Now and then

We are home and settling back into normal post vacation life.  I have a lot of photos and things to sort through but I really wanted to post this. One of the very first things I bought for Kate when we got her referral was a cute little dragonfly bathing suit.  It was on clearance at a nice boutique in Richmond, VA and I could not wait to see my daughter in it.  I posted about it here. She wore it on her first trip to the beach (Hilton Head) and I took these photos.....

Well, fast forward 5 years and I spot this same suit on Zulily.  I HAD to buy it!  She loves it and wore it to the beach this year too (Seaside)...

Gosh I wish I could freeze time!

Are we finished yet Mom?

Dave will kill me if he sees me blogging...we leave in 2 days and I am TOTALLY procrastinating on packing but I love the expressions on the boys faces here:)

A day at the Beach

Lil Miss Kate Emerson Ru sashays down to the beach!

Thank you for the beautiful suit, Di!

Harry and Kate dig for shells at the water's edge.

Found one

What should I do now?

let me think....

I could try to keep up with those boys.

No...they are out too deep for me!

I'll just chase the birds for a while.

The other night Dave and the boys went for a little swim after the storm.  Apparently a SHARK was swimming with Harry.  By all accounts it was just a few feet away from him. YIKES!

Cousin Ashton and his family prefer the pool while we spend most of our day at the beach, so that is why he is not in my beach photos.  I will post some evening and pool photos of him soon:)

A few people have asked recently what type of camera I use. I have a post labeled on the sidebar that talks a little about my camera...but I use a Nikon D-80.  I think the D-40X is also a great camera if you do not want to shoot manually much or change lenses. My sister has it and her photos are great and it is half the price of the D-80.

People also asked about editing---- I do not really do any editing of my photos right now because I do not have time and I don't really know how to use Photoshop quickly. I used to LOVE Picassa when I had a PC but it does not work on the Mac.  So, 99% of my photos are straight out of the camera.  I will occasionally lighten a photo if it is dark or crop it in IPhoto.  Mostly, I am too lazy to spend time on them now.

I am trying to organize my photos now (on vacation) while Kate naps everyday because we move next week and I will be busy with other things for a while:)  If anyone has any great tips for quick Photoshop learning and editing...I am all ears.

Early morning photo shoot

Every year my family dreads it but every year I make them do it.  I usually bribe them into two photo shoots. Dave is my most excellent assistant.  He carries shoes and children and lenses. He makes silly faces and potty humor behind my back to try to get them to laugh. I like to shoot at dusk but due to rain and dinners out...we decided to try an early morning shoot.  I am not thrilled with them but I know I am super picky about my photos (and everything else these days).  I am still going to make them do this again tomorrow at sunset:)

Harry looks so tired to me.

He takes my breath away sometimes.  Such a cutie!

The sun came up way too quickly and the sun was WAY too bright.  I do better at sunset.

Running from the waves...

I bought this dress last Spring and Kate never wore it until this morning.  I saved it all summer long for these photos (silly me).  I LOVE it and I need to have her wear it some more before summer is over.

Love her dainty little hand in this one:)

This Thankful Thursday, I am thankful for my wonderful family.  Everyone is going through their own little issues right now (growing pains that I'll blog about later) but we are working together as a family.  I am thankful for my patient and helpful husband and my three salty peanuts!  I am also thankful for all of your kind wishes and prayers.

Kate's dress is made by Baby Velani and I purchased it at Animal Crackers Boutique in Richmond, Virginia (someone asked).

Good morning Jellyfish!

Time for my morning beach jog.

Here I come , Will!

Look what I caught, Mom!

A baby crab!

Teamwork

Harry and Cousin Ashton

We are having a good time but this is not our best beach vacation.  We have had a day and a half of really heavy rain. I definitely have not gotten as many good photos as last year. Also, I think Dave and I are pretty stressed about returning home and moving in a few short days.  It is hard to relax when we have so much ahead of us.  One nice part of this trip is that my sister and her family have joined us.  We are really enjoying their company.  Cousin Ashton and Harry are having a fantastic time together.  Miss Kate loves the beach.  She calls it "the sandbox."

Loving Daddy

Miss Kate Emerson is all about her Daddy this week at the beach.  

It is so much fun to see this really special bond between them.

It also gives me a chance to give the boys some extra attention. My favorite part of today was an early morning walk with Harry on the beach.   He is delightful company.

Back at the Beach!

Watch out beach...here I come! 

(Take a peek at the difference a year makes here)

Hmmm.. where should I start digging?

A girl and her Daddy.

Supermodel LiLi

Ian

Kate and Hannah

Will, Nicholas and Harry

Love you Hannah, my Jiangxi sister!

We are very lucky that Daleea and her family and Debbie and her family came to visit us at the beach.  We had a great time catching up with our friends. Thank you guys for coming to see us again:) I captured the funniest video of Daleea, Kate and Hannah singing.  I just need to figure out how to upload it to my M*c.