Our "beach"...

Friday it was so nice and sunny and warm that we couldn't stay inside another minute. We packed our things, and went to the beach. Well...so it's not really a beach..it was a river sand bank, but to us, it was a beach. The kiddos played for 2 full hours...not even stopping once to look back at my hubby and me. *Gasp!! Uninterrupted time!? Could it be a dream!?* It was such a fun afternoon.

Their favorite part was making a 'flood' for their sand valley. They'd start at one end of the 'beach' and dig a trench that led into the water. It was just so cool to watch them working together! :D


Here's the sand valley.


It's a lot of hard work to build a whole valley out of sand! :D


That was a lot of photos for one post. Here's one last one for all our friends up North in Canada ;) (Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for the hat)
Just couldn't resist. :D
Have a terrific day everyone!!

Until next time...

What he does..

I was thinking about my little guy yesterday as I was playing with him outside. (We finally had some nice, sunny, almost hot weather! WHOHWOOO! :D) We were playing in the dirt, digging and scooping with his little construction trucks. As we played, he was talking to..well, I'm not sure who he was talking to..but it was amazing to listen to him have this full conversation with 'someone'. It got me thinking about our everyday routines together. It's just him and I during the day since everyone else is at work and school. Now, let me ask if any of your days are like this. When we are driving down the road, going to the store, he'll be in the backseat asking me endless questions. "Why is the road black?", "Where are we going?", "Why is that car passing us?", "What is that noise?", "Look what I found in my nose!!" (yes..I hear that one often..) Sometimes, I just want to turn the radio up loud so I can't hear these questions. Sometimes, I just want me..my thoughts..my wonders...my worries..not everyone else's. But today, watching him play, and seeing that he was happy being with me outside, it hit me. I AM me because of him. My thoughts, my wonders, my worries..I have them because of my little kiddos. How boring would it be to drive down the road alone now without all those questions coming from the back seat? (don't get me wrong..a little alone time is ALWAYS wonderful :D) What would I be doing if I wasn't outside digging in the dirt with construction toys??

So today, my post is about me finding something I always had...just never knew it. The perfect daily routine.

Look at all that dirt on his face! Well worth it though...



Have a wonderful weekend everyone! (Yes! It's the weekend!! :D)

Until next time....

Is it Friday yet???

Can you tell we need a weekend?

Here's to hoping that Friday comes quickly. :D

Until next time....

Dedicated to her...

Usually when I am taking photos, my sweet girl is off at school, so there's hardly any photos of her. Most of the times I try and get photos of her, she turns away or hides. However, this weekend, that was all going to change. While the boys were napping, her and I were in the kitchen playing with Moon Sand. ( Do you know what that is? It's this amazing sand that, when wet, forms in clumps and shapes. But when you take it out of the water, it IMMEDIATELY dries!! Amazing stuff!!!) So today's post is dedicated to my baby girl...Thanks for the memories yesterday! I love you to pieces..

What a fun afternoon..love that girl! :D Hope you all had a fantastic weekend!! :D
Until next time..

Words aren't enough..

To the love of my life,

Today, and forever...

You come home uncompleted
Down and defeated
Feeling all alone
You think your dreams are passing by you
And deep down inside you
You're running out of hope

If you could only see what I see
You'd see the man that you wished you could be
If you could only see what I see
In you...

You're my strength
The light that guides me
The angel beside me
The path that I walk
When I wake up
You're why I want to
The one I hold on to
When I start to fall

If you could only see what I see
You'd see the man that you wished you could be
If you could only see what I see
In you...

Wish I could make you believe
In all that you are you don't have to be
Everything to everyone
Everybody's number one
Cause baby you're everything to me

If you could only see what I see
You'd see the man that you wished you could be
If you could only see what I see
In you...
(Cyndi Thompson, "If you could only see")

Until next time..

Isn't she beautiful!?

This is my beautiful, beautiful sister-in-law. Over Easter holiday, she let me take some photos of her and her cute tummy! Can you believe she still has 2 more months to go!! *gasp* Soon, they will be moving far away from us, and I don't know how I'm going to handle it. Probably break down and cry and cry and cry. Congratulations, and I can't wait to see this new nephew of mine. :D When she saw this photo, she said, "My stomach looks HUGE!!" Isn't that what being pregnant is all about? :D

We went to the same place where her engagement photos were taken. Since she's been married, they added this really cool rock arbor thing. Perfect for photos!
Until next time...

One of "THOSE" days...

I can already tell what kind of day it will be today.

When I asked my little guy what he was going on today (after having a HUGE tantrum over waffles and a piece of lint..don't ask..) this is all he could do to show his mood. Pick his nose. Hmpf! We all have those days, right? Well, I hope that your weekend is a great one, but if it's headed into 'cranky mood' territory..just do what my little man does. Works like a charm. :D

Until next time...

Easter...

There are only a few times a year that all the cousins get to see each other. Christmas...and Easter. Sometimes there are summers dotted with weekend visits, but nothing compares to the 4 day visit we get at Easter. It's always the same. When the cousins first see each other, it's complete craziness! They scream in excitement, they giggle in joy, and then the fun begins. A good 'ol game of Hide and go Seek is always a hit. And the #1 place to hide?? Behind the big tree out in the front yard, of course. :D

It wouldn't be a 'real' Easter if a nice round of Tag was left out. And let me tell you, when these kids start running all over the place..you'd think you were in a tornado!! They are SO fast and full of energy!!

(check out the younger ones looking for the best place to run..just in case :D)

But my favorite part, is seeing the looks on their faces during all the little kid conversations. Life is so different for them, so uncomplicated. That's what I love most..

Finally, it's time for the long awaited egg hunt! The Easter Bunny was pretty sneaky this year (if I do say so myself. :D) Eggs were hidden all over the place..in the flowers, on car tires, up in trees, behind fence railings, and in mailboxes.

By the end of the day, everyone was tired and happy after many long hours of hunting, playing and enjoying each other. Easter. It reminds me of family, of growing up with my siblings, of watching my kids enjoy their cousins. Feeling gratitude for all the blessings that have happened in my life, especially the ones running around in the front yard looking for that brightly colored treasure...

Until next time..

To be little again..

Last week I did something I haven't done in ages. I went outside with my little guy..forgetting about all the housework, dinner prep, errands that needed to be done, and all the other things that need to be completed..and I played. Not just the 10 or 15 minutes of watching them run around the yard..but the full 2 hours of jumping in and joining them for the fun. For the first time in a long time, I got to be the little kid again. What did we do? Well..simple. Bubbles. Do you remember playing with bubbles? Trying to see who could make the biggest one? Or giggling while chasing hundreds of bubbles sparkling in the sun as they floated up to the sky? My parents use to tell me that when a bubble landed on my face, it was a kiss from heaven. I remember that so clearly, just like it happened yesterday. I have to admit..playing with my little man..probably one of the biggest highlights of my week.

Here are some of our photos..now it's your turn. Go outside with your kids, or even by yourself, and get lost in the moment of being a little kid again. I promise you won't regret it.

Until next time..

The New Hair Cut...

Or rather..shave! You know how it is when you try to cut your own kids hair, and they just keep wiggling and moving and...well..wiggling?? Well..this is what happened. I was trying to cut my little mans hair, and he wouldn't sit still. (I'm sure none of you have ever had this happen to you, right ;) ) I probably wouldn't have sat still though either with all that itchy hair on my face. Anyway..so we cut it, and it looked ok. But then when my dear, sweet, hubby saw it...I knew it wasn't going to pass. SO..we tried again..and this time, I just shaved it all off. *gasp* I know!! What was I thinking!!? But sometimes, you just have to..right? Here's the end result..

And, since we were already taking pictures..we just kept right on having some fun. Well..I was having fun..I think he was getting WAY to serious. What can you expect though..with his new hair cut..he's a 'macho man' now..too cool for pictures . :D

Until next time...

To be a mom..

Today is 1/2 day at school, which means I'll have the whole afternoon to spend playing with the kiddos. So excited about that!! (our last playday afternoon was on the train tracks..) And of course, my camera will come along with us. But I have a question for all you parents out there..have you ever looked at your kids and just..fell in love with them all over again? Like when they were first born? There's a big age gap between my kiddos, and at first it was perfect because the older one LOVED being the 'mommy' to the younger one. But now that they're both getting older, becoming their own person I'm seeing that they have a lot of different interests. That's so awesome..but also so hard because they want to do completely different things at the same time. Sometimes, like when we have our little 1/2 day afternoon adventures, I take their picture and remember just how much I love them, and how different, (and dare I say quiet) my life would be without them. I get to 're-live' the excitement of the afternoon through the photographs. I love that part about being a photographer!! :D

Is that what motherhood is about? Putting your heart out there every day and hope that your kids will love and appreciate all you do? Is it just laundry and dinners, carpools and dishes? I don't think so. In my life, motherhood is who I am. It's the one thing that actually gave me the courage to step out of my comfort zone and try something new and a little scary. (starting my own photography business..that's a HUGE scary step for me.) But you know what? There they are..at the end of the day..it's their faces I see. It's their kisses I hold on to, and their hugs I feel. It's their giggly laughter that echos in my ears, and I..love..it. Yes, they argue, and yes, they complain about things. They even fight with each other, and with me. BUT..they also remind me about having patience. About being innocent and taking time to play and discover things. They remind me about life.
They remind me to live.
That is what being a mom is for me..

One day, my hope is that they'll see how much they mean to me through the pictures I take of them. Despite their differences..these two little ones truly are best friends. What a lucky momma I am...

Until next time...

"We're Baaaaaaaack!"

Spring Break was awesome!!! It started the minute school was let out, and ended about 2 hours ago. We're home, safe and sound, and my camera is FULL of photos from the trip. (But don't worry, I won't overload you in one post. :D ) We drove up to Canada and stayed with family for a few days, then back to the states to spend time with more family. So good to see everyone!! Here's some of the photos from our little vacation..

First up..the beach. Not your typical looking beach, but it was where we spent a good afternoon looking for shells, watching crabs scurry, and listening to the waves and seagulls. The ocean is one of my favorite spots, just love spending time by the ocean water.

Looking for shells and crabs..

The rest of our time we usually went for walks. Walks in the morning sun, walks in the afternoon warmth, and walks after dinner. Who could resist being carried by their Uncle? Love the expression on his face..pure happiness.

We stopped for a second to rest in the sun. (it was SO cold that day!). Nice shadows, eh? (no..I'm not Canadian, but had to throw that in there. :D ) Can you tell which one is me?

Ahh..what a nice time we had. It was good to get away, into a new routine, be surrounded by loved ones and just...breathe. What did you do for your Spring Break? I'd love to hear about it.
Until next time...