Adventures of the Grigg Boys

Friends

2011-12-07T22:29:00.000-06:00

Dominos

2011-11-26T21:46:00.005-06:00

While Gabriel is at school and daddy is at work, Ethan and I find lots of little ways to keep us occupied - keep us off the streets, if you will. This is one of Ethan's favorite videos and therefore, this (pictured below) is a common activity.

(please don't judge us for our dirty base boards. we actually never got around to painting them and this is where Duncan loves to sleep. primer really attracts dirt!)

BB 2011 Final.

2011-11-15T21:52:00.003-06:00

In the morning, we packed up and headed out. Gabriel went in to the visitor center and got his Junior Ranger badge. It was actually a super cute mini-ceremony and I'm kicking myself for not taking my camera. If I knew then what I know now...

We headed out and the landscape was so pretty - with shades and highlights almost constantly changing.
Goodbye Big Bend.
Final critter count:

a bunch of deer
a bunch of skunks
one friendly fox
one lizard
one wildcat
a few javelinas

BB 2011 Day Four

2011-11-15T17:56:00.011-06:00

Some deer wandered into the camp.

Gabe and Ethan took care of it.

We drove down a very primitive road to the Grapevine Hills Trail.

Cairns were very helpful on this hike. There is a dry creek bed that goes parallel to the trail. I kept ending up on it!
Oh look! Back on the right track!

Shade!

Ethan and Gabe were both very impressive how they scrambled up the rocks.

Rock chair!

Can you see Gabriel? He had a lot of fun on these boulders.
The balanced rock! This is what we came for!

Then we drove down to the Hot Springs.

Ethan shed his shirt.
B looking at the river.
Rio Grande. Or Rio Pequeno as Scott put it.

It was a hot day so hot springs weren't all that relaxing. We sauntered down to Dugout Wells. Another oasis in the desert. This area was called the cultural center of Big Bend. Early settlers came here because of the availability of water. Eventually they built a little school and a small community cropped up. None of that remains - except the windmill and the oasis.

This tree is even bearing fruit!

Feather.

Ethan found this flower stalk. It reminded me of Peter Koch in the book, "Exploring the Big Bend Country" he made a boat out of stems and called it the Broken Blossom. He was a rugged naturalist and a poet and artist all at the same time. Very Davidic.

We found the javelinas. There was a mama and baby but a certain SOMEONE in my group scared them off. Grrrrr......
A view of the beginning of the Chihuahua Nature Trail. I didn't take this trail - Brandon and the kids went partly down it and turned back. I waited in the shade at Dugout Wells.

BB 2011 Day Three

2011-11-15T11:27:00.024-06:00

This was a LONG day.

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We took the Ross Maxwell Scenic road down to Castolon and Santa Elena Canyon. There are a whole bunch of fun little hikes along the way - not to mention the scenic views from the drive.

First we stopped at the historic Sam Nail Ranch. Sam Nail and his wife installed wind mills and planted groves of Fig and Pecan trees that are not indigenous to the area. It created an oasis in the desert. They kept going all these years later!

A small barn - probably used for their milk cow.
The ruins of their adobe house
I couldn't get a great shot of this - but its some old barbed wire fence. We went off the trail and followed parts of the old fence line.

Back in the car!

Then we stopped at Sotol Vista.

It was easier for me to change lenses and get a better shot of this mountain.

Ethan had a snack!
I knew when I saw this that I had to have it in B&W.

Back in the car!

I asked B to pull over so I could take a few shots in one area. Little did he know that I jogged a few yards down the road for another shot. Then a few more yards for another shot. Then a few more and a few more. He had to turn around to come pick me up before it was all said and done.

I love the interesting colors on these rocks.

Here we are at Mule Ears Overlook.

Back in the car!

Next stop: Tuff Canyon

One of the things I loved about this place was that it further confirmed that my boys really don't need toys to entertain themselves. All they need is some dirt and rocks and they are happy campers!

Brandon pointed it that it would be a shorter distance (not easier) to climb up the canyon instead of exiting on the trail we came in on. So we did. Gabriel sped up the canyon wall like a little mountain goat. Ethan did surprisingly well. He hasn't as much stamina as his brother for hiking but he can hold his own for climbing!
Our trusty steed awaits.
Nest stop: Castolon! This is a historic little place. We got out, grabbed a drink and a few more shots.

Back on the road again...

Random horse

Finally! Santa Elena Canyon! Right on the border of Mexico. If I was any good at spitting, I could have spit all the way to Mexico.

This rock reminded me of a statue by Rodin.

Ethan gave up. Until we told him we were leaving him as mountain lion food. Then he carried on - lest he become carrion. I had a lot of fun with this pun but it really just confused my kids.

Self portrait:

Standing in the Santa Elena Canyon, this quote by Martin Luther kept swirling around in my brain, "God writes the gospel not in the bible alone, but on the trees and flowers and clouds and stars." Being in the canyon I felt a thrill of insignificance. Not insignificant life but insignificant ego - my pride and insecurities, along with any feelings of entitlement to anything left me. I truly felt charmed and the spiritual worlds of fantasy were directly available for exploration. It's no wonder how primitive civilizations came to their creative myths with all of this natural inspiration at their disposal. It was such a sensation of peace and freedom and I wanted to take a picture of myself relishing in that feeling.

Hiking out of the canyon. Brandon wrote Gabe's name in the sand.
Ethan tried giving up again. In his defense - it was a long day with several hikes.
The kids coming off the trail.
Ethan walking back to the parking lot.
Meanwhile, back in the Chisos Basin...

BB 2011 Day Two

2011-11-15T10:37:00.009-06:00

In the morning before our first hike. Ethan chills on the hood of our trusty steed.

Gabriel poses in front of our tent.

Ethan starts climbing a tree but tires of it so he kicks back. This is probably illegal in National Parks.
And we are off on the Lost Mine Trail!
Ethan, drink your own water!

Gabriel found a walking stick - and he spent a good deal of time trying to find suitable walking sticks for the adults.
I am in love with lens flare.
Taking a short break while we try to reach our friends on the Walkie.
Chatting about our hike.

Is that stick intended for marshmallows?

The Grigg's going up the Chisos Mountains!
Good friends!
Out in nature, even the act of taking pictures shifts within me. I had no desire to impress anyone or gain approval. I wasn't worried about how unique my shots were or whether they were trendy enough. I just wanted to shoot what I saw and remember how I felt when I saw it.

Bird Watching.
Purple cactus. Despite the amount of prickly pear at home, I still took a lot of pictures of prickly pear on our vacation.
At the top! Gabriel really enjoyed climbing all over the boulders at the top of the Lost Mine trail.

Walking down the mountain.
Back at camp, G and I try to take a pic of ourselves.
E and I try the same.

E has a snack in a way big chair!

Holly and I try to get a pic together in our Peru hats. This one didn't turn out great. I hope she has one in her camera!

BB 2011 Day One

2011-11-14T21:38:00.004-06:00

Big Bend National Park, here we come!

For the most part, its a long and boring drive. But it gets exciting as soon as the landscape of Big Bend starts rising from the flat scenery.

We arrived a bit later than we planned so we hustled to set up camp. It was a real race against the sunset - and I wasn't much help since I kept snapping shots instead of working.

I stood them on top of a bear box to get the mountains in the background. We camped in the Chisos Basin again but this time we were farther down into the basin.

Trying to get a fire started without much help.

Gabriel in the tent enjoying the warmth.

Ethan telling a scary story: How the Dinosaurs Became Extinct. (In case you weren't sure, they ate so much they blew up)(It was really scary!)

Our first meal was in the Chisos Lodge Restaurant - with our friends! Yes, we have a couple of friends who met up with us down there. Which made this trip a bit more fun along the the-more-the-merrier lines.

It was in the upper 20's the first night. We had cots. We had sleeping bags rated for zero degrees. We had thermals. We had a (propane) tent heater. This sounds like a whole lot of gear but I can truly say that we were all quite comfy throughout the night.

The last time we were there, javelinas were the big nuisance. This time it was skunks. We were warned that they try to unzip tents. It sounded very cute and very unlikely; what with the absence of thumbs and such. And aren't Rangers big time alarmists anyway?

At one point in the night I woke up to the sound of one or more skunks (probably, I didn't check) banging around on the bear box. I laughed, "silly skunks. You're not going to get in there! Give it up, losers." Then I heard the sounds of a skunk trying - and succeeding - at unzipping our tent! On any given day I could totally handle this on my own thankyouverymuch. However, I played the damsel in distress and cried out, "BRANDON! BRANDON! Wake up! The skunks are invading!"

(After all, I am his damsel - and sometimes it is ok to be in distress)(Once in a while)(Just won't make a habit of it)(Please stop judging me, you're making this awkward)

To which he replied (ever so calmly I might add), "Gabriel, wake up and shoo the skunks away."

I will never forget this image. Gabriel bolted straight up and all I could see was the round little partial face peeking through his mummy bag. It cracked me up! I still have giggle fits when I think of his little face and the disoriented way he turned from one side to another trying to figure out what B was telling him and how he was going to execute this command. I wish I had a camera right then!

More Big Bend adventures later!

Marshmallow Pops

2011-11-06T18:23:00.005-06:00

Ok - it might be a little late to make marshmallow pops for yourself. But I'd like to post these anyway as a reminder for next Halloween season.

Thanks to Ginny Marie for this great idea!

First and foremost - Ginny Marie microwaved her candy melts. However, I'm a control freak so I babysat it over a double boiler.

Meanwhile, Ethan stabbed the marshmallows with lollipop sticks.

Then I added orange coloring. BTW: food coloring will seize the candy. One must fork out the cash for candy coloring. TRUST me.

Then dip the marshmallows about 2/3 the way.

Then let them firm up in the fridge. Note the champagne (celebratory in anticipation of the Cardinal's World Series win - yay! Go Cards!) and the pumpkin flavored creamer.

I call this abstract, "Klutz R Us"

I wish I could blame it on the four year old helping in the kitchen but it was entirely my fault.

Onto the next step! Melt more candies and add yellow coloring.

Then dip the marshmallows about 1/3 in. Et Voila! Totally adorable treats.

I got myself some of this floral foam...

And this bag from World Market! We gave these treats to Gabe's teacher. I made extra to give to a family of one of Gabe's school chums ... but we ate them. What? They were really good. At least the teacher got hers.

Waste not want not- we made more treats out of the leftover candy.

Ten Things That Bought Me Happiness

2011-10-25T13:39:00.008-05:00

I am a firm believer that the best things in life are free. Truly.
-The sound of my children giggling.
-The woods.
-The gift of creativity.
-Sore muscles after a hard work out.
-Cool breeze
-The way my mom answers her phone
-My dog's stupid popcorn trick

But there was another blogger (Brooke Snow - photographer extraordinaire) that recently posted ten thing that BOUGHT her happiness. And yes - there are some material things that bring me much delight. Here are my top ten...

iPhone.

I wanted it from the start and finally got a 3Gs when they went down to $49. It is worth its weight in gold and I love love love it!

HBO and HBO on Demand

Last Christmas I gave my husband the gift of HBO. But it has been entertaining for all of us!

Seasonal lattes from Starbucks.

What a treat to have a pumpkin latte or gingerbread latte. One really can not hold on to a bad mood while enjoying seasonal lattes. Impossible.

S'Mores!

My favorite food of all time. Ever.

This post cannot continue without mentioning my Canon.

While we are at it: Adobe Lightroom

I fell in love with this program so quickly. I barely use Photoshop anymore - only for working with layers.

Mitsubishi Endeavor.

It fits our family of 4 plus a great dane perfectly - with room to spare for hiking or fishing gear, photography gear (of course) or an array of sporting equipment. We've had it for 3 years and it has never lost its charm. (This pic of our actual car taken on our first trip to Big Bend - those are the Chisos Mountains.)

Jewelry!

I have a (probably unhealthy) obsession with jewelry.

Pentel RSVP pens!

Truly, the best pen on the market.

Panini Press

One of the best gifts I ever received. I am not one to indulge in kitchen gadgets. I think the basic tools are all the clutter I can take - but this has been a most useful gadget and has therefore earned its place on my counter top. Many thanks to my thoughtful MIL! I use it all the time!

What are your favorite things?

August Zoo Trip

2011-10-22T22:22:00.006-05:00

What happened in August? Well, first of all it was 110 degrees. We are so thankful to cool off this autumn with 88 degree highs. Anyway, we got cabin fever from hiding away in the AC so we went to the zoo with a friend!

Look! It's Natalie Portman!

I had some fun with this image in Light Room.

This bird was a bad a$$. He totally stared me down. And guess where he was sitting? On the window of the crocodile enclosement.

Cheering on the Cards from TX!

2011-10-20T19:49:00.001-05:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Gabriel's 7th bday!

2011-10-16T00:36:00.003-05:00

As part of my process to get back on the blogging wagon, I'm posting some dated milestones.

Here is Gabriel's 7th bday (back in August).

All in all, it was a bust. We always go so far over board for our kids bdays. This year I thought, "Hey, let's bring it down a notch and it will be great."

It wasn't. He picked avocado shrimp for his dinner. The shrimp smelled funny and the avocados - despite being newly purchased, were black on the inside. So we went out to eat. Which isn't a big deal but it didn't leave time for him to play with his friends that evening. And his dad was on a work call (true crisis) pretty much all night. Poor kid. We'll make it up next year...

The bday may have been a flop, but the cupcakes were AWESOME! Hubs and I stayed up into all hours of the morning making these fondant toppers.

waiting for daddy to open presents...

one of his presents.

serious face.

on our way out the door to the restaurant.

Hiking on the Horizon

2011-10-01T22:35:00.002-05:00

Plans are being made for hiking and camping trips in the near future and I am getting EXCITED!!!

Sweet Potato Curry

2011-09-29T19:44:00.006-05:00

This recipe was passed to me from a foodie friend of mine on a Facebook food forum. It is Sweet Potato Curry from Kenya. I have been thinking a lot this week about Wangari Maathai. She passed away on Sunday from complications due to ovarian cancer. A light has been extinguished from Kenya and the world.

If you have not heard of her before, please google her. I cannot express all the ways she contributed to making this world a better place. In a nut shell, she was the first Eastern African woman to earn a PhD. She was the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize (2004). She was the first woman at the University of Nairobi to be appointed:
-senior lecturer
-chair of the department of veterinary anatomy
-associate professor

She campaigned for equal rights for women at the university. She lead women to plant trees throughout the region - which is an amazing story in itself.

So, when I came across this Kenyan recipe I immediately wanted to cook it in tribute to this amazing Kenyan hero.

You can tell from this picture that I overcooked the spinach. But it still tasted AMAZING!

Sweet Potato Curry from Kenya

172 calories

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes (about 2 lbs), peeled and diced
1/2 large sweet onion, chopped or 2 scallions, thinly sliced
10 ounces fresh spinach, washed, stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
1-2 teaspoon canola oil
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 cup water
Basmati rice or brown rice, for serving

Preparation:

1. Peel, chop and steam the potatoes in a veggie steamer for about 15 minutes (you can also boil or bake them).

2. While the potatoes are cooking, heat 1-2 tsp of canola or vegetable oil over medium heat.

3. Add the onions and sauté for about 2-3 minutes (until they begin to soften).

4. Add the curry powder, cumin, and cinnamon, and stir to coat the onions evenly with the spices.

5. Add the tomatoes (with their juices) and the chickpeas, stir to combine.

6. Add 1/2 cup water and raise the heat up to a strong simmer for about 1-2 minutes.

7. Add the fresh spinach (a few handfuls at a time), stirring to coat with the cooking liquid.

8. When all the spinach is added to the pan, cover and simmer for about 3 minutes (until the spinach is just wilted).

9. Add the cooked sweet potatoes to the liquid, and stir to coat.

10. Simmer for another 3-5 minutes (or until the flavors are well combined).

11. Transfer to a serving dish, toss with fresh cilantro and serve hot (over Basmati or brown rice).

Servings: 6

Nutritional information for one serving:

Calories: 172
Calories from fat: 21
Total fat: 2.4g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Total carbs: 33.7g
Fiber: 7.6g
Protein: 6.7g

this is my curry blend! it's not as spicy as other curries so my kids enjoy it. the recipe for this is also on my recipe blog.

Book Case Drama

2011-09-27T11:55:00.002-05:00

We needed a bookcase. A friend of mine generously donated one of her old ones to us! I was thrilled!
I didn't take any pictures of what it looked like before but this picture after I sanded it gives an idea.

Then I started painting.The paint didn't seem to stick well. Several coats later it stuck and I painted the rest.

Because I didn't want to spend much money, I picked up the cheapest brushes and the bristles came right off into the paint.

When I peeled back the tape, I also peeled off the green paint.
It really peeled off. It reminded me of this nail polish my BFF and I used to wear that would peel off in one beautiful piece soon after it dried.

I went back to the store and bought contact paper.

But when I put the shelves back in, one of them scratched the paint off. I was nearly in tears when my husband (God bless him) told me he liked the look and it was shabby chic. Yay!

Sophomore Effort

2011-07-15T01:14:00.003-05:00

My foray into hand embroidery continues.

Pardon the harsh flash and wrinkles from the hoop.

Here you can see that I made a pillow out of it. It looks very hand made. I think of it as "quaint".

For my next trick, I will perform something.... else (I don't know what's next).

Tuesday Music Club

2011-07-10T23:33:00.002-05:00

I have been so MIA lately. Not only to my own blog but all of my bloggy friends blogs ... and most of my real life friends. Basically, if we aren't Facebook friends, then I have been a crappy friend. Even on FB its hit and miss.

In case you were wondering - and even if you weren't, I've been really busy! But its been good busy. Lots of photography work. Lots of ministry. Then there's my domestic duties - lest they fall by the way-side.

On my latest shoot, I brought Gabriel along as my assistant. He has been begging me to bring him along. He's very interested in photography and possibly becoming a photographer (Rebecca Lara and Sons Photography!).

We were shooting at the Japanese Tea Gardens but it was busy because most of San Antonio's fine portrait photographers were also shooting there that day. So we parked next door at the Tuesday Musical Club. Gabriel's first order of business was to show me a great shot.

And so our day began.

The Tale of the Monchichi

2011-06-09T22:47:00.002-05:00

Brandon had this monchichi as a young boy, cavorting the landscape of northern France and then, later in his boyhood, frolicking about the Provence region of France. After the big move to the US, monchichi (whom he called Kiki - I guess it's some weird french thing) became a US citizen. Alas, as an adult, Brandon moved away from his parents but they held on to the beloved monkey. And they moved. Overseas, and stateside. A lot. Kiki remained a part of the family.

My kids found Kiki among a treasure trove of '80's toys that Nana keeps in the loft in her house. They loved him! Nana let them take Kiki home.

A debate ensued between myself and my dear, long suffering, French-fried husband of mine. We argued extensively over whether he is a monchichi or kiki. SO my 6 year, diplomat for a child, renamed him, Booboo (perhaps after the recent Yogi Bear mania in our household). We all agreed on the fact that Booboo is an adorable and welcome addition to the family.

Regardless of whether he is a munchichi, a kiki or a booboo, this story was really turning out to be a Toy Story 4.

I painstakingly kept Booboo away (far far away) from Duncan who is still puppy enough to want to tear stuffed critters to bits and fluffy pieces.

Booboo logged some miles with us.

The kids buckled him into the mom-mobile.

They brought him shopping in Target.

They took him to the library.
He got to meet a magician.

He even had curry with us at our favorite Indian buffet.

Earlier tonight, they took him to their favorite place on earth. I am fairly sure they will want to get married one day at this place. Maybe have the reception there. They took him to Spoon It (or as we call it, Fro Yo). After Fro Yo, they made a quick stop at the pharmacy and then *poof* Booboo was gone. My poor husband, the original monkey keeper, was with them and they retraced their steps and scoured the car to no avail.

Our hearts are heavy tonight but there is hope. There is hope that some kind hearted employee found Booboo and when I call in the morning, they will say, "Yes he's here! Come pick him up!" Or there's the hope that he found a new home full of exciting adventures. I also hope against hope that some evil kid who tortures and dismembers toys didn't find him (Toy Story 1) or a creepy collector who stuffs him in a box never to be played with again but to go the highest bidder (Toy Story 2).

The six year old is crying. The four year old (who was ultimately responsible for losing him) is trying to divert attention away from Booboo by vacillating between causing other naughty mischief in the house and trying to be funny. Brandon is looking monchichi's up on eBay. We all cope in different ways (obviously, I am blogging about it).

Hopefully there will be another installment in the Tale of the Monchichi. In the meantime, let's keep our fingers crossed that he was found (or is maybe being found right this minute!) and will be waiting with baited breath for his return to the Grigg family.

Jack Black vs. Paul Revere

2011-06-09T12:42:00.002-05:00

I read this article today about Sarah Palin's historically incorrect recollection of Paul Revere. There was a photo of a painting of Paul Revere. Look at the resemblance!

Spin Cycle: Waiting

2011-06-03T00:20:00.002-05:00

"Thank you. Please have a seat. The Dr. Will be with you shortly."

I sit and wait.

Minutes pass by. I look around at the other patients. And then wait.

The TV is on. I glance at it but with the anticipation of my appointment it's irritating.

I wait.

Time passes. I look at my watch. My next appointment is coming soon. How far behind is this Dr. ?

I wait.

I tap my foot. Tap. Tap. Tap. I wait.

I stare at the receptionist. Maybe I can will a staff member to call me back to a room.

I wait.

I dig around in my purse for anything to entertain my four year old. We wait.

We play thumb war. My mind is on my appointment so his tiny thumbs win and he is quickly bored. I wait.

Here comes a nurse through the door! Pick me! Pick me!

"Mr. Green? Come with me."

I wait.

I tell my 4 year old, "Stop climbing on the furniture." "Stop climbing on me." "Just sit down and be patient." I tell myself to be patient.

I wait.

Maybe I should reschedule. What's the point of scheduling an appointment?

"Mrs. Grigg?"

I jump up! Race the nurse to the scale and eagerly thrust my arm at her to take my blood pressure.

But then she leaves. And I wait.

I bite my lip. I tell my 4 year old to stop digging through the drawers.

I wait.

Finally! The Dr. comes in.

Tells me to take a pill. Tells me to take a script to the pharmacy and wait in line for it to be ready. Tells me to take an MRI and wait for the results. Tells me to wait for another appointment, an appointment in which I will wait some more to be seen by the Dr.

He leaves.

I leave.... to go wait somewhere else.

Crafty McCrafterson and Sons

2011-06-02T20:54:00.004-05:00

We traipsed all over town, from park to park, looking for acorn caps to do this cool craft. And after a lot of disappointment (after all, there aren't many big trees to drop quarter sized acorns in south Texas) we found some! Actually we found two places with an Oak big enough to fit our crafting needs: one is at GG's house (that's the kids Great Grandmother) and the other is right outside my husband's work! All that time, they were right there.

Top: Ethan's eggs.

Below: Gabriel's eggs.

-------------------------------------------------------------

After months of shying away from this very complicated looking art form, I finally dove in to hand embroidery.

It's pretty sloppy, but its also my first effort. The final push to muster up the gumption was stumbling upon a website for left handed stitchers. That was when I made a mad dash to Michael's to buy embroidery floss and a hoop right before closing time last weekend!

I don't know what to do with it now. At first I thought I would frame it and hang it in my kitchen. But then I thought I would make a throw pillow with it. Do you have any ideas?

Bye Old Friend

2011-05-31T20:37:00.001-05:00

G casually asked to shave off his mohawk.

Bring Out the Funk

2011-05-27T23:35:00.006-05:00

So, I've been wrestling with this funk as of late. It started off feeling just a bit off and has grown into frustration and discontent. Lord have mercy on me - I KNOW I need to be more appreciative of my life so I can't explain the roots of my funk other than just feeling down. The good news is as last, I'm coming out of it.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I was whining to my BFF, Rhiannon, in the STL - and she said to grab my kids and my camera, go to a park and just start shooting (she knows me so well). I did what Dr. Rhiannon ordered and here is what came of it...

This reminds me of The Poky Little Puppy and how he always smelled dessert from way across the meadow.

For the love of black and white!

He is still very much a playful puppy.

And when I look at him, I still see the 4 month old dumpling we adopted just over a year ago.

His expression in this one cracks me up!

I know, I'm weird about my dog.

Baby in the Belly

2011-05-27T12:17:00.001-05:00

Ethan: Mommy, when was I baby in your belly?

Me: When? 2006

Ethan: I didn't see it.

Me: What? As in, you didn't see the inside of my belly?

Ethan: Yeah.

Me: Well, it was dark, and you probably wouldn't remember anyway.

Ethan: Yeah. And maybe I slept a lot too.

Mom's Day

2011-05-26T23:01:00.002-05:00

How did it get away from me to post this?

Gabriel decorated a cake for me at school. Unfortunately, it got jostled on the bus. But it was delicious anyway!

This isn't Mother's Day related. Ethan looks funny falling into the couch while he watches his shows.

On Mother's Day I ran my 5k and placed first in my division. Apart from that we didn't do much, laid around the house, went out to eat, the usual Sunday stuff. It was nice to have a low key day.

Mama Bird

2011-05-26T12:39:00.002-05:00

A darling mama bird built her nest on our fence. After this shot, I tried to sneak a little closer but scared her off. So then I crept up and peered into her nest (at a safe distance so my human smell doesn't get all over her homestead). There was a sweet little white egg in there. Oh! I wish I had my smaller lens at that moment!

Gabe's Favorite Books and a Post about Your Parents

2011-05-13T12:14:00.007-05:00

(Note: None of the Look Inside links work, I just borrowed these images from Amazon)

Last week, I had a very bittersweet moment. I walked into the library to pick up some books for the family and instead of turning right to go into the Children's Library, I turned left. I went into the main library - the library for every other reader besides a child. I went to the young adult section. Gabriel has outgrown picture books and early readers. While I delight in his love for reading, its a little sad that he has moved on so early.

Here are his favorite books!

It all started with Big Fat Cow That Goes Kapow by Andy Griffiths. I saw a review for this book and requested it from the library (which meant that instead of turning left or right, I went straight ahead to the Holds shelf, I had no idea where among the Dewey Decimal system this book originated). Its a hard back book, over 100 pages. Very grown up looking. He ate this book.

Then he moved on to Ook and Gluk Kung Fu Cavemen From the Future by Dav Pilkey. The same fella wrote the popular Captain Underpants series. Gabriel liked this book but I have to say that I did not. Besides that the characters were mostly rude (I can handle being a little bit rude for a laugh, bc let's face it, people fart and sometimes its funny) the words weren't spelled properly. Ok, maybe the writer thought it would be easier for a younger audience if he wrote the words phonetically (I'm speculating) but I didn't like that because he is so young so he needs to learn the words the correct way before we go using K instead of a hard C and so on.

So I didn't like that book for Gabriel so we went back to the author of Big Fat Cow. He wrote another book along the same vein as Cow called The Cat on The Mat is Flat.

This was a hoot for Gabriel. This is the first book that left his night stand to accompany him to restaurants and boring shopping trips. (Can you tell that I am beaming while I write this? If only I could buy groceries and read a book at the same time!)

After this book, he went on to Stink. Stink is Judy Moody's little brother and he has his own series of books. Gabriel loved this one so much he finished all 160 pages in 2 days. This is the book where I realized he isn't a Children's Library kind of kid anymore. I found the review online and instead of requesting it from the library I thought I'd go and check the shelf because I knew I would be at the library that day anyway. What a shock when it wasn't in the early readers part of the library! A good shock. Maybe just a wee little sad shock. But mostly good. They can't stay little forever!

He came home from school with a request. He somehow heard of this book series, Hank the Cowdog. So I requested one and when I picked it up I thought, "Holy CowDog, I think he's getting in over his head." This book has few illustrations, long chapters and normal sized font. But he wanted it. And guess what? He read it and LOVED it! This summer we'll borrow some more from this series! Really, there are 57 books in this series. He can read them till he gets dizzy! This particular story was about a bad drought in Texas and some mysterious fires. It was very appropriate reading for our current drought situation.

For Gabriel's end of school year prize, I purchased the Diary of a Wimpy Kid box set (the first 4 books). He doesn't know and its a surprise so don't tell him! But I think he will really enjoy these books. They are right down his alley!

And for future reading, we saw Big Nate books on display at Walmart so he is likely to read these as well. They look like something he would like!

Is it a little sad that my sweet Baby Gabey is growing up and growing out of picture books? Yes. But it is also really cool to have real grown up conversations with him about books. He will tell me about what he is reading but I like to ask him why he likes certain things about a book and why he doesn't like them. He doesn't know this quite yet (because he is still finishing up 1st grade) but I'm prepping him for writing book reports (which is just a junior version of book reviews) (not that I'm encouraging him to go in any career direction) (he is only 6 years old after all, much too young to think seriously about preparing for his future).

And one more thing about Gabriel: He started a blog! Indeed. He loves taking his little digital point and shoot on adventures and he's been begging to start a blog of his own to share his pictures so I finally gave in. He's learning basic photo editing with Piknik and posting his pictures online! Maybe he will be a photographer like his dear old mom. Photography or writing or reviewing, he might do it all on a blog! (or 3 blogs, like his mom!)

As a mom of boys, I sometimes get sad that I didn't have a daughter to be my own mini me (this is my ego talking). My boys are nearly obsessed with being like daddy. And that's terrific because their daddy is terrific. But sometimes (here comes my ego again), I wish someone would want to be like me (but not as in putting on makeup or wearing heels, that would be weird for boys). They both like exercising, hiking, running, like me (and like daddy, well, not the running part). And now Gabriel has taken reading to the next level (like me and like daddy). But now he also likes photography.

Come to think of it, when I was his age, I wanted to do things my dad was interested in: camping, paddling, running, tennis, chess. As an adult, I've gotten into history and politics, like my dad. I guess gender doesn't play as big of a role in relating to your parents or even in being the son (or daughter) of your mom (and dad) as it seems on the surface.

What are your thoughts? How did you want to be like your parents when you were little?

Busy Student

2011-05-11T08:24:00.001-05:00

PW Colorized

Coffee Shop Attic Vintage

A Test In Embedding

2011-05-10T15:32:00.001-05:00

Marshmallow Test Part 2

2011-05-09T14:34:00.002-05:00

Remember way back when Gabriel took the marshmallow test? If you don't, you can watch it here... (about 6 minutes long)

Ethan is now old enough to be subject to the marshmallow test. Actually, kids are only supposed to take it one time. But the first time Ethan took it (and failed) my camera messed up the recording. So he got it to take it again several days later.

Oh, and if you're not sure what the marshmallow test is, you can read about it here.

Behold, Ethan's marshmallow test.

One of the guys

2011-05-06T12:54:00.000-05:00

BIG NEWS!

2011-05-06T07:10:00.001-05:00

I fiiiinally created a blog for my photography business! Click on over and check it out!

A Post All About Ethan

2011-04-25T14:55:00.007-05:00

Ethan came with me as my assistant on my latest photo shoot. I was photographing a group of real estate agents and for a day when you have to take your kid to work with you, there couldn't have been a better day. For one thing, he was super well-behaved that day. And for another thing, most of the agents (at least the women) remembered a time when they took their young kids with them to show houses. Everyone was really cool about it, for which I am so grateful.

I took some shots of him while I was setting up my speed lite.

Here I only adjusted levels.

I think this one is PW's Soft and Faded atn.

Urban Acid from a free atn site. KP introduced me to this atn YEARS ago and it is still one of my favorites.

PW's Fresh and Colorful atn. I totally forgot about this one and have started using it more lately.

Ethan is going through some cute stages right now. For one thing, he loves helping me around the house in ways his brother was never very interested. When I cook, I measure out the ingredients, he adds them, he stirs them, he watches over things that are sauteing and stirs those for me too.

Ethan's favorite chores:
-mop the wood floors (bc I use this fancy mop)
-dust bust the little piles of dirt and dog hair before I mop
-spray anything - bleach spray, windex, bathroom cleaner, Pledge - pretty much anything in a spray bottle. And I wipe it off.
-taking the trash and recycling out for me.
-fold and put away laundry
Seriously, this boy is on his way to becoming an awesome husband for someone!

His new favorite food is hard boiled eggs. Generally though, he is much more into junk food than anyone else in this family. Although when I buy gum, I need to lock it in a safe. He goes through my packs of gum like potato chips!

Here is a dictionary for Ethan speak:

A Little Bit or A Little Biff = Elizabeth
eckersize = exercise
Lello = yellow
jelly = gently
this is where you get shot = this is where you get a shot
beat you up = beat you (as in a race)
gode = went
glubs = gloves
There are so many more fun Ethanisms but I am drawing a blank! I'll come back later when I remember more to add to the list.

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you - Philippians 1:3 (KJV)

Rock Climbing at E-Rock!

2011-04-24T19:27:00.009-05:00

I have always wanted to go rock climbing. On April 2, hubs and I had a chance to do it! We had so much fun. It was seriously one of the best days of my life.

Before the ranger station opened, I took some pics of this gnarly tree.

This one is with Pioneer Woman's Colorized action and a texture I got years ago.

This one is with Coffee Shop's Attic Vintage action and the same texture.

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We climbed up to a ledge about 25 feet above where we started from. There was a guide hanging out there so I handed him my camera. Then there was another 25 foot climb up from the ledge.

I made it to the top twice!

Deep concentration look.

Look how high I am!

Belaying Brandon.
(One of the guides supervises me)

Brandon belaying me.

I am totally addicted to rock climbing now!

Enchanted Rock - March, with the kids

2011-04-07T17:54:00.003-05:00

On the trail before we get to the rock.

At the top of the rock! Brandon and I were reminiscing that the last time we took the kids here, Ethan was a nursing infant in a baby carrier on my back. And now he can tear up the rock in no time flat.

Me, overcompensating for my kids lack of enthusiasm to have their picture taken.

I think B took this.

Tough guys.

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Brandon and Gabriel found the cave we heard so much about. It goes from the top of the rock to the bottom. Brandon said, "stay here with Ethan. Gabe and I will check it out to see if you can make it through." Thirty minutes later, Ethan and I ventured to see if we could find where it let out. On the way I snapped these shots.

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On the way down from the rock:

Catch

2011-04-07T17:16:00.002-05:00

Back in early March we went kite flying and while we were at it - Brandon taught Gabe how to catch. Ethan and Duncan were tired and wanted to rest in the AC. These were taken with my 70-200 lens. I felt a little creepy taking these shots out of the car the window at the park.

Ethan couldn't stand it any longer and got out to see if he could get in the game.

Wordle!

2011-04-05T20:27:00.000-05:00

Angus Ranch Part 5, Final

2011-04-04T21:22:00.000-05:00

We left off counting the lady cows who have calved.

Hostess with the most-est.

Her very own Marlboro Man.

Had enough cows? Let's ride in the tractor.

Felling a tree.
Riding over to play on hay bales.Joby lost his hat. What's a cowboy without his hat? Ethan went fishing for it!

Ready for a ride in tractor bucket?
After they came down from that high, it was time to go home. There is no final good-bye shot because they both totally melted down. Neither of them were ready to leave and both of them have been begging to go back. I told AmyClaire, she could charge people for this outing and they would eat it up! We sure did!

Angus Ranch Part 4

2011-04-04T16:23:00.006-05:00

We left off playing in the old well.Then we went back to the barn for more grain to go feed the bully bulls - or billy bulls, I forgot (how embarrassingly city-mouse of me!).

Obviously, the barn doesn't require a lot of security.
Ever helpful, Gabriel swept out the truck first.
Duncan joined us for this portion of our adventure.

This is where Gabriel decided he likes to do this kind of work and would like to be a rancher when he grows up.

The bulls were decidedly uninteresting. So after we fed them their grain we were off to the field with the lady cows who have calved and some of them currently have calves (so cute!). We went to check if there were any new calves that needed a name tag. Here is AmyClaire demonstrating how to tag them.

Milk face.

Vine face.

This is where I start to fear the zombie cow infestation. I wish I could have recorded the sound of all the cows mooing at us. Imagine, if they were after brains instead of grain what sort of nightmare would that be? But we didn't give them grain. They get grain every other day instead of every day. We were just looking for new babies. The girls were really mad that we were empty handed guests of their pasture.

More cow pictures to come!

Angus Ranch Part 3

2011-04-03T22:38:00.007-05:00

We left off feeding the goats and non-calved ladies:

I think I may have over-sharpened this one. But I still like it.
After their lunch, the girls went out to graze. They are a touch skiddish and the boys got a kick out of chasing them!Ethan with a goat friend.

Old windmill.

Old well.

Gabriel and Ethan played in the old well. You might think it looks a little scary, what with all of that rusty metal. I thought that too but then again, they are up to date with tetanus shots and seemed to have so much fun so I let them. And I'm glad to tell you 2 things about this:

1. They emerged unscathed and intact.

2. The city is not likely to approve this form of playground for future parks development projects.

Angus Ranch Part 2

2011-04-03T22:14:00.006-05:00

We left off playing in yard, on the swing and being posers.

This is my favorite smile of Gabe's.

Ethan, the one who doesn't like new people, the one who is clinically shy (if there is such a thing) took to AmyClaire like she is his next girlfriend!

Front door.

Sidewalk.

Next stop, feed the cows. Checking out the grain.
and feed the goats.
First we fed the girls who haven't calved. I still don't get why they are segregated from the other girls. Maybe because they are in different seasons of life and therefore don't lend to being cliquish. Goat.

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More pictures to come. And lots more pictures of cows!

Angus Ranch Part 1

2011-03-31T14:50:00.006-05:00

One of the great things about living in Texas is the availability of delicious, local steak. The kids and I had a great opportunity to meet some of these steaks and hamburgers in their living, breathing state! Our friend, AmyClaire owns and operates an Angus Ranch with her husband Joby (what a great Texan name, right?). They are two of the coolest people I have ever met. They really know how to extend Texan Hospitality too!

We finally got to take a trip out to the ranch in February. My stars, it was fun for all! The kids and I had a blast and that was great timing since we had to put our old cat down the night before. To be able to go outdoors and have some fun was a terrific distraction. Duncan had a great time! He made a new boyfriend (having a gay dog is ... different). He chased a baby cow (and traumatized it, poor Runty). The kids and I played and played all day! I took about 200 pictures that I am just now sorting through.

On the front porch.

First, met the ranch dogs.

Duncan, not a ranch dog - but I think he's considering changing professions.

And we met Runty, the baby cow.

They had a swing in the yard.

While Gabriel was swinging, Ethan asked me to take his picture like this. At first, I thought it was silly but whatever, this is digital and I can just delete it. But now I like it. The kid is on to something!

Not to be outdone by his little brother, Gabriel did some posing for me while Ethan was swinging.

Bike Rodeo 2011!

2011-03-27T20:42:00.003-05:00

Last year, Gabriel was in his first Bike Rodeo - and this year he improved tremendously!

His first ticket!

Seriously Lazy

2011-03-27T20:39:00.000-05:00

Christmas with the Fletcher's

2011-03-15T23:33:00.004-05:00

This post isn't quite as late as it sounds!

Brandon's sister and her fam came from Peru right around New Year's to celebrate Christmas. Surprisingly, I got very few photos.

I just can't believe how big he is getting! And its happening so fast!

And my nephew? Kids grow at ridiculous rates.

Brandon took these cool shots with the kids. Nana saved these for them, knowing they would get bored waiting for dinner to be ready. Such a smart Nana!

My crazy BIL.

V Day Post

2011-03-08T22:16:00.007-06:00

Happy Belated Valentine's Day (really belated!).

Let's first begin with V Day crafts and treats:

Mobile: each boy decorated two hearts.

Ethan made a cool banner. We hung it across our bookcase.

Magnets.

Gabriel made a necklace for Mamaw.

More magnets! I think its obvious which is Gabriel's and which is Ethan's.

Ok now this one was the worst craft ever! I got the idea from Martha Stewart and it didn't live up to its potential.

All that work for these sad looking sun catchers. Well, now we know to avoid sun catcher crafts!

Zucchini Bread

Ethan and made cupcakes for Gabriel and Daddy. The cupcakes were also from Martha Stewart and they were a tremendous success.

(Ethan's cupcakes)

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My mom and dad sent us a Valentine's Day / Anniversary bouquet.

When we were married we had a rose ceremony. This year we each bought each other a single rose to remember that time.

Brandon bought me an orchid. Oh, I pray I don't kill it!

This year I was so sick from the flu. I don't think I have ever had a flu that bad! So we didn't have a very romantic day. But when I went to urgent care I snuck over to the mall to pick up a present for him. I felt like a zombie and must have looked like one too because people were staring! Ha! That's love for you - it makes you do crazy things. I also went into anaphylactic shock again on V Day. Still no idea why this happening. On V Day I hadn't eaten anything or taken meds for my symptoms. Weird. It was a memorable day anyway.

You might have noticed my kitchen went from green to "amaretto" - Brandon took off so many days from work to take care of the kids while I was in bed with fevers. He got bored and took on the project of repainting the downstairs! It looks terrific. The orange living room is now "covered wagon" and it looks so light and airy. It looks much bigger now too! You'll see in pics on future posts.

Couch Potato

2011-03-02T21:44:00.003-06:00

My Big Regal Baby

2011-03-02T07:47:00.004-06:00

New Year's Crafts

2011-02-21T15:02:00.002-06:00

The kids went to a sleepover at Nana and Soso's for New Year's. Their cousins from Peru were here and they had a blast! Before heading over there, they made some decorations.

Gabriel made a really cool banner.

Later Gabriel made these crowns for all the kids.

Ethan made this dangly ball to represent the ball in Times Square.

They also made a super cool 2011 sign out of poster board, card board cut out numbers, macaroni, glue, glitter and paint. Sadly, I didn't get a picture of it! Next year we'll do one for 2012 and get a picture then.

Christmas Day 2010/ New Year's

2011-01-29T23:19:00.002-06:00

Of course presents are the first order of the day...

My kids favorite presents were from Great Gma and Gpa in Georgia - matchbox cars. I love how children are so impressed by simple things, I hate that we forget that and try to impress them with big things (like a bday party at a petting zoo!).

Lovely little snot.

Next I Skyped my mom and dad:

They wanted to see my new camera. See my dad's eyebrows? If I let mine go natural they would look the same, only a little less gray. Thankfully I have Sally Beauty Supply and an endless supply of wax.

My in-laws and Simon came over for food!

My MIL snuggling with the champion cuddler of the family!

Kasha enjoyed the carcass of our smoked turkey. Oooooh, smoked turkey! It was so good. I think the fried turkey is going to take a back seat to the smoked turkey from now on.

I made a Dark Chocolate Orange Cheesecake. Oh so decadent.... I kind of messed it up a little but it still tasted great, even though it was really ugly. That's why I shot the cross section.

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For New Year's Eve we went to a mediocre sushi restaurant for an early dinner then back to our house to hang out with Simon, play Trivial Pursuit on Wii and drink champagne! And that is my favorite kind of New Year's! The kids were having a slumber party at Nana and Soso's house with their cousins who were in town from Peru.

Here is Brandon and I in our first picture of 2011 in our very messy garage!

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Santa brought Ethan a pillow pet to exchange for his beloved orange pillow: his nasty, smelly, germ ridden, doesn't even get clean in the washer pillow. All caught up in the excitement of Christmas, he went with it. He threw his old pillow in the TRASH.

But a few hours later I was pretty upset with Santa and wished he hadn't coerced my baby into tossing his pillow. At nap time, Ethan couldn't get a grip. He cried and cried and cried and didn't want a hug or his pillow pet. In fact, he put his pillow pet in the trash and asked for the orange pillow back. Well, that didn't happen.

Eventually, he got used to not having his old side kick. Now he walks around with a new orange pillow. Literally. I used to have two of them - he punked them both but grew attached to only one. The other one just sat on his bed. Now, that's the one he uses and the poor pillow pet just sits on his bed.

Christmas Eve

2011-01-09T19:31:00.009-06:00

"Mommy, I bet you can't find me!"

"Here I am! Let's do it again."

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We spent Christmas Eve-ning at my MIL and FIL's house for raclette. (Insert involuntarily salivation here)

the irony of this book propped against my MIL's windows sill cracked me up!

Handsome guys

more handsome guys

tough guy

while everyone else was inside, Ethan was kicking the soccer ball around

pre dinner kir royale toast

Hors d'œuvre

accoutrement for raclette

Pièce de résistance! La raclette!

"Kids! Time to open presents!"

all ready to hand out presents!

.....But first, a family picture-or two.

figuring out the timer on my new camera

me and my beautiful MIL

"Ooh! Whaddya get?"

We are all going to ride the wave of the Imaginext Batman playset for a long long time!

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Traditionally, in my family we always left a cold beer for Santa, because after a while, even a magical person gets a little gassy from all that dairy (at least that's what my parents always told me). The orange was my idea - just a refreshing treat from all those cookies. And the children insisted we leave some cookies. They are so old-school.

After the kids were in bed, my new slippers and I (and my Christmas apron my MIL made me a few years ago) did some elf-ing of our own!

Christmas Crafts

2011-01-08T22:20:00.003-06:00

The idea for the adorable meese was from a trip I took to The Children's Shelter to drop off some images. The head is the child's foot print, the antlers are the hand prints. We used fun foam. Gabriel's moose

Ethan's moose.

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We did a little baking. The kids ate them faster than I could photograph them. Gabriel decorated a bell to look like the Liberty Bell, can you see it? My little genius.

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But most of our crafts this holiday season were in the form of ornaments. We put up our old Christmas tree in the loft upstairs with colorful lights and some cheap dollar store ornaments. As the kids made their ornaments, they got a kick out of decorating their tree with them.

Ethan was one ornament short because he was napping when G and I did that one. In this house, you snooze you lose, literally.

Resolution Weigh In

2011-01-03T10:33:00.002-06:00

2010 was good year for me in terms of resolutions!

2009 was my "fat" year. I practiced French cooking, ate a lot of double portions and did wimpy workouts averaging 2 times per week. For 2010 I resolved to get back on the fitness and nutrition wagon. It was easier than I thought it would be. But I was raised with an emphasis on those two things so it was as easy as getting back to my roots. I recognize that this is much more difficult for people who didn't grow up like that.

Let's take a look at them all, shall we?

1. Lose TEN pounds. success! Lost it by March, gained 1 back. We'll call it "muscle"

2. Take my vitamins every day. faaaaaaaaail, it was hit and miss all year.

3. Teach Ethan the alphabet. fail! but he did learn his 123's, colors and shapes

4. Read 12 novels - success! I freaked out a little on this one. I thought it would be easy, until I realized that most of what I read is nonfiction. When did that happen? It was nice to keep a list of what I read and I plan on continuing that trend.

I ended up at 50%. Not bad!

2010 reading list:
*Julie and Julia by Julie Powell
Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Velva Jean Learns to Drive by Jennifer Niven
*Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
The Little Book by Selden Edwards
*The Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
*Gift From The Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
The Marriage Bureau For Rich People by Farahad Zama
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Steig Larsson
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Ghost Story by Peter Straub
*Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyers
*The Murder Room: The heirs of Sherlock Holmes Gather to Solve the World's Most Perplexing Cold Cases by Michael Capuzzo
Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley

*nonfiction

Now on to the resolutions for 2011!

1. Organize every single drawer, cabinet and closet in my house! (We used to move once a year so this took care of itself, but we haven't moved in over 4 years! The clutter is growing ... and it must be stopped at once.)

*2. Run 5 races. (Every year I run one 5k at the end of July that marks the end of my daily jogging until the fall. The heat in these parts is too intense for me to be out jogging in August. I always think to myself, 'this is so fun, I should run more races.' Then I don't do it. In 2011 I will!)

3. Buy more clothes at Nordstom Rack. (This is my feel-good resolution).

4. Try 12 new exercise DVD's. (I get bored of the same old workouts - this will motivate me to try more new things!)

*2010 was the first year I didn't win my division. I even won in 2009, my fat year! Note to self, start running sprint drills in June. The extra weight must have added buoyancy.

2011 will be a more fit, organized and better dressed year!

A Boy and His Dog

2010-12-28T22:27:00.002-06:00

I don't remember which blog I read about removing tv from your daily diet, but it was a great idea!

Admittedly, the kids have watched a little bit of tv over the break from school, but not nearly as much as normal. It is really easy to take out tv during the regular school week, it is a bit of a challenge on weekends.

Poor Duncan has to miss his shows though. He is something of a couch potato and tv junkie. Here is Ethan and Duncan enjoying a rare show together...

Even Kasha (our cat) is sneaking a glimpse at the show. I don't remember what they watching but I place my bets on Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Duncan looks so tiny to me in these pics. I can't believe he is already a year old! Only one more year to grow, I hope he gets a bit bigger.

Masks

2010-12-27T20:58:00.002-06:00

In my childhood home, my eclectic mother collected all sorts of cool stuff. She had an antique sewing machine (that doubled as a tv stand for many years). She had nearly every instrument imaginable (and learned how to play each one with some measure of fluency). She a plaster bust of Elvis. She had many cool wood carvings from all over the globe. She covered some walls with cubist art and other walls with impressionism. There was depression glass showcased in some great great grandmother's china cabinet. There was early American art in our kitchen (mostly Aunt Jemima and the Cream of Wheat guy). We had all manner of Native American art and artifacts (seeing as how my mother is nearly one half Native American - that was never as exotic as it sounds). And our record collection was like a radio station that played darn close to every genre on earth!

But these masks, were my favorite. They were in the front hall and the first thing you would see as you opened the front door. They are from Thailand and are meant to scare the bejeezus out of any and all evil spirits from entering the house. I think my dad didn't care for them. But I loved them! And finally, after all these years, my dad got his way and they left his house for good. So they could come to mine!

When my BFF Rhiannon came to visit, she brought them in her suitcase. Now it is my husband who dislikes them. Ah, the circle of life!

As you can see, I didn't hang them with great care, I'll go back and measure and hang some day when I have time for that. For now, I'm just so glad to get them on the wall of our loft!

Goings On at Our Casa

2010-12-25T00:59:00.005-06:00

After Ethan's birthday party at Fiesta Farms, we had an after-party at our house that consisted of a group of men, a late night steak run, the bubba keg, poker and whiskey. There was a lot of testosterone.

The hot guy in the cowboy hat is my husband. ;-)

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Some pictures of us hanging around the house.

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I've been on a no-tv kick with the kids lately. Their imaginations are on fire! Here is Ethan in the bath tub. This bath was just for fun, not a nightly scrub down or anything. Any other parents out there who toss their kids in the bath to give them something to do?

Anyway, in this scene, the army guy is fixing to take the shark on a walk.

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Both of my children inherited the night-owl gene. It was inevitable, both my husband and I are naturally night-owls. Unfortunately, Ethan also has the insomnia gene. Here he is - staying up with me in my office, well past midnight while I edited images in the thick of Christmas portrait season.

He was hungry too, so I warmed up asparagus. He was quite happy with that.

Learning all about the business so he can sign on. Gabriel is already learning the fundamentals of composition and a couple of photoshop tricks. One day it will be "Rebecca Lara and Sons".

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You may have recognized Bigfoot in the above pictures. I have a thing with sock monkeys. Therefore, my children do too and they frequently request a new sock monkey. I love to make them and I have an enthusiastic crowd to receive them: its a win-win.

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And he says he doesn't like this dog. Phht.

The other pictures are taken with my old Sony Alpha. This one is with my new T2i. Isn't it pretty? I didn't even adjust levels or curves or anything! AND we have black out curtains in our bedroom (because there is a street light right outside our window)(it is so annoying)(I wish I noticed what a problem it would pose before we bought the house)(but I do like my house). All that is to say that my lens is freaking awesome too.

Christmas Reading List

2010-12-24T09:28:00.011-06:00

It has been a barrel of monkeys at our house over the last week, thanks to some adorable books from the library. It's Christmas Eve and perhaps a tad late for you to enjoy these books this year, but you can put them on your list for next year. Please comment and tell me what you think of the ones you have read!

The images are linked to the Amazon page for each book. Some of them have the "Look Inside" feature, if you are interested.

I love this llama and all this llama drama!

We own this book. The children aren't allowed to look at it without adult supervision. Each page is an intricate pop up depicting one of the books. Its absolutely gorgeous. And who doesn't have a soft spot for pop up books?

Not a Christmas book - but it has snow which seems very Christmasy to us southerners. It has a fun sing song cadence.

You should totally read every single Tacky book. He is the goofiest penguin in the world!

Santa Duck learns about giving.

Not as good as the first one but still very very cute.

The boys LOVE this book! Honestly, it is a little annoying to read over and over and over again. But the children really enjoy it.

SPLAT!

This book is my absolute favorite Christmas book and I think I will (gasp!) buy it! It is so seriously adorable. I truly don't mind reading it 25 times an hour.

Ethan's Real Birthday

2010-12-23T22:46:00.004-06:00

Shortly after Thanksgiving, we celebrated Ethan's 4th birthday. His party wasn't until the weekend after his day, because parties rarely are on the actual day. We had a fun night: a little cake, some gifts, a lot of laughing.

his favorite colors!

He came to the store with me, picked out his cake and his dinner: pizza and salad. I kid you not, salad was his idea. This is on a cool drawing we made together earlier in the day.

Thank you, Aunt Patty! She gave him this gift card in the biggest imaginable card - ever! It was so cool!

From Mamaw and Papa - but this is not the best part of their gift.

This is! This picture doesn't do it justice. They made a huge happy birthday sign, decorated the monkey with mardi gras beads and took a picture of them together. It was so cute. Only hours later did Duncan eat the monkey. I sewed him back up with orange yarn and he's good as new.

This is the present from Brandon and I. Ethan and Gabriel have played with this thing for hours and hours. At his party, several guests gave him accessories to go with it. Its quite literally worth its weight in gold. I so long to have a daughter, but this is kind of like a big Batman doll house! Good enough for me!

Rewind to Thanksy

2010-12-22T22:50:00.005-06:00

Let's back up a little bit. After all, the happy meal incident was today but there are more pictures to catch up on.

Even posting the birthday party pics was getting a little ahead of myself.

Get in your hot tub time machine to the week of Thanksgiving. We went camping. We came home, we unloaded our gear, Brandon ran to the store while I laundered out camp fire smoke smelling clothes and for dinner we had (drum roll) steak frites!

It was soooooooo good!

The following day we awoke and I started cooking the sides for our Thanksgiving feast. B lounged about until it was time to dunk his turkey in the hot tub. It was worth the work!

After we ate.
(Yes, that is a PC laptop, Mac Book and iPad next to him)

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Since we really went over board on the fall and Halloween crafts, there wasn't much left for Thanksgiving. Here are some things the kids colored (thank you Mamaw for sending these!)

Can you tell who colored which? Gabriel did the one on top. Ethan colored the one on bottom - all red except for one brown feather. That kid, I don't think I will ever figure him out!

Not so Happy Meal

2010-12-22T13:49:00.002-06:00

Ethan got some vaccines today. It was very theatrical. So, to soothe his savage soul, he got McDonald's for lunch on the way home. We came in the door, I set him up at the table and went upstairs to get some things done. This is what I found when I came back down to the kitchen.

Ethan's Birthday Fiesta

2010-12-22T00:47:00.005-06:00

We throw massive birthday parties for our kids. But lately we have been pondering if this is really worth it. So we decided that for Ethan's 4th birthday we would throw our last massive child's birthday party.

Ever since his 3rd birthday party, he has talked about his 4th birthday party. Every. Single. Day.

Long ago (around Ground Hog Day) he decided on a cowboy theme. After a lot of research we learned that it is crazy expensive to get a pony to a birthday party. For just a little bit more money, we could take the birthday party to the pony, and the goats, and the pigs, and the rabbits, and the giant tortoises, and the llamas....

Birthday boy with goats.

This one reminded me of Duncan.

Cowboy Soso arrives.

Gabriel having a conversation with a couple of eavesdroppers.

After all those months of talking about riding a horse, the birthday boy chickened out. But here is a picture of Sheriff Gabriel saddling up. You see how we can feel a little under appreciated for throwing these parties?

hay ride.

voila! the cake! made by my extraordinary cousin!

Bastrop State Park, 3 of 3

2010-12-20T17:18:00.007-06:00

Final installment of our Thanksgiving Week camping trip.

Ever the ornery son-of-a-gun. I don't know where he gets it from.

He found a nose.

mushroom cap.

a super cool mushroom we found.

Our Great Dane (pictured in the background) has some separation anxiety. As we paddled away from him on the bank he started freaking out. We didn't want to spoil everyone else's camping trip so we paddled back and I had the genius idea to put Duncan in the canoe. This displeased Brandon greatly but he humored me. There are no pictures of this event because Duncan ... well... he doesn't like water. So he freaked out all the way into the canoe. Brandon was getting subversive. We started paddling, Duncan was really really freaking out because not only was he in a canoe, he was going away from the land. Brandon's blood pressure kept rising. And I was laughing so hard, I was afraid I would pee. Brandon turned about a dozen shades of red. While I enjoy self-deprecating events, Brandon is not so keen on being embarrassed in front of a dozen other anglers and paddlers. All the while Ethan was crying because - who knows? - he's young and he was unsure of the whole canoe thing too. But being the child of my husband and I, he will have to get over that sometime soon. All to say that Ethan, Duncan and I spent the rest of the time at the lake, on shore.

But Gabriel learned how to paddle!

I must have been about six years old when my dad taught me too. So it was all sentimental.

He did great! Even with it being his first time! In a way, I was glad to sit on the bank and capture this moment.

Then there was more hiking.

On our last night, Ethan fell asleep on his daddy's lap. Duncan guarded our campsite. Gabriel and I pigged out on marshmallows until we were both crying over a tummy ache. Ladies and gentlemen, we had a good time.

Bastrop State Park, 2 of 3

2010-12-19T16:12:00.005-06:00

Meanwhile, at the Lost Pines...

Still Life of Gabe's Bike

Don't you love my white hiking socks?

Look! We can see our house from here!

Now you see him.

Now you don't!

Elvis lip again. This cracks me up!

Bastrop State Park 1 of 3

2010-12-17T14:47:00.006-06:00

During Thanksgiving week, we picked up and went camping. I had a lot of anxiety about this trip because I have been so busy with my business, it was daunting to lose a week of work. At the same time, I didn't want to choose my business over my family, so we went (with a happy heart) to Bastrop State Park.Bastrop State Park is located in the Lost Pines of Texas. There is a big mystery why this area has all of these pine trees. The reason they grow and flourish there is the soil - its just the right kind of soil for pine trees. But that kind of soil isn't found again until you get to way way way east Texas. There is a theory about a flood that is totally believable. But standing under these trees, I just go with my own theory; the grace of God.

Guard dog.

hats.

building a volcano.

Gabriel took his bike and enjoyed riding around the camp ground.

This park has so many wonderful hiking trails. Look at these gorgeous berries! They were everywhere and so festive!

This was a lookout at a trail head. I just love the colors of these stones. They are the color scheme of my house (although we are thinking of repainting).

Look! Someone already carved my initials. How did they know I was coming?

It is frustrating that I can get stranger's kids to smile very handsome or pretty - but not my own.

We watched the sunset.

On a trail, we found this structure that was built by the original CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp, FDR, The New Deal - ring a bell?). Gabriel wanted his picture with it.

They have this lovely pond. Brandon thought he'd try to see if he could catch anything. Nothing was biting this week.

Halloween

2010-12-16T21:06:00.004-06:00

I can't believe it's already almost Christmas! I am finishing up my last sitting on the books until January and then started looking at all of my own pictures to edit. There are a lot. So I guess I will finish off 2010 with lots of blog posts filled with pictures from the last quarter.

Since I have been so busy professionally, I decided to basically resize my images (some of them are cropped). No fancy editing here. I need a little Photoshop break.

Leftover costume from the birthday part y.

He was going to be the hotdog (from Gabriel years ago). But at the last minute he had a cow and we trucked out to Walmart. This is all they had left.

Originally, we wanted to do (homemade) Mario and Luigi so I bought these mustaches. It turned out to be harder than I thought to find overalls.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-12-09T15:14:00.006-06:00

Aside from the Corn Maze, another October field trip was the pumpkin patch. Gabriel was in school while Ethan and I met up with our friends Primrose and Jason.

Maize Maze

2010-12-06T22:16:00.004-06:00

We went to a birthday party for a friend (from the adorable red headed family) at the Corn Maze. Sounds funny, doesn't it? Maize maze.

It was loads of fun - here are some pics.

"Petting zoo closes at 3. Goat roast is at 4."

"Hey kids! Those are show bales, not play bales!"

Where do we go from here?

Some people never make it out!

Spooky half dead tree.

Even more spooky in black and white.

Funny faces means its time to go.

Just one more picture.