Remembering Dennis...

I know that Memorial day is a day to remember and honor fallen soldiers, these are some photo's of a very special man and soldier in his own right. He never served in the military...He was one in God's Army... Brave and True!

His name is Dennis.

I had the privileged and true blessing of taking these images of Dennis and his mom one year ago this month.

Dennis went to be with the Lord....this past Wednesday evening

May 26, 2010

We love you and we will miss you Dennis!

His mom knew that Dennis' health was quickly deteriorating and had asked if I would be willing to take his picture before things got to difficult for him. We had to rescheduled several times and finally had the opportunity to take a few moments after church to snap a few pictures.

I remember taking Dennis' frail hand and leading him to stand near a shady tree, near some flowers that he liked. He seamed truly delighted to be the center of attention and stood so tall and proud. I knew in my heart as I peered through the lens of my camera, that these images may soon be some of the last that would capture Dennis' sweet smile.

I think deep down Dennis new it too.

To the very last moments in life, Dennis was always thinking of and caring for others... He shared Gods love in only ways that Dennis could. Unique, Beautiful, Quite and Humble ways. I think that I and my family learned more about who God really is by watching the Love shared by Dennis and his family. Through the pain and the suffering, through the illness and disability...Christ has been Glorified through Dennis' life in amazing

and uncountable ways.

Any of us still this side of heaven can only hope and pray that our lives can shine so bright for the Glory of God!

Be at Peace with Jesus Dennis...

We celebrate your life and we now rejoice that you are free at last!

We Thank the Lord for sharing you with all of us...dear friend and brother!

It was a Buggy Birthday for our Boy...

Happy 5th Birthday to our Big BUGGY Boy, Luke!

Luke's birthday was on Mothers day this year so he got an extended celebration...One cake with his family on his actual birthday day (May 9th) and yet another friends celebration and one more cake just a few days later.

Cake 1

(We had so much fun backing and decorating these cakes...

and ohhhh man where they YUMMY... Carrot Cake ROCKS!)

The city park was perfect place for this buggy bunch of boys...

Big sis was able to join in on all the fun too, she was a huge help in keeping the celebration fun for these busy little men.

Cake 2

What a wonderful group of boys...Luke has been truly blessed with some great friends!

We love you Luke....

Happy 5th Birthday!

Where Oh Where does the time go?

Growing, Growing...Everyday....

Tall man Luke has grown an entire window pane in just 2 years!

and his big sister Makayla has gone from our blue eyed baby girl to...

our elegant dancing princess in a blink of an eye.

We treasure the images we have captured of this brother/sister pair along the way

From Crib to...

a world full of adventure.

Hand in hand along the way...

The blessing of sibling love is evident with these two...most of the time!

Thank you Lord for these two precious kids in our lives,

may you help make them forever friends!

Setting with a Purpose and my Kids

I was having fun trying my hand at shooting "Setting with Purpose" over the past few weeks. Here is another of my daughter in one her favorite places....her Bedroom. As I look at these images I see that they could also be a study of details, or even conflict as she struggles to tie her shoe. I like it as a "setting with purpose" for the sake that I always want her to remember her bedroom was a place of safety, rest and childhood enjoyment...a place of great value and purpose in her life.

So onto my son spending time playing at the park...a Setting that has MUCH Purpose to this busy little boy!

Here is another of all the fun we had as a family celebrating Luke's last day being 4.

Just call him Mr. Critter

This is just a small example of the animal life that

has come through our home this Spring.

Our critter list includes:

1 snake, 1 Sphinx Moth, 250 caterpillars, 1 humming bird, 2 lizards, infinite number of ladybugs, ants, spiders and the occasional frog, dragonfly and butterfly.

To say the least, It's driving me a little BUGGY!

Momma's Day / Birthday Boy Hike....

Photography Exercise: Setting with Purpose

We went on a little hike to Celebrate....

Luke's 5th Birthday and Mother's Day.

Luke was thrilled to be celebrating his special day....

by bug hunting along the way.

It was wonderful to be together as a family,

just enjoying the great outdoors....

One of the best gifts this momma could ever have is to be with

her hubby and kiddo's with my camera in hand!

I took this opportunity to work on a photography exercise.

Shooting in a "Setting with Purpose."

I have a tendency to focus in on details. It was allot of fun to intentionally work on stepping back and taking in the bigger picture.

I love the perspective of how small our children look against the

big vast landscape.

It's precious to see how small Luke still looks ( even as a big boy 5 year old) standing next to his big strong daddy.

In observing and trying to capture the surroundings we where in (and not just the people), it really helped broaden the overall enjoyment of our walk.

As I view the images after the fact we are able to continue to enjoy the scenery and still be beckoned by the trails.

Makayla has taken a liking to photography as well and was adamant about taking at least one picture of mommy and daddy! Huh... I may get to be in some family pictures after all! I think she's got an artistic eye. I love how the trail is winding down below us and we are just off center.

This is my favorite of the bunch!

A Very Happy Momma's and Birthday Indeed!

Happy Mommy's Day to Me!

Thank you both for making me a momma...

I love you both to the moon and back and far beyond each heavenly star!

"Mamma- I want to catch a bird today!"

It all began when my son woke up one morning on Grandma and Grandpa's farm...the first thing that came out of his mouth was "Mamma- I want to catch a bird today!"

He was very specific... " a Robyn or a Humming Bird."

So being the skeptic that I am...I replied..."Oh Honey...birds are way to fast to catch, why don't we stick with catching bugs!"

Little did I know God had other plans!

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

Low and behold as I opened the door to let some fresh air in after moping the kitchen floor...this little fella found his way right inside the house and right inside our hearts.

Thank you Lord for hearing the desires of our hearts and answering our prayers in only ways that you can do. Thank you for teaching me and our children that you love us, care for us and are always with us. Just as I held one of your tiny creations in my hands, you also hold us.

And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3

Leapin Lizards!

Introducing the newest members of our family...

Spike- the little tiny Newt above and

Simon- the handsome green, sometimes gold Chameleon below.

These two little guys traveled home with us from Washington after a friend gave them to Luke as an early birthday gift. Nothing says, "Best Friends" like someone giving your kid some lizards. Thanks Kristine...They are so much fun!

Even our kitties are happy. One of our cats (Banjo) spends most of his time taunting the poor little fellas!

It's been a learning curve to figure out how to take care of these two new cold blooded friends. We are now a house full of all kinds of critters. The Lizards are just the tip of the ice- berg compared to all Luke catches in a day to keep them well fed. Not to mention the Meal- worms in the fridge and the live crickets out in the garage.

More to come about the HUGE Moth the kids caught last week. As of today at least half of the 150 eggs have hatched into little teeny tiny caterpillars.... Hummmm.... Lizard food perhaps?