9/52

A portrait of my family, once a week, every week in 2014.

It was a slow week, dare I say easy?  I kept my work schedule light, recovering from our weekend away in New Orleans.  We unpacked our bags and settled back in, resting when needed and welcoming back the familiar feel of our routine.  As much as I claim to miss spontaneity, there really is no place like home.  We skipped piano lessons, choosing to climb into the big bed instead for a little TV watching and cuddle time. It felt good to be all together, saying no to a few obligations and putting each other first instead.

8/52

A portrait of my family, once a week, every week in 2014.

This is what a typical night looks like in our home: Isabelle reading to us, Brees giggling, River chewing on whatever he can get his hands on, Shawn and I stealing glances at each other, usually tired, always grateful. This is our life.  Busy busy busy but oh so sweet.  

7/52

A portrait of my family, once a week, every week in 2014.

Valentine's Day 2014 was absolutely fantastic!  I reserved a babysitter, bought myself a new outfit, and tried to contain my excitement all day long at the thought of going on a real Valentine's Day date with my husband.  We gave the girls each a box of chocolates and watercolor paint sets before we got all dressed up for our night out.  They crowded into the bathroom with me as I shaved my legs, painted my lips red, and put on makeup for the first time in weeks.  Shawn let out an audible gasp when I walked out, the look on his face a gift in itself.  We escaped for a few hours to enjoy a candlelit sushi dinner complete with heart shaped balloons tied to the chairs and rose petals strewn all over every surface of the restaurant.  We talked and held hands and shared big plates of food and had the best time together. On the way home, we picked up a few movies and loads of junk food, greeting our excited little ones at the door.  Jammies on, blankets spread out in the living room, we spent the rest of the night snuggled up together. It was good to get out for a little while, good to be home all together.  I love Valentine's Day so much: a special day to slow down and say the things you don't always have the time to say.  I love you.

6/52

A portrait of my family, once a week, every week in 2014.

There was no time for portraits this week: too much homework, too many errands, not enough sleep and two new teeth per sweet baby River.  See that Mama wearing pajama pants in this photo?  Yep, this was taken at 4 pm.  It was one of THOSE weeks.  Oh, wait, the two little kids are in pajamas, too? Oops.  Real life here people.  But we snapped a photo anyway, one quick moment of photographic love before Belle headed off to piano lessons and Shawn went back to studying and I finished up dinner with a teething boy strapped to my chest.  Thank you, my sweet family, for putting up with my record keeping antics.  Thank you for snapping this photo with me.  And I'm sorry that Daddy's head got cropped out.  Love y'all to pieces.

5/52

A portrait of my family, once a week, every week in 2014.

I didn't go into work on Friday because of the snow, Isabelle was out of school as well.  We spent the whole day playing in the snow and then warming up by the fire, going in and out, tracking snow all throughout the house.  I made gumbo for dinner and we fell asleep watching movies on the living room floor. It was the best day: no worries, nowhere to be, just the great outdoors and the most unusual weather.  We had the best time, all together, in that big snow covered yard.

4/52

A photo of my family, once a week, every week in 2014.

We meet in Brees' room every night before bed, after about a million distractions of bathroom breaks, more water please, I forgot my Taggie, you did not brush your teeth I can tell, etc. We meet up and gather around the little toddler bed and say our prayers.  Sometimes, we read a story and/or sing a song.  Sometimes, there are tears, I don't want to go to bed yet type temper tantrums.  Some nights we take our time while other nights feel rushed.  Sometimes, I'm so tired myself that I want to crawl right into that toddler bed and sleep until morning. But no matter how tired or grumpy we might all be, it is very, very important to Shawn and I to have this time together as a family, to end each day in fellowship with one another. Sweet dreams, you precious, silly kids!!!

3/52

A photo of my family, once a week, every week in 2014.

I was on call last week and basically worked 12-16 hours a day every day for 7 days.  It was miserable for all of us.  There are so many sick people out there right now and it seemed like every time I got home from a call out, someone else was calling me to leave again.  When I'm on call, it disrupts our entire household: the babies are grumpy, Shawn and I are both exhausted, I even overslept and Isabelle missed the school bus one morning as a result. When I got home on Sunday night, it was all we could do to get through bath time and crash in the living room, all together. We high fived each other and spent the rest of the night watching football and catching up some much needed rest. We made it through another rotation and I am so proud of my little tribe for pulling together and making it work. There were tears and tantrums and cereal for dinner more than I care to admit but, we made it.  

2/52

A portrait of my family, once a week, every week in 2014.

On Sundays, we wake up early, eat breakfast (monkey bread is the current favorite), attend Mass at 9:30, and then head home for a big Sunday dinner: this weekend I made ham/potato/corn/broccoli chowder with cornbread.  The little ones get into their jammies and settle in for a long afternoon nap while Shawn and I make ourselves comfy in front of the TV, a long day of football ahead of us.  We watch all three games on Sundays, the kids joining us after they wake up from their naps.  It is a way of life in our family and I love that our girls can play call with the best of them.  Our Saints won the wild card round of the play offs this week: Who Dat!

1/52

A portrait of my family, once a week, every week in 2014.

I've made a commitment this year to be more vigilant about documenting our family and the memories we are building together.  I want to print more photos out and place them in albums or boxes rather than have them sitting in my hard drive.  I want to capture moments from our everyday life.  I want to finish up scrapbooks and baby books and get rid of all the excess.  I want to have photos of the five of us together to look back on later.  Later, when there will hopefully be more than five of us. 

I'm making a goal this year to participate in the portrait a week project featuring photos of our family, together.  I know that it will be a challenge to get all of us together each week but I think that it's a challenge worth investing in.

This photo was taken on New Year's Eve.  We stayed home this year and invited our best friends over for supper and a movie. I made chili and chocolate chip cookies, Shawn lit fireworks in the front yard, and we all cuddled up in front of the fire.  All five of us were up at midnight to watch the ball drop.  We gave each other hugs and kisses and new year well wishes.  We tucked the girls into Isabelle's bed (they like to sleep together these days) and then climbed into bed with River in between us.  It felt like the perfect way to start a new year.