65 Degrees in January

When you wake up on a January morning and the projected temperature for the day is 65 degrees and you live in Omaha, Nebraska, you scream, "Hell yes!" and then you find your running shoes, your stroller, your bike or your happy feet and you galavant outdoors for a very long time.

And that's just what my four-year old, Kate and my one-year old, Claire and I did.

My husband had a fun idea to take the girls on a photography scavenger hunt.  He gave Kate her camera and enlisted her to shoot via the lens:

• 3 animals
• 4 different types of trees
• something to do with sand
• 1 funky rock

Equipped with a water bottle, a back-up bag of almonds and her kid sister, we hit the road.

Our first stop on the way to a really beautiful park, was Shirley, the 3-legged dog.  The jury's out as to who was more excited to meet the other.  But either way, Shirley became our first subject of the day.  And then, we found Baxter.  Or rather, Baxter found us.  Claire dropped her shoe and Baxter's human kindly brought it to us.  That served as another "camera-ready" moment.

And then, multiple trees with varying leaves, buds, and branches created an ongoing fixation.  It's funny how you really don't pay attention to nature in the winter.

Our sand image came from a make shift sand castle that Kate created with a friend that called himself "Two."  His name was really Max, but he just turned two years old and insisted on calling himself by his age.

And finally, our last animal was a white poodle named Sophie.  We simply photographed her rear.  She was too fidgety to hold still for Kate's master photographic skills.

We're still on the lookout for a rock.  What a marvelous way to spend a morning in January!