exploration

king and i love to explore. we frequently stop the car on our way to somewhere and get out and explore. or we walk and discover neat areas, that i'm sure most everyone else thinks are just silly old places or fields. but, we have found fossils, a geode, and a bunch of cool spots, most of which are very near our home. a bonus is this is a good time to strap on my camera (or iPhone) and shoot. we pretend we are looking for clues, chasing bad guys, or we just plain old explore. one sunday we went to the YMCA near our house to feed the ducks and discovered a whole new area to wade and throw rocks. 

my gorgeous boy. i love this image of you. 

seeking refuge from the geese

water baby can't stay away from the water

i love this time with king. i am a science girl at heart and i love teaching him what i know about rocks, digging in the dirt and just being one with nature. i hope to instill a love of science in kingston too. and now that the days are longer and the temps warmer, we are back to taking our "jammie walks" quite frequently.  sure, i've got plenty to do before bed, (read: dishes, laundry, etc) but when he's older, i won't have this time with him. i take full advantage every chance i get. i could listen to him talk for hours. he's smart and funny and just so sweet. and maybe someday, he'll take his kid(s) on jammie walks and adventures too. 

4 years

so, i've had a hard time composing this post. you turned four last month in February. FOUR!! and for some reason, as the years go on, the birthdays are becoming a little more bittersweet. i guess it's because it means another year closer to you being grown. i know each year comes with it's own challenges and sweet victories, milestones and growth, but you are my one and only child, so i just cherish every single thing that you do. but, i LOVE birthdays and as i mentioned in the last post, your Daddy had to be out of town and I wanted your day to be extra special. it started off with balloons (again-this year you requested them which made me smile. guess that means they were a hit last year) and birthday cinnamon rolls complete with sprinkles and a candle to blow out.  you opened some presents and we got ready for school. you were so excited to have your little celebration there with cupcakes. i love that you love your teachers and your school. it makes me feel very comfortable with the decisions our family has made for you.
we had fun at your school party, then came home to play with your new toys and when i asked you where you wanted to eat for dinner, the answer was...chik-fil-a. shocker! so, to chik-fil-a we went. we ended our date with frozen yogurt and went home for the nightly routine.
we shared mommy's bed the whole time that daddy was gone. i love that you are a snuggler. sometimes, in the middle of the night, you'll call out "mommy, snuggle me!" to which i am always happy to oblige.

testing out my remote for my camera and wanting to capture a photo of us together, on your birthday. baxter just has to be where you are, so there he is. 

daddy came home from his trip and we had a fun weekend planned. we drove to new braunfels and checked into a hotel for an early morning of fun at the natural bridge wildlife safari. i don't have many pictures from this , as i was too busy feeding the animals. ha! so fun!

the next weekend we had a little party planned at a "jumpy" place (your request).  i was a little iffy on this as i am not a huge fan, but i figured it's what you wanted so, why not? well, it was a complete hit with you and your friends! and i could not have been more proud of you.  you ran off to play with kane before your guests started arriving, but each time a friend showed up, i went to find you and you would then run to greet them and invite them to come play with you. such a little host. i have a few photos but mostly you were just a blur. running, laughing, jumping, and playing. as you should have been. we all enjoyed your scooby doo cake and then we packed it up to go home eat dinner and visit with our friends, the Tabbs.

taking a breather, right in the  middle of the walkway. 

Make a wish, sweet boy. 

you with one of your Godparents- David 

We ended the weekend on Sunday, at the Austin Kite Festival.  One of my favorite festivals here, it's always the first Sunday in March. And the weather is almost always beautiful.  This year did not disappoint.

Hundreds of kites decorated the sky (and the trees) in Zilker Park.  It's just a super fun family affair.  And we were glad to share it with the Tabbs.  All in all, it was a fantastic couple of weeks of birthday celebration. And still almost 2 months later, you joke and pretend it's your birthday. You may be ready for another, but I'm not sure that I am. I'm going to enjoy soaking up the 4 year old you for now.

just us

 so...for a whole week, it was just king and i. daddy had to go out of town to 2 different conferences so we held down the fort. and...it's still standing! ha! actually we are pretty used to this and i secretly cherish these times where it's just the two of us. do not get me wrong, i love it when we are all together-nothing beats that. but, when it's just kingston and i, it's special.  and because his 4th birthday fell into this week, my snuggles were a little tighter, we found a little more adventure, and somehow, when i didn't think it was possible, we bonded a little closer.  king is my most  favorite person to hang out with in the history of ever. i am so enjoying living life through his little eyes that are just full of wonder. what an awesome week it was! (let it be known that the feelings of triumph and happiness were balanced with exhaustion and dirty dishes. all worth it.)

target makes me happy too.

target...how we love thee. let us list the ways (items we'll be needing). best shopping partner ever right here.

and a few un-instagrammed iPhone shots from our week. 

reading to your class, adventure at a new park, bubble bath, and your last night as a 3 year old.

we will finish up kingston's 4th birthday celebrations this weekend! happy week to all! 

my happy places

sometimes photos create the illusion that lives are perfect and i think it's important to recognize that they are not.  take for instance, my instagram feed. (@angdoran79 if you IG too)  it's mostly full of my joys, prides, and loves. is it an accurate reflection of my life? yes and no. it is absolutely an outlet for me to find and share the happiness and joy in my life. that's the thing about me-i'm a glass half full kind of girl. always looking for the bright side, an optimist. my happy little feed does not tell you that my heart hurts so badly right now because of a situation that is out of my control. but it's there. or that i've been aching for a baby for the last 3 years...nah, it doesn't. my photography and my family are my happy places-where i go to escape life's sometimes ugly realities.  someone once told me "it's not what happens to you, but how you handle it." and while i am not always handling the things the right way, i try to always keep that in mind. and i have my share of crummy days but even on those days, i'm still looking for the beauty. life is just too short.

Feeding the ducks.  The geese were a little pushy and K wasn't really down with that. Also, Daddy got goosed. Ha!! 

gloomy morning turned fun

Lining up the shot with Daddy

a little after nap playtime 

when?

when did you get so big, kingston thomas? you are now almost 4 years old, and though it's been coming, it is so apparent lately that you are becoming a big boy. you moved up to pre-k a couple of weeks ago and shock me in the most delightful ways on a daily basis. sometimes i am so torn between being so, so very proud of you and a little sad that i cannot just freeze time for a while.  life with you is so much more than i ever imagined it would be. you and i, we go together like peanut butter and jelly-which is coincidentally one of your favorites.  

we stopped to take a few photos to document this little milestone. 

backyard picnic

you still love the bath. these days you love to make potions out of anything and everything. my little scientist.

soooo almost 4

it's been a while

ok so even though i have not been blogging, we are still very much here and living life.  check out kingston's 3rd year album here. i am currently working on the 4th year and will have it complete soon as well. these are a favorite of mine to make and i hope that someday he will cherish them as much as i do. 

Merry Christmas!

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