January Thaw

The other day I noticed a tulip bulb poking its little green neck out of soil, blissfully unaware that it's still the middle of winter. Little does it know these uncustomary warmer temperatures will only lead to its premature death once the ice returns. I admit, I felt a palpable sense of sadness for it.

Anyways, we took advantage of the January thaw by taking the boys on a long walk in the park. Jack has been stocking up on cabin fever so I couldn't get out there fast enough to let him burn off a little energy and breathe in some good old fresh air.  Is it just me, or does Jack have a ghostly white face? No matter how much I increase the color levels on this photo, his face remains translucent. Evidence that he hasn't been outside in a long time....

It was also a nice way to close our time as a family while Tim was on Christmas break from school. Having him home for a whole month was an incredible gift and I know it's going to be tough to get back into the swing of flying solo, especially on those days where it's too cold to go outside and the boys' rogue energy must be loosed within the constrains of these four walls. Like that eager tulip bulb I will be stretching my neck out of the house at the first sign of spring.

Here's to more beautiful winter days like this one.

Photo Shoot

A week or so ago, our friend Danielle from Ever After Imagery treated us to a photo shoot! We've never had professional pictures taken of us ever, so this was such a blessing.  It was such a fun afternoon and Tim and I felt so at ease. Here are a handful of my favorites:

The Boys and their Nan.

 This photograph is so honest, and I love it.

Baby News!

Nope, I'm not pregnant. Did you think I was?

Ha!

Last week our friends James and Danielle came over to take pictures for their baby announcement. So exciting! Tim and I both teared up when they first told us a few months ago and it was an honor to be a part of announcing it to the rest of the world. I love how these shots turned out! They came up with all the conceptual pieces (i.e. the fruit/chalkboard/wording) and I was flattered when they asked me to be the photographer! You can see how I repurposed that chalkboard here.

Floating Umbrellas.

Ranunculous.

Such is the name (I think, anyways) of the unknown flower from yonder post. Quite a mouthful. Seeing as I haven't posted in almost two weeks, this must indicate some sort of busyness in our lives though I can't think with what. The more probable culprit is laziness.

We did go to Ontario again last weekend for a family visit. We're trying to make Canadian ventures a more regular part of our life as it nicely serves as a welcomed change of scenery-mini vacation-fun diversion sort of thing. It's also mainly in want of seeing cousins and sisters and so forth. This trip proved to be a success on all accounts, though I can't say any of us had a good night's rest while we were there. Jack was a peach in the car both ways which was an answer to prayer (this gives me hope for future road trips) and once there not only discovered the joy of Kamut Puffs, but also found a runny nose to bring home as a souvenir. It seemed inevitable as every cousin he encountered was willing and ready to share their own runny noses with him, and he was happy to oblige with the holding of many hands.

In other news, we're going to be starting a crazy radical new lifestyle as of April 1. I'm really praying its not a fad and that we stick to it because I truly believe its going to revolutionize our health for the long run. But more to come on that later!

For now, here are some pictures I snapped of Jack with his cousin Lydia (notice the hand holding):

Mystery Flowers

About a week ago I spied these flowers at Trader Joe's for a mere $5.99. Taking on soft vintage hues that gently compliment their surroundings, these have turned out to be one of, if not the, most beautiful bouquet of flowers to ever grace my home. The sad part is, I didn't take note of what variety of flower they are so I feel very much like Prince Charming at midnight with, "But I don't even know your name" on my lips. If anyone can enlightenment me on the particulars of these new favorite beauties, I'd be very much obliged.

(to see the images in full, click on my flickr page to the right)

West Side Market

We went to the West Side Market this morning to pick up a few things and I thought it might be a good opportunity to snap a few Project 365ish pictures.... and in the end, this was all I got, which makes me laugh because I was surrounded by a myriad of excellent options and this is what I have to show for it.

On the subject of Jack... today he managed to spit-up in my mouth (sick!) and poop so much that we had to (literally) cut him out of his onesie in order to avoid covering him in his own waste. Lovely.

Three Posts in One Day!

I've been back logged with post ideas, what can I say?

A few days ago there was a big snow which left our driveway in need of a good shovel. So we decided to tackle the task as a family, Jack included. And of course this can only mean one thing... photo op! Especially since it was the babe's first time actually being in the snow.

White Winter Hymnal.

So you know that ice I just mentioned .... the kind that wraps itself tightly around any and everything? Well if it's my car... no fun. If it's every tree, shrub, branch and berry in sight, it's breath-taking. And it rarely happens. But it's magical, especially when the sun sparkles through the branches on a clear morning. It's a sacred thing, being surrounded by such heavenly beauty. I almost ran inside to grab my camera on my way to work yesterday, knowing I'd have a good chance at catching that moment forever near the woods by the church, but I was already running late and decided not to (which I sorely regret). I was hopeful the morning sun would be in full effect this morning as I stopped by my favorite spot to try and capture some images, but to no avail.

Nevertheless, I still savored those few quiet moments of solitude out in the stillness of the morning. Even without the sun to highlight its best features, the woods are always inviting, beckoning me to stay and visit awhile.