YaYay!

when avery walks into a room, sometimes she shouts her name, "YaYay!' here are a few outfits she surprised me with!

adventure!

we were able to take a weekend away for a little family camp out. it was so beautiful. the kids were in heaven, and we got a much needed break from electronics. everyone needs to "unplug" once in a while.
Anna is becoming quite the photographer. she always wants to "take a picture" and wants me to show her how to shoot in "m". i think i'll wait to teach her that lesson.

it was perfect weather. though a little cold in the mornings. the girls loved all their camp "jobs." especially collecting kindling. they had so much fun helping dad with the fire, and roasting marshmallows and hot dogs.

i could not stop taking pictures. (as this post probably shows) everywhere i turned i was in awe of the beauty of nature.

these are the best shots of the whole weekend. the second morning we were taking a jeep ride up in the mountains. of course sleep was not going as well as it does at home, so all 3 girls (and both parents) were tired and cranky. after taking a scenic walk, Avery started crying. so i snapped a pic.

we turned on the engine, drove for like 2 seconds, and i turned around to see this:

classic! all in all though, they were really happy and well behaved most the time.

this is Potato Lake. truly breathtaking!

poor Nalu, she doesn't fit in the blue Jeep. so, this is where she spent time while we were on the trails.

growing up we either had oatmeal or Grapenuts for breakfast. a tradition my parents established was letting us choose a sugary cereal when we went camping. i've gladly passed this tradition on. it's so fun seeing how exciting it is to walk the cereal aisle and carefully choose the breakfast that will be the most delicious. in this case Trix.

i kind of took a lot of pics of fire. playing with exposure.

this little rag-a-muffin was such a good camper.

we had such a good time, that Jason vowed to camp at least one weekend a month in summer...we shall see....

Anna graduates (again)

it was Anna's last day at Apples to Zebras. so, they had the most adorable Spring themed program. i loved watching 30 kids "whistling" must upload video. Anna was very proud of her accomplishments. as were we!Madeline can't wait for the fall, when she gets to go to Apples to Zebras school. but she's still unsure about Anna not being there. it's so rare i'm in front of the camera. even though i can't say i love to look at myself, i love to see me with the girls. i mean, i'm with them all the time and yet there are so few photos of us together. Anna loves Miss Christina. she had so much fun learning and especially crafting! there was a veritable smorgasbord of cupcakes after the program. the girls dug in. messes were made.

Anna, what a fun time. we love to see how you have learned and grown over the last little while. you are really becoming such a big girl! and such a good sister. we love you!

beautiful day

today was a beautiufl day, the girls and got to go with our friends to a beautiful place and shoot beautiful photos! but i live in a world where i look at these 3 faces every day:

dance party!

i woke up this morning to a a duo of dancers. so when Avery got up, she insisted to wear a leotard too! as soon as i have the patience, i'm going to upload the vidoes i have of these three twinkle toes. the were having so much fun, they couldn't settle down enough to get a clear photo.

it was so funny watching Anna "instruct" the girls on ballet. they flitted around dancing to they're favorite tunes. daddy even joined in for a spin. vieo coming soon.....

silly hat

it's a good thing i love silly girls, because that's what i've got around here. these guys are so cute, always putting on a show for momma!

golfing with Dad

Anna is quite taken with Daddy's new sport. they hit balls in the yard at least twice a week. and she's even hit the driving range a couple of times. today she was wearing this fun hat, but obviously, "it's not a golfing hat!"Anna carefully sets up each shot when she's teeing up.

the other girls like to play too, but Anna is the one whose really "into" the game.

i love this series of shots because Jason was soooo excited to see how it turned out. his face is like a signal, "get this shot of me dropping all the balls."

and don't forget Nalu, she love going out with everyone as well.

all that hard work and determination when teeing up pays off. Anna has some great shots. and daddy is seeing improvement as well.

he got a whole in one in his practice net!