, wanna see something cool?

It’s my tongue! Ahhhhhhh! Cool, huh?

Oh geez, I just froze up again! Where did my confidence go?!

Oh, oh, I know what I can try. Ready, annnnnndddddd……

IIIIIIIIIII ammmmmm theeeee youngggg-est opppperrrrrraaaa singerrrrrrr alive!

No? Not good? Yeah, I wasn’t feeling it either, forget that happened. I need a prop.

This will be perfect. Back to the couch for background. But first, how’s this “catching me off-guard” pose?

Ooooo, look, lights! Oh yeah, to the couch….

Hey look! I’m half baby, half ball! I can see this going somewhere. Like across the kitchen, that is.

Here goes nothing, lets get “rolling”. Ha ha, pun very intended. Proud, dad?

Whoo hooo, I’m having a “ball”! And I’m 2 for 2 with puns, must be the atmo-“shpere”. Boom, again!

Back to business, moving this ball across the floor for no apparent reason other than I can.

Accomplished! And now, for the final act that will have companies fighting for me to make an appearance. I’m going to pounce on the ball!

Wait, doesn’t count, my foot slipped! Redo!!

Happy Birthday to all presidents, dead or alive, thanks for all that you do…..kinda.

Life, Monthly List, Parenting, Photo Journal

22 Month Photo Session + Posing As The 7 Dwarfs

09/18/2015 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

This month’s photo session was more rushed than most of the previous ones, so our picture count was minimal in comparison. Luckily, Avery graced the camera with several expressions earlier in the day that I felt compelled to share.

Okay, so I always feel compelled to share, but these pictures aren’t just like the random photos I always take. Fine, you got me again, they are, but after looking through them, I noticed a close semblance to The Seven Dwarfs. Some more than others, but close nonetheless.

All I was doing was snapping photos and never asked her to make any of the faces. This makes it even more astonishing (at least to me) that she hit mimicked the munchkin Snow White characters without having ever seen the movie. See for yourself and tell me if I’m just crazy or if you can see it too.

Doc – It’s like she’s listening with a stethoscope, and she’s obviously wearing a look of concern for others.

Happy – That smug look may not be an ear-to-ear grin, but you certainly can’t say she’s not happy here.

Sneezy – If “Scaredy” was the name, this would be more appropriate, but I would argue she’s gearing up for a big sneeze here!

Bashful – She even has those cute cheeks fluffed up from holding everything in.

Dopey – If you were to pose as Dopey, wouldn’t you do something like this too?

Sleepy – Spot. On.

Grumpy – Her face might say “Happy”, but just read the sign language for her true feelings…..

My first thought, when going through these pictures, was of the Three Wise Monkeys who “Hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil”, but then the dwarfs came to mind. The pictures for Doc (Hear no evil), Bashful (Speak no evil) and Sleepy (See no evil) were the ones I felt fit best. Yes?

Now for the 22 month photo session. I only have a few to share this month, hence my dwarf pose pictures above to fulfill the multi-pictures I usually do. First, we took her by surprise with a quick snap of the camera…

Avery quickly caught on and flashed us a grin as she raised her super flexible leg. She seriously puts her feet to face with ease, and does so quite often.

Then my wife and I both spouted out several pose commands at once while I waved my arms like a crazy ape in order to get her to smile. The result?

Not impressed, not the slightest. But, the mention of cheese (the actual food) made her smile and say it out loud. Going Mom was quick with the camera and caught the quick showing of her pearly whites which marked the end of our session.

Really, that pic should be her Happy dwarf pic. There you have it, our 22 month old posing as characters she’s never seen and giving one big grin for her monthly photo session.

Ack! I just thought of how we’ll soon be saying her age in years! Isn’t 2 the norm for when you do that? Or is it still acceptable to go by months? If so, for how long?

Do you have any pictures of your kids that bear semblance to movie (cartoon or real) characters?

Life, Monthly List, Parenting, Photo Journal

21 Month Photo Session + Happy 8th Anniversary to Us!

08/17/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

I interrupt the expected continued stories of our Colorado vacation to say Happy 8th Wedding Anniversary to my wife, Kelley aka Going Mom! Note: the font color is the official html code for Bronze, the traditional 8 year wedding anniversary material.

We don’t have anything special planned for the day. After just getting back from our family trip and frantically trying to restore order back home by grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, getting new smartphones (Wow, the Samsung Galaxy S6 is cool!), and picking up our neighbor’s cool play house with swing set, I don’t know how we’d fit anything in anyway.

Don’t worry, we have a fun camping trip planned for October with just the two of us while G-Ma stays at our house with Avery. I still need to get sleeping bags and several other camping essentials first. Any pointers/suggestions?

Oh yeah, and we had to make sure a get 21 month pics of Avery on the 15th to carry on tradition. Same chair, same bear, and same, but constantly changing/growing, little girl.

Just wake me when you're done. — Just wake me when you’re done.

My belly? Of course I know where it is.... — My belly? Of course I know where it is….

See? It's right here! — See? It’s right here!

Oh, I know what you just did, good trick. Well, here you go, you win a smile from me!

We only have so much time before she just gets irritated that we’re making her sit in the chair. We consider it a win if we get one smiling pic, so, YAY! #Winning

Although we have a future anniversary celebration trip planned, I always have to find something traditional to give. Since bronze is the traditional material for 8 years, I found a really cool compass which fits in perfectly for our first of many camping trips together.

On the outside of the box, I made a quote saying:

No matter where life takes us,

may we always go together.

I didn’t get it from somewhere else, otherwise I’d give credit where credit is due, so please let me know if it’s been used before. I also gave a 30 pound kettlebell. It’s not bronze, but she’s been wanting something heavier than the 25 pound she currently uses. Plus I left a cool handmade note I put together with glue and construction paper; go me!

Aside from the personal note on the homemade card, I wrote a quick poem in true corny dad/husband style..

7 is done, wasn’t it fun?

Now we’re at 8, ain’t that great?

Next up is 9, I’m so glad you’re mine!

And then shared 8 (because 8 years, duh) quotes about marriage I felt were appropriate.

·       Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight. ~Phyllis Diller, Phyllis Diller’s Housekeeping Hints, 1966

·       It’s so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. ~Rita Rudner

·       A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. ~Mignon McLaughlin

·       True love stories never have endings. ~Richard Bach

·       We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness – and call it love – true love. ~Robert Fulghum, True Love

·       A happy marriage is a long conversation that always seems too short. ~Andre Maurois

·       We are not the same persons this year as last; nor are those we love. It is a happy chance if we, changing, continue to love a changed person. ~W. Somerset Maugham

·       More marriages might survive if the partners realized that sometimes the better comes after the worse. ~Doug Larson

That’s about it for today. I’ll get back to sharing our trip soon, but I have a play house I need to figure out how to get level in our slanted back yard first. I’m open to your thoughts. Oh yeah, and I haven’t forgotten about my monthly memories post, but still need to find 21 things…hmmmm.

Do you enjoy keeping with traditional items for wedding anniversaries?

Any cool anniversary gifts of your own you’d like share?