Beautiful snow

Mason refused his jacket and opted for his sisters sweater. This is his take on the cold.

Fall family photos

" It's out!"

 That tooth that Mack has been wiggling for well over a year...It's out! 

It was NOT an easy job. And , ultimately, it required a bit of unsolicited help .

" Get OUT you darn tooth!"

We bought this little box in Ann Arbor a few years ago and Mack has waited a long time to have a tooth to put in it.

The tooth fairy was generous for this first tooth. She left behind a glittery five dollar bill folded into a ring. Pretty fancy!
I am totally loving Mack's toothless grin. It seems like not so long ago, that very tooth was the first to poke it's pearly white edges from her naked gums.

A scare

 Last week, my dad stayed home sick from work. This is strange in and of itself. He has worked 6 days a week as long as I can remember and I can't remember many times that he missed a day.  Turns out, what he thought was something he ate was actually vertigo, a common ailment that, in this case, is attributable to age. Though I knew of vertigo , my dealings had only been in the care of kids. Admittedly, I was scared as they wheeled him off, his hands over his face and tears in his eyes, for an MRI to be sure he hadn't suffered a stroke.  Seeing my dad in this way was really an eye opener for me. We all think of him as bullet-proof, the " mind over matter" type. When he couldn't make it out to feed his animals, it shook all of us. Thankfully, we all pulled together and took care of things as he took it easy, missing four days of work.

The photo above draws such emotion for me. The contrast of seeing him in a hospital , his ID bracelet in view as he laces up his work boots. None of it fits together. And it still rattles me a bit.

Dad was on ativan for a few days which made him pretty mellow/loopy . I received several invites to Face Time with him. He'd talk for a minute then fall asleep mid-sentence. Though I hated him being sick, it was, at times a bit funny.  Thankfully, he is feeling much better and back to carrying a full load.

Simply beautiful

Mason found this Monarch butterfly lying in the grass of the back yard. She wasn't very lively as it was clear she was in her last days, not making the migration south with the younger butterflies. I love the contrast of Mason's dirty hands and the butterfly's delicate wings.

Mackenzie wanted to take her to Gram's so Gram's would have a real life butterfly to model a painting after.

This and That.

These two wild children spent an hour playing with this Magic Mirror app on my phone.

Mackenzie graduated to level 4 of 6 in swimming class! Only two from this class were ready to move up.

Found in Mackenzie's room. Rules for Mason to live by.Seems like a lot to ask.

Practicing my photography skills with some tricky lighting. I ended up loving this shot so much.

Cool hair, Dude!

Last weekend the kids and I went to a park next to a railroad outlet and watched the workers hook up a train from start to finish. We missed Daddy and I am sure Grandpa Ralph was smiling down on us.

And of course, there was time to play after the train was long gone.

Found this after I dropped Mack off at school " Mason Tomiths Long "

I really love spending time with my dad's horses. Gus is a favorite for sure.

Official!

Check out my brand spankin' new website here! Between my new business cards and my website, I'm lookin' kind of official. The plan for the slower season is to fill my time with newborns that will hopefully lead to more business as the babies grow!  Thanks so much for all the support I've received!