Lots of Little Lovies: 4 Little Lovies at the Park Today.....

Noah and Nate have been dying to go to the park....and not just any park. We discovered this gem in the town that we lived in before moving to the farmhouse we presently call home.

I used to bring the boys here all of the time when I was preggo with Lauren. The park was only a few minutes away. It has been quite a while since we've been here....the boys have missed it...so have I.

Now Lauren and Luke are able to enjoy this beautiful wooden play structure with their big brothers.....at least for a couple of more months that is.

Of course Noah made a friend within the first 30 seconds we were there. He is the type of kid that will walk right up to a kid and say "Hi I'm Noah....do you want to be my friend?" And I don't believe he has been turned down yet.

One day last year he was playing with this girl he had just met....she had to be at least 10 or 11 (Noah was 6 at the time)....they spent quite a while just sitting under the tires...talking...and this mama was keeping a close watch on her boy.

Anyway, after we got into the car I asked Noah what he and his new friend were talking about, and he says, "Jesus." Jared and I looked at each other. Curious we were..."Oh really...like what did you say?"

His reply...."Well, I just asked her if she went to church and when she said not really I asked her if she knew Jesus....and when she didn't seem like she knew Him...I told her who He was."

No words could describe how I was feeling...I just remember thinking Thank you God....and when Jared shared a special look with me, his eyes were wet too....and I knew just how his heart felt at that moment.

And as for Nate, I had one happy little boy today! This kid gets so excited for certain things and going to the park is definitely one of them. I really wished I had a picture of his face when we pulled into the road that brings us down to the play structure...or better yet...if only you could have heard his squeal of delight....(his squeals are pretty loud to begin with and even more so in enclosed spaces like a minivan.)

For some reason today Nate was totally into me taking pictures of him....which is really unusual for him. On most days he is the one that is least thrilled with the camera aimed at him. In fact...believe it or not, I was never really into candid photography until I had a son who refused to look at the camera.

And after seeing the candid photos I had captured of Nate, I was in love with this kind of natural style...capturing life as it is really happening. My frustration from him never looking at me when I was trying to take his picture resulted in a new outlook of the way I took pictures....my photography niche with my lovies.

The hard part was trying to train Noah that he didn't have to look at the camera and say cheese every time it was pointed at him. Nowadays all 4 of my lovies are so used to me with my camera, that they basically ignore me while I am taking pictures of them (which is vital for candid photography)....except for when I shout their name....then they look up from what they are doing and give their mama a smile.

Ok yes...she really is that stinkin' cute. Lauren had a blast as well. It is really interesting to see how her personality differs from the boys. As she matures, she is much more cautious with her actions...thankfully!

When I pulled into the parking lot Noah and Nate busted out of the doors and ran full speed until they reached the play ground. Lauren was excited but she stayed with me and helped me push Luke in his stroller.

And after I sat down on the bench to feed Luke, she called for Noah in her sweet but very vocal voice. He came up to her and she reached out her hand for him to take it.....she feels safe with big brother. After a few minutes of being by her brother's side she was off on her own having a ball.

I know...I know....who is this big kid?.....sigh....It is my almost one year old believe it or not. I don't think Luke stopped smiling the entire time we were there.

He had the look on his face that he gets when he is not supposed to be into something.....I don't know if he thought he was being a rebel and doing something he shouldn't or what....but he walked around that place like he owned it.

Even though he is getting to be a big boy....it is really sweet to see the older three look after him. I followed Luke around the whole time....but every once in a while one of the others would come up to him and give him a quick kiss...or Noah would snag him for a minute to show his baby brother off to his new friend.