fall photo shoot 2014

This past Saturday was a beautiful, cool fall day here in Ohio. I always enjoy taking the kids to the farm to get their photos taken. These were shot during the evening. I use a Nikon D80 with a Tamron 18-270mm lens. I prefer natural lighting when possible. The kids and I had great fun, and many thanks to my mom for helping the kids to smile for the pictures. Of the 132 photos taken, these were my final and favorite pictures.


In black and white:

In color:

Together. (Getting multiple children to stand still, smile, and pay attention can be quite a feat.)

a little put-put

We had some friends with us today and decided to take the kids put-putting (miniature golf). It was a first for my kids, and they kept calling it it "pot-pot." We went to Hazzards in Huber Heights, where they have a nice 18-hole course. The funniest part was when Claire figured out the point of the game was to get the ball in the hole at the end of the green, so she would pick up her ball and run to the end, place it 3 inches from the hole and hit it in. "I did it!" She was so excited each time. Frederick was the only one to get a hole-in-one. Elauna actually had pretty good form: golf might be her sport.

With the friends.

Hazzards put-put course.

Getting tips from Dad.

Frederick working on a shot.

This is how close she would stand for her shot!

My little golfer.

In the event you are interested in miniature golf, check out Hazzards in Huber Heights.
www.hazzardsminigolf.com
6240 Brandt Pike
Dayton, Ohio
937.233.4706
They are located right next to the bowling lanes.

mother's day

I know this post is a week after Mother's Day, but I'm still a thankful mom and wanted to share about my day. Elauna filled out a paper during Sunday School entitled, All About Mom. Here goes:

My mom is really good at: painting. (I'm thinking painting walls or tables, not fine art!)
My favorite thing to do with my mom is: play games
I think my mom is pretty wearing: dress and necklace
It makes my mom happy when I: listen (she nailed that one!) :-)
I know my mom loves me because: she cuddles with me

Her little paper was the sweetest thing!

Me and Sis

With Mom and the kids at hospital after Dad's triple bypass.
Thanks to so many for the prayer coverage.

Mom and I went to see the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.
My friend Parker was playing the french horn.
They are incredible!

So there it was: Mother's Day in a nut shell.

money well spent

I don't know anywhere else you can spend a penny and get your money's worth. Each time we go to Meijer my kids all wait in line for their turn. Three cents. And they think they've gone to the circus or something.

a walk with my son

We were at the farm recently and I wanted to take a walk in the field to look for arrowheads before the ground gets worked and the field planted. I had my little man with me, and for some reason he thought we were looking for corn. (It had been planted in corn last year….) He wandered behind me for awhile.

"Mom, I can't find any corn."
"Alright, son."

We walked to the edge of the field. Whack!
Whack. Whack.
I turned around. What is he doing?

I was half tempted to tell him to quit hitting the corn stubble, then he stated to me:
"I'm getting the bad guys for you." He smiled so big and gripped his make-shift sword from a corn stalk and continued to whack away.

"Don't go too far Mom. I'm your protector." Whack Whack.
"Oh no. The bad guys broke my sword!"

I turned around, waiting patiently as he stripped another stalk back to get a new sword.

"Ok, you can go now." Whack, whack. "Oh, they got me!"

We stop. I say to him: "Pick up your sword. Don't give up now. Don't let the bad guys win."

He whacks away for a few more rows. "Ha, Ugh, Yah!" Whack, whack.

A few steps more, I ask my little prince, "Are you alright?"
His cheeks are bright red; he is breathing hard.

"Yes, Mom. I'm going to get all those bad guys for you. I'm strong. I'm your protector."

He gave it all he had, whacking away at the corn stubble with his sword. He was proud of his work. We walked to the edge of the field and hopped on the golf cart. He put his arm around my neck and gave me a kiss.

He smiled big and said, "You are my beauty…….and I'm your prince."


I didn't find any arrowheads, but I found something even better. My little four-year-old son fought a valiant battle and won….and he showed his mother that the greatest battle for a man is fighting for what he loves. He was never taught to be this way, but his Creator instilled this into him. And I am proud he wants to be a protector.

little blue derby

Just for fun. We were at the Equine Affaire today in Columbus and I visited the marketplace where people can sell their used tack, show clothes, and accessories. I found the cutest little blue derby hat, sized 6 1/2 for $10. I love collecting hats and they make great props. Frederick loved the hat right away and wanted to wear it. Here are the kids having fun with our new find:

So cute, ears and all.

spring help

We are so thankful for the warm weather! Getting the gardens ready has been very relaxing and peaceful, and the kids have been a big help. Little Claire isn't too keen on the strong wind, so she took a nap in the garden shed. The warmth of the sun and the smell of the fresh air is such a welcome change from the long winter.

Taking the grass to the burn pile.

Elauna was sick, so she bundled up and sat in the sun.
Claire didn't like the wind too well.

Just waking up from her nap.

Having fun in the garden shed.

the trash brigade

They say that many hands make the work light. Even little hands. Teaching my kids to have a servant's heart at a young age is very important to me, and they think it is a special treat to get to help.

For some reason, our road gets to be the dumping ground for beer cans and McDonalds cups, and since the snow has finally melted, all that rubbish has been uncovered. My kiddos are ready to be outside more enjoying the sun, even if it is not too warm yet. After a long morning with them not wanting to take naps, we decided to head outdoors and start making good use of our time. I gave each kid a bag…the girls were my "trash girls" and my little man was in charge of the aluminum cans. (We might as well turn the cans in and get something for the effort). The kids thought it was a blast cleaning up trash. We walked to the next farm in each direction and completely filled three trash bags full of junk. We plan to hit a few more sections of road in the next few weeks, but the section we did the other day sure has made a difference.

And my little helpers did make the work so much more enjoyable!

summer breeze

I should say this summer has gone by like a breeze. It has been so much fun spending the time with family, especially the kids, who have made this summer so enjoyable. I tried something new at the lake this year - wake surfing. It is like surfing right behind the boat - no straps, no lines - just the board, you and the wake. Jeremy of course picked it up the first time. But it was fun. Other highlights included building a cabin in the woods (not for us), camping, going to local events like the Darke County Fair and the Heritage Festival....and just doing things we love like having cookouts, campfires, and driving to my favorite ice cream joint for the best ice cream ever. All this while working and building our house. And homeschooling. What a blast!

Claire at the lake.

With my AZ cousins at our favorite pizza hangout.

Keeping warm on a cool morning.

Going for a hike. She found her own walking stick.

Elauna, Frederick and Claire after helping on the cabin.

At the Darke County Fair.

Happy kids.

Jeremy getting me ice cream at my favorite ice cream shop!

Elauna just before her tooth was filled....again.

Campfires and good company.

Camping with the kids.

fishin' for fun

I always thought that getting to the hundredth blog post was going to take forever....and was some sort of milestone. Well, it's really no milestone....it is just another blip in the daily happenings of my life.

This past Sunday afternoon we had so much fun as the kids were learning how to fish. Uncle M had a great idea showing up at the pond with the kiddie pole and worms.  The fish were biting just about every time the hook hit the water with a big worm. That is some good fishing! The kids thought it was wonderful and they caught everything from little bluegill to small mouth bass. It was a trip watching the guys try to pull in the bass using a little kids rod. Uncle M caught a pretty decent sized bass and was reeling it in when it flipped out of the water and broke the line. Lost that one, but it was impressive with that little pink princess pole.

Fishing with Dad

Frederick's big catch.

Elauna fishing.

Miss O and her Dad.

Awesome Uncle M with the cute Miss O.

The famous pink pole.

Mimi and Miss A.

Papa and Miss O watching the action.