A week in pictures.

Okay peeps, we've got some catching up to do and a lot of ground to cover in a short amount of time. As I sit and pound at the keyboard, I have two hungry children invading my creative space...they are like two sharks circling before a deep sea attack. "Mommmm, I'm starrrrrving" and "Can I have something....anything to eat?" is what I'm up against here. I'm going to cover this fast, so pay attention, before they tear my arm off and eat it for supper.

Mr. Sam graduated from his Early Learners Class. In a nutshell, the program involved two patient teachers, 12 adorable little kids, and an audience full of cameras. Nobody wanted to miss a single second of the 4-minute show. This picture cracks me up because it totally screams preschool graduation.

Speaking of huge events in Sam's life, we celebrated his 4th birthday. Oh, my aching heart. My baby is such a big kid all of a sudden. He's an underwear-donning, bicycle-riding, baseball-loving, joke-cracking fool these days! What a fantastic age.
Bug season has officially started. The Patton boys love nothing more than a good bug hunt in the summer. Today we found the mother of all spiders {cringe} while cleaning the garage. At this time, we are debating on what to do with it. Suggestions range from shaking the jar until the spider dies of blunt force trauma to the head (Sam's suggestion) to dumping it out on the driveway and poking it to death with a stick (Will's suggestion). I am pushing to keep it for use as a learning tool (when did I turn into such a dork?).

My cringing face was wiggling the camera too much to get a good shot, so this will have to do. Spiders just creep me out.
In addition to the start of bug season, it is now baseball season for Will. Dave is helping to coach, which is fun to watch. Go Huskies!

Moving on to equally exciting topics, the kids have determined that I'm a total sucker for buying anything that we can watch grow. Pictured above is a small aquarium full of sea monkeys. That's right. Sea. Monkeys. Google them. They're real. And I cannot believe we are watching them grow. My in-laws, who have age-appropriate eyesight, think we're watching a cup of water. Can't say I blame them.

We are still (yes, still) plugging along with the house building. I have removed all emotion from the process at this point and am in complete decision maker mode. I don't even recognize myself anymore. I see choices. I bark 'yup' or 'hell no' and move on. Snap, snap. Let's getter done.

My name sister (Florida's very own, extra special Susan Patton) sent me her copy of the Photoshop Elements book last week. Pictured above is Will pretending to be me. It's a great read, what can I say? (Susan, thanks again - I'm loving it!!!) This brings me to the last item on my show-n-tell list.

My camera and I met the most amazing family on Sunday. Lucky me got to spend a little time capturing some images of this fantastic foursome. They were so cute, I almost wish I could shrink them to doll size so I could take them home with me. Trust me. If remotely possible, I'd do it. They were just that cute.

Sweet Baby C. Ten-days-old and nothing but good.

Look at these little lips. Killing me!!!

I challenge you to think of one thing cuter than a sleeping baby. Time's up. Impossible.

You know I'm a sucker for hand shots.

And let's not forget big brother G.

Okay, seriously? Those toddler teeth, those little curls...I'm in love.

Here are the big boys, horsing around. Love this shot!!

~
(Thank you J&J for inviting me into your home.
You have an incredible family :)
~

Considering I'm now typing with my nose and one ear (the kids really did rip off my arms) I think I did okay. Hope you all had a great week!

Fishing (and other) adventures, part II.

Three generations of my family had the same thing in mind today. Ever since word had spread that the creek (pronounced 'crick' please) had been restocked with trout twice this past week, my dad and husband were itching to go fishing.

I won't lie to you. Things got off to a slow start.

So slow that I studied bait. For a long time.

I studied Daddy-long legs too.

And fishing positions.
After getting only one bite, we decided to change fishing spots.
Upstream we went. Along the way, I got distracted with flowers and bees.

And more flowers.


Luckily I caught up with the fishermen in time to watch all the excitement. Sam reeled in a small rainbow trout but refused to touch it once it was off the line.


Will then caught a fish that was so small, I wondered if
he should just keep it on the line to use as future bait.

He then decided to look for snails and other creek life.

Finally someone made the call. Let's head home and get some dinner.

Along the way, I got distracted again.

This seems to be a recurring problem for me.

I love buttercups.

And dandelions.

I realize they're weeds, but I think they're dreamy.

~

Unfortunately, this is where my post gets ugly. Viewers should be advised. Small children and adults with weak stomachs should stop reading and look away.

You see, when my dad and husband have too much down time together, they start scanning the fields for critters. Mostly of the groundhog sort. Once the hunting rifle appears, it's all down hill from there. Well, downhill, if you're a groundhog and you're dumb enough to stand when people whistle at you. Let's just say the men enjoyed a little target practice tonight.

While 200 pound lap-dog Boomer snuggled with my dad, Dave and the kids headed down to the field to make sure all was quiet. (Answer: Yes it was). When they returned, Sam described the groundhog's expression.

That's about how I looked too.

~

Now tell me about your Sunday. How was it?

Wednesday goodness.

The weather finally cleared yesterday so I could meet my lovely friend, Jill, and her sweetheart of a daughter, Miss Ellie, to get some pictures. Jill and I have been talking about getting together ever since I ambushed her with my camera on the streets of New Wilmington one chilly day in late winter. Poor thing never saw me coming and didn't have a chance to run for cover.


When Jill and Ellie got out of their car, both were wearing dresses and boots. Boots. People, listen. In my book, boots are heavenly footwear. I adore any kind of boot, especially kicking cowgirl boots. And that's exactly what Miss Ellie was wearing. As if this wasn't enough, they came prepared with a bag of props. When Ellie pulled out this antique frame and grinned at me, I about fell to the ground in a puddle of happy tears.



Oh my, I love the picture above. Look at how Ellie is holding onto her momma's back. Such a sweet moment. The morning was loaded with them, actually. What a special time. And what a special mom and daughter.



Thank you, Jill and Ellie for a wonderful morning. And thank you SP, BP, LW, KC, & EO for your words of encouragement yesterday. You are all good, good people :)

Growing pains.

I must admit I'm having a bit of a pity party at the moment. Just when I think I could maybe {maybe} pull off this photography thing...I stumble on someone else's work and instead of being inspired, it makes me feel small. That terrible, no-good, critical voice creeps into my head and I hear myself say things like, "What am I doing? I can't consistently get a crisp shot on my camera! He/she is a brilliant photographer...Argh, I have so much to learn!...." and the list of negativity continues.

~

I know, I know. I shouldn't compare my work to others. I should look at my own progress. Is my work evolving? Is it improving from where I was before. If the answer is yes, then that's all that matters. I'm exactly where I need to be, right? But the truth is I'm terribly frustrated at the moment. Where I want to be seems painfully unattainable. Will I ever get there? How? When?

~

The following images are from today. My dear friend Kori and her son Max came for a long-overdue lunch. As I look at the pictures I smile at Max's expressions. He grinned and giggled, he frowned and even fussed. At those moments and these, I remember that little people (just like big people) experience joy in the little victories as well as frustration with setbacks. We are each a work in progress. And I suppose if there's progress...it has to be good.

My dear Max, here's to baby steps.

Thank you for reminding me that we all have to start somewhere.