Photo Story Friday - Vacation Baby!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

I am cheating this week and digging into the archives as a precursor to week ahead of us. Here are my two oldest, taken two years and two months ago at the beach.

Miss E is about the same age in these pictures as Miss V will be on this upcoming trip.

She wasn't all that thrilled with the water.

Mr Z, on the other hand, loved it.

With all that said, we head out tomorrow for a week of fun in the sun at the beach, with three small kids in tow - Oye Vey. I wonder if Miss V will hate the water as much as Miss E did? Mr Z will love the water as much as he did two years ago. I'm sure it will be fun and stressful so wish us luck! Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend.

Theme Thursday - Linear

So composition is something that I struggle with. This challenge was no exception. I am such a non-artistic person when it comes to my photos that I rarely see the potential in the subjects I am shooting. But here's my attempt for the week.

#1 - My other obsession, Pens. I love them, truly love them. Its not healthy really. I was playing at my desk at work with a sampling of favorites.



Of course after I took this it looks more circular than linear.

#2 - Shot at the lake. I was attempting to get the line where the trees meet the lake along with the lines of the dock.



Its quite boring.

3. Same lake, different view. This one I caught a boat towing other boats back to the dock. This picture was taken crooked so I straightened it so that the lake line was straight.



Boring again.

My composition needs some help. What would have made these better?

WW - Wild Flowers/Weeds x3

Photo Story Friday - Toothless

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

So as you may recall a PSF of past I posted a picture of my son on his Kindergarten graduation with his two front teeth being all crooked. It seems as though the baby teeth didn't want to fall out and instead just get pushed aside. So we decided to take him to the dentist to see if this could be a problem with the big tooth that has already erupted. I expected full well for him to want to take the really funky one out but when he said he wanted to pull the both I was stunned. Its too early to pull both of his teeth. He's not even 6 yet! The dentist thought it would be best to get them both, since the roots were dissolved completely, and chances are the second tooth would also have the same problem. The dentist gave him some laughing gas through his 'clown nose' and numbed him up. In two seconds, both teeth were gone. Man, he looks like a big boy now. :( Now he sleeps as he dreams of the tooth fairy. I wonder if she will give him extra money for two teeth at one time??

Theme Thursday - What I Want

Wow, what a great theme this week and man does it open a can of worms. I could think of a million things I can put on this list, but so not to bore, I will keep it to a minimum.

I WANT my kids to cooperate more. Not only day to day activities (cause that's important too) but mostly for when I am ready to take their picture. I especially hate it when they are running from me, giving me dirty looks or squirming.

I WANT to learn how to use the tripod better so I don't cut off heads.

Oh and included in that first want is silly faces too, especially when I tell him to give me a nice look.

After all how am I to learn and get better if they are constantly doing what THEY want to do?!

I WANT my kids to grow up to be good, kind people.

I WANT them to always be close.

Man its hard to get all three of them looking at me. (See #1, it always goes back to that!)

I WANT them to be good teenagers or else we will bid them out on Ebay.

I WANT that monster wrinkle in between my eyes and the red-headed step children wrinkles on my forehead to go away forever. Know any tips? Maybe I shouldn't frown as much.

I also WANT to either get off the pot and kick it into high gear or be happy with the way I look and stop complaining. I won't change the way I look by sitting in front of my computer instead of using the Wii Fit.

And lastly, I WANT to be as amazing, talented and creative a photographer like her, her, her and her.

Oh and I WANT a new car. (had to throw that one out there) Ditch the old mini-van-a-go-go and buy something sporty and cool. But then I remember that I have to fit three car seats in it and wake up from that dream. Maybe someday!

WW - Butterflies Like my Flowers Too

Photo Story Friday: These Old Sandals

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

These are my 'black' sandals. I have had them for years. Honestly, I cannot remember exactly how long or when I bought them. But lets just say this. See the stain on the left one? That happened when I was very preggo with my son (6 years ago) and we were all outside enjoying the nice weather eating chocolate ice cream, cause you know when you are really preggo, nothing hits the spot like good chocolate ice cream. Anyway, these sandals were fairly new at that time. It was so hot that night that the ice cream was melting all around the cone and one drip landed square on my sandal. I tried to wipe it up but alas, it stained. So that tells you how old these are. I am always reminded of that incident when I wear these and have fond memories of carrying my first child. I have tried to look for new replacement 'black' sandals to no avail. I just cannot find anything that fits as good, looks as nice and is as comfortable as these. I am quite picky with sandals as I NEED them to have a back, cause clumsy me cannot walk otherwise. The heels are getting so worn and the straps are getting too loose but yet I continue to wear them. The manufacturer of these don't sell this style anymore so I cannot replace them with an exact match. Maybe one day I will find a pair I like as much but until then, I will continue to wear them and hope that they don't break!

Theme Thursday - Childhood

I really need to get better at my action shots. I just cannot get all the setting exactly right (not to mention I was lying inside the bounce house so that was tough) but one of these days I will get the shutter speed right so I get no blur. But in the mean time, this is what I have for today. I think these two shots of my older two playing in our yard show what childhood is all about.

WW - Creepy Disney Attackers

Weekly Winners

Miss Sassy


Up Close


Smirk


Storms


Tired


Orange Lily


White Lily

Photostory Friday: My Big Man

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

My little man a kindergartener no more. Today was his end of year ceremony. I cannot believe how fast this year went. I am so proud of his accomplishments in these short months in reading and math and his overall maturity level. When the kids first came into the cafeteria-turned-assembly room I had to crouch into the walkway to catch a shot of my first born (he is always at the front of the class sitting on the floor as he is a full head smaller than all of the other kids in the class) as he spots me and allows me to great a shot of him through the media cart with the CD player and projector on it. Isn't he so cute (of course I have to say that) and tell me he doesn't look old enough to be a 1st grader. And par for the course, I cried through most of the ceremony and especially the slide show. Why did they have to play country music??



And an extra shot of him on the playground at our K picnic.



After the show was over we were allowed to take him for early dismissal. We went home and Hubby went to work. Z and I hung out in my office at home while I did some work and he played on the computer. As we went to get his sisters, he told me that he really loved spending the day with me. What a sweetie. I hope he always loves his mama and doesn't turn into a difficult teen!

Theme Thursday - Wildlife

Well, I have to preface these pictures with the fact that I know that they totally suck. I had terrible luck this week trying to get some wildlife shots. Its too bad I already posted my snake shot (see below) or my caterpillar shot (go down even further) cause those were actually good. These.....not so much.

After three storms in a row, I caught this guy coming out of the woods. Too bad he was so far away and/or I don't have a 300 zoom lens.



OK this is even lamer (is that a word) but my kids insisted I shoot it and show them the picture.
Squirrel tail anyone?



But I had to show you what we normally see around these parts as wild life. My crazy-ass doggy, Mr. Andre. He's wild alright!



I have real admiration to those photographers who can manage to get close enough to wild animals and get amazing shots. I'm not that daring.

WW - Pretty Flowers

Weekly Winners

Me and E


Grass


Girls


Big Blues



My Southern Magnolia in Bloom


First shoes


New dress with matching hat which she wore all.day.long.


This tooth is almost a goner.


Baby Wagon?


Yeah, we are a little crazy but daddy was standing right behind them.

Photo Story Friday: Playing in the Mud

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Here is my first submission to Photo Story Friday. Thanks to Mama Geek for asking me to play!

So this is my son, all of 5 (almost 6) years old riding petal cars at the campground last weekend. (see I am posting more of those camping photos I have been promising!) Anyhoo, he gets on the car and immediately starts pedaling around the track while my hubby (see his legs/feet in the background) follows him around to push him if need be. At the end of turn 4 as he's rounding the curve the track goes down hill directly for the largest mud puddle in the campground. The day before it had rained buckets and the whole place was totally flooded. So not only did we have to walk to the other end of the place to get to these cars early Sunday morning (I know I know, walking is good for me) but when we got close to the track we were walking in totally soupy mud to allow my son to ride these cars one time before we packed up and went home. So, he's headed directly for this puddle and as I watch the other, older kids take this curve at 30 MPH (ok maybe not that fast) and totally drenching themselves, I just can see it now. Z gets water all in his face after splashing himself and freaking out cause it totally hates getting splashed. But instead he manages to slow himself down enough to cross the large child-swallowing puddle with just a little mud around the legs. Good Boy! See the huge smile on his face? Then he proceeds to go around again all by himself. After which he said he was done riding and while we were walking back to the camper he told me that he didn't in fact say he was done but that he wanted to go around again....UGH kids!