peskypippi.comBecause I have a lot to say…

Happy 1st birthday, Otis!

I took a weekly picture of my puppy and daughter for an entire year, to capture the moments and to watch how much they changed in one year’s time. He grew a little faster than she did.

Looking through these photos bring back vivid memories for our family. Seasons filled with laughter and silliness, frustrations and mess, teaching and energy, cuddling and love.

Hope you enjoy them!

[Show as slideshow]

123►

If a picture is worth a thousand words, well, I now have a terabyte hard drive and a digital picture frame. Together, they can hold tens of thousands of pictures.

Do the math.

My husband gave me these for Christmas. Best. Presents. Ever.

He knows I love to be surrounded by pictures of my family…almost more than my actual family (ha)!

My hard drive now stores back-ups of my family’s photos. I think digital photos are a great invention, don’t you? I only have two photo albums from my childhood.

I uploaded a bunch (oh, about 2,000) photos onto my magic picture frame. And now we can glance over anytime to view:

• Birthday grins
• Children petting bunnies
• Carving pumpkins
• Family camping trips
• Bathtub babies
• Me holding babies
• Sunburned faces
• Picking peaches
• New Monopoly winners crowned
• Soccer games
• Puppies growing
• Children playing dress up
• Jumping into pools
• Windy hair at beaches
• Bad haircuts
• Hugs and kisses and high fives
• Building snowmen
• First days of school
• Toothless grins
• Climbing trees
• Growing children

Years and years of memories. My magic picture frame gives us the chance to reminisce and smile and laugh and recall.

Remember when?

Sometimes as a parent, you need to truly parent. And use your best judgement and foresight.

Even if it means that you will piss off your daughter.

One day, on a family hike in a scenic area near Mount St. Helen’s my nine-year-old daughter wanted to lead the way down the dangerous trail, as my family proceeded in single file.

The “danger” signs did not lie.

In fact, they made me second-guess myself. Was this hike indeed a good choice? Or would we have been better off taking pictures of wildflowers in the open field? Where it was flat and safe.

We proceeded. As a family unit.

We carefully stepped and navigated, while I barked out orders like I had Tourette’s syndrome: “Step carefully!” “Hold my hand!” “Slow down!” “Stay BEHIND me!”

My daughter started off the hike in a foul mood, because she didn’t get her way.

The rapids were below us. Way below. Crashing against volcanic rock. The path was skinny, with gravel causing your foot to slip. The path made sharp descents, forcing us to side step and grip onto the person’s hand behind you.

At the halfway mark, we paused and took in the views. My daughter was grinning. Happy again. We all were. The views were amazing. We were a unit, embarking on this adventure together.  The experience was full of lessons. Seven, in fact:

1. Parents know things.
2. Kids don’t always know everything, even if they think they do.
3. Nature is beautiful.
4. Families work best when they work as a team.
5. Parents need to parent.
6. Parents make mistakes.
7. Hard things are worth doing.

Enjoy the pictures in the safety of your own chair! And while you’re at it, check out other cool bloggers at YeahWrite!

Ever stop to look at the sky? And see how amazing it is? Vast. Different colors. Always changing. And realize how small you are in comparison?

When I am complaining or worried or sad or stressed, I look at the sky. Because it reassures me about the bigger picture.

I took these shots on an evening right before a thunderstorm. Over the course of 45 minutes. See how quickly it changed? And let me tell you, seeing that sky sure changed my mood.

I have high expectations. And I am a planner. These two traits sometimes get in the way of being mellow and living in the moment.

The other day was a go-with-the-flow day. I took two of my children to spend a day in the country. No plans. Just: let’s see what we will see and stop where and when we want.

Guess what?

It was awesome!

We visited a lavender field, bought fresh-off-the-tree peaches, met a fine horse, and encountered peaceful butterflies.

It was a fun-filled day–not forced or planned. And it exceeded my expectations. In fact, I’m thinking about planning another outing soon

It is said that five million people visit the Statue of Liberty each year.

My husband and I were two of the five million. Special, huh?

But out of those five million people, who was able to capture the beauty of a flying seagull, gliding the air current, hovering right in front of Lady Liberty?

(Pippi raises hand.)

Now THAT’S what I call special.

I have discovered an amazing photographer: Irina Werning.

She photographs children and families. But wait! Then photographs the same people several years later, wearing the same outfit in the same location.

It makes me a little sad to see the progression of time. But also makes me happy to show that we pretty much stay the same.

Check her out. She’s amazing. Her photographs will make you pause and maybe reminisce.

http://irinawerning.com/index.php?/bttf2/back-to-the-future-2-2011/

This is one of my favorites: