Birthday Pictures

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It’s My Birthday Today!  I turn 37, and I’ve been pretty excited about 37 for a few years. You’d think I’d be cringing, as I creep closer to 40, but I’m actually pretty excited about 40. ANNNNND,  because everything “7” is my favorite, 37 is even more exciting! Seven is just my number, probably because my birthday is 7/7, but I just love everything 7. I remember loving 17, and 27 was pretty good to me, too. For the past few years, I’ve traveled on my birthday, and being smack in the middle of the summer, tagging onto the only national holiday in the middle, it’s been easier to do that. Two years ago, my husband and I celebrated in Alaska, and last summer we took a road trip to Tennessee. This year, we are in Ghana visiting my parents! (I’m writing this and scheduling it before my trip). If you want to see all about our Ghana adventures, follow me on Instagram! {It may or may not be a fabulous birthday gift to have new friends on IG, so tell your friends, too!}

For my birthday each year, I just want pictures!  I had dreamed and drooled for months of pictures with gorgeous floral wreaths, and I tried to scheme how I could do some pictures with them. As I looked through pinterest, it seemed it was most often associated with bridesmaids or flower girls. I couldn’t figure out how to fit in the boys with that, so I thought it’d be fun to take some mother/daughter pictures with them. So that is just what we did.

floral crowns with cream and peach

I contacted Michele at Amore Bride on etsy (follow them on facebook here), and she crafted these gorgeous creations for me! I told the boys that this was all I wanted for my birthday, to help me pull this photo shoot off. It would take all 3 of them, and they were totally up for the task. I had gold lanterns, a fabric banner, and it’d take hauling a few ladders to the field down the street to make that happen. If you saw this post on instagram, you’ll see where I got all 4 of my kids to help make the fabric banner.

I often swap taking pictures with other photographer friends, and the one I had spoken to wasn’t available after the crowns came in, so I thought if I got everything set up, I could hand my camera off to my husband and he could take over. He’s done it before, I just had to micro manage quite a bit! I did, he did, and it worked great!

The boys helped hang the banner and gold lanterns once we got there, and we were good to go.  I’m very happy with how the pictures turned out, exactly the feel of what I wanted!

cream and tan and peach floral crowns

Let’s just talk for a second about pictures.

Some people hate them of themselves, and maybe I would if I wasn’t happy with my place in life, but I do feel content with me and my aging self. I’ve struggled with my weight just like most of the world out there, and in the past year, I’ve slacked off and picked up a few extra unwanted pounds, and more recently have been trying hard to take them off again. I try not to let that define how I feel about myself though. I have loved my new (in the past year) red hair, and feel an extra bit of confidence in myself with it. My friend Kiran who does my hair, also gave me some make-up tips, that I think give more of the softer/neutral look I prefer, and I feel better than I ever have. I was recently telling a few friends that I think the red hair pulled me out of a funk that I’ve had the past years, and reminded me that I need to not focus so much on the negativity I’ve felt in my life, and just harness the happy and spontaneous.

throwing flower petals in the air

I mean, I feel like I’m a happy, positive person, it’s part of what I was born with, and part my growing up experience. I feel an overall joyful perspective on life. But dang, I get pulled down by negativity, too. In the past few years, I’ve felt more insecure socially than I ever have in my life, and it feels horrible. I used to be more outgoing, and I’ve turned a bit more intrinsic in public settings, and I hate that it may appear that I’m snobby or something. I feel like I wait for people to come to me, and often they don’t, then that makes me sad again.  Sometimes I blame the blog for that, I blame it for a lot of things about me, but I can’t overlook the positive that has come from this little lady, too. I feel like sometimes I think of the negative people way too much when I’m writing (even stuff like this) and I want to filter myself, but I want to write for the people out there who care like Shawnna who comments nearly every single day, and Aline in Brazil that has been following for years and comments on my “heart” posts. I want to write more heart posts, and less fluff, but then I’m just tired and just want to watch TV to numb all the millions of thoughts that run through my head each day.  (Recently I’ve fallen for the new TV series, Jane the Virgin, has anyone seen it?? Soooo cute! And funny and quirky….but I’m having to buy episodes on itunes, and don’t love that!)

fabric banner as photo prop

I feel like there is a social taboo associated with sharing pictures of yourself, and I especially feel self conscious about it on instagram, and try to make sure there is enough space between pictures of me from the last one of me–because I do make sure I’m in pictures, (I talked about the importance of mom’s getting in pictures HERE) but don’t want to appear vain. Maybe I over think it, I’m sure I do.  But If you are anything like me, when I follow friends, I don’t just want to see pictures of their kids and their food and activities, I want to see THEM!  But that’s mostly what I see–their kids. And while that’s cute, I’d rather see  pictures of them and their kids. So I think of that when I share pictures of myself.

mother daughter throwing rose petals

But I’m trying to move past that, because I’m sharing my life both as a documentation for myself (I’ve been an avid journal writer in the past, and since writing my blog more seriously, I’ve laxed on that way too much) and to share with others that life is beautiful, even through the junky stuff.

floral crowns and glitter glasses

What do you think about the gold glitter glasses? I kinda love them.

mother daughter dancing in the wildflower field

And dancing…I love dancing.

birthday cuddles

But mostly, I love my girls…

dancing with girls in pictures

And sharing my love of dancing with them…       wildflower meadow pictures

And my love of pictures…

small floral crowns for flower girls

And just being free to be them…no inhibitions…

floral crowns for bridesmaids and flower girls

I want my girls to have memories like this recorded, to remind them of their beauty, and of our shared love…

gold glitter glasses

And that you don’t really have to have a real reason to get dressed up and wear floral crowns…  mother daughter floral crowns

Just because it looks fun…and because it’s a birthday wish.

family pictures with gold and cream

Hopefully this will inspire you all to do something fun with your family, that you love. You don’t have to be a bridesmaid or flower girl to take pictures as them! Do it, just because you want to….create your own memories, don’t wait for them to happen.

mother daughter matching small floral crowns

Thank you all for being a part of my adventure, whether a regular blog subscriber, or following on social media and hopping over from time to time. I appreciate it. It’s a weird thing to write to name-less and face-less people, I so appreciate hearing from you, and what keeps you coming back. As I mentioned above, what I want to do with this blog seems to change from month to month, but what stays the same is knowing that people out there keep checking in from time to time.

mother daughter dancing

And well, what is a blogger’s post without a pinnable image? I figured if you want to “pin for later” you can use the below picture!

Mother and Daughter photo session with floral crowns

To see all the fun I shared for my birthday week last year, click on the image

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