April 2014 Favorite

     I'm behind, sooo behind. But with an excuse to top all excuses.

     I knew April would be a special month. As it happens we didn't get too far into April before our little dumpling arrived, the 4th to be exact; 10 days early, 21 hours of labor and after 3 of those hours of actively trying to get this little guy to make his entrance into the world we moved on to.... one emergency c-section and finally our little sunny side up* baby, Jack, arrived. It's been a wild ride. From having major surgery (which I was not prepared for ... or ever even crossed my mind might be in my future) to caring for a little human being around the clock while recovering from said abdominal surgery to dealing with all the craziness that sleep deprivation and out of control hormones bring on. (I couldn't have made it this far without some truly amazing and supportive friends, fam and Chris, he's pretty much my hero/angel/rock). It's fleeting moments like in the photos above that make it all clear. In the haze it hits me, OMG I'm someone's  mom, life will never be the same! Life as I know it is gone. And for a moment I panic. And then the haze clears in the moments when I get a glimpse of baby Jack's  growing personality or I stop to take in a scene like the one above. I realize it's not about losing something, it's about watching a piece of my heart and soul sleep in my arms, cry, smile in his sleep and adding another layer to who I am as a human being and it's about the gift of gaining so much more in my life, more than I could ever imagine. 

My favorite photos for this month were taken on my iPhone and posted on my Instagram.  

     *A little side note - I was sunny side up as well, however my mom delivered me au natural... my respect-o-meter exploded when she told me this. Oh and she went on to birth 5 more kids au natural.... seriously. She is lion, hear her roar! 

Erickson Ranch March 2013

     As spring arrives, Erickson Ranch bursts into bloom. Behind the scenes the planting, repairing and planning continue. I think this month the photo's must do the talking. I had so many dang photos of blooms, it was ridiculous... but clearly necessary, who can say no to pretty flowers?  I also thought I'd list a few interesting things I learned throughout this month, last year, below.

1. Chicken feathers are often used for fly fishing lures. 

2. Ladybugs are natural predators to aphids. So not only are they pretty, considered lucky and fun to spot in the garden, they help keep those pesky aphids from devouring crops. If you have a garden at home you can actually buy ladybugs and release them into your crop to help with keeping aphids at bay. If you already have aphids, you might see ladybugs flocking to your garden as they are naturally drawn to them. They might not eradicate all of your aphids but it can't hurt and they are sure fun to have in the garden.

3. Potatoes grow from cut up potato pieces. Yeah, mind blowing right? haha. It is one of many ways to grow potatoes, but simplicity at it's finest. The Erickson's get their delicious potatoes from some tried and true sources, but it'd be a fun experiment to take your favorite organic potato, cut it in half and plant it to see what pops up! You can look up specifics online. 

4. That all fruits begin with a flower, but not all flowers become a fruit. The cycle of a fruit bearing tree is fascinating. Not just for looks, a selection of the beautiful blooms turn into delicious fruits! I am looking forward to fruit and veggie (and flower) shopping at Erickson Ranch this year. I realized last year that I never truly had really delicious fruit until I had it straight from the source! It changed my whole perspective on fruit.

So there you have it, a few things I learned in the month of March! 

To see all months from my 2013 year long project click on the month: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September

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March 2014 Favorite

     I have a confession, this photo was not taken in March. I actually haven't been out shooting at all this month, heartbreaking. However it's all due to a little dumpling that will be here soon, so I am not complaining too much, haha. I completely underestimated the power of month 9 of being pregnant. It's a demanding one. It demands I have no motivation for anything unless it's dumpling related. It demands close proximity to a restroom, which doesn't really go along with the rambling spirit of my photography process. It demands I sit down a lot more, bend down or bend over a lot less and run out of breath like I ran a marathon when really I've only walked from the couch to the kitchen to get water. Because it demands I drink lots and lots of water, haha... Three more weeks until his due date. And then I have a feeling there will be an abundance of photography going on around here. Stay tuned.... 

     But I didn't want to skip March for lack of shooting, so back to the Photo a Month project... this photo is always on my mind. I have a future project centered around this awesome guy, Mr. T and his owner. I took this photo during a photo shoot in November of a friend (who is more like a little sister), her dog and her horse. We went hiking, in the hills of Vacaville. We walked her horse on a leash. Who takes their horse on a hike on a leash?! We do! It was such a fun morning, Mr. T and I became fast friends and I can't wait to photograph him again!