Summer Days

Birthday Balloons

Autumn is Coming

Summer Running

Click to open larger picture

I love this color picture so much, I made a new category of photos on the upper right side called 'Favorite Images', so I can bundle all my favorite solo images for everyone to see easily.  This was taken September 2nd but the weather was still so summery and warm.  The yard at the new house is perfect for summer days and running outside, Matt and Arin were kicking around a bouncy ball and splattering a giant mushroom. You can see the sky is starting to turn red and orange from the sunset and we're just about to go inside for a tasty dinner that Matt just finished cooking on the grill.  It all makes for just such a timeless moment that I will cherish.

Biker Dude, Spiderman Style

Taken by Grampy after he set up one of Arin's birthday presents for him... Arin loves all the gear even if its still too big for him!  He's incredibly good on the bike, he apparently had lots of practice at daycare.  Note he just happens to be wearing his 'scary skull shirt' this day too... makes him look so much bigger than just barely 4! 

Bath Time

Click for full-size!

Taking a nice bath in his very own bathtub at the new house... eventually he'll have the whole bathroom to himself when we finally get the master bedroom settled in.  For now he has to share though, but the tub is so nice and clean now it doesn't matter, and there's tons of space to play with his bath time Thomas trains!

Little Peek

Pouring out the Bath

New Lens

I finally went out and bought a new lens for my very old DSLR camera.  It's magical.  It's ALL about the lens, I cannot believe I waited so long to get this thing.  So in love!  Canon's 50mm f/1.4.  Perfection.

Here's a little closer:

BW of the Week

  

I took this picture right after I got my new portrait lens, and I just love how amazing everything looks with it!  We were at Momo's house since it was a Saturday for Arin to take a bath, so here he is in the tub, bubbles and all, enjoying the end of a summer day while I snap away!

BW of the Week

I had this idea to go back over time and do a BW every week for Bobo.  I don't know if its a project I'll ever get around to... maybe when my classes finally end in May!  But here is one for the last week in March!  Matt, Arin and I were at Smokey Bones and he was such a good boy and ate his ENTIRE huge grilled cheese sandwich.  He's never hungry for dinner so we were super impressed.  We go out to restaurants a lot though, and he's usually very good, but just lacks an appetite like he had tonight!  We'll definitely be going back soon.  Click it, it gets cropped off a bit.

Good News for Groundhog Day!

Finally we have some good news in the midst of all these winter blizzards... Punxsutawney Phil told the world that he did not see his shadow and we will have an early spring!  Now that is a Groundhog Day worth celebrating!

To watch the video of the whole ceremony, click here: http://www.pacast.com/display_media_production_id.asp?production_id=8626  Phil doesn't make his appearance until 2/3 of the way through, but it's worth it because he's so cute!  I love that the town keeps the traditional procession to Gobbler's Knob alive and even dress the part. They have a great website explaining all things Groundhog Day at http://www.groundhog.org/

Here is part of "Groundhog Day: 1886 to 1992" written by Bill Anderson that explains the origins:

The groundhog tradition stems from similar beliefs associated with Candlemas Day and the days of early Christians in Europe, and for centuries the custom was to have the clergy bless candles and distribute them to the people. Even then, it marked a milestone in the winter and the weather that day was important. 

According to an old English song:

If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.

According to an old Scotch couplet:

If Candlemas Day is bright and clear,
There'll be twa winters in the year.

Another variation of the Scottish rhyme:

               If Candlemas day be dry and fair,
              The half o' winter to come and mair,
              If Candlemas day be wet and foul,
             The half of winter's gone at Yule.

 

The Roman legions, during the conquest of the northern country, supposedly brought this tradition to the Teutons, or Germans, who picked it up and concluded that if the sun made an appearance on Candlemas Day, an animal, the hedgehog, would cast a shadow, thus predicting six more weeks of bad weather, which they interpolated as the length of the "Second Winter." 

Pennsylvania's earliest settlers were Germans and they found groundhogs to in profusion in many parts of the state. They determined that the groundhog, resembling the European hedgehog, was a most intelligent and sensible animal and therefore decided that if the sun did appear on February 2nd, so wise an animal as the groundhog would see its shadow and hurry back into its underground home for another six weeks of winter. 

The Germans recited:

For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day,
So far will the snow swirl until the May.

Le Snowpants

Apparently in some parts snowpants are known as snow-bibs.  This is apparently because some have the top part that zips up like a vest under your coat?  We always just called them all snowpants... anyway, this year I had one heck of a time finding any kids snowpants anywhere!  I waited until Christmas time and then it was too late.  Everyone seemed to be sold out or only stocking $100+ designer snow wear ...crazy!   Finally I managed to track down some camping outlet online that still had some in stock...and they were a good price too.  They turned out to be really nice, and Bobo loves finally being able to run around in all the snow we're getting.

Snowy Bobo

They say this year will be a record-breaker for snow in New England.  Personally I'm pretty much done with it, but Bobo absolutely loves it.  He is such a snow baby!  Lucky for him we're supposed to get another foot tomorrow (after 6 inches today!).  That groundhog better give us some good news tomorrow!