I can’t recall if I’ve posted this image or not.  Brett took it very spontaneously while doing a newborn shoot last December.  He looked up. He saw the sky. He pressed the shutter.

This frozen scene is magic to me.

Today I am reminded to watch for these moments….they are all around, every day of our lives.  We choose to notice them or not.

So today I say goodbye…

To twitter, to facebook, to itunes, to netflix, to word press…..

to editing, to email, to album design.

I’m heading outside with 12 little hands to hold (My niece and nephew are here to add to the mix).

If you think you don’t have a moment to spare….

You may be having a busy day, feeling stressed, maybe even depressed- in these cases I encourage it even more:

Step outside to breathe deeply for a moment.

And most importantly, don’t forget to look up.

Today our oldest son turns 8!  Instead of the usual birthday post, I thought I would share photos from Adin’s first camping trip with Brett over Memorial Day Weekend.  After all, at this age, there really could be nothing more special to him.  I can’t even begin to describe to you how overwhelmed with emotion he was when Brett surprised him with a 2-night primitive camp trip.  I was so excited for him to have this “first” experience.

Brett and Adin took turns taking lots of photos that weekend.  Something about this image drew me in….

After working with it I realized why…

It reminded me of this beloved photo below, that we took on a hike when he was 4 years old.

(Oh, my sweet little baby boy!)

Brett and Adin had fun exploring the woods.  They found GIANT mushrooms and of course broke them up, for fun.  When I saw this photo I thought it was Brett’s hand.  Now I realize my little boy has his father’s PAWS instead of hands!

Adin’s sweet little sleepy boy face….

sunrise in back…

Adin loved that he could finally bust out his pocket knife.  At home he can’t really “play” with it much, with two little brothers around.

He played in a nearby stream for hours.  He made little wood “boats” that he raced down the stream.

Until he saw THIS.

Then he HAD to make THIS.

(Boys….love them)

He couldn’t wait until the fire was started.

I just love that he had such a wonderful time with just his Dad.  I’m sure this will not be the last…..

Happy Birthday to our big boy!!!!  Love you Adin!

Mama + Baba