Posted on December 29, 2008
Last year around this time I went through and chose my Top 7 Favorite Photos from 2007. It was hard to pick JUST seven, but I had a great time browsing through all my images from the year and narrowing down. I decided to do the same thing this year, only getting the added bonus of choosing EIGHT for 2008 and not just seven. It’s really fun to go through a years worth of pictures and really think about WHY certain photos hold special meaning. Sometimes I pick them because they make me laugh, other times it’s because I nailed the exposure, composition (and a bunch of other technical stuff I won’t bore you with) and the “professional” side of me is so darn proud, other times it’s because it reminds me of a special moment in time, either way I dug through and think I found a good variety of all the above. Now I realize there are a few more than 8 actual images listed here, but sometimes one photo isn’t quite enough, so I would pair them together with a photo taken during the same time frame to better express the true meaning of why I love the moment. You might call it cheating…but hey, this is my blog I can do whatever the heck I want! Hee-hee. I tried to pick only images that hadn’t been highlighted on my blog already, but I know a few have. I didn’t want to choose photos that simply “looked nice” I wanted them to be special to me for one reason or another. So without further adieu…here are my Top 8 Favorite Personal Photographs of 2008.
1. David and Kate {January 2008}
These photos are…well I’ll be frank, horrible technically. Blur city, tons of grain BUT I adore them. The one on the left which is especially blurry but I’m still considering blowing it up into a huge canvas to hang in my kitchen. It was taken at our favorite German restaurant, David is enjoying some delicious coffee and Kate is enjoying sparkling apple juice (a regular on all the menu’s here – SUPER yummy!). I just love the naturalness of the photo, how they both seem completely unaware of my presence there with the camera. Just beautifully natural stuff. The photo on the right just outright makes me LAUGH…gosh the expression on Kate’s face is HILARIOUS! It was taken shortly after our restaurant trip and we were running around the park to work off the schnitzel we’d just devoured. Kate was having a funny moment with Daddy and I clicked just in time to capture her hilarious expression. I DO in fact have this photo blown up into a 12×12 image and it’s hanging proudly in my livingroom and every time I see it I just can’t help but chuckle.
2. Mothers Day {May 2008}
This photo is one of the few I’m actually IN…I’m really bad about forgetting to document my part in this world, I so often just capture everyone else and forget to sometimes take time away from being behind the camera. This photo is special for several reasons. It was Mothers Day and I’d just found out I was pregnant a few days prior and we were enjoying a yummy meal at an outdoor Mexican restaurant in Alabama. I felt SOOO happy! I was in the United States (I seriously LOVED being in Alabama for 6 weeks while David attended an Officer military course), I was with my wonderful little family and I had this incredible little secret growing in my stomach, something no one at the time knew (well maybe a select few, I was too excited not to tell ANYONE!), but there is something so sacred to me about being newly pregnant, having something so priceless growing away, someone who is so perfect and special, yet no one knows just yet by looking at you. Love that sweet time. Kate was chowing down on some tortillia chips and the weather was perfect, it was just a wonderful day!
3. Sleeping Beauty {May 2008}
This was also taken in Alabama. In our little hotel, which by the way was without air conditioning for over half our trip! But that didn’t keep our girl from randomly passing out! We’d spend all day long out in the play park, and then she’d come in for lunch and crash on the spot! I loved it cause it’s really the only opportunity I’ve had to watch her sleep for long periods of time, usually she’s in her room with the door closed, so I don’t get to see her in perfect sleepy peace. In the tiny little hotel room there wasn’t anywhere else for me to go! So I’d sit quietly and catch up on emails, read, snooze a little bit myself. Great memories from that hot little dingy hotel room!
4. Goofy Girls {May 2008}
These beautiful girls are my sisters. LOVE these girls! So thankful we got to visit them while we were in the U.S! The first picture clearly captures how goofy things get when we are together. I honestly have no clue what we were hamming it up about, but love how overly animated we all were at the moment. Love how close I am to my sweet sisters even though we’re countries apart. I included one of us looking normal so you can fully see how beautiful they are. Gosh I love them!!
5. Me with my girls {July 2008}
David was deployed when I found out the gender of our new baby, but just cause I had no one around to click the shutter button didn’t keep me away from at least TRYING to capture the special time!
I won’t lie…the photo on the left took FOR-EV-ER. It’s hard to fully explain to a 2 year old what you want them to do while your camera is propped up on a billion books to get “just the right height” from the photo. But gosh I’m glad I did this. Seriously one of my favorite photos ever. The one on the right was taken on a whim, I wanted to show how much my belly was sticking out from my angle.
6. Cool Chick {August 2008}
This Summer in Germany wasn’t too hot, but on this particular day Kate and I were both SOOO hot and miserable! So since we have no a/c, most of the time being outside is cooler than being inside, so we headed out on our deck to cool off with some delicious ice cream and enjoy the breeze. She rocked her shades so well the entire Summer! Love that I got this image of her!
7. Daddy and his girl {October 2008}
This photo was taken a few weeks after David returned back from deployment. Kate INSTANTLY warmed right up to him, the instant we picked him up she reached right out for him and has been his little shadow ever since. On an unseasonably warm day we went to the park and I took this picture of them walking hand in hand. Sums up their relationship so well! Wherever Daddy goes, Kate wants to be right beside him!
8. Rice Crispy Christmas House {December 2008}
I really wanted to give Kate lots of fun Christmas memories this year because she’s old enough to really participate in activities and enjoy them. I saw this recipe and thought it sounded perfect for Kate! So much easier and less flimsy than a gingerbread house (it took quite a beating from Kate, she’s got a heavy hand and it never crumbled or gave way!). She had a great time decorating it! I had a great time eating all the left over rice crispy treats.
So that concludes my Favorite Top 8 Photos in 2008. Here is to a Happy 2009 and a years worth of even more amazing images! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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i love this post! how cute to put your top 8 for 2008! great idea.
and your sisters are cute! i love the pictures of you guys.
also, the picture of you looking down at your toes with your cute preggers belly sticking out is awesome! i love it!
Annie, I just love reading your blog. I always come away with amazement at just how much you love being a Mom, and a promise to myself to be more like that. This year, as I’m not in school I’m resolving to be more like you, to find the joy in the small moments, and maybe even to learn to take better pictures! Kate sure is lucky to have a Mommy like you, and your little bean will be to!