Titus and His Desk

Last week I moved a desk from our downstairs to Titus' bedroom. He sits at it and "reads" aloud from his books. He gets the coloring book out of the drawer and draws. He drops coins down into his dog "piggy" bank. "Quarter, quarter, pickle, pickle" he says. He means nickle. :) He is learning about money in math class at school. During nap time on Friday he sat at his desk reading and writing and told me, "I can't go to sleep, I have too much work to do."

How odd to move a desk into his room. Seems so mature. He is growing quickly. Too quickly. Yet I know there will come I time I will look at the white desk and wonder...how did he ever fit there?"

Finding a New Favorite Spot

Key Biscayne, Miami

We've driven past this beautiful stretch of beach each time we've gone to the Seaquarium (three times) and each time I am glued to the window saying how we "just have to go there." This afternoon we did. And it's even more perfect up close than it looks through the car window. Steve and Titus have off school tomorrow so we thought it would be a good time to go explore this new little stretch of beach. We went to church in the morning, came home for lunch and naps, and then drove the 45 minute trip down 95 to Miami. We left the house at 3:15pm, arrived at 4:00pm. I thought it would be much busier, being a Sunday, but it really wasn't. There were a lot of dogs with their owners {one pounced on Quincy} and just a few kids. The water was a bit too cool for swimming. But the sand was the softest, whitest, most beautiful that I've seen anywhere in Florida so far. The boys play very contently now...as long as we bring cars and trucks. Quincy likes to dump sand or water on himself. We stayed until the sun went down and then packed up and were still home by bedtime. Perfection on a Sunday evening.
















He was rubbing his stomach, just laughing and laughing-



The ice cream truck came-



Taking a break from my normal type of photography, {close-up of the face or showing a certain little detail, scenery or some other sort of picture that can seem like life is a little too perfect} I love this for the real like chaos that it shows. I think these are the types of pictures that I will look back on and have a flood of emotion or memories. It shows what life truly is for us at that moment. In this case...a mostly naked baby that I just changed on the front seat of the car with two dry wipes that I found on the floor of the backseat and had to moisten with the little bit of water left in the sippy cup-

The rest of these (well, except for the very last one) were taken by Steve. I love when he picks up the camera but always laugh {on the inside} when he does. He snaps and snaps so quickly. Not allowing the camera to focus. Not at all concerned with the background or placement of his "subjects." His end result is probably a more realistic picture of life. I photograph so strategically. I don't like anyone that I don't know in my pictures. No one is allowed in the background. My mom always asks if we're the only ones on the beach when she sees my pictures. These that Steve took show that, clearly, we aren't the only ones there. Steve's pictures are precious to me though because they're the only ones I have of me and the boys.-




Me and my first baby. He is exactly 3 years and 6 months today-

well hello there-

A Palm Branch Fort

discovering a new playground-


great dad-


happy boy-





dismount-

man in charge-

oh dear-



I heard him saying, "Slow and steady, slow and steady" -


The finished product-

such a boy-


"may I take your order?"-

New Year's Day 2012, Fishing.

For Christmas my parents got Titus a fishing pole. He had been talking about going fishing since my mom brought it to him on her trip mid December. Actually he first started talking about fishing when we lived in Atglen and had a pond in the fields behind the house. He watched my dad fish there once. On January 1, 2012 we finally got the pole out and Titus fished for the first time.

We started in the backyard-


This tackle box was my Paw's. I don't think it had been used since he died. I was in 7th grade. At that point in my life, he was my everything. He took us fishing often. I remember he and I going together at the beginning of my third grade year. We went to the pond at Tel Hai camp. I remember it clearly. I had been hit in the eye by a golfball just before the school year started and I missed the first two days of school. On one of those two days he took me fishing. We went in his big brown pickup truck. I remember stopping at the Turkey Hill in Gap for m&ms and sodas. Steve just cleaned it out and I love that he left this paper in it. He didn't bring it to me and ask if I wanted to keep it. He left right there in the box. I didn't notice it until they were out there that morning.



After having no luck in the backyard spot, we went across the parking lot and behind the next row of houses to the canal-





I love the identical hand placement-

Titus found some bread that Steve had put in the tackle box and wanted to eat it. Steve stuck it in there to throw in the water to see if any fish would come. Titus thought it was a sandwich. I laughed when Steve told Titus that we don't put food into the tackle box. Whenever Paw would take us fishing he would bring a bag of m&m's in the box. :)











No fish were caught...but memories were made.