Realities & Blessings {& Spring Blossoms}...

Here we are again for another week's worth of Realities & Blessings...it's my little way of looking back on the week's challenges and putting them in a positive light. I love how it helps my enter the weekend with a fresh perspective.

This week, I thought I'd share some images of my favorite pieces of Spring with you...buds & blossoms!

Reality: Nap times in this house are currently in a state of unrest {pun very much intended}. We had been feeling that Rayne was ready to give up her afternoon nap. But Layla, who is not ready to give hers up, is very much sure she is. Not only are my kiddos tired and a bit crazy, but changes in schedule are often difficult for me and upseting to our normal flow.
Blessing: They infamous 'they' are always saying that change is good. Where I say that the jury may still be out on that one, it is good to assess patterns and make changes where necessary. This shift in Rayne's schedule will allow me to spend a little more time with her and it will give her some opportunities to unwind alone...without the 'entertainment' of Layla. We will all soon find our new normals and get back into a new predictable flow.

Reality: Layla is turning four...FOUR...tomorrow. You know how I feel about birthdays and my sweet babies getting older. And if you don't know...I happen to dislike the whole aging process greatly when it comes to the kids.
Blessing: Layla really is turning into a good little girl...a fun, funny, beautiful little girl. She is definitely not a baby any more and I really love the little lady she is turning out to be!

Reality: As a part of my constant need to learn more and more about the art and skill of photography, I started shooting in RAW...it doesn't compress the files, as it does with jpegs, and as a result, you gain more editing control. This has not only come with a whole new learning curve, but also a whole new set of things I must learn and adjustments I must make because these files are much bigger and behave differently than traditional image files. It has been yet another uncomfortable, uncertain, and frustrating growth period which also resulted in the loss of some very loved magnolia image files.
Blessing: I can shoot in RAW!!!!! Great hardships reap great rewards. I really do love the editing options that this format allows. I have now figured out most of the logistics of what needs to happen. I have re-assessed my photo storage options and come up with what I feel are inherently better solutions. And, I went back to the park and re-took those magnolia images that I loved and lost.

Reality: I have been having a very hard time lately keeping up with life's responsibilities. I feel overwhelmed and unorganized while at the same time feeling very lazy. I have Spring fever in a bad way and all I really want to do is play outside and take pictures.
Blessing: My primary job in life is to take care of my children. And lucky for me, all they want to do is play outside. Sooooo...I have a really good excuse reason for falling behind in my other duties. Unfortunately, this has also made me a bad blog friend as of late...and for that I do apologize! I hope my Spring fever cools off a bit soon and I can resume normal functioning levels...probably!

So, there you have it, another week's worth of Realities & Blessings. I am super excited that so many of you have decided to join in! Please link back here and feel free to leave your link in the comments of this post!

I will see you tomorrow for another of my 30 Lists; 30 Things I Love About Layla...the birthday gal! Aaannnddd...you'll get to see a bunch of the photos from her session last Friday!

Happy Friday, dear friends!