2015 Best of 10-on-10

Another year is almost in the books, and that means another batch of 10-on-10s is done! Today I continue the annual tradition of my best of 10-on-10, my personal favorites from all the 10-on-10 photos I’ve posted this year. I’m teaming up with my usual 10-on-10 partner in crime, my dear friend Elizabeth Wendland.

2015 was a year of loss, love, and new life, too. It wasn’t an easy year by any means, but it is still good to look back and see that in the midst of some hard times, there was a lot of joy as well. The kids grew a lot, and my husband and I grew a lot (in different ways, of course), too. And then there was the new baby, who continues to bring us so much joy and is a constant reminder of how blessed we are.

Here are some of my favorites from my 10-on-10 photos. You don’t even want to see what my personal archives from the year look like! I finished with a restrained 2200 images. Ha!

photo of toddler football fan

my lil Hawks fan! S grew the most over the course of the year

photo of laughing girl

my happy girl

photo of three kids

the kids… before there were 4!

photo of toddler boy

he usually isn’t one to sit for photos, but oddly enough I ended up with more of him than any other child!

photo of toddler

mischievous little guy

photo of child on dad's shoulders

One of my favorites: two of my guys just looking happy

photo of kids gazing at divers in aquarium

gazing at the divers at the aquarium

portrait of girl

portrait of my girl

photo of gap-toothed girl

gap-toothed grin

photo of toddler in shadow

dark and light

silly husband

my hubby acting silly

photo of sleeping girl

still some glimpses of babyhood

photo of hospital bag contents

four days before the littlest came, all the things I packed in my bag… and then I barely made it to the hospital in time!

photo of boy pouting

pouting

photo of girl

on her 7th birthday

photo of dad and son

another imperfect photo of a perfect moment

photo of baby

more mischief lurking beneath the surface

photo of homeschooling children

a very typical scene at our house

photo of baby

And of course, there was baby E….

Will you think about participating in 10-on-10 next year with me? Are you doing another photo challenge instead? Let me know in the comments!

And in the meantime, let’s visit Beth’s blog to see her favorites from the year, too!

10-on-10: a special invitation

It’s been quiet on the site lately, and for good reason. Life is made up of different seasons, and while we have enjoyed times of health and abundance and new life in the past, February and March were not that for us. We battled some serious medical issues with our kids, and today we said goodbye to my father-in-law at his funeral, after he passed away only 37 days after being diagnosed with cancer.

I cannot even put into words all that has gone through my mind in the past month and a half… fears of losing my second-born as I struggled to watch him breathe, processing a diagnosis for my father-in-law that we never saw coming, and then realizing that his time with us would be far shorter than any of us anticipated–all of it was gut-punching and breathtakingly fast and has left us reeling a bit.

In the midst of it all, though, I have found solace in the tiny moments of joy that I see around us, even in the midst of pain. And more than ever, I have been thankful that my children and I have many photos celebrating our loved ones and their place in our lives.

As I thought of my father-in-law, Bill, I knew there were a few photos that I had taken last year that really captured my favorite things about him: his love for my kids, his smile, his vibrancy. As I went on my computer to find them, I realized they were taken last year on April 10. I don’t take nearly enough photos everyday of my family, but on the 10th of each month, I’ve made it a discipline to cart along my “big camera,” even when inconvenient, and force myself to take 10 photos. I am so grateful now that I was “forced” to do this, and that my littlest one will have some images that show just how his grandfather delighted in him.

These photos would likely not exist without 10-on-10. And likewise, I have some true gems from last year that I was “forced” to take because I was participating in Project 365 (a picture a day, everyday, for a year). 

10-on-10 is the easiest personal photography project I have undertaken. Ten photos on the 10th of the month. It is achievable, contained to less than 24 hours, and even though it may seem like these photos are unimportant, you cannot possibly foresee now just how important they may be in the future. At the very least, your children will be able to enjoy seeing a glimpse into your everyday life and know just a little bit more of you, even if you are just chronicling a “boring” day.

If you feel ready to take on something even more ambitious, try the photo-a-day challenge. I let my Project 365 slip this year, but I’m ready to tackle a photo-a-day again for the next 100 days, for the Choose Joy 100 Day Challenge (yes, I just made that up). It just so happens there are 101 days between April 10 and my anticipated due date for baby #4, so it seems fitting to approach the next 100 days as I ready for this child with a heart of gratitude, joy, and hope.

Because for me, that is what a personal photo project is all about: each photo should be an affirmation of the joy, love, hope, and faith that embody your everyday. This is why I am so passionate about photographing your “blessed everyday”–because I love seeing the real-life, unvarnished love that we share as families and humans.

Please join me for one of these challenges (10-on-10 or the Choose Joy 100 Day Challenge), and please comment below if you do so! Embrace this opportunity to celebrate your lives and your loved ones. Your photos don’t have to be award-winning or meet some invisible standard; just let your love and “you” shine through.

In the meantime, I want to share the photos that I am now so grateful for, from last April’s 10-on-10 collection.

photo of grandfather with toddler photo of grandfather with toddler, Maple Valley family photographer Covington_MapleValley_lifestyle_photographer_3

2014 Best of 10-on-10

Oh, what a year! Today I continue the annual tradition of my best of 10-on-10, my personal favorites from all the 10-on-10 photos I’ve posted this year. I’m teaming up with my usual 10-on-10 partner in crime, Beth from Life as a Sports Mom.

If 2013 was a year of birth, change and feeling somewhat off-kilter all year, then 2014 brought a bit of stability and (relative) calm. Life with three kids found me at home much of the time, so it’s no surprise that the focus of my 10-on-10 favorites tended to be my kids.

I have always advocated people do 10-on-10 because it’s a fairly “doable” photo challenge, a lot less daunting than a Project 365 or even a Project 52 (a picture a week), and yet over the course of the year it does succeed in capturing a glimpse of life, even if along the way I am grumbling to myself, “These pictures stink; nothing even *happened* this month.”

And yet, a lot happens when you are standing so close to a situation you are almost blinded by its proximity. Over the course of a year, the baby morphed from a crawling 8-month-old to a full-fledged toddler, my middle son from a crazy 3-year-old to a slightly-less-crazy 4-year-old, and my daughter into what now seems like a “real” kid, full of humor, insight and fun.

Without further adieu *drumroll*, my personal favorites from this year’s 10-on-10 collection…

sleeping child in father's arms

Evenings like this are long past now. Our baby would never fall asleep like this anymore!

Covington_MapleValley_lifestyle_photographer_2

The sweetest baby face.

Covington_MapleValley_lifestyle_photographer_3

Just lounging around… bedtime shenanigans.

Covington_MapleValley_lifestyle_photographer_4

E. I love how his personality shines in this one.

Covington_MapleValley_lifestyle_photographer_5

The little miss.

Covington_MapleValley_lifestyle_photographer_6

A rare serious look at E. Usually he hams it up the moment a camera appears.

Covington_MapleValley_lifestyle_photographer_7

The only 10-on-10 picture NOT taken by me, image by my then-5-year-old.

Covington_MapleValley_lifestyle_photographer_8

Summertime fun!

Covington_MapleValley_lifestyle_photographer_9

The birthday girl.

Covington_MapleValley_lifestyle_photographer_10

Just an everyday image, but I like it.

 

Which 10-on-10 image is your favorite? Are there any that didn’t make the cut that were particularly memorable for you? Let me know in the comments!

And in the meantime, let’s visit Beth’s blog to see her favorites from the year, too!