31/365

Brandon was on a work trip

this week in the Midwest.

We are so glad

to have him home.

30/365

Caleb and Daddy talking

on the phone just before bed. 

Pretty cute.

29/365

It's still hard for me to believe at times that we live so near the ocean.

We can decide on a whim to drive an hour and play in the Atlantic.

We don't know how long that will be the case,

so we want to take advantage of it while we can.

The little boy on the right is Little Caleb.

I will write more about him someday...

as I am sure he will appear often in our photos.

28/365

 Caleb working on math on our patio...

trying to focus so he can go play outside.

Overall, we are enjoying homeschooling,

and both of us have learned a lot.

I still have much to learn.

27/365

The moon is full tonight.

A friend of mine recently mentioned that full moons

have been known to affect kids' behavior.

I hadn't thought about it before,

but today my little man was out of sorts. 

He was whiny, dramatic,

and acted like a three-year-old without a nap.

So, I laughed when I saw the moon tonight.

26/365

There are often kids in our house.

Mostly they all play Legos together.

It's pretty amazing what they come up with.

Today, when they were playing, someone called them from outside.

Excited, three of them took off running past me towards the door.

I saw it out the corner of my eye, 

and I made them recreate it for me.

:-)

25/365

Jenni and Ryan are friends of mine from college,

and now they live in Orlando.

They came over for dinner last night,

and we enjoyed our time with them so much. 

FYI: Ryan really does have two arms.
I am not sure how I made him armless. :-)

24/365

One thing we are loving about living in Orlando is that friends often come visit.

Our friend, Jesse, was a student at NMSU while we were there, and he interned with us as well.  

He is now serving at the regional office in Denver.  This week, he was in town for some meetings, and we all got some time together at Panera.

So thankful for what God has done in his life.

23/365

My friend, Katie, and I took our kids to the new Fantasyland.

During Disney's new Enchanted Tales with Belle,

children are given various roles from Beauty and the Beast to portray.

Caleb was chosen to be the Beast.

He was embarrassed and shy and so cute, 

and he stepped up and performed his role so well.

Adorable.

22/365

"Star Wars" by Caleb

From left according to the artist: 

Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, "The Guy with the Brown Hood," and "Dark" Maul

 The Death Star is in the top left.

He has never seen the movies or read any books about Star Wars.

He has just heard about it from friends...and he's fascinated.

21/365

Taken while he was working on his reading lesson.

20/365

An evening scene in our kitchen...

Caleb and Brandon talk while he makes dinner.

19/365

The cutest 1st birthday party ever...

for one of the cutest one-year-olds ever.

Such fun friends...

and they live just across the hall.

18/365

A pillow fight on our bed.

I set my camera on a nearby chair and used my remote.

I love this one.

17/365

Brandon's life was recently consumed with a seminary class he took.

It was only a week long...but plenty of work.

I was proud of him for how well he handled the workload.

Maybe seminary is in our future?

16/365

Almost every day is like this.

Endless hours spent outside in the dirt...

or riding bikes...or climbing trees.

15/365

A late night photo of my desk

as I worked on my story.

Each week, three people on stint share their stories at a large group meeting called Connection.

Brandon and I both did ours
on the same day.

We took time together
to share Jude's story.

It was the first time we have shared it in that format,

and it's so hard to know
what to say in ten minutes.

But, it's done...
and we were grateful to do it.

We love to talk about our baby.

14/365

Two days after Caleb learned to ride a bike,

I borrowed one for myself and we went for a ride.

He rode his bike for almost seven miles.

So proud of him.

Now, I am looking for one at garage sales...

and hoping for many more bike rides to come.

13/365

In New Mexico, sunsets are indescribable...

beautiful colors over endless valleys.

They are different here.

The clouds are different.

And the visibility is a bit more limited in the city.

But...they are still beautiful.

12/365

His bike was waiting by the tree on Christmas morning.

A gift from Grandma and Grandpa.

I had the camera ready to record the moment...

but his response was anticlimactic.

He looked at it briefly and then got really excited about the candy in his stocking.

It turns out he was afraid.

The lack of training wheels, he told us later, scared him.

So, on the first beautiful day we could carve out some time,

Brandon and I set out to teach him.

As I was fiddling with my camera and Brandon turned aside to talk to someone,

Caleb got on his bike and took off...when our backs were turned.

Shortly after, with Brandon running alongside him and me just behind, 

Caleb was making laps around our apartment complex.

A milestone accomplished!

*Again, not sure which photo to pick.*

11/365

For Christmas, Brandon got me an Olioclip for my iPhone.

It is a clip on lens that allows me to take macro, fisheye and wide angle photos.

I don't know what I'm going to do with the last two, 

but the macro has opened up a whole new world for me.

10/365

Caleb is thriving here.

We live in an apartment with lots of windows and lots of kids.

As soon as we open the blinds in the morning, 

he asks to go outside.

He could stay out all day. 

Thank you, Lord, for providing exactly what our boy needs

during this season of life.

9/365

"Daddy, can we play Wii?"

It is often the first thing Brandon hears when he comes home from work.

Caleb isn't allowed to play when Daddy's not home.

It is a rule that has made my life more peaceful.

Not so much for Brandon.

8/365

Dirty fingernails.

Hard earned after hours of playing in dirt,

they are a constant in our home.

Such fun to be a boy...

7/365

A scene that is common to many mornings...

Caleb gets his daily "kids show" when he wakes up.

Breakfast is sometimes served on the side.

It works for us.

6/365

I've been seeking to reinstate a habit of waking early.

It is a continual struggle for me.

This particular morning was a foggy one...

so I brought my camera outside and took this.

Maybe mornings and I just might be able to get along.

5/365

I have two for today.

I am procrastinating picking.

Both were taken at Magic Kingdom.

The shot above was taken on the riverboat ride around Tom Sawyer's Island.

The shot below was taken in Gaston's Tavern, in the new Fantasyland.

I cannot get enough of these smiles. 

4/365

The first of "my" photos taken by Brandon.

Most nights after the three of us pray, Caleb and I read.

Millie often joins us.

Moments precious to me.

3/365

What our kitchen table looks like after unpacking and going through mail.

Thanks, friends, for our Christmas cards.

They are beautiful. 

2/365

Driving home.

Illinois to Florida.

We hit a deer that had been hit just a moment before.

Our prayer for safety was answered, and we were grateful.

Apart from a horrible smell of venison, we and our car were all fine.

Thank You, Lord.

1/365

It was a new kind of New Year's Eve for us.

Spent with family instead of a conference.

The kids made it up til midnight.

We celebrated with Wii bowling, ginger ale punch, and confetti strewn on freshly fallen snow.

So. Much. Fun.

**This is the first of my Project 365.

One photo.  Every day.  For a year.