Happy July 4th!! (Part 2)

July 4th was another beautiful day in Colorado...

... Uh, I mean Nifferland.

And this time I got to spend the day with Addie while Ellie went to catch butterflies with Nana. Addie and I went to the park.

I realized that I don't get to do this very often. Usually Ellie is with us so it's hard to focus on Addie, so I treasured the opportunity to get photos of just her having fun. And I have to tell you, this girl knows how to take a photo. She is an expert at saying "Choose" (aka cheese) when asked to smile. I don't recall Ellie ever being that willing to have photos taken of her.

Like any child, Addie loves the swings. Unlike most parents, though, I refuse to give up trying to take great swing shots.

It's always so frustrating trying to get a shot of a child on a swing with a smile and in focus, but when you do... it's gold.

Addie played on the playground too and got a kick out of scaring Mommy with her "BOO!" through the chains. After she would climb up, she would say "Yay! Yay!" I love seeing when one of my girls is so proud of herself. Sometimes she seems so old, yet other times she seems so young. It's hard for me to believe that when Ellie was this age, I was pregnant with Addie. Crazy.

I lied about the swing photos being gold. I think a great slide photo is even better and even more difficult to obtain.

But I did it. I got the perfect slide photo with static hair and all. Of course I didn't expect her to come down on her tummy and I had to do a quick catch after snapping the shot, but this is one for the scrapbook. Perfect.

My day with Addie was a little more low-key than my day with Ellie was, but it was perfect just the same. Some things I feel like I miss out on with Addie's childhood just because I can't spend a lot of time alone with her, so this simple day at the park was more than perfect. Niffer is one lucky lucky Mommy.

Now if only I could figure out how to have such days with both girls at the same time... A Niffer can dream, can't she?