Sunday, April 27, 2014

Natural Nature

My dad loves nature photography. He has taken countless sunset, flower, bird and landscape photos.  I never really understood the allure of nature photography until I had my own camera and tried my hand on it. I am surprised to find that I really do enjoy it- the hunting for a great photo op, the composing as shot and adjusting the settings to optimize nature's beauty. As a busy mom, I really enjoy the quiet of nature photography. Nearly every picture I take of my kids requires a lot of energy. Nature photography requires the photographer to seek out peace.  So here are a few nature shots I've taken recently. Most of these were actually taken with my cell phone!  If you're reading this and like what you see, feel free to favorite my shop on Etsy.
Early spring rainstorm

Early spring snowstorm






Beautiful beyond words





Mackenzie likes having her picture taken. You can see that she is a beautiful model. You can definitely tell when she's done, though.


All photos are copyrighted by Mx4Photography

District art show-2014


Mackenzie's artwork was one of only 50 to be chosen for display at the district art show. She was so proud of herself and excited to receive an award. Art has always been a big passion for Macky. Being at school, she's loved having art class and her art teacher notices that.
Mackenzie receiving her ward from Mrs. Baker, the assistant principal. Mrs. Brydge, her art teacher, is at the microphone.
The girl and her award

The award ( I can't be the only one who noticed the missed punctuation, can I? )

Friday, April 25, 2014

My two year old



Four of four. Mason's birthday is the last in our little family. In true Mason fashion, he's decided all the details of his birthday. All that matters to him is having a balloon and having steamed dumplings for dinner after spending a day at the zoo.
I wish I could adequately describe Mason or  I could somehow just bottle him up so I never forget his little crooked smile or how he says " Ok, mama." even as he's running away from me, doing the opposite of what I asked. If only there was a way to portray the way he adores those he loves and how his favorite thing is to make other people laugh. Of course, Mason has a very certain way of letting you ( and the world ) know when he isn't happy. He inherited that fiery Rose temper and learning to contain that takes a lot of work. In fact, I'm not sure any of us have really figured it out. None the less, he loves with that same passion and those who are lucky enough to be in the wake of that adoration cannot help but get drunk on this little boy's personality.

As I was putting him to bed tonight and he asked me to see " Rock a bye, rock a bye" , his favorite bed time song ( second only to " Sunshine" ( You are my Sunshine) ) the thought crossed my mind that I was , for the last time, putting to bed a baby of mine. I'll never have a one year old again. And though our family is complete, I wish for just one day that I could cuddle that crabby little baby. When I think back on those days that were so tangled in anxiety, I remember with great joy the way that tiny baby, barely able to hold his head up, could spot me across the room and he'd lock his gaze on me, not crying, but almost like he was admiring. And I could literally feel that love from him right then.


Mason is a man of certainty ( even when he's uncertain....figure that one out). And there are very few things in life that I am certain of. One of those things is that this boy, this little man in the making, will be fierce and he will always carry passion with him. I am so happy and honored that I get to be in the front row, watching him grow and learn. I just hope he slows it down so I can enjoy feeling the weight of him as he fits perfectly on my lap, holding my hand as I turn the pages of a book. Slow down, my boy.

Favorites:
Red
Doo-oughts ( donuts)
Anything with wheels
His sister
Anything his sister has
Being outside  ( " Sweem, Mama!" - Swing, mama! )
Raspberries
Running around the tree in the front yard


Here is Mason's 2nd year re-cap video. You can click the little box in the lower right corner to make it bigger. There is music, so adjust your speakers accordingly. I will work on getting the rest of the blog updated soon!





Thursday, April 10, 2014

Swinging in spring


Look at this wild man, sailing through the air like his sister does!



Worm break! 


There are some mighty big bugs in the yard this year!

They alll fall down!

The Colorado wind is not kind to fences. Neither is the baking hot sun. And so it goes, the cycle of baking how summers and windy falls and springs and before you know it, you're dedicating much time to the fencing aisle at Home Depot. 70 MPH wind gusts took down 5 panels of fencing. That was no match for Mike and me! We make a pretty decent team!
We suddenly had a full golf course view!


And while we were at it....Now the kids can play in the front yard with out me worrying about them as much.

Everything and nothing- life in Instagram










Mason was caught, pencil in hand, writing on the floor. As I was having him clean it up, Mack walks over, pencil and notebook in hand and says to Mase " I'm writing you a ticket!" . And she did.


It's fun being 6'6 with Uncle Clay







Birthday countdown

You just never know who will show up to breakfast at our house.


And you never know who you'll find picking their nose on the swings here, either.