Soar

Osprey in flight taken at Barefoot Beach in Florida
Canon 5D MarkIII with L series 100-400mm lens zoomed to 400mm handheld

You know what makes my heart soar more than anything else in the world? When I hear compliments about my kids from others, especially strangers. This happened so much this past weekend that I was on cloud 9 as a mama.

During our local recreational council's Opening Day for baseball,  I had several instances when people came up to me and asked me who my kids were.  Telling them the name of my twins, three separate people told me what a sweet, special girl my daughter was.  One mom told me she had just moved to the area mid-year and her son was placed in my daughter's class. She said my daughter was so welcoming to him as a new student and took him under her wing until he became comfortable with his new school.  It made my heart thump with pride.  Another mom told me that my daughter was "the sweetest thing on earth" and that she loved everyone!  Yes, this is true, my daughter does love everyone!  The last person that day was a grandma who told me she just couldn't get over how happy my youngest daughter was and how much she smiles!  It is sweet to hear such great compliments about your kids, but even sweeter still for people to take the time to give the compliments.

My oldest daughter had a very busy weekend...on Friday night to Saturday afternoon she had overnight 4H training to be a camp counselor for younger children this summer.  This is a volunteer position and she has put a ton of training hours in and has committed to two full weeks of overnight camp to counsel the younger children this summer.  When I went to pick her up on Saturday afternoon, the person in charge of the camp complimented my oldest daughter and said what a pleasure she was to have in the program. Direct from camp, I had to take my darling daughter to her high school because she had a large role in a play the drama department was putting on.  When I bought the tickets to go in, her drama teacher said what a wonderful actress my daughter was and said how she loves having her in class and looks forward to having her next year in Drama 3. In addition to that, on Mother's Day, my oldest daughter's soccer coach invited her to play as a guest player on his elite team because she is such a hard worker and is very "coachable."  So, on Mother's Day, I sat and watched my firecracker go out of her comfort zone and play a game with a group of girls she had never met before.  I was so proud of her.

So, this Mother's Day was a great one, considering all the wonderful compliments I received regarding my children.  Parenting is hard work and it is a nice payoff when you hear how well your kids are received in the community!

Have a wonderful day, y'all!  xo

Sneak Attack

Today I am thankful to be home after spending the day in the hospital yesterday.

There is certainly something to be said about sleeping in your own bed

as opposed to a hospital gurney.

Unfortunately, the start of school also means the start of many illnesses 

coming home from all four kids being in close indoor contact with other children.

Normally it is just a part of life, but for me it is dangerous because my immune system

is so depleted that a simple virus can land me in the hospital with 

severe dehydration and in need of IV fluids.

Severe dehydration can then cause heart rate issues and shortness of breath,

which is what happened to me.

After a course of anti-vomiting medication and several bags of IV fluids,

I am now home again.

Thank goodness...

This image was taken near my feeder when two finches decided to 

try and peck each other's eyes out.

No harm was done to either bird that I could tell and both

eventually agreed to feed on opposite sides of the feeder.

;)

Hummer

Today I am thankful for the wildlife around my home.

I have a hummingbird feeder just outside my living room window

and a seed feeder in the yard beyond that.  

Now that the kids are back in school and I am still pretty much homebound,

these little creatures and their noises keep me company on most days.

I haven't had the strength or energy to pick up my 5D lately,

but I tried a few shots yesterday (through my window) before I got too exhausted.

I was able to capture this little beauty.

I can't help but smile and be happy when watching my feathered friends.

I will certainly miss the hummers when they disappear soon 

for their fall migration.

xo