Family Time

The last couple of weeks have been full of sickness and laying around the house. First Karis came down with a cold, then Matt got the flu, followed by his mom. Finally I got it as well as my father-in-law. No fun. No fun, indeed. But the clouds of sniffles and fevers have parted and today found us all in good health and spirits. So Matt, Karis, and I, our own little nuclear family of 3, spent some time together. First we went out together to run some errands around town. Nothing glamorous (Post Office, CVS, Staples). But somehow it was nice just being us. We finished up our outing with a delicious summertime treat...none other than a chocolate malted milkshake from Sonic. Seriously good. I mean G-O-O-D! Like, you go home and you blog about it kind of good! So with our bellies full and our sugar levels kicked in high gear, we headed home to play outdoors. We each turned to our favorite things: Matt pulled out his golf clubs, Karis pulled out the grass, and (you guessed it) I pulled out the camera. Once we all had our fill of fun (Matt was sweaty and Karis and I had ants crawling on us), we headed indoors where we gathered together for a family hug. Matt and I enjoyed it thoroughly with giggles and a tight squeeze. Karis, on the other hand, wriggled her little body away from us and had a look that said "I need space, people." So independent already, that little one. She is, after all, my baby. It was a sweet ending to the day. I am so grateful for my little family of 3.

The Lake House

Inspired by the long evening shadows and forgiving dusk light, I grabbed the camera and headed out the door tonight. Through all the uncertainty of the last 5 months, the backyard of the lakehouse where we are staying has been a place of solace for me. After crossing the finish line of evening activities including dinner, bathtime, nursing, and bedtime, I will often go to the one place I know of right now that is both beautiful and peaceful, especially in the evening light. I hope you can catch a little bit of the beauty in this photo series.

New discovery

There has been so much going on in the last few weeks. I'll admit, though, I am too tired and uninspired to blog much tonight. So instead I will leave you with some pictures of Karis exploring grass for the first time a few weeks ago. It was a fun parenting moment to watch her explore the prickly, bright green stuff that would come out of the ground if she pulled hard enough. Grass...a feast for the senses! Like many other things in life right now, seeing it through the eyes of a hungrily curious, "almost" toddler [sniff, sniff] is invigorating. It gives me energy and fills me with creativity. I hope to keep that creativity flowing in our home in all the seasons of childhood...and life, for that matter.