A portrait of my birdies, once a week, every week, in 2014.
Phoebe Jane. “I two and a HALF, Mama.” Oh yes, my darling, you are two and a half. You are such a pure joy!
Super duper big week for Wren. She had her dance recital and she turned five. More on both of those later. Just a little portrait now of my wonderful Wren Sabina, looking very much like five and not four anymore. Bittersweet.
A portrait of my birdies, once a week, every week, in 2014.
Chris and Wren have had some fun dates lately. Last week he took Wren to Interlochen to see Into the Woods. They explored the beautiful campus and the BIG stages while they were there. Chris grabbed these shots of Wren on stage.
Dream big, kid, dream BIG.
And here is our sweet Phoebe Jane flying her first kite at Empire beach! Perfect day.
We’ve got a big week here, lovelies.
Wren will turn five (!) on Saturday and she’ll perform her tap and ballet routines in a recital the same day. Almost every day this week is full of some kind of birthday or dance prep or mini-celebration. In addition to our every day responsibilities… Ready, set, go!
There was a time I didn’t know if I would have a family. My Dr told me not to give up hope for a family after we lost our first daughter, Ariel. I’m so grateful I found my hope again. And so very blessed to have these strong, smart, beautiful people in my life. I love you, birdies.
Happy Mother’s Day!
A portrait of my birdies, once a week, every week, in 2014.
Phoebe Jane in the sunlight. Yes, we’ve been seeing the sun. Amazing! Spun sugar hair.
Phoebe Jane on Mother’s Day. My sweet baby girl.
Wren had a big week. She went to kindergarten round-up and blew the roof off the place. She is VERY excited for kindergarten.
She also had a dental exam. I’m not sure how much longer her excitement in visiting the dentist will last, but it’s been going strong for the past two years. She says, “I just love the dentist. I get to watch tv and zone out in the chair.” Funny girl.
And, well, I know I’m breaking the rules of the 52 Project, but just one more of Wren. The dancers got their costumes last week for the recital. Here is Wren in her ballet costume with her best friend, Maddie, whom Wren “fell in love with two years ago.” I love to see their friendship grow.
Have a great week! xo
The week almost slipped away from me. Again!
A portrait of my birdies, once a week, every week, in 2014.
Chris took this beautiful photo of our sweet and wonderful Phoebe Jane. I love the contrast between little Phoebe and big Maple.
This is a different tree and a very different birdie. Wren and the Catalpa in our yard.
It’s been a little while since I updated you on my training for the Solstice Run on June 21. Today a few of us from the team ran about 17 miles together. And we were done by 8 a.m.! We started in the dark and spitting rain at 5 a.m. and ended by 8 in heavier rain. We had a big stretch that was dry, cloudy and low 40s; I actually love this kind of weather for running.
Why 5 a.m. today? Jen and I both had families we needed to get back to and soccer games to jet off to later in the morning. Sneaking in a hot shower, hearty breakfast and a steamy cup of coffee? Mandatory. So 5 was the magic number. It’s actually pretty empowering to be done with a long run when a lot of people are just rolling out of bed. But now as I write this in the early afternoon, my stomach is upset, I’m about to collapse on to my keyboard and at the same time, I’m trying not to stop moving or my muscles will get even more sore. Good thing I got to run around the soccer field with Wren’s soccer team again this morning. So I might have added another mile to my total running tally today...
If you want to throw a few bucks toward this excellent cause, I would very much appreciate it. I’m about half-way to my goal of $1000. Every dollar counts! I truly appreciate your support; big thanks to those who have already given. Kudos! Know that you are supporting a wonderful program
Thank you! Click on through to donate or to learn more: http://www.razoo.com/story/Ashlea-Walter-Fundraising-For-2014-Solstice-Run
Onward! Keep on, keepin’ on.
Oh my, am I remiss in my weekly portrait posts. I’ll try to catch up in one hodge podge of a post. The blog has taken a back seat to life in the real world. That’s how it goes sometimes, eh?
So here goes, lots of portraits in one post – and not even in chronological order. As you’ll see I’ve been using my phone’s camera feature more too so the quality isn’t the best. But I guess I’ve seen worse, so I’ll just leave it at that and move on! Onward.
Easter 2014. Chris took the girls Easter dress shopping this year for the first time. Don’t they look smashing?!
So Phoebe isn’t a big fan of the camera right now…
Both birdies at Triple Falls again.
Kid in the candy store.
Soda fountain. Wren’s watchful eye.
The girl hardly EVER naps. Except on long road trips after some light reading.
Spring has sprung. Ice cream season is here!
This kid. She loves her naps. And her “owl penguin.”
One of the highlights of our trip was the time we spent at the Belle Isle Conservatory in Detroit with my Mom. A beautiful place and newly reopened. It felt so great.
Wren. Flower arranging.
Phoebe Jane on the loose.
Phoebe and Wren at the Belle Isle Nature Center (now called the zoo).
As soon as it hit 70, the girls were in their swimsuits in North Carolina. Funny kids.
I’ll try to get back on the regular weekly posting wagon, but I’m not going to make any promises… Any links to your portraits that you’d like to share?! I’d love to see them.
While we were on our spring break trip to Detroit and North Carolina, Wren really got into taking pictures with my phone’s camera. And I really got into seeing what SHE was seeing. Here are a few captures through Wren’s eyes. Enjoy!
You’ll see that she spent a good deal of time exploring the selfie feature. Apparently this is popular with all ages…
This is one of my very favorites.
I thought it would be fun to take a screenshot of a bunch of her selfies. She exhibits quite the range of character and emotion. This we know well…
Speaking of cameras and kids’ photography, do your kids have their own digital camera to use? I’ve seen kids-type cameras and have wondered about them. I’ve also wondered about getting a used iSomething-or-other for her to use the camera feature on it. Thoughts? Please share!
Earlier this spring we took a road trip to North Carolina. We made sure to bring Chris to Triple Falls since he didn’t come with us last time. It was one of our favorite things from our trip two years ago when I took the girls down by myself. Not much had changed at the falls…, but the pictures show how much the birdies have grown. Here are some great pics that my Dad took when we visited this year. Enjoy!
It was a gorgeous day. I had forgotten how great 68 and sunny feels after our epic winter! No jacket! No hat! No mittens! Aaahh. I could actually get used to this kind of weather. Here in northern Michigan, we’re still betting on when the last snow pile in our yard will disappear. I’m betting May 1. There’s still ice on the lakes up here, people! Wow.
Happy weekend!
It’s official! I’m in training for something very meaningful and difficult!
I’m training to run (walk, stumble) the 40 mile Solstice Run organized by On The Ground to raise awareness and funds for women’s empowerment programs in the DR Congo. The run will begin at sunset on Friday, June 20th in Leelanau County. It will continue south 40 miles through the night, ending at sunrise in Traverse City. At which point I will drink a beer and collapse on the shoreline.
The funds raised will be used to launch OTG’s next project area in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where OTG will focus on women’s empowerment programs. Together with our supporters and partners we’re working to bring peace and transformation for women’s lives in the eastern DRC region where hundreds of women, mostly widows, feel the brunt of difficulties in the conflict stricken area.
On The Ground recently returned from recent visits to the Lake Kivu region of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where program work is being developed with coffee cooperatives, communities and partnering NGO’s to empower women coffee farmers.
Project Congo initiatives will promote peace and women’s equality while highlighting the inspirational people and stories. The work aims to break the chains of poverty and conflict through the funding and support of women empowerment groups in the coffee cooperative system.
Learn more by visiting www.onthegroundglobal.org
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On a personal note, as a regular and avid coffee drinker, I’m especially drawn to the mission of this particular program. I can’t drink coffee anymore without thinking about the coffee growers around the world. Will you consider donating a few bucks toward the effort?
Perhaps look at it this way:
Donation of $2 – one cup of fair trade coffee
Donation of $10 – bag of fair trade coffee
Every dollar counts. I appreciate your support!
Click here to donate whatever you can to my goal of $1000 through Razoo.
Here’s a little photo from today’s training run at 5 a.m. It was 20 degrees with some new snow on April 15… Run on!
I plan on posting more information about my training, motivation, the DRC and what keeps me going. Any questions? Thanks for your support!
Do hard things.