Aging with Grace and strong Will

837 - my last post

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 17:39:00 +0000

"The journey is the reward." ~ Chinese Proverb

This is my 837th blog post, and the last one.

It was August 2007 that I wrote my first post on 'Aging with Grace and strong Will.'

I certainly found my voice

about adoption, attachment, my children, and then visually through photography.

I've met some incredible friends through this blog, many of them lifelong ones and Will's entire adoption trip in 2008 was documented here too. So this blog is precious to me

and I will be getting it printed into book form.

Blogging has changed a lot since those former days and I will still be posting

but now it'll be here at my brand new blog, A Mother's Art Photography.

Photography is a lifelong journey for me

and I will continue to write about our life, my children and some of my favorite photography sessions. I will also write about what inspires me to capture some of photos that I do

and even how I shoot them.

I hope you'll follow me on this journey.

And just because I had to post some sort of photo, the above is some of our February,

Instagram style.

1. Mr. Will drawing Wolverine (his current fave Super Hero). 2. Colorful Ranunculus flowers. 3. A serious Will waiting at the doctor's office for a pre-op physical. 4. Cool brick wall and arched windows in an antique store that I was browsing. 5. Grace and her friend Izzy dressed in costumes at their 5th grade musical. 6. Grace up on stage, she was a Thai Lantern Girl in the production. 7. Photos for Will's Star of the Week timeline, he helped me chose photos for it. 8. Will right before he left for the OR for an oral surgery he had last week. 9. A pensive Will looking out the window.

Will is fully recovered and did great.

He has a palate surgery coming up in the next 1-2 years.

I am on Instagram, here if you'd like to follow me and see what we're up to.
Thank you for the last 6 plus years.

xoxo
Gail

A Little Reprieve from our Cabin Fever (7/52 - 52 Project)

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 20:32:00 +0000

On one of our very rare above zero days we decided to

venture out to frozen Lake Mendota.

The sun was shining and Grace and William quickly

grabbed icicles and had a little pretend swordfight.

I got to thinking that writing their names or drawing in the snow is

similar to what they do at the beach in the sand.

Only instead of wearing snow gear they have their

swimsuits on.

If you didn't know the lake was completely frozen over

you might think it was a gigantic field of snow.

Until you see the fishing shacks, piers pulled out of the water

and boats in dry dock.

It was fun to take a walk out on that big lake

and get out of the house for an hour.

Winters in the northern Midwest are cold and long but March is just around the corner.

And we are thankful for that.

Winter Sunset (Sunday Snapshot & 6/52 - Project 52)

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 20:46:00 +0000

I feel like we've been hibernating lately.

We stay indoors almost all the time.

It's just way too cold to go outside

and definitely too cold to be outside taking photos.

Taken a few evenings ago of Grace in the amazing light as the sun was setting

behind the trees

showing these purple and golden hues.

We stayed outside for exactly 5 minutes.

I do notice the daylight is lasting longer.

Hey, Spring arrives in 38 days!

135mm lens - 3.2

1/500

ISO 800

Gung Hay Fat Choy! 5/52 - Project 52

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 02:08:00 +0000

Wishing you health, prosperity, and happiness

in this Year of the Horse!

We're very lucky in that we get to spend the upcoming weekend

with our beloved China travel group at a hotel,

swimming, eating and celebrating.

Grace was born in the Year of the Horse as were all the other children adopted

in her travel group.

We have known these wonderful families now

for over 10 years.

Hope you are doing something fun to bring in the new year!

An Assortment of Photos (Sunday Snapshot & 4/52 Project)

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 03:26:00 +0000

So as I had these grandiose plans of taking my two youngest outside this

week for some photos in the snow.

That obviously didn't happen.

Old man Winter has decided to hit us again with another "polar vortex"

otherwise known as being "too damn cold outdoors for any living creature."

So we stay inside, that's our only choice.

I decided to take my mind to a better place

and photograph still life.

And get real comfortable shooting indoors for a while.

This week I decided to get my Etsy shop

up and running.

It's something I've been asked about and I figured

it was about time.

My shop is called amothersartphoto

and I have about 24 fine art photography prints

that are available.

It's an eclectic assortment, some of them

vintage inspired, some travel and some of China.

There will be more prints added in the weeks and months to come.

I would be flattered if you'd stop by and 'favorite' (click on the little heart)

of my shop.

Thank you!

Color (Sunday Snapshot & 3/52 Project)

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Sun, 19 Jan 2014 14:46:00 +0000

Blessed are the happiness makers.

Blessed are they who know how to shine.

~ Henry Ward Beecher

Just a little color.

Well, because it's Winter and I live in Wisconsin

and though the snow is beautiful

we all need to see some color every day.

These fresh little flowers are called Acacia.

I love blue and yellow together, maybe it's my

Swedish heritage?

i heart faces - Best Face of 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 22:44:00 +0000

Of the many photos that I take every year of my children,

it was difficult to choose just one for the I Heart Faces Best Face of 2013.

I kept going back to this one of my daughter Grace.

My joyful girl.

Please stop by I Heart Faces and take a look.

Light and Dark (Sunday Snapshot & 2/52 Project)

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 23:51:00 +0000

Penny for her thoughts.

As light is a precious commodity here in Winter

as it doesn't last long and we can have some grey, overcast skies.

When I see the opportunity to use a little window light, I use it.

Taken last Wed. before we left for ballet.

I love the way the light falls off her face

and the dark gently wraps around her as if to give her a hug.

Making the Best of It (Sunday Snapshot)

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 20:33:00 +0000

As the Upper Midwest is just about to turn into the North Pole temperature wise.

We are staying inside our warm and toasty home.

School is cancelled tomorrow and probably will be Tuesday.

When Dan and I were young and couldn't go outside because it was too cold,

we played board games, cards, read books, did crafts, and teased our siblings.

(And who said swinging was just for Summer?)

Tomorrow we plan on baking cookies, maybe do some crafts with Grace,

and I'm sure there will be some playing on ipods and the Wii.

These (obviously) were taken when it wasn't 50 degrees below zero

like it will be tomorrow.

Please stay safe everyone!

project 52 - frost and snow (1/52)

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 15:56:00 +0000

Bitter cold and a

new dusting of snow...still, I

remember summer

~ Charles de Lint

It started snowing here in early December.

Wisconsin folks are probably experts about snow and frost (if there's such a thing),

and I'm amazed at the different kinds.

And because I'm a detail person I suppose that's why I notice these things.

This recent one arrived and is called

a 'hoar frost.'

These incredibly beautiful fern-like ice crystals form on the snow,

tree branches, wires or any frozen solid surface.

The best part of capturing the frost was the walk I took.

Peacefully quiet and calm.

I decided to commit to a project 52 this year and

possibly take one photo a day in February, but will see

about that.

35mm 1.4 lens

f 2.8

ISO 400

1/8000

Oh, almost forgot to say Happy New Year

and I hope that 2014 is a good one.

Merry Merry! (Sunday Snapshot)

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 17:57:00 +0000

Well it definitely was a Merry one.

All those days of preparation, shopping, wrapping, baking and cooking...

then it's over awfully fast.

And all that getting ready is worth every single second,

to see their faces.

We had a quiet, low key Christmas with my own family,

(Dan, me, Nick, his girlfriend Lindsay, Grace and William).

I put my camera down after I took these and didn't pick it up again,

which is good for me to do now and then.

Over the weekend we spent Saturday at my parents house with my 3 siblings

and their families.

A very, very fun evening and as always I laugh till I cry

when I'm with my two brothers and sister Betsy.

I hope everyone's Christmas was lovely!

Birthday Boy!

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 10:00:00 +0000

There are very few birthday photos of Will without

him near our Christmas tree.

Will is our Christmas baby.

Recently I asked Will a few questions and thought I'd share them ~

What do you like about the fact that your birthday is on Christmas Day?

(Will) I love that it's Jesus' birthday and it's when the baby King was born.
I also

really like to get presents.

What are your favorite subjects in school?(he loves school)

(Will) Math and Science. Mostly I like them because I love to learn new things and

how to figure out how things work.

Who's your current favorite Superhero or Crime Fighter?

(Will) It's a tie between Batman and Wolverine.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

(Will) A Scientist, rock star, athlete, and Doctor

We have no doubt that William will accomplish all those things and more!

This mom hopes for the doctor, I dream of him helping children someday.

Happy Birthday sweet boy, we love you to the moon and back!

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 10:00:00 +0000

"Christmas my child, is love in action."

~ Dale Evans

May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,
The gladness of Christmas give you hope,

The warmth of Christmas grant you love.

~ Author Unknown

Behind all the commercial-ism of the season
is the simple story about a family trying to get through difficult times.
And a baby born in a manger.

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

~ Luke 2:10-11

Merry Christmas!

May you find the blessings of Christmas - peace, love and hope...today and always.

with love,

Dan, Gail, Nick, Grace and William

The Nutcracker (Sunday Snapshot)

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Sun, 22 Dec 2013 15:06:00 +0000

It's one of those traditions that started over 25 years ago, before I had children.

I've had this love for the Nutcracker for many years and would attend productions pretty much everywhere we lived.

This is the 6th year that Grace and I have attended our local Nutcracker
put on by the Madison Ballet.
We've gotten where we both can anticipate each and every
dance and are never disappointed.
I'm hoping it's a tradition we can continue and maybe
next year bring Will (if he's up for it).

Taken shortly before we left yesterday.
Grace was playing with two of her Nutcracker ornaments from

the little tree in her room.

Merry Christmas!
We are getting a white one with a big snowstorm that's
hitting Wisconsin just as I write this.

Getting into the Christmas Spirit (Sunday Snapshot)

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Sun, 15 Dec 2013 23:49:00 +0000

“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!”

~ Dr. Suess, How the Grinch Stole Christmas

I've often wondered, what is the Christmas spirit?
What does that mean?
It seems like people are happier, kinder
and more giving.
It's a shame that it goes away after Christmas is over.
Maybe we can all try to keep Christmas in our hearts
all year round.

These were all taken this week...

the bits and pieces that I saw of Christmas around me.

Vintage tree decorations that come from my mother in law's family,

Will's school Christmas program, Grace performing at a benefit for a local

charity that helps families, and the lights at a nearby tree lot.

I see Christmas in all the details.

I leave shortly to photograph the live Nativity at our church tonight.

I hope you see Christmas around you.

Keeping Christmas in my Heart(Sunday Snapshot)

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Sun, 08 Dec 2013 04:03:00 +0000

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.

~ Charles Dickens

As much as I enjoy seeing the Christmas decorations and giving gifts to people I love.

It is easy to feel a lot of pressure to get the decorating & shopping done, the cards sent, the presents wrapped and all of the other activities going on this time of year.

Unfortunately, it is way too easy to forget about the reason for the season.

Getting out into the quiet of the snow with Grace was a great way to get back to what is really important: love, family, simple beauty and God.

The blessings of the season are with us everyday.

We should try to enjoy them as much as we can.
Time passes so quickly and these days will be fond memories before we know it.

A Christmas Carol

The shepards had an angel,
The wise men had a star;
But what have I, a little child,
To guide me home from far,
Where glad stars sing together,
And singing angels are?

~ Christina Rossetti
written in 1856

Tradition (Sunday Snapshot)

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Mon, 02 Dec 2013 17:12:00 +0000

At Christmas, all roads lead home.

~Marjorie Holmes

Growing up my family had the tradition of cutting
down our Christmas tree and as the years have gone by
and I now have my own family, we've continued it.
We moved to Wisconsin 8 years ago when Grace
was a little one of 3. That year Dan carried her
through the tree farm and it was bitter cold!
We still go to the same farm to find our tree and now
my two youngest definitely help and voice their own opinion
on which is the perfect tree.
This year the tree we chose is the tallest we've ever had.

I think I love this entire experience so much because
we get to drink yummy hot apple cider and
the fragrance of the fresh trees outdoors always
speaks of Christmas to me.

(Taken yesterday afternoon, the hazy light was gorgeous)

Sunday Snapshot (Thankful)

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 11:00:00 +0000

As I write this November is 2/3 over and Thanksgiving
is nearly here.
I realize that I almost got through this month without doing another blog post
but decided to get this one in.
It's been a busy month for me for various reasons, but not too busy to reflect a little bit about
what I'm thankful for...

I'm thankful that Will is a happy person and that he surprises me almost everyday.
The things he knows and asks about, the things he thinks about and does - always make me smile
and wonder how we got him.
I'm thankful that Will is smart and kind - it will make his road a little easier. I'm thankful that he has a strong belief in God - it will give him strength through hard times. I'm thankful that Will loves his family - it makes our Wisconsin winters a bit warmer.
And finally I'm thankful that I get to be his mom.

No Tricks, all Treats (Sunday Snapshot)

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Sat, 02 Nov 2013 16:14:00 +0000

October,

tuck tiny candy bars in my pockets

and carve my smile into a thousand pumpkins.... Merry October!

~Rainbow Rowell

Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story.

~Mason Cooley

They start talking about Halloween starting in early September,

and Will usually has thought of what he'd like to dress up a good 6 months

before Halloween. His costumes get a lot of wear as he wears them at home frequently.

This year he went as Ironman and Grace is a 'Weeping Angel.'

I took very few photos of our Halloween evening because it was a rainy one but it didn't stop my trick or treaters by any means.

Probably my favorite image was the candid one below as they checked out their loot in between houses.

It may have rained but they still had a great time!

October snapshots (iphone style)

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Sat, 12 Oct 2013 14:16:00 +0000

October is almost halfway over.

We're in a good routine and my kiddos have been great about getting up early to get

ready for school

and completing their homework in the afternoons.

Dare I say this...we are about 10 weeks away from Christmas.

1. Top left. 'Bruce Wayne' in black and white. 2. Grace making

lemon sugar cookies for her classroom (she has become quite the baker).

3. Ballet has started again for Grace. I have finally mastered the ballet bun

for her hair. 4. Gourds and mini pumpkins. 5. Grace with a sequined kitty cat mask.

6. We made a quick trip to Chicago for a girls China friends get together.

7. 'Frenemies' Jack kitty and Zoe dog, they rarely get this close together. Usually Zoe is

chasing the cat. 8. The leaves are starting to fall here. 9. Sweet little farm stand selling pumpkins.

I wish Fall lasted longer than it does, but for now we are savoring every

moment of it.

Welcome Autumn (Sunday Snapshot)

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Sun, 06 Oct 2013 10:00:00 +0000

If you stand still outside you can hear it...
Winter's footsteps, the sound of falling leaves.

~ unknown

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came,

The Ashes, Oaks, and Maples, And leaves of every name.

The sunshine spread a carpet,
And every thing was grand;
Miss Weather led the dancing;

Professor Wind, the band....
The sight was like a rainbow
New-fallen from the sky....

~ George Cooper, "October's Party"

Autumn is here in Wisconsin.
This week our yellow leaves popped,
next will be the oranges and reds.

It's my favorite season for many reasons but
as a photographer I notice the light is low in the sky, golden
and delicious in color.
This week I took Grace out to a new location and loved the light in the trees.
I can't get enough of seeing these Fall colors
and spending as much time as we can as a family
outdoors.

Little Boys and Football

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 22:33:00 +0000

A Mom's Observations About Flag Football

(Now Will is the first of my 3 children to try flag football,

so it's new too me. These are some things I noticed)

~ There's quite a bit of energy out on that field of little boys

and it's not necessarily going in the right direction

~ Pulling a flag seems to be harder than tackling

~ There is some little boy that cries on every play(after all they're only 7)

~ The favorite play is "RUN!"

Will might be small but he's quite fast.

And it's really been a joy to watch him play.

It's all about Apples (Sunday Snapshot)

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 09:00:00 +0000

When the bold branches
Bid farewell to rainbow leaves
Welcome wool sweaters.

~ B. Cybrill

Fall has finally arrived in our neck of the woods.

Why do I love Fall so much?
Maybe because for us Midwesterners it's 'just right' as in not too cold,
not too hot and humid, and not too rainy.

Cool nights and bright blue skies have arrived.

So to celebrate Fall's arrival we made a little trip to a local farm that offers apple picking.
This is a new place for us this year.
The one we used to frequent had gotten crazy busy and

we were pleasantly surprised by the Appleberry Farm.

Now, what do I do with all these apples?
No worries, our two apple picking helpers have plenty of yummy ideas!

I need to get busy. :)

Celebrating Her Special day(Sunday Snapshot)

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 13:11:00 +0000

Grace turned 11 in early August.
That month for us was a crazy busy one with our vacation,
a trip into Chicago, me making a brief trip to Florida to see a friend
and getting ready for school so

we elected to have her party last weekend.

We had it at a 'Kid Spa' in Madison
where the girls were pampered with manicures,
a glittery faux tattoo, and their choice of a little bit of
makeup to wear.

Oh and their choice of flavor of ice cream.

You can tell by the big smiles all around that they all had a GREAT time!

I love every single one of Grace's sweet friends

and we cherish their friendships.

At an age where Grace still loves to play with her American Girl dolls
but would like to start wearing a little makeup,
she is definitely a tween.
And I'm taking in every moment of this time in her life.

School Days

noreply@blogger.com (Gail) — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 19:35:00 +0000

School started last week here in Wisconsin.

Mr. Will is now in 2nd grade and Grace is at a new school (Intermediate) for 5th grade.

Will was happy to be back and loves his teacher.

After two weeks, we've settled into the routine of homework and after school activities
pretty well.
And Grace has her first 'official' locker ever,
which she's decorated quite nicely.
She's done great with this transition to a different school, all new teachers
and principal.
We couldn't be more proud of her!

(Walking home after getting off the bus, the first day of school).

I'm way behind on blogging but hope to get caught up next week.