December 2016 Rural Photo Shoot

The December 2016 Rural Photo Shoot was all about Santa!

December 2016 rural photo shoot is a little bit different than the other photo shoots. And that’s because I did not take the photos. My mom helped me out with this month’s shoot. Where would I be without mom??

I still wanted to share some photos from the month of December. Both of my girls have changed so much in a month. It’s fun to go back through past rural photo shoots to see their developments up to this point. 

So, if you’re reading Farm Fit Living for the first time, you may not know what the December 2016 rural photo shoot is. For those of you who are new, be sure to read the next couple of sections. And check out previous photo shoot sessions for some awesome blasts from the past!

But, if you are a loyal follower and lover of my blog and the rural photo shoots, go ahead and scroll down past all this mumbo jumbo to the cute photos of the December 2016 rural photo shoot. Taken by my wonderful mom.

WHAT IS THE MONTHLY PHOTO SHOOT?

Well, it is a challenge. I started this challenge in June 2016 as a way to capture the growth of my girls. And also to grow in my photography skills as well. I plan to continue this challenge for many years to come as a way to collect memories with my girls.

Now, I’m not just photographing them in a normal day. But I’m actually dressing them up cute like I would if I was taking them to a professional photographer. I always intended to play with props and use natural lighting to capture their best moments just as a professional photographer would do.

I get to use my creative brain and really think of some ideas to make the best photo work. It’s fun, I’m making memories and I’m saving money by not having to hire a professional photographer. This photo shoot is something I can plan and look forward to each and every month. It will showcase our favorite memories and events of that month.

Furthermore, I encourage you to take part in this challenge as well. Why not? Well, I will tell you why I am doing it. Maybe it will entice you to try it as well.

WHY A MONTHLY PHOTO SHOOT?

Seems like it would be stressful to throw in a photo shoot in an already busy rural life. But, when Maci was a newborn, I was starting to believe it to be necessary. I was fighting with myself over the fact that I had not scheduled a photo shoot with a photographer after the birth of my newborn.

So, I took newborn pictures of her. A month later, my mom came to visit and encouraged me to take some pictures of both girls myself. During the June 2016 rural photo shoot, I used Mylee’s Allis Chalmers peddle tractor, rocking chair and trees in our own yard for an awesome first photo shoot.

That’s when the idea popped into my head. I have the cute props and the camera. I have the gorgeous rural scenery. Why not?

So, the monthly photo shoot challenge was born. I had so much fun with our first photo shoot in June that I decided to keep it up each month.

Because my girls are growing up and changing so much, I felt this would be a genius idea to keep track of their growth. And so far, the results of each have been timeless treasures for me and our extended family and friends who want to follow along as the girls change from month to month. 

December 2016 RURAL PHOTO SHOOT

December 2016 was insane. One word. Kidding. My goats were having their babies and it was extremely cold. So, I asked my mom if she would take the girls for a few days so I could focus on the goats.

The December 2016 rural photo shoot is hopefully the only time I will let this happen. Because I want to take the pictures myself, I feel like I failed my challenge. I will complete the challenge each month in 2017. It’s important to me to document my girls as they grow and develop each month. It happens so fast.

Here are some of the props and locations my mom used to take the pictures. 

PROPS & LOCATIONS

The girls were dressed in adorable matching red Christmas outfits and shoes for the December 2016 rural photo shoot. Two locations of the shoot were:

• A community holiday event in my hometown featuring Santa
• Mom’s Living Room

Props included:

• Santa
• Christmas Tree

That’s it! My mom just snapped a few photos with her phone and texted them to me. And the rest is history.

So, here’s the results of the December 2016 rural photo shoot plus more about what my girls are up to.

MYLEE

My big girl is three-and-a-half years old. Nope – Still not potty trained. But we are getting there. 

She loves her gymnastics classes, My Little Ponies, chocolate and helping me around the house and farm. She’s been a huge help to me during kidding season by drying and warming up new babies and keeping her little sister happy. 

For Christmas this year, she asked Santa for one of those Baby Alive dolls. She also received new letter and number books for homeschool preschool. Plus a toy shoe to help her learn to tie her shoes. 

The best thing about Mylee is that she is an amazing big sister. I’m very grateful for her help with Maci, who is changing so much in such a short amount of time. 

MACI

Miss Maci turns 9 months old this month! Where does the time go? Plus, she is starting to become mobile.

Yes, little miss is crawling full force. And pulling herself up to stand. And these moments happened only within a couple of weeks time. 

So, Santa brought her a 3-in-1 Walker for her to play and practice walking. We also found out this month that she truly loves people with beards. So, of course, Santa was at the top of her list. 

I just love sitting and watching her change right before my eyes. Why didn’t I take pictures? 

• Maybe I was in complete “Awe” at what I was seeing? My little baby is CRAWLING! Now, she’s STANDING!
• I just wanted the moment embedded into my crazy mind. So, I just stared and watched her. I didn’t take action.

No more will I sit and watch. My word for 2017 speaks loud and clear. 

My Word for 2017: Action

Last year, I let PPD and Anxiety rule my mindset. This year, I will really focus, overrule my mindset, and take action. Here are some of the ways I’m achieving this:

1. I’m reading or listening to one inspiring book each month. January’s book is “The Lean Startup.”
2. My new podcast Rural Women Inspired will allow me to talk with women and share their story with the world. 
3. I will practice only scheduling what I can do. This involves setting “office hours” and making lists of about five things at a time.  
4. My mindset has prevented me from achieving my post partum fat loss goals. Therefore, I will be sticking to a plan that works and then sharing it with all of you at the end of 2017. 

As I am naturally very business minded, my goals reflect this. But, I also have goals for the farm, garden and my family as well. And I share them each month with my loyal email list:

• Special email every Wednesday or
• Daily email every Week Day. 

Transferring My House from a Barn to a Holiday Home

So, my home was literally a barn this month thanks to the cold weather during kidding. 

You see, baby goat kids cannot regulate their body temperatures when it’s negative wind chill. Even our kidding barn was not a suitable temperature for new baby goat kids. 

So, I made a nice warm place in our basement and brought all the adults with babies indoors. Of course, there’s no pictures because I was so overwhelmed. My mind was always shifting to the next thing. They were only in there for a couple of days until the cold passed. 

The last goat families and bottle babies were taken out to the barn on December 23rd. Only two days prior to Christmas! So, I had two days to:

• Clean all the bedding out of the basement. 
• Remove the kennel containing the bottle babies out of the kitchen. 
• Wash and sanitize all of my vet supplies and put them away. 
• Clean and sanitize the kitchen. 
• Bake cookies and get ready for Santa’s arrival. 
• Wrap presents.
• Cook the whole ham and the rest of the meal. 

Luckily, everyone worked together and we had a wonderful Christmas!

Photo Shoot for 2017

I will be completing the photo shoot in 2017 each and every month. Absolutely no excuses here. The rules might change a bit:

• The girls don’t have to be dressed up every month…So, maybe some more lifestyle type shoots are in the works.
• They don’t have to look perfect because, I mean, they already are. But honestly, do you want to really see perfect? I will show you how “unperfect” we are! 

So, a lot more laid back. But still cute. The goal of the photo shoot challenge is to capture the moments and share them. To have a place to look back to when I want to see my babies. 

I love this photo shoot challenge. Don’t you? I hope you will partake in capturing your loved one’s moments each month. Because in a blink of an eye, they change. 

~ Much Love ~

 

 

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