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?