Friends and Flowers...

With our good friends in town from California it was most certainly time to make our annual trip to the Botanic Gardens.

Miss -H- and Miss -A- joined the boys for some adorable and candid photos.  So many to choose from, so prepare yourself there are quite a few packed into this post! {I mean a WHOLE lot}

A couple of Old Souls

Peeking in on a thoughtful conversation

Pensive

Up to {Something}

Even caught a pic of the girls with Mom

Mischievous

Things you shouldn't do whilst at a Botanic Garden

Innocence

{Sisters}

Friendship

There are those Old Souls Again, a lasting friendship!

Deep Thought

Purpose

There were so many lovely moments between these sweet friends. 

I had so much fun not only capturing these pictures and between Andee and I we got a whole plethora to choose from as you can see, but I really enjoyed editing these with my new found rules of photography!

A Friend's New Addition...

On this St. Patrick's Day, I had the privilege of visiting with a close friend while at her stay at the hospital.  Earlier today at 11:12am, her and her family welcomed a new addition, Miss 

-E-. 

She is a little doll weighing in at 6 lbs 5.9 oz and she stretches out to a 19 inches long.  They are all so excited to have her here,

all the way from her newly titled

"BIG SISTER"

to the proud BIG Bro

and of course the glowing parents.  Watching them with their new little one was so fun and I was GIDDY!  Soon we will be welcoming our third born, and meeting Miss -E- made me wonder what little -J- will look like, what features he will have, who he will look like, and how big he will be, but for now, today, I will just enjoy meeting little -E-!

1 and a 1/2 to 4...

Four

1 and a 1/2

{Four}

1 and a HALF

-A- is 1 and a 1/2 (well 19 months, close enough) and -N- is 4, where has the time gone?

And soon there will be another boy to add to the mix!

All pictures courtesy of Portrait Innovations

A Lesson in Photography...

I had the pleasure of attending a photography class hosted by two amazing photographers recently, with one of them being one of my favorite photographers. The whole point of the class was to learn about technique, get comfy with your camera (getting out of auto) and getting to know the rules and that it is OKAY to BREAK them!

I had a blast listening to both of these amazing photographers instruct on key points and with a focus on aperture, something I crave (but tend to be inhibited by the abilities of my camera and the forever auto mode that tends to exist in a point n shoot), I was in Heaven. One of the main things I learned however, is the need to get your subject close to the camera, and distance both you and the subject from the background, to get those ever so blurry pictures, luckily when all else fails...photoshop!!!

When the class was finished we were tempted with the upcoming classes they will be offerring and given a homework assignment. Go home and USE what you learned.

So this evening, as we set out on an adventure around the neighborhood with -N- on his new bike, I grabbed the camera and off we went.

I was only asked for 5 photos, but this last one catches my eye each time I see it, so I thought I'd share it too.

He loves his new bike and had so much fun "showing" me how HE goes for a bike ride, since Dad was with him on his maiden voyage.

Turning 4...

My sweet darling little man is growing up, it is amazing how fast it seems to be whizzing by. A mere 4 years ago he forever changed our lives and turned us into parents.

This little man is the most amazing kid with enough personality to go around.

Last night we had a birthday party for -N- over at my parent's house.

The two major highlights of the evening

were the cake and his surprise visitor,

his "best friend" -H-, who happens to be in town.

He woke up this morning and came into our room, I wished him a Happy Birthday and he explained how he was just a little bit bigger now that he is FOUR! After breakfast he opened a few more gifts, these were a few of his favorites, a new raincoat, rain boots and a toy story watch.

Thank you Nini and Papa!

He had us laughing most of the day as he received phone calls from his grandparents and aunts and uncles. He would quickly hop on the phone to say thank you, give a little info about his current doings and then would finish with I love you, Bye and was off to the next thing whether it was riding his new bike, playing with a new toy or heading off on an adventure with his Dad.

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy, we love you and can't wait to see what year five has in store!

6 Months...

Wow, this pregnancy is going by even faster than the last!  Two trimesters in, I am feeling quite well, having some serious nesting issues going on, and by far this has been my easiest pregnancy. 

(well almost)

Here the little one is...

and for all those wondering...

IT'S A BOY!!!

A New Do...

Up until now, -B- and I have had complete control over the hairstyle that -N- has, with a little input from him, that is until today.

"Mom I don't want really short hair anymore, I want my hair to be longer like my little brother's."

So there ya have it, today we will start growing it out...

Happy Valentine's Day...

The best gifts are the ones that come from the heart and are made with your own two hands.

See that amazing craftsmanship?  I absolutely love this gift and we will have it for many, many years to come.

Thanks Babe, Happy Valentine's Day!

{Snow} Day...

So today we had record a snowfall of 14", it started and just kept on falling, which is the most snow this area has seen on record!

When -B- arrived home yesterday we opted to take the kiddos out to play and enjoy!

-A- was entirely unhappy about being in the snow, that is until he discovered the sport of throwing snowballs!

-N- enjoyed building a snowman with his Dad!

A Winter Wonderland Indeed!  One I don't expect to see again for sometime, but one we truly enjoyed while it lasted.

-B- spent the day at home today enjoying it for a little while longer, it was a wonderful and welcome break to a long week.