The 52 Project: A photo of my children, once a week, every week, in 2019.
David / We got David a book light for Christmas so he can read in bed, and now he falls asleep reading every night. So my new bedtime routine is going into his room to turn off his light, slide his book from under his cheek, and give him an extra goodnight kiss.
(This is the book light we got him. It’s been great, it has three settings and is rechargeable…for the nights I forget to sneak in and turn it off.)
Mary / Before kindergarten started, every day Mary and I ate popcorn together. We both love popcorn. It was one of thing things that brought us together after a morning of fighting over what to wear to the park, cleaning up toys, and eating all her lunch.
I’d put the babies down for their naps, then pop a big pot of popcorn on the stove, and Mary and I would eat it together; Parmesan for her, salt and nutritional yeast for me. It was one of my favorite rituals with her, and now that she’s gone during the day I miss it.
Now, on weekends, we eat popcorn.
Thomas / He spends a remarkable amount of time rifling through his big siblings’ things while they’re at school. Here he is itemizing David’s wallet. The little sister in me admires his cleverness. The big sister in me is horrified.
Anna / Can you imagine being warm and cozy in bed, only to be woken up, and plopped in a stroller for a cold walk to the bus stop?
I have to wake up Anna from her nap nearly every day (sometimes twice a day) to get Thomas from preschool or the big kids from the bus stop. And when I do, she gives me a look that says, “I bet Beyonce’s kids don’t have to put up with this.”
…baby lips…
Not that you don’t have enough to do, but you need to add your husband to this project. Adults disappear from pictures. There is always a reason, mostly that we feel that for one reason or another, we do not look good enough. Hence, we have only pictures at holidays or some special occasion, maybe. Including him shows how he changes too, and, his moments of working on a school project with someone, taking care of the yard/house, etc. Omitting him seems to remove him as a part of their life. And, for all those same reasons, have one of the kids take a picture of you. Make the adult picture taking an event, a reward for good behavior. But, you said you home to bind these one day. Thus watching the both of you change and interact would be an important part of such a book. Marriage is a learned behavior. Include memories of it.
Again, I don’t mean to be presumptuous and tell you how to do your project. I offer it as a suggestion.
PS Is it the light or is Anna’s hair a red/gold?
you are exactly right! except that he needs to add ME to the project. i have maybe two TOTALY pictures of me with the kids that i like in my 7.5 years of parenting.
the truth is that he’s at work most of the day.
david once took a bunch of pictures of the house and i love them — me in the midst of wiping the table, getting something for thomas, tom adn i talking in the kitchen. they aren’t well-framed or in focus, but i love them because they capture normal moments that we wouldn’t have otherwise.
anna’s hair — i think it’s the light! sometimes it does have a red hue, but i think it’ll be the same color as mary’s.
Perhaps you stated the answer. Purchase inexpensive cameras for the kids. Make a quick Excel chart, and put a star or whatever, when they take a picture. Make the project a family one, with everyone’s name on the chart. Do it ever week, and at the end of the month, you get to pick what everyone has for dinner, dessert, etc.
It would be like the cameras on tables at weddings. One gets some of the little moments the photographer misses. And, you might stimulate a career on photography! But, at the end of the year, it would be a beautiful documentation of your family.
I just thought it would be a nice addition to include the adults.