Collage: Week 17

Crayons

Day 120/365
Another blah, gray, dreary day. How about a little color?

Purple Hyacinth

Day 119/365
It's so fun to find spots of color in the yard, especially when the weather is cool and rainy. These purple hyacinth blooms look so delicate and pretty, and they smell wonderful.

The Birthday Girl

Day 118/365
Someone special turned 8 today. Happy birthday to Miss E!

Warming Up

Day 117/365
It was not a very nice day to be playing soccer - the temps were cool and the wind was wicked! Depsite the nasty weather conditions, Jevin's team did a great job at their game. I shot today's picture during the team warm-ups.

Birthday Bash

Day 116/365
We celebrated Enavi's birthday with family today. We enjoyed our time together, celebrating our sweet girl. The cake was yummy, too! I have "before" and "after" pictures of Miss E's cake.

Garden Door

Day 115/365
I'm not sure where this door leads, but I drive by it almost everyday and I love the old, rustic look of it. I like to imagine that it leads to a secret garden, full of beautiful flowers and lush, green plants. In reality, it probably leads to a dark root cellar, but I like my story better.

Yellow Buds

Day 114/365
It has been a cool, rainy day, but I did manage to snap a few pictures outside in between rain showers this afternoon. I spotted these delicate yellow buds while waiting for the kids to finish up at their co-op classes. I love how the stems are peeking through the circle in the fence - it made a perfect frame for these little beauties.

Morning Dew

Day 113/365
This is one of my favorite pictures this year! The sun looks so pretty shining through the drops of dew on the blades of grass - almost magical. I am so pleased that I caught that little sunburst in the water droplet - that was exactly what I was trying to capture.

Collage: Week 16

Fresh Haircuts

Day 112/365
Both of the kiddos got haircuts today. Aren't they the cutest?

Pink Rose

Day 111/365
A pink rose from our Easter bouquet.

The Hunt

Day 110/365
An Easter egg hunt, poofy pink dresses, pretty white shoes, crisp dress shirts, bow ties, fellowship with friends and family... all in celebration of our risen Savior.

Easter Eggs

Day 109/365
We're getting ready for tomorrow's Easter celebration!

Good Friday

Day 108/365
On this Good Friday, I am remembering Christ's sacrifice for me and feeling so thankful that I am a child of God, even though I have done nothing to earn His forgiveness. I am blessed by God's grace, a gift freely given to those who trust in Him.

Candles

Day 107/365

Spokes

Day 106/365
It was cool and windy today - not exactly a nice day to be riding one's bike. I did, however, think that the spokes on Jevin's bike would make fun picture!

Collage: Week 15

Lunar Eclipse and the Faces of Miss E

Day 105/365
I got up just before 2am to take pictures of the lunar eclipse. I took LOTS of pictures, but the one above was my favorite. I found it really challenging to get a clear picture of the moon because of the eclipse, but it was such a beautiful, clear night it was definitely worth the interrupted sleep to view and photograph it.

I noticed that I hadn't taken many photos of Miss E this week and I wanted to make sure that I had one as part of my weekly collage. The poor thing wasn't feeling the best today and she was really not in the mood to have her picture taken. The second-to-last picture that I took was really lovely, which I also posted above. Below you will find more of the shots that I really loved, and that I think totally show her mood today. I was trying so hard not to laugh while taking some of these pictures. This is my girl and her many faces!

April Snow

Day 104/365
We woke up to snow on the ground this morning - not enough to shovel, but enough to cover the grass and make everything white for a few hours. This is a lilac bud holding some of the wet, icy remnants of the melting snow. We still have a few patches clinging to the ground and the bark of the trees, but most of it has already melted away. I'm looking forward to seeing sunshine tomorrow, even if it is still cold.

Drip, Drip, Drop

Day 103/365
Even though the weather has been gray and rainy, we've had a really nice day. We had a great church service this morning where we celebrated Palm Sunday and sang wonderful, uplifting songs. We enjoyed a fun birthday party for some special friends after church and we've had time to just relax at home this afternoon, which doesn't happen very often. I am just feeling blessed and thankful for the gift of today. When we got home from the birthday party fun, I saw several drops of water on these tulip sprouts. I found the little spheres of water clinging to the green plants in several different places and enjoyed some time outside before the rain started up again.

Collage: Week 14

Game On!

Day 102/365
Jevin's first scrimmage of the season.

Purple...

Day 101/365
...Crocus! I know, I know, yet another picture of a crocus. They are just so pretty, and I can't stop taking pictures of them. Every day we've had new ones sprout up and it's so exciting to see them bloom.

Bird Nest

Day 100/365
I made it to Day 100! I feel like this is a major accomplishment that requires some kind of recognition... like a bowl of ice cream drizzled with fudge. I am rather proud that I have posted at least one picture every day for 100 days.

I spotted this empty bird nest resting in a tree outside of the library and I had to take some pictures of it. If you stop and look at a nest you realize just how super cool they really are. It's amazing to me that birds can construct a nest supported by just a couple of branches using only found materials and make it sturdy enough to raise their young in. I love that this nest had pieces of colorful string in it - just to fancy it up a bit.

Early Morning Light

Day 99/365

After the Rain

Day 98/365
After a brief rain shower, I found this drop of water suspended from the tip of a branch. If you look closely, you can see a small, upside down world inside.

White Crocus

Day 97/365
More crocuses blooming in the yard! Today I spotted some white flowers blooming just outside our front door - I am in heaven with all of these flowers to photograph. Hooray for spring!

Spring Soccer

Day 96/100
The spring soccer season starts tomorrow. I am thankful for a nice weekend in which we could get outside and warm up for the first soccer practice.

Metal Chair on Main Street

Day 95/365

Playing Ponies

Day 94/365
I love listening to my kids' imaginations at work.

Tulip Sprout

Day 93/365
The promise of spring!

Curly Q

Day 92/365
I took a walk around the yard today, investigating places that had green sprouts peeking out of the ground. Not much in the way of new growth to photograph, but I did find these sweet tendrils of curly grass.

Collage: Week 13

Collage: Week 12

Posed Vs. Candid Portraits

Dau 91/365
I love taking beautiful pictures of my kids, and that often means placing them in a location of my design and asking for a specific kind of expression. This is exactly how the first photo of today's post came about. And I do love this picture of my sweet girl, there's no doubt about it.

I often forget, however, the power of a candid shot. I have come to cherish some of my "unplanned" photos the most. I picked up my camera while the kids were finishing dinner and I stole some shots while Enavi was concentrating on the dinner time conversation. I love her natural expression and obvious focus on her brother's story. Yes, my table is messy, but this is what dinner really looks like at our house! Both of these pictures are beautiful to me, but in completely different ways. This serves as a reminder to me to not get so lost in the search for the perfect portrait that I forget the importance of capturing real life.