{13/52}

"a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2015."

Everdeen Kate: This Springtime weather has filled you with the most contagious energy! 

 Linking up with Jodi :)

these days

These days have been so warm and so good for the soul.  I woke up feeling the cool air in our bedroom...it was the first of many nights to sleep with the window open.  Before I even opened my eyes I could hear the chirping of birds echoing in the silent morning...the mourning dove's coo is one of my favorite sounds in the whole world. Oh, how I love the newness of spring and yet at the same time it is all so familiar. 

We slowly got ready this morning and headed out on another family adventure.  This time we drove a short 20 minutes to Devil's Backbone and hiked along the red dirt paths with large towering rock formations looming above us. Everything here in Colorado is still so dry and brown...but if you look closely enough you can spot new life again. 

a little spring break

March has been flying by and I can't believe it's already been a week since my spring break. Sometimes I hate breaks because they give me a glimpse of what life would be like if I could be a stay at home mom.  It makes going back to work on Monday morning painfully, painfully hard...but at the same time they are just what I need to feel refreshed. 

I kept Everdeen home from daycare most of the week so that she and I could play and have some lazy days together...we slept in, went to the nursery (twice :) to add some spring to our home, and played outside as much as we could. At the end of the week my older sister and her two boys came up to spend some time at my parent's house. To say Everdeen loves her cousins is an understatement.  All week long she would say, "I'm so excited!" or "Mommy, I'm so happy! My cousins are coming!"  She loves them so. 

This past Monday I hit the ground running.  There is no time to "ease" in when you're a teacher. I had meeting after meeting, my final observation from my principal, and a field trip that made my anxiety sore through the roof.  But as I walked down the hall to my classroom I noticed a new bulletin board our aid had made.  "Hang in There! Only 41 more days of school!"  Could it be!? Yes! I can do this :) 

{12/52}

"a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2015."

Everdeen Kate: Exploring Nana and Papa's backyard, Easter egg hunts, cousin love, warm sunshine...I'd say it was a very successful spring weekend! 

 Linking up with Jodi :)

{11/52}

"a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2015."

Everdeen Kate: A spontaneous after dinner hike. You walked the entire way up the trail until we could see the cityscape below us. You called out every few minutes, "Come on guys!" or "Careful, Mama!" With spring just a few days away I see more perfect evenings just like this one in our very near future!

 Linking up with Jodi :)

Hello Spring Break

I can't wait for 9 more days just like this :)

a cold sunday morning

Oh, the CSU oval. It's beautiful. In the summer you'll find students lounging under the shade of the great big trees and tossing a frisbee back and forth, but today it was quiet and cold. Except for the few joggers who weren't going to let a little snow and frostbite stop them from their exercise, we were all alone. The oval is surrounded by beautiful and stately old buildings.  My dad held an office in the administration building when he was associate vice president for research.  His list of awards and recognitions with the university is impressive...if I can ever be half of the teacher my dad was then I know I'll have made an impact. Did I ever tell you that one of my secret life goals is to someday teach at the university level? Maybe someday...

We told Everdeen that maybe she would attend CSU and she agreed that she would. "Mama? Is this my new school?" She's brilliant and will skip right to college when she turns three. ;)

Rocky would be proud 

Sometimes you put yourself in a timeout and we take a picture because it's adorable. 

I have been loving our little family outings.  Martin has been able to be home on the weekends now so we are taking advantage of our time together by trying to come up with free things to do. Even just exploring home makes me feel more connected to where I grew up. I love being able to tell Everdeen all the stories from my own childhood and show her all of the places that have meant something to me.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend...maybe going on a little adventure of your own.