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!

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! 

The Lake House + Lorelei in a Basket

This is a mix of two opposites in my life. The beautiful and serene surroundings and then the sweet and funny family. I love it all. Please enjoy!

Sweet Shot & Communal Global:

I'm sharing a simple shot taken while out and about. There were so many beautiful homes to shoot, but I really liked this one in particular. I hope you like my house (or a few) on the lake capture.

TOUCH UP Tuesday:

I was intrigued by Lorelei's gathering project. She grabbed a pillow from the chair, her favorite blanket, her "chocolate" bear, juice, and dumped out toys from this bin/basket. Then she climbed in and set up camp.

Sweet Shot: An Icy, Foggy Sunset Over the Lake

 I had forgotten about this set and when I saw it I...well how do they make you feel?

Today I will just let the shots speak for themselves.

The FOGGY ICE:

Take a look at more sweet shots over at My 3 Boybarians. Have fun!

The BLUR:

The CLEAR:

A Trendy Treehouse Touch Up: Watering the Garden

Hannah patiently awaits for her watering can to be filled back up. Lorelei and Hannah were watering Grandma's garden and themselves at that. I had fun with this edit and really tried playing with the curves. Can I say how much I love that tool! I also saturated the color and changed the hue and of course brightened the photo. I also can't edit without adding contrast. I hope you like this edit and capture! I'm also using this for the Trendy Treehouse: Shutter Love Tuesday for Babies. Is Hannah still considered a baby? (Hannah at 16 months.) 

After:

Before:

For more Trendy Treehouse Shutter Love Tuesday shots of babies and Touch Ups please click their button below and have fun!

Sweet Shot Tuesday: On A Hike

We went hiking over the weekend! Did you hear about that? Hannah had a blast running and going off the trails and Lorelei loved showing her around. I absolutely love trees, birds, chipmunks. You name it. I enjoyed being outdoors and in the trees. The light breeze was wonderful and Matt found a snake for Lorelei and showed her how to hold it so I know he had a great time as well! Here are my three sweet shots from the weekend, but the first shot is my favorite! Please enjoy!

My Sweet Shot Pick:

Two other Sweet Shots Just because.

For other amazingly sweet shots click the button below! Enjoy and maybe add your own!