An Arboretum Morning.

We spent another morning walking, exploring, taking pictures, enjoying and even getting totally lost in the arboretum.

L’s favorite tree at the arboretum to climb

I tried to keep my camera in my purse on this adventure. I really just wanted to share the morning with my boys and be ready to play hide and seek, look for turtles, help them climb trees…do what they wanted.

But, I couldn’t. This is one of L’s favorite trees to climb and when I looked up and saw the light streaming through the leaves I couldn’t help but take a picture…it is so beautiful.

It was fun to watch C try to climb this tree. He usually just plays with the leaves below but this time he felt he was ready to climb, like his brother.

C starting to climb L’s favorite tree.

As we wandered through the arboretum and I was seeing new things like beautiful flowers, pine cones on trees, watching my boys dig and rake with sticks, seeing my boys sweet faces running from hiding spots…I just kept taking pictures. There were so many special things around me…taking pictures is the only way I know to capture the moment.

Sometimes moments are best left to just be…but not today.

I wished there was space for me to lay down in this patch of green.

I love the texture of these beautiful cones.

These small flowers were the ground cover in between many trees.

L and C coming out from their hiding spot.

I love the purple/green contrast in this image.

I was really intrigued by the “fur” on this succulent.

This reminds me of the sun…beautiful.

The night before I brought the boys to the arboretum I was reading a post on Freshly Pressed from Memories by Me Photography. I enjoyed her beautiful photography and blog so much I continued looking through her past posts and found this on how she finds she gets wrapped up in taking “the perfect picture” instead of capturing the real moment. In reality, “her perfect pictures” are not very “real” (these are her words…not mine).

As I was reading her post I could feel myself nodding because, I totally agree with what she is saying. I find myself “breaking” the  moment just to get a picture with my boys looking at me. Really, my favorite pictures of my boys are when they are just being themselves…not posed.

The next morning when I took this posed picture below, I thought about her post…a lot. I made a conscious effort after taking this picture to take only in the moment pictures and not ask anything of my boys. It was really fun.

a good attempt at a posed picture

So, the last pictures of this morning are in the moment, reflections of my boys as they are…just the way I love them most.

Raking and digging with sticks “tools”.

C telling me all about his “tools”.

C finding a new way to walk on a log.

A hidden water fountain, great find.

C asking for help with the water fountain.

He was REALLY thirsty.

It was another beautiful morning at the arboretum. Too bad the end to our adventure was so traumatic for all of us. I hope the next time we go we can all stay together, seriously.
I am really interested: Where is your favorite place to spend a morning? What do you find yourself taking pictures of the most (person and/or object)?

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