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!

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!