We are currently receiving our first "measurable" snowfall of 2013.     It is way too cold to head out and find something creative to shoot, so I choose my street.      The snow is barely there right now, but the way it is falling it might still be there in the morning!

We had a few firsts today besides the snow.   My 5 year-old son had his eyes dilated for the first time in an eye exam and my 16 year-old daughter is at House of Blues for her first concert.    The snow is easy, the other two "firsts" today made me nervous. 

I am looking forward to documenting this year and being able to track all of the "firsts" we are going to have.    I chose the snow photo today out of all the "firsts" as my 5 year-old's pupils are still dilated so I did not want to harass him with a "flash".    I believe my 16 year-old deserves to enjoy her first without her Mom's photo evidence, she can take her own pictures for memories.

This picture was done with my son (who's on the left) helping me edit.   He watches me quite often edit photos of families, babies, holidays, my blog and always asks questions.    Typically he asks me are you done yet Mom?   What he did to his eyes and mine (with my help) made him laugh and laugh.   He has got the best hearty laugh for a five-year old child ever!

He loved the fact that we made this silly and wanted to do the whole family this way...maybe a future family post!   I need to take the time to enjoy the silly things in life.   You do not have much time with these little people that God has blessed you with so I should take the time to enjoy them.     If my son wants me to look like the girl from Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs in the photos, that's fine with me.    I will look back at his photo years from now and still remember his laugh.      

The lovely feline on the left was picked from the shelter by my daughter a few years ago at Christmas.    This little cat who's name is Toby looks a lot like our other cat, Kitty.     Kitty is on the right and was with us for 17 years when he passed away in 2007.     After Kitty's passing my daughter begged for a cat for almost a full year before I agreed to let her get one.   She had to promise to keep the cat fed and clean the litter box...she has not kept up her side of the bargain.   Lesson learned for me, not even a goldfish has come into this house since.

This new kitty, Toby, is very sweet and quiet compared to our originally kitty.    He does meow once in a while when he is hungry or is looking for attention and loves to sit by the wall vents as the heat is pouring out of them.      He is my daughter's cat though, he looks to her for attention, when she goes downstairs he goes with her, she is his owner.

The kitty on the right was mine.   He had been with me for 17 years and was loud (like me), when you pet him he would bite you, came when you called him and was like a dog more than a cat.     When I lived in Indiana this cat did not even have a little box, he would go outside.    He was in indoor/outdoor cat in Indiana and when I moved back to Illinois it was strictly indoors.    I was allergic to him, I could not bet him and forget to wash my hands or I would itch, turn red and my eyes would swell.     I would not trade a day of it as he was such a treasure around the house.    He was a HUGE cat and walked around in his catlike way as if he owned the place and he allowed us to stay.

We were home and watched him pass and I remember it like it was yesterday.  As tragic as it was, I am glad we were here with him in his last moments to provide him some comfort as he did to us all those years.