My Favorite Photographs

Every few months, the card on my digital camera gets full and I burn the images to disk, then empty the card. This past time, I also had a large number of pictures of Johnny's preschool artwork as well. I have a thing about clutter and papers piling up (specifically, my "thing" is anti-clutter and anti-paper), so I only save the really special projects. The rest get photographed, the hard copy goes into the recycle pile and I burn the images to a disk labeled "Johnny's artwork."

This month, I spent some time looking back at photos on those very early disks and marveling at how much my children have changed in a few short years. Those tiny babies with bald heads and chubby legs are long gone. They have been replaced with a bean pole almost five-year-old and a curly headed, blue-eyed angel. It made me smile to look at those pictures, so I thought I'd share some of my favorites from my trip down memory lane.

Johnny's first Christmas.



Maureen at 3 days old.



Johnny, shortly before Maureen was born. I was very pregnant, due to deliver any day, and needed a picture of him to send with my holiday cards. Thank goodness this photo shoot was a success, because Maureen was born a few days later.



Camping last fall with Daddy.



After a session with sidewalk chalk. If you click on the picture, you can see they are both covered in it.



Maureen at the beach last summer.



All the toys they have, and she plays with the box.



I snapped this cute shot shortly after Johnny learned to climb stairs.



Just learning to crawl after the cat. Jameson looks like a mountain lion, but in reality, he's an average sized cat.



At the Harford County Farm Fair last summer, taking shelter from a rain storm in the wheel of a tractor.



Maureen at the pool last summer.



I love how they are looking at each other like they are up to something.



This was taken last summer and really showed me how much Maureen no longer looked like a baby.



Johnny was around 9 months when this was taken, and it was because we had the nerve to put him in the grass. You know you are raising a city kid at that point!



Being silly. He looks like such a baby here!



Sleeping peacefully.



This was Johnny after he learned how to pull to standing. Look how proud he looks!



This picture was taken while we waited for a table at a restaurant. It was a freezing cold winter day. She looks almost like a porcelain doll!



This is Johnny, shortly after he learned to sit up unsupported. I was inspired by a scene from "E.T." and he loved it.



On this day, he played hard, then crashed hard.



One of the last times he sat in the highchair, this was taken at my dad's surprise 65th birthday party.



I was always happy to dress Maureen in pink.



This picture cracks me up, because Maureen and Johnny started out roughly the same size. Maureen was an ounce heavier and an inch shorter. It was amazing to me how much he had grown!



Johnny asleep in his carseat at his christening.



Johnny at 3 days old.



Sitting up.



The digital camera was still pretty new when I took this picture, and the delay in flash meant that I kept missing his smile. I still like it because of his big blue eyes and his fuzzy hair.