flyboys

photo shoot

Although I am a far cry from what anyone could call a "photographer"... I do like to play one on TV.  I love taking pictures, especially of families.  And as much as I like snapping my own kids, it's nice to get some practice with other families as well.

Last week, my neighbor asked me to snap some pictures of their family for their Christmas card.  I took some more "formal" family photos that they used for their cards, but here are a few of the snapshots I got while the kids were running around in the yard.  They are a beautiful family and easy to photograph... and my first (non-related) "photo shoot".

I so enjoy doing it and appreciate them letting me practice on them.  :)

why

Going.....

Going....

Gone.

And this, my friends, is why I have so few pictures of all of my children together.

name that photo

Obviously, I've been too busy to blog.  But we are still having fun here.

So...here's a fun little contest for anyone who happens to still read this blog.  Leave a comment with a fun name for this picture.  

The winner gets....

the satisfaction of being the winner!!!

And besides, comments make me feel loved.  :)  

photo fun

Although I would hardly call myself a photographer, I do so enjoy taking pictures.   Most of the pictures I take are, of course, of all my little people.  But I do also enjoy having fun with photos of all kinds.

This year, for our anniversary, I made Ken this photo collage.  I had seen similar photos in Christian bookstores and the like, but I decided to make it my own my doing it in color (because I heart color) and taking pictures in places that are familiar to us.

Hopefully, you can see that it spells our last name.  That's kinda the point.   Anyway, it was fun to make and anyone can do it.  And I think it makes a cool piece of art for our home.

And the flowers?  Those are some of my favorites, reminiscent of our California days,  and a gift from my very thoughtful man.  

I heart him, too.  

springing

Last week was 50 degrees and sunny. It was wonderful. I feel like spring is springing. I won't say spring has sprung, because that would guarantee a snowstorm next week. But I will say spring is springing. It's closer than it was, and we have almost made it through winter in New England.

As the last of the snow started melting a couple of weeks ago, we enjoyed some sledding with friends. The grass was starting to peek through the snow, but that didn't stop the fun.


The kids bundled and hit the hills.


Sledding two by two, one at the time, in trains.


Even one on top of the other.


I love seeing their rosy cheeks against the blue sky and the white snow.


The was the posse from our neighborhood. Always together. It was the 2 on the right who moved away last week. The rest of the gang is missing them, but really enjoyed their friendship while they were here.


Hopefully, this will be the last of the snow pictures for this year. Ken laughs at me when I say that. It's only March, after all. But I'm hopeful.

This week, we played outside and went to parks and had picnics and didn't wear coats.

Spring is springing.

past peak

I may have mentioned this... but it really has been a beautiful Fall here.  I say "has been" because even though it is still technically Fall for another month or so, we are now officially "past peak" foliage.  In these parts, that mean that all the breathtakingly gorgeous leaves that have colored the landscapes for the past few weeks are now on the ground.  The trees are beginning to look rather bare and it's getting downright chilly outside.

As winter weather sets in, I do have to say that I'm glad we got to experience New England this time of year.  We won't be here for it next year so I snapped a few pictures to remember it by.  The kids enjoyed jumping in a few leaf piles on the crisp sunny days.  I enjoyed looking at Maple leaves through my camera lens.  Just thankful today.  And enjoying beauty.  

my monkeys

The kids and I went to the pumpkin patch last week and soaked in some of these nice Fall days.  The colors are beautiful here right now.  We met some friends there for lunch and let the kids romp around for a while.  Their favorite part was by far an old tree that was just perfect for climbing.

All my little monkeys climbed...

and played...

and laughed...

and hid...

and watched...

and smiled...

and peeked.

Except for this little monkey.  He just relaxed on the grass and ate leaves... and didn't seem to mind at all.

  I love all my little monkeys.

the happiest baby in the world

Remember the baby boy who refused to smile?  Remember when I dressed him up and plopped him down in a patch of pumpkins and he absolutely would not smile?  Well, I discovered the secret to making that baby smile.  Just dress him in a drool covered, unbuttoned t-shirt and place him in a food caked high chair.  Then let him slather himself in Graham crackers.    

Then, he's happy.  

Really, really happy.

In fact, he just may be...

the happiest baby...

in the world.

Fall photos

After days of wind and rain (I've now experienced my first Nor'easter), we finally had a crisp, sunny Fall day.  Not wanting to miss the opportunity, I brought the kids outside for some fun fall photos.  I just love pictures of my punkins with punkins.

However, the little man would have none of this.  He doesn't seem to really care that it's his first Fall season, and he wasn't too excited about the pumpkins either.  He tried to gnaw on a few, but wasn't the least bit interested in smiling for the camera.  In fact, I think he was downright annoyed that I was taking his picture.

Now, if you've never tried to get a decent picture of 5 little kids together, you should try it sometime.  You know, just for fun.    However, the other kids were most excited about hamming it up for the camera.  We didn't get any "great" pictures, but we'll settle for cute.  The moment was sufficiently captured and that's good enough.  

The girls are always full of smiles, Jake usually seems a bit perplexed by the whole process and Nathan just tolerates it all as he tries to wiggle away.

I'm not sure if Jake was signaling a touchdown or if he's just stating that he's #1.

But this is one is my personal favorite.

"It's all for you, Jesus!"

A picture is worth a thousand words...

a day at the park