Oh the crazy weather!

 About 30 minutes northeast of us, a lovely drive in the countryside is a tulip farm.  Wooden shoe tulips is such a glorious place to visit.  The vibrant colors, set out in row after row can make even the grumpiest person smile.

Lucy and I set out yesterday with the two boys for a photo shoot in the tulips.  Oh, I had such high hopes of darling photos of the brothers...maybe even one that would be mother's day worthy.

The weather God was not on my side.  As we approached the fields, it was cloudy, but I like cloudy day photography. The colors are more vibrant, no squinting of the eyes, no shadows to deal with.  I was itching with anticipation.  As we started our trek out to the fields, Lucy announced that Teak had blessed us with a blowout...Quickly the garbage bag came out and we made a makeshift changing station.  It was cold, and the poor boy didn't know what hit him.  Wipes, and pants and diapers were flying.  Two sets of hands were quickly trying to clean up the disastrous mess he had made.  When we got his pants back on, the sprinkles began, and then quickly the sprinkles turned to bigger drops, then a pelting rain with wind....onward we trekked. 

Plastic bag down, Ty sitting on it, Teak plopped in his lap, and I quickly tried to shoot some photos..It was not a good shoot, but as I look at the photos it makes me laugh out loud.  The wind and rain and how miserable it was is quite evident on their faces. Too funny.  Lucy grabbed Teak, and announced they were going to the car.  Ty and I headed for a nearby tent to sit out the cloudburst.

Ty and I were only in the tent three to four minutes when he announced, "it's not raining any more Tutu, let's go have some fun!"  Off we went to explore the flowers before we headed for the kid themed area.

Each year Wooden shoe Tulip Farm's rotates the bulbs and where they are planted.  It's fun to look back at previous year's photos and see Mt. Hood poking out.  Not this year.  The sky was almost black as we looked off. Knowing that the rain would soon be back to us again, we went as quickly as we could without slipping in the mud..We gathered Lucy and Teak and went to the Kid area.  Ty enjoyed it, but Teak had his little legs just pumping up and down.  He loved all the colors and the kids in action.

We did a few group shots, and once again, the shot of Tutu and the boys is laughing material.  Ty is losing his boots, trying to get them on, smile for the camera when all the while, he KNOWS we are getting ice cream when we leave this area of the farm.

We got our ice cream at an outrageous price, and loved every bit of it, right down to the tip of the cone. As we drove home, that big black cloud we had noticed in the distance was right over us.  HUGE drops of rain started beating down on the windshield, and visibility was horrific.  Lucy slowed it down, and we made our way down the road, then viola! The rain stopped.  Gotta love this crazy Willamette Valley we live in.  When the sun comes out, "you've gotta make hay", as my mama used to say, or on this day take time to smell the flowers.

I heart faces photo challenge pets

This week's photo challenge is pets.

Easter Joy

Easter is such a wonderful holiday.  The grass is green, the flowers are in bloom, it's a sign that new life is going to happen.  As a child it was the one time of the year that we would get new clothes.  A dress, shiny shoes, and usually a hat.  Mark thinks I'm nuts, but I love to sit in church and watch the little girls in their Easter finery.
When Lucy was little, it was a big deal to get an "Easter outfit".  This year we went to the early church service as requested to make room for guests.  Church was wonderful.  Everything an Easter service should be.  I got to sit with my grandsons, one who fell asleep on my shoulder....one who sat like a perfect angel coloring a resurrection picture.
After Church we headed to the Hacienda for brunch....All the Atwood, Borde, Shaw, Spencer clan would be together for a meal and fingers were crossed for an egg hunt out on the farm.

The weather cooperated and rain held off long enough for Ty to cover the property and find all 16 eggs, and 4 plastic eggs with coins inside. 

Watch out Tiger Woods!

We live on a golf course.  We both know how to golf, but haven't swung a club in over five years.  It's a peaceful place to live. Very green, and relatively quiet.  People always ask, "do you get many golf balls?"  Not in the back, where the golf course is, but we do get some in the front yard.  Our routine is to pick them up and put them in the bunny planter.  Sort of an ode to Easter.  Our bunny has balls, not eggs, er, so to speak.
Monday is my Rowdy day, and the boy has now decided to do separation anxiety.  He knows the minute he walks in, that his mommy is going to leave.  No matter how long she stays, what she does, he's unhappy. Best to just leave and let us get on with it.  Yes, he cries, but he eventually gets over it.  With tears in his eyes, sitting next to the door, he gives me the sign for DADDY.  "He's a work, I tell him"  Sad face...

On with breakfast, a few toys

Trying to recreate the basket find it, put in in, take it out.......

 Then he just couldn't get over the need to go to the door and see if anyone was waiting outside. We went out, and low and behold, the bunny with the balls caught his eye....I think the photos will tell the tale....pj's got dirty, but the sun made a short stay and we soaked it up and laughed, and bounced some time away.

 I love his method for carrying more than two. Tuck under the chin and away he goes...a little wall ball, and he was amused.

Look out Tiger, when Rowdy finds a club, I have a feeling it's going to be all over.

Wedding jitters

I was a last minute substitute for a wedding photographer.  I had planned on taking my camera, and shooting my own version of wedding photos, but to be the "only" photographer is a little daunting.  What if I screwed them up? These and many other thoughts ran through my mind.  As I reviewed the shots, I learned a lot. Mostly I learned that I needed to take more shots of the same thing, especially in the group photos.  someone is always closing their eyes, moving their head, not looking the right way. Well, the wedding is over, and it is what it is, there are some good, bad, and mediocre shots, but it was a lovely day, much love and happiness filled the room, and really, that's what it's all about..

Another thing I learned, is wedding photographers work hard! I was whooped, and slept like a baby that night.