all i want for christmas

Dear Santa,

I wont two wokey tokeys,

handcufs and foot ball shoos.

and mak the Texas longhorn's win.

your bud Adam

i've got you covered

Here's a quick, easy, inexpensive Christmas decorating tip:

1. Go to IKEA.
2. Buy pillow covers in the Christmas colors of your choice.
3. Cover your existing pillows.
4. Sit back, relax, and enjoy your "craftiness."

one year ago...

happy fall, y'all

Photo courtesy of: unknown...somewhere floating around the internet

the final answer

She said "yes." I can't blame her.

cupid 911

We had an emergency late tonight. It went something like this:

Austin: Mom, I really need your help.
Me: What's up?
Austin: I thought prom was in three weeks, but it's this Saturday.
Me: Are you planning on asking someone?
Austin: Well, yeah, but I don't know how to do it.
Me: Can you just call her on the phone?
Austin: That's so...you know...boring.

Somewhere, sometime, long, long ago, somebody decided that in order to ask someone to a dance it needed to be more than just a polite question. "Would you like to attend the prom with me?" "Oh, I would be thrilled!" Sounds good to me. It's just too easy, I guess.

We're new at this. Austin only has one "semi-official" date under his belt. So we put our heads together, sat down at the computer, sent Chad to the grocery store for fortune cookies and Panda Express for a take-out box. We replaced one fortune in a cookie with "The Invitation to Prom," filled a take-out box full of the fortune cookies, and within thirty minutes Austin was out the door to deliver his request.

Confucius says boys who are slow to ask girls to prom are fortunate to have a smart cookie for a mom.

please, oh please!

Please, please, please, pretty please with a cherry on top, will you please watch this video and then rate it? This is a video Clay made for a contest sponsored by our credit union. Prize? $1,000. Not a bad dent in a mission or college fund...

http://www.bemoneysmart.org/videos/index/video:28

When you rate it, just click on the highest star you think it deserves (not one at a time). The more people who rate Clay's film with a high rating, the higher his film will move up in ranks. Help us out, people!

Disclaimer: None of the actors were paid. Okay, they are not even professionals. Actually, they are not really actors. And they hardly even practiced. And they are not for hire. And it was a windy day. All names have been changed to protect the innocent. Except "Mom." And she wasn't even that good.

If, and I mean IF, Clay gets a good rating (like four or five stars), he may even do a sequel. Lucky you. And I promise I'll rehearse next time.

holey moley

Folding laundry today I discovered this:

These are all of Adam's jeans. I know distressed is in, but this is ridiculous.

I'm afraid other kids will say, "Nice pants." And not in the Dockers commercial "Nice pants" kind of way. Looks like it's time for some new jeans.

sprung

Spring has sprung!


Oops! I spoke too soon.

b is for...

B is for baptism. My niece, Emma, was baptized last Saturday.

B is for beautiful. Isn't she beautiful?


B is for baby. This is Baby Ruby. She is Emma's new little sister.
B is for blessing. Baby Ruby was blessed last Saturday.

B is for big. This is a big yawn.

Baby Ruby was tired after such a beautiful day.

sugar bugs be gone!

Just because my dad is a dentist doesn't mean I don't get cavities. Truth be told, I forget to brush occasionally. Sometimes I'm just too tired. Just like my dad warned me, I ended up with a cavity. So today I'm visiting my dad's office. He's going to get the sugar bugs out. And I'm going to be brave. Very, very brave.

Jenni is my dad's helper. She is putting this funny elephant mask on me. I think it looks more like a Star Wars mask, but I won't tell Jenni. I don't want to make her feel bad. Jenni thinks I'm brave. Very, very brave. And cool. Very, very cool.


Jenni said the elephant mask will make me feel funny. I don't think I need a mask to feel funny. My mom already thinks I'm funny. Very, very funny.

Whoa. Now I'm feeling funny. And kind of fuzzy. Very, very fuzzy.



I'm getting a little nervous. Do you think I look nervous? Very, very nervous?

My dad must be really brave to put his fingers in my mouth. I hope I don't bite him. I bet he hopes I don't bite him either. These glasses make me look cool. Very, very cool.

I'm keeping my arms straight down by my sides just like a soldier. That way I won't grab the sharp instruments. That would be bad. Very, very bad.

My mom said that if she wasn't married to my dentist, she would stop brushing her teeth forever just so she could go see him more often. I think my mom is funny. Very, very funny.

twinkle, twinkle little star

Guess who is Star of the Week at preschool this week... Yup. It's Adam. According to Adam, Star of the Week means you get to sit in The Big Chair, be The Line Leader, and bring The Snack to share with the class.

It's definitely cool to be Star of the Week.


It's also enough to make any little four year old boy get a little wild and crazy.


It's good to be a star.

Shine on!

it's the thought that counts, right?

Adam, who is four, likes to climb in our bed in the early morning hours. This morning was no different. Except that today is my birthday. We had this conversation when he woke up:

Adam: You like hot cereal for breakfast, right?
Me: Yes.
Adam: With just bananas, right?
Me: Right.
Adam: And how much water do you put in it?
Me: Half a cup.
Adam: So how will I know what buttons to push on the microwave?
Me: Why's that?
Adam: I want to bring you breakfast in bed.

So of course I got up and made it with a little help from Adam, but he was so sweet to think of it on his own. I took the picture with my new 50mm 1.8 lens from Chad. The black candles...they are left over from my last birthday so you know I am on the other side of 40 now. All of the sudden 40 doesn't sound too bad!

homefun #4

This week's assignment: candid and posed portraits. I didn't really get a "candid" shot but I'm not really going for the "posed" look either. Just somewhere in between. I am trying to learn to use natural light...so I guess I'm in the "no flash" camp. I used a flash on photo #4 and I think it shows. The more I learn, the more I realize there is to learn...

A big thank you to my kids and their friends for being my willing subjects week after week after week after week. Like they say, practice makes perfect...and I've got a long way to go!

homefun #3

Taking a photography course in the winter is proving to be tricky. I can think of so many wonderful shots that could be taken in the summer. But winter...gotta think a little bit more. I took my camera along on a trip to the library. Our assignment this week: one photo with short depth of field (the amount of the picture in focus) and one photo with a longer depth of field.

v-day

Happy Valentine's Day!