Hello, Spring!

Maybe you're wondering where I've been...maybe not. Regardless, my nature photography has given way to taking lots of pictures of my kids over the winter. We didn't have an especially "pretty" winter, where we are. It was unseasonably "warm," so there just wasn't a lot to take pictures of, unfortunately.

But, I'm reloading on some really pretty shots of Spring around our house and in the area, and I can't wait to share them.

In the meantime, you can see how much my daughter is enjoying Spring...

Fairy

I was recently playing outside with my daughter, and she was running around and playing with sticks, rocks, etc. She loves to run under our neighbors' dogwood tree, which she was doing on this particular day. There was an opening in the branches and leaves, and I noticed her peek her sweet little face out of it. I was inspired, so I ran in side and grabbed my camera, knowing that it would be sheer luck if I captured the picture I was envisioning. I told her to peek her face through again, and I snapped a few pictures. Little did I know I would end up with this "golden" shot. She looks like a little fairy! Now I have a wonderful picture of her sweet little face that I can look at forever, no matter how old she gets.

A Lifetime

I've posted this picture on my blog before, so if it looks familiar, that's why. I took this picture shortly after I got my new DSLR. I was so excited. I was trying it out on anything and everything. I think I was just sitting there one day, looking at it, and looking around taking pictures of everything from the plants on my patio, to my child, to the ceiling light, to the carpet...everything! I haphazardly looked down and took a picture of my hand on my leg, and here we are! It's funny, because I didn't have a lot of emotion when I took the picture, but the picture evoked a lot of emotion in me. I look at this picture and see years of ups and downs in marriage. I see over 30 years of life and lessons, hardships and joys. I know that's not a lot, but there are times I feel like I've been through a lifetime's worth of experiences in my young life. I look at this picture, and see the covenant of love that I made with my husband in 2001 (do you know we've been married 10 years now?!), and I see the birth of our firstborn. I know this picture may not mean a whole lot to anyone but me, but it speaks many things to me. Who knew that I would end up with such an emotional picture as I carelessly clicked away?

Photo Challenge: White

I know, I know . . . it's been a while, huh? Since giving birth to my son in June, I've been a bit preoccupied. But, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. I'm still photographing things, so stay posted! I haven't gone anywhere!

I subscribe to several photo blogs, to keep me inspired and thinking of new ways to capture the things I see. This week's theme at I Heart Faces is "White." Here's my entry:

It's one of my favorites from this past Easter. My daughter found these steps at the place we had stopped to take pictures, and kept going up and down them, over and over and over again. On this particular decent, she picked up her skirts—like Cinderella—and very daintily came down the steps. Whenever she's pretending to be a princess, she gets really serious about it, as you can tell by the focus on her face. I love it!

Cuddlebug

Our newest addition came into the world at 7:41 PM on June 14. Our family of three is now a family of four. Wow! I never could have imagined this, in my wildest dreams. It's a wonderful feeling to actually hold a baby who's been incubating inside for so long. It's nice to have them on the outside! Welcome to the world, little buddy!

The curl above her ear

My little one has this adorable curl above her ear. It's always there. No matter what we do to her hair—wash it, pull it up in a ponytail, comb it—that curl is always there. Don't get me wrong, we're definitely not trying to get rid of it!! Oh never! It's just this precious little feature, that I love. Sometimes it's a ringlet, and other times it's just a curl. I know that one day, it will be gone, because her hair will be longer, or shorter, and she'll either loose the curl altogether, or whatever, but it's there now. This picture wasn't taken today, but today it's much more of a ringlet, just hanging over her ear. I really treasure that little curl, because it's on one of the most precious little heads in the whole world. I'm truly blessed!

Sweet girl—"Innocent Wonder"

Isn't she too sweet for words? I guess I'm a little biased, but wouldn't you be if you were able to peer into that sweet little face every day? Seriously.

I took this snapshot on a visit to a local park. There was rain coming, so the colors were just popping! The grass looked super green, and my LO happened to be wearing a green t-shirt, too. I just love it! She was running around in the grass squealing, laughing, and having a great time, while we ate a picnic dinner as a family.

She's our first (we've got another one on the way), so it's been amazing to watch her discover the world for the first time. She truly has been full of wonder, as she's explored and experienced the world around her. I love that this picture captures some of that in her expression. After running around a little, she ran back and peered into my camera, just like you see her. I laughed when I saw this week's theme at IHeartFaces ("Innocent Wonder"), because I thought, Well I must have about a thousand pictures that capture just that!

Catching Snow

I love winter! I love snow! But, I love both even more when I see it all through my daughter's eyes. Here in Kentucky, we don't normally get good snow, but this winter has provided more snow than normal. We even had enough a few weekends ago to go sledding at our local park. It was so fun!

On a brief break from the snow frivolities, my girl took a second to try and catch snow on her tongue—an extremely valuable skill for enjoying the snow. Her cheeks were bright red, and her face was coated with snow. It was a wonderful photo opportunity—and a great memory!

A walk at "The Big Lake"

I snapped this shot of my husband and daughter while we hunted for rocks along Lake Michigan, just outside of Leeland, MI. Even though the water was cold, I think my daughter would gladly have gone for a swim. She loves waves!

The strings of my heart

I love it when my husband sits down and plays his guitar. It's so nice to just listen and watch our dd dance around. Sometimes he'll just make up a beautiful song, and then never writes it down. I sure wish he would. :o) Hi, honey.

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge, Week 24: "All About Babies"

I love babies! Who doesn't? Well, I know those kinds of people are out there, but I think there's something wrong with them.

I took this picture of my dd when we were on vacation to the Gulf of Mexico (pre-oil spill). She was 9-months-old at the time, as was so dang cute! She was just beginning to crawl. I sat her on this cushy chair in our condo, and she just started making the cutest little faces, so I snapped away!

So thoughtful!

For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.

For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.

Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!

And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span?

If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith!

And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying.

For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things.

But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.

—Luke 12:22–32 (NASB)

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge, Week 21 - “Yellow”

I love mountains and wildflowers, and my husband. When you combine all three . . . *sigh*. This is one of my favorite pictures from our Smoky Mountains vacation in 2007. The crazy thing about this picture is that my husband (who is 6'3") is standing straight up, and I'm standing on the trail that is actually a bit higher than where he's standing. These crazy wildflowers were taller than him! So fun!

"I Heart Faces" Week 20 Photo Challenge - "Faces & Flowers"

Once again, I'm participating in this week's photo challenge from "I Heart Faces." I really like the ones that incorporate nature, since I'm, well . . .  a nature photographer. :o)

I snapped this precious shot of my daughter when we were at my parents' place for my brother's wedding. My poor girl was quite sleep deprived those first few days, but she still had energy to stop and smell the flowers. My mom has quite the green thumb (it apparently skipped my generation), and my girl had a ton of fun running around and smelling all the different flowers—at least, before she got cranky and crashed from exhaustion. :o) I love this pic, though! I think this picture captures her sweet, sweet spirit, and I'm just in love!

I Heart Faces, Photo Challenge Week 19 - “Celebrating Mom”

This past weekend was my brother's wedding! It was a whirlwind, but so special. I wasn't too worried about taking a ton of pictures, because I wanted to just enjoy what was happening. Besides, there was a professional there to shoot the special shots. But, I did take some pictures pre- and post-ceremony. I was so stoked to catch this moment! The woman on the left is my mom, and the woman on the right is my grandma (my mom's mom). This is just a bit before the ceremony started, and my mom was a very excited mother-of-the-groom. This is her baby's wedding day! And I just love that my grandma got to pin the corsage on my mom. The church is an old country church at Tannehill State Park, and made for a beautiful setting for the wedding. It was a very special day.

I Heart Faces, Week 16, “Collages” Photo Challenge

I've never done a collage in Photoshop before. I know . . . *gasp*! So, this week's photo challenge at I Heart Faces was a good exercise for me. I went to MCP Actions to do a little research and learning, and this is the finished product.

These pictures were all taken the Saturday before Easter at the Arboretum. My daughter loved being able to explore the meadow, and pick and smell the dandelions. It was too cute! I love this stage! Now that she's proficient at this walking thing, I love nothing more than to let her run around in a large field of grass.

Blocks

I love these blocks! They were a special Christmas gift for my DD from her aunt and uncle. These blocks were made in Michigan with Lake Michigan lumber, and I just might love them more than my DD does, right now. Well, she loves tearing down what we build. :o) These alphabet blocks are by Uncle Goose, which is out of Comstock Park, MI. They're so colorful and fun, so I had to snap a picture of a tower I was working on . . . before "the destroyer" came through.

I Heart Faces, Photo Challenge Week 10 - “Jump For Joy!”

This week's photo challenge theme at I Heart Faces is "Jump for Joy." As I get to know my camera, I think these are fun to participate in. They help me test things out and experiment a bit.

This past weekend was beautiful! I think the high on Sunday was around 60 degrees, so we got outside. My dd started walking in January, and hasn't been able to spend a ton of time outside since then, so this was one of her first adventures as a toddler in "the wild." :o) She loved it! Watching her was cracking us up because whenever she would start to fall or loose control, she just started laughing like crazy. Her falls were usually accompanied by the traditional, "Uh-oh," too. It was so much fun!

This picture was taken as she was being tossed in the air by her daddy, and he had just caught her. I was actually trying to catch a mid-air shot, but I really like this one, too. I wish we had a happy baby. :o)