Sweet Corn

Last night we ate some corn from our front yard. I don't know if it is the pregnancy hormones, or what but OH MY GOD! I took one bite and almost died from happiness.

Timing is Everything

Sometimes it's the hour of day when the sunlight lets you capture all of details in the intricate spider web...

Sometimes it's how the water clings to his eyelashes just for a few seconds after he gets out of the pool...

Sometimes it's when you realize why the cat has been sitting by the window twitching all morning...

Sometimes it's the thrill of becoming airborne...

And sometimes it's all about capturing that photo you weren't even looking for!

How has timing worked (or not worked) for you this week?

Happy Birthday Taco Danny!

Today is my brother's 28th birthday. He had a bit of a rough start to this past year, but things are looking up for him if I do say so myself! If you are so inclined, you can check out some of his music on MySpace, and if you really want to make his birthday special look up Dusty Dan on iTunes and download a song or two.

Happy birthday brother! We love you! Bock bock!

Wordless Wednesday: Laying in the Grass

Wordless Wednesday

Inspired By Heather

Jumping Off Tuesdays

The Battle of the Buzz

A few weeks ago I wrote about my fear of bees, and what I believe to be the root cause of it. But what I didn't touch on is how I've been working to conquer this fear.

As someone who has recently developed a love of gardening, I must embrace the bee, for without it I would have no garden. You've seen Bee Movie, right? I spend time in my garden daily, and I am frequently surrounded by any number of honey bees and bumble bees. (Aside: SOB if you are reading this, please click on the link for bumble bees and read the part about stinging, because THEY DO STING! WRONG! YOU WERE WRONG!) (I love you babee!) And while I don't love spending so much time around these horrible buzzing insects, well, I haven't been stung so far. Which leads me to my next point...

As a rational, non-allergic, adult human, I know in an academic sense that a bee sting, while painful, is not deadly.

Seriously, I'm considering a natural, drug free childbirth and I'm afraid of a wimpy little bee sting? Baby thru va-jay-jay VS insect attack? WHAT THE EFF IS MY PROBLEM?!??!!!?!??!?! Give yourselves a moment to really let that sink in, ok? Because it takes time to digest that high intensity type of insanity.

At its worst, a bee sting will hurt, itch a little and maybe swell. And guess what? If I got stung it would make for some great blog fodder, so really? Not a total negative!

In that vein, I have been trying to fight my fear.

So far this growing season, things have been going well. I have spent time frolicking amongst my six-legged neighbors and we have managed to co-exist peacefully.

Until this past weekend. Because guess who came home to roost?

The Cicada Killer Wasps.

I have declared an out-and-out war on these vile mother fuckers. On Saturday afternoon I hunted one down and attacked it with a combination my wits, a kneeling pad and a shoe. These creatures are so aggressive and evil (even though the females only sting when handled and males have no stinging ability) that they will dive bomb my mini-van, which is like a ga-gillon times bigger than they are! They seem to have nested in the shrubbery this year, which makes their holes harder to find and spray with poison, so I've been forced to get medieval.

Besides, it is so god damned satisfying to hear them crunch underfoot that I get some kind of weird natural high from it.

I think I'm making progress, don't you?

A Visit to the OB, from the Preschooler's Perspective

Today I had the inglorious pleasure of having Sam and Lulu accompany me to my 30 week OB appointment. Luckily, this wasn't an appointment that required the removal of my pants, so even though it was less than ideal it could have been worse. But and however, I forgot just how much older Sam is now compared to the last time he joined me at the doctor's office. He was only 18 months old at Lucy's birth, so his level of curiosity this time around was waaaaaaaaaay higher.

For starters, the waiting room perplexed him. As far as I can remember, he's only ever been to the pediatrician, the pediatric dentist and the ENT. So when I released him from the stroller, he immediately scanned the room for books, toys, other kids, etc. When he didn't find any, he decided to peruse the adult magazine selection. He wasn't very interested in the WebMD magazine, and Conceive confused him quite a bit. There was a tv, but it was set to CNN, with a sternly worded note about how changing the channel would result in the loss of a finger. Luckily I came prepared with his 'bideo' game and some penguin gummies.

The first, and luckily only, major trial came about ten minutes after our arrival. It wasn't busy, so I let the kids out of the stroller in the waiting room. I explained to them in very plain language that once we were called to go back, their butts would be parked back into the stroller, buckles and all. (I've learned that my kids like to Houdini out of the stroller when not tightly secured, and I won't be making that mistake again.) Of course, before the called me back, Sam decided he had to go pee. I knew he was serious because he jumped right in the stroller without protest, so I just had to gather up Lucy and get her ready to roll.

Guess who didn't want any part of getting back in the stroller?

Guess who threw a fit right in front of the big, windowless door, almost guaranteeing an injury?

Guess who spent the better part of five minutes screaming 'No! No! No!' and 'I don't want it, Mommy!' at the top of her lungs?

I was only finally able to subdue her after she bonked her head on a table during her thrashings. Not hard, mind you, but hard enough that she wanted me to hold her. Which I did. For 3.2 seconds and then I threw her ass in the stroller and locked her down tight.

By this time, Sam was pinching at his crotch and squirming a lot, so I ran them back to the rest room and counted my lucky stars we made it in time. It was a large, open single room facility, so I actually lingered a few minutes, rather than subject the waiting room people to our antics again. Also, I figured that while I was already there, I might as well give my urine sample. I sat down and grabbed a cup from the stack and went about my business.

And then I realized that both kids were staring at me like I had trees growing from the top of my head.

Lucy just sat there looking puzzled, while Sam demanded that I dump out that cup of pee before someone accidentally drank it. I tried to explain to them that sometimes doctors use pee to see if you are healthy or sick, and while Sam kind of understood what I was getting at, Lucy just looked at me with a deadpan face and said, 'Gwoss.'

I lingered long enough in the potty so that we went straight to the exam room from there. After both kids got over their giggles from pointing at the anatomically correct poster and screaming 'nipple!' 362 times, I gave them some suckers and hoped for the best. When the nurse came in to weigh me and take my blood pressure, Sam told her all about how he has one of those 'arm measuring things' at home, and how he uses it to make me all better.

And then we had The Moment. The moment that, even if the kids had been terrors to the highest degree, would have made bringing them along all worth it. The nurse pulled out the doppler and some goo, and within seconds the room was filled with the 'whoosh-whoosh-whoosh' of the baby's heartbeat. Sam sat so still, listening with his head slightly cocked to one side, to the sound of his little brother or sister's heart pumping within the walls of my belly. And I almost died of happiness just looking at his face right then.

Until Lucy interrupted our serenity when she bit her tongue trying to bite her lollipop.

After a brief visit with a new doctor, I left with both kids and my sanity intact. And a new found excitement about introducing my kids to their new sibling.

Interloper

For more Best Shot Monday, visit Tracy at Mother May I.

Theme Thursday: Week 16

So much of life is about moments, missed or experienced. If I had missed a certain moment back in January, I would be at BlogHer right now. (Read my post over at The Philly Moms Blog for more info.) Because I called the camera store where I shop at just the right moment, I was able to get a good deal on a refurbished lens, saving us some hard, cold cash. In photography, a fraction of a second can make a huge difference in the quality of a shot. So here is this week's theme:

Week 15 theme: Timing

Interpret this any which way you want! See you Thursday!

Two Very Important Facts

1. Pie counts as a healthy breakfast if the filling is made from fresh fruit. Trust me, I'm an expert.

2. Junior Mints count as breath fresheners, not candy. Therefore, eating a box on the way to the gym makes you a courteous, polite person. You wouldn't want to offend any other gym goers with coffee breath, would you?

Carry on!

Theme Thursday: Food, Family, and Memories in the Making

I have such vivid memories of attending lamb roasts as a child. My grandfather would have one every summer, and even though I hated the lamb itself, I loved spending time with all of my family. The kids would run wild and eat everything but lamb. Now that my grandparents are older, my uncle has taken over the family tradition, but little else has changed.

Just like when I was a kid, all of the adults clamour around the lamb as soon as it comes off of the spit. An entire lamb may seem like enough to feed a family, but with seven brothers and their families, it's always a 'first come, first served' type of situation. Usually some well intentioned daughter-in-law is able to escape with a heaping plate for the older relatives, but you can always catch her sneaking a bite or two on her way back to the porch.

There is plenty to eat besides the lamb, though!

Everyone pitches in and brings either a side dish or dessert. My mom always makes the fruit salad, and when she can't anymore, and then it's my job. That's the way things are done in this family.

Naturally, my kids are as averse to the lamb as I was at their age. But they couldn't get enough of the cupcakes.

Have you caught anyone chowing down lately? Share your link in the comments!

Relief! And a Story!

The pie is in the oven. Now if I can just manage to wait the three hours required before I eat it. One to cook, two to rest, every second torture. Also torturous? My camera is all cleaned up and ready to come home, but my kids are sleeping, so it stays trapped in it's retail prison. Blast.

While I have some time to kill, let me tell you a story. On Sunday I mentioned that my kids were driving me a wee bit insane, especially Sam, in regards to disregarding every word that comes out of my mouth. We had our little 'run away from mom' incident at the Y Saturday afternoon, but Saturday evening was when he pulled out all of the stops.

SOB's chairman hosts a welcoming barbecue every year in mid-July after the new residents start. It's the kind of thing where most everyone in the department shows up, even if for only to make an appearance. We headed over and for a while things were going well. Our hosts had a big back yard and some balls for the kids to play with, plus there was a hammock and swing set for them to mess around with as well. My kids, in particular, loved the hammock. They would climb in and beg for me to swing them, and I obliged. I snapped a few pictures of them looking adorable together in there, and the evening seemed like it was going to go just fine.

But somewhere along the way, Sam flipped his internal switch from 'cute' to 'evil' and all hell broke loose.

The swing set was an older, metal model and the slide was high and steep. Despite several sharply worded warnings, he continued to push and be rough with the littler children, his sister included, while at the swing set. After several time outs, he was banished from the swing set all together. Then he started snatching balls away from the kids playing in the yard.

Finally, he ended up back in the hammock with Lucy, and pair of sisters. They were all playing nicely when the two sisters' older brother came over carrying their seven week old baby sister. He proceeded to get into the hammock with the baby as well, and I asked my kids to move away so that I could snap a photo of the four siblings together. The boy looked about thirteen or fourteen, and was rightly protective of his baby sister. He asked that no one touch the baby. I repeated that to my kids, and again asked them to get out of the hammock. All the while I'm snapping pictures.

Lucy, while unhappy, obliged and got out of the hammock. Sam, on the other hand, wouldn't budge. All of a sudden he started to lean over. I shouted, 'Sam! Don't you touch that baby!'

And here is the last shot I captured right before I grabbed my son by his toenails and dragged him back to the car.

Now do you see why I need pie?

A Random List of Randomness

1. My camera is in the shop, and it's sooooooo weird! I feel like something is missing from my life. And I keep encountering these perfect photographic moments! For example, when I got home this morning from taking the cat to the vet, I opened the back door and found Lucy, dressed in a Sleeping Beauty costume, perched upon the, um, throne. (Our back door faces the door to the bathroom, just so you know, and almost-two-year-olds aren't the best at closing the door behind them while peeing.) Nothing is wrong with the camera, by the way. It just needed a good sensor cleaning. It'll be home Wednesday!

2. I have found that daily naps help tremendously with the general bitchiness I've been experiencing. Though I am still itching to make a pie...

3. I know this next statement is going to offend someone somewhere, so please brace yourselves...I've decided I don't like Radiohead. I've tried for years and I even own several of their albums, but I just don't get it. I think it's a little too mellow and whiny for me. I'm not too into the falsetto thing. Commence attack.

4. Something (or someone) stole one of two ripe tomatoes growing along my fence this morning. I have a sneaking suspicion that it was a someone, however, for three reasons: a) The squirrels in this neighborhood are getting their fill of apples, thank you very much! b) the tomato in question was almost as big as a softball, i.e. much to large for a squirrel to carry off. and c) the squirrels are stupid and usually leave about half their meal uneaten just under from where they snatched it. The tomato was gone without a trace. Hands off my fucking produce, neighbors. I'm watching you.

5. I drove all the way to the vet this morning, a good half an hour, announcing every 'big yellow school bus' and 'big yellow bulldozer' along the way for the enjoyment of my children. One of which was at camp and the other of which was at home with her aunt. The cat, unfortunately, did not find me amusing.

6. Seems like a nice, even number to end things on. G'bye!

Inspiring

It's funny to think that we've only lived in this house for two years come September. Sometimes I feel like we've been here forever. But occasionally I get a pleasant surprise that reminds me of how short our time here has been.

Even though we were here for a full growing season last year, I forgot that the rose of Sharon bushes bloom twice. Or maybe the double blooming this year was a fluke. Either way, it was so nice to come back last week to shrubs full of magenta and white blossoms. They've given me a lot of respite from the challenging week I've been having, and hopefully they will continue to do so!

Visit Mother May I for more best shot Monday photos. And many thanks to Heather Kennedy for keeping my photography inspiration flowing!

Philly Blog Map

Yo Philly peeps! Check this out, and add your blog if you're so inclined!

The Wall, I Have Hit It.

It seems, all of a sudden, that this pregnancy has caught up with me. Perhaps it's more of life catching up with me, but none the less all is not well in gestational land.

This past week has found me weeping uncontrollably, baking uncontrollably and yelling uncontrollably. I wish I could find some explanation other than fucking hormones, but it seems so random I can't seem to uncover another answer.

The weeping has been inspired by everything from not being able to get concert tickets to feeling unsupported in my maybe-possibly-thinking-about-trying-for-a-natural-childbirth idea to a smelly diaper pail.

The yelling has two main inspirations: Sam and Lucy. Mostly Sam. My son has become deaf, apparently, at least when it comes to listening to me. And he's gotten himself and his sister into some dicey situations that have pushed me over the edge, once in public even. The worst was when he ran away from me at the Y, and then encouraged his sister to do the same. Some stupid ass hole thought it would be a great idea to hold the door to the parking lot open for a pair of unaccompanied toddlers. When I finally caught up with them, he knew he had made a mistake, but Lulu was still reveling in her freedom, about three steps from the parking lot. I caught her, and then I turned on him. I'm not big on physical punishment, but at that moment all I wanted to do was beat his butt. Repeatedly. Instead I pulled them, probably a little too roughly, to the car and screamed and cried the entire drive home.

Then I made cookies. And seriously considered making a pie.

Every night my feet hurt and my back aches and my eyes burn. I don't sleep well and wake up almost as irritated as when I went to bed. The kids are edgy and anxious around me, and I don't think my husband has ever been so relieved to be on call as he was today. Then I overcompensate for being a crummy wife and mother by indulging them in to much tv, too many cookies, and as many trips to the playground and/or swimming pool as I can manage.

I don't know how to end this post other than with a wish that whatever hormone cascade is royally screwing with me completes its cycle so that I can get back to life as usual. For the sake of my family, if nothing else.

But if the urge to bake wants to hang around, I don't think anyone would mind. Pie makes for some tasty breakfast.

Theme Thursday: Week 15

Summer is almost halfway over, and it seems like almost every week we find ourselves outside at a picnic or BBQ. Nine times out of ten we end up spattered in ketchup and barbecue sauce and eating drippy watermelon slices or even drippier ice cream cones. By the time we're done the potential laundry pile has reached impressive heights, but since we're already dirty sometimes we'll finish off the day with some popsicles or water ice.

Week 15 Theme: Chowing Down

Come on back Thursday and share your photos of cooking, eating, and getting messy!

Silly

Between last week's adventures in southwestern Pee-Yay and this week's crazy over-scheduled mayhem, silliness has been on the menu just about every day. Here are a few of the highlights.

Even though we've seen The Sword and the Stone, Sam kind of didn't get this. He really and truly thought he was going to pull that sword out. We all had a good laugh, not really at his expense, but kind of!

Could you call this anything but silly? That's what I thought.

Something about my brother's face here cracks me up every time.

A few days later we had a party at my parents' house. Sam and my cousin Max thought it was hilarious to try and pull each other around in a car made for a one year old.

Max is almost five and a big kid overall, so Sam could barely budge him.

Later, we convinced them to try and pull Lucy around since she was more appropriately sized for the vehicle.

My grammy had to lend a hand, but she didn't mind!

Finally, back at home and in the pool.

The jumping was incessant, and he was insisting that the next jump was going to be 'up to the sky!'

What do you have to share this silly Thursday?

Wordless Wednesday: Blowing Bubbles

For more, visit Wordless Wednesday.

My Secret Fear of Bees

A long time ago, I developed a severe and somewhat irrational fear of bees. I say 'somewhat' because even though the event that formed the root of my fear was totally traumatizing, intellectually I know that bees are not the big baddies my brain makes them out to be.

My subconscious, however, isn't convinced.

It was July and my brother's birthday. I can't quite recall, but I know it was somewhere in the eight, nine or ten age range for him because I was on the cusp of puberty. We usually had semi-big parties for his birthday, since the summertime afforded more space for rambunctious guests. The usual family, friends and neighbors were there.

Growing up I was the only girl in the neighborhood. One neighbor had four sons, another had two and yet another had one. And then there was my brother and me. Naturally I was rather tom-boy-ish, but by fifth grade I was already sporting tiny breast buds and well aware that play time as usual was probably going to change. So was this one neighbor kid named Tim, who used to pinch my bottom and offer up what he though were encouraging words on my new, um, developments.

Anyway, my brother's birthday party. We were all playing outside and running around, consuming near fatal doses of sugary soda and cake with everyone under the age of twelve and over the age of two. A game of hide-and-seek commenced, and I volunteered to help my cousin Nicole, as she was one of the youngest kids playing. We decided to hide under the shrubs in front of my house, and she easily scootched her little three year old self into the perfect hiding spot. As you can imagine, my ten, eleven or twelve year old body didn't fit quite as well. As I crawled into place, I dislodged a hornets' nest above me. Luckily, it wasn't super big, but it landed squarely on the middle of my back.

It only took a few seconds for me to realize what was going on. I grabbed my cousin and literally tossed her over the porch railing and started screaming. As I tried to make my way out of the shrubs I inadvertently grabbed a handful of the nest when I reached for some limbs to hold onto. I was getting stung all over my back, neck, head and now my right hand.

When I finally separated myself from the shrubbery, a crowd was waiting. One neighbor, who was a nurse, took charge of the situation. I had a countless number stinging insects trapped inside my clothing, so she immediately starting stripping me down in the middle of my front yard. Once she had me naked, save for my underpants, she instructed me to get into the shower. My mom came with me. I thought she was there to kill off the remaining hornets that were trapped in my hair, but more likely she was there to make sure I wasn't going to pass out or have an allergic reaction.

The whole ordeal probably only lasted two or three minutes, but it felt like an eternity. In the end I only suffered just under two dozen stings. They were painful, but a little aspirin paste applied to the sites helped ease the pain. However, the humiliation of having my entire family, my entire neighborhood and my brother's entire hockey team see my nearly naked body as I flapped and screamed in the front yard is something that still makes me cringe today.

All of this is my very long way of trying to make amends for totally knocking over an old man last week while trying to dart away from a bee. I hope that by sharing this humiliating story with the world wide internets I'll earn some sort of cosmic forgiveness.

Next time, ask me to tell you about the time I got head lice.

Slide: My Best Shot Monday

Yesterday was the big family reunion. When I find myself with several dozen relatives to help keep an eye on the kids and I have my camera, I like to position myself somewhere interesting and slightly out of the way to catch a few shots. Yesterday that spot was near the slide.

Funny how I caught just as many adults on the thing as I did children!

For more of last week's best shots, visit Tracy at Mother May I.

Theme Thursday: Week 14

Good morning, Theme Thursday followers! I am nearing the end of a week long visit with family that has been equal parts exhilarating and exhausting. We've had so much fun and so little sleep, it's hard to see straight, let alone think strait. We are all quite silly. So for this week, here is your theme:

Week 14 Theme: Silly

Have fun, and see you Thursday!

Learning Curve

Last night I went on a photo shoot for my sister-in-law Tori and her horse Felix. She had asked me if I would be interested a few weeks ago, and I jumped at the chance. First of all, have you seen the beautiful horse photos over at The Pioneer Woman? Sigh. Equine beauty at it's best. I've never had the opportunity to spend time face-to-face with a horse, and here was a perfect chance! Secondly, my sister-in-law is a beauty in her own right. Getting some gorgeous shots of her would be a cinch. And since I've never done a shoot for anyone besides myself, I thought it would be a good learning experience.

So what did I learn? Well, for starters, I leaned that flip flops aren't really appropriate barn attire.

Luckily for me, I wore brown flip flops, so the dirt doesn't really show.

I learned that shooting outdoors around 6pm in July makes for some glorious light.

I learned that shooting inside an arena would be better if I had a flash, perhaps. I had my f-stop as low as it goes, and I still had to shoot at ISO 1600, which made for a lot of noise.

Fortunately, pretty trumps noisy just about any day.

I learned that, when in doubt (and in low light) try for some artsy-fartsy silhouette photos.

See? Don't you feel better already?

I also learned that my sister-in-law is awesome at manhandling giant equine beasts. This is something I knew already, but it was spectacular to see her in action. She was almost like a different person on her horse, and I mean that in a good way. It was so cool to be get a sneak peek into an aspect of her life that is so important to her.

Alternately, I learned that I know next to nothing about horses. I could pick one out of a line-up, but that's about it. She would try and explain to me what she was going to do and what kind of maneuver she wanted to have photographed, and while it sounded simple it really was quite complex. Which is probably how I ended up taking close to 1,200 pictures. The way I was figuring, after I deleted all of the ones that were out of focus or just plain bad, she could sift through the rest to find the ones where the horsey was doing the thing she wanted. I hope I don't disappoint. Since it'll probably take her a few weeks to go through the remaining shots, I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed.

And maybe read up a little on English riding.

Theme Thursday: Trying to Resist A 'Peaches & Herb' Reference

There have been so many excellent 'reunion' moments this week, I've been having trouble keeping this post to a reasonable size.

Last weekend was our 4th of July mini-family reunion, although when you're talking about a family of seven brothers 'mini' is an adjective you can rarely use in reference to your family gatherings. This was the first time we had seen my aunts, uncles and cousins in months. My kids are finally old enough to remember them from visit to visit, and it was so much fun watching them run to greet everyone.

My lovely cousin Amanda has earned the top position in Lulu's heart this week. Every time we've seen her, Lucy squeals and then exclaims, 'Mmmmmmm-anda!'

This is Sam with his godfather, my Uncle Rob. SOB is always trying to argue that Sammy looks more like his side of the family, but when he saw this photo he had to retract his previous statements. At least we know where he gets the eyes!

This, however, might be my favorite photo from the day. It's far from perfect, but it contains the four most important men in my life: my father, my brother, my husband and my son.

(Pausing to get a tissue...)

ANYWAY, the picnic wasn't the only scene for reunions this week. We've gone a-visiting almost every day since we've been here. High on the request list every time we travel to Western PA is Cousin Max.

I'd like to think it's because of how much they love their cousin, but at this age I think it has more to do with how much they love his toys. And swing set. And scooters. If they ever found out that he also has a pool their little heads might explode. Naturally I couldn't get a shot of both boys looking at the camera at the same time!

My maternal grandparents live at the same house as cousin Max, so it's like a two-for-one when we visit! Great grandparents and cool older cousins? Cookies and a billion trains and geo-tracks? It's like heaven to my kids.

Lucy and Grammy

Sammy and Pappy.

And lest you think I've been missing out in the reunion department, I give to you the single greatest moment of my trip so far:

Yes, that is THE Mr. McFeely. Growing up in the Pittsburgh area, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood was the show of all shows. So many of the people and places he visited on the show were accessible to the general population, so it really felt like he was your neighbor. Many of the actors on the show do local appearances, and until now I've never had the chance to meet any of them. When my dad told me that Mr. McFeely was signing autographs at the amusement park we visited yesterday, I almost died! He was so kind and friendly, taking plenty of time with each person even though the queue was long! When he saw my pregnant belly, without missing a beat, he said, 'I hope you have a Speedy Delivery!' Priceless!

Did you reunite with someone this week? I can't wait to see what you all have to share!

Is It Ok for Relatives To Spank Your Kids?

Go and read my new post over at the Philly Moms Blog and weigh in. Needless to say, it's a touchy topic, so let's play nice, ok?

Lucy and 'Taco' Danny

Click for more Wordless Wednesday.

No Body Issues Here

Just prior to his nap today Sam decided he wanted to weigh himself on my mother's scale. After assessing himself at 36 pounds, he turned to me and said, 'Mom, I love my butt.'

Best Shot Monday: Fourth of July Edition

Fourth of July was a fun and festive event. We went to Harrisburg for a celebration at my uncle's house. His partner is one of the most talented gardeners I've ever met, my cousins are growing up into lovely young women, my brother's music is as awesome as ever and my kids got their first taste of fire!

A good time was had by all! Visit Tracy at Mother May I for more best shot Monday fun!

SOOC Sunday: Fourth of July Edition

Visit Melody at Slurping Life for more!

Theme Thursday: Week 13

Since I had so much trouble with last week's theme (and I'm guessing others did, too since only two people played!) I'm taking the easy way out this week. I'll be attending two family reunions in the next week, and one unofficial big family get together. So this week's theme?

Week 13 Theme: Reunions

Take care, and see you Thursday!

Third Trimester

Here I am, two-thirds of the way through...

A bit larger than I was at the half way point, huh?

Have a fun and safe holiday weekend!

Rising to the Challenge

This week's theme was really difficult for me. You'd think that because I pick them I'd have an easier time coming up with photo ideas, but I enjoy challenging myself. Most of the time I try and come up with something that doesn't always conjure up an immediate idea so that I'm more motivated to always keep the camera handy. I didn't need too much motivation this week, though, what with the new lens and all! Unfortunately, I think I got some dust on my sensor when I was changing lens, so I'll be taking it in for a cleaning sometime soon! On to the photos!

Initially I had hoped for some nice early morning shots, due to all of the early rising I've been doing lately...

I've been trying to get up at least a few minutes before the kids, so that I have a chance to make some coffee and maybe snap a few pics outside before I get stuck on waffle duty. It wasn't particularly sunny the morning I took these, so the light I was hoping to capture didn't materialize. Unfortunately the kids have been getting wise to my plan and getting up earlier themselves, so this was the only day I got some early morn shots.

The only good thing about their early rising is that we are usually ready to walk out the door by 8am. Yesterday I hauled the kids off to the zoo and we got there as the gates were opening. I love getting there early because it's so quiet and we can spend as much time as we like looking at things. Of course, I have a three and a half year old who wants to see something new every 1.8 seconds and an almost two year old who could sit and look at the tigers for an hour. Hence there were more than a few battles, but we had fun anyway!

I usually keep my telephoto lens on the camera when we go to see the animals, but I kept the new lens on for the challenge. I knew I'd miss some cool shots of the animals, but I was hoping to see the zoo through new eyes.

All in all, I think I was mostly successful. It's going to take some more experimenting to find the sweet spot on this new glass, but I'll be at my parents' house all next week with ample opportunities!

What do you have to share this week?