{heat} of summer.

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this is one of my favorite photos of my boys and one of my favorite photos period.
two little brothers,
two years ago
a different time, different place
same heat of summer.
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"Heat" is the July writing prompt of The Mommy Blogger Collective. In addition to a monthly writing prompt, the collective hosts a monthly blogger featurette. This month we are featuring Renee of oh renée. A few words from Renée --- Oh Renée started as a creative outlet for me a few years ago, a happy place to share creative and fun projects or fashion. Since then, it has evolved into one of the best things I could ever have done with my time! The last few years of blogging have become much more personal to me- more of a way to document this life of mine, with my husband, with my little boy and with the world around me. I enjoy sharing glimpses into our days and sharing in other mom’s lives as well, as part of this wonderful world of social media. Being a mother is better than anything I could have expected! Truly. I call Ohio my home, I keep the joy of traveling and exploring new places close to my heart, i spend my evenings knitting and am never without a book in my hand or in my purse. My blog is much of the same! You can find me on Instagram at instagram.com/ohreneedesign. /// The Mommy Blogger Collective /// Christina, Courteney, Dena, Erica, Erin, Gillian, Katie, Misty, Nicole, and Renée. ///

on being creative.

At the beginning of the month, I was asked to take part in a questionnaire on being creative. Dena - one of my favorite bloggers and dare I say, my "blogging friend" from Live Love Simple nominated me and I have been working on this post here and there ever since! By no means do I assume anyone is that interested in my creative process but I do feel like these questions were interesting to ponder and I'd love to share my answers with you all!
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What am I working on?
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Hmm, I am passionate about photography as an art but I am not and never have been particularly disciplined about it. I can't really say that I have a list of goals that I'm working towards achieving or a host of driven personal and professional projects that I'm chipping away at. I've realized over time that this isn't necessarily a bad thing. I still don't exactly know "what I want to do" with all of this but I've enjoyed the process so far. I've had different dreams and feelings towards all things photography / blogging related and those thoughts have changed and shifted as time has gone on. 

Professionally, I am not doing much with photography right now. I was still taking clients in the fall through my business and in the spring I did some freelance work. Problems with my computer forced me to pull back a little bit and honestly I'm really happy with that right now.

I'm actually feeling more interested in growing + focusing on my blog. I have been so happy with my decision to start working with FabKids! Collaborating with a brand has definitely been a dream of mine and they have been SUCH a fun company to work with. I know that sponsorship and making money blogging is a touchy subject for some and is something of a learning process for me as well. I do really enjoy working with brands though and hope to continue to do it in a way that in cohesive with my blog.

(( you can see the posts that I've done for FabKids so far: here! ))

I have also enjoyed being a part of the Mommy Blogger Collective. I am always so hesitant to participate in anything "outside of my box" but this has been a fun group that collectively writes on a prompt each month. I have also learned a lot about blogging through this group of women and I'm really glad that I decided to take part in it!

(( you can see the posts that I've done as part of the Mommy Blogger Collective: here! ))

( Client photos // Fall 2013 // Photography by Gillian Claire )

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How does my work differ from others as a genre?
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I definitely think that my photography has a distinct style which has stayed pretty consistent through the years, although hopefully while improving technically. I like my photos to have a light, soft, somewhat whimsical feel to them.

As far as my blog goes, I do sometimes find myself wondering what I'm doing with my blog or why I'm doing it but alas I keep finding myself here, blogging. My about me section lists my blog as a (real)lifestyle blog and I think that probably sums up what I'm doing here pretty well. I really don't dress my kids a certain way every day, I don't have a spotless house filled with fabulous DIY ideas to share with my readers. I'm not a chef or a gardener or doing reallllly anything that's going to go viral on Pinterest anytime soon but I do love journaling about my boys and I love photographing the way I see them in my heart - soft, lovely, beautiful little souls. 

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How do I write/create what I do?
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Speaking camera gear wise, I primarily use a Canon 5D and a 50 mm 1.4 lens. I edit using Lightroom / Photoshop. I have edited exclusively in each Lightroom or Photoshop but what I primarily do is edit mostly  in Lightroom and use Photoshop more for graphic design / layout type work. I really love the setup of Lightroom and I feel like it suits the style I seek best.

As far as writing goes, I mostly like a journaling / poetic style of writing. I just like to write like I'm filling up a notebook of thoughts. :)

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How does your writing/creative process work?
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Like I said before, I am really not disciplined about my photography or writing. There are a lot of ways that I go about my creative process. Usually if I write a particularly serious post, it's because something is on my mind and I randomly scatter out my thoughts into my iPod and then later publish it as a blog post. My posts are not really ever ideas that are previously planned and put together. I take photos when the mood strikes, I edit when I feel like it and then I just turn it into a blog post. I like to do photoshoots with my boys similar to how I go about client sessions but usually I just randomly pull out my camera and snap some photos. Sometimes those are the photos that turn into treasures. I truly value the pictures of my boys, the pictures here on my blog have feelings attached to them that run so deep.Thank you so much for letting me share them with you! It means the world to me when you leave sweet words behind. <3

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My nominations…
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Jenn of  These Ripples and Waves: Jenn has been reading my blog since the dawn of time and she lives in my home state of Ohio but we've never met in person! Our little boys are just days apart and I love following along with her life on her blog. We have a lot of the same ideas and passions and I always like hearing what she has up her sleeve as far as blogging / photography goes!

Ashlie of Be Your Own Lady: Ashlie's blog is a new one on my must-read-list! I love her passionate writing! Ashlie definitely seems to be a driven mama / blogger / woman and I'd love to hear more about how she views creativity!

Katie of  Hello Little Bean: Katie is a fellow blogger from the Mommy Blogger Collective. I love the clean, fresh look of her blog and of course her adorable little girl, Lark. I'd love to hear more about Katie's creative process! 

I'm honestly tempted to list every single blog here as a "nomination" because I want to read everyone's answers to these questions! So seriously, consider yourself nominated, world!

portraits of a two year old.

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     i took these photos of asher right before he turned 3. he is wearing a tie dyed shirt that roman and i made when i was still pregnant with asher. we dyed and tie dyed a bunch of onesies + matching big boy shirts together that summer. asher's hair is long + curly in these pictures and on his birthday i cut his hair for the hundredth time while he sat our little stool in the living room.
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     i love these photographs, the last portraits of my two year old.
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     a little china doll made real.
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     these pictures remind me of these, taken of asher at 21 months old.
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friday things.

( two cute toddler moments )
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it's friday!
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i don't know what my deal is but i have just been so tired the past few days.  i guess i need to drink more coffee, i don't feel like i've been staying true to my second or third cup lately and it shows.
 that or i need more sleep which seems much less likely to happen!
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so having said that, my plan was to be at the gym right now but instead i'm laying in bed and eating burritos and blogging while asher naps. maybe i'll work out later... maybe.
burritos first.
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aaron took over "fun friday" today with the boys while i was at work and he bought them each a
$5 nerf gun. happiness abounds. :)
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speaking of work, we have FALL clothing in now. ew. ew, ew, ew.
ok fine, i like fall and am the littlest bit excited for boots and sweaters.
but i am not ok with winter coming, not okay at all.
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my blog has 150 followers on bloglovin'!
what, you aren't impressed? okay fine, it's not a lot but it feels like a lot to me.
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and speaking of blogs, tell me your favorite ever blogs in the comments!
i just decided that i need to mix it up and add a few new ones to my daily reading.
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and if you are a blogger interested in advertising, let me know if you'd like to swap ads!
 i recently cleaned up my sidebar a bit and could add a couple in there.
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have a good weekend everyone!
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little boy style // awesome clearance sale.

     The process of putting together collages of my favorite things is so much fun and I used to love doing this when I wrote for the Spearmint Baby blog. I stopped writing for them when we moved out to Colorado because it was just too time consuming at that point but I do miss these kind of posts. I always feel super particular about what I post on my blog because I'm very picky about how it looks and I just want to scroll down and see soft / pretty photos like I'm looking through a journal of the lovely parts of my life. This was the major reason I felt uneasy when I first started taking on sponsored content. My feelings have shifted a little and I've realized that while this blog is definitely a photo journal and a place for my art, I also LOVE working with companies and branching out into the business side of blogging.

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     Overall I'm pretty happy with the way my blog flows right now. It's a place for me to share photos of my sweet little boys, a place to share deeper feelings and thoughts about motherhood on occasion, a place to connect with other mothers out there. In the past year though, I have also enjoyed branching out a little bit farther into the business side of blogging and it has been so much fun.

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     So anyway, I've put together a collage today and I'm going to share it and see how it goes because I think it would be really fun to start sharing a few of these / a little more about clothing for little boys! I love shopping for my little boys' clothes. Growing up, I played with dolls all the time and sometimes when I'm doing things for my little boys, I feel so lucky because I realize that being a mom is kind of exactly the same as being a little girl and playing with my dolls and I still love it in the same way. :)

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     I always hear moms / women talk about having daughters and how fun it is to shop for little girl clothing but I truly love everything boy. I've realized that you do have to scrounge a bit more to find cute boys' clothing because it seems like boys really do get the shaft in this area. Instead of finding bright fun colorful clothing like I see in the girls' section of the store, I often find the kind of clothing available for boys looks like it could be worn by grown men! This is such a pet peeve of mine.

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    I always try to get the best deals on kids' clothing and almost always shop thrift stores / clearance. This is becoming a little more difficult with Roman and I've found that as my boys get older I have to invest a little more money in clothing, but I am still always looking out for great deals. The one day 40% off sale on Gymboree's summer clearance is absolutely awesome and is full of all of my favorite little boy kind of clothes: little tank tops, colorblock, seersucker, cute prints, oh my. The sale is only going on today, so be sure to check it out and grab a few cute things! It's also a great chance to stock up on clothes for next summer!

striped tanks / bulls eye tank / monster undies /  teal chino pants 

seersucker shorts / colorblock shorts / green denim shorts / striped jersey knit shorts / color block sunglasses

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*This posts contains affiliate links. I was in no way compensated for this post but if you do use my links to shop for your kiddos I will receive a percentage of the sales. All opinions are my own; I love sharing my favorite things with you! Thanks so much for reading along and providing my family with these opportunities. We truly appreciate it!*
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first lost tooth.

 ( photo from instagram ) 

     oh hey, look who lost his first tooth! this moment definitely seems blog-worthy. we didn't even realize roman had a loose tooth but one day while watching a show out in the living room he came into the bedroom with a startled look on his face and said, "i think i lost a tooth!" and indeed, he had! he was a little worried at first and didn't want to look in the mirror.

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     the rest of the day, he talked about it non-stop with me. and kept saying adorably sweet roman-things like, "wow, it's a big day!" i took this photo when we were sitting outside on a blanket, talking about his tooth of course. i could tell that he loved how excited i was and i loved how cute he looked with that one newly missing tooth. i seriously looked at this photo a million times in my phone for days on end after i took it. it just radiates roman's sweetness to me. roman is growing up so much and it tears at my heart but i also love seeing him smack dab in the trenches of childhood. gosh, he is just the best. :)

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FabKids // July Picks.

We are having so much fun using the FabKids subscription clothing company! My boys now know what to expect when a FabKids package arrives at our door and they tear in immediately to check out their new outfits! Roman and Asher really have enjoyed the process of choosing outfits each month and then seeing that blue package arrive at the door.
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We have a pretty good time with our photo shoots as well. :)
I am really happy with the shorts that came with these outfits. They remind me of the shorts from our April outfits; they are thin and soft and I love the fun pattern! Asher's outfit came with 2 little tank tops (which are sold as a pair for the price of one!) and I'm pretty much dying over that cuteness. I tried to talk Roman into the tank tops as well since he is hot blooded as ever and needs a few more of these, but once he saw this shark shirt his mind was made up!
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You can check out FabKids for yourself here!
The monthly price is $29.95 and includes a two piece outfit that you and your child get to choose. You can skip ANY month as many times as you want. FabKids also offers a lot of great deals and specials to their members such as $10 shorts or buy one get one free outfits + anyone can use a referral link to earn free outfits! Also, if you use the links from this post to sign up - your first FabKids outfit will only be $15!
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You can see other FabKids posts here, here + here.

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*FabKids provided me with the clothing featured in this post in exchange for these photographs + this review. 

This post also includes referral links. Thank you so much for supporting my family and providing us with these fun opportunities! We truly appreciate it!*