30 days of Rachael

On June 1st I started a 30 day Photo Challenge.  Those people close to me will probably say that taking a picture a day would not be a challenge for me :).  On the one hand they would be correct....not a day goes by that I don't snap a picture.  But this was a challenge.  I started off taking the pictures in the order that they are listed but quickly switched to just getting one of the pictures listed each day.

Day 1: You and your child
Day 2: Sleeping
Day 3: Reading their favorite book
Day 4: Running around playing
Day 5: With their favorite stuffed animal/toy
Day 6: Crack the door and photograph what they are doing
Day 7: Playing in the bathtub
Day 8: Silhouette shot (full body or just profile)
Day 9: Crying or having a meltdown
Day 10: Holding hands with someone
Day 11: Tiny feet
Day 12: Eating breakfast
Day 13: Shoot from above them (show how small they are)
Day 14: What they do during quiet time
Day 15: Playing outside
Day 16: Interacting with siblings/friends
Day 17: Walking away
Day 18: Getting dressed
Day 19: Looking out a window
Day 20: Laughing
Day 21: Hugging a loved one
Day 22: Tiny hands at work (writing, coloring, puzzles)
Day 23: Brushing teeth
Day 24: Sneak around a corner and capture them not paying attention
Day 25: In low lighting (light from iPad, TV, refrigerator, another room)
Day 26: Telling you a story
Day 27: With a prop (hat, necklace, baseball bat, a thing that represents them)
Day 28: Helping you with a task (cooking, cleaning)
Day 29: Playing in sprinkler/pool/beach
Day 30: You and your child

And this is what 30 days of Rachael looks like.

June 1st Saw me setting up my camera and using the self timer option... A good way for me to get into the picture.  Need a bit more practice with using a tripod.

June 4th Is Rachael running towards the elevator to head up Daycare.

June 5th Rachael with Bear...she has had since she was a baby and she always sleeps with him.  When packing for a trip Bear is always with us.  You can only imagine the panic I felt when I thought we had lost Bear on one of our many trips to Edmonton last winter.

June 7th  Saw me breaking out the body paints for some bath time fun.

June 8th Playdate with Rachael's BFF.  Need more of these.  These two met in Crib talk and used to be yoga buddies as her Mom and I attended Baby yoga.

June 9th  Silhouette.  When I first saw this on my list my first thought was "how the heck do I do that?"  Google to the rescue.  So I learned something new this month that I probably would not have learned otherwise.

June10th Teeth brushing became easier this month thanks to a new IPhone App "Grooves". Rachael always asks for the brush the teeth song. What did Moms do before Apps???

June 12th Tantrum.  When I saw this on the list I immediately thought, yes, an easy shot.  Tantrums and being two seem to go hand in hand it seems.  Well....days passed and not a Tantrum was seen, until Day 12.  It was supper time and I was asking Rachael to head to the dining table.  She had been playing in the living room.  I picked up her stuffed bunny and threw it downstairs, not in anger but just pure laziness.  It resides downstairs so I was simply cleaning up.  Well BIG mistake...Rachael lost it.  On the floor on the couch wailing.  Yes it seems wrong to reach for the camera at that point in time,  but what a memory and good story this will make some day.  Everyday moments that pass by without a second thought but this moment is typical of life with a two year old and this a moment I never would have thought about photographing.

June 16th was Father's Day so Rachael helped me whip up some Brownies for Daddy :).  Our first of many to come baking together moments.

June 20th  Rachael could possible be Dora's biggest fan. 

June 22nd  It rained a lot this month but Summer arrived right on schedule so we headed to the beach that day for some family fun and to cool off.  I learned an important thing that day.  This was a spur of the moment trip so we packed quickly.  Bathing suits, check, Towels, check, Camera, check,  Memory card...NOPE.  I had uploaded some pictures to the computer that morning and had forgottten to put the card back into the camera...Oops.  So this lovely picture was taken by me using my husband's Samsung Galaxy Phone...I hate to admit this but his phone takes better pictures than my Iphone.

June 23rd.  Rachael's little hands at work, playing with Play-Doh.

June 28th.  Rachael hugging a loved one, Chloe.

June 30th.  With the tripod set up, I was able to capture this photo of Rachael and I as we played in her new sandbox.

I did it!!!!!!!!  A picture a day for 30 days.  It was a fun challenge but a bit stressful trying to get one of the pictures on the list each day.  But what a great way to look back on a month.  So many of these pictures I probably would not have taken if I wasn't doing this challenge.  But having a list gave me a purpose and direction for the month instead of me just taking random shots.  Would I do a 30 day challenge again.....Yes  Who knows maybe one year I will tackle a 365 challenge.  For now onto the next challenge.  Project 52.