Category: 52 Week Project

On February 2013, I started a 52 Week Project where I took (and posted) photographs of my daughters, once a week, every week, for the whole year. I don’t count the pics we post on Instagram and Facebook as part of this project, only the ones I took with our DSLR. Posting on IG is too easy, and I wanted to exert a little more effort than that.

Sometime in September (backtracked July), I stopped posting my weekly portraits. I continued taking photos still, some weeks more than I should, other weeks none at all.

And then, life happened

I have no excuse other than the classic “Well, life happened.” Except now, for the first time, I’m not just using it as an “excuse”. Life really did happen. And most times, it’s not just about not being able to find time to do things. Looking back, I’m pretty sure I could find time, like when the girls were sleeping, or on Saturday mornings when it was their Daddy’s turn to play with them.

It’s just that.. life has become too big for words (and photographs). And often it has left me paralyzed. Sometimes there’s nothing else I’d rather do but stare at these two little darlings and marvel at their beauty (while wiping the goo that keeps coming out of their mouths and noses). They’re growing up fast, and I feel that I would miss it if I’m away too long.

Just the same, I looooove looking back at the posts that I managed to publish for this project. You can check them out here. They remind me why 2013 was such a beautiful and meaningful year, and how awesome God has been to our little family.

As I put some form of closure to last year’s 52 Week Project (and so I can start anew this 2014! Ha!), here are some of my favorite photographs, including ones I never got the chance to post, in reverse chronological order.

DECEMBER: Christmas Greeting Card Material (Not!)

We wanted to take photos of them to put in Christmas cards to give away to family and friends, so we DIYed a little photoshoot at home, and had them wear their Christmas dresses.

I guess you can say it was a failed attempt because we never got around to printing greeting cards. Plus, none of the shots we took were greeting card worthy. Most of the pics that came out were like the ones above, and yes, the one we posted on IG was actually the best one from our set of family pics. But how can you not be happy with these photos just the same, right? :) What can I say, I’m a proud little mommy. LOL.

NOVEMBER: Fourteen Months

These were taken on the day they turned 14 months old. We just got home from church, and the two were in the mood for some clapping and praising the Lord.

OCTOBER: Praise the Lord

You’re probably familiar with these next ones if we’re connected in FB or IG. We used them on the twins’ birthday invitations and giveaways.

When they were younger we taught them to raise their hands when we say “Praise the Lord”, and well, they never forgot. Sure, it’s just one of their default “tricks”, but I’m so excited to see these two learn to really praise the Lord as they grow.

AUGUST: Tiger & Piglet

Someone gave them these Tigger and Piglet headbands as presents, but surely we enjoyed them more than the girls did. ;)

The next ones are some of my favorites from the ones that made it online.  Continue reading “52 Week Project, 2013” →

These two are becoming my most favorite friends! And before you throw me a Billy Ray Cyrus speech (“You should be a parent, not a friend“), let me just say, I’m not talking about parenting. I only mean, we’re finally connecting with these two and sometimes, it almost feels as if they know that we’re their parents! Lol. Getting there.

The funny thing is, it may seem like we’re the ones making fun of them.. but what if they’re really the ones making fun of us? Lol.

Haha Dawn’s face.

For the past 10 months, they’re the closest thing we have to a social life. You know how it’s like when you’re excited to hang out with a friend? That’s how we feel about these two. We hurry home to “hang out” with them. We take them with us wherever we go, as much as we can. We watch TV with them, laugh with them, play with them. Spending time with them relieves our stress, attending to their needs makes us grow.

No one wants to see us anymore unless we tag along the twins. They’re like, our ticket to the party. We enter a room and everyone happily shouts, “Yay Dawn & Rain are here!” They take the twins from us and forget that we entered the room too, LOL.

No hard feelings! In fact it makes us really happy that their presence (and photos and videos) makes, not just us, but other people happy too. As their parents, how can we not take pride and joy in that? :)

23/52:  A Year of Dawn & Rain | Week of July 28-August 3
Portraits of my children, once a week, every week in 2013

P.S. I’m waaayy behind my 52 Project. Busy bee! Can’t find time to blog here as much, but I’m not forgetting to take photos of the twins each week.

P.P.S. September!!!!!!

This has always, always been the case. At the end of each photo shoot, we end up with exactly ONE picture-perfect portrait of the twins (like the one above), and hundreds of these:

These girls. They drive us crazy.

They’re 10 months old today, but these photos were from last month, July 24, when they turned 9 months. We didn’t buy them a cake. Instead, we handed them two bags of heart-shaped marshmallows as gifts, which were left-overs from a candy buffet we set up around that time.

If these two were made to take the marshmallow test (watch it! watch it!), they probably would have failed. Lol. I can’t wait to see if they pass the marshmallow test when they’re older.

Haha, their faces. My husband and I can’t help but chuckle every time we view this set of photos.

The last photo with their Daddy was taken after we’ve washed them up and changed their clothes. And yes, that’s the best one I got of the three of them. Sorry, Daddy.

The whole nine months

At this point I feel the need to celebrate being a Mommy too. At nine months these girls have been out in this world almost the same time they were inside my womb. And it still amazes me when I think about how tiny they used to be, and how on earth those big cheeks and chubby legs managed to fit inside my body.

They grow so fast and we have no choice but to grow with them. I’m pretty sure we’ve grown in the past 10 months more than we ever grew in the past 30 years. And these two clueless tiny humans are the greatest teachers we’ve ever had! They teach us to be alert, to be wise in how we use our time, to pray more fervently, to slow down, to enjoy the little things and see the world with new eyes.

Happy ten months, bebegirls. Thank you for gracing our lives with your presence. We love you.

22/52:  A Year of Dawn & Rain | Week of July 21-July 27
Portraits of my children, once a week, every week in 2013

In this post the twins teach you the basics of photobomb-ing.

When someone is taking a picture of something or someone, strategically position yourself in the background and..

Photobomb Tip #1. Do something totally random or candid, as if you don’t know that the person is taking pictures.

Photobomb Tip #2. Make a wacky or a schemy face. Or both.

Photobomb Tip #3. If you want to totally steal the spotlight, grab the item the person is taking pictures of. Or, do some cartwheels. Make sure you execute your cartwheels well so that it won’t look like you just fell with your face flat on the ground.

Extra Tip. If you’re feeling totally in the mood for it, you can also ask a willing assistant, like your Daddy maybe, to help you execute more elaborate cartwheels. And then proudly say, “I have the Coolest. Daddy. Ever.”

Get the picture?

x o x o

Haaayyy. I just can’t. Get. Them. To. Stay. Put! Which, as you probably notice, has been the story of my life for the past few weeks. Frustrated, I started taking photos of Winnie the Pooh and Bitbit The Rabbit na nga lang.

I guess the twins won’t let me take photos of their toys in peace too. Oh well. :)

21/52:  A Year of Dawn & Rain | Week of July 14-July 20
Portraits of my children, once a week, every week in 2013

Week 20. It was Sunday afternoon and we just got home from church, which explains why the girls were wearing extra-girly dresses and ribbons. The dresses were from New York, sent by their Lola, and I was excited to take photographs of them wearing their new outfits. But once again it was impossible to have a decent photo session with the duo.

They just wouldn’t stay put! We would place them side by side but within seconds they would have moved, climbed on each other, crawled, or rolled all over the bed! There’s a lot of screaming and chuckling too.

If they could talk, I probably heard something like, “Mom, are you seriously taking photos of us again?”‘

But how can you get frustrated over not being able to take a couple of “decent” shots when these *points to the pictures* are the moments you captured instead?

“If you can’t beat them, join them,” is what their Daddy would always say. I think it’s his secret to maintaining sanity, having to live with 3 girls who drive him crazy.

Soon the energy started dying down, and Dawn was the first one to get knocked out, then me, then Rain. My husband, the last man standing, took this last set of photos, and although it’s not a very flattering portrait of me sleeping (LOL), I had to post this one because I love how our little quality time ended with a sweet, quality nap. Shortly after this last frame, Daddy fell asleep too, beside Rain.

Keeping up with these two is definitely far from easy. But I cherish everything—the rowdy moments, the quiet moments, and every moment in between.

20/52:  A Year of Dawn & Rain | Week of July 7-July 14
Portraits of my children, once a week, every week in 2013