David Marano Photography

Last year I really regretted not having family pictures done and swore that no matter what, 

I would build it into the budget, carve out some time and make sure that I have photos that actually include all three of us at the same time.

I came across David Marano Photography when he offered a Living Social deal in March and redeemed it the day before Thanksgiving.  

I know, can I possibly run any closer to the holiday card deadline?

This one picture made the entire shoot worthwhile.

I have so few pictures of the Peanut and I together and the look on his face and the sparkle in his eyes make me just melt.

I love the warmth in these pictures and would have loved to take more in the house but in order to get Peanut to cooperate I promised some play at the lake.

We walked down to the lake and tried to get Peanut to sit or stand still, next to mommy and daddy for a great deal of time.

It was quite exhausting by David didn't bat an eye.  

He just snapped away.

Peanut really liked him and so there are quite a few interesting expressions caught on camera.

He was also able to snap a few pictures of us while making sure Peanut didn't take a running leap into the lake.

Falling leaves and piles to jump in make a very happy boy.

The smirk and the mischievous grin.

I can't even put into words how happy this shot makes me.

Tickles and giggles.

and sweetness.

David was mellow and so easy going that it was so much easier to be comfortable in front of the camera.

Despite all the photo sessions we've had, this always remains the hardest part for me.

However, when you are chasing after a 2 year old, I find it's hard to think about the camera or whether or not I have multiple chins and fat rolls showing.

In the end we have tons of perfect, real, family photos to remember the year by.

Instead of the little blurs that I've been getting, 

I can actually look at these moments of love and laughter caught in perfect clarity.

We can't wait to use David again.

Oh and the personality and weirdness are all there.

Favorite Reads of 2012

Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book.

-Author Unknown

I'm going to just into this post and try not to turn this post into a novel of it's own.

Here are my favorite reads of 2012:

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
This lovely and haunting book is about a family grieving.  They are grieving over the loss of an uncle, a brother and a lover but mostly over the loss of connection and of dreams.  It's a tale of jealousy and love and what the results of both can be.

I don't want to say too much for fear of ruining it for you but I'm not sure that I could put my thoughts into the right words anyway.
Read this book.

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
This children's story, told by Ivan the gorilla would be a great family read.

Inspired by a real life gorilla named Ivan,
 this touching story is about friends and family and what it means to help, love and protect each other.

This story will break your heart and then swiftly fill it again.


Insurgent by Veronica Roth
This is the second book in the Divergent Trilogy and I'm hesitant to say to much if you haven't read the first which I believe made my list last year.

We learn more about the characters in this book as they learn more about themselves and each other.  The exploration of each faction is interesting and engaging as were the individuals that were so completely representative of their factions.
If you haven't read Divergent yet you'll need to start there.
(or apparently you can wait for the movie to come out as they just started casting for it)



The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
I found this book at the bottom of a bag of clothes being passed to Peanut.  It no doubt came from my sister-in-law who is a mother of 3 and an elementary school teacher.

This book is a fantastic resource for parents, teachers and librarians.
It discusses the importance of reading aloud to children (even past the age they start to read themselves) and the positive effects it has.
The book dives into silent reading, TV watching (and it's not all negative) and other reading-related issues as well.
The second half of the book is a reading treasury- a suggestion of books that are good to read aloud (as opposed to some that are better read silently).  They are marked with grade level and descriptions.

This is probably the best parenting book I've read so far.  It feels universal in that you don't have to be on board with a specific parenting style to appreciate it.  Although, that could be because it's not actually a parenting book but an educational book.
Whatever it is, I'm glad I read it.



A Year of Writing Dangerously by Barbara Abercrombie
I wandered by this book in the library and picked it up, thinking it might have some good prompts for my blog.  Instead I found so much more.
A day later I decided I wanted to be a writer and started to actually write.

The author and writing teacher creates the perfect balance of inspirational quotes, writing prompts, funny anecdotes, occasional coddling and a few good shoves that all equal the sudden urge or unavoidable deep need to write.

I just ordered this book because I need to have a copy at home.

And last but definitely not least:

Room by Emma Donoghue
This sat on my shelf for several months as I debated whether or not I was in the mood to read this story.
What I didn't understand, given the premise, was that this story could be sweet and loving and hopeful.

All told from the perspective and in the language of 5 year-old Jack, Room is his whole world.
He has spent every moment of his life in Room with his Ma.
What is a prison to her is just the world as he knows it.
I was in awe of these characters, the depth of a mother's love, the innocence of youth and the reality of living life outside of the box.

This book is stunning, haunting, innocent, tragic, full of love and so completely unique.

This may have been my favorite read of the year, perhaps because it was so unexpected but mostly because the story is still with me.

********
OTHER GREAT BOOKS I READ LAST YEAR:



The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
I can't remember the last time I read a book so rich in imagery.
Dreamy, romantic, surreal.
I read this last April and am about to start the audiobook narrated by the great Jim Dale.
More on this book to come.



Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Just thinking about this book, the discussions about this book and the way people feel so vehemently about the characters and especially the ending.
This book made my skin crawl, it made me frustrated and nearly drove me crazy but I loved it.
I though the end was perfect.  Everything about this book was toxic.
Toxic and wonderful.

If my dear mother-in-law is reading this.... you absolutely CANNOT read the end of this book ahead of time!  Do not skip around!  Do you hear me?!


The Maze Runner Series by James Dashner
I read the first book in 2011 and finished the series in 2012 although I've found there have been a few stories added as companions.
I enjoyed The Scorch Trials even more then The Maze Runner.
I found the environment much more intriguing and the story kept me on my toes.
 Mostly though, it just brought an onslaught of unanswered questions.
The Death Cure wraps up the story with even more twists and turns.
I still have questions and see the opportunity for so many more stories but it didn't feel like a cliffhanger at all.  I'd definitely read more from Dashner.



The Friday Harbor Series by Lisa Kleypas
I won the second book off Goodreads and ended up reading the entire series, with the exception of Crystal Cove which is released next month.
The first book is a simple and sweet introduction to this chick lit/romance series.
It was predictable but I didn't care at all because
I needed that sort of giggle-squeal-sigh sort of romance.

Although I enjoyed it, I enjoyed the subsequent novels even more.
Rainshadow Road and Dream Lake pick up a little bit of magical surrealism that fans of Sarah Addison Allen might enjoy.  I'm looking forward to reading the next book.


Don't Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon
Eek!  I don't want to spoil the book but I was totally wrapped up in this story.
Is it fantasy?  Is it fiction?  Is it mystery?
Will all this have a rational explanation or is this really a dark fairy story?
It kept me guessing until the very end.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
What an interesting and somewhat haunting book.  A tale of a boy whose mother is fighting cancer as he fights some monsters of his own.
A unique point of view and an interesting way of illustrating how different people cope with the illness of a loved one.


Update:  I forgot to add these in my original post!
but I'm too short on time right now to expand on these.
More on these titles in the future,

What were your favorite reads of 2012?
Did you read any of the books I mentioned?
Are the any books I must read in 2013?

2012 Reading Challenge, 2013 Goals

I can hardly believe it's a new year.  This year was full of fun events both big and small and I'm proud to say that despite all the action I managed to meet and exceed my reading goal of 52 books.

As usual, I'd go weeks tearing through book after book and weeks where I didn't even pick one up.

The grand total for 2012.....*drumroll please*

63 books read!

According to Goodreads that is 21,817 pages.

And before you ask, I did not include the books I read to Peanut this year.

The Harry Potter books aren't included in my 6 books because I actually just listened to the audiobooks.
That is a post unto itself.
Let me just say that I ADORE Jim Dale.

The breakdown on the books this year:
Adult Fiction/Fantasy/Mystery:  13
YA:  15
Younger teen or Children's:  8
Historical Fiction:  3
Nonfiction:  5
Chick Lit/Romance:  15
Parenting:  3

I'm not opposed to reading any kind of genre and I feel very strongly about being comfortable with your book choices or preferences.

All reading is good reading.
I'm sure that plenty will disagree with me on that.
I'm just glad to read and glad other do as well.

Personally, I tend to go through phases where all I want is a little fluff.
Hence the Debbie Macomber marathon during Christmas.
I'd never even heard of her before, despite the fact she has published 327 books.

I'm also not embarassed to say I tore through the Fifty Shades series.
Although I must say that I hesitated to categorize it under "Romance" but I just didn't have a category for BDSM fantasy-fiction with an emphasis on terrible writing and high entertainment.

2013 READING CHALLENGE
I've signed into Goodreads again and hope for another 52 books this year.
My goals are to broaden my reading horizons,
catch up on all of the books I haven't read for The Bibliophile Support Group
and perhaps accept another book challenge through that group.

Coming soon.... my favorite picks of 2012.

The Christmas Party

We're going to do a little Christmas re-cap around here.
I managed to post a whopping 3 times this month.

Anyone else feel like they just ran a Christmas marathon?
I'll agree it was a cheerful marathon with loads of fun stops along the way
 but I'm ready for a looong nap.



As many of you know we do a lot of Christmas baking.

I used to start at the end of October to prepare for the Christmas party in the beginning of December.
I'd bake for about 5 weeks and then freeze the cookies as I go.

This year I was a little burnt after Peanut's Monster Halloween Birthday Party.

About 3 weeks  before the party I realized I was a tad behind baking schedule....
so I procrastinated another week.

My mom did some baking and I did a few marathon days and all was well.
Who needs sleep anyway.



Santa made an appearance at the Christmas party this year!



Peanut was not excited.

He burst into tears and Papa had to take him into the back and it took 3 of us to calm him down.

Judging by the death grip that Mia has on mommy, she's not too thrilled either.

Along with all the hot food, mom had this great display.



Santa and Ben had a little game of chess.



According to Ben's rules, Santa always loses.

In addition to this grueling game, Ben had a great many questions for Santa in order to prove his authenticity.

Are you the real Santa?
You weren't the Santa I saw yesterday...
I didn't see your sleigh outside....
Where are the reindeer...



Peanut's not buying it either.



But all was proven well in the end.

Ben left a happy boy and Santa survived a killer game of chess and some brutal interrogation.

I was told that Peanut did throw the ball to Santa once at the end of the night but this is the closest I witnessed the two of them.

Peanut is still not so sure.

The Christmas Mugshot

Merry Christmas!

The boys are just overflowing with Christmas spirit.

Yup.

Big fans of Santa, these two.

Daniel's expression is the best.

In the other Santa picture, Peanut is making a run for it.

I'll try to upload that one next.

I will say that this picture is a big improvement over last year's picture.

This is still my favorite Santa picture to date.

Well, it'll be another whole year until we get to traumatize the kids with an annual Santa picture.

Until then!

Discovery Science Center Giveaway!

If you've been to the Discovery Science Center before then you know just how fun it is and if you've never been.... well here is your chance to go!

The giant cube you've seen off the 5 freeway is host to so many awesome exhibits for kids of all ages.

In addition to the EcoChallenge, Dino Quest Adventure, Discover Theater, Science of Hockey, Boeing Rocket Lab and Planetary Research Station there are also rotating exhibits throughout the year.

Right now you can visit Bob the Builder's Workshop and meet all his friends as you lend them a helping hand.

Explore the Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology exhibit where you see a collection from the films and real-world artifacts from the National Geographic Society.

Dig for buried treasure and go on your own quest too!

Last but definitely not least, and perfect for the holidays, is The Science of Gingerbread where you can tour the Annual Gingerbread Competition entries, learn the science behind smelling and build and race your own candy car in the Gingerbread Derby!

The Discovery Science Center is hosting an exclusive holiday event this Wednesday 

and they are giving me tickets so you can come too!

It's going to be full of fun activities, a picture with santa and lots of exploration.

It'll be such a treat to bring your family to this outing.

For a chance to win these 

4 TICKETS TO THE EXCLUSIVE HOLIDAY EVENT

ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12 FROM 6-8PM

Please:

- Leave a comment

- blog, tweet or post on Facebook about this giveaway 

- follow my blog

- like Discovery Science Center on Facebook (found as Discovery Cube)

Please leave a separate entry for each.

Good Luck!!

And there are trees!

By Orange County standards we live pretty far out.

Growing up, I considered any city that didn't have at least one border on the beach "inland".

Of course, when I was growing up the city I now live in didn't even exist.

Now we live in South County aaaallll the way to the East in what I call "the country".

I call it the country because (and I can hardly still believe this) there is nothing but nature on the other side of our neighborhood.

We back up to and are walking distance from O'Neil Regional Park and when you look at a map, 

you'll see that next to us is nothing but green.

And there are trees!

I mean, trees everywhere!

They line our streets and they are gorgeous and the neighborhoods are beautiful.

We can see the mountains from our windows.

We are a few minutes walk from this lake.

We leave the house, walk past the elementary school and find this waiting for us.

It is man-made and there is no swimming in it but it's such a perfect one mile loop.

I'll be sure and take some pictures of the lake with the mountains in the background.

I'd take pictures of the Peanut at the lake but it's hard to hold a camera and keep him from jumping in at the same time.

It's a breathe of fresh air every time we go for a walk around the neighborhood.

Where do you go to recharge?