Beauty in the Everyday

As much as I'd love to blog about more interesting and worldly topics, I usually just end up sharing about special events in our family, the ones that force me to get out the camera and the ones I want to have in our collective memory...holidays, birthdays, new pets, trips, park visits, and family outings. But I really love the Instagram phone app because it challenges me to snap photos of the everyday moments and to find beauty in them. 

It's often hard as a mom to find beauty in those mundane moments throughout the day. It's much easier to find annoyances, frustrations, things out of place, eyesores in the house, and areas (or people) that need tidying! I tend to have a critical eye, but I need to train it to be more of a beauty-finding eye! Grabbing my phone for a quick shot is an easy way for me to find some of this beauty, and the Instagram filters and editing options make it fun! I'm trying to do this more with the big camera too, so I can work on my photography skills. But here's an Instagram set from my iphone starting with just after Christmas...

Top row L-R: kids all painting together, making Leo's tag, New Year's with friends, Katie and Leo buddies, MC getting her nails done on her birthday

2nd row: Tommy was ready for back to school, Katie with brother's cars, Katie at the movies, a little reunion at the IL's house, and sweet brothers reading

3rd row: Vera floral beauty, MC's bday gifts-camera and tripod, craziness of boys, skating rink with friends, and Apple store fun

4th row: Rays shining on St. Joe after mass, boys at playground, MC with Katie at playground, our new playset, and a silly selfie

bottom row: new backyard, goddaughter's skate party, sweet sick sleepy baby on a rough day, grandparents visit, and a MC/Katie selfie!

January has been a fun month for our family. We celebrated Mary Clare's birthday, and have had some nice family weekends and some visits with friends and family. We have worked on our backyard, getting a new fence, new (used) swing set, and new picnic table. We've had a lot of rain and then a lot of beautiful sunshine to enjoy the backyard! We're still working out some kinks and trying a new reward system with schoolwork, and we have to finish up semester grades and some work to be turned in for the oldest in the next few days.  I just realized that my birthday is in a week! I love February and am looking forward to my birthday, Valentine's Day, Katie's birthday, and hopefully some more sunshiny days with family! God is good and I am grateful for these everyday moments to share with my beautiful blessings <3