Photos Archives - Page 23 of 63

Saying Goodbye

July 17, 2012/0 Comments/in Grumples, Kansas City, Photos /by Megan

Last Wednesday was a sad and happy day for the Crazybananas crew. Our good friends the Coleman’s are moving to Denver, and it was the last chance we’d have to say goodbye. It was a sudden move, due to a job transfer, and while I know it will be good for them in the end, I have to say I’m pretty sad for myself. Nicole and I have known each other since preschool, and it was so nice having her in my city. She always knew the best local haunts, and was one of the first people to really get me excited about living here (I’ve written about a few of the places she introduced me to, including Powell Gardens and the drive-in movie theater). Nicole is also an incredible photographer, and I will miss having her around to document our lives (you can see photos Nicole has shot of our family here, here and here).

But most of all, we will miss having friends around with kids the same age as ours. Since we had Lu a bit younger than most, we continue to struggle with finding people we can relate to that have kids the same age. Of course we love all our parenting friends, but Nicole and Ben were the exact same age as us, and their daughter Haven is only two months older than Lulu. It was really nice having someone that related to our struggles as young-ish (not so young anymore) parents, especially early on. (Click here for some adorable photos of the girls first playdate way back when…)

In the past few years, even though they lived in another part of the city and we saw each other only once a month at most, Haven and Lulu because such good friends, and it was fun watching them grow up together. Miss Anna, their younger daughter has grown into such a lovely little girl as well, although it still blows my mind when I see her and realize she’s not a baby anymore. I can’t imagine how much the girls will change before we see them again.

So last Wednesday we all got together at Little Freshie on the west side and enjoyed some snow cones and iced sodas. I was afraid Lu would be sad, but I think the concept of moving is still a little out of her reach. Plus, with Skype and Facetime, I’m sure we’ll still be seeing their pretty faces often.

Goodbye, Coleman Family! We’re going to miss you like crazy, but we promise to come visit you in Denver. Say hi to IKEA for us!

Happy Weekend Announcements

July 13, 2012/3 Comments/in Fun, Photos, web /by Megan

It’s FRIIIIIIDAAAAAY! Hooray, you know? This is has been a big, wonderful week here at Crazybananas. One of the largest undertakings was finally (finally) getting the Crazybananas Facebook fan page up and running. What is that? You want to “like” it, so you can be sure to get all the updates on Crazybananas news and maybe even some fun giveaways? Well, never fear! I am here to help! Click the image below and then click the “like” button. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

You’re back! Thank you so much for joining our weird little Crazybananas community. If the Internet wasn’t in between us, I’d give you a big old smooch on your face. Mwah!

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Here are some other fun things I’ve seen on the web this week:

– During my Alt Class this week (have you registered yet?) another attendee saw my name and emailed me to share that her sister-in-law had the same moniker as yours truly. After a few more emails, I realized our kids also shared a name (she has a girl named Tate!). The world is a funny place, I swear. Anyway, she has a wildly popular blog and she was the person that gave me the extra push I needed to get my Facebook page up. You should go visit her blog, it’s awesome!

– Simple Lovely created a Pinterest board devoted to images of moms that just makes my heart go pitter patter. Moms are beautiful creatures. (This one of Michelle Williams is just, ooof.)

– An avocado bourbon shake? Don’t mind if I do!

– Rebecca Woolf of Girl’s Gone Child has a new web video series called Child Style and I love it to pieces! The first five episodes are live and so charming.

– NPR news hosts do a mash up to pop hit “Call Me Maybe” and I die laughing. Also, I could recognize each host by their voice which *may* mean I listen to too much NPR.

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Here are some of this week’s Instagrams! Enjoy, and I’ll see you back here on Monday!

(P.S. If you want to follow me on Instagram, you can find me @crazy_bananas.)

Instant Love

July 5, 2012/1 Comment/in Photos /by Megan

A few weeks ago, on a random whim, I emailed my dad:

Dad,

Hi! How are you? Hope all is well. I was wondering, do you guys still have your old Polaroids from when I was a kid?

Love you,
Megan

Some context would be nice, I guess. A few months back, I read about the 365 Grateful project (you can watch a snippet of the documentary made about the project here) and was totally enthralled. I have always been a fan of instant photography, and as a now loyal journal writer, I thought it was a fabulous idea to add images to my written words. Over the past two years I’ve fallen in love all over again with the idea of film photography. We’re so obsessed with digital images, where you can take 100 shots to make sure you get the perfect capture, and I adore the idea of film’s imperfections. I love the blurry edges and the closed eyes and the unintentional overexposure. In fact, I spend so much time making my digital images look like they are film (um, hello, Instagram), that I thought it would be fun to try and take some actual film images as well.

Enter, these beauties! My dad found them in an old cabinet at my childhood home and brought them to me. I immediately looked for film online, only to find it’s grossly expensive. Polaroid closed it’s doors a few years back, and now you can only buy film via eBay or The Impossible Project. I love the idea of The Impossible Project (they bought an old Polaroid factory and have developed their own line of film to keep the medium going), so that’s where I purchased my first rolls. I get sixteen exposures….for $50. Holy crap.

The results so far have been less than stellar. I forgot how bright the Polaroids’ flashes are, so most of my indoor pictures are extremely blown out (and not in the good way). I’m still working on finding a focus point as well, so I have a lot of out of focus subjects. The Impossible Project film is very sensitive to light, so you have to immediately cover up your image as it comes out of the camera or it will be ruined. I’ve been laying mine down flat (per instructions), but that has seemed to cause some crazy blue lines across my images. I’m hoping I will keep getting better, but the cost of film is so much, I’m not sure how much I can waste getting it all right.

I suppose that’s the point though…my images will never be perfect. And that is why they are wonderful. Their imperfections are what makes them beautiful. At least, that’s what I’m choosing to tell myself today, as I pull out the credit card and order some more film. Onward!

Happy Weekend!

June 29, 2012/1 Comment/in Fun, Photos, web /by Megan

It is Friday, right? I am so mixed up, since I took off work in the middle of the week to see some good friends that were randomly in our hometown at the same time for the first time in over five years. The photo above is Tate and Lena at breakfast, looking very much like myself and Lena’s mom, who I’ve known for over 20 years (craziness). While it was such fun, especially seeing our kiddos play together and spending some good one-on-one time with Grandpa, my brain is totally scrambled today. Is it Monday? Tomorrow is the weekend? Wha? Huh? Who? Blergh.

Our plans this weekend include playdates with friends, some pool time, grilling out and hopefully getting some bike rides in. Did I tell you all I finally bought a bike? I totally did, and then the temps hit 105 degrees and I stopped even attempting to ride. But this weekend I will push through, if just to prove to Trent that my random purchase was worth it!

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Here are some fun links from around the web this week that had me smiling:

I absolute MUST make this giant banana split!

In Kansas City? Need something to do this July? Check out Ink’s listing of the best things to do in July. Then invite me!

I’m obsessed with this Might Closet from AB Chao. I want her to be my BFF 4 Life and let me borrow her clothes. I also want her to take headless photos of me.

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Did someone say Instagram? Well, okay then! Here are some shots of our week. If you’re on Instagram, you can find me at @crazy_bananas.

Tate reading on a Saturday morning // mixtape-cd Trent made for me circa 2009 that I found in my car // Lulu lost her first tooth! // a tiny note from the tooth fairy // Lulu’s first experience with a merry go round // driving to the farm at midnight is so creepy // Tate in the tunnel at CiCo park in Manhattan // Tate snuggling with Grandpa // swinging // what 105 degrees looks like

18(ish) Months

June 26, 2012/1 Comment/in Photos, Tate, Trent, Videos /by Megan

Dear Tate,

Last week you turned 18 months old and we celebrated by injecting you with some chemicals so you don’t get sick. Yay, Science! Tate, I’m totally kidding. Not about the shots, you did have to get them, but my inference that they are not important. Your dad and I are very pro-vaccine and pro-western medicine, so I can only assume you’ll end up being a yogi aromatherapist who smells faintly of patchouli. I promise to love you anyway.

That’s what being a mom is all about, Tate. Loving you even when you do something silly. Like, for instance, pooping in the bathtub. Or clawing at me when you’re angry, leaving crazy scratches all over my body like some little were-baby. Or throwing grapes at my head because you saw your dad do it once (I totally caught that one in my mouth because I rule) and now you think it’s the game we play at dinnertime. While this is a fun game, maybe you could wait for me to sweep up the floor before you start grabbing grapes from the previous meal off the kitchen tile. Or at least wait until your dad leaves the room so I don’t get in trouble for letting you. We need to work as a team, Tate!

At your 18 month checkup, your doctor warned me that fun times were ahead. Soon you’ll be speaking in full sentences and writing equations in Mandarin! Or not. But you will be talking so much more and you’ve already started interacting in ways that were unfathomable only a few months ago. Your vocabulary expands daily, along with your love of your own voice, which is a lethal combination for my ears. Add in your love for anything that crashes, and you’re a screaming, stomping, KA-POWing machine.

Tater, you’re my little Bam Bam. You’re sweet and snuggly and love to play “nite-nite” as long as the game ends with you jumping on the bed. You have known how to say “mama” for months, but you never really said it unless you wanted something. All people you love (me, Lu, Grammy) are “dada.” Your dad, ironically, is not, as his name is “DADDEEEEEEEEE,” a word that can be heard from down the street whenever you spot his face. But this weekend I started clapping like a lunatic seal whenever you’d say “mama,” so that’s now your new parlor trick. “MAMAAAA!” you’ll yell, while clapping wildly for yourself.

Good job, little dude. I’m over here applauding like crazy.

Love,
Mama

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