I put all of the “first semester” of James’ While You Were At Preschool pictures into one post, so of course I had to do the same for the second semester. It’s so cool to look at how James grew through the months. Plus, there were some pictures I’d forgotten about!
I received a lot of questions about the series over the nine months I put it together, so I thought I’d answer some of the most frequently asked questions.
Q: Do you take a bunch of the photos at once?
A: Nope. With only a couple exceptions for travel or appointments, I took every picture while Annie was at school. Between dropping Annie off at school and James’ nap time, I only had about 30 minutes to get everything set up and take the picture. Luckily, my mom was almost always around for the pictures. This was especially helpful as James got older and more mobile. A spotter was necessary!
Q: Did you photoshop the pictures?
A: No. I took every photo with my iPhone. I then ran the picture through the A Beautiful Mess app, adjusted the exposure, and wrote the caption.
Q: Do you own ALL of those costumes?
A: Some of the costumes we owned (my mom loved the pictures and often would show up with a new costume or accessory), some we borrowed, and many I improvised or made with my sewing machine, my cousin’s cricut, and a lot of duct tape.
Q: What did you have to do to get James to smile all the time?
A: He’s naturally that happy! But I’d usually whistle or make a silly noise to get his attention. As he got older, he often was distracted by the props – especially the Peeps!
Q: What does Annie think of it?
A: Annie really loved all the pictures. She always wanted to see the props I used, and she’d often engage in pretend play based on that day’s photo (she ran around with the Olympic torch I made, and she and James played “police officers” for hours). She just told me this morning that she wants James to “still do silly things for me this summer,” so she’s already missing the photos.
(To see what Annie said about each adventure, just click on the photographs.)
The misspelling in this one will haunt me for the rest of my life.
Which one was your favorite?
Rebecca Smith says:
I love love love the one where James picks her flowers.
Jacquie says:
So much fun! Loved the recap as I had missed some
samatwitch says:
I love the all. My geek heart loves Yoda, of course, but I also love him playing doctor so seriously, and I love his hair in Pumping Weights and also in Greased Lightning. One of my favourites is of both of them “Sleeping Late” on Spring Break.
samatwitch says:
*them
Jennifer L. says:
I don’t think I can choose! Definitely love the ‘clowning around’ and ‘hard time’ pictures a lot.
kristen says:
You are such a creative mom! I can’t get enough of these pictures. Yoda is probably my favorite, the caption makes it so perfect! The Abraham Lincoln beard is too cute though, the massage one cracks me up, and I love how he really looks in character as a police officer!
Pattie says:
I forgot about the Yoda one! That might be my favorite now.
Danielle Smith says:
It would be truly impossible for me to pick a favorite. What a beautiful and brilliant idea. They will both treasure these forever!
Jordan says:
My favorite is the harry potter one from last semester, and from this semester it’s the peep one. SO CUTE.
I have a question! OK I may have two questions:
1. Were there any days where you were unsure of what James was going to do while Annie was at preschool? Did you ever not have an idea for a picture?
2. Which one is YOUR favorite?!?
Heather says:
1. Sometimes! But I usually tried to plot them out a week or two in advance so I wasn’t running around all crazy.
2. I love all of them, but my standouts are the March of Dimes pic, the chef, and covered with kisses.
RzDrms says:
Whoa. I just had a flash forward of Annie in college and James in high school. James does a high school project, a social experiment, a book-worthy endeavor that he’s carried from infancy to toddlerhood, and now into high school:
“While You Were At College…”
“I surfed the waves.”
“I went to prom.”
“I washed my car.”
“I met a superstar!”
I’m so excited to see what else you have in store. Please tell us you have something similar in store!
Heather says:
LOL Oh my gosh! I don’t even know what’s for dinner tomorrow, I definitely can’t plan that far ahead! But I like your ideas
Kate says:
Cupid is my all time favorite with Yoda a close second.
defendUSA says:
WYAP is like eating a Lays Potato Chip, You can’t pick just one because they are all awesome!!
I had not seen James in the flower one. Love.
Jenn says:
There were so many I didn’t remember seeing the first time around! I think the Yoda is one of my favorites, it makes me chuckle when I read it. They are all so wonderful, an awesome memory for all of you!
Marissa says:
My fav was the prison one
kelly says:
I love the Yoda one. But the one where he’s cutting your hair is awesome too! The look on his face looks like he’s really up to no good.
Nellie says:
Precious, each and every one of them! You need to create a coffee table photo book and sell it – I’d be the first one on line to purchase and receive a special signed copy from your adorably handsome James!
Vickie Wood says:
I was thinking the same thing about this needing to be published in nook form. Cutest idea EVER!
Robin says:
His face and those tattoos when he did hard time! Beyond cute!
Michelle says:
These are so awesome and seriously need to be put together in a book! What great memories for you all!! Wish I had thought of something like this when my kids were little…
Nicole says:
That was fun because there were actually some I had missed.
Judy says:
“I picked you some flowers” is my favorite. That smile is priceless!
Jennifer says:
OMG. So wonderful! Where did you get the Peep costume? I want this!!!!
Heather says:
Amazon! My mom couldn’t resist. Here’s the link!
Jennifer says:
Thank you!!!
Marianne says:
Made my day. Thank you for sharing your beautiful family.