Let's go fishing!

Before I get to the photos, I first have to share some difficult news.

My sister's friend, Gina, has been admitted to the hospital following complications from her last chemo treatment.  

The news is not good. The cancer has now spread to her brain.

Honestly at this point, not much else can be done.  It's only a matter of time and not much at that.

Please pray for her and her family as they enter this difficult phase in their lives.

I have done my best to keep my emotions at bay in front of my kids.  But yesterday I lost it.  As I sat sobbing with my head in my hands, Madeline came up to me and kissed my hands and told me, "Don't worry mommy. Gina going be in heaven, alright?" I nodded my head in agreement.  Bless her little heart.

So before this devastating news, we spent a little bit of the morning doing some surf fishing as the surf was calm.  

Caleb was quite the fisherman, catching 3 fish pretty quickly.

The kids had the most fun looking for shells, chasing the waves and being chased by them too.  I loved capturing the joy on their faces. It warmed my heart.  It was a beautiful morning.  One that I will never forget.

{She was funny making sure she still had all her loot shells.}

Honestly, I can't remember the last time I took photos at the beach.  The last beach photos I shared were ones my sister had taken.  It's pathetic to think that Madeline will be home two years this summer, we live a half mile from the beach, and this is probably the first time I have taken photos of her at it. Yep.  Pathetic.

One of the things I have been reminded of as Gina has struggled to overcome cancer is that every day needs to be cherished.  We are never guaranteed tomorrow.  Even if it's just an ordinary day.  I need to stop and find the beauty in the ordinary and mudane things: my kids "April fools" jokes, taking them potty, getting them ready for bed, pushing daddy in the swimming pool. Smile, laugh and enjoy those special, simple moments. Life is not only about celebrating the big moments.  It's more about celebrating the simple things.

I'm on a mission to capture those ordinary moments with my camera.  I'm also on a mission to leave proof that I walked this journey of life with them.  So I'm in front of my lens, even on bad hair days or sans make-up.  They won't care what I looked like in those photos 20-30 years from now.  They're just going to care that they have them- memories captured of us living life together.

For more Sunday Snapshots, stop by Stefanie's blog.