Sundog sighting

SUNDOG :  Parhelion.  A small, nearly round halo on the parhelic circle most frequently just outside the halo of 22 degrees.

This is what we had the joy of viewing on the way to school and work this morning.  It was so amazing!  I've seen smaller ones a time or two before, but never one so large.  Unfortunately I only had the not-so-great camera on my phone with me to photograph it, (and please excuse how dirty my windshield is in the first photo!) but I'm happy that I got these photos anyway to remember it by.

Tuesday Trivia - what's on my crochet hook today?

Tonight I've been working on crocheting a ladybug hat for Girl 2.  Once a month our school has a 'Hat Day'.  Students get to wear a hat all day in exchange for a donation of change which goes to Pennies for Patients, a wonderful program that supports kids in MN, ND and SD that have Leukemia and Lymphoma.

Each month I have fun making a new hat for my girls to wear to school on Hat Day.  Sometimes I let them choose what they'd like me to make for them, and other times I'll find a cute pattern that I surprise them with. This month Girl 2 requested a ladybug hat.  Girl 1 is still trying to decide what she wants.  :)

For this hat I'm using Lion Brand's Vanna's Choice yarn in Cranberry and Black, a 5.50mm hook, and my own pattern.

And a fun bit of ladybug trivia for you... did you know that ladybugs 'bleed' from their knees when threatened?  When startled, a ladybug seeps a toxic mix of alkaloids from its leg joints, thus deterring potential predators from an otherwise tasty meal.

and Girl 2's turn...

Girl 2 wanted a turn to be Photographer too, so they reversed roles, however this time, "mom" (played by Girl 1) was rather bored, apparently, and just gave Girl 2, Photographer, free rein to do what she wanted in her session, ha ha!!  It was so much fun to watch both of them taking their turn at doing what I love doing!  :)

Photos by Girl 2, Photographer  :)

Girl 1, Photographer

After my mini sessions with Girl 1 and Girl 2, they decided they wanted to "open up" their own studio.  I love how much they've learned from watching what I do.  Girl 2 was the "mom" who brought her baby to the studio.  Girl 1, Photographer, chose a cute hat to match the baby's outfit, and then arranged the baby gently in a basket lined with a soft, fluffy blanket.  When she was ready, she removed the pacifier from the baby's mouth, (baby was a little fussy in the beginning) while "mom" stood behind the photographer and distracted the baby with an M&M to get her to smile.  (ok, so I don't use M&M's with babies to get them to smile, just so you know, but I have been known to get a smile or two out of a two year old with one!)  ;)  After trying a few different angles and shots, the photographer announced she had gotten enough photos and gave the baby back to "mom".  The last photo here is from Girl 1, Photographer's sneak peek!  :)

 

Photo by Girl 1, Photographer  :)

And then it was Girl 1's turn... I love this girl and her beautiful expressions too!  :)

A girl and her elephants

It's been awhile since I've done a mini session with Girl 1 and Girl 2, so while Girl 2 was busy playing with her elephant family, I picked up my camera and started clicking.  I love the concentration it takes to stack elephants, and the joy when she was done!                                                                                                              

Boys times two

I had the great honor of photographing my lovely niece this morning.  Not only is she sweet, funny, and looks beautiful pregnant, she is also expecting twin boys!  The nursery is decorated in cute little monster decor, so the boys are already being affectionately nicknamed "little monsters".  :)  I can't wait to meet their "little monsters" next month!

 

Baby A

This little darling was a joy to photograph this morning.  She was wide awake and alert when I first got there, but it wasn't long before she soon slipped into baby dreamland.  Sweet dreams, Baby A.

Frozen Bubbles

For the last two days we have had arctic temperatures here.  Lows have been in the -20's, with wind chills double that, and our highs during the day hadn't gone above the minus teens.  Today we finally made it above zero (although not by much!) so I decided to take my camera outside for a few minutes and blow some bubbles.  They quickly crystallized into some pretty designs before collapsing in on themselves.

Baby Z

Some wonderful friends of mine were blessed with this precious little baby boy a week ago.  Thank you for allowing me the honor of photographing him for you.  He's simply beautiful.  Congratulations!