Frolic!

My cousin and her family are up this week from California. My grandmother lives right on the 'beach' (mudflats). While a lot of people think mudflats are kind of gross, they are PERFECT kid beaches. Sand forever, not a lot to hurt your feet on, and the water (when you finally reach it) is nice and warm.

We got in some great playtime.






On the way home, G said 'I had a great day today.'

We did. We really did.

For more play, jump on over to I Should Be Folding Laundry for You Capture.

Black. And White.

Black and white. I just love it...it's so, well, CLEAN. Crisp.

We got out a lot this week, and I captured some wonderful moments.

At the zoo...kissing the hippopotamus statue.


At home, modeling the new big boy haircut.

Visiting Thomas the Tank engine...hanging out on the train.

For more black and white shots, scoot on over to I Should Be Folding Laundry for You Capture.

Green

This week I was lucky enough to get to play around with a zoom lens. I haven't mastered the zoom, but oh, how I loved it! This is an expensive hobby I've gotten myself into. Crikey. My capture for the week? Green. Very green.

For more You Capture, zoom (ha) on over to I Should Be Folding Laundry.

Low Tide

Last week, for a few days, the sun came out. And, coincidentally, we had a record low tide. I'm so glad someone alerted me to this fact because I'm clueless.

Off to the beach we went. It was not even 70, and people were in their swimsuits. Hey, if it's over 50, Washingtonians are in shorts - 70? Yeah, that's tropical.

I do complain about the weather here in Washington A LOT. Like, all the time. But, seriously? It can be pretty breathtaking when we have a respite from the rain.






Yeah, I kind of love it here.

When it's not raining.

For more water shots, float on over to You Capture.

Spring, Ya'll

Spring...courtesy of Leakey, Texas.

And Fredericksburg, Texas!


Happy Spring, ya'll! It's freezing up here in Washington, but gall darn is it beeyootiful down in the Texas hill country!

For more Spring, mosey on over to You Capture at Beth's place.

Never a Dull Moment

I suppose I get my fill of touching moments around here, but for the most part, I pick up my camera and weird stuff happens.

Like my toddler having a total freak out over 'sticky' chocolate ice cream. He was screaming 'BATH! BATH!'.


Or catching him mid-yawn. But he looks totally angry. Snarling. Probably because I made him get his hair cut and it kind of looks like Lloyd Christmas (Google it, kids).


And finally, my nut job cat, Boris, who at one point had to be on kitty Prozac (yes, they make it). He has decided the bathroom sink is a great place to sleep.

Till I turn the water on.

And you know I did.

For more moments, click on over to I Should Be Folding Laundry. Don't forget to wish Beth luck - she's having a baby in a few days!

I Hope

I hope, today, I can make it through my training run, swift and strong.


I hope the sky is blue and the sun shines on my face.


I hope my running partner will allow me to finish my training without a tantrum (I think I'll bring some bribery cookies).


I hope I can make it up this one last hill.

(I did it. A sweaty, happy mess.)

I hope that Team Shrinking Jeans raises colossal, record breaking amounts of money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The LLS brings so much hope to so many that feel hopeless.

I hope that my hope blossoms and grows into something bigger and more wonderful than I ever imagined.

For more hope, head on over to I Should Be Folding Laundry.

For more information on The LLS, Team Shrinking Jeans and how you can help give hope, click on over to our Team Page.

The Shape of Things

One of the best things about being told to go out, get behind a camera and LOOK for shapes? All the sharp points and curves and slopes you've walked by a million times before and never noticed come into brilliant focus.

The square benches at the park.

The gentle triangular curve of the rings.

The sloping, steep bowl at the skate park down the street.

The leaf imprint in the sidewalk that you've walked over again and again but never saw. Till today
.
For more shapes, head on over to I Should Be Folding Laundry.

A Kiss is Not Just a Kiss

I don't remember a lot from kindergarten. I vaguely remember a few outfits I liked to wear (a Little House on the Prairie pinafore comes to mind) and the way we couldn't have our coats in the coat closet because someone always had head lice.

Itch. Itch.

And a day that caused me major anxiety. The day Mrs. Campbell announced during circle time she was going to give each of us a kiss.

What?

I remained composed (or as composed as a 5 year old can be) and waited. Was she going to make us line up for the kiss? Was she going to kiss us on the lips or the cheek? Time dragged by - even though it was probably only a minute - it felt like forever. I was one freaked out little kid.

Finally, Mrs. Campbell reached under her chair and pulled out a brown paper bag.

And proceeded to give each of us a kiss.


That kiss was a kiss I was okay with.

For more kisses, head on over to I Should Be Folding Laundry. Today, Beth's fabulous link up turns one! Happy Bloggy Birthday, Beth!

Mamarazzi

Last night we had a little photo shoot at bath time.

Getting smiles out of this kid (at least on demand) is a nearly impossible feat.

We can do 'surprised'.


He'll give me profile (work it).



He'll give me somber (and the signature 'I will not make eye contact' shot).


Oh! Almost a smile. Not quite.


Mom...really? I'm trying to take a bath here. I have serious water pouring issues to attend to. And squirty toys. Lay off.


Okay, fine. Here you go. Happy?

And there you have it. At the age of two, he has mastered the completely fake, almost painful photo smile.

No matter what he's doing, he's my favorite face to capture.

For more faces, jump on over to I Should Be Folding Laundry.

Color

Just as cabin fever was about to set in and we were all about to lose our minds, mother nature decided to throw us a bone and the weather turned absolutely beautiful (what up, El Nino?)

We've been sitting comfortably in the mid 40's to 50's, with sun. In January. This time last year? Yeah, I don't want to talk about it. It was a rough winter.

With all the sun, we've been hitting up the park as much as possible...not our usual haunt, but another park about a mile and a half from our house - so mommy gets a three mile run in, and the kiddo gets to run amok and let go of some of that endless energy.

Win-win.

And even in the bleakness of winter, there is color...

natural color...



artistic color...



playful color.



The promise of spring is in the air, and many, many more afternoons at the park. I can hardly wait!

For more colors, check out You Capture over at I Should Be Folding Laundry.

Purr.

When my husband and I first moved in together, a little over eight years ago, we decided we wanted to adopt some kitties. One night, he came home from work with a 'surprise'. His jacket had two lumps in the front - that were purring.

He pulled down the zipper to reveal two of the most adorable but sickly looking kittens I'd ever seen. A little tiger striped boy and a black fluffy girl with orange eyes. He had rescued them not from a shelter, but from the family of his little sister's boyfriend. The kittens and their mother had been sorely neglected (believe me, I was NOT impressed). I was immediately attached, but scared they weren't going to make it through the night.

But they did. And a vet trip, shots, worming, de-flea-ing and lots of kitten food later, they were thriving.

Boris and Bridget. They were our first children.

Now, they are eight years old. They still snuggle like they did when they were brand new. I've often wondered if animals have the capacity to love.

I'm pretty sure they do.

For more love around the home, click over to I Should Be Folding Laundry for You Capture. Even better, link up and join the fun!

Hibernation

So, yeah. We don't go outside much in winter here (the beautiful Pacific Northwest). It has poured rain for days.

What do we do during winter?

We hang on the couch in our jammies. We hibernate, till winter is over.

See? Even the dog doesn't want to go outside. It's nasty out there.

For more You Capture winter, head on over to I Should Be Folding Laundry.

My Faves of 2009: Photo Year in Review

I can't believe I've been participating in You Capture since last March. Crazy. This year was the year I really picked up my camera and made an effort to be more creative - catch different perspectives. As I click through my albums, I am so thrilled at some of the fabulous stuff I've snapped this year! Behold:


This photo is from one of my first you capture challenges. I love the photo (I still can't believe I shot this - the reflection? Wow.), but love even more where doing these challenges has brought me - I've made so many new friends, and discovered I'm a wee bit artistic - who knew (not me!)?

This was for the black and white challenge. I love all the shells! This was G-Rex's first experience at the beach. We were there for one of the lowest tides of the year. Absolutely incredible.

Last summer was the best I've ever had. One of the perks of being laid off was getting to hang with my kiddo and play in the sun! We had SO MUCH FUN. This captures our summer so perfectly!

The tea shot. I love tea. I love the colors in this photo. Now I want tea...

Hands down, my favorite shot of the entire year. A boy and his dog. And a tennis ball. LOVE.

Thanks, Beth, for making us stretch ourselves. I can't wait to see what we all capture in 2010!

For more year in review shots, head on over to I Should Be Folding Laundry.