I am constantly on the lookout for great photo spots. During this winter season we’ve been blanketed in the color of white (which I do find beautiful) . . . but as the snow melts our whitescape becomes more muddy, gritty, grungy, brownish. Not so beautiful. So in search of some color, I recently noticed a couple of spots in the area that were calling to be photographed. I convinced my “middle model” to join me on an adventure, with the promise of picking out a treat at the end. {Please tell me most parents resort to bribing their children from time to time?}

{This darling crochet brown hat is from chloereese . . . I just ordered a couple of hats last week and I was anxious to get them. As I was ready to leave for this shoot, they magically appeared in the mailbox and I was delighted. I highly recommend this website for children’s hair accessories!!}

{A wonderful friend let me borrow her canon 70-200L f/4 lens for this shoot. I did enjoy it . . . and am even more hopeful that some day I may acquire the 70-200L f/2.8 IS lens. I did “try on” the f/2.8 recently and it was “beauty and the beast” all in one. The f/4 does have an appeal in being slightly less monstrous!}

{This one makes my heart flutter. She’s just gorgeous! Minutes after this she asked, “Can we go home yet?” Doesn’t she know this is as good as it gets?!?}

{Childhood. Imagination. Surreal. Great location, eh?}

Here are some more photos from the past few days that I’m pleased to share:

{this one melts my heart!}

{just a doll!}

{M. knows I have a tendancy to lose my lenscap. He’s just making sure I keep it on!}

{She’s sure growing up! She has really been into styling her own hair this past week. She told me she wanted “bangs” the other day, so I clipped a few really subtle ones. This morning at breakfast she said, “I really like bangs.” She is such a little carbon copy of me at this age, I can’t believe it. Stubbornness and sweetness mixed into one!}

{We recently moved M. from his high chair to a booster seat at the table. Here he is letting us know that he’s done with dinner, even though we had just begun eating. He reminds me of a little cowboy here.}

{sassy lass!}

{these eyelashes were handed down from his maternal grandfather- my Dad.}

{My photography assistant! She is really loving her camera- and was so cute yesterday setting up a tripod and requesting that I be in a “photo shoot.”}

{Sweethearts! This was a very spontaneous shot, as you can see I am holding the camera at arm’s length. Please forgive the wide angle distortion! Photos of the two of us are lesser in number, so I have to insist on a few now and then. }

{my little snow people . . . we’ve had more snow than ever this winter and the kids know the routine of getting geared up to play outside. We currently have at least 18″ in the front yard!!}

Ahhhhh, the sound of light fluffy balls of golden corn delicately bouncing on the wooden floor. I hear the rustle as hundreds of them are shaked from an upside down box onto the floor. I hear the crackle, as tiny toes pulverize them to cereal dust. This is where we get our kix. Got milk?

So the babe was responsible for the shaking and dumping, but it was big sister who left the pantry door ajar.

Here’s the discussion we all had while cleaning up the cereal mess:

A: “He’s a mean little guy.”

Me: “No he’s not. He just did what babies like to do, that is get into stuff. You left the pantry door open and that is how he got the cereal.”

A: “Oh.”

Me: “S. did this same thing with cheerios when she was a baby.”

A: “Was I the big sister then?”

Me:”No, you weren’t born yet.”

S chimes in: “They were still working on making your body.”

Me: “You were in Heaven waiting to come down.”

S: “This is going to take like an hour to clean up!”

Me (holding a large bowl filled with kix cereal): Who wants to eat this BIG bowl of cereal with a BIG spoon?

A: “I do!”

(I didn’t give it to her, by the way. She had eaten plenty by the time we had it all picked up.)

“I’m the baby and I endorse this message.”

{Brought to you by Kids In Xcess . . . KIX. I’m a bit disgruntled because they cleaned up all of my cereal. All that work!!}