My little friends Grace and Micah were baptized tonight at church. I was going to link back to the photo shoot we did a few weeks ago, but oh yeah, I haven’t posted those images yet. This is an excellent reminder to do so! So anyhow, tonight these sweet kids were baptized at Redeemer—and it got me a bit choked up. Baptism itself doesn’t save; Jesus is the Savior of mankind. But we baptize our babies, our toddlers, our teens, our adults because it’s a sign that we belong to God. What a beautiful expression of faith tonight, to see Grace publicly proclaim her faith and to see Micah receive this sacrament. Afterwards I told Grace how neat it was to see her baptized, and she informed me with great excitement that she got to take communion. Yep, communion is pretty darn exciting, too.

Not only did we get our first snowfall in Lincoln yesterday, it was that gorgeous, wet kind of snow that blankets every single skinny branch and drapes over everything, making the television and telephone cable lines objects of beauty. The sun came out this morning and then the world began to really sparkle.

I can see Renae out my back window. She’s snapping away at the snowy grandeur as well. We just can’t stay away. Even the trees in their snowy fleeces are praising God this morning.

Gorgeous, sleepy, snowy Saturday.
A rescheduled dinner.
Cancelled Christmas party makes room for long conversation and dessert.
Hilarious laughter.
Grateful for family and friends.

**I did indeed pick a theme for this year’s DPP. It’s portrait time for me—all people, all 25 days. My husband says I’m only allowed to use him once. After December 1 I told him, “Well, it’ll be another 23 days of Livia then.” ;)

Nothing says Yuletide quite like an arm fart. At least, nothing says Yuletide like an arm fart when you’re seven years old. I’m going to have to whip out my camera faster and in a stealthy ninja-like style if I want to capture Livia in a candid moment. She went from placing an ornament on her little tree (ah, such a classic moment) to mugging for my camera to arm farts. Such is life in the Tredway household in 2011.

My niece Madeleine and nephew Noah are too darn cute. I love their energy and drive. They are both creative and smart as all get out, not to mention very photogenic. More photos from their shoot to come soon.

Happy holidays, friends! I hope you all have enjoyed lots of turkey and lots of family time. I’m admiring a fully decorated house this morning as Livia was extremely excited to put up the Christmas tree. It was up on Thanksgiving night—a first for us. My dad and I got up early yesterday to partake in Black Friday sales. We ate our McDonalds breakfasts, drove around town, bought a few things and were home by 9:00am. Certain friends of mine get really wound up about the evil stores on evil Black Friday. To that I say, bah humbug. I wouldn’t trade my early morning adventures with my dad for anything! It’s a great memory.

And finally, hello!, the December Photo Project starts next Thursday! I am chomping at the bit to get started. Woohoo!

Maralee and I have a shared history of infertility and pregnancy loss. Suffice to say our phone conversation took an unusual turn last spring when she began counting calendar days, then hung up the phone to take a pregnancy test. It is now with great joy that I see a fully-pregnant Maralee and have the great privilege of capturing this time with my camera. Even though a photograph shows a single moment, it can contain so much more. It can reflect the many previous years of disappointment, the fulfillment and love adoption brings to a household, the quiet wonderings of a first pregnancy, the intimacy that family life creates, and the sheer excitement at the newness of life.

Even as I post a few images from our photo shoot, I know that next month I’ll get to introduce a new little Bradley to the world. This is just the beginning.

Just thinking about the December Photo Project makes me want to pull out my camera for fun, to snap away at the world and see what I capture. Shiloh, our Coton, didn’t love his close-up this morning. He seemed uncomfortable in front of the lens. I can identify. Sometimes it feels awkward when someone starts taking your picture, without permission nonetheless, before you’ve had a chance to do your hair and get the sleep out of your eyes and brush your teeth. He seems to have recovered admirably now, however, and is curled up tight in his doughnut-shaped dog bed.

I had a conversation with Tara this morning about how to go about the December Photo Project. Clearly the challenge of shooting and posting a photo for 25 days straight is enough of a challenge. But what if you want to pick a theme or find something that really correlates to the nature of your blog? I love the idea of tailoring the DPP to either represent you personally or give you a challenge on top of my challenge. I think of Renee Welstead (Love Equals) and her gray couch series a few years ago. Or of the year Renae Morehead posted daily on our recipe blog Needs More Butter. What about shooting on Manual instead of Program or Aperture settings? Tara mentioned shooting at a particular hour each day, or focusing on one subject for the entire month. I know all the grandparents out there would be content with a photo of their grandkids every day.

I find that taking one photo and uploading EVERY DAY is challenge enough. It’s the uploading and publishing that’s the clincher, though finding something interesting to shoot can certainly be a challenge. It pushes your mind to new levels of creativity and pushes your internal editor to uncomfortable places as well. Sometimes I talk myself out of photos because they are too boring or too artsy or too much like the one I posted the day before. Let the DPP squash those voices, and let it set free your creative impulses. The 2011 DPP is going to be fun, my friends. Can’t wait!

There were once two high school kids named Marc and Kaylee. They kinda liked each other. They grew up, and they still kinda liked each other. In fact, they truly loved each other. So Marc gave Kaylee a ring. And now he can make her happy forever. The end. (True story.)