week 10: happiness is...

Happiness is lazy Saturday mornings with my kiddos...

.....and in a few weeks .... happiness will be waking in the mornings listening to the lapping of the waves outside on the balcony of our cruise ship!

sap collecting

Sap collecting season is upon us!!

Bucks and Cousins

We got to spend last weekend in Fredonia with Abby and Kaleb and the boys.  Lucy, Jack and Andy headed to the Bucks game for 'Mormon Night' with Kaleb, Jake and Al Friday night and the rest of us checked out their new home and town.  It is a really great place for them and we are so glad they found somewhere they are happy and safe.  We enjoyed a morning at the Y, I finally got to see what all the fuss is about Costco, and we enjoyed some sledding and relaxing together.  We are already looking forward to our next visit. ♥

sickness

A few weeks ago Isaac had a nasty stomach bug.  I guess he typically gets sick overnight, and feels good by mid-morning, but not this time.  Poor guys woke up looking a little green.... within 15 minutes he threw up, and then continued to do so for the next 11 hours ... all day long.  I felt so bad for him. Thankfully the rest of us avoided getting it.  He just seems to have a weaker stomach :(.

week 9: Backlight

Backlighting photographs is tricky and something I am still working on perfecting... at least perfecting my own style.  I guess I tend to like photos with more clarity and pop to them, but there is a definite mood that can be created within backlit photos.

We have been having some pretty busy weeks, (hence the gap of time between posts in Feb and March) and I have had little time to work photography in specifically for this project, so I am being a bit creative.

This photo is not of me (duh!) but is a backlit photo of Cassidy in her favorite mermaid blanket.

two weeks

Two weeks from today we will be full of excitement. It will be just like Christmas Eve when we were kids.  We probably won't be able to sleep.  And that won't matter all that much because we will have to wake up about 3:00 am to get to the airport on time.  Southern Caribbean here we come!!!!

We booked our cruise almost a year ago, so to have it be only two weeks away is a little surreal.  We have been looking forward to it and enjoying the planning end of things for some time now. Honestly, planning and anticipating are half the fun for us.... snorkeling, zip lining, deep sea fishing, lavish dinners and nightly entertainment.... I get all fluttery just thinking about all that awaits us!

Andy's knee is doing well and he is just as excited for this adventure as I am .  For Valentine's Day he bought me an amazing gift.... a new leather weekend bag.  It is AMAZING.  He actually stalked my Pinterest account and found it pinned on my 'things I like' board.  And then he scoured the internet and ordered it covertly so I would have no idea it was coming.  I was so surprised... actually a little stunned!  And then the other night.... he came home with another gift.  Just because. He had booked a shellac manicure and spa pedicure for me a few days before we leave. WHAT?! He has been so thoughtful lately... and it makes me feel so very loved.  It also makes me feel a little like I need to step it up! (don't worry.... I have a few plans ;) )  We both have been working hard to be fit and in shape for this trip.  Andy is back down to his 'goal weight' and he looks great.... I might have to sneak a photo of his buffness ;) .

week 8: best beauty tip

When I think about beauty.... so many things come to mind.  Beautiful golden sunlight.  The smell of a newborn baby. Tousled curls. Gently falling snowflakes. Smokey eye makeup.  The fresh green grass. Spring flowers. Turquoise blue Caribbean seawater (and the sound of waves lapping outside our cruise ship balcony! Gah! sorry... I got sidetracked...We leave in one month! )  Beauty surrounds us and it is really up to us to try to find it.

When I think about a 'beauty tip', I immediately think, 'huh I hardly wear makeup and it is pretty much the same thing I have worn forever, soooooooooo.'  I had to think about it.  When I go about my day who are the beautiful people that stand out to me?

The ones who smile.

Doesn't matter if you are old and wrinkly, or fresh and taut and primped.  If have a smile, your true beauty shines through.

It makes me think of a song that brings me back to my St. Norbert College days.  I can remember sitting in my dorm room listening to the song 'Lullaby' by Shawn Mullins.  "And all her friends tell her she's so pretty, But she'd be a whole lot prettier if she smiled once in a while"

Or the movie Annie... "You're never fully dressed, without a smile..."

So my tip for you --- smile.  It's contagious and who knows how you can brighten someone's day.

Photo credit: Lucy ♥