Gut Check Time

This weekend, the weather here in Colorado asked the Little Hawks a question:

"How committed are you to running every single race in the Fall Series?"

Eli: "I see no reason for this running you speak of!"
Josh: "Is that snow and freezing temperatures I'll be running in? Hmm . . . not so much."

Emma and Hannah:

"We are SO in!!"
I am proud of you, my tough girls!

I'm not saying I understand what would possess a person to leave their warm jammies and run in freezing cold snow, but I really do admire your grit!

Rocket Dog

"I'm not the man they think I am at home . . .

Oh no no no I'm a rocket man . . .

Rocket maaaannnn burning up his fuse up here alone . . . "

That's Much Better . . .

Now this is more like it! Our resident genius photographer has discovered that using a certain person's brother to make him laugh during photo shoots is a surefire way to banish the weird picture face!

Although he works hard to hold it in:

He's no match:

Alright folks, show's over.

What is cooler than wearing my snowboots everywhere?

Wearing my brother's . . .

Rugby: "Em, didn't Mom tell you not to wear your snowboots hiking?"

B.D.E.

Best.Dog.
Ever. Ode To Rugby

Oh Rugby of the sweet golden eyes and soft fuzzy muzzle, you are the Best Dog Ever.

No gate or barrier is too heavy or secured so well that it cannot be knocked aside by your head - not because you are an idiot, as I've so often accused in a moment of baseless frustration, but because you are tenacious and crave my company always. When you bark incessantly at the neighbor's dog, it is because you are fastidious about securing your territory, and not because you are a stupid dog, as I've so often exclaimed in sleepy, early morning thoughtlessness! And when you curl your lip and refuse to return the friendly overtures of a sweet yellow Labrador Retriever, it's because you know that often looks can be deceiving, and trust no one who comes running uninvited toward your pack. And that time you ran away to nip at the haunches of that German Shepherd, what did he mean by running around in your field anyway? (He was bigger close up, wasn't he?)

You warm my feet, you make me laugh, you warm my heart.

You Are The Best Dog Ever.

Where Are The Boys??

Those of you familiar with my blog might be wondering where my two sons have gone. The title of the blog is still Four Little Hawks, yet the past few posts have featured only two of them.

Do they still live here?

Do we still love them?

Well, yes - and yes, we still love them very much indeed.

You see, the problem with posting pictures of the boys on the blog lately is just . . .

You know, it might be easier just to show you.

Lately, when Joel (aka the family photographer) asks the girls to model for him, you get lovely pictures like these:

Conversely, when you ask the boys to pose for a few shots, you get this:
And - Heaven save us - this:

Joshua insists that the 500 shots we have of the above "squinty face" cannot be helped, as he has light colored eyes that are sensitive to the sun. I would argue that he currently has two picture faces, "Squinty" and "Miserable", neither of which are nice to look at.

But Eli . . . oh Eli.

This is the boy with the million dollar, light up the world smile. Yet, you turn a camera on the boy and he assumes the expression of a brain addled lemur. In every picture. I'm convinced that when his future wife and children see pictures from his childhood, they will want to know when and how he recovered from his devastating brain injuries. No matter how many times I show him pictures of himself and try to explain that he should use his "real smile", this is what we get.

He actually had the nerve to act scandalized when I didn't want to order his school pictures this year, and demanded to know why. I don't know the sign for "brain addled lemur", so I just pointed to the proof and gave him the look.

He understood perfectly.

We Heart Snow Boots

Because they match perfectly with my spider hat . . .

And they make it easier for Daddy to catch me . . .

And they seem to say to the rest of the world, "Look at me! I'm an individual! Whether it's forty degrees outside or eighty, I'm gonna rock these snow boots, just because I can!"
I have recently discovered that there is no footwear quite so desirable as a heavy, hot pair of snow boots. I know this because every morning before school I find myself repeating the phrase,

"Take those snow boots off, your feet are going to roast!" to the general dejection of my daughters. I wonder what it is about them that makes them so fun - so worth exasperating your mother trying to sneak off to school in them? I think you have to be under the age of 10 to get it, so I'm not even going to try. I'm just going to sit back and enjoy my silly girls clomping around on a sunny day, bedecked in boots that, at least in Hannah's case - amount to half their body weight . . . and smile.

Little Miss

Sass

Good Pictures, According To Me

This first one is just for funsies, because it is SO rare to catch Eli actually smiling in a photograph. I hold fast to the hope that someday, all of the pictures he takes will have this, his actual smile, in them. We must have 500 or so photos of his "Picture Face", which gives one impression that he has been constipated for several years and becomes increasingly miserable with each passing second.

Joel and I have an ongoing conflict as to what makes a good picture. When looking over his latest pictures, I'll point out the ones I especially like and he tells me why they aren't Good. Maybe it is a manifestation of my ignorance of the Art of Photography, but for me what makes a picture Good is that I like it.
Simple, right?
If it's a nature shot, it has to evoke some sort of emotion for me to declare it "Good".
If it's a portrait - does it capture a part of the personality of it's subject?
If so, then I declare it "Good".
Don't trouble me with tales of faulty framing, or how the lighting could have been better. I'm a busy Mom, and I don't have time for such things.
Here are three more pictures that I think are . . .

Good.

Aren't they?

I'm Back . . . I Hope!

I'd pretty much given up on updating my blog, in case you hadn't noticed! I originally set it up to keep grandparents living out of town up to date on pictures and what the kids were up to. However, the only grandparent who ever looked at it (my Mom) is now living here, so I really couldn't see the point! Now that the kids are all in school full time, I thought I'd give it another shot and see if I could be more faithful updating it. I won't even attempt to catch up, I'm too far behind! So, here are two big events since my last update. The first, Hannah learned to ride her bike!

Go Hannah!

Next on my list of "Big News" is that Joel and I have finally discovered an upside to him working the night shift. The kids are in school, so we get to go on dates every week! Yep that's right - every week! After over a decade of trying to squeeze in a date every few months if we were lucky, this has been wonderful!Speaking of Joel, he has really been taking some gorgeous pictures lately, which is another reason I couldn't resist resuming the blog - I've just got to share these!

Here are a couple of my recent favorites:

I plan on uploading some more in a separate post, I don't know if Blogger is working differently or if it's just funky today, but I'm having issues with moving the pictures around the text.

It's Because They're Cute!

Our dogs are not allowed on the couch!

So why do you constantly see pictures of our dogs lounging on the couch? I don't know, it's one of the many unexplained mysteries in my life.

Hiking With Daddy!

Joel has really gotten into photography, and I think he is really very talented. Eli, ever the observant one, has been collaborating with him on things like composition and framing. So, on this last hiking trip, Joel let Eli use the old camera. He was thrilled, and had a ball taking pictures! Isn't he adorable?

If you haven't guessed yet, "Hiking With Daddy" is going to be a regular installment of the blog, especially when summer arrives and the days are warmer and longer. The kids love to hike, Joel loves to hike, and it gives me the treat of having some alone time at the house. Everyone wins!