Winter Sunset (Sunday Snapshot & 6/52 - Project 52)

 

 

I feel like we've been hibernating lately.

We stay indoors almost all the time.

It's just way too cold to go outside

and definitely too cold to be outside taking photos.

 

 

 

 

Taken a few evenings ago of Grace in the amazing light as the sun was setting

behind the trees

showing these purple and golden hues.

We stayed outside for exactly 5 minutes.

 

 

 

 

I do notice the daylight is lasting longer.

Hey, Spring arrives in 38 days!

 

135mm lens - 3.2

1/500

ISO 800

 

 

 



Favorite photo(s) Friday - a little bit of my life

{Time capsule}

I've had quite a few roles in my lifetime...as a daughter, a student, wife,

a long and rewarding career as a Registered Nurse,

 an elementary school tutor for at risk kids and now part time photographer/full time mom.
Being a mom is hands down the best thing I've ever done.

It's my personal belief that motherhood isn't about a list of tasks we complete
or having a spotlessly clean home at all times,
it's about being there for our children.
The little ones and big ones.

I'm not a perfect mom but I'm a loving and caring one.
I thoroughly enjoy my children, and yes even the stages or phases
that are a little more trying. I've learned they all pass in time.

One of my favorite things is to observe my kids doing what they do best 

which is play.

And I jump in now and then too!

The storyboard shows parts of my life over about a 13 hour time period on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

There's Will and Grace at 7:20 am (on the left) waiting for their Dad to put on his coat 

to drive them to school.

The top row shows a photo of my kitchen table (a place we spend quite a bit
of time doing homework, crafts and eating meals),

then there's a cup of my favorite tea in front of the computer...

I was editing a lot that day.

Middle row is our 9 month old pup Zoe looking awfully cute

and Will (after school) working on some Valentines.

The last row is my little fish (Will) in the bath

and Grace fast asleep around 8pm that night.

She has to have her favorite stuffed animals arranged 'just so perfectly.'

I feel incredibly blessed.

joy of love (portrait)

I'm kind of behind in the joy of love assignments,

but had to get this one in.

Portraits are probably my personal favorites as far as pictures.

It doesn't matter how many I've taken

of my children in the past.

Every one of them is different in feeling and mood.

And a glimpse of their spirit and soul.

Taken Sunday afternoon of my favorite 8 year old in the whole wide world.

The little girl with the Mona Lisa smile.

Our Grace.

joy of love - portrait

black and white Wednesday - the boy who loves water

I always wanted to be Peter Pan, the boy who never grows up.

I can't fly, but swimming is the next best thing.

It's harmony and balance.

The water is my sky.

 ~Clayton Jones

(singing) Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.

What do we do?
 We swim, swim..swim.

~ Dory in Finding Nemo

There's something about water that brings

out the fish in 5 year old Will.

It can be bath, pool or ocean water.

This boy loves to swim.

There are days he asks to take a bath twice...and I get the water ready for him.

He hasn't had swimming lessons yet.

What we've noticed is how well he floats.
He's on his tummy in the tub, goggles on with eyes open and playing with toys.

I do think he looks extremely cute in goggles.

Taken last weekend at a China travel group get together...

the kids wouldn't get out of the pool.

And swam the following morning too.

Fun times!

You can see many more black and whites
at The Long Road to China.

joy of love (staying in)

Well we're pretty much experts in the 'staying in'

department, since we live in the frozen tundra.

We make the best of it...because we don't have much of a choice.

Our Wii gets a good workout with both littles.

Will loves his Lightning McQueen game

but the current fav for both is 'Lets Dance Kids.'

Will adds a few signature moves of his own every time

they play.

Besides our daily arts and crafts time for Grace,

both kids love imaginative play, Grace reads to Will, they make up puppet shows,

play Barbies (yes Will does too), and

race around our basement that has plenty of open space and a small trampoline to jump on.

Even though we got another blast of Winter today, I can tell Spring is coming

...our daylight is lasting longer. :)

Grace's beautiful art set was a Christmas gift from her Grandma.

As I remember it was purchased at the Art Institute of Chicago's museum shop.

I don't see it in their online catalog presently.

joy of love - staying in.

joy of love

In December I took Kelly Willette's 'Finding the Holiday Joy'

 online photography class and loved it.

So this month I'm taking her free class, 'The Joy of Love.'

Every day we have an assignment and I'm already behind. lol!

I will attempt to keep up but know that it's pretty unlikely I'll post every day,

so I'm thinking I'll combine a few days together in posts.

I highly recommend her classes, they keep me inspired and especially this time of the year

when I have cabin fever.

The first assignment was to photograph someone you love

doing what they do... whether it's working, playing, eating, etc.

The above ones are of my little man doing one of the things he probably does best,

which is play.
Those mini super hero toys get played with constantly.

I happened to get my husband in the background working on the computer.

He was home because we had a snow day today because of the blizzard.

So I got two of my loves in this one.