Seize the Moments

...to put flowers in your hair...

...to lounge on blankets...

...to show off toothless grins...

...of white on white...

....catch far-off views....

...and close-ups of "the eye"...

...play games of Uno while waiting for fireworks...

....or pretend to be a spy...

...it doesn't....

.....really matter....

...as long....

....as we're together....

....and mommy can practice taking pictures with a "fancy" camera.

Note to self: must budget $2000 for a "fancy" camera.

Snow Fun!

It won't be long until all the snow is gone....or, at least I hope it won't be long. Like many of us, I am SO ready for Spring....and consistently warm weather.

A couple of weeks ago, we took advantage of a somewhat mild-er day to take the kids sledding. My niece and nephew were staying with us. The girls had such a good time playing with their cousins, and I got a taste of what life is like with 5 kiddos! :~)

Group picture? Check

Big grins? Check

Super duper sledding hill? Check

I think Leah went down once or twice, but she didn't care for the bumpy ride.

Elise, on the other hand, couldn't get enough. She *loved* it!

My niece loved it too.

Leah preferred to roll down the hill or slide on her bottom.

Lily went down twice, and that was enough for her. Too bumpy.

And, we all went home for "chocolate tea" (that's what my niece calls hot cocoa).

Late Night Thinking

I have been doing a bunch of lesson planning, internet surfing, and photo reminiscing this evening. My house is very quiet now, and sometimes I love the sound of quiet too much to want to spoil it by going to bed.

As I was going looking through some of the photos we've taken this past year, I came across something that struck me.

My girls love to take pictures. If we give them a few minutes with the camera, we're likely to find hundreds of fuzzy, random pictures of feet, toilets, aquariums, nostrils, and the like.

What struck me this time, were these pictures....

....taken the last time we were at my IL's house....

...it was probably one of the nicest visits we've ever had up there. Everyone was so relaxed and had a wonderful time.

But...

...a few short weeks later, their home was devastated by a tornado. That was the last time we ever saw it, and those pictures are the last pictures we have. Those fuzzy, random photographs taken by the girls. Images, I may have deleted without thinking before are suddenly much more special.

The bathroom had *just* been re-tiled the week before. They hadn't even had a chance to use it yet.

Work goes on at the site, as their new house is being built. We hope to visit again soon, so we can see the progress.