with backlighting and a little practice reading! And this is our tree. Nice, huh?
Well, it's official. I have procrastinated to the point of panic. Today, we went out to try and get new pics for the Christmas cards that should have been done before Thanksgiving... I had taken some a few weeks ago, but wasn't really happy with them. Anyway, at least they had fun today. Tyler spit a big loogy? in a tree and they were having fun with it. Lance thinks Tyler is so funny. Hadley was acting like she was throwing up. I just kept snapping!
Tomorrow, I get to order cards, shop, prepare for the school parties, and try not to panic that I am nowhere near ready!!!
They really do love each other!! :) Every now and then, something wonderful like this happens and my heart overflows... Tonight I was in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner and I overheard Hadley telling Lance about a book they were reading in English--The Hound of Baskerville. She decided to read a little to him. I just love that! Anyway, I grabbed my camera and started taking pics. These are not technically perfect--I was experimenting with flash, without flash and on selective focus. You can probably tell which is which! Anyway, it was really sweet.
And lately on emails and on blogger, I cannot use the apostrophe or forward slash. I do not know if it is my computer or their programs, but if you see mistakes, maybe it was not really my fault! :)
Guess what I saw this morning as I was coming home from taking the kids to school?? A deer! A big one! I would guess her head stood about 5 feet tall. Just seeing her in that odd setting reminded me of God's awesome creations. Sometimes I just get lulled into the daily routine and don't pay attention to all the incredible things He made! She was running frantically around on
Snow Day!! Can you believe it?? I took this pic through the front door--too cold for me! This is a Christmas wreath that was waiting to be hung and ended up covered with snow on the bench. Last week was warm--highs were in the 70's at least a couple of days. Today--no school due to snow! :) Gotta love weather in Texas! The kids were thrilled, to say the least. I think they had about 3 cups of hot cocoa before lunch. Hadley and Lance played outside a little this afternoon, and then Hadley went to the school with friends to have a snowball fight and then over to a house for hot cocoa and more playtime. Tyler, however, is bummed because he has the stomach bug today, of all days. He can't believe this is how he is spending his day off. I just hate that he's sick--partly because he is so miserable and partly because that stuff is almost impossible to keep from spreading through all five of us!
Anyway, we are enjoying our "gift" of today for the most part. You enjoy yours, too!
Just dropped off the CD of my second official photo shoot... Yikes!! It's a little nerve-wracking! I was a little disappointed with the number of good shots that I got with this one. There were lots of factors--the baby wasn't very happy, the light was a little darker than I like, I totally didn't see my shadow in the pics on the LCD screen/preview and missed a ton of shots that way!!!, shoulda bumped the ISO up a bit for faster shutter speeds--kids move!, etc. Anyway, I really learned a lot from this shoot. Maybe after a few more, I will be more confident and will get a higher percentage of shots. These are about my faves from the whole thing... Hopefully the parents will be happy enough with these to make it worth their while in letting me come play. :) BTW--names changed to protect the innocent!
And Tyler is thankful for his new bed!! I may never get him out of bed now! Tyler has been sleeping on this crummy, old bed--i mean really crummy and old! Bj and Ginny got a new bed and donated their old one to Tyler. He loves it!! It is amazingly tall. It changes the way his whole room looks. The sheets aren't even ready to go on it and he is already laying on it and watching a movie. Thanks BJ and Ginny!!
Our Thanksgiving weekend was really nice. We ate with David's sister and family on Thursday and then had my side of the family over on Saturday. Can't believe that I didn't even get out my camera this weekend. I think maybe it was because I was busy cooking and cleaning... maybe next time!
Well, I am off to put those sheets on the new bed. Have a great week!
guess I'm finally back into the blog thing... Lance FINALLY did his thank yous from his birthday party. ( I know, but I'm thinking better late than never at this point!) next hurdle--getting them delivered! Most of them were the traditional thank you--thanks for the gift, i really like it, etc. But these two really made me laugh!! Thought you might like to see them.
I have a new favorite group! Ever heard of Monk and Neagle?? They are a Christian duo and sing some Christian songs, as well as some love-type songs--with a folky sound. Just love them!! I heard their song-"Stars Would Fall-I'm Crazy" and fell in love with it. I bought the CD last night and love the rest of the CD too!! One song gave me chills when I listened to it the first time. It's incredible. It's called "Dancing with the Angels". AND--they are local!!!! I had heard the name, but didn't really know what type of music they did. But, I love it!! Their style is just awesome. I'm not really a fan of music on websites, but I might just have to include one of their songs on my blog--if I can figure out how to do it. Anyway, check them out. If you visit their blog, you can hear several of their songs. I hope they make it REALLY big!
Too much fun!
The shoot yesterday was AMAZING! I just love newborns and Caroline was absolutely precious-12 days old. Her mother was beautiful and very photogenic, so that always helps. :) I think the pictures turned out nicely for a first try!! My friend went with me for moral support and ended up being so helpful. It took all of our hands to soothe her, change out props, clean up tee-tee and the other thing, etc. Naked means no diaper! I was so glad she went with me!! Thanks, Cody!! I also got to hold the baby quite a bit, which I wasn't expecting. But I loved that! She was really sweet. I tried, unsuccessfully, to get her big brother (2 yr.old) giving her a kiss. That was at the end of the shoot and Caroline was getting hungry and the big brother's kisses lasted a nanosecond, so I completely missed those shots! But, I learned a lot from this shoot:
- Don't drink lots of coffee and skip breakfast the morning of a shoot.
- Relax! Shaky hands don't get clear pictures!
- Make a written list of poses to try. You will forget many things while you are there!
- Take extra clothes. :)
- Take extra backdrops
- Put waterproof liners under EVERYTHING!
- Bring a heating pad--naked babies get cold!
Two posts in one day...
The other day, a photographer friend and I went hunting for this neat bridge we had heard about. I was hoping for a cool spot for Christmas card pics, but the sun was too dappled for that to work on a sunny day. Maybe on an overcast day--we'll see. Anyway, isn't this bridge just the coolest?? I had no idea we had one this neat in our town! We had lots of fun taking weird and wacky pictures. This particular one was taken while laying on the ground. Of course, my friend took a picture of me while I was doing that. I made sure she hit the good ole' delete button!
Can't believe how fast time flies!
Do you ever just look up and a month has past and you hardly realized it? I can't believe Halloween has come and gone and it is almost time for Thanksgiving! I have been working quite a bit lately--this time in kindergarten. We have talked a lot about Thanksgiving, food and relatives visiting... I'm so looking forward to all of that. I do hope to be able to slow down enough to enjoy the holiday. It has always been one of my favorites. I just love the warmth of friends and family surrounding you, without the commercialized gift-giving that comes with Christmas.
The kids have all been going ninety-to-nothing, which means that someone has to get them to their respective destinations! The boys have both just finished football, so we are down to soccer, basketball and volleyball for Hadley. 3 sports is easier to manage than 5!
Remember that photography class I was so pumped about? Turns out it was a disaster. The first night consisted of the history of film-hello! this is a digital class!- and odds and ends about the teacher's job--boring! When asked when we would get our cameras out, the response was "You won't need your cameras in class!" My friends and I filled out a "goals and objectives" sheet for the class in hopes he would adjust for us, but the second class was equally as worthless. I know about half of the people dropped. It really should tell them something... Anyway, I have continued to try and read and improve my skills and I get to try a newborn shoot tomorrow!! I really can't wait. A co-worker of my husband's just had a new baby and they have agreed to let me come and play. I know they are hoping I get some good shots, just as I am. If I do, I will try to share.
I did get this picture of Hadley while playing bball. I thought it turned out ok. I have not ever had much luck inside gyms. The lighting is really hard to figure out. But, this one might work. I just wish you could see the ball. She had just passed it. I got a shot just prior to this one where you can see the ball, but it isn't as good. Anyway, enjoy!
Hopefully, I will get back into more regular posts... Happy Tuesday!
Holy smokes... No time to post now, but just had to share this photo from today. We did have to play this huge kid afterall!!! And of course, he and Lance were matched up against each other!
Ok. Are you sick of all the sports pictures? Sorry about that! I haven't had time to take pictures of much else. Tyler played last Thursday--2 hours away--and had an awesome game. He played TONS and did so well that even upperclassmen who weren't at the game said they had heard he played a great!! Talk about an ego boost! By the way--they won! They beat a really tough school--the JV and Varsity teams both got stomped-- but Tyler's sophomore team WON! I took this picture while he was standing on the sidelines in between plays. Right after I took it, he saw me and turned away. I think he's getting sick of the sports pictures too! I posted this one because it really struck me how grown up he is. I mean, doesn't he look like a man in this one??? Yikes!! I'm so not ready for him to grow up and move away!
Lance also had a game this weekend. They didn't win, but played well. And for this game--we had CHEERLEADERS! I guess we will only have them for about 2 of our games. Evidently the girls at our school would rather be playing the sports than cheering for them, so we don't have enough squads to go around. This squad will spread the love and cheer for several different teams. They were really cute and made a tunnel for the boys after the game. I snapped this picture just as Lance made it through. Isn't it cute?
Hadley played this weekend, too, but Mom forgot her camera!! I could have gone home for it, but opted to just enjoy the game instead. I love taking pictures at the events, but I know I miss some of the action with my face behind the lens all the time. Her team won easily, so it was a nice, relaxing game to watch. Yesterday, she worked like crazy to finish a project that she put off until the last minute. That's really not like her... So, I did a little rescue work--I know, that doesn't teach her anything!- and helped some. She finished around 10:30 last night. One full hour after her bed time! She was a little tired this morning, but maybe that can be her lesson... :)
Last week, I subbed in 5th grade. That was a new one for me--and guess what?? I LOVED it! The kids were awesome. We got to do some fun math activities and it was just really great. I enjoyed it so much, that it made me think that if I ever went back--5th grade might be the place for me. I've always pictured myself with kindergarten or something, but I really enjoyed 5th grade so much more. The kids are really neat at that age. They are really beginning to mature, but not so much that all adults are stupid yet!
David is still working all the time. I sure wish he could slow down... He really loves watching the kids play sports. He's so proud of them! I know that's one of the highlights of the week for him.
Well, that about does it for today. Off to do some laundry and cleaning!
My how time flies!! I can't believe 10 days slipped by since my last update. It has been a busy 10 days, let me tell ya! Lance's birthday was on Saturday the 9th. Hadley had out-of-town soccer games, so she and I were gone nearly the whole day. David let Lance pick his own agenda for the day-- which included eating at an all-you-can-eat Chinese Buffet (they have crab legs!), riding around in the Jeep, and miniature golf. I think he had a good day. His party-activity to be determined--will either be this coming weekend, or the next. It's so hard to fit it all in!!
Hadley's first soccer games went well. We were really worried about the new coach, but so far the team looks ok.
Tyler returned in one piece from the H.S. retreat. He didn't enjoy it as much as in the past... Not all of his buddies were able to go, so I know that made a difference. He had an "off" week for football, so that was kind of nice.
I worked 3 days last week substituting for kindergarten. Boy! Those kids wore me out. Unless you are around them all the time, you just forget how draining it is to work with kids who need so much attention. It makes me really thankful that my kids can all tie their shoes and blow their own noses! Ha!
During the chaos, a friend of mine and I got together to make homecoming mums for Hadley and her girls. Homecoming was Friday night. I was a little stressed--you know flowers and ribbons aren't really my thing! My friend was so good, though, she really helped out and I think the mums turned out ok. This was Hadley's first year to have one. Last year, she really took notice of all the girls wearing them and decided she had to have one this year. We chose a smaller one--she is only in 6th grade!!--and she wore it with pride.
Lance's first football games were this weekend. They lost the first game, but won the second. Most importantly, though, Lance made it through without injury!! I posted this picture to show you the size of boys he goes up against--Lance is #51. Pretty intimidating in my book! But, Lance just goes out there and does his job--no matter the size of his opponent! We were really proud of him. Well, that about covers the recap. I hope you have a fabulous week!
Walked into the kitchen the other day to see this beautiful sight, so I grabbed my camera and started snappin'!
Tyler played his first sophomore game yesterday. They ended up tied 6-6. Go #75! He didn't get to play much and that really bothered him. He came home really bummed out. I just hate that!! Don't you wish you could make the world be nice to your kids??? I mean, why can't everyone else see how TERRIFIC they are! I took a bunch of pictures, but really didn't get many good ones. I thought maybe I would submit a few to the school website, especially those with Ty in them. (At least he would look like he played more!) He leaves today for the high school weekend retreat with our church. I just love that he can and wants to go to these awesome spiritual activities. He comes back so filled, so happy, so tired! Hadley will get to go on her first middle school retreat at the end of the month. Hopefully she will enjoy it as much as Tyler does!
Happy Friday!
Labor Day
Today has been a nice, relaxing day. We slept in and laid around for a while, then David took the kids fishing. They fished for around 3 hours. Almost every time they cast their lines, they brought in a perch. Some of them were really small--only a couple of inches long, but others were longer. But, no matter the size, they had a blast! I took my camera to play around and got to the lake with a dead battery!! I was so mad... So no pics of fishing today!
BJ came over with a problem with his mower. David helped him fix it so I bothered them and took some pics. None of them turned out very well, but here is one.
Happy Labor Day!
A day in the life
Today Lance had to miss several hours of school for a couple of tests. He had pulmonary function tests (PFTs) at the hospital this morning. Then we went for a bone density test after that. We already know the results of the PFTs. They are fantastic!! Not quite as good as in July, but still really great. He's at 105% right now vs. 115% in July. We won't know the results of the bone density until later. Our new doctor--that's a story all by itself!- was concerned when he heard Lance was playing tackle football because kids with CF sometimes have problems with their bones, sort of like osteoporosis. I told him that we had already made the difficult decision to let Lance play and that decision stood. *gulp*
I don't know how they do it
Working Moms!!! I have worked this week at the University bookstore and can't imagine how difficult it would be to do this every day. My days were particularly long--about 12 hours, but I know people do that every day and still manage to take care of their families. I am so thankful that I have been able to stay home and be mom... I hope David realizes what a gift that is to me and the kids... I feel like I missed so much just in a few days. You know, the good-byes as they leave for school, the excited conversations as soon as they get in the car, 4-make that 5 practices, getting football pads for the first time, tears from lunchroom heartaches, open house for high school, blisters from new shoes, a tummy ache at school and on and on! In just 3 days. They also had to be more responsible and do a few things on their own. (I know, that part is good for them! But it didn't feel right to me!!) It makes my heart hurt for those who do it all the time. Thank you, David, for providing a way for me to be a "beck and call" mom!!
Last swim of the summer...
We had the pleasure of swimming with friends last week. Sadly, it was probably the last time for the summer. The pools have all closed and school and fall sports are in full swing!! Lance loved going down the slide. The pool we joined this summer didn't have a slide, so it was a novelty. They all enjoyed playing on the rafts and just plain having fun. I was pleased with these pictures. I hope you like them.
And, Lance went to the doc today---61 pounds!!!!!!!
For your viewing pleasure
Here are a couple of pics from Tyler's scrimmage at the big stadium on Saturday morning. The sophomore, JV and Varsity teams participated. They seemed to be having a good time. In the tackle pic, Tyler is the one in gold on the left.
Tackle football
Well, it's official. Lance is now playing tackle football. Oh my goodness!!! Here are two pics from his first practice. Love, love, LOVE the smile on his face in the first one. That smile warms my heart... No pads yet... Should get them in a couple of weeks. He loves it so far!
Good-bye summer!!
The smell of crayons and markers. New sneakers. The rustle of papers and notebooks. School has begun! Today is the first day of school for my kids. Tyler had to leave at 6:45 to be on time for football, so no pictures of him. I think we were lucky he got up and went... Ha! The rest of us left at 7:30 to have time to take pictures and say our "Go get 'em"s. Lance started fourth grade today. In our school, it's an unofficial move from the baby-side of elementary to the more grown-up part. Can't believe it!! Notice all of his bling??Hadley started middle school, complete with make-up, carefully styled hair and a mini-skirt! She was so nervous and excited all at the same time. Tyler was so sore from yesterday's work out that he really didn't say much. I know he doesn't love school the way I did... He definitely hates to say good-bye to summer.
I must say, though, I have enjoyed a little quiet today! I haven't been too productive, but it has been a nice change of pace. I worked on some things in Photoshop and did a little laundry. Nice!
Paperwork, paperwork
Well, we registered for school last week. Hadley registered for middle school on Wednesday, and Tyler registered for high school on Thursday. Yikes!! Form after form to fill out... I took Hadley shopping on Wednesday morning with friends and then it was off to the school for registration. She has several of Tyler's old teachers and I think that's great!! It's so hard to believe she is going to middle school! Tyler is a sophomore--ugh! Time sure flies! His schedule looks pretty good. He is taking a digital animation and graphics class. I'm so excited about it!! That will give us something to do together... He has already started football practices. So far, so good. He is enjoying football, but really isn't ready for school yet. Of course, he is probably never really ready! Lance meets his teachers this coming Friday. One in elementary, one in middle school, one in high school. Life should be interesting this year!
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