A Quick Visit

Just Me and You at the Zoo

The first Saturday in June just Ryan and I went to the zoo. We had a fun time checking out the dinosaurs that have invaded our zoo for the summer and wandering leisurely through the park. I even had a chance to use my macro and telephoto lenses with my camera! We had a good time with just the two of us, but I can't wait until I can go with my two big kids too and check out the animals together.

 My zoo buddy for the day.

 Trying to zoom in on the Giraffe's "fingerprint." Apparently, the giraffe was still too far away, or my lens wasn't strong enough, to get a really good close up.

 My regular camera perspective above, and my telephoto lens perspective is below.

 Using my macro lens I discovered I have to get very, very close to what I am shooting to have the object in focus.

 More macro shots of a flower in my favorite color and the interesting texture of a fence post.

To illustrate how close I had to get to my subject above is a picture carving about the size of my hand. Below are a couple of shots where the carving is in focus. Or, I should say, parts of the carving.

One last shot with my telephoto lens taking from the top of the theater.

Entertainer, Part of My Job Description

I am the chief entertainer at my house. I provide, schedule, and plan entertainment and activities for my family. I am able to choose what movies our children watch and what games, electronic and board, they play. Some days I enjoy planning activities for my family. Other days I wish the children would entertain themselves more. Th title Entertainer is often self-imposed but is sometimes requested of me by my children.

We have become quite creative around here with what we do for entertainment. Sometimes all we need is cookie cutters and cookie dough. Other times we need paints and paper. We have even found multiple uses for cardboard boxes and creating costumes or dress ups. Our activities range from inside our house to outside in the yard or neighborhood to going to the park or movies to using our memberships. I try to keep our activities varied yet simple on most days. On a few special occasions, our activities are a little bit more elaborate or expensive but always enjoyable.

Baby Blessing

We blessed Ryan in February of this year. We had a small gathering of friends and family come for this special occassion. He is a very special boy, just like his brother and sister, and we are glad to have him as part of our family.

Last Week of School

 Future Occupation Day:

A Detective like "The Great Mouse Detective"

Cowboy Day 

Beach Day 

With Mrs. H, on the last day of school.

Introducing Star Wars

Benjamin received the Star Wars game for the Wii on his birthday. Now that school is out, he has had more time to play it. After watching the levels, I decided to introduce the children to Star Wars by checking all six movies out from the library. We are now on movie three and I have two Star Wars fanatics at my house. It has been extremely fun to watch these movies with our kiddos and see them relate it to the game. I have also found I am better able to connect the pieces watching the movies in sequence in a matter of days rather than over many years. The marathon will continue until we have finished the last movie, Return of the Jedi.

Kindergarten Sing Performance

To celebrate the completion of Kindergarten, Benjamin performed a few songs at a special evening performance. We thoroughly enjoyed their singing and sharing the experience with Benjamin.

Some friends we ended up taking with us.

Walking in to the stage. Benjamin likes being first in line, right behind his teacher.

So excited to see us that his hand is a blur in the picture!

Gymnastic Exhibition

Our sweet little girl was delighted to perform all of the things she is learning in gymnastics for us. She loves learning new ways to exercise her body and "do tricks" almost as much as she loves sharing what she learns.

Teddy Bear Picnic & Dance Festival

One of the many activities Benjamin participated in was the school-wide Dance Festival and Kindergarten Teddy Bear Picnic. Each grade level performed a dance for parents and other guests. The Kindergarteners did a really cute "mud" dance complete with a "mud fight" made from brown paper. After the festival, we (I was a volunteer mom that day) returned to the classroom and ate lunch with our teddy bears.

Oh, What Do You Do in the Summertime?

The favorite topic of conversation these days is "What are you going to do this summer?" or "Do you have anything fun planned for the summer?" Since it has been four years since we had a "summer break" from school I have to think about how to answer these questions for a few seconds before answering. For Michael and I, our jobs requirements and schedules don't change so we still do the same things day in and day out. I no longer have to make two trips to the bus stop every week day, but I still have everything else plus the yard to take care of. We don't have anything big planned for our whole family yet so we will be staying close to home. What we will be doing is using our memberships. We will be going to the zoo, the dinosaur museum, the pool, the gym, the Gardens, Farm Country, the mini theme park, and seven peaks a lot. I think we have more than enough to keep us busy and have fun. The best part is doing all of those things won't cost us any more than the gas to get there and packing our lunch because all of those activities are paid for regardless of how many times we go. We are going to have lost of fun this summer!

First Day of Summer Break

Today was our first official day of "Summer Break," as Benjamin calls it. The children had friends over (I was baby-sitting) and went to the neighbor's house for a water party. I was able to complete some major cleaning and sorting. A pretty darn good way to start the summer. Hopefully, this will be the start a positive routine of fun and productivity that will last the rest of the summer.

An Open Door . . . .

Mother Superior from The Sound of Music said, "When[ever] God closes a door, somewhere He opens a window." Not really what I wanted to talk about, but a good quote about changes in opportunities and possibilities.

Open doors, to me, are an open invitation to enter if you choose to and if you want to. An open door is not the same as someone inviting you to come in. It's like walking through the mall and all of the doors or open during business hours. You don't have to enter the store or even purchase something. You may not even have time to go to all of the stores because you have other needs and concerns. Sure, it may be nice to enter every open door but if it is not some place I feel comfortable going or I feel I will be able to protect my children, I am not going to go in.

An open door says to me, "If you have time or the desire to come in, please do so. But if you don't, I will understand because there is not a specific time I want you to come in. I'm just available if you choose to enter." When life is full of so many responsibilities and opportunities we cannot enter every open door. If a specific invitation is extended, I find it easier to narrow down which doors to enter. Otherwise, if I don't have the time or a specific reason for entering the door, I won't. Especially if there are better and more productive ways to spend time with my children.

Life is full of possibilities. There just isn't time to enter every "open door" out there.

"No Soliciting"

When we moved into an area where more people owned (are buying) their homes than renting, I couldn't understand the frequency of "No Soliciting" signs by or on people's doors. Then we bought a house, and I have one of my own. I did not realize home owners were constantly bombarded with door to door sales people and solicitors. During the summer it is almost every other day or twice a day on some days. Now that I have a sign, I only get one about every other week who can't, or won't, read. I now understand why so many home owners have cute signs stating "no soliciting" because the frequent interruptions of answering the door to tell someone you are not interested is a waste of time.

I do have a funny story about a solicitor from last week. I was out mowing my lawn in some grungy clothes and this solicitor walks right by, climbs my porch, and proceeds to ring the doorbell right next to my cute and easily visible sign. I turned off the lawn mower and asked what he needed. He gave me a strange look and asked if I was "the lady of the house." I replied yes and I wasn't interested in what he was selling. He continued trying to get information out of me until I told him I had to get back to mowing my lawn and started the lawn mower. I guess he thought I was some teenage kid mowing the lawn. I think the last time I was mistaken for a teenager was when I was in the 9th grade. Funny man!