Holly and Felix absolutely adore each other!

Okay, so this didn't go quite as planned. I saw this painting with string idea and I liked the art that resulted. But Holly didn't dig it. I think she was thinking, "we have paint brushes so why is Mom making me paint like this?" So our activity was a painting with strings (sort of) that progressed into finger painting and ended with a finale of old-fashioned paint brush painting. I gave Greta a squirt of paint on a piece of paper thinking she'd like to get in on the finger painting. No go. She tasted it first and then was upset it was all over her hands. She was much happier to have a paint brush. I want to redo this activity when Holly's older because it looks fun to me!

Today was finally Holly's first day of ballet classes. Oh my word, it was hilarious! I was one of those snap-happy moms, but in my defense, I was taking photos of three littles girls, not just one. I could definitely tell which girls had been in a ballet class before and which hadn't and totally was absolutely Holly's first class. The teacher was excellent. She was very no nonsense ("ballerinas don't talk") and I think this class will be a great learning experience for Holly. Greta was jealous and cried when all the other girls went into the studio and she didn't, but she was satisfied to watch.

Today I'm trying to hang on to the happy things in life while I nurse my sinus infection (I've been really sick for a week and a half) and while my husband works so hard that we don't see him much. So, onto more film! I took these back in May when we spent a day at the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz. I love these photos! I love Holly's hair and I love that she has a piece of licorice in her hand. I love that the beach is sparse and beautiful. My wonderful camera is definitely on my happy list.

I have my Grandfather's old Canon AE-1 camera. I love it. It's a beautiful camera all on it's own. I've been curious about film and have wanted to dive into it for a while, but I was so nervous. For whatever reason, shooting film felt like going out on a limb. But you know what? It wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be and the photos turned out lovely. I adore the vintagey look the camera naturally gives the photographs. I love the feel of the photos. It's the grain and the lighting. They come together to make something wonderful. I'm so happy I took photos with this camera and I'm so excited to do more! 

Below are a couple I took in Yosemite in May.