b i r d s

Today we strolled over to Talbert Nature Preserve. We went there initially to fly Shane's kite but the wind was not cooperating with us today. So, instead we went for a walk and bird watched. This first photo of a turkey vulture reminds me Mary's old header. And speaking of Mary, have you read her series on Cultural Appropriation? If not, you can read it here. I was one of the contributors and thoroughly enjoyed what she and the other ladies shared. Lots of amazing animal stories and much more!


I was most excited to see this Red-shouldered Hawk in action. Man he/she was fast! It sped by right over our heads but unfortunately my camera could not keep up with it. Occasions like this make me wish I had one of those super lenses but I'm very grateful to have the camera and lenses I do have. My camera is actually my Mom's. She's been "loaning" it to me for over 2 years...thank you Ma! I use it almost every day :)


Here's Marianne right before she started crying for 20 minutes straight. I'm proud to say that I remained calm through her tears which doesn't always happen. I'm easily irritated...I'll admit it, but today I kept the irritation at bay. She was tired and fell asleep immediately when we got in the car.


And here is a newer dress I thrifted a couple weeks ago. It's pretty much everything I was looking for and should fit me through this pregnancy. I also wanted to thank you for all your nice comments on my last post. I haven't responded yet but will. It's refreshing to know I'm not alone in the weight gain department. I swear every woman I see on social media is a size xs while pregnant and that's awesome for them (I sincerely mean that) but it leads me to compare and we all know where that road leads. Having your body change so drastically is a humbling experience, one I'm still trying to embrace even on my 5th pregnancy :)

♥anne