Memories, Dreams and Reflections

I thought this was a cute idea posted by Ramblings and Photos so I decided to participate.  Please ignore all the different watermarks.  Some were pulled from the blog archives and some were newly made without the editing programs I'm used to due to the shared computer.  It was quite a task to decide what to choose for each prompt.  This is a bit more personal that I thought I'd get on this, but here goes...





1.  Me!  I'm not really sure I accomplished anything significant this year.  It was not a moving forward kind of year.  I really need to work on that this year!  I do not do self portraits and typically only allow myself to be photographed with my son.  So here's one of the few of only me and it is one that my then 3 year old son took with my camera.  I'm pretty proud of this one.

2. I Love You   Who else would be here but my boys?!?   H loves this photo of them which is why I chose it.

3.  Still Laughing...  Mr. No and his friend Noodle.  They are as opposite as can be!  This was from one of our trips to Drumlin Farm and Noodle decided that it would be fun to put on a little song and dance.  Once the other kids showed up and sat down, the two Nos went in very different directions.  Noodle took it as an opportunity to shine and our No, well,as  you can see did not appreciate the attention.  He ended up crouched on the ground next to her covering his ears.  Her singing was adorable and hilarious and his annoyed antics had us in stitches.  Oh the Nos are so much fun!

4.  Winter Wonderland -  We haven't had any snow this winter...though we did have a lovely blizzard for Halloween so here's one from last February when we were pounded by snowstorms and had the biggest icicles I'd ever seen.

5.  Birthday - Mr. No just had to have this cake from Taste of Home for his Birthday so we had a whole Candyland themed party with handmade decorations and lots of candy!  Here's my version of the Candyland cake.  Not perfect but I'll admit that I was darn proud of it especially since it was only my second time making a cake!  Ever!

6.  Friends - Well this was an easy person to choose but not the easiest photo to find. I have been friends with S since we were in 5th grade!  I cannot believe that's almost 25 years of being friends.  Her daughter is Mr. No's hilarious friend Noodle.  She's an amazing, strong, beautiful person who juggles more than I can imagine and I couldn't imagine my life without her!  She's the reason I know how much champagne is too much champagne for a blender to handle. This a photo H took on someone's camera phone of us playing dress up along with the kids at a play place...and, yes, I'm rocking a Fraggle Rock T-shirt!  She can't bee too mad at me for this photo since you really can't see her face.

7.  I Was Inspired - My son is the only reason I started taking photos and really caring about the outcome. I needed to be able to really capture all the moments...and all the sassy looks!  So he was and always will be my inspiration! 

8.  Spring Fever - Nothing says spring like baby chicks at Davis Farmland!

9.  Travel or Vacation - This year we took an actual family vacation to Cape Cod!  Probably the only we'll ever have but it was the highlight of Mr. No's summer.  I thought he was going to burst waking up with Nana and Pop every day and whichever other family members happened to be there that day.  Here's Mr. No on vacation with H and his cousins enjoying some guy time.

10.  Summer Days - It was a toss up here between my mom's flowers and the ocean...

11.  A Day In My Life -  The shopping game!  Some days I really hate the shopping game!  Mr. No has a small playroom with his kitchen, table and grocery store.  He loves to shop and you get to be "Mister Grocerer".  He could play for hours if you let him. I, however, cannot. 

 12. All Smiles -  H!  Who knew he could jump?  I love this one because I was so sure he was going to catch his foot on the log and fall flat on his face and instead he sailed right over it.  Unbelievable!  And then there's Mr. No running behind him wanting to the same thing. Makes me smile every time.

 13.  Autumn Harvest - Wooly Bear Caterpillars. Everywhere!  Mr. No loved them all so much!

14.  Family or Home - Since we took our first, and probably only, family vacation and actually got a photo, however terrible, together, here is my family...

15. Celebrate! - The candy chandelier for Mr. No's birthday.  I was a terrible mom and barely took any photos.  :(

16. Let's Do It Again - Mr. No would love to relive this summer's vacation with the family. All of it! I know for certain he would love to go on the bumper boats and go-carts again and again and again!  All 3 of us loved how relaxing the vacation was and how great it was to get to spend time with everyone just having fun.

 17. I Miss You - This one I'm going to skip.  We've lost a lot of people over the past few years, some because their time here had just come to an end and some just because it was their choice. It's best for me not even to get started.

18. Beautiful -  It's not a photo that in any way does the place justice but this was seriously one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Halibut Point Reservation. If it wasn't so far away, I'd go every day.  But I am an ocean lover and yes that is the ocean beyond the wall looking deceivingly calm the day after the terrible storm that brought the tornado to MA. 

19.  Dress Up -  Since I am a total jeans and t-shirt kind of mom, the only dressing up done around here is at Halloween and it's only a quick snapshot since Mr. No did not want to pause for a photo. It's really funny since he actually couldn't care less about candy.

20.  Macro - I do not have a macro lens...yet...

21.  Holidays - Mr. No just makes me laugh on almost every holiday.  Being typically the only grandchild at my family gatherings, holidays are all about him and he certainly loves the attention.  He is so insanely excited by everything from the books in his Christmas stockings to hunting for Easter eggs! This is from the Easter eggs hunt at Nana's.  44 eggs and 1 super excited little boy.

22.  My Favorite - There are way too many wonderful memories from this year but I do actually have a favorite photo that's not of Mr. No.   Too hard to choose a favorite Mr. No photo!!!

23.  Don't Ever Change -  Of course I don't want Mr. No to change.  He's funny, silly, super snuggly, full of curiosity and excitement over every little thing, sharp as a tack, sassy and the sweetest little kid I've even known. He loves everyone and everyone is his friend. I want him to always love that fiercely! The people he loves the after me and H of course are Nana and Pop and Grandma and Pepe (H's parents).  Since, I already have my family in this post, here's Mr. No with Grandma and Pepe.

24.  Just Because...So There! Really there isn't anything that I really want to share but since I didn't get a photo in of our ridiculously handsome cat, Braden...

We have an Owen, too but most days, I'm the only one who ever sees him. 

25.  Hopes and Dreams - So many things I hope for in the year to come!  I hope Mr. No continues to find his confidence to explore new things and make new friends.  I hope that things move forward this year where they have stalled in the past.  For myself, I wish to get a better handle on my anxiety issues and stop letting them hold me back.  I hope to finally figure out how to keep things organized and actually follow a schedule I make.  I'd hope that my memory would improve, but that truly is just a dream.