Easter Weekend

This weekend was a blur of activity. Easter baskets filled with colored grass and chocolate bunnies - toys and treats for the little guy. This basket from Nina and Papi needed to be opened right away in the hallway.

The contents of which were examined very thoroughly and carefully.

The favorite item...a musical card that sang "Here comes Peter Cottontail."

Yep. There is nothing, nothing, more hilarious than a card that sings.

Am I right?

And of course there is nothing more delicious than M&M's.

His favorite treat.

The pure, honest delight of "M&M face".

Second only to the musical card...was the wind up bunny that "pooped" jellybeans.

(*Sigh*) I have a 100% boy all right.

He picked up the bunny "poop" and popped it in his mouth without a second thought.

"Jelly-bean face"...not quite as blissful as "M&M face".

But that bunny was still something to behold.

He was still chewing that jellybean (about 10 minutes later. lol.) when we went to the kitchen to add some color to some rather plain eggs.

We brought out our "one-of-kind mug/bowl collection" uniquely perfect for such occasions and %100 replaceable. ;)

And Jet was just the baby for the job.

That is until he threw the eggs across the kitchen.

And then Jet was fired from eye-dying.

But he still got to play with some of the tiny stickers that came with the kit.

Until he started to eat those. And then he was done with stickers.

But he still got to play with some pretty dye.

And the eggs turned out just perfect. Cracks and all.

And speaking of perfection...

Have you every seen anything so perfectly adorable then this little guy in a tie?

Nope. Me neither. And I couldn't have been more excited about it. It was like a mini-Christmas for me - waiting for him to wear that tiny pastel tie.

I could hardly sleep.

And it was worth the wait.

On such occasions...family pictures are a given.

And you take as many as you can get because you never know when you're going to all be dressed up and ready to go again.

And when you can't quite get a smile. Attacking your little one always helps.

That and smiling as big as you yourself possibly can in the hopes that some of your enthusiasm will reflect off your more reserved little picture partner.

But sometimes...capturing a more natural moment is just as sweet.

And certainly as memorable.

The posing is often best left to the more experienced subjects.

And they are without a doubt easier to photograph.

Until you throw that little "wild-card" in there again. Then you just have to wing it. And who knows...you may just get one of your new favorite pictures. ;)

No matter the chaos, cracked eggs or crazy kiddo - we still finished the weekend thankful, happy, and blessed. In fact, as far as happiness goes - my basket runneth over.

Getting Ready

The flowers are blooming.

The bunnies are out.

The chicks are hatched.

The eggs are colorful and resting in baskets.

It's almost time for...EASTER!

We'll see ya Monday. :)

Peek-a-Boo Spring

We are well into Spring here in the south - but Spring can be a tricky season here. One day it's reaching the 80's and your dreaming of when the pool will open - the next it's dropping to the low 40's at night and your layering up before bed. The "socks or no socks" for Jet when getting ready for bed is a nightly assessment that involves looking up the weather bug on our smart phones to see how chilly it might get. I usually vote for socks - I hate the idea of those precious toes getting cold. Although often Jet decides "no socks" even after we have put them on - as I sometimes see them lying on the floor by his crib in the morning. Silly monkey.

But we have been enjoying the nice weather.

Sunny days bring happy boys...

And bunny faces in an extreme way. It's almost frightening.

And more time outside means it's time to do some "spring sprucing" in the yard. I love flowers. They add color and life to a world just recovering from winter. And they always make me think of the flowers singing "Golden Afternoon" in Disney's Alice in Wonderland. Bizarre movie. As an adult I'm a little creeped out by it. But there was nothing more magical to my little-girl self than those singing flowers.

How awesome would that be?! I mean really.

Jet is always happy to help. He loves being outside - and he loves dirt.

Just as long as I can keep him from eating it again - he's a wonderful helper.

"Hey Momma - I found some great dirt in these pots!"

"Here Mommy - I'll get that for you..."

"Um...never mind that dirt. It's supposed to be there."

Spring weather means I get to sit outside and watch my boy explore everything - right down to mommy's lavender nail polish.

And Spring is not the only thing around here that likes to play "peek-a-boo."

Spring. Time for colorful pinwheels that remind me of a special day that's about a month away...

And I find myself perfectly content, thankful, soaking it all in, and looking forward to summer - just around the corner.

Hope this finds you enjoying your Spring. And if you're still waiting - don't worry. I'm sure it's just waiting for the perfect time to pop out and surprise you.

"Peekaboo!"

Life Things

I had this dream that I had a blog. And I would write about our daily life and post pictures to tell a story. I would share the fun and the fearsome, the scary and the silly - all parts of what make our life...well...our life. I had friends who would read it and post comments - and I would smile and read their blogs too! And we understood each other. Our lives were connected. And every once in a while someone new would find it - and write how they could relate to our life - or were encouraged by my blog - and my heart would swell - for this blog is my life song. The words of my heart poured out for anyone to see - the prayers of my soul lifted up to my Father who gives me life. This life.

This complexly beautiful life.

And in my dream - there was nothing I wanted more than to keep reaching out - keep giving hope - keep making connections - keep sharing life.

And then I woke up.

And I realized it wasn't a dream after all.

I DO have a blog!

The question is do I still have any followers?! ;) lol.

I don't know if you feel the way I do - but I feel as if life has hidden my blog from me for a few weeks. I was one of those "every other day" bloggers once upon a time. Then a "few times a week" girl. Then maybe "once a week". And now...I don't even know. It may not have been as long as it feels. But on my list of priorities - the blog kept slipping down. Not that I didn't want to write - but I had other "things" to do. Two of those "things" are displayed on the right-hand side of this blog. One is Shea - I've continued my efforts to raise money for Shea through photography and even though our chipin button says "this event has ended" - Saving Shea is in no way over yet. :) Under the chipin button you will see a link to Shea's family blog - their chipin is still active so please visit their site to make your donations to Shea's adoption grant! They still need our help. They are getting so close! I received news from Liz that the hope to travel by late May and that would be fantastic! So please keep them and sweet Shea in your thoughts and prayers. He is almost home. What a beautiful day that will be.

The other is closely connected. With the success of Sessions for Shea and my growing love for photography - taking pictures has now become an even bigger part of my life.

I am starting my own photography business. :)

Eek! It is very exciting and slightly/very overwhelming at times. But I love photography. I love how it captures life.

I love how light and color and nature all come together to make something beautiful that I can look at over and over.

I love how I can freeze a moment in time and study it.

I love how I can see more through my lens than I ever have with just my eyes.

I love how the simple things can suddenly seem like art. The art of life.

I love how details can be brought to full attention and how all the little things around us are made suddenly clearer when finally focused upon.

To me, photography is more than a hobby or a business, it's how I cherish, reflect on, and remember each day. It makes me stop. It helps me see. It gives me perspective. It brings me joy.

And I hope I can use it in a way that will bless others the way it blesses me.

And to everyone still reading...you bless me too.

Stay tuned friends...we have a lot of catching up to do.