++Model Material?++

Ever wondered why I haven't updated the header on my blog?  More than the fact that I just haven't gotten around to it, is that that was the the last time they cooperated for a photo together.  They must know exactly how to push my buttons.  I'm sure you are thinking that it really can't be that bad, that I must be a perfectionist.  Nope.  Here's evidence.  Once we get them close enough to each other that they would be in the same frame, they pull out this stuff:

 Really?  who replaced my child with a surprised doll?

I Love them.  I really do. 

++Rosy Red-handed++

"Claire, did you get into Mommy's make-up?"

 "I have no idea what you are talking about.  I'm innocent"

 "Maybe If I show you a trick you'll let me off the hook."

Maybe.

++New Car Smell++

After months and months of talking about it, and about two hours of looking (because I hate car dealerships), and many more hours of Mark putting the screws to the guys (because he likes that stuff) we finally bought a new car.  We wanted something with a third row a seats for when we need them...but not huge all the time.  We landed on this:

I think it suits our family well.  It's actually really fun to drive and so far...it smells so good inside!

 Neither one of us has ever had a BRAND NEW car before.  I had to take the picture of the odometer showing less than 100 miles. 

 Of course, it meant saying goodbye to a member of our family that had been there longer than our kids and through three states.  I was sad.  Here we were on it's day of arrival when it was dubbed "Bruiser's Chariot". 

 Here we were on it's day of departure.  Bruiser's got a buddy...who for some reason is wearing a cowboy hat.   Oh--and our Bruiser sure didn't turn out to be much of a bruiser did he?

Time flies.

++Life these days++

Caring for your baby is very hard work.  It involves moving her from the trunk of the car...

 ...To the shopping cart where you will go "lots of places".  Sometimes it's "Costcoooooo" or "Target" (what is your mother modeling for you?). 

 Sometimes the car is driven.  Other times, pushing it just easier in the event you take the road less traveled.  (side note: this car was the best $0 investment EVER.  Remember this?)

Not sure what was happening here.  But it sure looks important.

Being two...hard work.

++T-ball++

Sometimes I think this blog should be renamed "adventures of the family with the boy who refused to wear what he is supposed to."  The funny part is that, while annoying at the time, it really isn't a big factor in our lives.  In fact, I almost forget about it.  Until I open up the photos and then I have to chuckle when I see this:

Onto the more important details.  We play a very relaxed season of t-ball with the local YMCA this spring.  It was for 3- and 4-year-olds.  Due to the lack of any other volunteer, Mark was the coach.  We just played in a grass field.  Thirty minutes of practice followed by thirty minutes of a "game". 

As you can see, the parent to child ratio in the field is about 1:1.

 We had to work on the teamwork aspect quite a bit as most of the time fielding when like this: ball is hit, all boys in field rush toward ball and dog pile on each other to see who gets to throw the ball to first, s struggle ensues, someone comes out with the ball, celebrates for a bit, and then throws it in the general direction of first base.  Usually one (or more) of the non-victorious fielders emerge in tears.  This would be a huge problem if it weren't for the fact that the batter often stands for about thirty seconds to admire how far the ball went when he hit it. 

 By the end of the season we had made a little progress (notice the shirt!).  It may look like we thinned out the dads in the field but I think that week there were only 3 kids and 2 dads there. 

 Looking official.

 The siblings resided in the dugout. 

 Until the team took over for the most important part of the day: snack time.

Wyatt with his buddies Braden and Sawyer to his left.

++Photo Class: Round 2++

If I have any worthwhile excuse for my blogging backlog it's that I spent this spring in a continuing ed photo class.  I end up taking a ton of photos, stressing myself out and testing the patience of my family, but in the end I feel a little more confident in my photography knowledge and I'm better able to capture every single last moment of my kids' lives as they unfold.  Just ask them.  I don't miss much.

Here's a few of the images I turned in.  Some may seem weird.  It's likely because I was asked to do something specific in the assignment.  Or maybe because I'm just weird.  Or both.

Wyatt and his class dog, Murphy.

a bubble.

Miss C and some tulips.

I may or may not have told Claire to look at the big purple bird in the tree.  She may or may not have been crying because she was done.  This may or may not qualify for child exploitation.

Poor kid.  Fell for the same purple bird trick.  Those eyes are all his.  Crazy blue.

Playing with the sun rays. 

If we weren't dealing with a very small window of time, I would have found a more desirable background than our neighbor's house and trash cans.

Our neighbor Rotem.  LOVE the curls. 

I also had to lie down, on my belly, on the pavement to get these shots.  The same woman walked by two nights in a row.  I think she thought I was nuts.  For the record, I am.

For my mom who is probably wondering why there are giant circles on my pictures, they are supposed to be there.  They are easy to get by accident, not so easy to manipulate on purpose.

This final assignment was using available light.  I never use flash for my photos so it was so great to get better at these.  Love this strong kiddo.

I just love this photo.  Period.

Ditto for these.  Taken with only the light from her lamp.

And then I put my camera away for a while and gave my poor family a rest.  I do it because I love you.  I promise.  Thank you for indulging me.  And for being so cute.  You too, Mark.

++Thank Goodness+

Thank goodness for cameras.  Without them we wouldn't be able to capture the little things that our kids do.  The things that they'll stop doing someday.  The things we'll be sure to want to show them when they are all grown up.  Faces like this:

I don't really get it.  But we get it alot from Claire these days.  I think she's pretty proud of it.  That, and her "silly face":

We love you peanut.  Thank goodness for YOU!

++Mother's Day++

Once again this year Wyatt's class put on a Mother's Day Tea for us.  It started with a little program.  I snapped this shot before he remembered that he had decided not to sing and participate.  It's ok.  It will keep me from being one of those stage moms. 

 He did his job as waiter well.  But still too cool to smile for the camera.

 Well, at least one of us had a lovely time at the tea.

 On the real Mother's Day I was treated to breakfast and the most beautiful huge hanging basket that will grace me with colorful blooms all summer long and permission (or a command?) to go purchase a grown-up handbag. 

Thanks for a great Mother's Day...but every day I feel blessed to be mom to you two kids (frowns and all).

++Doughnut Dash++

What's not to love about a 5k sponsored by a doughnut shop?  I ran with a couple of MOPs friends.

 Then it was turn for the Dubs to do his first race.  In keeping with his clothing/costume/name tag phobia, the number had to go on his back.

 This was the big start of the kids race.  I think there may have been more parents than kids.

 The pace was a bit of a saunter.  No comment on how my husband is dressed for winter and my son is dressed for summer.

 Cousin winners!

 Then the excitement really began for the boys.  They spotted the crew disassembling the banners and cones in the chute and decided they needed to help.  Seriously, between the 4 boys, they did about half of the work.

 Gotta love boys.