spring is in bloom!

we are thoroughly enjoying spring over here & hope you are too! i have loved shooting the 800+ photos i have taken in the last couple weeks & thought i would post a few of my favorites.

the above are the magnolia & pear trees in bloom, as well as a sea of daffodils.
here's my kids. love them so much. they are in a magnolia tree.
silly smiles! (i am just so happy they all looked at the camera!)
sunshine girl made a huge bouquet of dandelions. when we got home we put them in the wagon & walked to the train station because she wanted to pass them out to strangers. (too bad they were already drooping, but she definitely spread the sunshine & made people smile).
my favorite little mister had a ball climbing this awesome burr oak tree. 2 of the limbs were so big & heavy, they laid on the ground so it was like climbing up a bridge. so fun!
love this sweet shot of my pumpkin-poos exploring down the path.

the week before easter (during our spring break), i also had the opportunity to go back to the sheep farm with the kids to see 2 week old baby lammies! (lammies & puppies are pumpkin-poos favorite animals)

i had never seen such a young lamb & they were just beautiful. i also loved how the ewe would protect their young (by stomping her feet & trying to get between us & the lambs).

it was also so interesting for me to see them in person because in my reading through the old testament, i have just finished the laws, including sacrificial laws of animals to atone for sin, so to see these firstborn lambs & think of raising them & loving them tenderly for a year to only slaughter them at one year old was really mind boggling to me. (i would not make a good farmer at all.)

then, to think of Jesus as the lamb of God was even more meaningful right before easter! one interesting thing happened: when the farmer picked up a lamb, it literally went limp also in her arms & she spoke of the verse how He willingly gave up His life for us. some powerful hand's on lessons for me & my children!
after the farm, we went to my friend's house in the country & i could not resist their bulldog "diesel"! oh my, i have to get him into my art somehow! soooo cute.

and here are some new pieces i have just listed in my "be..." collection. they make a great grouping for a wall or series going down a hallway~
be joyful
be free
be peaceful
be thankful
be courageous
be romantic
be rooted
be transformed

grace & peace,
julie