Blue girl...

Could her eyes be any more beautiful??

Dancin' girls...

This was our very first time to let the girls get out of strollers and wander and play.  Definitely planning to do that again.  All in all...a GREAT day!

So proud...

This photo was terribly underexposed, so it's not such great quality..but I'm really thankful I was able to salvage it.  She was so proud of the leaf she found!  And she's showin' us her two teeny tiny teeth too!

The avenue...

Love this pic, even with the splotchy light.  Abigail is signing "please" because Jenny took a toy out to capture their attention.  I just love the background though...all the layers of color with the tulips and the trees on the avenue to the right.  What a treat to be there when the tulips were at their peak!

She knows what she wants...

 She played very happily UNTIL she discovered her sippy cup of milk in the stroller.  Then it was "milk, milk, milk milk". 

Picnic girls...

 They really enjoyed our picnic...but don't ask me why they weren't sitting facing the same way.  lol. This was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL, perfect weather day!

Ahh...the discriminating diner.  Just Cheerios, please...no cheese.  I'll just set them aside for you here, because I am NOT going to eat them.  Abigail cracks me up!

No words necessary...

I have no idea who this little boy is...just someone we saw at the arboretum, but I thought this interaction was so cute.  Neither one of them said a word, but you can tell what they're thinking.  :) 

Nature's diamonds...

Honestly, I prefer these "jewels", and they cost a lot less than the others!  lol.  Shot for week 16 of the 52 week project.  Theme was "Sparkle, glisten, shine". 

Doin' something right...

"If you're not having fun, you're doing something wrong."  Groucho Marx

I think these girls are doin' it right!  lol.  Ella and Emma's mom was over at our house for a few minutes Friday and the girls came following after, looking like this.  They were all laughter and silliness!  Too much fun!

Would you like some wine with that cheese?

Jenny's neighbor across the street has quite the garden and she gives us free reign to enter anytime.  Nothing was blooming yet, but we found a great photo op with this old tire.  And yep...had to add a cheesy caption to go with that cheesy smile!  Love her!

Pastel impressions...

The last of the tulip shots, for this year anyway.  Hopefully, we can shoot in the bluebonnets soon!

Bluebells, cockle shells...

Spanish bluebells at the the Arboretum.  Shot a few weeks ago, but only now getting around to editing.  Nice to focus on beauty after all the sadness in the news this week.  Prayers for the people of Boston and West. 

The impromptu and the planned...

 The above was an impromptu shot...actually a test shot for exposure.  They were standing around waiting for me to tell them where I wanted to pose them in front of the fountain.  So, I never intended to use the shot, but when I downloaded I loved it.  Go figure!

And this was my intentional shot...which I also love, BTW!

Scott and Alison...

I had an opportunity to do a family session at the Arboretum on Good Friday.  It was definitely a learning experience for me.  Super cloudy that day....but I loved these shots.

Cute, cute couple!

Reflection...

My sweet student, Claire, is presenting her senior recital this weekend.  She asked me to take a few photos of her so she might have one to include on her program.  I believe this was my fave.  I just love the light on her face, but the original photo didn't have enough contrast with the white wall and her white blouse.  I added a texture in processing and ta da...art!  :)  I will really miss Claire after she graduates. She's been a hard worker, which is saying a lot since she is also a band student (which eats up tons of time).  Plus, she has the sweetest most gentle spirit.  I kind of think this photo captures that.  At least, I hope so!  :)

She wonders about things...

                                                                                                                  Yep . . .  Still there.

Huckleberry Hannah....

What a cutie!  Wish I'd closed down a couple of stops so her feet would be in focus...Oh well...still cute.  :)

Why are you back there Grammy?

It's so challenging to get them to look, so I tried something new...stepping behind the bench for a change.  I think they were wondering what I was doing! And yes, I know there are sun spots on Hannah's face, but ask me if I care.  BTW...Abigail got her first hair cut today. I know she doesn't have much, but it's so wispy it was just looking messy.  Much better after a trim! 

Prince Charming, a.k.a. Daddy...

I'm so behind on processing.  This was almost a month ago...I almost forgot this sweet moment, but found it today.  ♥

Um....ok....

I know....it's weird.  But I just thought it was funny.  Hannah wanted to bring a toy to the playground, so Bob had to get on the swing.  Next time, maybe we'll let Larry come.  lol

When your nose runs and you have a bad cough...

It helps to swing for a LONG time.  She would have done it all day.  i can see it in her eyes that she didn't feel well.  Poor baby...

Call the Tooth Fairy....

Sweet Emma showing me her two new missing teeth.  So proud!  :)

Picnic on the lawn...

Shot for week 14 of the 52 Week Project.  Theme was warmth.  Thought this was just perfect with the highlights on her hair.  Can't you just feel the warmth of the sun?

Once I've finished processing, I'll post more photos from our picnic with Hannah and Abigail.  This is a different picnic, obviously.  When Hannah and I got home from blowing dandies, we found my sweet neighbor on her front lawn with her granddaughters.  So sweet.  This is Ella (age 4).  She was less camera shy than her sister.  And yes, I know she has peanut butter on her face.  I thought about retouching it, but decided I like it better this way.  What a little doll! 

Of course, I had to take Hannah out to show her how to blow dandies....but not in our yard!  lol.  (At the school...shhhh...don't tell).  She was so cute.  At one point, she asked "Grammy, why are we doing this?"  Ha ha....because your Grammy is a nutcase and wants to create the perfect photo.

Of course, my dream photo is to do this at golden hour...maybe even in silhouette.  But I think I might have to wait a few years for that.  Hannah still isn't quite ready to follow directions completely....which would be why I didn't get a second chance to position her where the dandy would show up against the grass and get the sun spots off her face.  :P  Also should have closed down more...but hopefully I'll get to try again on another day. 

Fine and dandy...

Love this time of year with the vibrant spring green and plenty of dandies to shoot.  And I love me some water droplets!

Tutus and Tulips...

  

I took this after our picnic, just as we were getting ready to pack up and head out of the park.  I just LOVE it.  I think it's the first shot of Jenny with both girls that I've had taken since Abigail was about 2 mo. old.  Jenny and I had an opportunity to get the little pettiskirts for free.  All we paid for was shipping. Then, I had fun buying them clothes to go with them.  Just love their little 80's girls look with the leggings and denim jackets.  Too cute!  And Hannah was all about her "ballet flats" yesterday, which cracked me up.  

I love their expressions here....so comfortable and natural.  Abigail was SO tired.  In fact, major meltdown about 2 minutes later, since she'd skipped her morning nap.  Big thank you to Jenny for sacrificing that nap so we could have a fun time together.  She doesn't do it very often!  :)  More pics from our picnic in the next few days (if I can get them processed). 

Cafe...

Jenny and the girls got stuck in traffic on the way there, so I had a few minutes to wander around in the park as I was waiting.  I have seen this cafe a million times there, but never when it is empty.  It reminded me of the work of a photographer I admire on Flickr.  She takes gorgeous shots of street cafes in Paris, among other things....all with very shallow dof and slightly vintage processing.  Check out her stream if you have time....SO talented!  Nina's Clicks

I can't come close to her work, but I really love how this turned out.  Love the repetition and leading lines and especially love the softness of the bokeh. It just has a mood about it that I find inviting. 

Cherry Blossoms...

Headed back to the Arboretum yesterday for a PICNIC with Hannah, Abigail, and Jenny.  We had a blast!  Took a few flower shots as we walked around, but that definitely was not my focus.  ha ha.  The park is as pretty as I have ever seen it, since the even the cherry trees are in full bloom.  It absolutely transforms the park.   There is beauty everywhere you turn.  So proud of myself that I'm finally gettin' the hang of these tree blossom shots without blowing out the sky.  Yay me! 

C is for...

You pick...Candyland....cottony clouds....crafty.....I don't know....I think maybe "crazy" fits here.  Just a bit of silliness.  I'm not entirely lovin' it, but I do think the lollipops are cute! 

Bubble blowing, 101...

Kara had fun trying to teach Hannah how to blow bubbles.  She was getting the hang of it by the end.  I see things I would change technically in this shot, but I still love it.  Love Hannah's little pursed lips as she blows right along with Kara.  So sweet.  And I love the rim light during golden hour. 

How do you like my new watermark?  Still wanted to keep it subtle, but wanted something a little more artistic than plain text so I spent some time playing this week.  I'm likin' it...and I learned a new way of creating it that makes it a little easier to apply.  Quick and painless. 

Channeling Pippi...

Hannah is such a girly girl, she lets us play with her hair...so we decided to try some braids.  How cute is that?  Pippi Longstocking has nothin' on her!  This was taken on the same grey day as Abigail's pic yesterday.  It was too cold to take the girls outside with their coughs.  Decided to stop grumbling about it and just experiment with different ways to harness natural light indoors.  Normally, I would position Hannah facing the window...but this time, we sat her on the ledge and used my reflector to bounce light back up into her face.  It worked pretty well and made an awesome catchlight in her eyes.  Go figure!