A DAY IN THE LIFE

If you haven't noticed I LOVE taking pictures of my kids. I especially love capturing the moments as they happen and allowing the pictures themselves to tell the stories, rather than the words explaining the memories we create each day. We recently began our new summer tradition of heading down to the local reservoir for a weekly picnic dinner after Papa gets home from work. As always I packed up my camera. I knew that the natural evening sunlight would create some awesome opportunities for photos of the kids. I brought some cute outfits along and hoped to get some nice portraits of them sitting on the beach together. I should know better than to plan out the photos I hope to get. Sitting the kids on a nice summer evening and telling them NOT to go in the water and constantly reminding them to "Smile for the camera", isn't going to get the pictures I want anyway. So they get wet. So they get dirty. So what if their cute little outfits end up being a nightmare when I forgot to pack the towels.

THIS is what an evening at the beach is like with my kids. To me, THIS is what photography is all about... capturing the moment rather than creating one. So for those of you who asked me tips about photography, that's it. Let the kids be kids.

HOT HOT HOT

It has been HOT outside. I'm not complaining. I love summer. I'm also not complaining about the crazy rain shower that came our way to break up the heat a little bit. The kids weren't complaining either, and enjoyed running around in it and then looking for rainbows. We didn't find any, but at least we cooled off a little bit.

SISTER/BROTHER LOVE

I love that both our kids are so affectionate. At any moment of the day they surprise us and each other with hugs and kisses. Such a simple gesture can brighten any day.

MORE WATERMELON

Kalvis' new favorite thing is watermelon. He likes it in chunks, but especially by the slice. Here he is with his adoring cousin, Anna.

Our baby is getting big!

The Doctor said that Kalvis is in the 95th percentile for height. This means that he is taller than 95% of kids his age. I think you can really see it in this picture. Whenever someone stops me (to admire how adorable he is of course), they always think he is much older than he actually is. I guess it's because he is so tall.

STRAWBERRIES!!!

Imants has been working hard in the vegetable garden, while I've been working hard in the flower gardens. We have potatoes, squash, cucumbers, a variety of beans, blueberries, watermelon, raspberries, broccoli, onions, pumpkins, lettuce, cabbage, herbs, and more. Right now we have enough strawberries to do a little picking just about everyday....and THIS is Kalvis' and Livija's new favorite thing to do.

UPDATE!!

It's been awhile since I really updated about our boy. Kalvis is doing beautifully. He is a little over 16 months now. At his 15 month appointment our pediatrician was very happy with his development and adjustment to his new life. He says a few words mostly "Maaa", "Mama" or "MAAAAMAAAA", but also Papa and something that sounds like Ball (which is really anything he throws). He eats beautifully with a fork for over a month now. I thought that was early. His patience with the fork is adorable. He'll try and try to get something as small as a pea on one of the tines. If all else fails, he'll pick it up and spear it on with his hands. That's not to say he's all about patience. Kalvis can definitely let his little temper come out, but we refer to that as his passionate side. While he can get angry at times, he loves and shows affection with even more zeal.
At this age, a little temper flare up is usually out of frustration to communicate. One thing that we have done to help his frustration is sign language. This has made a huge difference. Screams from the high chair are now typically a "Ma!" followed by the more sign. I highly suggest sign language for you new parents out there
**(hi, Andy and Susan!).
Speaking of his loving little affectionate side, Kalvis offers up hugs and kisses that melt my heart. It's not uncommon for him to come at you all puckered up over and over and over again. His love has extended beyond his immediate family as we watch his bond to grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins grow everyday.
So much more to say, but luckily I have thousands of more pictures to share and posts to write. I hope you are all having a wonderful start to the summer.

**our friends Andy and Susan are leaving for Seoul very soon, for their sweet boy. Send a little prayer/wish/postive thought their way for a quick and safe travel.

MORE FROM MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND: LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

We had an awesome weekend at Aunt Sarma and Uncle Mark's house. Many more pictures to come...