April at Erickson Ranch brings on a proliferation of activity and blooms. Fields are tended to, vegetable crops are planted, garden crops begin to pop up and the apple trees begin to explode with their beautiful blooms. There is also a feeling of awakening on the ranch. A feeling that the land, the plants, the animals, the people all are stretching their arms, basking in the sun, taking a deep breath of fresh, warm air and preparing for the upcoming season of growth. And all the while the pretty purples of spring put on a show, from iris' to lilac to wisteria; it makes for a beautiful display to the start of the season!

April 2014 has been an eventful one, so this particular post will be short but sweet. Hope you all are enjoying the spring!

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

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!