Backlit beauty

"Give yourself a gift of five minutes of contemplation in awe of everything you see around you. Go outside and turn your attention to the many miracles around you. This five-minute-a-day regimen of appreciation and gratitude will help you to focus your life in awe." Dr. Wayne Dyer

My favorite flowers in the world are orchids.  I can't get enough of them.  I have many different orchids on my porch and just love when they bloom each year!  They make me so happy.  Each one is slightly different in "personality" - color, size, shape, etc.  My sweet husband knows I love them and that I'd much prefer a "live" plant than a bunch of dead flowers which only last a week....  he keeps me supplied.  :)  I saw one of my purple orchids shining backlit in the sun this afternoon and had to take a picture.  It's admittedly a different view of a flower, from behind the blossom, but I thought it was beautiful how it was transparent and glowing in the sunlight. 

Florida Box Turtles

Today, as my son was gathering sticks and rocks in our yard, he discovered a Florida Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina bauri) - a subspecies of box turtles found in the United States.  He always gets so excited when he finds a turtle and can sit and watch it for a long time while the poor turtle hides in its shell (as you can see in this picture).  These little turtles are all over the place in the pine rocklands of the Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge. There have been many babies roaming around our yard this year too!  It's really great to see them (along with the Key Deer) on a regular basis.   My son sometimes likes to feed them his unfinished bananas and/or banana peels; they will stick their long necks out really far and devour those bananas, making very loud breathing and slapping sounds with their mouths as they eat the sticky fruit and then try to wipe off their faces on the mulch.  Very funny!  

Sunrise Paddleboard

We got up early today to go to the beach at sunrise so I could take some pictures for one of my photo assignments in my Wedding course (thanks for lending me the extra camera, Ginny!), and so we could do some paddleboarding. It was a gorgeous morning! Here are my husband and youngest son silhouetted as they paddleboard. The kids took turns going out with Daddy and riding the little waves back into shore; they had a blast! 

Hole in one!

HOLE IN ONE!  Well, ok, not really....but this is the face that my son makes when he hits the golf ball into the hole......1 stroke or........... 30 strokes.... it doesn't matter - there is pure glee and astonishment when that ball finally sinks into the hole!  hee hee!  I managed to catch his priceless reaction tonight when we went out for mini-golf and dinner.  

The Circus Came to Town

The circus came to Key West this week so we decided to go with some great friends tonight.  It was really a blast!  It was completely different than last year, which was a surprise.  There was a pretty decent tightrope act, a scary fire-eating act, a trapeze act, a springboard/acrobatic act, and a cute stint with these huge trained pigs.  I have to admit, though, that the best part for me was staring at my kids' and our friends' kids' faces as they watched the show!  I love the awe and wonder I saw in their reactions.  Priceless.  

During intermission, we bought them all tickets to go on the bouncy house slide, and it's a miracle they all survived without breaking their necks!  At the end of the show, my older son got to ride on a pony (his first time riding a horse) and was thrilled!  The highlight was when my younger son, who was in my arms watching him go 'round and 'round the circular ring, asked me if he could pet the horsey. I said "We'll have to ask him" (meaning the man in the ring who was in charge of the animals). My sweet baby, very politely, leaned over and asked one of the ponies: "Horsey, can I please pet you?" and then got to pet his soft head. Very sweet moment. I wish we could all see life through the eyes of children because they are so innocent and pure and joyful and GOOD.

Seeing Key Deer

Every morning when my son and I take a stroller walk around the neighborhood, we see Key Deer....lots of them.  They are like squirrels or pigeons or seagulls, depending on where you live.  They are everywhere.  We saw 5 deer this morning on a 3 mile walk! One little doe came right up to us and tried to snag my son's toast!  Another one stopped in her tracks as she was walking down a gorgeous mangrove tunnel and allowed me to take her picture.   I am so grateful to be able to experience this every day with my son and to live in such a beautiful place.  Look around... Life is so good, isn't it?

My little helper

My sweet son loves to help me with chores.  (We'll see how long that lasts!)  This morning, we worked together to clean the hummingbird feeders and fill them with freshly made hummingbird juice, water the plants, fill the bird feeders with sunflower seeds, and sweep the porch.  He was such a great little helper. :)  Of course, afterwards, there was plenty of time for playing with bubbles and swinging on the swing!

It's....... BASEBALL SEASON again!!!

My son's first baseball practice was today.  He was so excited!  He just loves the sport.  I love watching him play.  He looks SO grown up out there!  I can't believe how TALL he is getting!  He's such a perfectionist and works SO hard.  He was nervous before getting out there today, but he had a blast!  It was great to be back there again this year.  Oh - and I am thrilled to have been hired as the official photographer for all the baseball teams this year!  What an exciting job and an honor!  :)  It's gonna be a great season!  I saw this scene and had to photograph it. :)

Christmas Cactus

A dear friend gave me this beautiful Christmas cactus a few years ago when she moved away.  I think of her every time I walk out the door and see it on my porch (at the least). :) Well, as you can see, it is blooming again!  It really amazes me how it flowers every December - February each year!  How does it "know" what time of year it is?  So fascinating...  Well, if you are interested:  the plant is photo-thermoperiodic, which basically means that it blooms when day and night length are approximately equal and the temperature is cooler.  Cool, huh?  It's the science geek in me, I guess, but I think it's really neat!

New grill

I bought my sweet husband a brand new, fancy barbecue grill for Christmas this year.  It is NICE.  I got an AMAZING, can't-pass-up sale/deal!  It really is a beautiful piece of machinery.  ;-)  Mr. Chef cooked us steaks, hot dogs, potatoes, and corn on the cob tonight and loved every minute of it with his new toy.  :)  Here he is enjoying cooking our meal.  Isn't he cute? :)  He cooked so the kids and I could play on the trampoline and unwind after a LONG drive home from Jupiter....  It's so nice to be home.

My sister

I did a sunrise maternity photoshoot with my beautiful sister today.  We got up super early and arrived at the beach with coffee (decaf for her), bagel, egg and cheese sandwiches, and the camera/tripod ready to go at exactly 6:40am!  It was COLD out - 55 degrees...not a good thing when you want your sister to expose her tummy with barely any clothes on.  But, she was a trooper.  I made her stand dangerously close to the ocean spray...she got a bit splashed... but she toughed it out.  :) We think it was worth it.  The sunrise was completely amazing, and the shots came out great!  Here is one of many shots I took today.

I am so lucky to be blessed with such a best friend/treasure in my life.  My sister is sweet, patient, genuine, loving, warm, and just plain wonderful.  I love her dearly.  We finish each other's sentences...It is just so awesome.  There is nothing like a sibling....   I couldn't have been luckier to have her as my first maternity shoot "subject".  Isn't she gorgeous?

Grandparents

The kids and I travelled to Jupiter to visit my family this weekend.  We had big plans: throwing a baby shower party and doing a sunrise maternity photoshoot for my sister, watching my brother-in-law play drums at a gig at a local bar, buying new shoes for the kids, getting my hair cut... just to mention a couple of the things on our to-do list.  Hubby had to stay home to work and get some chores around the house done.  :(  
My parents took us all out to dinner tonight to celebrate my birthday at my favorite restaurant (Classico's Italian Restaurant).  I snapped this shot of Nani and Papi with two of their grandchildren while we were waiting outside for a table.  The kiddos were being goofy, and I caught my dad laughing at their silliness in this shot.  I love the relationship that my children have with my parents.... Can you feel the love?

Smoothies

I have always fed my kids really healthy food.  I made all their baby food. I'm a puree'ing professional!  I'm a firm believer in "you are what you eat".... organic as much as possible, fruits, vegetables, no packaged garbage, very little sugar, etc.  It's been hard at times when they got picky, but the one saving grace has always been SMOOTHIES.  The deception is genius!  You can seriously hide anything in them.  I've been known to put spinach, kale, pumpkin, butternut squash, etc, in my smoothies.  They have no idea.  Heh heh heh... (that is my evil laugh) ;-)  My kids have a smoothie every single day.  They come running and yelling "Yey!" when I serve them.  Seriously.  :)  Today's mixture: kiwi, cantaloupe, banana, watermelon, frozen strawberries, avocado, almonds, ground flax seed, yogurt, probiotics, and orange juice.  YUM!  It feels SO good to know that my children are eating such good, healthy food everyday.  The leftovers get made into ice pops, and Mommy gets the rest! :)  Win win!  Here's my cutie-pie drinking his smoothie while enjoying a little Sesame Street this morning.  (Check out his hair!!!)

Hair cut

Today I got my baby's long hair/curls cut!  This is a big deal. :)  It's not like he hasn't had haircuts before, but they were trims.  This was a CUT!  I have had a very close attachment to those ringlets/curls. Maybe I'm nuts, but they represent his babyhood....that fleeting time that is leaving so quickly...  But it was time.  His hair was out of control!

He was SO well behaved sitting in the hairdresser's chair!  I couldn't help myself - I just kept snapping pictures.  The hair stylist thinks I'm crazy! ;-)  Boy, my baby looks so grown up now and so handsome!  And to quote him (my very wise child), these are the words he said to me today: "I'll always be your baby, Mama."  This is true.  I'm breaking all the rules by posting more than one photo a day.  So, sue me.

Fingerpainting

My son painted me a masterpiece this afternoon.  :)  He is such a cute little artist.  He really concentrates... I love to watch his chubby little fingers painting away.  He couldn't wait to put his finished painting on our refrigerator after it dried.  We have quite the collection of his art piling up around the house.  :)

Key Deer

One of the most unique things about living on our island is the endangered Key Deer, a sub-species of the Virginia White-tailed Deer.  It's believed that Key Deer were stranded here after the Wisconsin Glacier melted thousands of years ago and formed the islands after the sea level rose.  They are small - only about 3ft tall - and, sadly, many of them are not afraid of humans at all.  Here's a picture of one that walked right up to me and the kids this morning.

If you see deer, please don't feed them!  This makes them lose their fear of humans, which makes them way more susceptible to getting hit by cars, attacked by dogs, and transmitting or catching diseases.  If they come around human subdivisions more, then they are more likely to do annoying things like rummage in trashcans and eat all our plants!  While it is irritating to have to drive slow on the roads and cage every plant and tree in my yard so they don't eat or rub their antlers on them, it is really neat to have these gentle, beautiful creatures walking around everywhere I look!  Besides.....they were here first.

Trampoline Fun

Have you spent much time jumping on a trampoline lately? I highly recommend it!  It is hilariously, seriously SO much fun (and great exercise)!  As kids, we had one in our yard in Jupiter, Florida.  I remember so many hysterical times with my sister and my friends on that thing!  We used to catapult each other - a heavier person jumps at the same time as a lighter person and makes the light one go FLYING.  It's a wonder we didn't break our necks....  One time, I catapulted my sister (accidentally, of course ;-)....) OFF the trampoline into the nearby starfruit tree!  She landed like a crab sprawled IN the tree and miraculously did NOT get hurt.  We have never laughed harder.  I have no idea how my mom didn't have a heart attack holding her breath waiting for one of us to hurt ourselves on that thing! 

These days, we have a big safety net surrounding the one for our kids.  WAAAAY safer.  Phew.  But it still SO MUCH FUN!  The kids and I chase each other 'round and 'round and jump until one of us collapses from dizziness or exhaustion.  It is a blast.  I love to watch their little smiling faces or hear their hearty laughs on that thing.  Just great fun.  Here's a picture of one of my monkeys jumping this evening right before Daddy called us up for our bq dinner. :)

Family adventures

We had quite the fun family day today.  This morning, we went hiking through the hammock/wooded trail near the beach.  The weather was gorgeous - 65 degrees for a high, light breeze, slightly overcast in the morning.  We all were "explorers" in the woods and then came out onto the beach to search through the tide pools and dead seagrass piles for treasure....horseshoe crabs, hermit crabs, sea urchins, dead trunkfish, soft coral skeletons, driftwood, crabs.....anything we could find!  What a blast. I managed to catch a few pictures of one of my budding scientists sitting in a tree. 

Then, this afternoon, we all went for a ~5 mile bike ride through some of the fire roads here on the island.  I had my youngest son on the back of my bike in the bike seat.  He kept squealing with happiness because of all the bumps and puddles!  He called it the "bumpy bike ride".  :)  It was awesome!  But, now I'm sore....he's 40lbs and that makes the back of my bike BOUNCE - I need shocks.  Ha ha!  Too much disc compression for me today.  It's all good....very good.  Another day to be so grateful for....

Minigolf with the family

We went to play minigolf and have dinner at a local restaurant tonight for my birthday.  What fun!!!  I am so lucky to have such an amazing family...  Erich and I had such a blast sharing a "bucket of beer", competing (I'm not at ALL competitive....lol!),  and watching the kiddos play golf!  We only had to fish 2 balls out of the water! That's impressive!  What a great way to celebrate my birthday!   Here's a picture of our baby doing his stuff.... hee hee.  

Belated Celebration

Today I made cupcakes and brought them into my son's classroom to celebrate his birthday (better late than never), which was during Christmas break.  After the children sang "Happy Birthday" to him, they all raved about how yummy my "triple fudge chocolate" cupcakes were!  :)  Here's a photo of my big boy blowing out his candle.

Highlight of the day? One of the girls in my son's class found out that she and I have the same birthday (tomorrow) and asked if I was "so excited"...  When I laughed and said "not really"... she asked "Why??" incredulously. She was literally bouncing around with excitement about birthdays. I told her I was "getting old", and she took my hands and said "It's ok, Ms. Chloe, you should just be yourself and be happy with who you are."  Then, my beautiful boy walked up and hugged me and said "At least you don't look old".  Ha ha! Wow...out of the mouths of babes.  Gives a whole new meaning to "Happy Birthday".  :)

My heart

"Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body." - Elizabeth Stone  


Have you ever felt like your heart would literally explode out of your chest?  I have and do regularly.  It's pure love.   It still amazes me daily.  This is my sweet, amazing son.  Look at his eyes.  He melts me.  He is growing up.  SIGH....  

He was my helper last night. We had a family pizza picnic at the the beach and watched the sunset.  I needed to take pictures for my first "beautiful portrait" Week 1 assignment in a photography course that I am taking.  He was totally willing to be my "subject".  I think he is the most gorgeous client I have ever photographed....just sayin'.  I could be biased.  But, I wanted to capture not just his superficial, physical beauty but his inside beauty.  I wanted to show what I see when I look at him....... a gentle boy who has a heart of gold, who is a pleaser, who is super-smart, who adores his younger brother, who has a contagious belly laugh that makes him fall on the floor in hysterics and makes the whole room laugh with him,  who is so empathetic and even cries when I cry, who loves to read books, who, on Thanksgiving, told me that he was grateful for a family who loves him..., who, every night as I'm leaving his room, yells "I love you more than anything, Mommy", who loves to dance and sing, who loves baseball, who loves running FAST, who loves nature shows like Planet Earth, who just announced his new favorite animal is a giant Pacific octopus, who wants to be a scientist like his parents but also a "marine policeman" to save the oceans....  A photo can't show all these things....but I hope that I at least managed to show just a glimmer of his beauty as I see it.  There he is - my heart - slowly walking farther and farther away outside my body every day.......  

365 days. One Photo a Day for a Year...

365 days....well actually 366 since it is a leap year.  My life.  One photo a day.  One camera.  Hmmm. I've heard of so many people doing this type of project.... can I do it?   Do I have the time?  Do I have the discipline?  It's already Jan 10....is it too late?  Shouldn't I have started on Jan. 1?  Well, no more excuses.  Life is now.  I already do take tons of photos a day. So, why not capture those precious, fleeting moments of my babies doing normal, everyday things....or landscape/sunset/wildlife photos that I just place in yet another folder on my computer called "nature" to be forgotten.  I think that a year from now I'll absolutely treasure these daily moments...  it'll be like a daily diary.  I've always wanted to keep a diary.  Why not try out a blog in this day and age?  So....here goes.

Today's photo:  Sesame Street Time

My "baby" (not really anymore.....how is that possible?...don't get me started on how time is flying...but I digress...) was lying on the couch watching his favorite tv show, Sesame Street, with his lovie (Tiger) and his big brother's lovie (Monkey) - when I snuck this shot.  Such sweetness.... It's his big brother's first day back to school, so he's a bit sad. :(  I think holding Monkey helps a little.