Homage to The Neoprene Camera Case

So these have left me almost speechless, almost. I really really need one but I'm not sure I have the ??? to use one in public.

I mean what would you think if some girl pulled this out while you were just sitting on the bench minding your own business?

I'm thinking I probably wouldn't have any idea what to say or do or where to look or put my hands or do I call the police, leave the bench all for her or do I pull my camera out and take a picture or what?

I'll let you know what kind of reactions I get with one of these because I just can't resist, it's just what I need !!!

The Day after my 30 Days of [Blank]

I wasn't sure if the 30 days of [blank] was a commitment that I could keep. I don't consider myself very good at all with commitments, especially ones where I don't have to answer to anyone, but I did it(patting myself on the back).

I did learn a few things along this journey:

1- That my camera, as much as I love it and want to marry it, is really heavy and I don't necessarily want it with me ALL the time. Wait I'm trying to think if I feel any differently about Big Daddy . hmmm

2- That I can stick with it and actually finish something. Maybe I should move out from behind that ADD excuse, or maybe not.

3- That everything is easier when you have a friend to do it with, thanks Terri.

4- I like my pictures better when I am not under pressure to come up with something creative.

5- I need to learn more about taking pictures, both the camera and the composition. Anyone want to teach me?

6- I love taking pictures of my children, nothing makes me happier.

7- Now that I know what 30 Days of [Blank] is like I will do it again soon.

My new challenge to myself will be to cook something new once a week. I'm not sure at this point when that might start but I think it will be challenging for me.

Now back to posting pictures of my kids that I have taken recently :

This was the same trip to the museum of natural science, where the butterflies were. They have a 3D IMAX about the ocean which we opted not to see.

This is Little Mama with some gum hanging out of her mouth, pretty huh!! The child is pretty, I'm not so sure about the wad of gum hanging out.

This was at a family dinner in the last month or so. We had some guests, about 4 but look at everyone, I was amazed when I saw everyone looking at the camera. It's a pretty good spontaneous family photo !

Little Mama Cleans House & Photo 30

Yes, I got unsolicited help today with clean up. Little Mama was very quiet upstairs for about 30 minutes and then all of a sudden I heard what sounded like bombs being dropped left and right. I asked Big Daddy to find out what was going on "hey what's going on up there???" to which Little Mama replied "nothing just putting something in Little Man's closet".

Big Daddy then asked her to come down and help set the table for family dinner, which she did without any fuss. After a minute or 2 she starts talking about the noise up stairs and that we wouldn't be mad and on and on about it being a secret and she couldn't tell us but she could show us. At this point I'm thinking it's going to make me mad what ever it is. So I kind of forced her to show us what she was talking about and to our greatest surprise and pleasure she leads us upstairs to show us how she has cleaned all 3 bedrooms as well as the loft area.

I was speechless !!! It made me think of that song that goes something like "God's not done with me, there is hope for me yet". Then I gave her $5 and she started yelling, kind of like I would do if I won the Powerball !!! It brings tears to my eyes. This is her room and yes she actually sleeps with Big Bear in the bed.

This is Little Mans room, which he hasn't slept in yet but get those little boys in here and they really can rip it up !!!

And this is The Rhinos room, he has at least a million Legos which I have no idea how to organize. Add onto that a million other KNEX things, which I also don't know how to organize and it's like a mine field of pain for shoeless feet.

BUT DON'T THEY LOOK TIDY !!! I LOVE IT !!!

Photo - 30 The Final Meal

Well the final picture in this 30 Days of Pictures for me. It's the kids table at family dinner tonight, and we are missing one plate and chair. I guess Little Mama didn't know that EVERYONE, of the kids that is, now sit at the little table. It creates quite a mess sometimes and loudness as well. I'll write about the 30 Days of [Blank] in the morning when everyone goes to school for the first time in 3 weeks. Yes !!!

Actually when I look at this picture I think I'm looking at some sort of miniature scene. Weird !

Photo 29- Our Jibbitz

Photo 29 - Yes these are the only type of Jibbitz we have in our house. I'm not sure that anyone in our house but me even knows what Jibbitz are, and I had to look the name up myself. As you can tell I have petered out with this 30 Day of Pictures, but tomorrow is the last day and I'm sure that I will have something to say about my experience.

Photo 28 - My Horse is Down

Photo 28 - OK not my horse but someone's horse got thrown down on the playground. It looked so sad.

Well today was the first day all summer that we ventured to the park. Little Man asked if we could go to the park yesterday but the thought of bearing the heat and humidity and not being at the pool was too much for me.

But today was rather pleasant. I mean I wasn't dripping with sweat when I left, I actually didn't even notice the heat and Little Man enjoyed himself. Really he isn't scared in this picture.

Nor is he scared in this picture, I promise.

He was truly enjoying himself in the BIG BOY SWING !!!

Photo 27 - Crap on the Floor

Photo - 27 "Crap on The Floor" this is an example of what the kids leave all over the floor. Although now that I think about it really the crap on the floor is usually more painful to step on than this. I have gotten so attuned to the stuff that I rarely step on it, I more often fall over it than step on it. I won't let on as to what this actually is but feel free to guess.

This is me taking a picture in the incredibly long carpool line again today. I get bored just sitting there, it's not enough time to make a phone call and I don't have any of that hi-tech on line phone stuff.

I asked Litte Mama about school today, only 1/2 her class has been there, the entire class will be there Friday for the first time. She seems to be liking it ok but she tells me this girl "D will be there tomorrow and she can catch the boys, she is really fast". I thought this was hysterical. Although the part about chasing the boys wasn't what I wanted to hear. She cracks me up!!!

Photo 26 - The Carpool Line Birds Nest

Photo 26 - School started today for my 2 oldest kids. When I went to pick them up in the verrrrry long carpool line I saw this little birds nest literally out my car window. I don't know what kind of tree this is but I love it, and the berries are so PURPLE. There were no eggs or birds, wouldn't that have been so great!

Photo 25 - Squeaky Clean

Photo 25 - These are Little Man's bath toys. I must confess that I am not the bath giver in this house and also I am running low on energy when it comes to taking pictures. So tonight I decided that it had been a while since I had taken bath time pictures, mostly because the 2 older kids are getting to old to have pictures in the bath. Anyway this is the crew from Cars and they belong in the BATH !!!

Since I'm too terrified to post pictures of the kids backsides on here, even though they are soooo cute, I thought I would get my fix of cute butts from these characters.

This speaks for itself.

Photo 24 - "Nature in a Display"

Photo 24 - I actually have 2 photos of the day. We went to the Museum of Natural Science today and walked through the new Bug exhibit which is at the beginning of the Cockerell Butterfly Center. It was great, they have creepy crawlies all over and my little citified children were creeped out. I wish that at least one of my kids wasn't really afraid of bugs.

This is a poisonous dart frog of some sort, they were in a glass case at the very beginning. They moved alot and were really tiny.

The Rhino patiently waited for a butterfly to land on him, it never happened. I was so sad for him, he wanted it so badly.

This is Little Man almost terrified motionless by the butterflies. He really seemed panicky when one came near him, almost like me when I see a roach, it's like I can't breathe. Poor thing I wanted nothing more for him than for a butterfly to land on The Rhino so he could see how painless it really is.

And this is Little Man looking at me saying something like GET ME OUT OF HERE OR AT LEAST COME PICK ME UP !!!

Photo 23 - TTV

Photo 23 - TTV Through The Viewfinder

It's kind of a style of taking pictures that makes them look like they come from a really old camera. I will be trying if out with a different subject other than my fruit bowl and hoping that the images turn out, but I kind of like the effect this image has.

Ok this face made me cry today. The Rhino, my third grader, my first born, my sensitive one, my kind of shy one, my lover of all things video game oriented, my snuggle worm. I was having a moment where he kissed me and was just looking at me and I was overwhelmed with how much I love him and wanted him to stay exactly as he was at that exact moment for the rest of his life. Then I immediately thought will he kiss me and look at me like that when he is 30 and will I still look at him and be as in love with him as I was at that very moment, and right then I new that every moment our relationship is changing and most of the time I don't even know it. Time just ticks by and I'm not thinking much is changing. I suppose all this comes about because the summer is ending and really I only have 10 more summers with The Rhino before he starts College and that's not very long. So with him looking on I had a small panic attack and burst out in tears right there. Now he for sure thinks I'm psycho and what is wrong with me, but then he gave me a sweet hug and yet again asked me if he could please play the wii and I thought there it is time goes on, our relationship just changed again !!!

Photo 22 - Christmas in August???

Photo 22 - "Christmas in August"

Yes like I need even longer to try to figure out what and who and how all the holidays will happen this year. It's nauseating to have to see this stuff now and think about looking at it for the next 4 months. Yet when the holidays come around I still get in a panic about decorations and all that, so am I messed up for not starting earlier or are they messed up for making us all think about this for such a long time.

It was good to get the kids back today after a night without them. I really missed them but I feel like we got some good stuff done. I now have 2 new(new to me) light fixtures in my house. Funny enough they are in the old part of the house where no work was done, it has just taken us about 4 years to get them up. I love it that Big Daddy can put stuff up like that, I love a handy man, or should I say I LOVE A HANDY MAN !!!

I'm very tired tonight, I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Photo 21 - Are they flowers or weeds ?

Photo 21 - I'm not sure if they are a flowering weed or an actual flower that someone planted. They are in the fields behind the big movie theater that Big Daddy took me to tonight.

We saw that movie Julie&Julia, and we really enjoyed it. I felt like her commitment to cook the entire "Mastering The Art of French Cooking" in 365 days was huge. I'm really struggling with this 30 days of pictures thing, it seems like a burden sometimes but I am determined to push thru and actually finish something. Often I feel like I have ADD as nothing really ever gets finished.

The kids are with their Oma and Opa tonight and it's the first actual break of any length of time for me in almost 2 weeks. I sure feel like I am going to miss them when school starts next week. The summer has flown by and all those great plans I had to get so much stuff done is still there yet again not finished. It was a very relaxing summer in some ways, but with the construction it could be taxing. Now that the house is done we have had many lazy mornings where everyone stays in their PJ's until 10 or so and then we take on the day. I will miss that.

Lunch Forever

Little Mama told me "I'm going to live with you forever", that always makes me feel so loved. I told her I loved that idea but I wanted her to have a family of her own some day but we would always have lunch together, she loves to go for girls lunch and I love it too.

I love you Little Mama !!!

Photo 20 - The Oreo Highway

Photo 20 - This is the way Little Mama eats her mini Oreos. She has always been rather particular about her sweets, she is one of those kids who actually won't eat it unless she really likes it. Thank heavens for that. I on the other hand will eat whatever I think will be good and then continue eating even if it's not good and then try again to find something that I think is good !!! It's a viscous cycle .

I bought myself some flowers yesterday. They always make me feel clean and airy, or maybe they make me feel like I should clean and then I would be airy ??? I don't know but I sure do like them.

Photo 19 - The End of The Rainbow

Photo 19 - This is what comes at the end of the rainbow for us, after a hearty meal of good old mexican food then comes the York Peppermint Patty !!! When I grew up it was Monterrey House and then a pecan praline, my kids will grow up with Don Jose's and peppermint patties or maybe Pappaisitos and the balloon lady. Food is such a memory for me, some of my most vivid memories surround food. I loved going to Marshall Fields with my mom and having a roastbeef sandwhich on a Kaiser roll, or going to Sakowitz and having these little buttery cracker things, or ChiChi's and the burritos and the shirly temple's . Every once in a while someone will say something about one of these places or something will spark a memory. I wonder if people who don't have "food issues" have these kinds of memories or are theirs based on something else? Oh Well, I know I won't forget my children's lack of table manners after this post and I'm hoping that Little Man is still too small to be embarrassed by this but here goes :

This is him truly enjoying that last little bit of his refried beans. I have 2 children who adore refried beans and one who adores queso, I'm set !!

This is how he cleans his fingers off after enjoying the beans to the fullest extent. I love this kid.

Photo 18

Photo 18 - Blue Vortex

This was part of the new exhibit at the VERY crowded children's museum.

Day 17 Photo

Photo 17 -

I love being from Texas for so many reasons.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip.

This is the Red Ryder that I used as a kid. LOVE IT !!!

So here is the family, without me of course. This cactus is in the middle of town and they have taken all the prickles off of it. Safer I guess?

This is Big Daddy doing his studdly thing, fixing us breakfast !!! He did this almost every morning while we were away, LOVE IT !!! Oh and he makes great bacon !

Little Man got stuck in between the door and the screen. It's another one of those things from my childhood. The front door is soooo heavy that it's very difficult to get in while trying to hold the screen door open at the same time. It brought back such memories.

And in order to sign off I give you the traditional butt shot. These 2 babies felt so independent being able to walk in the street by themselves. When they were getting to far ahead of me I just yelled out to them to watch out for cars and they both kind of panicked and came back. It was a good trip and I can't wait to go again.

Photos 13-17 Vacation In The Hill Country

Photo 13

August 13, 2009 - Day 1 - Trip to the Hill Country

So the trip started out with the usual attempt the kids make to take everything in their rooms. Luckily for me Grandpa showed up at just the right moment in order to get the big kids straight. He started by having them empty the, no less than 5, bags they had each packed as “carry ons” .

Then came the task of prioritizing what or who they each wanted to take. I told The Rhino he could take one stuffed animal, as the ones he had chosen were all rather large. When he negotiated for 3 I said “how many do you have in there?” and he told me, with quite an embarrassed little grin that he was trying to take “7 stuffed animals”. Needless to say they all gave up some of their stuff and we got it down to a manageable amount. Thanks Grandpa.

On our way to the Hill Country we stopped for a little potty break about half way there. It happens to be in a town that I have been stopping in my entire life, it’s kind of the HALF WAY point. I think they procured the fortune telling machines from FRANK”S restaurant on the other side of the freeway. That’s my thought since they seem like the exact ones that I grew up seeing.

August 14, 2009

Photo 14 - A Green Prickly

There is a lot of this stuff around here and when your 2 year old hasn’t ever really seen it or doesn’t really know the rules surrounding it things can get rather “sticky”. Little Man hasn’t gotten stuck by a green prickly yet but I’m sure that his curiosity will get the best of him before too long.

We have a long tradition of BB guns at the house in the Hill Country. The Rhino loves them and he loves to come up here just so he can shoot them, I’m sure that will be one of his fondest memories. They are the same BB guns that my brothers and I used when we were little and I love that they will also be the BB guns my kids memories will be made of.

Here is evidence that my kids are really from the city, they won’t go anywhere in the woods without a companion. I love this picture, it looks like they just accomplished something great and they are so happy about it. Oh wait I think I know what they did, they both found really “cool” walking sticks.

This evening on our walk I saw this really great old windmill. I would love to call it Photo 14 second place. I loved it and the kids did too. It was great to listen to as we walked by. There is such a quiet stillness out here that even the little things like this windmill moving makes a great noise. As I write this I am listening to the birds in the chimney chirp !!! I guess we won’t be having a fire this trip .

August 15, 2009

Photo 15 - Biscuits Anyone?

It’s all about the biscuits !! When we come up here it’s like a ritual sacrifice for the Mayans, we must have drop biscuits along with BACON !!! The biscuits come straight from my mom, she always made them when we were up here and I think it’s kind of what I expect and what I love.

After lunch we took a drive thru the country and ended up going to a place called The Blue Hole. This is a swimming hole, or part of a creek where people go to swim and relax, similar to Barton Creek in Austin. The Rhino absolutely loves this place and especially the rope swings. All the kids had a complete ball, even Little Mama totally dug the rope swing, although every time I tried to get a picture she had already jumped in the water, oh well.

August 16, 2009

Photo 16 - Plate Glass Wall

Today we started out with a few Blueberry Pancakes in town and then headed to the glass blowing factory they have here. We had taken the older kids before so they remembered seeing the demonstration and were very exited to see it again. But let me tell you that taking a 2 yr old into a store that sells VERY expensive glass stuff was enough to make me very tense(ok more tense then I usually am). Our pocket book came out unscathed as well as did the glass shops inventory.

We then went home for a nap, yes an early nap after breakfast and we must have needed it because Big Daddy, Little Man and myself ended up sleeping for the next 2 hours. I LOVE VACATIONS !!! We then moved onto our next outing which was the swimming hole again. The Rhino and Little Mama are swimming fiends and I love that they aren’t afraid to swim with the fish and the turtles. Of course they didn’t believe that there were anything but little baby minos or fish, I didn’t even go trough the whole snake talk because I didn’t want to freak myself out. But boy is that fresh creek water cold!!!!

Then to top the day off and end the vacation in the way that I grew up ending it, we had S'mores tonight. The kids love it, except Little Mama who is afraid of the marshmallows burning. Kind of like me. Bringing the kids up here reminds me of all the ways that they take after me, or maybe all the ways I take after my mom and am now passing on to my kids.