Day 403

On your mark...
Get set, go! The marathon weekend begins with a gorgeous newborn baby boy. He was such a doll, but let me tell you, this little man did not want to sleep! He was so alert but did eventually give in with the help of a quick feeding and the magic heating pad. I just hope he went out like a light when I left and gave mom and dad a chance to get some sleep themselves.

Day 402

Hair a'fire...
Tomorrow marks the start if another hectic weekend. Session, school play, gymnastics. That's Friday. Volleyball game, pictures for two volleyball teams, and four hours of back-to-back 10-minute mini-sessions. That's Saturday. Sunday slows down a bit, only church and another newborn session. So today, I am packing up, clearing off memory cards, charging camera batteries, running a few last minute errands, swim lessons and a couple order pick-ups along with attempting to straighten up around here and catch up on laundry. Maybe with any luck, I will be able to get some rest and go to bed early (ya, right). So here I am getting ready to rock 'n' roll!

Day 401

Class pet...
I was elected to pick up the beta that is to be the class pet for M's class. Her teacher said the the bowl was all ready to go and that the gravel is red so since the color scheme is patriotic in her classroom, blue would be the perferred color although not a requirement. Well, blue it was! And since this is for M's class, I thought it fitting that she be on the blog today too! Do not adjust your monitors, both the fish and the water are blue! ;)


Goodness gracious, those amazing blue eyes...

Day 400

Yeeehaaaaw...
Oh my goodness, could these kids be any cuter? It was line dancing at C's school today and all the kids in the academy had practiced their routines til they had them down pat and were duded up in their best Texan wear. Without any further ado, here is my handsome cow hand and a few of his pahtnahs. ;)

Now who wouldn't want to take a bow after a performance like that? It's a pity I had no rose petals to throw at him...ha-ha!!
The Heartbreak Kid...

A buddy from the good 'ole pre-K days...

The fashionista...
A forever friend...
The princess...
The rock star...

Day 399b

Bonus round...
Little boo was home today sick. When she was a little bitty baby, she had a pretty major issue with milk but she outgrew it when she stopped wearing diapers. It would seem, that maybe the intolerance has made a comeback of sorts. All weekend every time she has any kind of milk product, she gets a very upset stomach and even had a low-grade fever to match. Today she seems fine, but I wanted to keep her home just to make sure. What do your kids do when they are home feeling yucky? Nothing brightens Boo's day like a box of Crayola crayons.

Day 399

Sleepy head...
My little man slept to a whopping 8am today and for the first time in a long while, I had to go and wake him up. I guess the weekend at Granny and Chippy's packed with a zoo trip and 2.5 hour bike trip and then two big Wii boxing matches with his biggest sister at 7pm last night finally KO'd him. He was not interested in getting up and getting ready for school that's for sure!

Day 398

Young love...
Do you remember when it was all new and you still had the giggles and blushed at a boy? Well, if not, then let these two remind you.

Day 397

No, you can't have her...
This is the cutest little thing to toddle her way into my studio in quite a while. Such a doll baby! We played blocks for a little bit before we started shooting and boy is she full of personality. She's a girl who loooooves her daddy, but more than that, she knows what she wants. When I asked about putting her in a petti she said, "I don't want it." Simple and to the point, my kinda gal. So you can look, but you can't have her, she's mine! :)

Day 396

TGIF...Fridays are such a crazy day! I am always so glad when they arrive, but then can't figure out where the day went when I find myself looking at a clock that is inexplicably telling me it is 11:55. Whaa? Seriously? So no pic for today but this is going to be another busy busy weekend so there will be some coming!

Day 395

Odds & Ends...
I cleaned my desk off today because I just couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't even see the wood on the top anymore. I had stacks and stacks of papers and junk so I took the first couple hours of my work day to clear up and organize. I still have quite a bit more to accomplish, but progress is progress.

Day 394

Drip...
I guess I should've paid closer attention to the weather the four times it was on the news yesterday. I was completely oblivious to the fact that there was an 80ish percentage chance for rain today and I went to the grocery store after picking C up from school. We made it to the car ok and then ran through McD's but by the time we got home it was pouring. I backed up to the garage thinking I could at least keep the stuff in the trunk from getting wet. As they say, it looked good on paper, but the execution did not go as planned. I didn't back up far enough and so instead of protecting the bags, water was running off the car port INTO the trunk! I was soaked and then I get a call from M at the school letting me know that she and a friend missed the bus home. Perfect. So me and my wet self and wet son pick the two of them up and drive her friend home and finish unpacking soggy groceries but not before I grabbed the camera to get this shot which I found fitting.

Day 393

Inherited Traits...
M was doing her science homework tonight and she had to take her vocabulary study cards and make illustrations of the words on the back. She was drawing a picture of me & L with curly hair for inherited trait and it made me think of this little guy. He is absolutely the carbon copy of his daddy. His eyes...
His expression...
But you know what? The way he was standing is all me...

Day 392

Instinct...Defined by Webster, it means "behavior that is mediated by reactions below the conscious level." To me, it is God speaking to you in a way that is not audible. Do you ever wonder why animals never question their instincts and why we as the more intelligent creatures would rather protect another person's feelings or take that job we know we shouldn't than to listen to that "gut instinct"? Faced with red flags and warning signs, I pushed them away for the past several days and entertained the idea of taking on an assignment I knew would be a headache if even legitimate. The arrangements were being made from overseas (red flag) and were sketchy at best (red flag). In order to protect myself, I did some research on the venue specified (after much questioning...red flag) and found that their max capacity was much lower than what I was told was the number of confirmed guests (red flag). After discovering this, I contacted the venue and was told they had no bookings for a large party that day (the final red flag). I had known something was off from the first e-mail and finally yesterday, I simply and politely declined the opportunity given the nature of overseas business arrangements and lack of any kind of verification. Well, waiting in my in-box this morning was an e-mail full of snide comments from someone who felt obliged to inform me what my "place" as a photographer was and I have never been so thankful for instinct. So, when God whispers to you in such away that you can't necessarily hear Him, but feel it somewhere below the surface, listen.

Day 391

Killer headache... Big surprise given yesterday, right? It hurt all the way into my eyes today so needless to say we did not make it to church. In part from the headache and the other part due to unadulterated vanity on my part. There, I said it, even I am a little vain from time to time, but who really wants to go to Sunday services looking like that (see picture below for reference). Sure, it beats the Barbie bandaid, but only marginally. Today was an incredibly beautiful day and I kept thinking to myself, "Wow, M's eyes look so incredibly blue, I really should get my camera." But did I, no. I simply enjoyed the weather and only had to explain the head wound a couple of times...ha-ha!

Day 390

A Humdinger...
After being sick since Valentine's day, I was feeling much better this afternoon and was getting myself and C into the car to stop at Target before heading off to a birthday party. As it happens, the rain was starting to come down a bit stronger than a drizzle so I "suggested" we hurry up and get in the car. I was so concerned with not getting a few drops on me that I misjudged the door in relation to my head, yes, my head and ended up smacking the corner of the car right into it. So after stumbling back to the front door and dropping to my knees for a few minutes, I went to the powder room to survey the damage. Wowzers. I was expecting a little bump and maybe a scratch to account for the blood on my hands and the tile, not this big ugly knot complete with fault line running through it. I cleaned myself up and stuck a Barbie bandaid across it to stop the bleeding, intent on getting to Target and this birthday party. We made it through Target although none of the slack-jawed gawkers dared to actually ask me what happened, just did double-takes and went about their shopping. Good thing I have a fairly thick skin. Once at the party, two of the moms also happened to be nurses...go figure. Both women were surprised I didn't go to the emergency room and suggested either surgical glue or butterfly bandages to pinch it back together for minimal scarring. My oh-so-sensitive husband said it was a shame the gash didn't go straighter so the scar could blend in with "the rest of the wrinkles on my forehead." Lovely. Anywho, here is my pic the day. Enjoy the photographic proof of my stupidity. I know it's hard to tell since Dr. Evans did such a bang-up job of getting the skin back together, but you can see why I won't be making any public appearances in the immediate future!

Day 389

Blooming...
My wonderful dh surprised me with flowers last evening for Valentine's day, but the sneaky bugger had them sent to his office since he knew I would be in and out all day long and not here to recieve them! I just knew he had forgotten or like me, had been so busy with other things that it didn't even register, but no, he remembered. The card is so us, mooshy but then grossed out by the moosh..ha-ha-ha-ha!

And a lovely rose from my son. His school got roses for all the moms and handed them out at our luncheon. So sweet!