Never Forget

We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them. ~Francis A. Walker



Last Memorial Day, we started the annual family tradition of visiting the local cemetery to honor those who died for our freedom. We talk to the kids every year about the sacrifice men and women made to keep our country safe. We hope Jared and David will grow to appreciate our military as much as we do.

About the picture above, I spotted a couple that appeared to be having a moment of gratitude and remembrance... perhaps for a family member or friend. It was a touching moment that I felt like sharing.

It's great to be eight

Jared turned 8 today, he has the day off from school so it's a 4 day weekend. He had a nice birthday party, 8 kids came and they seemed to have fun. We played a couple of games, had some cake and ice cream. I tried my hand at making a double layer cake and it turned out well, it was certainly a learning experience and I know what I will do differently next time. It wasn't fancy by any means, but Jared loved it so that's all I care about.



8 things I love about Jared:

*I can get him to cuddle with me when we're watching a movie or sitting in church
*He is willing to try new foods (sometimes it takes some pep talks, but he has an open mind)
*He is a big helper when I need him
*His imagination is amazing, he can create a whole new world for David when they are playing
*He is so curious about the world and loves books
*I love his smile, I can just tell that he is a happy child
*He is so full of life! It can be overwhelming sometimes, but I appreciate his energy.
*He has a funny sense of humor

Geriatric Thirty

I've heard that my metabolism will magically start to slow down after I reach 30 years of age. Larry swears I have a few strands of gray hair and it was suggested that I start drinking Ensure. I love birthdays! I don't care if I get wrinkles because I'm sure Botox will become cheaper when I actually need it :)

Jared took a birthday picture of me today, he's certainly on his way to becoming a talented photographer. I actually like this picture of me..... but then again, I did plenty of photoshopping. I've decided I should have more pictures of myself because a wise person said something which I will share.....

1. In five years you will look five years older….you WILL look young in the pictures you take today!

2. Ten years ago I thought I was fat. Oh my goodness….I should have taken pictures THEN.

3. Your children look at you all day long. THEY know what you look like. They won’t care how you look in the picture. ~ The Pioneer Woman (www.thepioneerwoman.com)

So there you have it!

Last night, Larry surprised me by cleaning the entire house, he mowed and edged the lawn before I got home from a long day of photo shoots. Now that's a birthday present! Today he also surprised me with an ice cream cake (let's hope my metabolism waits until tomorrow to slow down).



Earlier this week, I won 3rd place in a local photo contest for this photo below. I took it at my parents house, they have a giant lilac bush in the backyard (my favorite scent in the world) and there were hard working bees. I used the opportunity to test out my macro skills, it sure was fun.

Working hard

I thought I'd throw this last picture in of the boys shoveling rocks into a wheel barrow. The guys who unloaded the rocks enjoyed watching the boys try so hard. They got little jobs throughout the day and when they weren't playing, they were pretty good workers.

Our big project

We spent a lot of time planning this landscaping project out, it was on our "to-do" list since last fall, but it didn't make sense to work hard and then have to re-do a lot of it in the spring. So today was the big day, we've been working on the details all week and spent a whole day gathering up the plants we had in our plans. Work started at 6:30am this morning and it's finally finished - with enough daylight to take some pictures.

BEFORE










AFTER






I put that box there to cover a long pipe that sticks out of the ground (there's no way to have it placed underground).

Distractions

This morning I got up to find that my kids were already awake and waiting patiently for me to make breakfast. Jared was sitting in his "favorite" chair, it's a place of magical comfort where he has a full view of his fish swimming around in it's bowl. David is insanely jealous of this spot. He has his own chair, but it's no fun because Jared doesn't want it. There's no competition for it. Well this morning was no exception to other mornings, Jared ate his breakfast while David whined loudly that he wanted to take turns and sit in "that spot." I told him he'd have to wait until Jared was done if it was that important. As I turned my back to make my own morning drink, I could see David's face from the corner of my eye. He looked like he was about to spill a bucket of horse tears at any moment. I couldn't help but feel a little bad for him.

Jared finished his breakfast and went to shower while I cleared the "magic spot" of his dishes. I moved David's things over to that spot and tried to move him. He wouldn't budge. He became an instant lump of sadness, tears spilled over and he cried, "I wanted that spot firrrrrst." I tried to comfort him and talk him into taking the spot, but nothing was working. Then a stroke of genius hit me, distractions ALWAYS work. So I said, "David, you can feed your fish now instead of after dinner." He looked up with fresh tears, wiped them away and I could just see those sad eyes begin to light up. I gave him the fish food and he fed his fish. Afterward, he slid over to the "magic spot" and ate his breakfast. Problem solved.

Camera Fun

I went to a local nursery with the local photo club and took photos of flowers, leaves and garden decor. It was a lot of fun for me, I took my old Kodak Duaflex for some through-the-viewfinder shots. This one is my favorites....



My latest photo shoot was for a client I consider to be a "regular." I took her maternity photos, newborn photos and now his 6-month old photos. We had a good time and I enjoyed his gummy smiles! It also turns out that Larry is an excellent assistant, he was able to get this baby to smile at just the right moment.



Ready for work!


It has been nice having Larry home for these past 3 months despite the situation. I will miss him when he goes back to work next Monday. It's interesting that many couples are at each others throats when they spend too much time together, but Larry and I are just the opposite. We have been much happier.