April Showers (Image Heavy!)

A very close friend of mine is expecting her first baby. After a long struggle and many complications, she and her hubby (also a good friend!) are so very close to the arrival of their baby girl! I wanted to help make this time even more special for them both by taking some maternity pictures to document the pregnancy. They agreed!

So to answer any questions you might have--since I've already fielded them from others...no, I'm not a professional photographer; yes, I'm building a portfolio of sorts (to track my growth, not share with prospective clients); and no, I'm not planning to go into the photography business...at least not yet. I have quite a ways to go before that could become a possibility!

This was an incredibly fun session for me--my first time using my skills on anything other than my own family or nature shots. But it was also incredibly special to be sharing in such an amazing journey with two wonderful friends. I hope to be able to do more sessions like this for family and friends--and I'm eagerly anticipating using their baby girl as my first newborn subject! :o)

I also helped throw their baby shower this past weekend. It was beautiful and turned out as perfect as I had hoped--with great food, funny games, and tons of presents! I managed to grab my camera to capture a few fun moments and collect a few highlights of the decor and such for the parents-to-be. Here are just a few of my favorite shots from the maternity session and the shower.

A Day on the Farm

Last Thursday we visited a local farm with our Moms group. I was unsure of how to handle both kids on my own and manage my Nikon--it probably qualifies as a 3rd child! Thankfully the farm was small enough that even Moo could run around and enjoy her independence without making my heart drop to my knees. Since there weren't very many of us, we got a nice, small tour of the farm and there was plenty of interaction between the kids and the animals. It was perfect for the toddlers--and the mommies! There were hoards of flies, however, which Dman has quite a fear of. I think after our time there, he has pretty much conquered his phobia...or at least learned to ignore them!

We got to walk through the garden and see how radishes and potatoes grow underground, and there was a "pizza" garden filled with all sorts of Italian herbs for cooking. The orange blossoms on the orange tree smelled heavenly, and the grapefruits were near to bursting off their branches. Our guide, Miss Amy, allowed the children to pick rosemary off the bush, and one smart cookie noted that it smells like "Christmas trees."

After the garden, we met Cinnamon--a newborn calf, about a week old. My Moo was ok with petting and standing near this baby; afterall, she was in a small pen and very quiet and docile. But that's pretty much where Miss M drew the line at being amicable with the farm animals. We got to feed lettuce to a pig--aptly named Wilbur--and then enter the goat pen. Moo freaked! There were 2 sheep and several goats, both kids and adults. I was trying to let Moo get used to being around the animals on her level, making her stand right by me (ok, ok...I wanted to get pics of Dman with the goats!). But all of a sudden her whimpers turned into a startled squeal, and I looked down to see the most precious black-and-white baby goat happily nibbling away on Moo's hair. So much for being brave! After that I held Moo in one arm and wielded my Nikon with the other hand. Thankfully Dman was comfortable around the animals and cautiously petted them. Then again, they weren't trying to eat his hair!

After visiting the goats, the kids got to bottle-fed calves in the "nursery." Since Moo wouldn't have anything to do with animals after the goat incident, we let Dman feed 2 calves. From there we visited Tina, the cow, and 2 old horses. Dman was a sport and gently rubbed the cow and one of the horses on their noses. I tried to get Moo to pet them, but she tried to craw into my shirt instead. That tiny goat ruined her for the bigger, more docile animals! The bunnies were next--no major freak-out here since they were smaller than Moo...and in cages. But she did try to dig out handfuls of rabbit feed from their troughs!

After washing our hands and running laps around a chicken coop (come on, who doesn't love that?), we picnicked quietly with the flies and then headed home...again, with a few flies. I was so happy with how much Dman interacted and enjoyed his farm experience. He can be so cautious and reserved when he's in new situations, but he jumped in there and tried everything! I think it would be fun to go back in the fall and pick pumpkins there. But next on the list is another farm...this time with only produce to contend with!

Running laps around the coop!

















Moo plays with the hay bale.

















Dman feeds a calf.

Sweet, Sweet Sleep

We've been so busy this past week that there were a couple of days our errands ran through naptime. Moo is always so great about napping, so on one particular day she was just too tired to make it to bedtime since we skipped the nap. She had dozed in the car, but only for about 20 minutes. Later while playing in the family room with her brother, she just got so sleepy she had to crash in the floor for a bit. It was too sweet not to photograph! Josh had me grab the camera, and I just had to share these sweet pics.

Spring Break in CO

Last week we traveled to Breckenridge, CO for what is becoming an annual Moss trip. The CA Moss group (Grandpa Dan, Grandma Ellen, Aunt Alissa, & Uncle A--along with the 4 of us) took off by plane (wimps!) or car (nuts!) to get to Uncle Joel and Aunt Karen. We were excited for the kids to play in the snow! Ironically, we had gorgeous weather while we were there, but there was plenty of snow from recent storms that set a beautiful backdrop for our vacation.

The more athletic of the group hit the mountain for skiing and snowboarding, but I declined from the fun this year. It's been 2 years since I stepped into my bindings, but another pregnancy and the changes it wrought made me decide to leave my snowboard safely at home. I looked forward to relaxing, reading, taking it easy, playing with the kids...Oh, that's right..."relaxing" and "vacation" take on new meaning when you have 2 toddlers! Add to that the fact that the kids and I became ill the week leading up to our departure for the trip, and you can imagine that I wasn't exactly up for too much snowy fun.

While nursing coughs, buying stock in Kleenex, and battling heat rash--the little ones' delicate skin revolted at the hot-cold war waged between inside and outside locations--we managed to sneak in some snow play. We took the kids to a park in town that has a hill for sledding, and they had a blast! We had ordered a little snowsuit and boots for Madi, and she looked positively adorable in them but wasn't sure about moving around at first. Her first step resulted in her pitching forward and landing on her head--think, downward-facing dog for you yogis--and she decided Mommy was the better way to travel. Yet, once in the snow, she lit up and decided that sledding was even better than being carried by Mommy! And Darrin didn't need any encouragement at all. He was ready for sledding, snow fights, and more sledding...and more snow-throwing...you get the picture!

One day it snowed off and on, nothing sticking. Near the end of that day the snow increased to a decent shower so we bundled up the troops and headed out to play. We attempted sledding, but a short, steep run had Darrin taking the ride of his life. He whooshed down so quickly that Grandma couldn't catch him and we all watched in suspended horror as he hit the slightly-upturned edge of the snow along the neighbor's driveway...and went sailing in the air as straight and level as you please, hit the driveway, and kept on sliding until the opposite edge of the driveway stopped him. He never let go of the sled and, amazingly, stayed right on it the whole time! He was totally unharmed but wisely said he was all done sledding, lol. We went inside a few minutes later!

Madi loved showing off downtown. We walked around downtown a couple of times and Madi soaked up the attention she drew in her pink sunglasses. She wore an air of confidence and acted like a movie star! If I didn't know any better I'd say she even perched her glasses just-so (having nothing to do with the fact that her button nose can hardly hold them up, I'm sure) and would cock her head to make sure any paparazzo could capture her best look. We are so in trouble! :o)

Darrin enjoyed going walking with Grandpa, and he really liked riding the gondola. We could catch a shuttle up to the lifts and get on the gondola for free, then ride the gondola all the way down the mountain into town, ride it back up the mountain, and catch the shuttle home. I really loved that we could get around town where we were without having to strap any children into carseats. It was liberating!

The week was topped off with some outlet shopping for Mommy and Grandma, and a nice date dinner for Josh and me. The snowboarders and skiers really enjoyed their time on the slopes and trails, the kids enjoyed the "new" toys that were in the home we stayed in, and we all enjoyed Karen's excellent meals--and Uncle Joel's pancakes! :o) I'm looking forward to taking this trip each year and watching how things change as our little ones grow. Maybe next year we'll put Dman in ski-school and see how he handles a board! (Just giving Gmom some fair warning, lol!)

Note: If you want to see lots more pics, you'll have to visit my facebook profile. There are way too many to dump here! :o)