Aside from not having internet & my camera malfunctioning (and therefore having to be sent back to the factory), I’m excited to have my photography business back up & running!  I feel like life has been somewhat of a comedy of errors the past couple of weeks as I’ve tried to get everything set up; however, I really enjoy photography and am excited about getting back at it!  If you’re on Facebook, but sure to look me up there, too.

I hope you all have a great week.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed that our internet gets repaired tomorrow, so I hope to be back soon!

                          

I just got a sneak peek of my new logo yesterday, and I can’t wait to finish all the rebranding work.  When Yohannes came home I took a break from photography, and I’m really excited about getting back at it!  {I’m sure my kids will be relieved, too, since they’ve been my primary subjects for the past year!}  See, he’s pretty much over it . . . .

                          

A mama bird built a nest for her babies in the wreath hanging on our neighbor’s door.  The babies hatched, and we’ve been having so much fun observing them!

There are three tiny birds nestled together in there & I think this little guy looks like he’s got a mohawk! . . .

He even opened his eyes for us . . .

If you’ve been reading this blog long, you know I like birds and bird watching.  So, these little guys have been super fun to have around (and they make me think of this song, too…which is a good reminder for me today)!

                          

Today he and I met up with his friend, Yisak (and his mom of course), for a walk. The weather was beautiful, and the boys had a really good time running together and throwing rocks in the water. Yisak is going to be a big brother, too! His little sister is due this Thursday!

My little man . . .

Yisak (throwing rocks is serious business) . . .

And of course I couldn’t resist photographing these beautiful blooms . . . I’m so happy that spring is here!

I hope you’re all having a lovely week!

                          

No???

Yeah . . . that’s what I heard today . . . a lot . . . many, many times.

But these guys were (pretty) good sports, and they were rewarded with some of THIS fabulous goodness.  Fair enough, right?

We had QUITE a scare when only 18 of the 357 photos I took (a little excessive, I know) showed up on my memory card reader.

I seriously felt sick. It was a lot of hard work getting those pictures!

Somehow I managed to recover the missing 339 images, though . . . whew!  So, we won’t have to get to do this all over again tomorrow!

More to come soon.  I’m changing some things up around here on the old blog, and you’ll eventually see more of these in my new header images.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  We’re going to soak up this beautiful Tennessee weather just as much as we can!

                          

I snapped this photograph yesterday afternoon in the backyard.  The boys and I spotted this mockingbird through the window while we were having lunch, and we think he must be pretty excited about spring, too!  Those blooms on the tree make my heart so happy!  I’m ready to enjoy warm sunshine and the color green again.  Did you know that the first day of spring is Sunday?  I think Anne Bradstreet was right: If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant.

                          

You may remember how much I enjoy birds, so it was a fun surprise, a special treat to start the day!  It counted as one of my gifts for that day (yes, I’m numbering them now), and this verse instantly came to mind:

“Look at the birds of the air;
they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they?”
Matthew 6:26

I hope you’re having a lovely weekend!

                          

They made fun of me for stopping along the way to photograph berries and such – except for Riley.  He gets it.  Sometimes he sees the things I see.  He even told me that I should photograph the dark berries on the right, and I was reminded of one of the many reasons I love him so much.

And with views like this, what else was I to do?

I saw Riley poking around the creek with a stick, and I knew I wanted to remember this moment . . .

Did I mention that it was really cold?!  I didn’t go quite as prepared as I should have, so I had to wrap my scarf around my head!  And yes, Cole had on his new Jets hat and is still mourning their loss in last night’s game.  The child knows SO much more about football than I do (which I realize isn’t necessarily saying a lot – but he seriously amazes me!).

And one parting shot . . .

I’m thankful for . . .
warm coats
a big pile of snowy boots
the sound a creek makes as it runs over rocks
winding walks through winter woods
reflections in the water
the way warm breath looks when it meets cold air
having this beautiful place less than five minutes from my house to enjoy anytime I want . . .

                          

He recently discovered watercolor paints and created this portrait of me.  I think it’s beautiful . . .

I need to photograph Riley and Cole more, but they’re not as willing to be my subjects these days.  I’ve given them a little break, but I think some new pictures of them are in order soon . . .