swing me up to the clouds

I don't know why it is still so difficult to conceive of the idea that there are (at least) two of us in each photo I take.  Last night on the swing set (the last image in this entry) the three of us were swinging SOOOOOO high!!!!  It was a relatively warm evening for this time of year... only sweatshirts needed.  Astrid giggled loudly each time I jumped off my swing while it was still in motion to reset the timer!!! 

"Swing me up to the clouds, Mama." she'd say.  It helped my mind wander when she said this.  I feel like I'm in the clouds a lot these days.  It's surreal that we could have another little one in the house in the matter a few short weeks.

Day 12 -> 31.7. DEPTH: I am lovin' the bricks in downtown Missoula!.... I couldn't help myself. It was much easier to find focus with the help of this wall! Brrrrrr - it was chilly today and the wind was whipping between the buildings!

Day 13 -> THIS IS YOUR MAMA.

Day 14 -> SILHOUETTES: This afternoon we played with silhouettes in Astrid's bedroom window.

Day 15 -> AFTERNOON TEA: After my daily allotment of caffeine (which isn't sometimes enough in pregnancy!) I often resort to a cup of "Evening in Missoula" herbal tea in my favorite mug!

Day 16 -> DRUM LINE: Astrid threw a fit last time I had a Dr's appointment and she wasn't going to be joining me, so I have scheduled for her to be there for every last one of my prenatal exams. Today the bump measured perfectly and Astrid got another chance to hear her sibling's drum line of a heartbeat!!! It was so very nice to have her there with me.

Day 17 -> This should have been a flash photo since I was downtown today at RMSP taking a FLASH class, but my flash was out of batteries, so I do what comes natural...existing light.

Day 18 ->  A quick chance to a photograph after class....pictured with one of my favorite pieces of equipment for this project -> My timer remote control. In this case I was just using it as an extra long arm to set the shutter off on my camera which was perched at an odd angle on a bench below me. Can't wait to go back to this location with Astrid this week!

Day 19 -> I know Astrid doesn't look too thrilled in this one (I think she was getting cold and weary of these daily shenanigans), and I'm not happy that I cut off our feet...but alas, this IS my self-portrait of the day. Overall, there is a lot I'm not happy with compositionally, and mostly the busy-ness of this area at the time we were here. It was so difficult to get Astrid's focus today (on my oh-so-important project) with the near constant traffic of runners, walkers and bikers.

I was absolutely crazy about the colors on this awesome graffiti wall and the fun we had despite the distractions. It ALWAYS makes things more exciting when a darting Skagit nearly knocks over my tripod and my third child (my camera) in the process!! NINETEEN DAYS!!! Can't believe it! I'm glad I'm staying committed!

Day 20 ->  I tried quite a few shots this evening - but this is the only one that worked. This is the beginning of long evenings biking around the neighborhood and late dinners....   My camera was angled up toward us inside my upside down bike helmet...

More photos can be found here, on my Facebook Biz page.