photographs – Page 12 – Surprised By Joy

Photos of the Week: June 1

June 1, 2024May 31, 2024Posted in Photo of the weekTagged photographs39 Comments

“Some poor, phoneless fool is probably sitting next to a waterfall somewhere totally unaware of how angry and scared he’s supposed to be.” – Duncan Trussel

The Memorial Day weekend backyard campout. Cooper can’t figure out why he isn’t invited in the tent inner sanctum.

Measures of growing up. You no longer fit through the tiny door at the dentist office. And you start making pancakes.

Mr. D has been showing me the fun sights in the neighborhood near his school. It amazes me how little kids see things like slugs in trees that are well above their heads and completely unnoticeable to me. Sharp little eyes.

Cooper, that is not what “good taste in shoes” means. But you are learning how to cross paws!

Things seen on walks. Baby crow. Unfolding roses. And sweet girls with bins on their heads.

Rainbows and signs.

Photos of the Week: May 25

May 25, 2024May 24, 2024Posted in Photo of the weekTagged photographs35 Comments

“Maybe happiness is this: not feeling like you should be elsewhere, doing something else, being someone else.“- Eric Weiner

Oohh, summer is almost here when we can go out on a boat without hats, gloves and scarves. Except Cooper that is…because of course, he never wears hats, gloves, scarves – just eats them. 🙂

Or be by the lake fishing in shorts.

Can I help?

“Mama, what’s a chain reaction?”
That’s when you ask me a question like that, I spend a half hour finding our big dominoes, and then we while away the afternoon, setting them up, knocking them down (sometimes even intentionally), and laughing.

Hugs and signs.

Photos of the Week: May 18

May 18, 2024May 17, 2024Posted in Photo of the weekTagged photographs40 Comments

“There is no passion to be found in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” – Nelson Mandela

It got warm enough to add water to the crocodile cave. It seems to me to be more of a seal slide now. But lots of laughs, no matter what you call it.

That’s why Mother’s Day is this time of year. There are a lot of mothers out by the lake!

Climbing up and fishing down. You thought I was going to say, falling down, didn’t you? Thank goodness, no!

Neighborhood bunnies. No, these guys don’t have anything to do with the Buttercup story.

Cooper and the teabag of the week. And just to be clear, he’s not smiling because he ate the teabag. But he would, I’m sure!

Photos of the Week: May 11

May 11, 2024May 10, 2024Posted in Photo of the weekTagged photographs41 Comments

“Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.” – Rabindranath Tagore

It was Seattle Fire Department neighborhood day and we went to see our favorite SFD Captain. The last time we checked out the aid car (like almost a year ago), Mr. D couldn’t find Miss O’s heartbeat. Happy to confirm this time that she has a big heart and its beating!

The sad progression of our rescued rabbit, Buttercup the Bunny. Check out the Sharing the Heart of the Matter Episode 66 post for the story. I know it’s a hassle to change media but the page linked here should open in a new tab and we’ve embedded the YouTube video in that page.

How does the saying go? Don’t put all your wishes in one basket because Cooper will eat them?

But there are no frowny faces when Nana is around! Well, there’s one but that’s just a positioning error.

Lilacs and a sign. Or lilacs are a sign…that spring is here! Hope you have a great weekend!

Photos of the Week: May 4

May 4, 2024May 3, 2024Posted in Photo of the weekTagged mt rainier, photographs49 Comments

“If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat. Just get on!” – Sheryl Sandberg

I know that I post a lot of Mt. Rainier pictures as my featured pictures. But I love the seasonal differences on our mountain that are evident even 60 miles away. Like this one taken at sunset this week (left) and you can see the full coat of snow that she has compared to when she’s melted out after a hot summer (right picture taken last August). Mt. Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the lower 48 of the US with 28 major glaciers. But the “snowiness” of the mountain still changes a lot.

A tryptech of my duo.

Young life…

Around the neighborhood. Not mentioning the sign because I didn’t read it.

May the 4th be with you!

Photos of the Week: April 27

April 27, 2024April 26, 2024Posted in Photo of the weekTagged photographs50 Comments

“A Joyful face is always a beautiful face.” – Sadhguru

Cooper’s playdate dog buddy turned 1 and Cooper was “that guy” at the birthday party. He horned in on the other dog’s ice cream, stuck his nose in the camera, and stole party hats.

And then figured out that his purpose in life is to be a professional keep away player.

Speaking of goals – the kids achieved some climbing up and also lying down.

Biking, puddles, balloons and ties.

A carpet of blossoms — and a sign that’s missing a very important, “a.”

Photos of the Week: April 13

April 13, 2024April 12, 2024Posted in Photo of the weekTagged beach, love, photographs, whidbey island47 Comments

“A friend is someone who helps you up when you’re down, and if they can’t, they lay down beside you and listen.” – Winnie the Pooh

We went to our favorite beach for a weekend and really dug it.

Our favorite pony, Charlie Brown, and Miss O both like to be fed.

The beach vacation was really intended to be a lot of fun for Cooper before we took him to the vet to be “tutored.” I’d like to think the cat was sympathetic about the cone…but she’s a cat.

But we’ve tried our best to sweeten the cone situation. Mostly by way of the Winnie the Pooh quote for this post.

My bad Latin joke of the week. My kids misunderstood veni, vidi, vici to be: we came, we sawed, we left the saw in the tree.

And the sign of the week? Right!

Photos of the Week: April 6

April 6, 2024April 5, 2024Posted in Photo of the weekTagged family, Lifestyle, photographs43 Comments

“Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.” – Maya Angelou

It’s a good thing that Halloween and Easter are about equidistant on the calendar because we just finished our Halloween candy. Now we have refilled our stores.

April Fools…the day when oversized spiders and pencils shine.

We spent some time this week on the University of Washington campus. Miss O’s teacher got a grant for the students to record pieces they’d written in a real recording studio.

Unusual things seen on the way to school. Mr. D said he was just taking a break. Not sure the raccoon was up to but I’m guessing no good.

Easter skeletons and signs.

Photos of the Week: March 30

March 30, 2024March 29, 2024Posted in Photo of the week, UncategorizedTagged photographs40 Comments

“Plunge boldly into the thick of life.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Argh!! I made the mistake of taking the kids with me to Costco.

The Crocodile Cave is pretty easy to set up though. It’s taking it down and trying to put it away in a storage case that’s a problem. Harder than any tent I’ve ever tried. After I wrestled with it (kinda like a croc) for at least 15 minutes the other night. Miss O asked if I got her slime out before I put it away.

“No,” I replied, “Where did you put it?” She sweetly replied, “In the climbing hand holds. Can you go get it out for me?”

That was a “no.” 🙂

After which I was very glad we got some soothing time in nature, hiking with my dear friend, Katie!

“Mom, the cat cut in front of me to get inside for dinner first! Can I sweep her away?”

First, Mr. D experimented with scootering through puddles. It ended “wetly.” So the next day, he prepared by putting on all the outer wear he could find. He stayed dry from the puddles but was pretty sweaty… 🙂

First picture here is a little random except for anyone that remembers Mark Petruska’s hilarious post Sock-Sock-Shoe-Shoe. Miss O, unprompted by me, announced she was a shoe-shoe-sock-sock girl.

And the sign of the week – oh, I relate!