W Family ~ Northern Minnesota Family Photography

I took these family pictures a couple weeks ago.  Typically I don't like to shoot in the middle of the day, but that is when things could work out for them, so we gave it a whirl.  The sun went behind the clouds for a bit so we quickly got some open field pictures.  Then we found some shade for the remainder of the session. Was so fun!!  Thank you Wikmans!

~Sunset, Weeds and a Fence~

I love this time of year with the awesome sunsets you can see.  We are pretty sheltered by trees so it is hard to see the beautiful colors from our yard.  I have been grabbing my camera and trying to take a small stroll down the road at sunset time so I can enjoy the view and try capture some of the color!  

Tonight the sky was spectacular!

Family Pictures! Great Rate for August and September ~Northern Minnesota Family Photography

26:52 Motivational Monday

When everything is astonishing, nothing is astonishing; this is how the world is to children.

-Antone Rivaroli

A trip to the fish farm where my brother works and where I used to work was pretty fun for the kids.  (This is from last summer!)  Pretty astonishing to see the fish jumping around in the water when the food is thrown in for them!

25:52 Motivational Monday

The more help a person has in his garden, the less it belongs to him.

-William H Davis

I have lots of help with my garden, no pictures of the helpers this week!  :)  Just can't wait to start eating it all!!

How does your garden grow?

Link to  Anita again this week!

Baby R ~

Catching up on some editing.  Look at my little nephew, his chubby cheeks are edible!

Baby T ~ 6 months ~ Northern Minnesota Baby Photography

I took these pictures of this cute little guy a few weeks ago.  Just check out his cute dimples and red hair!!

24:52 Motivational Monday

Speak the truth even if your voice shakes.

-Maggie Kuhn

Trevor got to go on a plane ride on Saturday.  He is usually pretty nervous about that kind of stuff, but when I asked him if he is going to dare ride it, he answered in a bold steady voice, "yeah!"  When he didn't hesitate a bit, I decided that he really will probably be okay. Well he did just great and was very excited when he got back!  Thanks Dane!!

23:52 Motivational Monday

Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today, because if you enjoy it today you can do it again tomorrow.

-James A. Michener

Kids are the greatest example of this, they want to do everything RIGHT NOW!!

 And as hard as it is for me to get out the door, I always love going to watch the elementary track and field.  They are there just giving everything they've got.

And the little ones are into it just as much as spectators!  

Link to Anita for more this week!

22:52 Motivational Monday

There are a thousand tiny things from which one can weave a bright necklace of little pleasures of one's life.

-Hermann Hesse

Right now life's necklace is being weaved by these lovely children!  Traditions, celebrations and daily life are the little pleasures around here.  Last week we celebrated two birthdays!!  

Link to Anita for more of life's pleasures!

21:52 Motivational Monday

Opportunities are often things you haven't noticed the first time around.

-Catherine Deneuve

I have photographed a few weddings now and every time I do I find new opportunity to get pictures from the day.  I have found that little details like this are fun for the bride and groom to have.  I had the opportunity to photograph a wedding for friends last weekend.  This is one of my favorite snapshots from the day.

Go see Leann's opportunities!

20:52 Motivational Monday

I don't know what the big deal is about old age. Old people who shine from the inside look 10 to 20 years younger.

-Dolly Parton

I don't really have any pictures of old people for this week's theme.  We did cover a couple milestones last week though that remind us that we are getting older.  Our 5th kindergarten graduation happened last week!!  Hurray!

Also our third child turned 10!!  {We have a teenager coming up in a couple of weeks....another new phase!}

Oh, but speaking of old...I love this old picture of my Dad! It is from his 60th birthday a couple years ago, so no he isn't really that old, but he definitely has youth shining through!!

Go check out Leann's elderly pictures! 

19:52 Motivational Monday

Most of all the other beautiful things in life come by twos and threes, by dozens and hundreds.

Plenty of roses, stars, sunsets, rainbows, brothers and sisters, aunts and cousins, but only one mother in the whole world.

-Kate Douglas Wiggin

Not the best picture, but I forgot to grab my camera yesterday morning and missed some great pictures at our Mother's Day meal after church.  Of course the kids had some lovely gifts for me in the morning and that is the best part!  They were all so excited to give Mom the cards they made.  I love them all as well as my own mother and the mother I gained when I married my husband!  Hope you all had a 

Happy Mother's Day!!

Linking up with Leann again this month.

18:52 Motivational Monday

The glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time you fail.

-Chinese Proverb

This guy has two older brothers to keep up with.  He does a pretty fine job of it!  He has taken many "biffs" already this spring trying stunts set by his brothers.

Linking up with Leann again this month.

17:52 Motivational Monday

When you have nothing to laugh about, laugh anyway. Soon you'll feel the healing power of joy and laughter bringing new energy and life to your weary, frustrating day.

-Thelma Wells

Another of my baby!  They can really change moods quickly at this age.  The second picture was literally 2 minutes after the first one!  :)  Have a Happy Monday!

Linking up with Leann this month.

16:52 Motivational Monday

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try 

just one more time.

-Thomas A. Edison

Look who is walking full time now!  It has been a few weeks already, but she is still a little unsteady on her feet.  She plops down on her butt many times a day, but just gets up and keeps going!

Linking up with Leann this month.

15:52 Motivational Monday

When someone cares

It is easier to speak

It is easier to listen

It is easier to play

It is easier to work

When someone cares it is easier to laugh

-Susan Polis Schutz

This photo is almost a year old, but we are so lucky to have someone who cares for us like this guy/father/husband!

Continue to Leann's Blog again this week.

14:52 Motivational Monday

Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.

-Og Mandino

I know this doesn't have a tonne to do this this week's quote, but we celebrated our baby's birthday last weekend.  It is always bittersweet seeing them turn a year old.  I have been trying to be more diligent about documenting events on my camera. It is something I enjoy and will enjoy having later, as I know from looking back on pictures of my childhood!  So I guess this does come back around to the theme slightly, right?!?

Continue to Leann's Blog to see what she shall harvest!

13:52 Motivational Monday

Even if you fall on your face, you're still moving forward.

-Victor Kiam

I caught this series of photos of my four-year-old doing some backyard skiing.  This guy is a trooper, he just keeps moving forward!

Linking up with Gloria this month.

12:52 Motivational Monday

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"

-Robin Williams

Not exactly what you call spring here in Minnesota yet, but we still had a party.  After 2 days of skiing with hubby, we had my sister bring the kids to join us at the hill.  It was such a fun day watching them learn to ski!  It is something I have wanted to do with the kids for a long time.  I'm so glad we got to do it.

Linking up with Gloria this month.

11:52 Motivational Monday

Just because it hasn't been done before doesn't mean you shouldn't try it.

-Howard Schultz

Ya, I know this isn't the first time this has been done.  Like people shovel snow off the tramp all the time in anticipation of warm weather coming.  Seriously, the tramp was weighed down in snow before this 6 year old decided it was time for a jump.  I saw him muscling a HUGE mound off onto the ground and grabbed my camera too late.  He was determined to do it, and not too long later the tramp was completely dry!  It has occupied much of their time since.  :)

Linking up with Gloria this month.

10:52 Motivational Monday

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.

-C.S. Lewis

I have been dreaming about going downhill skiing again.  The last time was probably 7 or 8 years ago, man time flies!  This year my dream is coming true.  Next week, hubby and I are going to hit the slopes in north eastern Minnesota.  I'm sure the mountains here don't quite compare to Colorado, where we were skiing last time, but I know it is going to be fun none the less.  My next dream is to take the kids some day.  Saturday proved to be a perfect day for the kids to get a small feel of it.  We have this perfect little hill right in our back yard for them {and mom} to get a little speed on their cross country skis.  The snow temperature was perfect as well, and you could get a nice wind blowing in your hair as your made a run down!  Ahh......can't wait til next week! {Hopefully I am not too old for this!!}

Linking up with Gloria this month.

9:52 Motivational Monday

"Promise me you'll always remember. You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."

Christopher Robin to Pooh

My poor baby loves is getting teeth.  She has been unbearable for the last few days and won't let me get near her mouth.  This morning I was able to quickly pry her top lip back and found swollen purple gums with not 1, not 2 or 3 but 4 new teeth trying to make their way through.  No wonder why she is so miserable!!  This mama sat in the recliner with her for 2 hours during the night, after giving her ibuprofen, while she tried to get comfortable again.  Here is one of her rare smiles from the last week.

Linking up with Gloria this month.

8:52 Motivational Monday

We cannot solve problems with the same thinking that created the problem. We must change the way we think.

-Mary Marx ... adaptation from Einstein

Let's work together to find WALDO!!
We had some fun exciting company this weekend!  My brother and his wife stayed with us and they are following our pattern with birth order so there is lots of fun friends to play with.

Linking to Rachel.

7:52 Motivational Monday

Whatever comes from the heart carries the heat and color of its birthplace.

-Oliver Wendall Holmes Sr.

I was trying to teach these little fingers to make a heart.  A little tricky but he did pretty good and he could see the heart in it!

What comes from Rachel's heart?

6:52 Motivational Monday

After a storm comes a calm.

-Matthew Henry

Having a great feeling of calmness after a long ride through the mountains over a snowy pass. I went for a long weekend trip to Colorado to see my sister-in-law's new little baby girl.  We were supposed to be home late Sunday evening/early Monday morning, but after a 12 hour ride to Denver, which was supposed to take 3.5 hours, we opted to get a few hours of sleep on the other side of the mountain pass before continuing our journey.

Here is the lovely lady we went to visit!  After 9 months of waiting also, a sense of calm settles in 

when baby has arrived.  She is just perfect!

                                                         Check out Rachel's calm!

52:5 Motivational Monday

Probably he who never made a mistake, never made a discovery.

-Samuel Smiles

Another one of my baby this week.  She is discovering new things every day, every hour!
It is so fun watching them learn...

Go see Rachel's discoveries!

4:52 Motivational Monday

Never, never, never give up.

-Winston Churchill

This is one kid that lives by this philosophy!  I take her down and dig her out multiple times a day and that does not stop her, she is right back to it.  My earliest mover by far, she has long since accomplished climbing a full flight of steps at 9 months. Slow down girl!  Where did my little baby go?

Linking up with Maaret this week. 

52:3 Motivational Monday

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

-Author Unknown

Ski season is upon us again! With a fresh layer of snow on the ground, my sister-in-law and I ventured out into the woods last weekend.  The trees were laden with snow but with the slight breeze, it kept "snowing" on us from the branches.  

We had many breath-taking moments!  Even (esp) hubby cruising up on the snowmobile...

Linking up with Maaret this week. 

52:2 Motivational Monday

       "With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts"                                                                                                                - Eleanor Roosevelt

Linking up with Maaret this week. 

52:1 A Positive Attitude is Contageous...

... but don't wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier.

- Author Unknown

We are going with quotes this year!  This girl is so upbeat, gotta take some lessons from the two-year-old's sometimes!  :)

Linking up with Maaret this week.