This week was the first it has started to feel like spring is finally here.  There are little patches of grass starting to peak through the snow, I can hear flocks of geese passing through, and the deer have returned to our backyard.  The biggest event though was the delivery of my parents newest batch of baby chicks.  So how could I not use this first introduction of spring as this weeks theme photo.

I was so blessed to grow up in the country surrounded by animals.  We always had at least two dogs (and sometimes three), and a cat.  A few times we got to watched our beloved dogs give birth to puppies.  There is nothing better then the smell of puppies breath and the feel of their rough little tongues on your cheeks.

Then there were the critters. Sometimes it was a family of gerbils, or a hamster and once we had a guinea pig. 

The birds were always my dad's favorite.  We had ducks and geese on the pond, and one year it was a flock of turkeys.  Most years it was chickens and guinea hens, and in the spring the baby chicks would arrive.

I am so thankful that my daughter gets the opportunity to spend so much time with her grandparents and love all her pets.  It does something to the heart when you see your own child relive parts of your past.

Taken August 2012

Be sure to check out Sarah Jastre Photography to see her vision of this weeks theme.