New Life

What bunnies and chicks have to do with the true meaning of Easter, I don't know. But the egg is a different story. Just as the egg was a symbol of the rebirth of the earth in spring celebrations, early Christians also adopted it as a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus. In fact, traditional Orthodox Easter eggs are dyed red to represent the blood of Christ.

In our family, we tend to go a little crazy with colors and patterns:

For my son we started with brown eggs and did a tie dyed effect, swirling the colors together. I think it makes them look like a reptile's eggs.

My daughter is all about the pastels! Starting with white eggs, she loaded on the colors and used a paper towel to create texture (as she proudly holds out her own creation).

Dyeing the eggs was a delightful family project, as was having the kids hunt for them. But I also think it was a valuable opportunity to talk about new life. The new life that we have been given through our Lord Jesus Christ. He is Risen!

Happy Easter!

The Orange Month

This is the first day of my favorite month of the year. To me, October is unlike any other month, right down to its smell. And strangely, I always think of it as "The Orange Month". Today I was able to enjoy a chilly October morning by taking a walk with my son through the park. Together we collected acorns, breathed in the cool foggy air, and made footprints in the frosty grass.

The celebration didn't stop there.

We sipped Starbucks - a Pumpkin Spice latte for me and a hot chocolate for him - and wiped whipped cream off our noses. We carefully selected a "Fairytale" pumpkin for our front yard, and plan to decorate the house later today for Autumn. I painted my fingernails a deep purple, and I am feeling cozy in my favorite cashmere sweater. All in all, today has been a lovely dream.

This type of pumpkin is actually called a "Fairytale" pumpkin. It looks like it would have had a happy home in the pumpkin patch in Cinderella. It is a muted orange with gray in the creases and actually looks hand painted. The perfect start to the Autumn season!

Saturday In The Park

The last couple of days, a certain song has been playing over and over in my head: Saturday in the Park by Chicago. It just seems like a very fitting song for my day at the park with family I had this last weekend.

Now, I don't recall there being a "man selling ice cream" and it was the 11th of July instead of "the Fourth of July", but it was a "real celebration"! It was great fun meeting up with my mom, my two sisters and brother-in-law. There was picnicking, playing, smelling of the roses, laughing and chatting. Since members of my family are spread out between Oregon and Colorado, it is a rare treat to come together. It is my hope that the next time we gather that everyone could be there. We just need more reasons to celebrate, that's all!

It was warm and overcast on this day, which made for ideal conditions to take photos, walk around, play with ladybugs, and wear sandals and shorts. Unfortunately, my son got some gravel in his sandals (as seen in the lower middle image).

Here my sisters and I pose (silly, and then serious) for a rare photo of the three of us. And yes, we are related though we look so different!

A wonderful family portrait (and very lucky that everyone was smiling)!

Ah, it was a good day indeed.

Many Reasons To Celebrate

Today was a somewhat momentous day. My daughter finished up preschool, and was registered for Kindergarten. It's a little hard to believe that come Fall, my baby girl will be in grade school.

Here she is, checking out her new school. She is wearing a t-shirt that she decorated at preschool for the last day - an interesting blend of her past and future!

On a different note, my son is officially walking on his own! The walker is gone and he is scurrying around everywhere. We are so thrilled, God is good!

Check out my boy, moving around with no assistance. There is no stopping him now!

And finally, after the untimely death of my 50mm lens (okay, it didn't really die, but it stopped connecting to the camera), I got my new lens today! A 60mm Micro Nikkor! This beauty takes great macro shots as well as portraits. Ooh, I will am having fun getting to know it better and its capabilities.

As if this happy face wasn't reason enough to celebrate, capturing it with my new lens makes it even better!

The Maverick of Crook County

"Maverick" a heroic size bronze was unveiled on Saturday, April 25, 2009 in the Prineville City Hall Plaza.

My father-in-law is a sculptor; and quite an accomplished one at that. His pieces range in size and materials, and have been installed in many states across the U.S. He has two pieces that have been dedicated to the city of Redmond, Oregon: one a steel eagle made of found objects, and the other a life-size bronze of a horse and rider with a yearling cow. And this last weekend I had the great privilege of witnessing the unveiling of his bronze piece "Maverick".

It was all so exciting. Although the weather wasn't the most desirable for being outside as it was overcast and very windy, there was quite a good turn out. A lot of people were there who wanted to see this gift to the city of Prineville, Oregon revealed.

With tarps covering the sculpture (actually two separate pieces), there was an air of mystery. After many festivities, the anticipation was building as family members and friends (including my husband) prepared for the unveiling.

The first tarp came off to reveal a heroic sized stallion. This unbridled horse is the maverick, and is pursued by a master horseman. I thought the wind in the maverick's mane and tail perfectly demonstrated the blustery weather of the day.

Foolishly, we forgot to bring our hats, so wrapping a sweater around our son's head was the perfect solution - if not a little funny looking!

This is a telling shot of the crowd as the sculptor talks about his piece. The Crook County Courthouse stands proudly in the background.

The horseman in hot pursuit.

It was a wonderful day and I was honored to be there. I enjoyed reconnecting with family over victuals, and the sharing of photography tips. I can't wait to see what this talented sculptor will come up with next!

Maverick and Iceman

The Top Gun Fighter Pilot Cousins!

I have one cousin ... and I don't know her. She is seven years older than me and there has never been a common ground for us to relate with each other. So it is a precious thing to see my children playing with their cousins! I love to hear the giggles and watch them interact. My son is only three months younger than one of his cousins and we like to dress them up like twins and start snapping away with the camera. They both have blond hair and blue eyes, but their personalities are very different. It is my hope that they will be friends as they grow older.

We spent the last weekend with family ... a lot of family! And it was so special for me to see a reunion of sisters, brothers, daughters, cousins, aunts, uncles, sons, and in-laws. Coming together to celebrate an amazing achievement is a beautiful thing.

There is more of this story to tell ...

Easter Blessings

My amaryllis came into full bloom today. A perfect day for new life!

He is Risen! He is Risen, indeed! I tried to teach my daughter this saying and how we celebrate Easter because Jesus is alive in Heaven. Pretty heavy stuff for a four year-old, but it's important to know none the less.

Today has been a day of blessings. The blessing of joy on the kids faces when they discovered what the Easter Bunny left. The blessing of praising and rejoicing our King. The blessing of togetherness as we dyed eggs and hunted them. And the blessing of decent weather so I could go a little camera crazy and take tons of photos. What a good day.

I guess I went a little overboard photographing eggs. But what can I say, they are so vibrant and they hold still!

These jewel toned eggs were achieved by dying brown eggs instead of white. I just love the deep colors.

Happy Easter!

Oh, Baby!

A brand new baby - is there anything sweeter? I think not! The birth of a baby is a great way to bring family together and nothing makes me swoon like the scent of a baby's head or a sleeping cherub face. I am so grateful that I got my baby fix this last weekend when I went to see my newborn nephew.

This little guy sure did keep everyone is suspense as labor started, then stalled, started back up, slowed and then it sped back up! I am in awe of my sister-in-law who spent over 24 hours having labor pains and contractions, gave birth to a healthy and beautiful baby boy, and was up and moving around shortly after his birth! Amazing!

Here are some images from the first leg of our vacation. Also pictured are his older sisters and brother (oh, and his Aunt Kelly is in there too):

My nephew was born on March 28, 2009 at 6:19 pm. We hoped to be up in Portland by the time he arrived, but since he had plans of his own, we were probably eating dinner in Bend at the time. We did make it to the hospital by 10:00 pm and I was stunned at how little he was. He also looked so much like his older brother but with darker hair. What a handsome little guy!

Green Day

Yesterday when I went to pick up my daughter from school, she came bounding toward me with a mess of green ribbons in her hair. Her teacher said they made hair bows for the girls and neck ties for the boys to wear on St. Patrick's Day. It was so cute and funny looking at the same time, I had to get a photo.

Even though I have a lot of Irish blood running through my veins, I don't think I'll be partaking in any green beer this year. And I had better get some green on soon before I get pinched!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!