days 20-24

This group of photos has been a struggle to pick out. Being a perfectionist most of the time with my photos, I have had a tough time picking the best project photo versus the best technical photo. In the selection process, I had to remind myself about what I said at the very beginning... this year my focus is family and I want the photos to best represent our family on that day, which means that quite a bit of the time, the photo will not be the "best" photo taken that day.

day 20...
... I ended up choosing this one over the photos from Clara's parent observation. It was a tough decision for me. In the end, it came down to the fact that this was a more significant event for Alex. He tried something new and went out there and did it! He competed in a wrestling tournament after just three weeks of instruction... it took guts. He lost rather soundly in the first round... but that doesn't diminish his accomplishment of having the confidence to go out there and give it a shot.

day 21...
... Clara and her friend celebrating the last day of the first semester of ballet! I didn't bring my big camera that night so I used my point and shoot that I carry in my purse. My first year I attempted project{365}, I got entirely too hung up on the fact that I thought I needed to take all of my photos with my big camera. I'm glad I'm over that now... or I would have missed the fun shot of the girls above.

day 21...
... Family Game Night! Clara was still recuperating, so we started family night early so she could be in bed by 8:00. I love that we're trying to get back into our regular Family Night routine. I'm also pleased that we're playing more games versus just watching movies together. It's fun to talk and joke around as we play.

day 23....
.... okay, this was the really tough one to pick. Technically it's horrible! It's dark, grainy, blurry and the color cast is off (plus I LOVE another photo I took that day)..... BUT... it's us, as a family, hanging out, watching the game... real life. It's what we did... together... that afternoon... when it came down to it, regardless of the technical imperfections, it was the perfect photo for this project.

day 24....
... the girls after ballet. And some days, I realize late in the evening that I don't have a photo yet and take a quick snap (I did have my big camera this time). I could have had them pose for me, but instead, I tried not to intrude and just capture what they were up to after class had ended.