Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Why I Instagram


On December 29, 2010 I made my first Instagram post.  That caption read "Poor Poppin' Fresh."    My coworker had left this little gem for me to find when I returned to my desk from a long meeting.   Seemed like a funny thing to take a picture of and give a mysterious filter to!  I had no idea really what Instagram was but I knew they had fun photo editing features and I could make a feed of pictures that I wanted to share, whatever that meant!  I had no followers and I followed no one.

Every few months or two I'd post something like our adventure to Super Bowl Media Day with the Steelers, tons of photos of Lulu and for some reason, lots of my feet.  In 2013 I started posting more regularly of our daily life and mostly of our little Winston!  I began following friends and ladies whose blogs I read.  I started enjoying the little collection of photos that was gathering in my feed.  Then a few years ago for Christmas I received the sweetest set of two books printed at Artifact Uprising.  They were the photos I had posted to Instagram in a keepsake form.  Every year I get another round of books, pages filled with the images that show our family growing, laughing and living life together.  It is for this reason that I Instagram.

I do it as a way to preserve memories.  It helps me to be intentional about taking photos and associating a memory with it.  One of my favorite things has been to use it as a way to capture things that Winston has said.  #wacsays  I love looking back and seeing all of the photos of #winstonandhisjammies or #loveourgirllulu and nowadays #wacandtac.  A byproduct of this is that I have a really good way to look back and be grateful.    

Over the years I have developed what now has the term Instafriends.  Never would I have imagined to have found amazing prayer partners and encouragers, ladies who make me laugh and inspire me through an app designed around sharing photos.  There are quite a few ladies who I text  and email on a regular basis and look forward to hugging their necks in person some day!  Being part of chat loops and blog link ups has given me opportunities to develop relationships that I hold as dear.  

Instagramming opens you up to sharing of your life with an audience.  With this platform a user can influence their readers.  With Instagram I am able to offer encouragement, post a goofy video to watch {and hopefully have a giggle at!}, do fun giveaways, share favorite things that we love and use daily, share what the Lord is teaching me, suggest recipes and many more little things.  It's been a fun and unique way for me to share and preserve bits and pieces of what our days are like during each stage of life. 

Sure, I can scroll through my Instagram feed and look at these photos... but truly there are times in the week when I sit on the couch and thumb through the pages.  I enjoy looking at the photos and allowing myself to get wrapped up in the memories of the days past.  It warms my heart.  And Winston loves looking at them just a much as I do!  

How about you?  I'd love to hear if you Instagram and why you do it.  There are so many wonderful reasons to use this app!  Leave your IG handle and I'll give you a follow!  

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Kids Behind the Blog: January 2017

Another new year and another round of my favorite link up, Kids Behind the Blog!  This was one of my favorite things last year and I think the only thing I consistently blogged!  I was super pumped when the ladies who host this link up announced they were going to continue for 2017.  So without further ado:

1.  What is your favorite thing to do or play when inside?
Play with Play-doh, Monster Trucks and my brother.  I also love to do crafts.  Doing crafts is probably my favorite!

2.  Have you ever seen or played in snow?
No, not yet.  But we are going to visit my friend Jackson in Denver and there will be snow!  I want to make snowballs to throw them at somebody like Buddy the Elf.  

3.  What was your favorite gift you received for Christmas?
The little car thingy.  {The Ultimate Car Garage from Santa!}

4.  What's your favorite winter vacation you have ever been on?
We haven't been on a winter vacation yet, have we Mommy?

5.  Would you rather live where it's warm or have all four seasons?
I like Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.  Four seasons is better than one season.

Since we live in Houston, we don't see a ton of winter weather.  Especially this year.  It was an unusually warm winter... we had two days of what I would consider good, cold, stay inside and snuggle up weather!  I still have my fingers crossed that we'll get another burst of cold to come through.  These 75 degree "winter" days are crazy to me!  But then, I digress.  Winston has experienced snow one time - when we went to visit family in Pennsylvania over Thanksgiving.  He was just over one so he doesn't remember too much of it.  He had been asking quite a bit to see snow this year, thanks to snowball throwing scene in Buddy the Elf!  In a few weeks time, we'll be taking our little family to visit some sweet friends in Denver and fingers crossed, get to build a snowman!  

Thursday, January 5, 2017

2016 One Second Everyday

Somewhere around the end of May, I gal I follow on Instagram posted the coolest video of her family.  It was one second of video captured everyday mashed into a thirty second montage.  I found the app, 1 Second Everyday and started June 1st.  This has been one of my most favorite things that I did in the way of memory keeping for 2016!

There were a few days where I forgot to take a video but had taken photos.  The app is smart {and cool} enough to allow the use of daily photos in the montage as well!  Benjamin even joined in on helping remember to capture video on the adventures we took.

The app also allows for the creation of a freestyle video.  I used this feature to create mashups for a trip to the zoo and one of our family vacations.  I am looking forward to challenging myself to create more freestyle videos in 2017!

More than anything I love this video because it captures the growth of our sweet boys.  It's amazing how much they've grown this year.  It is precious to this mama's heart to see their sweet relationship and love for each other.

Cozads 2016 1 Second Everyday from Sara Cozad on Vimeo.

And there it is - from June to December of 2016!  Bring on 2017 and all of the entertainment it will have to offer!

How do you capture and store your family memories?  I would love to know!
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