May is here!!!  It's baby month!  Our baby is going to be here soon.

A part of me is really going to miss pregnancy.  The other part of me can't wait to hold our new baby in my arms.  But another part of me is nervous because I know just how much time a newborn demands.  Hormonal much?  Sure!  Anyway, the baby's birth is inevitable.  So I'm enjoying the bump while it lasts and dreaming of all the good stuff coming our way.  Being a mother has been my life's greatest blessing.  I sometimes pinch myself because I can't believe I get to experience the miracle of new life one fourth and final time.



ONE is a monthly blog post in which I post a single personal image from the month before that makes me proud or spoke to my heart. It's an effort to share a little piece of myself and my life with you!

As much as I appreciate positive sentiments such as "We've got this!" in texts from friends, I've actually appreciated those times friends have opened up about how HARD this transition to isolation and homeschooling has been more.  It's a breath of fresh air to know that someone else's kid spent hours in front of a screen one day and that she too wants to pull her hair out figuring out all these new online programs and passwords that don't always work and wondering if she is covering all the assigned material with her son.  It really is nice to know that I'm not the only one who does not have it all together all the time... because I actually feel guilty for feeling this way.  I am very fortunate and have been blessed with so much!  This temporary situation should be a walk in the park; no big deal.  But IT IS!  Living one day at a time, not being able to plan for the future is unsettling.  (I mean, I'm birthing a baby into this mess!)  But as my sister reminded me, she's done this before.  This is familiar territory for her as she fought cancer just two short years ago.  It will all be okay, even if our new normal isn't ever quite the same.

So folks, all I'm trying to say is that I love you for your positivity and wisdom, but I also love it when you're messy and human just like me.


ONE is a monthly blog post in which I post a single personal image from the month before that makes me proud or spoke to my heart. It's an effort to share a little piece of myself and my life with you!

My oldest boy and his dog. It's sunny outside so it looks warm, but it's really not. All this wind just means that Spring is on its way, right?!? An evening walk with my kiddos + the dogs.

*****

ONE is a monthly blog post in which I post a single personal image from the month before that makes me proud or spoke to my heart. It's an effort to share a little piece of myself and my life with you!

The time he humored me and sat for a portrait.  This is my Levi.  I love this image.  One reason I love it is because it was taken exactly a week after Levi had a little accident on the family farm that required 13 stitches. T hat scar will hopefully fade over time, but it will no doubt be a part of him for the rest of his life.


ONE is a monthly blog post in which I post a single personal image from the month before that makes me proud or spoke to my heart.  It's an effort to share a little piece of myself and my life with you!

Happy New Year!  And a brand new fresh decade too.

I love going up into the South Hills after a fresh layer of snow has fallen. The snow hanging on the evergreen branches just feels magical.  It makes me giddy with happiness... until about February.  Haha.  But for now, I'm soaking it in for all it's worth.   We've taken the boys sledding a couple of times already!  Good memories I hope we'll get to repeat a few more times this winter.




ONE is a monthly blog post in which I post a single personal image from the month before that makes me proud or spoke to my heart. It's an effort to share a little piece of myself and my life with you!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!





ONE is a monthly blog post in which I post a single personal image from the month before that makes me proud or spoke to my heart. It's an effort to share a little piece of myself and my life with you!

The Jack-o-lanterns have been carved!  Jed and Levi carved their very own for the first time (I'm impressed Levi didn't cut off an eyebrow or something) and Mickey Mouse was done free hand by the best dad in the world -- who does not like Halloween by the way, but humors the rest of us anyway.  The boys are so excited!  However, none were more excited than Conrad who, during the entire carving process, would not quit talking.

I hope you all enjoyed a fun and safe and very Happy Halloween!  Wasn't that sunset last night spectacular?




ONE is a monthly blog post in which I post a single personal image from the month before that makes me proud or spoke to my heart.  It's an effort to share a little piece of myself and my life with you!

Welcome Fall!  I can't tell you how excited I am about wearing sweaters and watching the leaves change colors.  It's here!!!  Conrad and I have been going on weekly Friday morning dates to play and just be outdoors.  I love having a little buddy around who genuinely likes to explore with me.  Conrad is so cute and so much fun.  Plus, he might even enjoy the Taco Wagon more than me!  I am so grateful we have three more years together before he heads off to school.




ONE is a monthly blog post in which I post a single personal image from the month before that makes me proud or spoke to my heart. It's an effort to share a little piece of myself and my life with you!

Sometimes I like to dabble in astrophotography.  We took on our boys on one last camping adventure before school started.  I am so glad we did because this wound up being one of my all time favorite summer memories.

We let the boys stay up later than usual to give the stars ample time to shine.  My husband Bron and I both knew the star show was going to be good, but I don't think we anticipated just how impressive it was really going to be!  We lucked out with a clear and windless night and a late moon rise.  Camping doesn't get any better than that!  As the fire died down, we walked the boys to the tent in the middle of the grassy area and turned off the flashlights.  We told the boys to look up.  As our eyes adjusted to the darkness, the milky way seemed to glow brighter.  Just the sheer number of stars was incredible!  I think it was the first time Jed and Levi had ever truly witnessed the majesty of the night sky.  They were impressed.  Bron tried pointing out the little dipper and North Star to the boys, but there were just too many stars for them to really follow along.  Wow!

We tucked the boys into bed and then Bron wandered the camp site with me, helping me capture a few long exposure pictures of the night sky.  I forgot my tripod, but no worries.  I used everything from a picnic basket to some rocks to a stick to prop my camera up just right.  Improvising at its finest.




ONE is a monthly blog post in which I post a single personal image from the month before that makes me proud or spoke to my heart. It's an effort to share a little piece of myself and my life with you!

Not much makes me happier than capturing all three of my boys in the frame at once! This is them on the Fourth of July, ready for a day of fun and fireworks.  They were so stoked about their new sunglasses and festive bandanas.




ONE is a monthly blog post in which I post a single personal image from the month before that makes me proud or spoke to my heart. It's an effort to share a little piece of myself and my life with you!

We took our first trip of the season to Nat Soo Pah, a local hot springs pool with a giant water slide, two diving boards, and a couple of hot soak tubs.  The kids kept me hopping that day!  Jed conquered his fear of heights and jumped off the high dive!  Levi practiced swimming in the deep end and even did a swim test for the life guard.  He still needs floaties for safety, but I think he'll be a proficient swimmer my mid-summer; we'll keep practicing.  And Conrad had the time of his life careening down the water slide all by himself.

I brought my new little gopro and dome attachment to the pool.  You guys, I am hooked!  Underwater photography is so much fun!  It's a whole new world of photography.  The perspectives are different, it's colorful, and full of unpredictable splashes.  I can't wait to try it again.




ONE is a monthly blog post in which I post a single personal image from the month before that makes me proud or spoke to my heart. It's an effort to share a little piece of myself and my life with you!

Just an everyday scene from our backyard playset.  My two year old requested some pushes "up to da dye" (up to the sky) from his Dad.  Conrad is so funny.  He thinks he swings taller than the trees because all he can see is the sky!



ONE is a monthly blog post in which I post a single personal image from the month before that makes me proud or spoke to my heart. It's an effort to share a little piece of myself and my life with you!