The Start of a New Phase...

My girls have started school. They ride a big yellow, I pack their lunches, they come home hungry and they chatter at me for a good 1/2 hour when they return. Sound familiar? Well, to me it's all new. We've homeschooled in the past and this was a big step of obedience to put them in school!! To release them...to allow someone else to teach them. At their open houses I just kept looking around and thinking, yes, I could and have taught that...and that...but then the new thought came to me: but I don't have to.  So, I am trying to enjoy the freedom from hours of daily teaching. Time I now get to pour into my boy,  2 1/2, who has never yet had time with Momma alone like this. He treasures it, and so do I. 

That first day when they got on the bus, I was the typical Mommy who cried, hiding tears from the excited schoolers. We all wore dark sunglassses that day in the parking lot I think. What separated me from them were the noises I was making as I drove away from the bus stop which prompted Oliver to comfort me saying, 

"Oh Momma, it be okay! Dey will come back!" Yes, yes, pull yourself together! But again the next morning as we prayed about their second day I found myself blubbering again. They looked up at me with glossy eyes too--but the excitement I found there helped me quiet down. 

I've got a sched all worked out for which time slots I'll grocery shop in, scrub which toilet when and what time I'll sit down to process pictures. But what has been cool are the impromptu walks with Olly when he says, "Momma, can we go over 'dere and see dos twactors?" and I can say YES! When I stop everything I'm doing and we just sit in the rocker and read. When he and I get to do pushups together in the living room to my DVD's of P90X! (He'll be the buffest preschooler when it's his time!! Hmmmmm, if I don't decide to homeschool him!! :))

I'm getting used to a new phase of my life...and it's gonna be just fine.

Take a break---to the LAKE!!

We got to take about 4 days off this past week...our first time all summer to be away from our photography and Beachbody businesses! It was absolutely heavenly!! :)

What do photographers do while on vacation? Hmmm, I think you probably know! I'll post a few of my favorite pictures for your enjoyment. 

Our time away took us to the shores of Lake Erie at Lakeside, Ohio. We actually stay with my parents outside the gate technically in Marblehead which now gives me a stronger affinity for the Lake's only lighthouse.  To my delight, they opened the lighthouse this particular week and

 we got to go all the way up the 77 steps and peer out and D-O-W-N!! (This was my first ever experience with a fear of heights---which could be blamed on having my wiggly 2 1/2 year old up there with me and just one railing between us and sheer death! My mom tells this story of taking me on a ferris wheel when I was even younger and I was throwing a fit and tossing my body weight all over and she was terrified! We got to hear this story again while up there! Yeah, my mom's been there done that too!) If you look at that tighter image of the top of the lighthouse you will see me, my parents and Oliver up there and you may notice us waving! That was at my dad's prompting...if you look closer you'll see the terror in my eyes!! Whew!

We did lots of other fun things too! One of the best was visiting with my long lost brother and his sweet wife of three years. They've spent the past two years in Zambia, Africa doing ministry. I've sure missed them and really enjoyed getting to just relax in the same space. Truly I am blessed to not only have such a great brother but a really cool sister-in-love! :) Cheesy, I know.

But if you knew her, you'd love her too.

I've been blogging on and off now for a few months and I still am really nimwitted at it! I can't

 figure out how to put pictures down here...where I'm talking about them! You'll have to humor me and pretend I know what I'm doing and just go in search of the image I'm chatting about! K?

What a blessing to have this great Chatauqua nearby to "summer" at. (I think the term "summer" can be used even if one only went for 3 1/2 days...don't you????) If you don't know the term chatauqua, don't worry, I've been going for some 25 years now and I don't really know either! Basically Lakeside is just a great family place to be where kids can ride their bikes safely in the streets (entrance is by paid ticket and cars are charged to be in the gated area), you can play in the sand, swim off the pier and the shops still sell penny candy. My girls' first sailing lessons were free and we ran into an old neighbor of my parents and talked the afternoon away. Lots of great Toft's brand ice cream, kites, shuffleboard (free of course!) and fun shopping and good coffee. What's not to love? Heck, even my cousin got married there a few years back! You ought to consider planning to go yourself some year! (Hey! I'm not even on their advertising campaign!!)

Well, time for another fun last summer moment: church picnic in the park! I hope to write more again! Oh, the dwindling days of summer....where do they go??????

Miracle baby

We had a special afternoon treat yesterday! We were privileged to do a session with baby Will who was born at 26 weeks--weighing only 1 pound! Today he is a healthy 15 pound 10 month old! What a miracle! Truly he is a celebration of life! I love his sweet little fingers and this flower! And who can resist baby bubbles?? :) This little guy is our neighbor's grandson so we hope to get to see him often! :)