Friday, May 31, 2013

This Moment::May 31

{this moment} - A Friday ritual inspired by SouleMama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.



Tuesday, May 28, 2013

21/52 (a bit late)::Pics from Memorial Day::May 28

Sometimes I get a little behind with these pics, but I keep pluggin' along....



"A portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2013."

For Memorial Day, we went up the canyon and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. We wandered around the recently renovated, well-loved campsite just beyond our picnic grounds. It used to be that we could drive in further to the site and use it for picnics, but it has changed, and now motorized vehicles are no longer allowed. We pulled our van close to the picnic ground close to the road, because often Michael prefers to hang out in the van rather than sitting by the fire, but this time he stayed out with us the entire time; progress!

While many roasted their dinner, I walked up around the campsite. I should have taken pics, but it didn't even dawn on me to do it yesterday. There is a big central campfire now, with lots of rocks around it, making a well defined firepit. If you'll envision this, you'll see what I did: the firepit is the hub of the circle, and several feet away is a bigger circle encircling the smaller one of the firepit. The outer ring is built up rocks, making seats for a large group of people to sit around the campfire. Several feet away, someone has built up the stream in one spot, using a log as a dam, and has made a little wading pool. I am excited to use this little area! I am thinking that for my family's family reunion/campout, we'll have to plan to have it there. The littles will love the wading pool, and the parents will love that the water is still and gentle in that area. The teens will love all of the area around to hike and play games. I'm looking forward to it already!

Here are some pics from our outing:

All the boys getting food:


I loved the lighting - the light was reflected onto his face from a rock - and I asked Steve stand in just the right spot as he got his dinner ready:


Emily had been off doing her own thing while pictures were taken, so she let me take her picture:

(can I just tell you how much I love her eyes?! amazing color! so, so blue.)

Today, it is back to the grindstone. Steve is at work, and Emily's at driver's ed. The boys are still asleep; I'll let them sleep in a bit more while I enjoy some quiet time :)

Have a wonderful day!

Monday, May 27, 2013

Josh, Hayley, and Kids::The Photoshoot::May 27

Josh has a girlfriend. Her name is Hayley. She is very sweet, thoughtful, and nice (and she is sooooo good with Aiden and Bentley, which is a huge bonus in my book!). She has two adorable kids named Miah (4) and Teryn (2).

Now that the formal introductions have been made, I'm sure you'll be seeing these three people around my blog fairly often. :)

Hayley asked me to do a photoshoot for all of the kids for Mother's Day, and I happily agreed. Who wouldn't want to spend some time with these little cuties?

Miah:


Aiden: (he is getting so big, isn't he?!)


Teryn:


Bentley:


The group picture of all 4 kids together went badly, so we'll skip those and retake them later.

Then I took group pics of the two sibs together:

Aiden was sweet with Bentley:


Miah and Teryn had had it, poor things. Miah tried to give it her best shot, but her face says it all:


Hayley and Josh decided to get a group shot of all of them together (we did these first - everyone is fresh and new in these pics)



It was an eventful day, and before I took pics of Josh and Hayley alone, I sent Amber to get ice cream cones with the van full of children. It was amazing how much quieter it got after that ;)





May they have many happy years together :)







Friday, May 24, 2013

Results from the Photo Competition::May 24

Last night, I went to my camera club's photo competition and had two of my pics place :)

"Flower or Weed" got 2nd place:



And "Beauty Unfolding" got 3rd:



It was such a treat to see everyone's photos - there were so many great ones! I enjoyed hearing the critiques for mine and others' pictures; I always learn a lot from the discussions.

I don't get to go to the club's meetings as often as I'd like, and I really enjoyed it last night. Steve went with me and we had a moment to just get away from it all, which was awesome! I can't imagine life without my guy. He is my best friend, besides being my husband, and he is such a great support. I am truly blessed.

I just realized about an hour ago that this weekend is Memorial Day weekend. I was hoping for a nice relaxing weekend, but now I'm thinking we need to do something fun instead. What to do?! I'll have to think on it....

As for you, I hope that you have a wonderful day today and a great weekend filled with everything you love.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Vinca Star Blossom::May 18

It is only partially open, and I'm loving my star blossom! :)



I hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Friday, May 17, 2013

Honeybees love Dandelions::May 17

It seem that I only have 1 honeybee in my garden, and it seems to love dandelions best.



I had no idea that bees were such messy eaters! Look at all of that pollen on him! (click on the pic to make it bigger)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thursday, May 16, 2013

19/52 & 20/52::May 16

I missed last week's photo, so these will be for last week and this week.

Most of my kids and I went to the park on Monday. Usually Michael just wanders around or sits on the park bench, but Josh got him to swing for a few minutes, so of course I had to take a picture of that!

19/52


This is more what Michael usually does at the park:

20/52


He loves to talk to people and/or wave and smile at them. I get lots of comments about how sweet and polite he is. He even got offered a job as a greeter when he turns 16. I'm so glad that he is such a great kid and I'm so glad that he is my boy. ♥

Monday, May 13, 2013

Evening Macros of the Garden::May 13

Last evening I took a walk in the garden, and these are the sights I saw:

The lilacs are blooming:



The kitty wanted to hang out:



One thing that bothered me was that I didn't see but one bee..... No bees on my blossoming lilac bush seems strange.

The only life was a fly.

Now, I know flies are decomposers and are pretty gross, but have you ever really looked at a fly? They are shiny and real cool looking:



Too bad they have such bad manners. No matter how cool they look, no one can forget how gross they are....

¡hasta mañana,

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Apple Blossoms::May 8

The apple tree is blossoming. I wish I could preserve the flowers' scent and share that with you too, but a picture is the best that I can manage :)





I'm loving the warm, spring weather! I hope that you are loving your weather too, whether it is full of autumn leaves or spring flowers!

Friday, May 3, 2013

This Moment::May 3

Joining SouleMama this Friday:
{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.