photo challenge day sixteen: breaking the rules

today's challenge of the day was long exposure photography. who in the world knows what that is? well, probably professional photographers and people willing to research it a little further than googling it and then deciding i don't really want to figure it out. so... i'm breaking the rules. i looked at the total number of pictures i took in the month of june and the final count is 591!!! maybe that is normal for some of you but with this photo challenge, i have captured way more on camera than i ever would have without doing it. besides it's summer and there are just way more exciting things going on than in the dead of winter. so, i decided to do a little photo collage just highlighting the main events of the month of june. as i was trying to pick just a couple pictures it hit me how incredibly blessed i am. i just got done reading in a study that a friend and i are going through "becoming more than just a good bible study girl" by lysa terkeurst. She is talking about the importance of praise being on your lips. it is so easy to pick on the circumstances in my life that i just don't feel are right or how they could be different, or possessing a general ugly attitude. when i look at these photographs i don't see how anything but praise should be on my lips. no, life is far from perfect... and obviously i wouldn't take pictures of the negative circumstances that may surround me at times, but regardless of the situation i am in i need to praise Him and not my circumstances. so, right now, i am so thankful for an amazing family, sweet friends, the freedom to enjoy summer with two healthy kiddos, the precious memories that we are able to make while these little ones are little and so much more.
june, you were a fun one! bring on july!!

photo challenge day fifteen: a silhouette

i took this picture when we went to the lake last weekend. this was the kiddos first trip to a beach. so sand, lake water, it was all a new experience. let's just say that i don't think this is a beach we will be visiting often.. it was kinda icky. jed kinda thought so too, so he just stood on the sidelines and "observed"! i didn't blame him... i was good with observing also! photo tip: i attended a photo class with some other wonderful ladies this spring and one thing i learned is to try not to crop off "limbs" when you are taking a photo. if i could do something differently i would have stepped back farther and gotten his legs in the picture as well! i think an exception would be the photo below where the point of my picture was jed exploring the sand... if i would have gotten the rest of his body i think it would have taken the focus off of his exploration!

photo challenge day fourteen: eyes

photo challenge day 13: yourself with 13 things

here is me with 13 things:

1. jed
2. my water cup
3. lunch bag
4. sunscreen
5. a bucket
6. my flip flops
7. elli's flip flops
8. jed's sippy cup
9. mini beach ball
10. kara and the girls' pool bag
11. addi's carseat
12. beach towel
13. kara's dress hanging on the fence

p.s. i cheated a little and kim took the pic. juggling 2 kids, 13 things and a self timer at the pool was just too much for this mama to handle! thanks kim!

photo challenge day twelve: sunset

O Lord, Our Lord how majestic is your names in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens... When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? Psalm 8:1, 3-4 i thought that when i decided to do this photo challenge that it would just be a fun thing to participate it... i honestly didn't think it would really make me think any further than exploring different angles, different editing techniques or just for the pure fun of seeing my other friends similar pictures. i have to say... some of them have made me ponder further than those relatively unimportant things.

i took this picture at johnson lake last night. i knew that today's challenge was 'sunset' and i just happened to look up and the sun was setting... perfect! i snapped a photo and we were ready to go! tonight as we were checking fields i looked straight ahead and again noticed the sunset. i have to be honest, i have never been one to marvel at god's creation. i feel like i have taken it for granted. anytime elli sees the stars, the moon, the sun setting, she points it out in amazement... "the MOON!" like she is seeing it for the very first time. i need to get that back... that shear excitment and joy that i am able to experience God's creation yet one more day! i am amazed that the God who created that sunset and everything that surrounded it even knows me or cares about me. as the verse says above "what is man that you are mindful of him?" i do not deserve that God of the heavens and the earth to even know my name let alone the number of hairs on my head. i'm thankful that He gives me a sunset every night.

photo challenge day eleven: something blue

the kiddos and i had a little pool fun this afternoon... and no kiddy pool afternoon is complete without popsicles! hmm... what flavor to give them??? blue of course... mama needs to accomplish her photo challenge for the day!! totally in love with these two!!

photo challenge day ten: a childhood memory

i loved thinking about this throughout the day. i had a sweet, sweet childhood. i thought about all of the things i could have posted, the millions of popsicles in summer, jumping off the front porch into the baby pool, camping trips in a moments notice, bringing our live baby animals into the hosue and dressing them up, rollerskating in the garage, jumping on the trampoline. my childhood wasn't extravagent at all... it was probably very much the opposite... very simple and i loved it! i feel tears welling up just thinking about those precious memories made with my sister, brother and parents. i so desire our kids to have the same sweet, simple childhood.

i chose to take pictures of some similar toys that my sister and i played for hours on end with. i grew up in an old farmhouse and tessa and i shared a room in half of the attic and in the other half was the playroom. some popular items in our pretend "house" were a kitchen and doll cradle. we took care of our babies, made meals, ate dinner, went to the movies, like i said hours and hours of pretend play. so when i see my kiddos playing with their pretend house and watching my daughter tuck her babies into their beds it brings back precious memories.

the blanket and the baby in the crib were both toys that belonged to my sister and i. how does time fly by so fast that MY baby is playing with them already?!?