It's Spring

This post isn't really about spring, it's just that I am grateful for the spring.  We had a fairly mild winter, so I'm not complaining, but it is nice to be out and not burdened down with a heavy coat, gloves, and a hat.  My children were so excited to get their bikes out of the attic that the smiles on their faces lasted well beyond the time we spent on our first bike ride.  Monkey, who turned 5 last month, has been climbing every tree in sight.  I even made a tree out of rice krispie treats, chocolate melting wafers, and popcorn to put on her birthday cake in honor of her "monkey-ness."  Her birthday date with Daddy (all of the girls get special birthday dates with Daddy...and this year I get to go on a special date with my little boy) was a trip to a place with lots and lots of climbing walls for children.  She had a wonderful time!

Spring also means it stays light outside longer, which I love.  The only problem with it from a parental point of view is the children don't want to stop playing outside, and they certainly don't want to go to bed.  I can't blame them. I don't want to go in, either.  But they do need their sleep.

I guess I wrote more about springtime than I thought I would.

I caught this in the last few minutes of daylight.


And I caught my oldest up past her bedtime.  I really couldn't be angry.  Not only did I do this as a child, but I still can't put down a good book when I know I should be sleeping.

Merry Christmas!

I never got around to sending Christmas cards this year, and I think it was because I was having trouble deciding what type of Christmas picture to take. I did get one of all of my children, but I liked these from when I was playing around with Christmas lights. Thankfully, my husband is a good sport and doesn't mind being my test model. I'm really thankful I got these pictures.

Much Needed Time Outside

It has been a hard week. Everyone has been sick, and my youngest had a bad case of croup. In desperate need of time out of the house and peace, we went for a much needed late afternoon walk and enjoyed the last few rays of sunshine for the day. With so much to look forward to this month, I hope we will all be healthy for a while after we get over this cold.

Supermoon

Just a quick post to show a couple images I captured of the most recent (and biggest) supermoon. My mother knew I needed to get my photography juices flowing, so she offered to come up and watch the munchkins while the husband and I went out to howl at the moon...I mean take pictures. Yes, I suffered a little lens envy when I saw the gear another photographer at the same location was using, but I am pleased with the pictures I got with my little kit lens. It sure was fun to be out with my main squeeze! I had someone fun to enjoy the moon rise with, and it seems we rarely get opportunities to enjoy a moment between just the two of us.
 

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Not much going on, but we did get to see a bear while hiking in the mountains!  It was just a young black bear, but we were so so excited!  We watched it climb up a skinny tree (and boy, they can climb extremely fast!), eat for a bit, and climb back down, then he lumbered away.  We were on guard in case Mother was nearby (a fellow hiker had said he had seen a cub and a mother), but she didn't make an appearance.  I'm so glad that not only did I get to see the bear, but all of my munchkins did too!

This Should Catch Me Up

Just a few more pictures from the winter.  My mother was kind enough to take me on a photo outing (she even acted as my assistant and carried my camera bag and umbrella while I carried the camera and tripod) to a botanical garden WITHOUT my children! She even treated me to dinner.  I felt so spoiled.

I was excited to take the Valentine's Day picture with my 7 year old as the model. I saw a similar picture online years ago, and I've been anxious to try the technique.

The sledding picture was actually taken with my phone.  Sometimes the big camera is a little cumbersome when running after the three year old and one year old.

It's been too long

Where have I been?  Inside my head, way too much. I think I've been suffering from "overthinking," too much stress, not enough me time, and lack of sleep (in an attempt to get some me time).  Ah well, what mother doesn't suffer from all of this, right?  Here are a few pictures to catch myself up.