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!

Colorful Joy Christmas Card

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i heart faces: raise your hands

boys will be boys.  and this boy was making mudpies for his mommy.  :) they were delicious! ha.  head on over to i heart faces and check out the other entries.

insta.fun

feeling a little uninspired with my camera lately, but i seem to always have my phone.  i love my iPhone.  i will never go back to any other kind of phone after having this one for 2 years now.  part of the fun is all of the cool apps.  if you were to look on my phone, the camera apps would far outnumber the others.  that being said, one of my favorites is instagram.  it's just a fun app where you can take photos, add a filter to them if you like, and then share them to your personal feed, facebook, twitter, etc.  i'm always looking for new fun photo apps.  what are some of your favorites? along with instagram i've got best camera, camera+, shake it photo, hipstamatic, cross process, shutterfly, and photoshop.  here are some of my instagram snapshots. :)

i heart faces: soft & sweet

this week's theme is soft and sweet.  i decided that sweet little Aiden playing quietly with his trains at our last family reunion would be my entry.  his beautiful eyes are so soft and innocent and he looks (and is) so sweet.  be sure to head over to i heart faces to check out the other entries. :)