!!!! I !!!!! took this photo :)

We went to the little lake by the house with our new fishing poles last night. The boys had an incredible time practicing their casts and I got to play with my camera and the light. It was pure magic to capture this! There are times when I am so frustrated that my skills are not keeping up with my critical eye but every once in a while, magic happens, and it keeps you pressing forward. :)

Well said....

I identify with this....completely.....

"the brightness of being alive. it finds me in unexpected moments of calm, when my heart takes refuge from the ever growing to-do list, when my perfectionism gives way to feeling, to release. and when it arrives, the brightness feels deeply spacious and warm, like an intertwining celebration of all things brave in love. sometimes, i’ll admit, my mind cautions my heart not to trust the abundance...young memories of tragedy and loss can be hard to shake, i suppose. it can all be gone in a split second, the memory warns. it’s a warning that challenges me to feel disconnected from the present moment - the one that’s calling me to step in, stay awhile, and celebrate. we all have memories and life filters that haunt us, that creep in and try to steal the show even when we’ve done all the soul work to repair and heal. but i deeply believe that in our best moments, we can understand that our vulnerabilities are what connect us, that we can step into the power that is uniquely ours, play hard, love bravely, offer comfort to our younger, broken selves, and soar, always soar on the brightness of being alive." -Kelly Rae Roberts

You can find her incredible words here - http://www.kellyraeroberts.blogspot.com/

Can you tell he's now 10??? :)

A photo filled weekend

One of the good things about taking a photography class (besides the learning) is that the camera becomes my constant companion and sometimes, I'm lucky enough to catch shots like these :) Caleb actually dressed himself like this and wore that "bedazzled" headband all day. He cracks me up! We are working on composition in our photography this week - I got so many good shots but just need to get time to edit them all.

We went to the zoo today (freebie one by home) and took a "death march" hike yesterday. I love being outside when the sun is shining and the thermometer reads 70 ish.

Favorites of the Day

I end up taking tons of birthday photos...tons...and I never seem to scrap them. And he has round 2 of birthday fun on Friday, that means more birthday photos..... And as it turns out, my favorites of the day, have little to do with birthday.....

It was a fun day! He celebrated with us in the morning, with friends at school, with dinner at Red Robin and with friends at TKD. He's such a great kid, he really deserves a fun day. :)

A Decade

This boy... this handsome, kind, sensitive, intelligent, sweet, funny, creative, determined, silly, strong kid is 10 years old today. A decade. A decade of enjoying every minute. A decade of making memories. A decade of overcoming obstacles and beating the odds. A decade of love. Nathan, Happy Birthday Sweetheart. God did a REALLY good job when He made you!!!!

He wears it well

He is obsessed with my high heel shoes. Daddy is worried. I'm not. Afterall, who can pull off a Tapout shirt and the black heels as well as him. He also is obsessed with his beach coverup. This is how he dressed for school last week - mismatched crocs (on the wrong feet), jeans, t-shirt and the beach cover-up. And he wore it ALL DAY long. It's nice to see that he's comfortable in his own skin and sure of his sense of style. You, go, Caleb! :)