A love affair with my camera

This weekend I took a 10 hour photography class through CWI. It was a lot of fun. I'll admit, I love my camera and I love taking pictures. I don't think I'm spectacular or anything, but I just really love it. On Saturday morning we took a little photo field trip to downtown Boise. I mostly take photos of people (my kids), but on Saturday, just took pictures of things. It was a lot of fun to do something different. Here are a few random shots that I liked.

We also went to the farmer's market - Boise has an amazing farmer's market! I cannot believe I have lived here 11 years and this was the first time I went. Our "assignment" was to find a story. It could be whatever topic we wanted, but to photograph it. Some people chose children, some people chose food, I chose the color pink. Here is a sampling of my "Pink Idaho" project.

It was just so fun to do something different and to step outside of the comfort zone of what I normally photograph. Plus, I do love pink!

Deep Thoughts by Mylie Breach

Its funny, because just last week my friend Alicia and I were having this conversation about how our minds are always going, that really we aren't just ever NOT thinking about anything. I've asked Jeff before if when he says he is not thinking about anything if that is really true ... and he says it is.

So earlier this week I'm getting ready and Mylie is sitting there talking to me and she tells me that her mind just keeps thinking about things (she is quite the dramatic talker, she had the hands going and everything ... no clue where she got it from). So I ask her what she is thinking about right now. The girl does not even skip a beat and says ... elephants.

Quiet afternoons

This summer has been really busy so far. It was nice to have a quiet day today. Even Mylie took a nap, which is rare.

This is what Blake's hair looks like after a 3 hour nap. So funny.

I really love his big brown eyes. He already has 2 girls wrapped around his finger because of them.

"Don't tell Grandma!"

So even though I am grown-up, sometimes if I do things I know my Mom wouldn't approve of (like eating a cookie at breakfast), I tell Mylie "Don't tell Grandma!" So yesterday morning I was drinking a diet coke with my breakfast (it had been a long night) and told Mylie, "Don't tell Grandma." She asked why not and I explained to her that it isn't really healthy to drink soda for breakfast. She said, "OK Momma, I won't tell her. Only me and Jesus know."

Crap. Busted.

Kids!

**The day started early, around 6:30, with Mylie yelling at me, "Mom! Why didn't you make your bed?" I responded by telling her, "Because I am still in it!! Go back to bed!"

**Mylie fell off a swing onto the concrete today while at daycare. Luckily I was close by and went over to get her. Poor thing has a massive bump on her head. It broke me heart to listen to her sob and then to have to leave to go to class tonight. Jeff said that watching the movie "Annie" may have made it all better. I just went to go in to wake her up (to make sure she doesn't have a concussion). She got pretty mad that I was waking her up, so I guess that is a good sign.

**Blake has figured out how to undo the gate. Thanks to Jeff's quick thinking, it is now on backwards, so he can't reach to undo it. He is a mischievous little dude.

**Blake is trouble. We have our ottomans strategically placed to keep him out of trouble (its not working). But now he can climb over them. He knows he is not supposed to so he does it really fast. Its like he throws this little body over them and lands on his head or flat on his back and then just lays there and giggles. He is fast and now runs away from me.

**On Saturday, while my parents were here we went to the zoo. They have a merry-go-round there. Papa took Mylie and Max and then Jeff took Blake. Blake was kind of mellow during the ride, he would occasionally give me a half grin when he passed by. But when the ride ended Blake started crying/wailing. Jeff got him off the merry-go-round so we could go see the rest of the animals and Blake literally threw himself down on the ground. He is only 17 months old! Mylie was not a tantrum thrower, but she was also talking a lot by this age. I am wondering if this is his way of expressing himself? No clue. I know its not funny, but really, it was kind of funny.

Happy Father's Day Jeff!

There are a lot of things I love about being a Mom, one is watching Jeff be a Dad. He is an awesome Daddy whose kids literally adore him. This morning I asked Mylie to tell him 5 things she loves about him. It was so cute to listen to her tell him. Both of the kids love playing with Jeff. He wrestles, sings and read books. He plays soccer and goes on bike rides. I love him too. I've said it before, but our marriage is truly a partnership. Everything we do as parents, it takes both of us. Jeff does his fair share (perhaps more than his fair share) of things around the house. He isn't afraid of dirty diapers, dirty dishes or dirty laundry. I'm so glad we found each other!

Of course, of all the things about Jeff that I am grateful for, I am most grateful for this beautiful little family that we have created. I know I am very blessed.

Happy Father's Day to Grandpas!