Our weekend...

Our weekend started out with beautiful weather and sunshine, but quickly turned into thunderstorms and downpours. Despite the tumultuous weather, we were able to enjoy ourselves and have some family time together. We went to the Frederik Meijer Gardens with the main purpose of seeing their butterfly conservatory. I had hoped to get out into the gardens themselves, but with the weather, that was never accomplished. We did, however, get to see many beautiful butterflies even though it was on the end of their life-cycle.

My camera also decided to act up again, so I was unable to get some of pictures that I would have liked to have gotten. I was very jealous of two gentlemen in particular who had very expensive cameras, with very large lenses. I'm sure that they went home with more than several pictures to be proud of. I felt very obscure with my little Rebel and macro lens. Someday!

My little caterpillar

And her sibling Caterpillar

Don't know what was up with the tongue, but it was out in more pictures than not.

The girls had a chance to be butterflies themselves! Sometimes I feel like I'm chasing a couple of butterflies around my house. : )

The flowers were absolutely magnificent and bigger than most flowers that I have seen in my entire life. These pictures are far from giving them justice.

One of the many butterflies that we saw.

I have no idea how on earth this frog was able to stay on this leaf in that position, but he wasn't budging!

A picture of the outdoor gardens that I was able to snatch through an open window.

Camera troubles solved!

Well, hopefully they are over! At least I was able to capture some special moments last night between Kirah and Papa. The light was perfect if I was at the right angle. Some of the shots turned out, other didn't. I still have a lot to learn, but learning is fun. : )

Playing toss me in the air, Papa!

Wheeeee!!

I love this shot!

She loves to talk on the phone!

Being silly!

Camera troubles....

Well, I'm sorry to say that I've been having camera troubles so I probably won't be able to post pictures until I've figured out what exactly is the problem. It's not a new problem. It has occurred in the past, but I had thought that I had fixed it. Apparently not! You have no idea how hard it is for me to not be able to take pictures! Especially now that the weather is finally getting nicer and Spring is most definitely making it's arrival...ever so slowly. : ) I'm sure though, that by the time that I have FINALLY had my camera troubles settled once and for all, I will have, hopefully, many new pictures to share!

Ice cream, milk shakes, and fun times...

Today was a gorgeous spring day here in Cadillac. It was a bit on the chilly side with the wind that was blowing but we would definitely rather have sunny skies, warmer temps, and a little wind to deal with rather than the pop-up snowstorms that have been occurring ever since the first day of spring. It was even warm enough for, what else, ice cream! When isn't it warm enough for ice cream?! The girls, of course, loved their strawberry shake and Mama and Papa LOVED their Midnight Truffle Blizzard. Yummo!

After our trip for ice cream, we headed back to the house and took a walk around the neighborhood. We stopped at the house of long-time family friends, the Kitson's, and had a wonderful time of fellowship. The girls had a blast playing with the grandkids and even got a chance to 'play' the piano. A piano is definitely going to be a must for our house!

Here are a couple of pictures that Spring truly is arriving in Caddy! The crocuses are blooming!

And.....just a cool sign pic!

What cuddlers...

The girls have been much cuddlier with us and with each other by far lately. It's such a wonderful age to watch them as they develop and grow into their own little personalities. Just a couple of days ago they sat down to watch a movie together and wanted to cuddle up while watching. It was so precious, and of course, I had to catch it on my camera! Here are a few of my favorites.

Love this face!

Look at the extreeeeeemmmmeee concentration!

The Girls' Fish

Ok, so these are not the very first fish that we got them...numerous versions of 'Charlie' and 'Mary Poppins' have "gone bye-bye," but I've finally found the time to get a couple of pictures of the one fish and one of the two shrimp that we have left. We plan on getting some more fish, but have been waiting to see how long the present ones make it through the girls torture. Nya decided to dump half a dozen strawberries in the tank the other day. The shrimp were in strawberry heaven, but Mama was horrified. : ) The pictures are not the best as the tank is very small and hard to get a good shot, but at least you get the idea.

Be forwarned...if you have never seen a shrimp in real life, they are quite ugly. They definitely serve a purpose though.

Making Memories

Nya has never been one to want to cuddle for very long. Recently though, she has been sitting for longer and asking us to sit with her. Just the other day was one of those instances, and as they have been so rare in the past, I took the opportunity to capture that memory on film.