FIVE PEOPLE TWELVE TIMES

I'm joining Tara Whitney (probably my favourite photographer) in a monthly photography challenge.

I'm going to organize a family self portrait each month for the rest of the year. No matching outfits or fancy make up...just us, as we are, doing our thing. I don't want my kids to look back on our life and wonder where their mother was or what she looked liked! I'm also going to write a little bit of the goings ons of our family at the time of the photo, and maybe even make a little book at the end of the year?

So...I'm not off to a great start, being February 10th and all, but I do have a current painting Clara did of our family.

I love that she wrote everyone's age above their heads, except for Jake and I. I remember never knowing how old my mom was growing up. She always told me she was 29, and then all of a sudden (like a year later) she was 39. It was very confusing.

Clara always draws Jake in a black shirt. She thinks this is his favourite colour. I think it is actually blue.

And here I am with short hair. Since June last year, I have kept my hair above my shoulders. My husband is still in mourning for my long hair.

It is true, I wear grey a lot, particularly in the winter. I feel like I can only pull of a bright colour if I have a tan.

Sadly, Clara is phasing out her princess/fairy/pink n' frilly love affair. Apparently it is not cool to dress up as Cinderella or sleep with your Aurora doll when you are in Grade 1. Currently, she likes the colour blue and still loves to play with Barbies and dolls. She also still dresses up as a wedding girl and likes to look beautiful (which she is).

I have written a lot about Sam lately. He still loves the colour green the best. He has been chewing non stop on his sleeves which makes me crazy. And when I put a short sleeved shirt on him, he chews the neck of the shirt. It is really gross. I guess it is a little better than him chewing his toenails.

Sam and Clara and Daddy also have been playing Mario on the Wii every night after dinner. The kids are really good. Better than me, for sure.

January also brought the arrival of the bunk bed for the boys, Sam turning 5, Charline from France, our house almost getting organized, Jake's disappearing gut (he looks hot), a somewhat regular Church attendance, a new layout in our bedroom...