The Next Five Minutes...

Some people...

2011-10-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

...have neatly folded laundry.

I have a neatly folded poodle.

Yes, yes, I do have better things to do.

I just don't want to do them.

Sink or swim...

2011-09-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

Somebody in our neighborhood made the suggestion that we let our dogs take a dip after the pool closed for the summer. Much to our poodle's dismay, our homeowners association approved it.

And Abi could hardly wait to see if our eleven-year-old pup could swim.

He set sail in three feet of water...in way over his fuzzy little head.

I have to admit I was more than a little apprehensive that he would sink.

I needn't have worried.

He literally motored across the entire width of the pool in less than a minute.

Abi sprinted to the other side to bail him out.

Not a second too soon, from the looks of it...

Did I mention it wasn't even 60 degrees out?

Purely speculation, but I think their relationship may be treading water.

September 6, 2011

Wordless Wednesday...

2011-09-21T21:17:00.001-07:00

Wordless Wednesday...

2011-09-14T21:47:00.000-07:00

Remember...

2011-09-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

Loss.

Courage.

Strength.

"The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer;

my God is my rock in whom I take refuge,

my shield and the horn of my salvation,

my stronghold.

I called to the Lord who is worthy of praise,

and I have been saved from my enemies."

Psalms 18: 2-3

Favorite Photo Friday...

2011-09-09T11:16:00.000-07:00

It's not the most technically amazing photo I've ever taken.

It's not even her best smile.

One of her eyes is all squinty from her hat.

And the focus is off.

I'm having lens issues, mostly of the busted variety.

This photo was taken in a snap second as I turned the camera and saw her walking toward me.

But something about it grabbed me.

Her silly sweet nature that makes me smile on a rainy day.

And every day.

Today's post is inspired by one of my favorite bloggy photographer friends, Lisa. In addition to our love of photography, we share a heart for adoption and have daughters adopted from China. She's featuring a new link on her blog, and what I love about it is that it's just about the easiest thing to participate in that you could ask for.

And I need easy these days.

I have roughly 7,462 photos that have never seen the light of day.

Maybe more.

That's what happens when you give me a digital camera and an 8G card.

So there's plenty more where this came from.

I know, you can hardly wait.

In the meantime, go check out some of the links on her blog, and post your favorite photo of the week.

Wordless Wednesday...

2011-08-10T20:50:00.001-07:00

How hot is it, you ask?

2011-07-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

Well, you probably didn't ask. It's hot everywhere, it seems. But it's blog-worthy, so I'll tell you anyway.

Cooler temps and lower humidity in today's forecast panned out to 90 degrees in the shade...and I was still dripping sweat at a photo shoot this afternoon. But it was considerably better than last week. Thursday topped out in the triple digits, which was news 'round these parts...hottest day in 23 years.

So how hot is it?

So hot that I had a hard time talking the kids into going to the pool.

I, myself, had absolutely no interest in going.

The ten minutes it took to take these pictures left me in a pool of sweat.

But I was sick of Hannah Montana episodes on Netflix, so I shoved them all out the door.

It's so nice they can take themselves to the pool now.

Then I can stay home and ~~do the laundry~~ watch Netflix.

Four words...

2011-07-20T20:19:00.001-07:00

...wish I were here.

Wordless Wednesday...

2011-07-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

Catching some rays...

2011-07-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

Our first day at the beach, my behind was in a chair for, literally, five minutes when I spied my brother-in-law, John, throwing a net just a few feet from shore.

In another 42 seconds, he turned around and headed in to show the kids his catch.

And the subsequent crowd that gathered.

Might I add that this isn't the first time he's caught a stingray in extremely shallow waters.

In as much time.

Makes you kinda think twice about that boogie boarding, eh?

After show-and-tell, Mr. Ray was delivered safely back to his home.

I've said it once, or maybe a bazillion times, and I'll say it again. Uncle John would probably take home the prize on Survivor. Born and bred in South Carolina, his quiet unassuming southern manner and his wicked way with a fishing net would take him far.

Baby girl, you need to be bigger than your catch.

On the runway...

2011-07-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

...this year's beach ensemble features a three-piece brown and pink tankini-style suit with matching board shorts. The look is topped off with coordinating shades and a fetching floppy-brimmed beach hat from Tarjay. And those little toes are peeking out of a comfy, yet practical jelly flip-flop with a sweet princess design on the sole.

Armed with two sizes of Piggly Wiggly beach shovels, this beach babe is ready for some serious sand action.

Too bad she ditched the entire get-up after day one...the hat just annoyed her, and the bottoms of the suit were kind of gappy on her tiny little hiney. No amount of convincing to keep the board shorts on over the bottoms would do. Guess that 4T can go back in the drawer till next year.

p.s. We're rather fond of that new runway that the Disney Beach House installed this year. Makes slogging through the soft, hot sand between the dunes a LOT easier.

Back to the beach...

2011-07-11T05:45:00.000-07:00

It's about 20 miles from 1-95 to the bridge over the intracoastal that leads to Hilton Head Island. And Caroline asked approximately every quarter mile when exactly we could go to the beach. So as soon as we unpacked the van and hugged our gathered extended family, we made a detour on the way to dinner.

I made them stop for a perfunctory group photo...so perfunctory that we'll just skip to the real story...the absolute second I freed them, they were off to the surf.

Of course, we were ready to collapse on the sofa after a long drive and a late dinner at Fuddrucker's, but word spread that Uncle John was leading a nighttime beach expedition with a few of the cousins. No one under the age of 21 was going to miss out on that, so I grabbed a camera and off we went.

Ankle-deep was about as deep as it got in the pitch dark.

And it was DARK. The day's overcast skies kept the moon hidden.

The boys had fun scouring the tide for schools of minnows.

Oh, the giggles from a soggy sandcastle built by flashlight!

And, yes, the shorts...and the shirt...were soaked by the time we were done.

It's a tradition.

We were busted by the beach police shortly after these photos were taken for having our flashlights on after 10 pm during loggerhead turtle nesting season. The beach at Hilton Head is wide and full of tide pools at low tide, so no lights meant calling it a night.

And what a great first night it was.

Caroline's self-portrait...

2011-07-10T19:16:00.001-07:00

Caroline took a photo of herself with Abi's camera in between asking me 4,372 if we were there yet. There, by the way, is the beach...and we're there.

And it's awesome.

As always.

And I'm not coming home.

Ever.

It was nice knowing you.

She sparkles...

2011-07-04T19:00:00.000-07:00

Mileage...

2011-07-03T17:29:00.000-07:00

In the last couple of months, we've logged a lot of miles.

Well, milestones, really.

A sweet 16 birthday.

A 5k race.

A last day of preschool.

A new driver's permit.

A last day of elementary school.

An 18th birthday.

One last day of school together.

And a high school graduation.

That doesn't even begin to cover all of the everyday stuff.

To be quite honest, I'm a wimp.

This stuff...all good stuff...has been hard on this mom's heart.

It's just that life goes so much faster than it used to.

I've taken about 74,382 pictures along the way.

Trying to capture as much of the view as I can.

You know, like on the trip of lifetime?

You find yourself snapping photos of the most benign things.

Afraid you'll miss something.

I'll admit I've taken pictures at the dentist's office and the library. Most of the time, my kids don't even bother to complain anymore. They know they'll only get the "when-you-grow up-don't-even-try-to-tell-your-therapist-your-mother-didn't-care" speech. Really, it's impossible to completely capture all the sweetness and angst and humor.

And it happens anyway.

Those doggoned kids grow up.

There were days when I truly thought I might never be a mom. I cried myself to sleep more nights than I care to remember. Ironically, I sometimes cry myself to sleep now because I feel like such a flop at this privilege of being a mom...this thing I thought looked so easy from the outside looking in.

And the hardest part? It's not the sleepless nights or the laundry that breeds or the messy house or carpooling or the last-minute homework projects or the perpetual dirty dishes or the cleaning up the remains of dinner revisited...if you know what I mean. Running a close second would be watching your kids hurt...not physically, but emotionally. The world can be a very mean place. But the hardest part of being a mom? Letting go. And it turns out, I'm not very good at that part, either.

A new journey will soon start for my oldest. In just a few short weeks, we'll pack her up and take her to college. It's not far away, and I know she'll be home often. She won't miss a birthday or holiday, if she can help it. She'll join us for family vacations. But I'm also painfully aware that our family will never quite be the same. There will be fewer and fewer nights where all my kids are safely tucked in bed under one roof. And, little by little, her own journey will begin.

It will be all I can do not to sneak into her luggage.

Wordless Wednesday...

2011-06-15T11:55:00.001-07:00

Two Word Wednesday...

2011-03-30T17:26:00.000-07:00

...spring break.

Flashback Friday...

2011-03-11T20:18:00.000-08:00

...cleaning off the flash cards. Amazing how far behind you can get when you have an 8G card that holds hundreds of images. Found a couple of photos from September that I wanted to share. Caroline was thrilled to realize that Daddy would be taking her to school for Donuts with Dad!

That's right, baby girl. Forever Daddy's girl.

Wordless Wednesday...

2011-02-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

Wordless Wednesday...

2011-02-17T13:52:00.000-08:00

...but if I were going to use words...which, clearly, I am not...I would have to say that crazy cake guru on cable has nothing to fear from my dear sweet daughter, Abi.

And this is what happens...

2011-02-07T10:56:00.000-08:00

when you're posing nicely for a photo

and your impatient brother

gives your sled an unexpected shove.

Next thing you know

you're hanging on for dear life

as that sled

and that brother

send you careening at high speed

down a solid slope of ice.

Good thing he's cute.

Yes, son. I said cute. You're lucky I didn't say grounded.

You've got us, alright...

2011-02-05T13:27:00.000-08:00

...hook, line and sinker.

Happy Gotcha Day, sweet Caroline.

We couldn't love you more.

No, I did not tell her to do this...

2011-02-04T17:43:00.000-08:00

...and, no, I did not tell her to stop.

This is what happens...

2011-02-03T14:04:00.000-08:00

...when a tiny little someone falls on the ice

...and someone else snickers.

Then that tiny little someone's lip appears...

...and the indignation follows.

"I falled, like, twenty-five times today, Abi!"

And this is what happens...

...when a hug and a kiss and a kind word make it all better.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2011-02-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

And, again, in black and white...

2011-02-02T15:56:00.000-08:00

Wordless Wednesday...

2011-02-02T10:23:00.001-08:00

Escape to Christmas Mountain...

2011-01-08T06:25:00.000-08:00

It was a grueling week, that last week before Christmas break. Truthfully, it was a grueling month. By grueling, I mean mentally and physically overwhelming. We were giddy with excitement over the tutu orders that kept pouring in. But I knew the day I mailed out seven tutus with a huge sense of accomplishment and came home to a single order for SEVEN more...and another FIVE later that night...that we were going to be in for a serious challenge in meeting our Christmas deadline. That, on top of Christmas portrait orders and editing, Christmas shopping and wrapping that had to be done before we left for our trip, finals for the kids, Christmas concerts and programs, was enough to rattle me, for sure.

I might have freaked out a bit, here and there.

We made a deal, though, Mindy and I...we would not freak out at the same time. It became a family affair, actually. Before it was over, they were all making tutus, even Mindy's boyfriend. We also had a few wonderful friends lend a hand. Jon designed numerous spread sheets to help us track production and expenses, and Abi, always the voice of optimism and encouragement, talked us off the ledge a few times. And we had plenty of laughs along the way. I actually have some funny stories to share, but I'll save those for the tutu blog. I'll wrap this chapter up here by saying that the holiday rush stretched our faith and solidified our determination in this fledgling effort to bring Mary-Kate home.

So on Friday, the 17th, we still had more than 20 tutus to finish, some for local pick-up, before we could leave town the next day. I might mention that I hadn't packed a thing. For a six-day trip for six people. Yeah. I never even made it to the store to pick up snacks for the road. It made for a mentally rough day...you know, one of those days where, no matter what you do, you feel like you should be doing something else?? We pulled yet another all-nighter, finished boxing tutus around noon and sent Jon and Mickey to the post office, showered and started throwing stuff in suitcases. We pulled out of the driveway four hours and thirty minutes behind schedule and headed north.

I needn't have worried about snacks. We threw what we had in the house into a bag, and even those didn't get touched. Mindy and Abi were out before we hit the highway, and Mick and Caroline kept quiet with Leapster and DS games until they finally snoozed. Thankfully, Jon had gotten a few hours of sleep and was able to do the driving. We roused the troops with the smell of food and the lights of Chicago before they passed out again. I was good for absolutely nothing. The GPS decided it was taking a vacation, too, and Jon asked me to navigate a route past Chicago. Let's just say we got there, and not too much out of our way, okay?

We pulled into Christmas Mountain Village in Wisconsin about midnight. And it was bloody cold. I think the high the next day was 5 degrees. We didn't care all that much. We slept late, ate lunch at Taco Bell and made a run for all the stuff we forgot. It wasn't pretty, folks. We made a hefty impact on the local economy. And it completely validated my system of packing over the course of several days and copious list-making. And then we took our crew to the snazzy indoor pool...the boys took a dip in the outdoor hot tub surrounded by snow...and spent the rest of the evening watching Christmas movies.

No agenda. No deadlines. No laundry. No errands. No tutus. No internet!

It was, in a word, awesome.

We had free passes for tubing or skiing. We opted to do tubing on Monday. Caroline was absolutely THRILLED that she made the height cut-off. I wish I would have had a camera handy to capture her jumping up and down and squealing with excitement when she found out she was big enough! And, again, I wish I would have had that camera handy to record her face on our first family tubing run! What would be about a five-inch snow began to fall just as we ventured out in the late afternoon. And that first run gave us a good taste...literally...of fresh powder. It was a blast! Caroline didn't quite know what to make of it at first. She looked a little terrified on the way down, but she squealed with delight at the bottom, grabbed her tube and headed back up.

Most of the runs we lashed our tubes together and went down as a family. One of the runs had a bump, and we saw many a group head down that run and lose hats and even people as their tubes sailed over it. Our menfolk were game, though, and just had to try it. Let's just say they had similar results. We girls finally mustered our courage...I was so afraid all 32 pounds of our little Caroline would go sailing into the next lane. It scared the tar out of her...and me...but she held on tight. I, on the other hand, seriously bruised my tail bone on the landing. And, somehow, Jon managed to crash and burn with Mickey on one of his last runs and thought he might have broken his other toe.

Oh, didn't I mention that? We have SO much to catch up on.

We were snow-covered and exhausted by the time our passes ran out. Well, except for Mickey. He just had to go to the pool again, and Caroline wasn't about to be left out. So while Abi and I whipped up some Mexican treats and warmed up the DVD player, Jon and Mindy bundled the two younger ones in snowsuits over their swimsuits and made the trek to the lodge..which was no easy feat. Our cabin was at the bottom of a hill, and our van barely made it up in the snow. Apparently, they slid all the way down on the way back, too. We were stuck until the roads were plowed!

We weren't really all that upset. We had junk food, hot chocolate, lots of movies and games, a warm fire and, most importantly, each other. Couldn't have been better.

Although one of these days, I'd like to be one of those families that gets to go on the exotic tropical Christmas vacation. I'm just sayin'...

More in the next post...hopefully, before spring...

The house that Mick built...

2011-01-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know I promised to blog about our Christmas trip, but I'm having a hard time going forward without going back first. For those of you who don't get a lot of snow, let me give you and your sons a little encouragement. If you draft your little sister and use your sled and snow shovel to scrape and collect even minuscule amounts of snow off your yard...and your neighbor's yard...and the driveway...and the street...and the sidewalk...then you, too, can have your very own igloo.

I'm dead serious when I tell you this son of mine left two yards completely bare and had this puppy more than halfway done after our first measly one inch of snow.

Which made it a lot easier to finish when we got some real snow.

p.s. He had every intention of sleeping in his igloo and even had a candle burning in it (wish I'd taken the time to get that shot) one night...until his sister ditched him in favor of cup of hot chocolate and a blanket by the fireplace. Because, of course, it's no fun to freeze to death in your sleep alone.

p.s.s. These photos were taken before Christmas, during our very snowy December. Mick stayed outside in the snow for hours at a time until I made him come in. As every season comes and goes, I still find it difficult to decide what he loves most about the outdoors.

Backing up...

2011-01-05T18:27:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't this have made the perfect Wordless Wednesday post? Yeah, well...we've covered that whole December thing, right? Except for all the good stuff, like this photo.

Every year our Performing Arts department puts on a Holiday Extravaganza. It's a big choir, band, theatre and dance production, and, of course, both of our older girls are part of it. And every year, Santa makes an appearance. He's out in the foyer before the show, and then he does a little shtick on stage later on during a scene change. He always reads a pile of letters he's received, the last of which just so happens to be from a little one in the audience. And a little elf told me that a cute little Asian girl's letter just might happen to be the one chosen and that she might be invited to come on stage and talk to Santa.

This photo was actually taken before the show. Miss Caroline was completely enamored with old St. Nick. Still, I wasn't sure what she would do when her name was called and she had to go up on stage in front of a sold-out crowd. Her first experience with Santa didn't go so well.

I needn't have worried. She rocked it. She didn't hesitate for a minute when Santa's elves came to escort her onto the stage. It was a truly fun moment. And she looked pretty cute up there in her holly jolly tutu. Made for a fun night and a sweet Christmas memory.

And just so I don't forget, while Caroline was on stage, Mickey, oblivious to the entire set-up, leaned over and whispered, "I am SO glad I didn't write a letter."

Some might say...

2011-01-03T19:58:00.000-08:00

...that the most wonderful time of the year is that magical few weeks right before Christmas. And I wouldn't necessarily disagree, but I might also refer to the quiet...albeit brief...season that follows as refreshingly marvelous itself. It's that time of year where, among other things, I finally find a few minutes here and there to resurrect my blog from the depths of neglect and promise myself that I won't let it happen again. About four people even read this blog, but at least those four people love me enough and know me well enough to forgive my blogging indiscretions.

And, just so you all know, if you think this blog has been neglected, you should see my closet. And my office. And my pantry. And my refrigerator. And the corners of my bathroom floors. And my children's bedrooms. And my van. And that's just the short list. Ugh.

Thankfully, for both your sakes and mine, blogging is infinitely more enjoyable than cleaning. So this comes first. The kids went back to school today. And I went back to bed. That's right. I went back to bed. I have burned the candle at both ends and in the middle for so long that I had to go buy a new candle. So one of my first New Year's resolutions was to give myself some down time this week. As much as I deplored sending the kids off to school and succumbing to scheduled life again, I thoroughly enjoyed throwing a load of laundry into the washer, grabbing a bagel and watching Regis and Kelly in bed, and curling up under my electric blanket for a nice long morning nap. Judge me if you must, but I don't feel the least bit guilty.

It's been an insanely busy couple of months around here. As in one of the top ten most overwhelming seasons of my life kind of busy. Long story short, my photography business took off, and so did our adoption fundraiser. And I am extremely thankful. Overwhelmed, but very, very thankful. I'll write more about that later, but suffice it to say that I edited many a photo until my retinas burned and I fell face first asleep on my keyboard and I'm still finding errant scraps of tulle stuck to clothes...and the dog. All that on the heels of marching band season and in the midst of the Christmas season. If ever a time confirmed my lack of sanity in choosing my undertakings...and my gift for not going down without a fight...this might have been it.

We made it through, though. Not to say there weren't things that didn't get done. Plenty of that, my friends. But the things that mattered most were accomplished. And I am ever so grateful to have a bit of time to reorganize, rethink and renew. As it so happened, way back in the summer we planned a Christmas week getaway...something we've never done before...and, as much as it caused me to just about lose my mind in getting out the door...those few days were some of the most relaxing vacation days I've ever enjoyed.

So you must be dying to know where we went, right? I'll keep you in suspense till my next post, but I'll give you a couple of hints...LOTS of snow. Arctic, even. And not a Santa to be found in a 50-mile radius.

Wordless Wednesday...

2010-12-08T20:45:00.000-08:00

Thankful...

2010-11-30T06:39:00.000-08:00

...doesn't even begin to describe it.

I've tried, actually, to put it into words.

But, as clever as I can be with words, I can never quite adequately convey all that's in my heart.

So we'll go with the pajamas.

Happy Referral Day, my sweet girl.

Wordless Wednesday...

2010-10-20T16:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Frog Boy...

2010-10-17T06:19:00.000-07:00

* originally posted on his actual birthday...October 14th

Twelve years ago today, you rocked a houseful of pink. Thank you for breaking us in easy. You had to be the easiest baby and toddler in the history of life. You slept like a dream, napped on the go, and laughed your way through being such an easygoing little guy. You put up with being dressed up by your sisters and being dragged to girlie birthdays and girlie movies. I wouldn't dare to say you liked them, but you didn't complain as long as there was popcorn involved.

That's not to say you didn't add a little flavor to life...dumped boxes of cereal, a third of a feather pillow that you managed to use to cover my entire bedroom and bathroom, my toothbrush that you alternately scrubbed the dog bowl and the toilet bowl with...then there was Snappy, a hefty little 30-pound prize that you and your cohorts hauled home to show me. It's no wonder I flinch these days when I hear, "Mom, you gotta see this!"

Nowadays, your critter of choice is a frog. You can spot and catch a frog in five seconds flat, I swear. Just the other day, you called me on my cell to tell me all about the tree frog you'd found on the side of the house. I didn't quite catch all the details, but the picture became much more clear when I came home and discovered said tree frog suction-cupped to my refrigerator door. Apparently that's where he'd landed when he bailed out of your sister's hair. And I didn't even bat an eye.

Today is your picture day at school. I fully expect to see your trademark fake pre-adolescent I-could-care-less-about-getting-my-picture-taken look. When we tried to take a quick family photo (an oxymoron, if ever there were one) the other day, that's pretty much all we got. Because every time the shutter paused, you were leaping around the pond trying to catch yet another frog. You gave me a sweet gift, though, in the photo above. I followed your escapades and managed to capture a genuine smile on your ornery little face as you revealed, once again, what happiness is to a boy. What brings a real smile.

And that would be, in case I haven't overstated the obvious, the little frog you were hiding in your hand. I'm pretty sure you were hoping it would land on my camera.

Happy Birthday, Frog Boy.

I love you.

Wordless Wednesday...

2010-10-13T10:59:00.001-07:00

2000 tutus?!

2010-10-11T10:19:00.000-07:00

Yes. 2000. tutus.

There. I said it.

Talk about the crazy things love will make you do!

I think I might have lost my mind.

And I'm taking you with me.

So click on over to

and get all the details.

You can enter to win the items pictured above!

Cute Chinese kid not included.

The big day...

2010-10-09T06:37:00.000-07:00

...is just around the corner!

Two more days!

Check out the new blog, and leave me some love!

I'm gonna need a lot of it to sell 2000 tutus!

Don't forget to visit our facebook page, too, and share it with all your facebook friends!

I wouldn't change a thing...

2010-10-08T06:25:00.000-07:00

Today is our 22nd wedding anniversary.

I'm feeling a teensy bit old.

But mostly, I'm overwhelmingly grateful to be in a marriage with a man who honors God, honors me and honors his family.

It hasn't always been easy for us. But it has been full of love and adventure.

And a whole lot of laundry.

And shoes and backpacks and papers strewn everywhere.

Dishes piled in the sink.

And that was just yesterday.

But, really, I wouldn't change a thing.

Except for the glasses.

Why is it no one noticed how HORRID those 80's glasses were??

Happy Anniversary, honey! I love you. Always.

p.s. I couldn't find my absolute favorite wedding photo...has something to do with a little cake smashing...one of these days you all are in for a treat.

All the cool dogs are doin' it...

2010-09-16T06:43:00.001-07:00

We went through a Tae Bo phase this summer.

It lasted exactly one day.

At least for me and Baxter.

Actually, he was over it pretty much from the beginning.

Oh, and click HERE to view a new post.

Pretty please.

Wordless Wednesday...

2010-09-15T12:51:00.000-07:00

Just Wednesday...

2010-09-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

...and my Mom is already wishin' it were Friday.

No, Saturday.

No, Sunday.

Wait, Monday? Nope. That's busy, too.

Tuesday. Yeah, Tuesday. That's it.

And she seriously thinks she has a chance to catch up on the old blog.

No, seriously, she does.

She's a funny girl, that Mommy of mine.

She doesn't even have time to comb my hair some days.

Finally...

2010-09-07T20:04:00.000-07:00

I have long dreamed of taking Caroline to our beloved Hilton Head. It's special to us because it holds so many memories of vacations past. Our older girls were three and one on our first trip here. Mickey had his first beach experience at the age of eight months and spent hours happily eating sand and napping on a beach blanket. We were blessed to spend many a summer vacation at HHI when our older ones were small. Not much on this earth rivals watching your children explore the wonders of the beach.

I'd be lying if I denied that I was sorely disappointed each summer since we've come home with Caroline that we've been unable to make it down to HHI. But this year, it finally worked out. It wasn't technically her first beach experience. We did spend a day at Ormond Beach in Florida a couple of years ago, unwinding from a long but ever so fun week of Disney and Sea World. At the ripe old age of two, our little China babe wasn't the least bit keen on the beach. She didn't really even like grass at that point. And she doesn't remember much about it. Last year we briefly visited Indiana Dunes a couple of times, and she was digging the sand then...pardon the pun. But it wasn't the beach...our beach.

And there aren't any palm trees in Indiana. But that's really my issue, not hers.

We built this trip up pretty big for our little one. And Caroline was beside herself with excitement. She could hardly wait to fill her new buckets and play in the sand and splash in the waves.

The beach did not disappoint.

Neither did she.

She scooped...

she splashed...

she hauled...

she poured.

She even tried skim boarding.

I love it when dreams come true.

original blog date July 19, 2010

Keep an eye out...

2010-09-03T20:51:00.000-07:00

...another post is in the works.

Skimming the surface...

2010-08-26T19:28:00.001-07:00

...or not.

So the villa we stayed in had a skim board in the closet. And our group of landlubbers just knew they'd be able to throw it down and take off. Oh, they took off all right. It was how they landed that drew the chuckles and stares. And they weren't all from us.

Mindy and Ashley were the ones that gave it their utmost. These two girls have been the best of friends since before they can remember. Which brings great joy to me and Ashley's mom. Because we've been the best of friends since we were 15 years old. That's a long, long, long time. And they are so much like us that it makes it even more sweet. Just as in our friendship, their relationship is something of a cross between Lucy and Ethel and Laverne and Shirley.

Mindy pulled a Mindy about 30 seconds into her first attempt. I have a photo of the exact moment of impact, and let's just say it isn't all that flattering. And when the jig is up and the girls find these pictures here on the old blog, it's better for my health if that one isn't among them. I think, though, the ones I am including ought to give you a little insight into the whole experience. That and a good laugh.

I'm pretty sure the board is supposed to skim the surface of the water. And I'm pretty sure they could have used a little instruction. Too bad for them that by the time they admitted they needed help, the only capable skim boarder in sight was about seven years old.

Eventually, they kind of got the hang of it. Sort of. Enough for me to take a couple of seemingly respectable photos. Photos that would be a lot more respectable if the skim board wasn't two feet away or submerged in six inches of water.

But, as the saying goes, it's not the destination, it's the journey. And I'm pretty sure they had a great trip.

original blog date July 19, 2010

You want me to what??!!

2010-08-26T09:03:00.001-07:00

*I'm back-pedaling to catch up on vacation and all that's happened since. I know, it's almost a lost cause, but I gotta try. So here's another installment.

We hadn't been at the beach more than five minutes when I heard Ashley (my friend's daughter) say she'd been stung by a jellyfish. We've been to Hilton Head and several other beaches over the years, and we've never had this happen! Apparently, the jellyfish were really bad this year, and it was pretty commonplace all up and down the beach. One family told us more than half of them had been stung, and the lifeguard barely batted an eye when we approached her.

Of course, this was after Ashley asked us to pee on her leg. Yes, you read that correctly. No, not one of us obliged. I reminded her that this was neither an episode of Friends nor Survivor, and, on the advice of nearby vacationers, she took off for the lifeguard tower. The treatment was a good rubbing of the wounded area with sand, a spray of vinegar and water, and a recommendation to stay out of chlorine for a couple of hours.

With a total of six jellyfish stings in our group in one day, we opted to run to Wal-Mart and buy our own bottle of vinegar. Impressively, though, we had no tears and few lengthy complaints. For all I'd heard about jellyfish stings, this was way less traumatic than I would have imagined, and they were right back out there in the ocean. We did also incur a smashed finger, a cut toe and a skinned knee. But that deserves a post of its own.

original blog date July 19, 2010

Wordy Wednesday...

2010-08-25T22:21:00.000-07:00

I am beeeeeehind. It's been a busy, busy, busy month. I'd take a picture of my August calendar, but I'm just too tired. Never fear. I have plenty of other photos. Photos from vacation. Photos of our North Carolina visit with China sisters. Band Camp photos. Band Camp picnic photos. Photos from Jon's company picnic. Photos of a very big event in our lives. Photos from our last day of summer break. Photos from the first day of school. Photos from my flurry of recent photo sessions. And more. So now you know why I'm tired.

And when you're that far behind, it's hard to know where to begin. Because, dude, I have laundry from every one of those events, too. Even a few stragglers from vacation. And piles and piles 'o stuff that needs my attention. Phone calls. Errands. Want a good laugh? I never sent out my Christmas cards, so I wrote a Christmas in July letter to go with the photos I'd already printed. Still sitting on my counter because all my addresses are buried on a back-up disk from my old laptop. Ugh.

Sooooo....I have most of August behind me...in many ways, a good thing...I think we had a total of one day on the calendar with nothing scheduled. I'm working my way through the mourning process of summer being over. And I'm trying desperately to organize a work schedule for myself, revamp our household responsibilities management (a nice way to say I'm sick of no one doing their chores) and fix something for dinner besides frozen pizza. And, yes, do the laundry. I dare say, I might even blog a little here and there.

Almost Wordless Wednesday...

2010-08-04T22:16:00.000-07:00

Temperature...96 degrees.

Heat index...106 degrees.

Makin' a splash...

2010-07-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

Once we hauled our lazy behinds out of bed, we slathered on a gallon of sunscreen and gathered up our boogie boards, shovels, pails, sand chairs, beach umbrella, beach towels, sunglasses, coolers and, of course, cameras. Heard the obligatory do-we-really-need-all-this-stuff lectures from our husbands. Gave the obligatory yes-we-really-do-please-load-the-car-and-by-the-way-you're-cooking-dinner response. And we were off to our first day at the beach. Stay tuned for more photos...I'm hoping to sneak the skim-boarding photos in before Mindy catches wind of it.

Hitting the beach...

2010-07-29T14:12:00.000-07:00

Our first venture to the beach this trip was after dark. I couldn't get much of anything in the way of photos, so I have no actual photographic evidence of this excursion. And, trust me, that kills the photojournalist in me. But I don't ever want to forget this vacation's first night at the beach. In fact, I'd trade a hundred pictures for a 30-second video.

We started the day off with the trek across the mountains. We figured out how to change the GPS screen to one that gave us our altitude, and that was quite entertaining. Actually, it was my husband that was so entertaining, belting out our above-sea-level location every 6.2 seconds. For some reason, it became completely hilarious.

One of the highest points...

an unimpressive 2400 feet...

Most every road trip in the last couple of years has been accompanied by torrential downpours, so we were pretty darned pleased as punch to wake up to another day of sunshine. It made the mountain views so much more enjoyable. I also found my son quite entertaining because every 12.4 seconds, he squealed, "Mom, take a picture!!" This was not the boy's first trip across the Appalachians. This was at least his fourth in the last three years. Has he never before looked out the windows? It was, actually, kind of refreshing to see him pull his nose out of his DS and take note of the world around him. Even though he nearly drove me batty.

Mindy was itching to take the wheel. We'd decided ahead of time to let her get some good interstate driving experience on this trip, but we made her wait till we cleared the mountains. I was fairly impressed. She safely drove us the last half of the trip from Knoxville to HHI. The only downfall was that I crammed in the middle seat and couldn't easily snap photos as we drove across the bridge.

Wouldn't you love to have

'Coosawhatchie' in your address?

The traffic wasn't too bad this time around. Usually, there's a fairly large influx of mini vans on US 278, leading to the island. We made great time and had the vans unloaded in no time flat. It could be that it took a lot less time because we had five hungry teenagers who were keenly aware that any food consumption would not occur until we had completed the task at hand.

We headed off to Fuddrucker's for dinner...always a treat because we don't have one at home. And then we hit the beach...some of us a little harder than the others. It was dark. So dark that I was a little hesitant for the boy child to get too far away. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to see him, and he wouldn't be able to hear me yelling over the waves. And that he might become shark bait. The tide was out, and at Hilton Head, that means a very wide beach. It also means there are lots of tide pools between you and the surf. The kids picked their way across and waded in the ankle-deep waves. I jokingly commented that they should watch out for crabs, at which point Caroline climbed me like a tree and refused to walk at all.

Somehow, she managed to talk

her Daddy into a chocolate shake.

Technically, it was his shake...

but he obviously didn't mind sharing...

We were just about to call it a night when we heard a shriek. Apparently, a fish or something had brushed my friend's daughter's foot, and she hightailed it out of the ocean, only to trip and fall right into a tide pool, landing on her face. She wasted no time lamenting her injury, though. They next thing we heard...and saw, as she came into sight...was another shriek and the most hilarious Fred Flintstone-bowling-inspired dance across the beach. Poor Ashley...I must admit we had some great laughs at her expense. And I didn't have a single photo to show for it. At least until the next day's skim boarding attempts.

original blog date...July 17, 2010

Wordless Wednesday...

2010-07-28T10:09:00.000-07:00

When you cross the state line...

2010-07-27T05:38:00.000-07:00

...you're officially on vacation. And at approximately 2:30 pm , just over an hour behind schedule, we left Indiana, crossed over into Ohio, jogged back through a smidge of Indiana and then headed south into Kentucky.

We made a pit stop in London, Kentucky, to drop Grandma Dotty at Aunt Susie's house and finally made it to our hotel in Knoxville around 8 pm.

Aunt Susie's and Uncle John's new house...

A quick snuggle with Uncle John...

A goodbye hug for Grandma...

Finally caught up with our friends on the road...

For the kids, vacation begins with cable and take-out. They were starving by the time we finally got dinner...even poor little Caroline was begging for food, and she's the most patient of the bunch when she's hungry. I'd packed the obligatory road trip food, but we were all ready for some real food, in the form of Taco Bell and Cracker Barrel take-out.

Don't judge...

see the Planter's bars in the background there?

It's been a long day. A great day, but a loooong day. We are more than ready to roll into Hilton Head tomorrow afternoon. I can't wait for that moment when we roll down the windows and smell the ocean air. Or that moment when we drive over the bridge. That's when the real fun begins. But I do love the anticipation. I've been waiting for this for a long time. It's been seven years since we last visited. And ten since we vacationed with our dear friends there. Ten years. Do you know how much kids change in ten years? I don't even want to think how much I've changed. At least on the outside.

original blog date...July 16, 2010

Sunday Snapshot...togetherness

2010-07-25T23:42:00.000-07:00

We're home from our long-awaited week at the beach. It was a grand time. We did a whole lot of nothing and spent precious time together as a family. And this serene photo is one of my favorites. On our last night there, we did what we always do...we tried to cram in a little bit of everything...one last dip in the pool, one last night of games, one last bike ride, and, of course, one last walk on the beach.

Every other evening walk on the beach had pretty much been in the pitch black. The first night it was so dark that one of the kids in our group stumbled through a tide pool and landed smack on her face. But this last night...it was one of those moments that just takes your breath away. The moon was full, creating a gorgeous glow over the water.

In a moment of inspiration, I propped my camera up on a lifeguard tower and sent the kids down to the water, hoping to get a shot that would capture a little of the magic of being together at the beach . I would love to have spent a little more time getting exactly the right exposure and a little sharper of an image. But I happen to love this particular image, mostly because of the story it doesn't tell. It's the only one of the bunch that isn't blurred by my lovely children pushing and shoving and generally irritating the snot out of each other.

Sunday Snapshot...marching on

2010-07-11T21:48:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday was our fourth 4th of July parade as marching band parents.

As high school parents.

And our last with Mindy marching in the parade.

I can't quite wrap my mind around what it will be like without her.

I've determined that I'm going to soak up every single second of this year.

And, even though I might have teared up a teensy bit just once, no one noticed.

If they did, they might have thought it was sweat dripping off my face.

At least the heat and humidity came in handy for something.

This year, the parade was in the heat of the day, with hardly a cloud in the sky. The kids might have liked to trade the sun and the heat for one of the past years' rainy days...they were sopping wet when it was all over anyway.

Mickey was invited to be a banner carrier. As hot as it was, he didn't complain once! Truth be told, he was pretty happy to be part of the action. Maybe not so happy about the camera once again attached to his mother's face.

Abby made the rifle line this year. I was so proud of her. I was also relieved they were only throwing triples. She's already had one black eye this year. But, then, even seasoned pros have incurred an injury here and there...a tooth knocked out, a busted scalp, a broken foot. My girl is throwing 'fives' in the backyard. I'm joyous, I tell you. And more than a little impressed. Anyway, the rifles performed a beautiful routine to this year's parade tune, Sweet Caroline...you'll never guess who thought they were playing it just for her. She might have heard that tune a couple of times before. And I'm gratuitously using this photo again. Because I failed to get a shot of Caroline watching the band perform. And because I think it's completely hilarious.

And there's Mindy with her tenors. That girl is tough. Second, maybe, to the sousaphone (a marching tuba), those tenors weigh a good 40 pounds. The timbales she will also march with this fall weigh even more. I'll tell you, though, she wouldn't have it any other way. Although she marched tenors for last year's parade, she's waited a long time for her spot on the tenor line. She's worked hard for it. And she's the only girl in the battery.

She'll tell you she kind of likes it that way. Boys come with less drama. And she somehow tolerates all that comes with hanging out with a bunch of boys...I won't go into detail...or mention smelly t-shirts and shoes or occasional off-color humor. She'll set them straight when absolutely necessary, and they'll muster up some manners. Really, they're a harmless bunch. Easy-going, fun to be around, largely messy, and easily bribed with chocolate chip cookies. They accept her, and she accepts them.

Then there's the fact that Mindy's percussion instructor once told her she was one of the most aggressive, intense women he'd ever met. I'm fairly certain the drums absorb a little of that aggression and intensity. Dear drums. I'm so sorry.

I have a lot of years of marching band ahead of me. Abby has two more years after this. Mickey's already talking up his own spot on the drumline, and Caroline truly thinks she's part of the band and guard. After all, she has her own flag and drumsticks. But these four years with Mindy have been some of my favorite...and sometimes most difficult...years of parenting. It's been hard to see her struggle through learning to hold her own in a male-dominated environment. Or to watch her tough out two years of ankle injuries. Loooooong competition days. Rainy, cold rehearsals.

The best part, though, has been seeing my oldest daughter continue to grow into the confident young woman she is. And the way she's left behind the freshman who was too cool to acknowledge her parents for the senior who begs her mom to chaperone the band trips. Then there's the late-night rides home from the high school, getting the scoop on the day's events, grabbing Taco Bell and cokes and then winding down with the Gilmore Girls. Being there when she marched in the Fiesta Bowl parade. The thrill of an upset win at state. It's been sweet...it really has.

So here we are, with one season left. It will be over in the proverbial blink of an eye. I don't want to be melodramatic, really. That would totally irritate my daughter. And she would definitely mock me. In an intensely aggressive way. See above. But I do want to make sure that I savor it all...no blinking. Because time marches on like a big brass band. With a really loud drumline.

****************************************

This is my first Sunday Snapshot link-up, although it didn't start out that way. It began as a recap of our 4th of July but quickly became a reflection of my oldest child. Which is, of course, the perfect choice for my first one. If you haven't stopped by Stefanie's blog, make sure you do.

This picture...

2010-07-06T20:56:00.001-07:00

...definitely speaks louder than words.

Yep, it was HOT.

About 90-some degrees hot.

The kind of hot where you drip sweat in the shade.

You can imagine how hot the kids marching in the parade were.

In black shirts.

They looked cool, but they definitely were not.

More pictures tomorrow...

The locals...

2010-06-10T21:14:00.001-07:00

More from our trip to Florida in April...

I've been to the Carolinas and Florida several times, and I've even been to the Bahamas twice. I've seen tons of little lizards, mostly of the green anole variety...a couple of them within the grasp of my son's hands. But I've never come across local inhabitants the size of these guys.

As we were walking around the resort property our first evening, I caught sight of a couple of what I'm going to call miniature dragons, and I quickly snapped a photo, thinking they'd slither out of sight. But, no, they stood their ground, giving me no choice but to try and get closer. Armed with only my 85mm fixed lens, no less.

I was a teeny bit frightened that one might jump on me or hiss or something, but I was a whole lot fascinated. They really were pretty cool. I had another one of those "man, I wish Mickey could see this" moments, and then, with visions of him leaping over landscaping barriers in pursuit of lizards at Sea World, I was instantly grateful he wasn't there. By the way, if you haven't seen the video, click here to get a good laugh of my son's antics a couple of years ago.

And apparently the locals are morning folk, too. The last two shots were taken just before we left Marathon early Monday morning. Got close again...to give you an idea, this guy's body, not including his tail, was a good 12-15 inches long.

Rewind...

2010-06-08T21:07:00.000-07:00

It's June already! I have no idea where May went. I feel like I need to rewind the last few weeks, and yet I'm thoroughly relieved to have them behind us. The end of the school year is always a flurry of activity, and I'm pretty much always exhausted by the time we reach the end. In the midst of trying to catch up on laundry, clean up the clutter, keep up with my new exercise routine and nurse our latest tonsillectomy patient, I managed to finish another blog post of our trip to Florida. Just scroll down to the next post to view it. I'm the kind of girl that needs things in sequential order, so eventually I'll add a link here and move it back to April. I know, I'm weird. Hope you love photos of blue water and palm trees because I kind of went a little overboard. I don't get out much, you know...

The three-hour tour...

2010-06-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

Remember Mr. It’s-going-to-rain-all-day-and-you’ll-be-stuck-in-your-room-because-there’s-nothing-else-to-do-here? Yeah, well, he can rely on the weather forecast all he wants because the One who controls the weather had a different plan for the day. We actually woke early in the morning to a downpour. I grumbled, rolled over and went back to sleep. We slept in a bit and then enjoyed a leisurely bit of time “together”…Jon with complete control of the remote control and The History Channel and me with the bathroom all to myself and no critters underfoot. We even had an extra hour before our 10:30 appointment (gasp!), so we decided to go for a drive and find some water and snacks. Okay, yes, and a Coke for me. We were wonderfully surprised by the bright sunshine and blue skies that greeted us! So much for that gloom-and-doom forecast!

I actually took this photo on our way out of town, so the sky isn't the beautiful blue you see in the rest of the pictures below. I included it for posterity...a humbling reminder that our first night in the Keys we drove back and forth on the Overseas Highway about ten times, looking for this highly recommended little dive...and never found it until the light of day.

We made it back just in time for our update appointment, and I thoroughly enjoyed politely rubbing the weather in the concierge's face. Again, remember...better than a punch in the face. We sat through our obligatory spiel....update...blah blah blah...new resorts...blah blah blah...really need more points...blah blah blah...great deal...blah blah blah...no, thank you...blah blah blah. We ate our free breakfast and took our $50 gift card and hit the road.

The new Seven Mile Bridge on the left...

The old Seven Mile Bridge connecting to

Pigeon Key on the right...

Our original plan had been to drive the remaining hour to Key West and make the most of a rainy day by enjoying the shops and musical entertainment our country's southernmost city has to offer. We scrapped that plan pretty much immediately and decided to capitalize on the beautiful day instead of spending two hours of our day driving. We settled on taking a ferry to a little island, Pigeon Key, that was part of the chain of islands Henry Flagler used to build the Florida East Coast Railroad at the beginning of the 1900s. We only had about 10 minutes to make the next boat, so we grabbed the sunscreen and a bottle of water. Upon arrival, we received lesson #1 on life in the Keys. This was our "ferry".

I swiped this and the one above from their website...

the name of the file? "FerryBoatBig"

I admit I was a smidge apprehensive about taking such a small boat out on the ocean, but it turned out to be a blast! We tooled out of the little harbor, past some really cool places...not schmancy mansions (although I'm sure they exist somewhere down there), but nice homes built to enjoy the locale. I think the idea is that a lot of life is spent outside here...why spend a fortune on life inside? It was then I started to fall in love with the small scale, laidback atmosphere of the Keys.

Got some fun photos as we motored gently under the new Seven Mile Bridge and the old Seven Mile Bridge that connects Marathon to Pigeon Key. Then when we hit the open water, Captain Larry floored it! Jon and I just looked at each other and grinned...it's not something we get to do every day, you know. At the dock, we were greeted by our tour guide, Chris, who escorted us to a group of chairs under some palm trees and gave us the lowdown on Henry Flagler and his endeavor to build a railroad from Miami all the way to Key West. Turns out the guy was loaded...like Rockefeller loaded. Pigeon Key served as a base during the construction, housing around 400 men, In 1912, the railroad to Key West was completed, but, sadly, it was badly damaged in 1935 by the Labor Day Hurricane. Because of the impending Depression, it was discontinued and turned into the Overseas Highway.

Pigeon Key is now historically preserved by a non-profit corporation that uses the island for educational purposes. There are all kinds of school group visits and summer camps. The kids stay on the island and learn all about marine life. They snorkel with sharks and fish and have science labs...really cool stuff. All I could think of is how much Mickey would LOVE this place...and how we might never talk him into leaving.

Pretty sure this is the bridge Reva drove her car off of

during a Guiding Light episode way back in the day...

We toured the island buildings and then spent the rest of the afternoon soaking up the sun and endless blue waters that surrounded us. It wasn't fancy, but it was heavenly. We even saw an enormous nurse shark swim around the dock! Finally, at 4 pm, we were ready to board the last boat of the day and head back to Marathon for dinner. Only the boat never showed. It was moored out in the waters off Pigeon Key, and it had a broken impeller, which apparently is a very bad thing. So there we were. We waited for a while to see if they could repair the boat before our tour guide, Chris, employed Plan B. We weren't really all that stranded, you see. In fact, we could have walked the two-plus miles back via the old bridge, but I vetoed because I had pretty shoes on. And because I really didn't want to leave. But we were getting hungry, and I wasn't really into playing Survivor...pretty shoes and all...so by the time Chris offered up golf cart rides back, I was ready to go. We all but howled with laughter when the golf cart stalled out on the bridge and we had to wait for the engine to cool.

My blue heaven...

He was going somewhere with the staging of this shot...

A good-sized, supposedly harmless,

nurse shark under the pier...

Well, at least we weren't stuck ON the boat...

Our island tour guide, Chris...

We finally made it back to our car...what a great afternoon we'd had...and headed back to our room to freshen up for dinner. We chose a little place on the water and had the best mahi and nachos! It was one of my favorite meals of the trip! I'm not normally one to enjoy fish, but the mahi (which was technically Jon's dinner) was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. After that, we managed to miss the sunset again, mostly due to the clouds that were rolling in again, and called it a day.

We sat just to the left of the blue cabana...

The view from our table...

I wish, in some ways, we'd made it to Key West. I wish, in a lot of ways, we'd been able to just chill for a few more days. But I am grateful in every way that we had that day together, just the two of us. We needed it so much.

Heaven is the face...

2010-05-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

"...of a little girl, with dark brown eyes

that disappear when she smiles."

Today is a day to remember sweet Maria, whose life here on this earth made a tremendous impact on the kingdom of God. Truly, out of the ashes, beauty has risen. And I will be forever grateful for the testimony her family continues to share.

p.s. If you haven't listened to Heaven is the Face,

there's a link in the sidebar.

Still here...

2010-05-13T05:31:00.000-07:00

I haven't sat down since last Thursday's post, but I'm still here. It's the month of May, and I'm in survival mode...making sure everyone has eaten at least once a day, fresh underwear and socks are available(note to self...that will be an issue by tomorrow morning if I don't get that load in the wash), kids to school, kids to practices, programs and the like, and everyone is accounted for at the end of the day. Throw in a few errands and appointments and trying to keep up with photography jobs and I'm pretty much at the point of pretending that I'm cleaning and meal planning.

The good news? Eleven days of school left. ELEVEN. E-L-E-V-E-N. I have never been so ready for summer break. And that's sayin' something. This has been a long, tough, exhausting school year, and I'm ready for it to be done. I'm not so ready for Mindy to be a senior, but I'm way ready to soak up every single second of down time we can manage this summer. We have just a few weeks with nothing on the calendar, and I will be fiercely guarding those weeks.

One of those weeks we will be spending at the beach...at our beloved Hilton Head Island...for the first time in six years! I cannot begin to describe to you how thrilled we all are about that! The most energetic thing we will do that week is plop our behinds on a catamaran for a couple of hours. Other than that, it's beach, pool, bike rides and eating. Lather, rinse, repeat. And the only way I'll be able to convince the troops (and myself) to load up the van and leave is to bribe them with a rendezvous through Raleigh for a pit stop visit with some of Caroline's China sisters. That's my plan for now, at least.

We've got a busy weekend ahead, but I'll try to finish up a post I started last weekend.

Blog hopping...

2010-05-06T07:29:00.000-07:00

Trying something new today, mostly because of the timing...I'm joining in a "before and after" blog hop over at Pixel Perfect. I shot a senior session on Saturday, and I got, like, a bazillion fabulous shots. But I also learned a little something. As I was going through the shots, I found a couple of overexposed images. I'd taken them in haste before checking my settings for close-ups I wanted to shoot. For some reason, I just couldn't delete them and decided to play around a little. Man, am I glad I did.

Here's the SOOC:

And here's the finished product:

I shoot with a D700 (just got it a few months ago, and we're still bonding) and an 85mm 1.8 portrait lens. I used PSE 8.0 to do a quick clone edit to get rid of the hangar strap sticking out (in my defense, this was about two hours into the shoot...apparently I was off my game a bit) and to adjust the levels a bit. It was still a bit too bright, so I used Pioneer Woman's Soft and Faded action and pulled the levels down a bit more. I cropped it in just a smidge to get rid of the cleavage line, added an edge burn, pulled that back a little, too, and....WOW. I loved it because her eyes are framed by her dark hair and draw me into the photo, and the flowers in the background give it just a little color and texture.

Head on over to Pixel Perfect and vote for your favorite "before and after"...

She is sixteen, going on seventeen...

2010-04-23T19:03:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe I'm writing this. Tomorrow my first baby...a baby I thought I would never have...a baby I prayed desperately for...will be seventeen. Seventeen years old. How is it that I am already on the brink of letting her go? How is it that she has gone from my shy, quiet little blonde-haired girl with huge blue eyes to a bold, fearless, confident young woman? How is it that I'm supposed to pack her up and send her off on her own to college in just one short year? I'm not ready. She is. But I'm not.

The longer I'm a parent, the faster the time goes. You know how I know? Because just yesterday she turned Sweet 16, and I never managed to find time to even blog about that. I vividly remember the day she started high school. I remember getting in the car to head out for my day and instantly fighting back tears as I realized that she would only have three more first days of school. That I would blink and her high school years would be over. I was right. It's gone so fast. I have one year left with her, and I know it's going to be over before I know it. Brace yourselves. I'm going to be a blubbering baby this time next year.

Yesterday I took Mindy to get her driver's license. So, you know, she could drive a car on. her. own. And tonight she drove herself to the high school for a band function. I have to admit, although I'll always be a little anxious when my children are out driving on their own, a bigger part of me was sad to see the beginning of the end of our times in the car, talking and singing and laughing.

The upside of all of these emotions I'm feeling is that I have a daughter who loves family and celebration as much as I do. She won't be the type to bolt out the door and never come back. She doesn't want to miss out on anything. She'll be here for occasions, big and small. As for me, I'll do my best to keep my big ol' tears in check and cherish the memories of when she was small.

p.s. I'll try to dig out some sweet photos of when she was little next week.

p.s.s. Let me know if this page takes a while to load. I may need to reduce the file size.

All the way to Key Largo...

2010-04-19T16:59:00.000-07:00

...and then some. Time to spill, eh? Well, Jon and I had a rare opportunity (and by rare, I mean for the first time since we became parents 17 years ago) to hop a plane and skip town together for a few days. Jon's been doing a lot of his company's Florida business of late, and two jobs lined up together for this week. Then the wheels started turning, and we realized that we had timeshare points for a little place about halfway down the Florida Keys. Allison, you guessed correctly! We also had a free airline voucher and a couple of free rental car days that Jon had been saving, plus a grandma willing to cover for us. So we cashed it all in and booked our flights for bright and early Saturday morning...and I do mean early...and landed in Fort Lauderdale by 11:30 am!

The drive to the Keys took slightly longer than anticipated. First, Jon just couldn't resist a little jaunt through downtown Miami on our way south. While I did find myself nearly hanging my head out the window, inhaling the aroma of Latino food that fills the air, I was anxious to head south and feast my eyes on the blue waters of the Keys. To top it all off, the skies were overcast...not your typical blue Florida skies...and it was spitting rain on and off. Then, when we finally got back on the only road headed that direction, we quickly found ourselves in a traffic jam, bordered on both sides by crocodile-filled swamps and road construction. Ugh. Turns out there was a big bike race in Key Largo, and that backed the whole highway up for miles!!

Yeah, not quite what I'd been waiting for...

Finally, we broke free of the traffic, and, despite the cloudy skies, the vistas of the Florida Keys did not disappoint. Blue waters stretched as far as the eye could see on either side of much of the Overseas Highway. I was a little apprehensive of all the bridges, but they turned out to be no big deal...even Seven Mile Bridge...more on that later. By the way, it also turns out that there was a foot race across the Seven Mile Bridge, also backing up traffic all the way up the Keys!

Now that's more like it...

We made to Marathon, a little over halfway down the Keys, and found our little resort, The Hammocks. First thing, we were snagged by the concierge, whose job it is to get people like us to sit down for an update (otherwise known as their chance to sell us more). No way were we doing that now, but we happily agreed to take their $50 for listening. I not-so-happily almost punched the guy in the face for repeatedly...not exaggerating here...repeatedly stating that we wouldn't be able to enjoy any of the wonderful things about the Keys on the next (our only) full day there because it was just going to pour rain. Oh, and it never does that there! I finally asked him to stop. It was better than punching him.

The Hammocks...

...out the back door of our resort.

We drove around for a while, checked out Sunset Beach (missed the sunset), and ended up grabbing dinner at the resort's Tiki Bar and eating our first of the trip's many outdoor meals. There's just nothing like sharing a meal under the palms, with an ocean breeze wafting by. Some days I wonder WHY we live in land-locked Indiana, far away from those palms and blue waters. Did you know that the high school in Marathon is practically right on the beach?! I'm not sure the kids would miss the marching band all that much!

The Tiki Bar out back...

Sunset Beach...

Next up...our three-hour tour...that turned into four-and-a-half when our boat broke down! I'm not even kidding.

A few more clues...

2010-04-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

This last one might just give it away...

p.s. Yes, it's really that blue...

The view from here...

2010-04-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

Any guesses where here is?

Wordless Wednesday...

2010-04-14T11:55:00.000-07:00

p.s. I fixed the links on the video post below, so they should work.

Video clips...

2010-04-11T20:57:00.000-07:00

Before every moment, there is a moment...click here to see a short video of some of the teams entering the tunnel before performing...you can see Abby as her team passes by...it's about halfway through the video. If you miss her, when the video ends, she's pictured on the replay icon.

Their "moment" brought them a consistent 13th place finish in the World Championship finals. They all had a great experience and came home happy to have made it to finals. It was the first their high school has been represented in World Class finals since 2003!

For an amazing overview of the 15 competitors in the World Class finals, click here. It's a really cool time lapse of all 15 performances, and it's fairly fascinating. Abby's team has the "ocean" tarp with a huge compass painted on it.

Right now...

2010-04-09T23:16:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here watching episodes of Laverne and Shirley, listening to my oldest and youngest snoring away on the sofa beside me. Baxter has assumed his position of blanket hogging...seriously, this guy is a major blanket hog for being all of seven pounds...and the boys are in the basement watching a "guy" movie. Abby is already sound asleep in her bed. I am drop dead tired myself, but a quiet house is a scarce commodity around here, so I couldn't resist trying to blog a bit. Mind you, I cannot be held accountable for coherent sentences. It took me three times to type in my username so I could update my own facestory "status" (see below).

It's been a long couple of days, and tomorrow will be even longer. Thursday afternoon was the first of the three-day WGI (guard) World Championships. Abby and the rest of her team started their school day and then headed off for an evening preliminary performance in Dayton, Ohio. To cut down on expenses, the team drove back last night and then reported at 4:50 am this morning for a quick rehearsal and then another trek to Dayton for semi-finals. I was lucky enough to chaperone today, so that meant I was out the door at that ungodly hour myself. After about two hours of sleep. I was so afraid we'd oversleep that I couldn't relax enough to go to sleep!

Crossing the Ohio state line

as the sun came up this morning...

"Hate early. Must kill early."

It was such a fun day. I relish the days that I get to spend with my older kids, believe it or not. I have two pretty fabulous teenagers. They actually like me and like having me along. Makes life a lot easier when I'm, like, along.

The girls did their airbrush make-up and eye make-up

after practice and while they were eating breakfast.

On the bus, however, it was time for finishing

hair and applying the "Gaga" eyes.

So, they made it to finals! A pretty hefty accomplishment in light of all this team has been through this season...trust me on that one. World Class is the cream of the crop. There are only 23 World Class teams in, well, the world. I think right now all 23 are from the US, but you get the picture. It's a pretty cool thing just to be competing. Of those 23 guards, Abby's team has placed 13th in the first two rounds and earned a spot in the final round! We did, by the way, get to see some international teams in the independent class, but our favorite was the Cinci Pride. Amazing.

The "Fantastic Four" freshmen on the World Guard team...

Last year, Abby was still in middle school and, therefore, competing in the cadet class. In one short year, she has gone from the beginning level of competition to the highest level. And she deserves it. As goofy and fun as she can be, she takes it seriously and has really blossomed into a beautiful dancer and skilled performer.

This year's show was titled "Into the West"

and set to the Annie Lennox song by the same name.

This is at the beginning of the show where

they form a ship crossing the ocean.

Abby is on the far left, at the front of the ship.

The girl, however, is pooped. When we finally made it home, she beelined it for the shower for the battle of the shampoo versus the hairspray, braided her hair for tomorrow's show, updated her "status", scarfed down Taco Bell while giggling over Laverne and Shirley, and bid me good night. She didn't even notice that I turned on the light to take her picture. Apparently, she didn't notice that there's no pillowcase on her pillow, either.

Tomorrow is another long one...almost a 24-hour day, from start to finish. After finals competition, there's a full retreat of all guards for the award ceremony tomorrow night. Then the drive back from Dayton. I'm sad to say I won't be there tomorrow. At $50 a pop for the cheap seats of finals, I agonized over my decision and decided to stay home. I rarely miss a performance of anything for any of my kids. I've invested a small fortune in marching band events alone. This one would have been $50 for the ticket...and that's in the cheap seats, plus gas both ways and food. It just wasn't in the budget this month. And it absolutely killed me to miss it. But I did get a chance to chaperone today and see them perform at World, something not all the parents were able to do. And I got to spend an entire day with my sweet girl. That, as all you moms know, was priceless. And right now, that's all that matters.

Your love...

2010-04-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

...oh Lord, reaches to the heavens.

Your faithfulness stretches to the skies.

Psalm 36:5

This is the face...

2010-03-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

...of one tired little girl who just realized at the end of a very long afternoon that she left her beloved gulla (pink blanket) at home.

And this after her mother insisted that our car was parked on the fourth floor of the parking garage at the Children's Museum. In the face of protests from all four children that our car was on the first floor. Topped off by the pushing of buttons for every floor of the garage by someone in our party. And I use the term party loosely. Because it wasn't a party anymore when a disenchanted mother of two joined our expedition to every. single. floor.

And did I mention I left Caroline's cup at home, too?

p.s. Scroll down for two more short, but sweet, posts. I get credit, people. I get credit.

In case you were wondering...

2010-03-28T23:18:00.000-07:00

...yes, my new computer does have a web cam.

If I had to pick...

2010-03-27T21:15:00.000-07:00

...this would be my favorite photo of the day.

My get-up-and-go...

2010-03-25T18:20:00.000-07:00

...got up and went.

I've got about half a dozen posts started, but I've yet to finish any of them. It's bound to get better, though. Spring break is a day away, and my new computer arrived yesterday afternoon. It's bright....and I mean bright...red. At the last minute, I ditched purple for what I thought would be a classy deep red. But I am so stinking happy that this computer actually works that I'm beside myself with joy, and I'm embracing the red. Mindy said it reminds her of China...and a Coke can. So, there.

Went to the zoo, what, two weeks ago? And my friend, Kristi, has already blogged her zoo trip this past weekend. Guess I'll be working on my own zoo pictures now. And I am bound and determined to catch up with my Project 365.

...if I can stay awake.

No big spring break trip for us, but we do have a few fun things planned, not the least of which is at least a day or two of doing. absolutely. nothing. And, guess what?! The weather forecast is is for sunny and warm next week. We're talkin' 70s...maybe even 80 degrees! I cannot even remember the last spring break that we've actually had spring weather! I'm feeling energized from the vitamin D already! Who knows? Maybe I'll even blog every day next week! Okay, don't hold your breath.

I'm so happy...

2010-03-08T22:25:00.000-08:00

Today we went to the zoo. The last few days have been incredibly busy, and the next few will most likely be, as well. And the sun is finally out. It's in the 60s, even. With rain in the forecast for the rest of the week, I decided that my stuff do to would have to wait. We set off in search of a gift for Abby's birthday and then stopped at McDonald's to pick up some lunch. We were just a few minutes from the zoo, so I suggested a last-minute picnic.

When we got to the zoo, Caroline insisted on ditching the entire row of empty picnic tables and picnicking the old-fashioned way. I hauled the picnic blanket out of the trunk, and, thankfully, she accepted a spot on the brick sidewalk in lieu of soggy ground. There were still mounds of icky black snow at the curb, melting their ick into the grass, and I really didn't want to walk around the zoo with wet icky pants.

So there we were, soaking in the rays and munching on our chicken nuggets. I'd left in such a hurry that I'd forgotten to pack even a drink for Caroline, so we were sharing mine. The following conversation ensued.

"It really is a beautiful day, Caroline."

"I know, Mommy! It's a great day to go to da zoo!"

"I'm so happy I can share this day with you, sweetie."

"And I'm SO happy to share this COKE with you, Mommy!"

Makes me laugh...

2010-03-02T06:41:00.000-08:00

I really am trying to catch up, but I'm working on emailing photos for our travel group's annual slide show of our girls. Yes, that's right. Me. Trying to wade through a year's worth of photos and pick favorites. Painful, I tell ya. Among those many, many things on my list of catch-up projects is to finish editing and blogging about our trip to the AWAA National Reunion in DC last October. This is a little collage I put together of some photos we tried to stage on the mall. There are actually another three or four in the series that I could include, but these were my favorites. I thought I'd share because every time I look at it, it makes me chuckle.

The story behind these photos is that Kylie decided she did not want to hold her brother's hand. Grace took matters into her own hands...pardon the pun...and Caleb got the last word in. Hee.

Baby Dashka...

2010-02-27T20:22:00.000-08:00

My sweet sister-in-law, Robin, is in Haiti this week, serving on a medical missions trip with a local church. She was made for this mission. She has the most loving, gentle touch and soft voice. I can see her in my mind's eye, loving on the precious people of Haiti.

I'm so thrilled that she has set up a blog and is taking photos and sharing her experience on this trip! One of the first photos she posted is of this darling baby girl who needs prayer. Her name is Dashka, she isn't nursing well, and she weighs 4-5 pounds. I'm hoping we'll hear more about her progress.

Click here to follow along on Robin's trip this week. Thanks so much for your prayers!

Good news, bad news...

2010-02-27T18:54:00.000-08:00

Well, the bad news is, we're still trying to figure out what computer to purchase. We actually had one ready to order from Dell, and then we found a great deal at Sam's Club.

The good news is that Jon managed to dig up yet another tip for the power cord, and it's working for now. My battery only lasts about 15 minutes, so I'm glued to an outlet, but I'm ever so thankful to be somewhat back in business. I'll be trying to catch up my Project 365 posts in the next couple of days.

May it rest in peace...

2010-02-22T11:59:00.000-08:00

...after I smash it with a sledge hammer. The HP is a goner. After the debacle with the hard drive and recovering my files, it's been acting weird. I got Photoshop re-installed, with quite a bit of difficulty, and I had a hard time making myself spend all the time it takes to re-install all my other software. Then, the other day, I couldn't get the power cord connection to work. It isn't the cord. I've replaced the cord twice, and the adapter tips twice. I've also had to have the wireless card replaced, the CD burner repaired, a couple of keys on the keyboard fixed, the battery replaced twice and the hard drive reformatted at least three times. I'm done.

Goodbye, HP.

Hello, Dell.

So I'll try to get something up on the blog with our little Dell that the kids use, but after school hours, it's all I can do to get my hands on it with two highschoolers. Jon is figuring out what Dell to order, and I'm hoping to be up and running again within the week.

Project 365...days 36-42

2010-02-15T21:18:00.000-08:00

I am so incredibly behind right now...even more so, due to the fact that, apparently, after I hit "publish" on my last Project 365 post and shut down my computer, it decided to go on strike again. It's lucky it hasn't been on the receiving end of a strike...with a sledge hammer. I tried not to panic, but it was about this time last year that it crashed. And, of course, since my external hard drive is now installed in the old desk top, I've been lazy about copying files. And THE ONLY COPIES of Christmas and Caroline's birthday...not to mention at least two months of work...were on my laptop. Cue the freak out. Jon tried to run the recovery disks, but my files just disappeared. Queries to the IT staff at Jon's office resulted in "yeah, you probably lost everything" comments. Cue the physical restraints.

Then, in a moment of sheer desperation, I grabbed the Yellow Pages and called the Geek Squadron. They offered a flicker of hope, mostly because my program icons were still on my desktop. Then they called back and dashed my hopes after consulting another tech. Then they called again and said they'd come out anyway. I threw myself on my knees and begged God to resurrect my files. And I KNOW there are worse things in life. I know true suffering exists. I KNOW. But I also know that God is bigger than any hard drive, and if it was at all possible He could give me back my pictures, I was asking!

Long story short, the recovery disk hadn't recovered my profile. In other words, my files were still hidden behind some "partition". In other words, the geek found them in about five minutes flat, and I had to resist the urge to grab him and hug him. I saved that for the guy who paid my bill. And let me say that it was $118 well spent. And I will NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER download photos to one location EVER again. The end.

That's part one of why I'm so behind. My computer is on borrowed time, and efforts to reinstall all my software are being met with annoying levels of computerish resistance. But wait! There's more. Part two comes in next week's installment. Now, on with the show.

February 5...Gotcha Day...three years ago, I was handed this darling fiesty charming smart little girl. I'll save the sappy stuff for the Gotcha Day post, but I will say that I am grateful every day for the privilege of being her mother. And she is incredibly grateful for sugar. In any form. We baked cupcakes to celebrate the day, and I let her have both beaters. I snapped off a dozen photos of her in sheer heaven, and then as I turned to grab the baking tins, I caught her starting to dip those beaters back in the batter for more! This was my favorite shot because it captured her mischievious little giggle when I busted her.

February 6...oh, yeah...it snowed yesterday...I think that one was six inches or so. It was a wet snow, and it canceled Friday night guard practice and Saturday's competition. We were pretty happy to have a day off. It looks like a stinking blizzard in this photo, but it's really just Mickey throwing himself in the path of the snow blower chute. I don't think I'll ever understand the Y chromosome.

February 7...Super Bowl Sunday...I don't really want to talk about the game. Yeah, yeah...happy for the Saints. NOT so happy that we waited another three years to actually be able to watch the Colts in the Super Bowl, only to watch them lose. If you'll remember, we were flying from Beijing to Guangzhou to get Caroline the last time they played. Anyway, it started out as a nice day. We went to church and then to Panda Express for our official Gotcha Day celebration. Jon ended up with a migraine and slept it off a bit before joining us on a family sledding expedition. Abby, our 14-year-old, is in a teenaged funk lately. She's decided she doesn't like snow anymore. I made her go sledding with us, and, in rebellion, she grabbed a sand chair and plopped herself in it on the sledding hill. Don't worry, she eventually broke down and tried the snowboard, the laundry basket and the sled. And she got in another snowball fight with Mindy. And lost. Again.

February 8...I'm cheating on today's photo...I actually forgot to take one today, but this is one of the first ones I took with the D700. It's of my pantry. With no flash. Yes, it was love at first sight. With the camera. That pantry is another story. My house may usually be in disarray, but I like neat drawers and cabinets. And my kids apparently do not. This is just one corner of the pantry, but it pretty much all looks the same. So I picked this photo for the day because I spent it at the grocery store, stocking up in preparation for yet another snow storm.

February 9...hey, guess what? It snowed. School was cancelled. And I forgot to mail a package yesterday! It just had to get in the mail! Caleb, getting your Pringles to you before your big trip was way more important than a silly little snowstorm! Off we trekked to the post office. The roads weren't actually too bad between here and there at that point, and we accomplished our mission. Whew!

February 10...classic mom moment today. Got Caroline all dressed in her cute Valentine's Day outfit for the party at school. Brought her little cards to school, which she incidentally did pretty much all by herself. And discovered that the calendar was wrong. The party was actually scheduled for Friday, the 12th, instead of the 11th. A day they don't even have school. But somehow my brain translated the mistake into the party being on Wednesday. Duh. Oh, and note that she insisted on wearing one silver shoe and one hot pink shoe. Don't you just love that hat?? It came with a sweet little tutu. I'll have pictures of that later.

February 11...because of all the bad weather lately, I had to reschedule everyone's haircuts. Caroline, Mickey and I got ours cut yesterday. It would have been a great thing to document in honor of Chinese New Year...you know, one of the traditions to prepare for CNY is to cut your hair. If I would have remembered the camera. Duh. Again. But I brought it today when Mindy and Abby got theirs done. And they both yelled at me for taking their pictures.

Here's hoping the computer doesn't have another little fit when I shut down tonight. I've got a lot of posting to do, among other things!

Project 365...days 29-35

2010-02-08T21:16:00.000-08:00

January 29...I know it's old news now, but I had to pay homage to my old camera with a first photo of my brand spanking new camera before I even took it out of the box! I can't tell you how long I've waited for this day! And I do know that it's just a thing. As fun as I know it will be to use this camera, it's hopefully a tool I will use to build my photography business, help support our growing family, and bless others in the process.

January 30...Mindy and I headed out for Abby's first day of Winter Guard competition. I took a turn chaperoning the bus trip to Fort Wayne, and Mindy came along to help out. We were waiting to load the bus with snacks and coolers of ice and water. I found this scene extremely entertaining. Mindy was trying desperately to send a text message to her sister from an area of the high school that is notorious for blocking cell phone signals. Believe it or not, her strategy worked.

January 31...one of the remote controls went missing today, and that created an emergent situation for somebody in our family. Somebody who routinely goes into a panic when he can't find the remote in question. Somebody who has a mustache. Somebody I've known for more than 20 years. But I'm not naming names. Actually, when one of the remotes is missing, it is a crisis. We can't change the channel on the digital signal box (not cable, just digital), and we can't operate the menu of the DVD player. So it's not like I didn't empathize. Heaven help us all if I can't find the remote on Bachelor night! It's just that it's much more comical when it's somebody else. We finally located it, but the kids couldn't resist tucking it under an innocent bystander's paws. By the way, they're really into this Project 365 thing, constantly giving their two cents. "Really, Mom, THIS is your picture of the day." Many times, though, I'm sold on their vision. This cheesy staged photo is one of them.

February 1...never will the first day of this month pass without me vividly remembering the adventure it brought. Three years ago, we left for China to bring home our sweet Caroline. I'll write more about my thoughts on this day leading up to the momentous Gotcha Day in another post. I will, however, take this opportunity to reflect on how much the world has changed from my perspective in three short years. The truth is that life changes every day. Life changed in 45 seconds for the country of Haiti. I'm ashamed to say that I was mostly unaware of the specific details of that country's suffering before the earthquake. But I know that it's human. I find it difficult, even as a Christian, to always keep my heart and mind centered on the Kingdom. It's overwhelming to think of the need that exists just in that country. It hurts my heart to think about it too much.

We found one teeny tiny tangible way to lend a helping hand to the people of Haiti. The high school collected jeans of any size to send to Haiti as part of a local charitable organization's efforts. We managed to come up with 36 pairs of jeans (okay, there are six of us), mostly from piles of outgrown clothing in our basement. Now we don't have more than two or three pairs of jeans each that we really wear. Still, I should probably be a little embarrassed that we could come up with so many pants that we're not wearing. But I'm going to choose to be thankful they were piled up and that all those pants are going where they're going.

February 2...what I didn't mention about yesterday was that I also made a trip to the pediatrician with Caroline. She had a nasty cough and cold last week, and she started complaining about her ear early Sunday evening. My poor little girl spent pretty much the entire night alternating between whimpering and all-out wailing from an ear ache. I wasn't surprised to find out she had an ear infection. We weren't able to see our own pediatrician, a fairly unusual circumstance, so we had to see one of the family practice doctors there. A little background here...when we first came home, Caroline was traumatized by anyone in any medical capacity. Now, my girl isn't the timid type. Instead she demonstrated her traumatic state in a manner similar to that of an angry tiger cub being dunked into a vat of snakes. It was ugly. It was ugly in China, and it didn't get any better when we got home and discovered that both ears were completely impacted with wax. Imagine her blood draw. It took no less than FOUR adults to hold her down for that one.

Gradually she's made friends with our doctor, and I've been blessed by the consistency our doctor's office provides. It took more than a year, but she finally stopped bursting into tears and climbing me at the sight of our doc. Caroline doesn't have any reservations about going to the doctor these days, but, considering her ears were the issue, I was slightly apprehensive. I prepared her for seeing a doctor on the "grown ups" side, and she handled it like a champ. She was pleasant, chatty and not the least bit afraid. I admit that I drugged her up before we went...I usually don't because I want the doctor to see them actually acting sick. Ever been there? Your kid is lethargic and/or writhing in pain at all hours of the night, but you walk in the doctor's office and they're performing gymnastics routines off the exam table? Yeah.

Anway, I found it quite hilarious that as soon as the new doctor left the room, Caroline informed me that she didn't like "the big girl doctor" and that she wanted to go back to her own. Hee.

Note...this photo of Caroline is SOOC, taken with existing light. Not bad, eh?

February 3...the troops fell one by one, this week. Mickey was next, with the cough and cold. He spent a day home, despite disclaimers that he wouldn't be playing any computer or video games...the true barometer of whether or not he's really sick.

February 4...Mindy was next. She started feeling puny Tuesday and spent most of the next three days with her head plastered to a heating pad. She had horrible ear aches in both ears, and nothing really helped besides the heating pad. Trust me, we tried it all. By the end of the week, she ended up in the doctor's office. Abby fell ill, too, and missed a day of school, but somehow I managed to miss getting a photo of her sick little self.

p.s. I would have let Abby stay home at least one more day, but the world would surely have stopped spinning had she missed guard practice. Perish the thought.

More on the way...

2010-02-08T12:25:00.000-08:00

Yeah, we'll be needing this over the next couple of days...up to eight additional inches of snow on the way, complete with blowing and drifting. I'm thinking we might even get a snow day out of this one! I'm running kids and getting errands done today, but blog posts of real significance are coming soon. Stay tuned...

Quick update...

2010-02-06T10:18:00.000-08:00

I hate posts without pictures, but I gotta find the card reader for my new camera. I did get some pretty impressive shots at dusk last night! Of course, I had accidentally turned on the bracketing function and messed up several shots before I figured out what was going on. Duh.

So, Jon made it in from Salt Lake City and across town, even stopping to pick up a pizza to go with our homemade enchiladas. Since we couldn't dine out, my little Chinese princess requested mexican food for her Gotcha Day dinner. Hee. Alex managed his way here from IU...today is his birthday, and I've been busy on his cake this morning. Got to the doctor and back with Mindy (ear and sinus infections). Practice for Abby was canceled. We stuffed ourselves and watched a movie as the snow fell and the winds howled. Most of our six to eight inches blew up against the closest solid surface, so we have lots of drifts here and there. It's still pretty windy so we may postpone our sledding until tomorrow.

Still working on a Gotcha Day post and a few others. Check back later...

Here it comes...

2010-02-05T08:03:00.000-08:00

A Gotcha Day update is coming later in the day, but we're bracing for a big snow! The first flakes are falling. You know I love a good snowstorm, but I've got a husband flying in tonight from Salt Lake City at the height of the snowfall, with the forecast calling for drifting snow. And the airport is WAY across town. Of course, the kids are in school (except for a sickly Mindy who's headed to the doctor this afternoon), so it'll be a while before we can batten down the hatches. But I'm stocked on junk food, caffeine and movies.

The "big girl" camera...

2010-01-31T22:59:00.000-08:00

I finally did it. I took the plunge and purchased a full frame camera for my business. It's business, not personal. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. I've been shooting with a Nikon D50 for the past four years, breaking my solemn vow to never go digital and always remain faithful to my trusty Minolta 35mm. Sadly, the poor Minolta has been gathering dust in its bag ever since that fateful day years ago. It's a keeper, even if I never shoot with it again. It did get a nice little reprieve when Mindy took a photography course last year.

Anyway, as you might have gathered from recent comments, I have really had it with my D50's limitations. In optimum lighting, it rocks. With its little 50mm prime, it really rocks. I've gotten some amazing photos with it. But if you ask it to shoot with natural light, say, in a house...or any structure with four walls...well, forget it. It gags. It chokes. It fails. Almost every time. So.

Last February, I left my ministry position of the last thirteen years. It was a difficult transition into unemployment, to say the least. I'd been dabbling in photography for years, doing a few shoots here and there, not really getting anywhere. When I found myself unemployed, I really needed to make a decision and step up my game. The only problem was that my confidence level was in the can. I really didn't feel like I had what it took. But, over the last year, I've spent countless hours on the computer, researching equipment and business strategies, taking online classes and studying video tutorials. I've upped my game a bit, and I've quickly realized that if I want to run with the big dogs, I need a little longer leash. Cue the D700.

I chose the D700 because, for the money, it kicks some serious behind. With my old camera, I could shoot at a maximum of 1600 ISO, with enough grain for a slice of bread. And a lot of blur. The D700 shoots at a maximum ISO of 6400 (with some tweaking, you can go higher) and leaves my little D50 in the dirt. That will give me so much more flexibility in shooting indoor sessions. And my kids' birthdays. Shhhh.

Don't get me wrong. I still have a great love for my D50. I've hauled that puppy everywhere and banged and dropped the crap out of it. It's been very forgiving of my faults. It will still be my back-up and go with me places I don't want to bang and drag the new one. For example, I chaperoned the guard trip yesterday, and Jon absolutely forbade me to even entertain the thought of test driving it that day. So I took the old camera. And got the same blurry gymnasium shots as last year. But I have a feeling that as time goes on, it will gather more and more dust of its own.

Now, about this new camera. It has more settings than a 747 turbo jet. It is way smarter than I am. And it'll take me a while to really get in the groove with it. I have two new lenses to get to know, as well, and I'm shooting with a much larger file size and a new memory format. As old as my little brain is, it will take some time to wrap my mind around all this new information. Guess I'd better put on my "big girl" pants and grab that "big girl" camera and get busy, eh?

Project 365...days 22-28

2010-01-30T20:38:00.000-08:00

January 22...today was "Hat Day" for Caroline's preschool class, in honor of the letter "H". She chose her new cupcake hat she got for her birthday. I love the sprinkles on top! And I love Caroline in hats. I am definitely not a hat person. Let's just say my Army days were not good for my look. But this girl can sure pull it off! I was in hat heaven from the moment I first stuck a hat on her little head in China...and even when she threw it on the floor about four seconds later. Now, though, she's into it. She loves accessories! So much so that I'm going to splurge and purchase one of these at briar.claire. I got a tip from McMama that they're on sale right now, and I have convinced myself that I need one as a business expense. Maybe two. I'll do a separate post on "Hat Day" and share a couple other photos.

January 23...we were pretty darned happy to find out first thing this morning that the facility the guard uses for practice was unavailable. That meant practice and a family performance were both cancelled! And that meant we had the whole Saturday free! Well, that is, until we looked around and realized that our house needed an extreme home makeover. But none of that has to do with the picture of the day...Baxter getting his antibiotic. Man, he hates it! He's spit it all over me more than once in the last few days. Minus a full disclosure, I talked Abby into giving Baxter his morning dose. He was thrilled.

January 24...today's photo should be one of Jon and his brother at the AFC Championship game. How in the world did I forget to give Jon a camera to take?! What is wrong with me?! They had great FREE seats on the 50-yard-line of a lower level, and they had a blast! I'm sad that I don't have a photo of them to commemorate the day, but, according to Jon, the people around them were probably celebrating a little too much to be able to use a camera. The good news is our Indianapolis Colts are headed to the Super Bowl! Again! And we get to watch the game this time! Three years ago, we were on a plane from Beijing to Guangzhou as the game played out. Watching that game sure would have helped pass three of the longest hours of my life! We found out minutes after disembarking that the Colts had won, and we had just another reason to grin on Gotcha Day!

January 25...we got a sweet email from one of Caroline's China sisters, Kylie, congratulating Caroline on her team's win! When I read it to her the next day and told her she could call Kylie to say hi, she was beyond excited! They were so cute chatting on the phone. I probably should have taken video, but I missed out on that opportunity, as well. I think Caroline could have talked for a while longer, but Kylie's mommy and I wanted our turn!

January 26...my washer broke today. AGAIN. This is the third, maybe fourth, problem we've had with it in the last three years. It all started the day we returned from China. With 18 days' worth of laundry. The only reason I didn't beat it to death with a sledge hammer then was that I was on the bathroom floor, trying not to throw up. This time I laughed hysterically. Especially when I eyed the pile of towels in my laundry room. And that was just the towels, people. It's not like I don't do laundry every. single. day. We seriously debated pulling the plug permanently, but Jon decided to take it apart one last time and see what he could figure out. He worked his mechanical magic, purchased a part for under a hundred bucks and got it going again with 24 hours! As much as I'd love a new washer, I was relieved to know that we didn't have to take that plunge and eradicate any and all chances for a summer vacation.

January 27...it was a night of bickering for the older girls. Abby's gone at least three nights a week with guard practice, but Wednesday nights we're usually all home. Fatigue, homework overload and hormones got the best of them...and me. I'd had it. So I pulled an old consequence out of my bag. I made them sit on the floor, facing each other and holding hands, and take turns telling each other I love you. Within a few minutes, neither could keep a straight face, and they dissolved in giggles. And then I made them do the dishes.

January 28...Abby was interviewed for the yearbook this week. She was chosen because she's traveled internationally. It was a great opportunity for her to share our story of adoption. I supplied a couple of photos from our trip to China, and we took a few of Abby and Caroline playing dress-up, as requested by the yearbook staffer. I thought this one was sweet.

Okay, take note. FOUR weeks in a row, and I haven't completely blown it. Of course, I'm still WAY behind on old posts and big events. Sigh...

Project 365...days 15-21

2010-01-24T20:55:00.001-08:00

Not a terribly exciting week around here...can't wait till it warms up, and I can get outside with my camera.

January 15...woke up, for at least the third night in a row, to our little pup howling in pain at 4:30 am. Couldn't go back to sleep, so we decided it was time to head to the vet. I hate going to the vet almost as much as the dentist. It's usually expensive, even with our relatively inexpensive and conservative vet, and it brings back sad memories of last days with our first two furry companions. Still, I couldn't put it off any longer. Baxter was ready to leave before he walked in the door. This is a photo of Abby catching him before he bailed off the examining table. Hence the blur. The diagnosis? Probable recurrence of back pain, common in jumpy little poodles, and a mouthful of teeth in desperate need of cleaning or pulling. Meaning surgery. Ouch. In more than one way.

January 16...Jon went with me to do a photo shoot for the parents of a dear friend of ours. As much as I loved taking their photos, I was completely enamored with their little Boston terrier, Molly. I might just have to go back over there with my new camera and a few doggie props because she is hilariously expressive and photogenic. This is one of my favorites.

January 17...Alex managed a ride home from college for the weekend to see Mindy. He was over Friday. And Saturday. And Sunday. Good thing we like him a bit. Okay, we like him a lot. He's a pretty good catch. Eagle Scout. Lifeguard. Wants to be a lawyer. And president. Of the United States. And he can't park a car. At least in front of our house. He always parks about a foot from the curb. This time, when I gave him a hard time about it, he said he was trying to be considerate so Mindy wouldn't have to step in the snow when she got in and out of his car. Wait till he tries to use that excuse in July.

January 18...This is Jake. He's a pilot. And he is easy on the eyes. I'm sure you'll be shocked to find that I didn't take this photo. Oh, but to have been so lucky. Say what you will. No matter how stupid or sappy the show is at times, I cannot stop watching "The B*chelor". And Jake makes it even more difficult. He is just pretty to look at. And he's a nice guy. So far. But then I thought Jason was a nice guy, too. At any rate, this is how we spend our Monday nights. I actually look forward to Mondays, thanks to Jake. So, in lieu of a pictureless day, I'm sharing. You're welcome.

January 19...Baxter had his surgery today. The vet pulled nine teeth and cleaned the rest. $272.50. And that didn't include Friday's visit. Poodle boy started yelping at the top of his lungs the minute he heard us come in, and all eight pounds and a side of adrenalin literally dragged us out the door. I could tell he was a little tender when we got home. I think his surgery meds had all worn off, so we drugged him up and warmed up the heated blanket for him. Within a couple of hours, he had scarfed down dinner and was flipping one of his toys around the living room. I'm not so sure I'd be so inclined, had I lost nine teeth in one day!

January 20...band concert tonight. Winter chamber concert. Long. Really long. Mostly because there are so many percussion students that Mindy's lucky to have played in one number. One. In a 90-minute concert. I did enjoy several of the numbers. I did not enjoy turning around as soon as I got to school to return home for Mindy's shoes and stockings. After I asked her if she had everything before we left home. Her brain was on overload from cramming for an AP US History test, so I'll let her live, just this once.

January 21...yes, my Christmas tree is still up. It takes forever to put it up, and it takes forever to take it down. And I take forever to make myself start either process. Don't get me wrong. I love my tree. It is overflowing with keepsakes and memories I hold so dear. And I love the lights, even more so during the gloomy, endless days of January. I make no apologies for being in no hurry to take it down. But we are danger close to February. It's time. Maybe tomorrow.

Abby's photo shoot...

2010-01-18T21:17:00.000-08:00

Here are the photos I took of Abby in the middle of the snowstorm last week. I posted them on facebook, so you might have already seen them. If not, enjoy. I know she's my kid, and I know I took the pictures, but I'm just gonna say that I love these. And that I still can't feel my fingertips...MAN, it was cold.

Project 365...days 7-14

2010-01-16T20:59:00.000-08:00

Call your bookies and cancel your bets. Week Two photos are in before the next week has completely passed us by. And, yes, I'm totally cheating by changing the post date. I'll warn you. I wasn't thrilled by any of my photos this week, accounting for my complete and total procrastination in getting them posted. I'm telling you, the ISOs on my camera are going to be the end of my sanity. I can't take it much longer.

January 8...the day before Caroline's birthday, we baked strawberry and french vanilla layers for her princess castle cake. Caroline, a self-professed junkfood junkie, can barely contain herself when the mixer comes out. Before we've added a single ingredient, she's already campaigning for a taste...just a little lick...one spoonful...whatever she can get. Which defines her joy in getting the entire batter bowl all to herself on this particular Friday night. She barely noticed my camera in her face.

January 9...if you've been on facebook, you've already seen a couple of shots of the birthday girl. I'll do a little post on her big day and save the traditional shots for that. I couldn't resist sharing this one, though...the girl is wicked funny on that Wii. The boxing just about puts us all under the table laughing. I grabbed this shot of her virtual boxing in her brand new tutu and birthday crown. I love the intensity of that look on her face. You should hear the soundtrack.

January 10...have you noticed that planning ahead isn't really in our handbook? We've had an annual pass to the Children's Museum for almost a year now. We've been a few times and thoroughly enjoyed every visit. It's a treat because we haven't had a membership in several years, and it's pretty pricey for a day's admission, especially with six of us! And every year, my kids lament about missing out on Jolly Days. This year, we were sporting that family membership. There was no way we were gonna miss out. The big draw has always been the Yule Slide, constructed over the main staircase of the museum every Christmas. I'll admit I've had a few runs myself, and it's pretty darned fun. So guess what? Christmas break came and went, and we couldnt' find a day when our entire family could go. So we waited. And we still ended up with only two kids. On the. very. last. day.

It's hard, this letting go thing. The older kids are getting, well, older. It makes this mommy a little sad sometimes to realize that we aren't always going to all be together. Abby had guard practice, and Mindy spent the afternoon with Alex before he left to go back to school. So off we went with the younger two, in search of white slopes...the dry, warm, plastic type, complete with static. You can't tell in the photo, but Caroline's hair was standing up on end when she was done!

January 11...a forecast of warming weather and melting snow later in the week prompted me to hustle the kids out the door for a little sledding after school. Of course, Abby couldn't go because she had a guard practice again! This time it was an unscheduled practice. Grrr. This world guard schedule is sucking the life out of me. Imagaine what it's doing to Abby, and the rest of the team, for that matter. Anyway, we loaded up the sleds and drove across the road to a popular sledding hill at a church. The hill is topped with three crosses and makes a dramatic statement during the Easter season, especially. It makes a nice snow-covered statement in the winter, as well. Up and down the kids went. Caroline insisted on riding down by herself and dragging the sled up the hill. After a while, though, she figured out that the older kids would drag it up there for her!

In this picture, Mindy had just told her to run and belly flop onto the sled. Remember that book, The Berenstein Bears' Christmas? Yeah, well, I didn't think she'd actually do it! But she did, and off she went, howling with laughter all the way down the hill!

Did I mention I am not in love with my camera right now? It was just dark enough that I had to crank the ISO way up, and my Speedlight did not want to fire. I guess the batteries needed to be replaced, and it was ridiculously cold outside. Most of my pictures from sledding are just horrible. It had better snow again!

January 12...we got a Wii for Christmas, obviously...by far, some of the best Christmas money Santa has ever spent. We've had a lot of fun with it, and I really like that, for now, its home is in the living room where it becomes more of a family activity than a video gaming system. And I've gotten a little sucked in myself. Jon brought home a crossbow game, and giving it a try made me a little manic. I managed on this infamous day to score a pretty high score on one of the levels. Mindy suggested I take a photo to commemorate the moment (note to self...taking photos of a tv screen are not all that satisfying). And then the next day she blew my score out of the water, thus preventing my name from ever being on the screen again. Nice. By the way, don't you just love my Mii?

January 13...we kind of did Caroline's birthday backwards...had grandparents over for cake and presents in the afternoon and then went out to dinner later. Jon ended up having to work most of the day, so by the time he got home and we got the party started, it was dinner time. We opted to do cake after dinner. By the time we got home from dinner, we were too full to even want cake. We did light the candles, sing Happy Birthday four times and sample a cupcake. We were gone most of the next day, and, by then, it was just too pretty to cut. Lame. I know. So Jon finally broke off a rice krispie turret on Wednesday night. It was, not surprisingly, a little stale, and most of the cake ended up in the trash by the end of the week. I'll be baking another one for her "girl" party soon, and we'll be eating that one, for sure! I do have to say that making the cake and seeing Caroline's face was well worth it.

January 14...the beginning of the January thaw. I hate it. As much as I hate being cold, I love the coziness of winter days. When it's cloudy and overcast and cold enough to not want to be outside but not cold enough for snow, it's just depressing. As I type, the weather continues to be in the 40s. The snow is pretty much gone. The cars are filthy. The yard is soggy. It's like March, forever. Bah.

Newsflash...

2010-01-14T13:02:00.001-08:00

I've posted the photos from Christmas Eve, complete with a photo of Caroline's new bed. I'm a little compulsive about keeping my posts in some semblance of date order, so click here or scroll down to view the new post.

In other news, I was given my first blog award from my friend Allyson at 3 Boys and a Princess! Thanks, Allyson! Part of the deal is I name ten blogs that I enjoy reading and want to honor with the award. I'm still working on that part.

I think it's hilarious that I've had several comments concerning my ability to post my Project 365 photos once a week. Totally deserved comments, but hilarious, nonetheless! A couple of you mentioned that you really wanted to see the photo of Abby that preceded the Day 7 shot. So in an effort to live up to my "Best Blog" award in some small way, here's the whole series, including a shot of the perpetrator (Mindy), feeling pretty full of herself.

Sweet, huh? It's really overwhelming, the love that flows between those two. Now, before I'm stripped of my blogging honors, I'd better get busy preparing tomorrow's post for Project 365.

Project 365...

2010-01-08T20:19:00.000-08:00

Go ahead...take your bets...have a laugh...but I'm going to try. I'm doing Project 365. That's right. One photo every day. I'm not even going to try to post once a day. Once a week is a lofty enough goal for me, thanks. And as much as I love a beautifully composed photo, I'm going to do my best to keep it real. Taking photos is one of my greatest passions, but sometimes I'm in a hurry, the lighting stinks, and the kids will be wearing their worst clothing combination, not to mention some of the expressions you might see. Some of these photos are just not going to be pretty. But they will be real. I was encouraged by this post from my bloggy friend, Andrea, at Adoption Road. I love her photos, I love her heart for orphans, and I love her perspective on life! I'm looking forward to seeing her world through this project.

So, here we go...

January 1...we rang in the new year with a pretty fun day. We all slept in wonderfully late and had pancakes for breakfast. The older girls and I went to a chick flick, complete with popcorn, nachos, sodas and candy (starting the year off right). Then we came home to put together our holiday gingerbread house. To set the stage, we've never actually gotten around to making one before. We've done mini houses with graham crackers (years ago...you should have seen that mess), but that's about it. So I learned a few things in the process. Such as cleaning the floor in the 24-hour period preceding this project was a waste of time. And waiting the suggested 15 minutes for the walls and roof to set before decorating wasn't a suggestion, but a requirement. And that flinging sprinkles at the dried cement (I mean, frosting) is not effective. But it's the process, not the product, right?

January 2...ah, yes. I have yet to tell the tale of Santa and the big girl bed. Santa was quite busy on Christmas Eve. All the kids slept together in Mickey's room while Santa's elves dismantled the crib, put together the new bed, and did a mini-overhaul of Caroline's room. I have a whole series of photos to document the occasion, but here's a sneak peek. Caroline is absolutely in heaven. She's invited each of the big kids to take a turn sleeping in her bed with her. I found Mickey curled up with her Saturday night. They're so sweet when they're not scuffling and screeching.

January 3...Caroline's new fascination is the game of Sorry. And, trust me, she's not one bit sorry when she sends you home. We were all a bit mournful of the holiday break being over, and we sat down to play one last family game on Sunday night. We should have called it Crabby, because they all bickered and grouched their way through the game. It was a little funny, in retrospect. Please take note of Abby with that infernal phone up to her ear. She rarely actually talks on her phone, but she's a texting professional. She got her cell phone for Christmas a year ago, and I think she went through several hundred text messages in the first two days. That keyboard was smoking, and Sprint was questioning the wisdom of its unlimited texting plan.

January 4...now I'm getting all creative on you. This is my dining table centerpiece. It's actually just a large vase with a candle stuck in it and a wreath without a home. I was bored with my old one, and I came up with this from stuff we already had. I ended up just loving how it made the dining room glow, and I'm sad to have to pack it away. And, for the record, I'll be re-taking this photo next year when I finally have a camera that can handle an ISO over 200. Oy.

January 5...pretty, huh? This is my little tree I keep in the office window. It shines through the side window on my porch year-round. What you don't know is that last Christmas season some of the lights started to go out. The bottom third of the 200-light strand went out, and I just never got around to doing something about it. Then a week or so after Christmas, the top third went out. For an entire year, that tree sat in the window with its middle section pathetically mocking me. Every time I would round our corner, I would think about what my neighbors must think. I must not have cared all that much because, alas, it sat in glowing disrepair until Mindy and Alex ripped the old light set off the first week of December. Now it's all ready for the Chinese New Year ornaments!

January 6...no big story here...just my cute little snowman on my front porch. He makes me smile. He gets a little more face time than the rest of the decorations. He will stay up well into February, as will my banister lights on my stairway. The bright lights lift my spirit. And they hide the handrail that desperately needs painted.

January 7...it was tough to pick one picture from this day. This was the day of our first big snow of the season. I have lots of favorites, including that pine branch photo from my previous post. I have some cute shots of the kids playing outside. I also took some absolutely lovely photos of Abby. That would be before she got into a snow shoveling battle with her older sister. And lost. You should see the photo right before this one. The one where she sees what's coming. Hilarious. Yeah, yeah. I know. I'll get to them eventually.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that two more of my blog pals are participating in Project 365. Allyson at 3 Boys and a Princess has some awesome photos you won't want to miss, and Allison at Maggie's Red Thread has a new blog set up with her photos. Allyson is one of my plane-to-China buddies...she and her husband were the first couple from our enormous travel group that we met in Newark. She always has such an artistic angle in her photography! I can't wait until we have a chance to meet up and work on our photography together! Allison is one of those people you just know you'd be friends with (yep, I'm leaving that little preposition hanging right at the end of that sentence). I think I found her blog through the adoption agency we both used for our adoptions, and her daughter, Maggie is from the same SWI as Caroline! They are just a few months apart in age and were adopted within months of each other. They have similar personalities, and I hope they get to meet someday!

And for posterity, I'll just fess up now. I'm posting this on January 11th. I'm dating it January 8th. With Caroline's birthday this past weekend, I've been pretty busy. And I have priorities like clean underwear. You know. Just keeping it real...

First big snow of the season...

2010-01-07T21:21:00.000-08:00

The storm rolled in slow but steady, and we'll end up with around six inches or so by morning. The kids headed off to school as the snow was starting to come down. It snowed steadily all day, and schools released early. By mid-afternoon, we had almost five inches on the ground.

Caroline begged me to take her out early this afternoon. I knew she'd be out with the big kids when they got home from school, so I didn't want her to get her new snow gear wet. She came up with an interesting combo and squelched my protests, and out we went. I'm glad now that we did. It wasn't nearly as cold as it was by the time we all went out at the end of the day. The temperature dropped, the winds picked up, and it was pretty bitter. Abby's been begging me to do a photo shoot of her, and I got some pretty sweet shots. I'll post a few of those tomorrow (I hope). While we were shooting, the younger two worked on their new-and-improved snow fort. Mindy finally came out and helped snowblow both driveways. Jon made it home safely, but with broken wipers! I got a few more pictures as the light faded (Mickey just HAD to go sledding at the last minute), and then we all headed in to thaw. My fingertips still hurt from the cold. We pulled out all our new heated throws from Christmas, crawled underneath and downed some hot chocolate!

The forecast calls for a little bit of snow overnight, a low of 10, and some blowing and drifting. It's really anybody's guess if we'll get a delay tomorrow. I've got some last-minute errands to run for Caroline's birthday this weekend, and I'm in desperate need of a haircut. They really need to go to school! The weekend will be even colder, but we won't be staying in. We've got quite a bit on the agenda. Hope you're all staying warm!

Bring it on...

2010-01-05T10:43:00.000-08:00

We've missed out on every single major snowstorm that has swept the nation in the last month. We've had a few dustings, and, baby, it is COLD outside. I think it's currently 9 degrees, without the windchill. But, as far as snow goes, it's been just enough to whet the appetite. Here are a few shots I took a couple of weeks ago when we got, I think, a couple of inches. And here's hoping that 3-6 inch forecast pans out.

A little overexposed, I know, but cute, nonetheless...

WAY tired of waiting for Mickey...

Please. Can I just get a smile every once in a while??

Desperate attempt at a snow angel...

Round two...a little more snow...MUCH colder...

Mickey is determined to build a snow fort...

Behind those efforts of sidewalk shoveling...

Lies the ulterior motive of harvesting snow for the fort...

Love that little eye peeking out...

I could NOT get them to come in for the longest time!

As if he weren't cold enough already...

Click here to see the entire set...

p.s. We were scrambling to find something warm for Caroline to wear outside when I realized that she had outgrown her snowsuit and I had forgotten to replace it!! Her ragamuffin snow gear has now been replaced by some deals snagged off the clearance racks.

Christmas Eve...

2009-12-26T20:40:00.000-08:00

Every year I determine that I am going to have a relaxing Christmas Eve. And every year it's crazy busy, exhausting and packed with wonderful memories. This year was no exception. I had to run last-minute photos to a client, but I was home by noon. Mindy had spent the previous afternoon whipping up all kinds of cookie dough, so the girls started cranking on the cookies we should have had baked at least three days prior. They made short work of it while I finished wrapping gifts.

Caroline is very much into cookie baking this year...

up to her elbows, it seems...

I didn't give a hoot about this...

...because it resulted in this!

Beautiful job, girls!

Our family's favorite...candy cane cookies!

Late in the afternoon we got ready for church. We always go to the early evening service at Grandma Dotty's church. It's always packed, and there is little margin for error. We rolled in about five minutes before it started and found some of the last seats in the house!

As good as it got...

Then it was back to Grandma's house for Christmas Eve dinner and opening gifts! The baked ham and mashed potatoes were absolutely heavenly. The kids opened their traditional Christmas pajamas and ditched their church clothes in about 4.2 seconds. My kids love their pajamas! Abby insisted upon having input on the girls' pjs this year, since Mindy picked them out last year. Then she proceeded to complain that she didn't want to know what she was getting for Christmas!

Ready to get started!

Not an iTouch...not a pony...Taco Bell bucks...true joy!

NOT the kid who got a scooter for Christmas...

It appears that he's being the helpful husband,

intent on capturing precious memories of our children...

In fact, Jon is taking a video of his eyeball..

Late in the evening, we began the trek home. We live next door so it was a short trek. It was then that I realized we hadn't decorated coookies for Santa, so we whipped out the frosting and sprinkles! Abby took sheer delight in decorating her cookie with enough sugar to put the entire team of reindeer into a glucose coma and loudly voicing her hopes that Santa would love her enough to eat the whole thing. Rotten girl.

Um, I guess we're done with THAT knife...

She's going on the naughty list.

Enough sugar to induce a glucose coma in Santa AND the reindeer...

That carrot is for the reindeer, buddy!

How about a little oatmeal with that glitter?

The kids made reindeer dust and shivered their way through flinging it across the yard, along with eight carrot chunks for Rudolph and crew. Then it was time, finally, for The Night Before Christmas and bed! The older girls had elaborately devised a group sleepover in Mickey's room in order to provide Santa's elves some room to work.

Our version of "prep and landing"...

While we waited for them to fall asleep, I went to work on setting up the gifts for Christmas morning and stuffing the stockings. By the way, very rarely does a gift appear under the tree before Christmas morning. This year Jon wanted to put out a few gifts ahead of time to heighten the anticipation (translate that he wanted to drive them batty with guessing games). I have never heard such weeping and gnashing of teeth. Mindy and Abby were appalled. We heard numerous complaints laced with phrases such as "ruined Christmas", "a complete lack of respect for tradition", and "what were you thinking?!" Apparently, the transformation of the living room on Christmas morning is magical. And magical is not to be messed with.

As soon as the coast was clear, Jon set to work dismantling the crib. I have to say that I stayed out of the room for that part. It always makes me sad, and I chose complete avoidance this time around. It's hard enough to wrap my mind around the little girl my baby has become, but it's even harder to believe how much time has passed so quickly since the day we put it together for her. I will never forget our entire family in that room, laughing and arguing over pieces and parts, completely giddy over the reality of finally bringing Caroline home. I'm hoping and praying that it won't be too long before we haul it out of the basement for another little one.

We've had the actual bed for quite a while. Me, in my stubbornness, insisted that we wait to put her in it until we could buy her new bedding for the occasion. The one I picked just so happened to be a little pricey. So we waited. Christmas (and her impending fourth birthday) seemed like the perfect occasion to splurge. Please note, however, that she's so stinking tiny that she could have slept in that crib for another two years!

The room is still in progress. The sham isn't in the picture because we wrapped it up. The duvet cover is tucked in because we still need a duvet. The pile of animals will go in another ladybug hamper that Caroline actually had on her Christmas list. We have several Chinese lanterns to hang from the ceiling, and we aren't convinced we'll be leaving the bed there. The rocking chair cushions need to seriously be replaced. But I know if I waited to show you the final version, I'd be ostracized from blog world.

By now, we were into the wee hours of the morning. Jon headed to bed...I think he made it that far before he passed out. Grandma was curled up on the sofa, sound asleep. And I seriously wanted to curl up in her little bed myself! Thankfully, I have two of the best daughters in the whole world, and they got up to help me clean up her room and get it in some semblance of order.

Click here for the complete set. Next...Christmas morning!

Christmas past...

2009-12-24T12:00:00.000-08:00

I've wanted to do this for the last couple of years. This year, I actually own a scanner with which to do it. Here are a few of my favorite Christmas photos of my kids. I'll just pick a few and save some fun for next year. One of my very favorites is a 35mm photo...it's a crumpled mess from being in a pillow frame...and it will have to wait until I dig out the negatives and make a new print. Oh, how things have changed over the years. I can't believe I've been a parent for 17 Christmases. I can remember, though, what it felt like to not be a parent at Christmas. No messy cookie baking, no last-minute wrapping, no pretense of Santa, no sweet Christmas dresses and photos with the guy in red, no birthday parties for Jesus, no piles of boxes and tissue and torn gift wrap scattered, no toys to put together.

Now my house is full of of mess and noise and love and celebration. For me, Christmas is one of those times that I really get to experience the love God must feel for us. Presents are nice, and always appreciated, but the greatest gift I've ever received on this earth is my family. As I pull out these photos and line my mantel with them each year, I cherish my privilege of being a mom. How quickly I notice the years flying by. The little baby in blue is driving a car. I have two in high school. My son is edging closer and closer to being as tall as I am. And there's a lovely little face that has given me an entirely new perspective on love.

Christmas 1993...oh, those eyes...

Christmas 1995...compare Abby's photo here to Mindy's above...

Christmas 1998...I was TOTALLY sweating

getting my first photo of all three taken...

Oops, should have cropped this first,

but is he the cutest, or what?? That HAIR...

Christmas 2000...by far, the EASIEST photo session ever...

Caroline's first Christmas home...2007...
decidely NOT our favorite Santa!

May your thoughts be full of

precious memories of Christmases past...

As promised...

2009-12-23T23:15:00.000-08:00

...here are a few photos from our visit to Santa...unedited!

Click here to view a few more in the set...

So, well...

2009-12-23T21:09:00.000-08:00

I'm not even going to try to explain away the last month. I'm way too tired. Suffice it to say I have managed to crawl back onto the face of the earth. At least for the moment. I'm in complete denial that tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Really? It's been a month since the Thanksgiving Day video debacle? Now, I'm really tired.

Let me bring you up to warp speed on what's transpired in the past month. Shopping. Trips between here and the high school. Trips between here and the elementary school. Trips between here and preschool. Drum set purchased for Mickey. Loud. Very loud. School board meetings. Shopping. First infant photo shoot. Attempts at editing. Crashed hard drive. Much praying. Recovered files. Puking three-year-old with a high fever. Puncture wound in Abby's foot. Trip to the doctor. More meetings. Teeth cleaned. Boy trouble. Christmas lunch at Mickey's school. Caroline's Christmas program. Dog to groomer's. Christmas decorating. Cookies baked. Cookies eaten. Post office. Wal-Mart. Forty-seven times. Presents wrapped. I know!

Last night, we managed to get our act together momentarily and headed down to Christmas at the Zoo to see Santa. Man, it was cold! We made it all the way from the parking lot and through the gate before seeking refuge in the Waters Building. We weren't alone. There were at least three million people there last night. That's right. Roughly half the population of our entire state. On we trekked to the Santa Pavilion, a pleasantly toasty destination. This particular Santa rocked, and the picture was decent. Then we hustled and bustled our way to a table in a cozy corner of Cracker Barrel for a late dinner. I could have curled up next to the fire there and gone to sleep. Seriously. While we were there, the kids fulfilled our tradition of choosing new ornaments for the tree. I think our tree might pass out...but more on that later.

By the way, the photo above was our $10 souvenir of our adventure. I love the way the kids are chopped off at the knees. Oh, and I love the flare right in the middle of the picture. And I really love that look on Mickey's face. Exactly what I imagine when I hear the word smile. I spruced it up as best I could with Photoshop and Lightroom. Apparently, there are no presets for children's bizarre facial expressions. At least they're all looking the same direction! I snapped a few of my own, and I'll upload those next.

Take 2...

2009-11-26T21:19:00.000-08:00

Good grief. I had it all planned out. I waited until dinner was prepared, served and (mostly) cleaned up. I properly bribed my littlest one to give yet one more performance of her hilarious little Turkey Day ditty. By the way, the bribery was necessitated by her lack of an afternoon nap, not by any sense of performance anxiety. She gave it her all. After all the family left, I loaded it up on the computer. And I discovered that I am an idiot.

For the moment, all we have in the way of a video camera is the video mode of a non-SLR digital camera. Every video camera we've ever owned, including this one, has failed me at some point. This time, though, it was operator error. I didn't think for a moment about taking that video vertically. Until I looked at it on the screen. Sideways. Duh.

Sooo...I just can't bring myself to load it up on YouT*be. I should be sleeping in preparation for tomorrow's shopping. I "promise pinky" that I will work on this tomorrow and figure out how to rotate the video.

Bah. Humbug.