Wordless Wednesday { Homeschool Photography Class- Focus }

Here are the photos taken by:

Douglas

Yes, he is blowing her hair with a leaf-blower!

Freeland

Too bad you can't see the machete he is holding aloft!

Casper

Annika

Eliana

All About Eliana

This morning we decided to take breakfast to a nearby lake and then let the boys fish while the girls and I took pictures, walked, and played on the playground.

It was a gorgeous morning after yesterday's rain. The sky was so blue and the clouds were so white!



This bench overlooks the lake. I spend hours sitting here reading and dreaming and praying... in my imagination...

Generally speaking it is very easy to take photos of Annika. She is photogenic and cooperative and it is always fun. But this morning this little girl decided it was her turn to be the easy one...

And I'm pretty glad she did...

The New Purse { Wordless Wednesday }

{ I think she likes it! }

I'm linking this post to Wordless Wednesday over at 5 Minutes for Mom.

Bluebonnets { Texas Trip Part 2 }

Angel Baby (aka Brooklyn)

April is a wonderful time of year to visit Texas! My parents live near Kemp, which is about 40 miles southeast of Dallas.  It is green and lush and lovely in April and the bluebonnets were at about their peak of loveliness!  We took full advantage with several trips to a nearby field just covered in them.  One evening my younger sister, some friends, and one little niece went to see them just as the sun was going down.  The result was a wonderful, golden, glowing back light in the photos.  It was gorgeous!  Couple that setting with a little two-year-old niece all by herself with three aunts who thought she was adorable and we got some cute pictures!

Karis

Karis with Aunt Julie (my sister-in-law's sister)

Karis with Hannah (my youngest sister)

When another sister wanted to get some pictures of her one-year-old daughter (Angel Baby) I knew we had to go back as the sun was setting again. We loaded up a bunch of ladies and as many of the younger kiddos as we could lay hands on and headed over.  We weren't disappointed!

Cassie

Cassie (all dressed up)

Sammie (Cassie's sister)

Savannah & Jason

Aliha (Angel Baby's sister)

Elizabeth (also Angel Baby's sister)

Roseanna (also Angel Baby's sister)

Now I know y'all are wondering how it is that all of these adorable children are in one family.  What can I say?  Whether by birth or adoption we Sams "done good" in the baby department!  (We can cook too! Y'all jealous yet?)

Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, Annika and Eliana were there too, but you get to see them all the time, so I thought I'd save those pictures for another day.

Also in case you were wondering, this is only a fraction of my nieces and nephews.  There are soon to be 25 in the Sams family.

Texas trip to be continued...


I linked this post over at The Long Road to China for Favorite Photo Friday.

Sometimes Right in the Middle of an Ordinary Day...

I know my blog has been quiet recently.  I'm still trying to eradicate the nasty pneumonia bugs that attacked me the other week.  Somehow there doesn't seem to be a lot to blog about when day after day is spent in utter exhaustion from the slightest exertion.

But sometimes you don't have to go any further than the recliner to see beauty, sometimes right in the middle of an ordinary day...

 

 

 

Your little daughter walks in, sits down, and makes your heart sing with her innocent delight in lotion and chap stick.

My Sunshine{s}

My perspective is a bit limited right now.  I can look at the ceiling or I can turn my head a bit and look across the living room.  A few times a day I make a necessary journey to the restroom.  At night I go all the way back the hall to crawl into bed.  And that would be about it except...

I have these lovely ladies to twirl and swirl through my line of vision...

Smiling...

And making me smile!

Even pneumonia doesn't seem unbearable with such sweet entertainment!



And So I Bought Her A Helmet

I took the children ice skating again today.  This time Eliana got in on the action.  My plan was to get her skates and then "help" her by pushing the little kiddie helper thing for her thus giving myself something to hang on to and giving her a little ride at the same time.

It didn't work.  While I slipped and stumbled around the edges she insisted on skating by herself!  She pushed her little red thing all over the rink.

Then she got daring and insisted on trying to skate without it!  She fell and she crawled and she kept right on trying!  While I stumbled and rested and stumbled some more and watched her in terror lest she fall and hit her little head on the ice.

She skated for a solid two hours and loved every minute of it.

And then we went to Wal-mart and bought her a helmet. Because keeping her off the ice does not seem like an option anymore.