A Day On the Farm

Today I met up with an old classmate and her family on her parents' farm.  I brought my oldest along because she's basically a city girl and could only benefit from a farm day.  She LOVED it. There were chickens and goats and so much space to play.

The following preview is Chia and his cousin, Addison.  They are serious adorable.  They are both so polite and play so well together.  Chia's big blue eyes are going to break a ton of hearts one day.

So we start with a chicken.  And when your first shot of the day is of a chicken, it's a given the day will be great.

And now we go to three shots of Chia taunting the chicken by saying, actually, screaming, "cock-a-doodle-do!!!!" (wow, I think that's the first time I've ever typed that).

Now we move on to sweet little Addison.  Lydia gave her that flower.

Trading in Lydia's weed for some real flowers.

If these next images don't melt your heart, you should call 911 immediately.

It's time for their close-ups!

And now Chia with a giant watering can that probably weighs as much as he does.  Love it.

Anna, Garcia, Chia, and Addison, I hope you like your preview!  You are all so lucky to have this place at your fingertips.  These kids will grow up so well-rounded with such an appreciation of the Earth and the importance of being a good steward. Lydia and I had a great day and are grateful for the experience.

Anna, you are radiant and perfectly pregnant.

The rest of your images will be posted to a private gallery in the next two weeks!

Summer

I wanted to do this big "summer at my house" blog post, but Lydia is being a poo head and will not stop bothering me about cartoonnetwork.com.  So, this will be short.

We have two new things to report.  One is the brand new playhouse. Bill and Grandpa Joe made it.  It rules.  It has a play kitchen that makes noise.  Lydia cooks me lunch and dinner, back to back.  It's delicious. Mallory goes in and out, in and out.  She tries to cook, but she thinks everything is soup.  She doesn't even eat soup.  

Next is that after much observation, Mallory can swing.  That's right.  Just like her sister.  She's very proud of herself.  Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

And she has a garden, too.  She stepped on all the flowers immediately after they were planted, so it's a special garden.  But, it's hers.

Summer rocks my world.  And so does Sonic's ice cream.  With Oreos.

The End.

Lydia is Almost Five!!!

Lydia will be five on June 20th.  Is that even possible?  No, it isn't.  Just like it isn't possible that I have wrinkles around my eyes or can refer to things as "twenty years ago" like it's no big deal.

Today I took her to the park to snap some portraits.  She refuses to smile which is funny because she is the silliest person in the world.  Photos are very serious business for her.  Most of these shots were her ideas.

I will come back and blog my sappy "my baby is growing up" story when she actually turns five.  For now, you just get photos.  I am in denial.

Enjoy!!!

Prancing Little Ponies

It was June of 1980.  My ankles were almost as chubby as my cheeks. I wasn't nervous because for the last eight months I was convinced that I would have to go on stage alone and perform the waltz of the sugar plum ferry, en pointe. You can imagine the sense of relief when I realized the white costume, the 11 other girls and my pink slippers were going to be with me.

It was fairly easy for me to deal with the lights and the crowd.  I was free to focus on my dance and to chastise the girl who decided to lead the circle and meet me in the middle.  She turned around and went back.

This led to 14 more years of dance recitals for me, a semester as a dance major in college, many years of teaching and choreographing.  Dance is in my blood and without it, I'd be nothing.

Fast forward to May 13, 2011.  Lydia's first dance recital. Was I nervous?  Yes.  Was she nervous?  Not at all.  She walked right into the dressing room like an old pro.  The stage lights didn't phase her a bit and she performed her little heart out.  I'm very proud of her. And you know one of the best parts? My teacher from that day in 1980 was with me to watch Lydia take the stage for the very first time.

Will she love it as much as I did? Maybe, maybe not.  That's her choice.  But she'll always remember her Tinkerbell dance, just as I will always remember Prancing Little Ponies. And she will not go back to this studio.  The show stunk :)

Happy Birthday, Zachary!

Remember Zachary?  I blogged some hockey photos of him.  Well, his first love is baseball.  In honor of his upcoming birthday, I'm blogging some of his recent baseball photos.  He is so great in front of the camera.  Sports photos are serious business.  He is going to be a star one day and he'd better remember me!
And his mom better remember me when she is living her life of luxury because of Zachary's MBA salary. Then again, if he marries Lydia, I'll be rich by proxy.

A Long Time Coming!

So way back in the day...about ten years ago (yikes!)....I started an environmental consulting job.  My boss,  Tom, was on an Alaskan cruise my whole first week.  About a year into that job, a girl from our Denver office came in to give a lunchtime talk about a new accounting system.  Her name was Corine. Well, Corine stole Tom's heart.  You see, Tom later married Corine and she moved from Denver to Michigan to live happily ever after with Tom.  Today I saw Tom's baby poop all over his living room floor. I never thought I would see the day.

Tom and I have a long history of working together.  It's been quite a ride.  And I can say with 100% confidence that baby Ben is going to have a wonderful life with his mom and dad.  He's one lucky little dude.

Tom and Corine, thank you so much for inviting me into to your home during such a special time in your lives.  I am honored.  Enjoy your sneak peak!  The rest of your images will follow in the next couple of weeks.

Still the baby: