Simply Spring (at the beach)

A simple Spring day. It's not always perfect, but there is that beautiful day in between the rain that is very calm and beautiful. For my family it's not just yearning for hikes, s'mores, camping and other summer activities, but Spring bringing in the beach weather. We're not exactly in swim suits and jumping in the lake, but we are running and playing in the sand. We are throwing rocks in the lake and enjoying each others company. 

Before:

After:

Tuesday: A Little of This, A Little of That

Easter egg decorating, cupcakes, baskets, Easter egg hunts oh my. We had a wonderful weekend. The weather was fairly decent (around 50-60 degrees) so we actually got to go outdoors and run around. It really was a wonderful time. Not only were the kids sleepy, but the mommies, the daddies and the Grandma and Grandpa's too! Please enjoy a few of my captures for today. 

Shutter Love: Easter

Hmmm....where might the next Easter egg be hiding. Hannah really can please a crowd. We all would stop and stare at her adorable gestures. She is just priceless.

Simplicity: Pets

Meet Bones. If you have yet to see or hear about our dog he really is a great guy. He is a rescued dog and we love him. We have had him for almost 10 years now and our girls enjoy dressing him in necklaces, hats, crowns, shoes (you name it) and telling him what to do. He is either following them around or hiding from them. You might also find him sneaking snacks from the kids.

Touch Up Tuesday:

Original

Edit:

I still like the original capture, but I wanted to lighten the shot up a bit because of the shadows on their faces. I think it brightened maybe a smidgen too much. What do you think?

Sweet Shot

This shot is from late last week and I just love how Lorelei is genuinely happy. Her hair is a mess because we have been playing and running in the yard and she is simply happy. I usually capture the "cheese" smile from Miss Lorelei.

Perceptive Perspective: Macro

"Bubbles, bubbles on my nose. Bubbles, bubbles on toes. Bubbles, bubbles float on top. Bubbles, bubbles pop, pop, pop." A loosely based quote from a book all about Elmo.

Also, because Bubbles and My Family make me very 

HAPPY

Oh, the sweet joys of childhood and mama hood, and daddy hood. Heck we all enjoy bubbles.

Don't forget to check out Communal Global to see what is going on all around the world. There truly are some beautiful photography that has to be seen. Enjoy!

It's Pure Love, Joy and Happiness

Lets talk happiness. What makes you happy? Yes, you. Why wouldn't you want a moment to smile. A song, a smell, a whisper in your ear. What is it that makes you happy? For me it's a bit of a mix. Sure, a beautiful melody, the smell and view of a beautiful flower, fresh baked goods, the sound of the waves splashing, the sun shining on my face all make me wonderfully happy, but the one thing that can bring pure love, joy and and simple happiness to my life is my family. Their smiles and absolute fun out in the cool breeze while gliding down a slide certainly make me happy.

Before:

After:

Their pure happy smiles when they climb onto a swing in early spring...

and gaining independence and wandering on their own...

..all things that my heart warm and create an ear to ear smile.

Have a happy day on whatever day today is for you. Really smile. I mean an unadulterated pure bright and beautiful...SMILE. Dance to the beat, giggle at a funny moment, laugh at yourself, make a joke, play with your kids. Enjoy yourself.

My Bald Eagle Encounter

Here I am sitting on the couch with Hannah nestled in with her blanket right on my lap with Lorelei curled up under my arm while watching Despicable Me. (Yes, Despicable Me or as Hannah likes to call it "Me Me" her favorite movie of course.) I look out the window while the seagulls are flying wildly over the lake and all of a sudden a Bald Eagle is swooping through the center. This happens maybe 10 yards from my window. I scooted the girls to the side and dashed for the camera. "Yes." I thought. The Macro lens was already set and ready to go from a project I was working on earlier. "Oh crap. No SD card." After finding the SD card in my lap top I decide to forgo the tripod assuming it would take too much time and the darn thing had flown away! "Are you kidding me." I opened up the door to dash outside to see it flying near the trees.

Look close...do you see the Bald Eagle? No? Me either.

Something I forgot to mention was that in my rush to get a photo of the Bald Eagle I forgot the settings were all wonky and on the timer from earlier that day. This is what I captured instead. 

Please note the lack of a watermark on the above photo. This is definitely an oops moment; a swinging the camera to the side in disbelief moment. Oh well, maybe next time.

Instead of a Bald Eagle you'll have to settle for my seagull captures from my freezing cold walk down the beach in search of the Bald Eagle after the initial spotting. (Yes, I went out like a nut. My oldest daughter was kind enough to tell her Grandpa all about it. Yes, it's official. I went running after a Bald Eagle on a very cold beach like a..well an eager person set out to photograph a bald eagle.)

Never the Less Please Enjoy:

 Touch Up Tuesday: Before

After:

Perceptive Perspective

Sweet Shot

Oh, but wait. There's more. I have to ask. Are you prepared for Thursday? Theme Thursday this week is A Touch of Spring.

Thank you for coming over today! 

Flowers Abound

My jealousy got the best of me. What I mean to say is that Spring has not sprang nor have any flowers so we went out and bought some! Oh, you should have seen the joy on my beautiful girls faces when they saw those flowers coming through the door. Lorelei immediately burst into a beautiful smile running with her arms wide "Can I hold them?! Can I smell them?! Flowers! You got flowers!" I have a few shares for you today and let me tell you it was not easy picking these too share. Especially the last shot. It was easy to pick shots of my girls, but the capture of a flower. How do I know what is best? I've got nothin' when it comes to the eye for flowers. I hope you like them!

Paper Heart Camera: Touch Up Tuesday

Before:

After:

Let's see if I remember. I warmed it up, I lightened and brightened in Picasa and then blurred the background as well as adjusted the curves in GIMP. I'm sure I didn't need to do all of that, but I did. (I'm still trying to decide where I like editing the most.)

Trendy Treehouse: Hands

Oh my goodness. There were so many adorable captures to choose from, but I enjoy Lorelei's delicate nature in this photograph.

Simplicity: Flowers/Leaves

My 3Boybarians: Sweet Shot

Perceptive Perspective: Photographer's Choice

I chose this shot in the end because I enjoy the fact that the tiny leaves are what's in focus. I felt very overwhelmed by all of the colors and options of what to photograph and this capture seems to be a bit more calm and simple.

Also, linking up to...

Leigh Vs. Laundry

Communal Global

What do you think? 
Make sure to click on the links and maybe even link up too!