Welcome!

Hello! I'm Joanna, author of this photo journal. My husband, Mark, and I are professional photographers in Asheville, North Carolina. The name of our company, Tuesday's Frog, is based on an almost-wordless children's book about mischievous frogs that go flying on lily pads one night. We love this book because the illustrations are truly the heart of the story. Speaking of mischievous, Cole & Harper are our children, and frequent, though not always willing, photography subjects. Here you'll find not only the stories of our everyday lives, but of those we've photographed in our capacity as professional photographers as well. Please feel free to browse the links above, check out the archives at the bottom of the journal for more photo stories, or subscribe and receive email updates of all our antics. Enjoy!

April 17, 2009
spring break


I've had such a good week with these two sugar plums, home on spring break. It makes me think that I might just survive this summer....with a sprinkling of summer camps and activities, of course!

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 4/17/2009 06:47:00 AM   2 comments
April 14, 2009
Easter photos

After a beautiful sunrise service at church we headed over to the Biltmore Estate to participate in the Easter Egg Hunt. After registering the kids for the hunt we had plenty of time to enjoy the gardens & grounds...


Cole was just a little excited, I think!


I really loved the colors of the tulips this year...


...they matched Harper's dress perfectly!





Sometimes they are so sweet to each other...


...and sometimes (ha!) they are not! Love the hand-over-the-mouth-kiss!


Finally, 11am arrived and it was time for the hunt. The kids both enjoyed it, despite the fact that they were divided by age into different sections of the lawn. Everybody was nice and there were plenty of eggs to go around...which made it quite enjoyable compared to hunts (not at the Biltmore) that we've been at in the past. After the hunt they each turned in their eggs for a nice treat bag of goodies.


After lunch we headed down to the bass pond & waterfall for a little more time outdoors in the beautiful weather. (Goal: to wear the kids out.)




Hmmm...something tells me we accomplished our goal! It was such a beautiful, enjoyable day!

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 4/14/2009 01:55:00 PM   4 comments
April 11, 2009
egg salad for lunch



We hope you're having a wonderful Easter weekend!

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 4/11/2009 11:28:00 AM   1 comments
March 28, 2009
more soccer...

Warming up before practice...we lucked out today and had a nice, warmish overcast day for play, with the rain holding off until the exact moment the kids walked off the field. Love the tongue-sticking-out-in-concentration here...


Good grief that grin makes my heart stop. We kick the ball back and forth along the sidelines during the game, although she insisted at the first practice that she was really 5 and was old enough to play, too. In actuality she needs to stop growing right now because she is precisely perfect at 3.5. That pup under her arm is "Taxi." Her first stuffed animal to receive an actual name, (other than "little puppy" or "brown puppy") he is her constant tag-a-long since arriving on Christmas Day.


We were so proud of Cole - he received the sportsmanship award at the end of the game for being a good teammate and having a good game.

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 3/28/2009 04:25:00 PM   2 comments
March 27, 2009
soccer season


Soccer started again this past Saturday. Cole's playing outdoors this year, and it was a toasty 33 degrees in the sun at 9am. (Harper & I lasted about 40 minutes and then we sat in the car for the rest of the time, warming it up for Cole & Mark.) Cole has a good coach & teammates this year, so I'm hoping he has a great time. After all, it's really just about having fun, getting some exercise, and learning something along the way.

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 3/27/2009 10:14:00 AM   3 comments
March 18, 2009
finally!

Cole lost his very 1st tooth tonight! He was so excited!


Actually, most recently he's been worried that all of his teeth would fall out at once. (How would I talk then, Daddy?) Then tonight after the tooth fell out Mark told him that the gap in his teeth looked cute and he looked in the mirror and said, "I don't think so, Daddy." So I guess you could say that he's a bit hesitant about the whole thing...one down, how many more to go?

Oh, and just for future reference, Harper decided she doesn't want to lose any teeth.

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 3/18/2009 07:54:00 PM   6 comments
March 9, 2009
By the River

The weather this past weekend was WONDERFUL! Friday evening I took the kids over to the river for our very first outdoor picnic of the year (in winter we normally have "car picnics" - picnics in the car because I am a germ-o-phobe and won't take the kids inside a fast-food joint with a play area...also because of this incident if you need more explanation...) After eating we headed over to our favorite spot, the crooked bench.


See? I told you it was crooked. You can really only lean on it for a short while. There we greeted our visitors...




...who pretty much just ignored us. Notice how stealthy Harper is, hiding behind the bush?


Yay for happy, grubby faces!





This one was taken facing the opposite direction. I think the sun was too low in the sky by this point to warm it up...brr, hurry up, springtime!


Ahhh, that's better...sunshine warming up the rocks, right before we headed home.


On the way home Cole discovered that he has not just one but TWO loose teeth! Which merits a photo, of course...and Harper just wanted you to know that she has teeth, too.

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 3/09/2009 07:56:00 AM   4 comments
March 5, 2009
appearing daily @ 4pm



Our very own house band: Cole with the guitar (he also sings) and Harper on keyboard.

preferred genre: punk rock
preferred fashion: old Halloween costumes
preferred volume: very, very loud

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 3/05/2009 07:34:00 AM   8 comments
January 27, 2009
snow day 2

The kids barely had any school last week what with the holiday on Monday and snow days Tuesday & Wednesday and a late start on Thursday. We were allllll happy to resume our routine on Friday! : )







I really love it when they get along!

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 1/27/2009 08:02:00 AM   0 comments
January 20, 2009
snow day!


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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 1/20/2009 07:15:00 AM   2 comments
January 1, 2009
1st photos on the 1st


Happy New Year!

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 1/01/2009 09:08:00 AM   4 comments
December 31, 2008
scenes from Christmas Eve

A little impromptu photo shoot before heading off to the candlelight service at church...



I can't believe it's almost 2009!

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 12/31/2008 08:35:00 AM   2 comments
December 30, 2008
scenes from Christmas

While waiting for the kids to wake up Grandma & Grandpa I took a few shots of the tree...unfortunately, the top row of lights on the tree burned out the night before...


...just a little excitement in the air! For some odd reason Cole decided that he & Harper had to get dressed before they opened up their presents...hence the t-shirt & jeans...

...and the yellow skirt -- in addition to the scarf, gloves, and leg warmers which were all from Santa -- as well as the puppy in the purse and princess stickers. Really, what more could a girl ask for?

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 12/30/2008 09:11:00 PM   4 comments
December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas!



Christmas is here!

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 12/25/2008 06:00:00 AM   6 comments
December 16, 2008
bowling

We took the kids bowling for the first time a few weeks ago. To say they enjoyed it would be an understatement. Harper was SO excited before we even got there - we asked her what she thought bowling was and she said, "I don't know, but I soooo esscited!!" You have to love that enthusiasm!


The bowling alley had this neat sort of dinglehopper to help the kids bowl (I have no idea what it's actually called, but it helps them launch the ball down the center of the lane.)


Cole tried it a few times and then he decided he could do it all by himself.


And he did a great job! He had this funny little swagger after he released the ball - he'd casually walk or skip back to the scoring area and then turn his head nonchalantly to see how he'd done. Look at that, another strike. We all had fun (and for what it's worth, I won each time, mainly because Mark is really, really good at throwing gutters.)

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 12/16/2008 09:20:00 AM   7 comments
December 9, 2008
a superhero & a super princess

Some days are just made for make-believe.

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 12/09/2008 03:10:00 PM   3 comments
December 1, 2008
a romp in the leaves

In between the snowfalls we've had more than our fair share of fallen leaves to contend with, too. So one day last week Mark raked them into a big pile and asked the kids to help "mulch" them.


As you might have guessed, they had a ball!








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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 12/01/2008 02:06:00 PM   5 comments
November 6, 2008
Six Novembers












Technically, we've walked together for seven Novembers. My water broke early in the morning on November 4th, 2002. We called the doctor, who told me to go back to sleep and come in later in the morning. Yeah, right. Mark went back to sleep. I did not. Around 7 that morning I went out and walked that same road that appears in Cole's 1 year photo, willing my contractions to start. They never really did until we went to the hospital and had some medical intervention. And finally, finally at 12:47am on Tuesday, November 5th, Cole appeared. Without a single cry, wide-eyed, curly-haired, and ready to check out the world. I can't believe he's 6 now!

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 11/06/2008 10:32:00 AM   10 comments
November 1, 2008
Halloween '08

After he put his costume on I thought, well, I don't like this because I can't see his face!


There it is!


YES, she wanted the crown right there on her forehead and NO, she didn't want any help putting it up on her head.


I will say, the nicest thing about trick-or-treating before dark is the pretty golden light...


..and a few more leaves for your enjoyment.

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 11/01/2008 08:22:00 PM   6 comments
October 21, 2008
at the Arboretum

Since the kids didn't have school yesterday we headed over to the NC Arboretum to soak up some color.




This photo is so accurate...


Obviously, I had to institute a bribe. This time around it was: if you smile for me, you can take your turn behind the camera, too. (Photos by Cole & Harper -- yes, I should have ditched the sippy cup. And yes, I set up the camera first -- so not just any 3 year old can take my job...yet.)


(Photos by Cole & Harper.)


...and the reward for such fun...


So worth it!

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 10/21/2008 08:49:00 AM   9 comments
October 16, 2008
The Pumpkin Patch

It wouldn't be October without a visit to the pumpkin patch! Not really a patch, per se, but more like a Methodist church roadside stand.... This boy has been so, so sweet & good lately.


And this one? Well....rather the opposite...

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 10/16/2008 08:00:00 AM   7 comments
September 15, 2008
Alice the camel had two humps...

I have that annoying, repetitive song in my head now...and I thought those long hairs were her eyelashes at first but on closer inspection I'm thinking eyebrows?


I took the kids to the Mountain State Fair at some point this past week. They had a good time. I had...an okay time. It's just not the same thing as the Minnesota State Fair, though it was loud and noisy and warm. But they enjoyed feeding the animals and sitting in the Fire Ranger's helicopter (which remained on the ground) and the ferris wheel (which was a little high for my taste) and the camel rides. I was a little freaked out about Harper sitting on the camel at first but she is a daredevil and had no problems with it. Also, when I asked her to hold my hand on the ferris wheel she said, "No, mommy." She's all heart.
Anyway, that was the fair experience this year...all in all, probably still better than getting drenched last year.

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 9/15/2008 09:49:00 AM   3 comments
September 3, 2008
for 9 minutes and 31 seconds today...

...they were quiet.
(Watching chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven.)

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 9/03/2008 07:14:00 PM   5 comments
August 14, 2008
The 1st Day of Kindergarten

Here he is, bright and early this morning! He was SO ready to go!


I post this one merely for comparison's sake with the photo below it.


Yes, that's me on my first day of school, sometime in the early 80s...please note the Strawberry Shortcake bag. She was my favorite. (So much so that I just bought Harper this shirt...)


Speaking of H, this photo makes me go "Awwwwww!" She soooooo wanted to stay with Cole and go to Kindergarten, too. Here she's looking through the window into his classroom after we told him goodbye. She's since asked about him several times, but has also raided his room for cars, so I think she may have discovered the good thing about him being gone!

The weirdest part about school (besides the whole trust-your-child-with-a-complete-stranger-thing) is that it will be just the two of us at lunchtime today. For almost 6 years Cole and I have had lunch together and now he won't be here. Supposedly he'll be arriving home via the school bus around 2:15 (there's that whole trusting-a-stranger-thing again!) He is SO excited to ride the bus. I don't remember much about my first day of school but I do remember being excited to ride the bus, too.

ETA: The skirt that Harper is wearing is from the J.Crew crewcuts for kids division. I hate to tell you this but the pink is sold out. There are still some yellow ones in larger sizes available here.

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 8/14/2008 11:20:00 AM   10 comments
August 13, 2008
speaking of Coley...


Last week we found out that Cole won 3rd place in a contest sponsored by 10grain, a children's furniture company. He spent the better part of his "quiet time" one afternoon this past spring coming up with his own creation after I gave him the prompt, which was to design a playground. Although I think he's a little bummed that no one is actually going to create his playground (it included monsters and a treehouse with chairs on top so that the parents could supervise) he was very excited to receive his prize today. He's already decorated his bedroom walls with the spots, in fact!

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 8/13/2008 08:14:00 PM   2 comments
my constant companions


Oh, these two! I love them so, no matter how much their incessant fighting/arguing/competing with each other drives me up the wall. Because sometimes they're still cute. They've been my constant companions this summer, and I've enjoyed it. But now summer is almost OVER. I can't believe it! Cole starts Kindergarten tomorrow. Harper will start preschool in a couple of weeks. Our world turns topsy-turvy again. Change is good, I suppose. Sometimes. Not always easy, but good. Good for them...with maybe just a little bit of peace & quiet for me sprinkled in between all the driving back and forth.

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 8/13/2008 08:01:00 AM   4 comments
July 4, 2008
Happy 4th of July!


He's looking quite patriotic today, don't you think? (And just so you know, he styles himself. I only raise an eyebrow every now and then, such as the day he decided to wear two mismatched shoes to preschool...or the day he wore his bike helmet to run all our errands...)

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 7/04/2008 02:04:00 PM   7 comments
July 3, 2008
speaking of butterflies...






We went back to the Nature Center today to check out the butterfly exhibit which opened over the weekend. So weird to think that we've been going to this exhibit since Cole was close to the same age that Harper is now! It's always fun, though, and we try to arrive right when the Center opens because the butterflies are still quite willing to be held.

PS. For those who asked, most of the close-up photos on the blog recently were taken with the Canon 100mm Macro.

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 7/03/2008 06:37:00 PM   3 comments
July 2, 2008
Cole must be an optimist
He's currently singing, "Darth Vader is a good guy now....oh yeah....Darth Vader is a good guy now..."

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 7/02/2008 08:56:00 AM   1 comments
June 18, 2008
on the driveway this morning



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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 6/18/2008 11:00:00 AM   6 comments
June 16, 2008
almost summer!

After two weeks of running around the kids & I were so happy to just hang out in our front yard this morning.


Our 3-season cutting garden is proving to be a good purchase!


I'm so proud of this little guy (I say little but he's like a foot shorter than me, okay, maybe 18 inches) because he's learning to ride his bike without training wheels! Love the tongue sticking out - a sign of true determination.


And this one...well, she's going to be 3 next month. Need I say more?

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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 6/16/2008 01:31:00 PM   9 comments
June 12, 2008
Back from the Beach








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posted by Joanna Bolick @ 6/12/2008 09:29:00 AM   3 comments
May 18, 2008
This kid

This kid sang his heart out at preschool graduation...


...and tonight he's returning home from a weekend with Mark's parents to this suprise on his wall.

(The mural is from PBK and I have to say that even though I like the end result it was a pain in the behind to put up...but then again, Mark and I have never hung wallpaper or anything similar to that before. It took us about 2 hours after purchasing a few supplies: a water tray, a wallpaper brush, and a sponge.)

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