In Transition

Its before 8:00am as I begin my first draft of this post.  Outside I can hear the callings of the morning birds.  I'm not sure what they are doing or where exactly they are but I can imagine that they are all talking back at one another, calling out to one, then another, getting louder to be heard above the bird next to them.  Its such a familiar, yet not heard in such a long time, kind of sound.  And although there is a light mix of snow and rain falling from the sky right now, the sound of those birds tells me that thing are changing.  The seasons are in transition.  The snow may be battling out for dominance over the rain, but the birds are now here to stay and I will look forward to the day that my windows are wide open and I can hear the sounds of the birds as I wake up each morning.

And speaking of transitions and warmer days........

We visited this place last weekend!!!
The place where we have come to enjoy the best of nature's transitions, the best in living outdoors and being with best friends.

Kevin and I packed up the girls for morning snack and we were hoping that it wouldn't downpour so we could enjoy some time checking out how different and bare the land looks in the winter season.

there is now a road that has been put in past our site.  its a we-built-it-and-now-others-want-to-come! kinda thing.  more private sites going in!  

The girls retrieved their "needs" from our locked outhouse....

i love the stick out butt!  

And just as I was taking this photo,

I heard the sound of a car pulling up behind me and no kidding, it was Stacey, Rory and their boys! 

So awesome!     

Kevin had spoken to them earlier that day, but wasn't sure that they would be coming up.  They did! 

The snow has melted and our families came together at our place, this unofficially declaring the 2012 Trailer Camping season on its way!

Let the kids play!

Two boys, two girls!  All walking and talking.  This is sure to be a totally different experience.

collecting melted rain water!  ; ) 

The views are different this time of year..... 

and our home away from home looks empty, dark and cold....

the kitchen

...but I know its only a matter of time and a few degrees in temperature until our place is alive with the sounds of Palm Bay coolers being cracked and happy kids squealing, the delicious smell of bacon and eggs in the morning, and the feeling of being so far away from the rest of the world with good friends!

These kids love it out here!  

On our way out of the campground we went to the beach to see how it had changed over the winter.  

And as nature does out here, there were plenty of new toys and activities left to explore!  

My big girl climbed to the top of this outdoor play structure!

super proud of herself, and me of her. 

 Gus, as usual, had no troubles braving the big jumping.  Henry looks on, watching, learning!  

And just as we suspected, the beach was different.
More beach than water.

I love it here!  

The calendar tells us that spring is only a day away.
Transition is here and I'm ready to be inspired by what Spring brings to us!

The Magic Of A Hot Bath!

I'm not sure what exactly was going on with Karis this morning, but she was OFF.  Totally not herself, totally cranky, totally whiny and would not let me put her down.  She was like velcro to me.  Even when I was splitting my attention between doing puzzles with her and chatting with Kevin, she was upset.  She wanted ALL of me.  With Kevin on his way out the door for some "me" time and the rain pouring down outside, I wasn't sure how I was going to handle my little distressed one.  Then Kevin said the words, "What about a hot bath?"  

Oh, and what a fine suggestion that was.  Bath time in our house is usually every other night, so offering up a bubble bath on a Saturday morning was definitely out of the ordinary and bound to make a difference.   Kamille wanted in on it too, and so I decided to take advantage of the light coming through the windows to get some updated bath snaps of them.  

With a little extra water than usual and a new addition to the bathtub (Kamille's mermaid Barbie girl), they were all smiles and the crankiness and whining finally stopped!

Our bathtub is super deep and is the perfect size for their little bodies to happily hang out in.

While they splashed around in the bath, I managed to get the rest of the bathroom clean.  I love a clean bathroom!  

See my ENJO bathroom mitt really does the trick!   Super shiny and the perfect mirrored reflection!  

They came out of the bath tub about an hour after they climbed in.  Both of them were warm and pruney.  

Thankfully, Karis was in much better spirits and she managed to make it through to her nap time without being attached to me.    

 YAY for pressing the reset button on a morning that certainly didn't start out fun!  Great idea Daddy!

Happy Belated Blogoversary To Me!

Oh, will you look at that.  Another year has gone by on this little blog.  YAY!  Two full years of capturing memories of life with my precious and scrumptious girls. 
And in spite of this blog having everything to do with me - I write it, I photograph for it and I live the experiences, you will rarely see a photos of me because that's just the way it is when you hold the camera.
So in my place to celebrate my Blogoversary, I present Mini Me....

Mini Me as a Blogger

I can only hope that this is how cute I look when I am head first into my laptop or other things.

I had originally taken these photos of Mini-Me in November, but at some point between then and now I have lost the originals and only have thumbnails or something, hence the blurr.....But I just had to capture her, as me.  ; )

Between blogging, my online school program and keeping up with friends and activities through email and facebook I am sure that I spend waaaaaaayyyyy more time at my laptop than the average person.  

I must.  I mean isn't it amazing how well Kamille mimics me?  Sometimes I worry that she sees this side of me way more than she should.  

Since discovering the world of blogging just over two years ago I have I felt compelled to blog and to continue to photograph.  

Writing a blog, taking photographs and enjoying time with my girls - it all tops me up and gives me a sense of enjoyment.  

This photo below might be an even better portrayal of me.  Last week she was set up on my old MAC laptop.  She likes to open up a Word document and just type away at the letters on the keyboard because it really is more about how it sounds to her than if she is actually spelling anything, right!!   ; )  However, with half of her body attached to the laptop and the other half attached to the kitchen behind her...and a coffee beside her, this truly is what I do - daily.

About that baby?  Ya, I think that's supposed to be Karis napping in her crib.

Although I feel that I have less time to commit to my blog lately, I would rather see the stories one or two months late than never to be able to look back and read the stories of the times I captured in photos.   I find little snippets of my day to compose a little bit at a time to make it all come together.  For example, today I have a post with photos downloaded to it, no words.  I have another with words and no photos for it just yet and I have about 6 other posts that are in DRAFT because I started a great thought or story and then was pulled away before it was completed.   Gradually I chip away at them until they are set to publish and even still some don't make it to the published collection.  Writing a blog is a game in time management really. One that I am still attempting to balance well, but in the meantime I am seeing many late hours on the clock at night as I make my notes.

Marrying the stories with the photos on this little blog space has allowed me to really capture the past two years.  I look back at some of the posts in the past two years and I am so glad to have captured those fleeting moments that might otherwise have evaporated from my memory.

I have loved documenting how my girls have grown up in the past 2 years - how their looks have changed and how their understanding of life and the dialogue they use has expanded.  Blogging is not only a gift of stories for my girls, but it has become very much a part of my life now.  It is my creative outlet and my connection to others - two gifts for me that I am grateful for.

Happy Blogoversary Notes To My Girls!