Week 33 of Project 365 was a blast for this DFW baby photographer! This post technically covers like a week and a half, as I got a bit behind because we went on a family vacation to Providenciales, Turks and Caicos.
We stayed at a resort on Grace Bay (which is rated amongst top 10 beaches in the entire world). I had high hopes for clear water and beautiful sand and holy cow this did not disappoint. I mean, I feel like I’ve seen a few beaches in my time. I’ve been to the Gulf side and the Atlantic side of Florida; two different beaches in Mexico; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Gulf Shores, Alabama; and the Florida Keys. While all of those beach vacations were wonderful and conjure up fantastic memories, I will say that Turks and Caicos wins hands down for the clearest water. It really was like swimming in a giant pool. There were almost no waves to speak of, it was shallow, calm and there was fantastic snorkeling right off the beach. The landscape was pristine, and every day of the vacation I was blown away by the beauty of the island.
In addition to the wonderful waters, the resort was really a fantastic place to travel with young children. There were a ton of included activities–hobie cat rentals, snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boarding and a glass bottom boat tour. In addition, the resort had kids camps so the hubs and I were able to enjoy some solo beach time by checking the kids in with childcare. At night we had a private babysitter to stay with our baby in the room and put him to sleep, so the grown ups and the big kid could enjoy sit-down dinners and sunsets. I feel bad writing all this, because it was just too wonderful and I feel like I’m doing some major bragging. I am not a huge proponent of traveling to the same place twice–I mean, there are so many places to see in the world. But, this is the first location that I am already planning to visit again. I can’t wait until baby J is a bit older and can enjoy more of the activities, like snorkeling and sailing, alongside the rest of us.
Probably the only downside to traveling to this beach was that I didn’t bring my camera. I mean, that was planned, it wasn’t a mistake. I was on the fence about it…I had a hard time separating from my camera for such a momentous trip. In the end, I was afraid of having it damaged, stolen or lost. I took an Olympus TG-4 (basically a GoPro alternative) and my dated backup camera, a Canon Rebel t3i. I only brought two lenses–a fisheye and a zoom. If you aren’t a camera person, this probably means nothing to you. But, for my momtographer friends, you know what a struggle it was to make this choice. Plus, I am generally a prime lens girl, so restricting myself to a backup camera with a zoom was kind of ick. However, I figured I would be in the moment enjoying things more if I wasn’t worried about my gear. Also, traveling with a baby in tow meant we had to have a stroller and all kinds of annoying odds and ends, so I wanted to keep it as light as possible on the travel front. In the end, I have a ton of snapshots, and while I would have loved to have my big girl gear with me, I feel okay about my decision. But, if you are wondering about the quality of the photos this week..that would be a major reason why.
Without further adieu, Week 33.
DFW BABY PHOTOGRAPHER | WEEK 33
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I feel like Mother Nature got her signals crossed for the first part of August. It actually rained here in Texas for four days in a row. One of the big storms came down so hard that the drains on our patio backed up and my husband had to start clearing the lines during the storm to keep our patio and outside fridge from flooding. Holden loved watching the chaos from the comfort of the living room.
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Did I mention it was a soggy, rainy mess last week? After 4 days of being cooped inside, I loaded up the troops for a trip to Cabelas. I wasn’t brave enough to do the actual aquarium–too much of a people zoo. I feel like this was a major mom win though, because it entertained both kids for nearly an hour and it was only 15 minutes from the house.
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Packing. Oh, the packing. Traveling internationally with a baby is NOT for the faint of heart. My husband made fun of the Excel sheet I prepared to coordinate everything, until he actually had to start fitting this circus into suitcases and then he was bowing to my greatness. Or at least that’s how I choose to interpret it. Mostly, it sounded a lot like cursing and him asking why we needed to bring Calamine.
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Travel day.
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Baby’s first time in the ocean! Judd is definitely not what one would describe as ‘mellow’ — he has strong opinions about life, so I was pleasantly surprised when he took to the beach right way. He was all about that sand between his toes. I’m shocked, and elated that he is apparently a beach bebe.
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Beach party! Dancing to his own beat.
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Holden’s first snorkel experience. The great thing about this joint was that they had an amazing coral garden 5 minutes walk from our resort. Holden had never snorkeled before, but since he is a great swimmer I had full confidence he could do it. Full disclosure, he was PISSED during this photo. Salt water in his eyes, nose…going wild and hating life. Turns out, this kid is so used to goggles that a mask threw him off. We tried again with just goggles and he LOVED it. We saw rainbow parrotfish, “dory” fish, zebra colored fish, brain coral. The husband even spotted a barracuda! Definitely an amazing experience, and I am so glad that my Holden gave it another go with goggles. Probably one of my favorite activities from the entire vacation.
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My handsome boy all ready for a special dinner date with mom and dad.
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Time to head home. Always sad to say goodbye to vacation. Even Baby J was bummed about going home. That, and the fact that he didn’t take a nap ALL STINKING DAY. This kid fought sleep from 5am Eastern time to 10:30pm Central time. We kept thinking the airplane noise and motion would make him zonk out, but oh no, the stubborn is strong with this one. #perseverance #stubborn
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Post travel laundry day.
H Parker Photography is a DFW Baby Photographer with a residential studio in Roanoke,TX.
She specializes in classic, timeless studio baby photographs.
