Fruity

Since discovering that Tommy is allergic to pineapple and blueberries, we've had to be very cautious about introducing new fruits to him. This is sad because we are fruit lovers, especially in the summer. Blueberries are some of my favorites, so it's really hard to not keep those around. When we gave him watermelon for the first time, it was really hard to cut him off after just a few pieces because he loved it. Fortunately, he had no reaction, so let the watermelon gluttony commence!

He ate three slices and then asked for more. Between the two of us, we finished off half a watermelon in one sitting.
There's really nothing cuter than a little mouth trying to take on a whole slice of watermelon.

Beach Babies

This week has been exceptionally dumb. I took some gorgeous flower photos for You Capture with my phone, but hey, guess what decided to stop working yesterday? That's right. So said flower photos are still on my phone.

This is probably cheating, but since these kids are technically my babies, I am counting it. Especially because I don't understand how they aren't still tiny babies. How did it happen that I have a two year old and four year old?
Here's my littlest baby playing in Lake Michigan. He loves the sand and water.




My biggest baby is also a fan of it. No pictures of him in the water, because he's so fearless that he just dives right in. Both boys (ahem, I mean babies) went under the waves once or twice and both came up giggling.


I love my beach babies!

The Livin' Is Easy

Sweet, sweet summertime. Shall I count the ways in which I love summer?

1. Water. Barefoot boys. Gorgeous golden rays.


2. Seriously, say it with me: gorgeous.golden.rays.


3. Hiking. Outdoors. Flip flops.


4. S'mores. Need I say more?


5. Flowers


6. Butterflies

Outside

Although the weather is still not as warm as I'd like, we have had decent enough weather to spend some time outdoors. Thank goodness!

One of our favorite things at this time of year is the wetlands behind our house. Everything is so green and alive right now. What starts out as wetlands flows into a creek behind the field, where there is fortunately a walking trail. We're probably trespassing on someone's property, but fortunately, there are no signs or houses or anything back there to tell us otherwise.

On our walk back, Tommy was determined to navigate the field but kept falling. He held Shane's hand and was so very serious about each step he took.

The crazy robin who built a nest in my basket of flowers laid two eggs Saturday, followed by one more egg Sunday, and another Monday. I sincerely hope that the process of laying an egg isn't like labor, becuase OUCH. That's a long time.

I worry that she's not protected enough from predators, because I keep thinking that any sort of animal could jump up and get her and her babies. Thanks to the flowers still growing around her, she does seem pretty sheltered. She popped her head up when she heard me at the door taking photos; normally, you can't even see her.

Vibrant

I haven't done You Capture in so long or uh, blogged in general, but I was on the Sephora website searching for the name of the vibrant blue toenail polish I'm sporting right now (no pictures, because feet are gross) when I remembered that today was You Capture. Except that it was actually yesterday, but hey, better late than never. I wish I could show you photos of beautiful, vibrant flowers, but Indiana still thinks it's winter. Shane took Luke to the store Monday and since he can't say no, Luke came home with this vibrant lollipop...which this little imp promptly stole. Leaving his patient big brother with only this small piece and his mommy with approximately twenty feet of sticky hand prints to clean off the wall.

C-C-Cold

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer. ~ Albert Camus

It's cold outside today. -11 according to the wind chill, so I hope I can beg for forgiveness for not taking my cold photo outside today. Have you ever noticed that the sun shines with a certain intensity when it's cold outside? Like it's trying to make amends for the fact that it is so.very.cold. This kind of cold makes me sad, makes me feel like it'll never be warm again. This morning, though, I was able to capture a little bit of hope next to the bright, cold sun.



It won't be cold forever!

Circle Round

This week, I didn't really set out to take pictures of circles because well, I'm lazy. Also because I dropped my camera this summer and my lens is still falling off and I probably can't afford to replace it any time soon, which makes taking pictures annoying. But thankfully, I have a phone and also thankfully, circles are EVERYWHERE. Seriously, everywhere.

Like in my morning cup of coffee with my favorite creamer.


Or in the layout of this Veteran's memorial that I pass every single day, twice a day but have never visited. It's hard to see in a snow, but it's set up on a circular platform.

It was snowing, windy, and so cold that day. I had to walk through ankle deep snow to get out here, but what it took me to walk out there is nothing compared to the sacrifices made by the men listed on that black wall.

Unfortunately, after I took this picture, the weather started spitting ice pellets in my face. And although they are probably circular in nature, they are also not very fun to photograph, but I definitely plan to stop more and appreciate more when it's warmer.

All Is Calm

Our holidays tend to be hectic. While we are very blessed to live so close to both of our families, it can make for busy days where we drive, drive, drive all day long. The upside, of course, is that we do end up in our own beds at night. As Christmas wound down, Tommy found respite from our hectic day on Papa's lap.



You Capture: Holiday Favorites

Shadows On The Sky

I really thought my captured lights would be Christmas lights, but after driving home from the most disastrous Santa experience ever we ran into this sunset.

The sun was making the most perfect play of light and shadows across the fields of snow.


Unfortunately, my windows are dirty, so I braved the cold and a rapidly moving car to take this photo. Shane joked that somehow, I was going to drop the camera out the window, but miraculously, I held onto it.

It was totally worth the risk to capture that gorgeous vertical sunbeam. I suppose it's not really holiday related, but it is definitely magical.

Outside

I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
~Mary Frye

You Capture: Outside

the lovliness of loving you

I have eaten horribly this week. So horribly that it's not even funny. It's Secret Santa week at work, which means I've gotten candy in my mail box EVERY SINGLE DAY. And I've eaten all of it, every sweet, chocolate-y bite.

As if this week's sugar binge hasn't been bad enough, I took the boys for milkshakes Sunday. It was one of those mom moments where I was totally patting myself on the back. When Luke was a baby, we never went out to eat EVER because the thought of taking him to a restaurant was so daunting. The first time we ate out, he was a year old--and taking him by myself? I would've broken out in hives at the mere thought. So, as I packed the boys in the car by myself and took them out to eat by myself without even a second thought, I realized that I totally got this. Except that last night, Shane and I took the boys out together and it was an unmitigated DISASTER, so really? I don't got this.

But what I DID get was two delicious milkshakes shared with my two best boys.



It doesn't get any sweeter than this.

From The Ground Up

I have been a really lazy blogger this week, so I thought it would be best to get my You Capture photos up early...otherwise I might just forget that I have a blog all together! I took all of my pictures while lying on the ground, either on my stomach or back. Lucky for me the neighbors already think I'm crazy, so I have nothing to lose.

Spring is green grass juxtaposed with a stormy sky

Playing at the park while the 6 o'clock church bells play "Bringing in the Sheaves." {Sometimes I love living in a small town}

Bright bursts of yellow

Being too big for the baby swings, but also, just big enough to give your baby brother the best swing ride of his life.

You Capture: Spring

I love spring. I'm fairly certain I've said this about eleven billion times, but I do. I love spring. If I could marry spring, I would.

While on the March of Dimes walk, I captured a lot of gorgeous spring pictures. And then baby Godzilla unleashed himself on my laptop, where I had, sadly, uploaded the photos and then deleted from my camera. Luckily, my husband recently acquired a laptop, so I was able to steal his while anxiously awaiting a replacement power cord for my laptop! Technology. It's wonderful (and confusing, if you're my husband), but kind of annoying in its breakability.

ANYWAY, I did manage to snap some pictures that are very, very spring to me. In the field behind our house, there is a ditch that has three lilac bushes growing in it. They're very big and since no one really lives by them, I consider them fair game for flower cutting. Cutting the flowers is a little treacherous since it's pretty overgrown and I, of course, wear flip flops to do it, but it's worth it for all the flowers I can put in glass vases around the house.

Aside from cropping, this next one is SOOC. Isn't it lovely what the spring sunshine can do?



And finally, this photo represents spring because after months of spending every night inside, we finally get to go outside and play at the park every night after dinner. We're all thankful for this, but no one is as thankful for the warmth that spring brings as Luke!

You Capture: Spring

Fresh

When I went through my photos from the last week, I realized that I took approximately 8,000 pictures of food when thinking of Fresh. Clearly, I have a problem, but I was able to narrow it down to just two food pictures.


Fresh donuts with my favorite guy. While Shane slept in Sunday, Luke, Tommy, and I snuck out to Dunkin' Donuts AND Starbucks. It was a great morning, with fresh donuts, fresh coffee, and lots of smiles.


Then, Sunday afternoon, I met Julie and Love for coffee, at which point I indulged in a very fresh cinnamon roll with brandy buttercream sauce. Yum. And wow.

On the rare moment that I think outside of FOOD for fresh, I think flowers for sure. I have this lovely little glass vase that I use for just one or two single flowers because it looks so pretty.

Don't you think?

Comfort Is...

Sleeping under Christmas lights because you're a little scared of the dark.

Balancing the silly moments with the quiet ones.


Knowing that you'll always have someone to love you, no matter what.


(Shane took the last photo, but he doesn't have a blog, so I'm totally posting it.)
You Capture: Comfort

You Capture: A Moment

For this week's You Capture, I wanted to capture a moment from each day this week that made my soul sing, alongside the lyrics from one of my most very favorite soul and heart lifting songs. I hope your moments were beautiful and full of music this week, too.

What a beautiful face I have found in this place
That is circling all round the sun
What a beautiful dream
That could flash on the screen
In a blink of an eye and be gone from me
Soft and sweet
Let me hold it close and keep it here with me, me

And one day we will die
And our ashes will fly from the aeroplane over the sea
But for now we are young
Let us lay in the sun
And count every beautiful thing we can see
Love to be
In the arms of all I'm keeping here with me, me

What a curious life we have found here tonight
There is music that sounds from the street
There are lights in the clouds
Anna's ghost all around
Hear her voice as it's rolling and ringing through me
Soft and sweet
How the notes all bend and reach above the trees, trees

Now how I remember you
How I would push my fingers through
Your mouth to make those muscles move
That made your voice so smooth and sweet
Now we keep where we don't know
All secrets sleep in winter clothes
With one you loved so long ago
Now he don't even know his name

What a beautiful face I have found in this place
That is circling all round' the sun
And when we meet on a cloud I'll be laughing out loud
I'll be laughing with everyone I see
Can't believe how strange it is to be anything at all

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea--The Neutral Milk Hotel

You Capture: Reaching

Flowers reaching through the still cold ground for the sun. I love Daffodils for how hardy they are, for how they reach up while all the other flowers are still hiding.


Before I took the above photo, I had to get a photo of my little Leprechaun. It was a little hard, though, because every single time I tried to snap a photo, he kept reaching out for me. Every single time.

I love when he reaches for me.