Her Turn

She's been counting down the days until she gets to go to kindergarten and now that day is finally here.

It was a much difference experience then when Abrie had her first day of kindergarten. I was so excited for her to start (and not just for selfish reasons). She gave me a hug, I kissed her on her head, and she was off. She didn't even give it a second thought as she walked through the class room door with her fresh new back-pack bouncing behind her.

And then I went home, put the baby in bed, and enjoyed 2.5 hours of doing absolutely nothing. It was complete bliss.

. . . . .

While the kids are away

Since the two older kids have started school I'm doing my part to help incorporate everyday activities that nourish and enrich the lives of my two younger spawn at home. I suggested a little TV watching or perhaps a little computer game playing. Macie was thinking something more along the lines of a spa day and a little toe nail painting. I kindly obliged.

We discussed colors and counting, and reviewed the cardinal rules of toe nail painting.

Overall, I would say it was a growing experience for Macie.

Next time we will talk about trying to paint in the lines

(or rather, keeping the paint on just the toe nail... something I haven't quite figured out how to do myself)

And just FYI- she painted my toes last week and 7 days later my toes still look like that.

It seems as if I've inconveniently ran out of nail polish remover.

I guess that's okay, because Macie beams with pride every time she see's me in flip-flops.

. . . . .

I Stand All Amazed

Actually, I wasn't standing... it was more like laying on my stomach with my elbows propped up and my hands holding my camera steady. I was surrounded by lightning and it was absolutely incredible.

I've always been fascinated by lightning- its majestic power and hypnotizing flashes of light.
And I find myself counting as I did when I was a child...

one-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand...
Without fail, I'm always filled with an odd sense of excitement every time the thunder rumbles and I can feel it deep in my bones.

Tonight was one of those nights and I had front row seating...

camera info: taken with my Canon 50D & 24-70mm lens. ISO 800, AV 2.8, SS 1/25.

I didn't use a tripod, just practiced my ninja skills and held super still.

P.S. If you've asked me any photography questions either here or via email, I promise I haven't forgotten about you. I'm planning on doing a post to answer your questions. If there's any questions you'd like answered feel free to ask away. You can leave a comment here or email me at ginniejphotography{a}gmail.com

. . . . .

And so it begins

School has officially started in these parts.

'These parts' is an official term that I made official that people say when they live in a small town, and I live in a small town that's really not a small town compared to other small towns, but I considered a town a small town unless there is a Costco and a Target within a 20 mile radius, granted, we did just get a Cafe Rio so I will now upgrade my small town status to a small-ish town status.

. . . . .

So Abrie is in 3rd grade, Kaleb is in 2nd, and Macie will join them next week as she starts Kindergarten. They're excited, I'm excited and it's a win, win situation.

Abrie has a new addition this year... reading glasses. She is ridiculously thrilled to wear them.

And Kaleb will be starting school missing a little something...

And somehow this picture didn't turn out quite the way I wanted

So I took another quick picture

and managed to get the kids all smiling and looking in the same direction.

Apparently, second time's the charm.

(another picture to add to my completely non-photoshopped file)

. . . . .

Subway Art:: Eden's 1st Year

12 months is full of milestones- milestones I don't want to forget.

So instead of just writing it down I thought I'd do something a little bit more fun.

A compilation of her 1 year stats, her favorite foods, the things she loves,

& anything else I want to remember about her 12 month self

all in the form of subway art.

I think it'll be a perfect addition to the scrapbook I don't have for her...

and perhaps, if I'm feeling ambitious, I'll do one for her every birthday.

And if not, at least it's the thought that counts, right?

. . . . .

No Boundaries

Every once in a while you meet a person that changes your life for good,

that inspires you to try harder,

that makes you want to be a better person.

A person that when you tell him no, he does the opposite

and when you say he can't, he'll tell you he can.

(And I'm not talking about any of my children)

I have been fortunate enough to know one of these people.

I've known Brad my whole life- long time next door neighbor, younger brother to one of my best friends, and son to my children's adopted grandparents.

Brad is an amazingly unique individual and in fact, I'm unsure if I can list all of the reasons why, but for starters...

Brad is sincere and generous. He is kind and always smiling. He in intelligent beyond belief and uses big words I don't even understand (he's probably correcting my grammar as we speak). He is currently working on his PhD in biochemistry at Duke and did I mention they offered him a scholarship? He is adventurous and always on the move. He is outgoing and optimistic. He is ever faithful and steadfast.

Simply put, I have a lot to learn from him.

Not only is Brad all of these things and more, but he has more heart and determination in his little pinky toe than I do in my whole body despite all of the physical challenges he has to face.

You see, Brad was born with Cerebral Palsy which causes difficulties with his fine motor skills and a gait in his walk. On top of that, when brad was 16 he was diagnosed with Dystonia. Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder (thank you wikipedia) that causes the muscles in Brad's neck to contract forcing his head to tilt to the side and also causing his speech to be impaired.

A couple years back the Deseret News wrote up an inspirational column on Brad. Here's what Brad had to say,

"Everybody has disabilities, it's just that most of them don't show. I have known people who were disabled and were very negative because of their situation," Hintze said. "They're not fun to be around. I noticed this and recognized that I can't do anything about my disability, so I decided just to live my life the best that I can and see where I can go."

It is that type of attitude that forces Brad to face challenges head on. A few years back he rode tandem the cycling race know as LOTOJA, which stands for Logan to Jackson. It is the longest single-day United States Cycling Federation sanctioned race totally 206 miles. Brad finished in an awesome 13.5 hours. And again, I am impressed beyond belief.

And now, Brad is riding for a cause. This 64 mile bike ride is called 'ride without limits' and benefits the United Cerebral Palsy. His goal is to raise as much money as he possibly can for this organization and all proceeds will go to help children and adults with disabilities.

You can checkout Brad's blog HERE or to pledge your support and donate directly to his great cause, go HERE.

Also, if you want feel uplifted and inspired you should most definitely read this post Brad wrote HERE and the above mentioned articled from Deseret News HERE.

And in case you've forgotten,

Brad is one of my heroes and a reminder that when life gives you lemons you get on a bike and do some good. And on a more spiritual note, another thought that keeps traipsing through my mind is that a loving, gracious Heavenly Father gives us trials, whether it be physical or emotional, so that we may learn and grow from them...

but sometimes a loving, gracious Heavenly Father gives us trials so that others may learn and grow from them. And with Brad I truly believe that that is the case.

...

Photos via Deseret News

. . . . .

12 Months of Eden

12 month stats

18 lbs. 8 oz.

28.5 inches long (I think)

...

She's walking & babbling.

She says ma-ma, da-da, pu-pu (puppy), bu-bu (bum bum),

ha-daw (hot dog), and oinks like a piggy

...

She LOVES patty cake, peek-a-boo, head shoulders knees & toes,

hot dogs, yogurt bites, chicken nuggets, french fries, pancakes,

our puppy, dancing, clapping, binkies bottles, blankie, bathtime,

mommy, daddy, abrie, kaleb, and macie.

...

She is full of life and we love her dearly...

even though she didn't know she was supposed to be happy for our little photo shoot.

It's a good thing she happens to be a cute ornery baby. Not a lot of people can pull off a cute cry.

Eden has been in our lives for 12 months now and I have loved {almost} every minute of it. I can't explain the kind of happiness and joy this little girl brings to our family. I love every ounce of her; from her wispy blonde hair to her innie belly button, all the way down to her chubby little toes.

She is delicious.

She is kissable.

She is serious.

She is sweet.

She is silly.

She is love.

. . . . .

And in the second year they had a yard

Almost two years ago we purchased our first house. There were many things we loved about the house and a few things we didn't... one of them being the less than desirable yard. In fact, when I first posted a picture of our new house I actually photoshopped it first, adding grass to all of our dead little patches. I have little to no remorse about using photoshop to my advantage, which happens to remind me of some other completely non-photoshopped pictures I have on my blog.

So here is our house and our sad little yard. The only things that were really thriving in our yard were weeds. I do believe we've perfected the art of weed growing...

And here is a photo essay of our two year landscape project:

First thing we did was buy a tramp and put it in the ground. It happens to be the best purchase we've ever made.

I forgot to take a before picture of our patio. It was originally just a small square concrete pad. We tore that out (and by 'we' I mean our neighbor Jed who specializes in concrete) and poured a bigger one- one that compliments our teeny yard.

And then there was curbing...

And topsoil...

And grass...

And mulch...

And planter boxes (this part is not yet finished)...

And plants...

Lots of them.

Now, two years later, I'm happy to say we have a finished yard... at least in the front.

And then Nate rested, but not for long...

I have another project waiting for him in our mudroom.

. . . . .