Lots of good things happening around here lately

We had a really nice visit with Marc's parents not long ago. We had a great time visiting together and as always, it was very hard to say goodbye. At least this time we finally managed to get a moment to take a few group shots together, I always mean to do things like this when we are with family, but all too often time seems to slip away from me. Well, not this time! Thanks to lots of promises for treats we got Blake to be still for a few moments, and he even smiled on cue; which is quite a feat for this three year old. No if we can just get him to keep his shoes on for just a few moments we will really be in bussiness! :) We were even able to convince both Ty and Blake to give Spencer a little loving--which surprisingly, he really enjoys. In fact he even seems to enjoy it when the boys go a little overboard with their affection. I guess that is because Spencer is at an age where he just lives for their attention. We also got lucky enough to see a cousin that is just a tad younger than Ty. They recently moved out to the northeast so it was a real treat to have them here during a quick layover during their vacation. I wish we could see them more often. We have also been spending more time at some new parks. We have had such beautiful weather, (lots of sunshine and only scattered rain storms--it has warmed up a bit too) that we have been able to spend lots of time outdoors. On Sat. we checked out a new park not to far from us and found a photographer's heaven. A beautiful walking path through forested areas, a small lake, a stone amphitheater, a cute gazebo, and the perfect bathrooms. What was so perfect about the bathrooms? Well, check out the next 2 shots: These photos were taken just outside the restrooms, which happily capture the setting sun in a dramatic way as they happen to have an opening which faces west. The other thing you should know about the above two photos is that I was seriously lamenting leaving my tripod at home the moment I saw the sun setting through this opening. I even tried propping my camera up on a nearby tree to get these shots, but that wasn't working so I abandoned being creative with the tree--which was fairly prickly anyhow, and decided to let Ty try his hand at it. I've never trusted him with my camera before, so I was a little hesitant to let him handle it. Still, he was willing and about the right height, so I told him where to stand, dialed in the exposure, and showed him which button to press. He did such a great job with the first one, I had him take the second one as well. So I just wanted to publicly say, awesome job Ty! Thanks for helping me get a great shot of dad and me! I have too few nice shots with me in it. I am very excited about the photos you took! I also got a few nice ones of the men in my life as we walked along the nature path: Aren't Ty and Blake cute holding hands? From the way they have been going after each other lately you'd think they didn't like each other. I'm glad I have photos like these to remind me that they really do care about each other and enjoy being together! This one was taken at a different park, but we were pretty much doing the same thing. We found yet another beautiful walking path through some forested areas. You gotta love living in this area, so many beautiful places to hang out as a family. We almost didn't get to take this picture because just as I hit the timer and ran to my spot in the photo, a storm cloud came and started sprinkling on us. By the time we ran out of the woods and back to the car it was really starting to come down. If we had waited even a few moments longer we never would have gotten this shot. It isn't really all that great, but with 3 little boys ages 6 and under we don't often get all three of them to hold still long enough to take a family photo. Impromptu is pretty much the name of the game, and part of the reason why I keep my camera with me as much as possible. You just never know when they are all going to be in a cooperative mood :) And lastly today I wanted to post a few pictures of Spencer; first from when he was born--I think he is 1 week old in these photos: And then these quick ones from his birthday and 1 year old photo shoot. He sure has changed a lot in 1 year! It has been 2 months since his birthday and I've been meaning to post a birthday photo for some time now, but I kept forgetting. Anyhow, maybe sometime soon I'll also post some of the boys Halloween photos that I also keep forgetting about! :) Anyhow, happy birthday Spencer! We are so glad to have you as a part of our family!