Summer Memories

So I am officially terrible at keeping photos updated on my blog, my facebook page, mailing out prints, and even editing my photos. I do however, LOVE making Shutterfly books!!! Here is my latest:

Click here to view this photo book.

Best Spongebob Party Ever!

It may not have been the best, but we thought it was! I think I put more hours into preparing for this birthday party than I did...well I can't think of a good analogy right now, but you get the point. I tend to get obsessive over all the details and go completely overboard with these types of things. Go Big or Go Home? I have just always had it on my heart that I wanted to make a really big deal of each and every birthday the kids have.

So, here are some photo highlights from the party.
Invites:
Birthday Banner:
The Water Works, bounce house water slide:

Jellyfish Fields: (Way cooler in person, of course)
Party Favors:


The Spread:
Officially the BEST cake I have ever made, both taste and appearance:
The Moment that make it all worthwhile:

Happy Father's Day Grandpa!

Holiday Happenings

While in Omaha, for Independence Day, we joined a family friend and her wonderful family for a holiday BBQ gathering. I might add that at this fabulous party I met a man who had taken some of the most incredible photos I have ever seen. He played a slide show for me that afternoon. Some of the other people at the party joined to view his work. I seemed impressed. I had to interrupt their comments to say, "I don't think you really understand. This man has captured things we would never see with the naked eye. We are not that focused as people." (For example, the reflection of the house in the water droplet on the blade of grass in the back yard.) This man brought such perspective to how intricate this universe really is. And...and...he let me touch his Canon 5D Mark II !! I got to shoot some with it too. Truth be told, as much as I have sought after my own SLR, I have never actually held one...until that day! The sound of the shutter is enough to stand are my arm hairs on end. :)

These pictures were not taken with the 5D, just with my point and shoot, but they were taken that day at the party.

7 Decades Ago

Hewlett Packard was founded.
Tina Turner was born.
Frank Sinatra was discovered in a road side cafe.
World War II began.
You could buy a gallon of milk, a loaf of bread, and a stamp - all for 60 cents.
Gasoline was 19 cents / gallon
And...
Grandma Chris was born! All four of us drove up to Omaha, all 1000 miles in one day, to spend time with our family and celebrate a bit. We spent the first couple days sneaking around, making sure the visitors arrived safely - the party and it's guests were all a surprise. The weekend was filled with nostalgia and laughter. Thanks to everyone who helped make the party such a special weekend for Chris, and all of us too! We had such a wonderful time with everyone.

For Their Dad

I found my self digging deep for some creative juices this year. I didn't feel it appropriate for me to say "Hey Papa Joe, can I have some of the money we don't have to go and buy you a gift?" I am not great at gift giving anyway, because I feel that I need to give something meaningful or nothing at all. I eventually came up with what I thought was a wonderful idea and it would only cost me some time an a couple of dollars in change. The idea was to make a print similar to those motivational posters but have the photo be of Joe and the children. One print of Joe and Cam and one of he and Boston. (I was inspired by this post by Little Birdie Secrets.) The trouble is, I did not have a photo of Joe and Boston that matched what I wanted and, well, Papa Joe will take about one picture a week if you are done in less than 10 seconds. Now that he knows what I am up to, he assures me he will cooperate at his next available free moment, that is during peak outdoor lighting time. (So I will post Boston's poster in a couple of months. hehe.) For now, here is Cambry's - click on the image to enlarge it if you like.


For the inside of his card, I decided to interview Cambry about her Papa. Here is how it turned out:

What is something Papa always says to you? – He calls me his little girl.

What makes Papa happy? - When I give him a drawing.

What is Papa really good at? - Taking care of me

What is Papa not very good at? - Jumping

Where is Papa’s favorite place to go? - Work

What to you like most about Papa? - I like his shoulders, his back, and his hair.
(Shoulders and back because she like to climb on them...just a guess)

What does Papa do for a job? - Work.
What kind of work? - He makes food and drinks too.

What is Papa’s favorite color? - Black like his hair.

How tall is Papa? - He sure is a big man guy…isn’t he.

What is your favorite thing to do with Papa? - Play. Play horsey, play hide and seek. Those are Papa’s favorite games.

What is Papa’s favorite thing on TV? - Baseball, football, and golfball.

How old is Papa? – He’s older…same as me.

What is Papa’s favorite food? – Noodles

If Papa were a cartoon character, who would he be? - He would be Scooby and I would be Shaggy. We would jump right into the TV.

How to you know Papa loves you? - He makes it like *this* with his hand.
(He signs 'I Love You' to her.)

Happy Father's Day Papa Joe! I am so blessed to have you as my partner in our walk as parents. Thanks for all you do!

For My Dad

My dad is incredible and very special to me; someone that I admire, respect and always look forward to spending time with. My dad has taught me many things throughout my life; I thought today would be a great day to share some of them here.
- Be consciously competent; work purposefully and with all your being.
- Jokes are mostly for the enjoyment of the joker.
- The health of your body is a daily, life-long dedication.
- Always act in such a way that if a person said something negative about you, no one would believe them.
- It is not ever effective or necessary to raise your voice when communicating.
- Remain consistent and dedicated even when you are not given the recognition or pay you may deserve.
- Do not excuse good ideas or goals just because they can not be accommodated today.

(Please excuse the poor quality of these scanned photos.)

Thanks for a lifetime of inspiration Dad, Happy Father's Day!

It's All Because of You

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful Moms in my life, especially to my mom and Joe's mom!

Joe is out working his tail off again. He left for work at 6:15 this morning. Yikes! The mid day report was that there were slammed, and sold $16,500 worth of eggs. You Go Chef Joe! LOL.

Today I celebrate the two beauties who make me a mother this Mother's Day. I find so much joy in watching their little lives blossom. I am truly blessed.

All Girl:
- She is thoughtful and independent.
- She says things like, "Ewww! I'm all sweaty!" and "I can't ride the slide; a bug touched it."
- She's a chocoholic.
- She's always on the phone.
- She's a backseat driver.
- She screams if you don't pay attention to her.
- She won't leave the house with out lip gloss.













All Boy:
- He slobbers.
- He drools.
- His feet smell.
- He has boogers.
- He loves watching ESPN with Papa.
- He can't stand the fuss of lotion, hair combing, or nail clipping.
- He always has that 'huh?' look on his face.

To my children: My joy, my muse, my comedy. I love all that you are and all that you will become. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! (Henry David Thoreau)

Spice up the Hunt

Since the restaurant was open for both lunch and dinner today, Papa Joe went in early this morning and was able to come home around 5PM. This meant that we could have our family Easter Egg Hunt tonight rather than tomorrow. Finding eggs is always fun, but I wanted to put a spin on things, to make it a little more than just running around the yard picking up eggs. This year, and probably many more years to come, our hunt was a photo scavenger hunt. I took 12 photos from around the house and made a 4 x 6 image for every two photos. (See below)

After picking them up at the one hour, I cut them is half and hid them in sequence around the house, leaving one out to start the hunt. Hidden next to each new photo was a filled egg. The fridge photo was the first one. Cam had to take moment to process the directions, and then she was off - dashing down the stairs squealing. From the fridge, to the side table, to the pantry, then upstairs and around some more...so much excitement!!


The last hiding place contained an egg (of course) and a picture of the front of our house. As she ran downstairs to head outside, Papa Joe asked her what she thought would be out there. Thrilled, she said, "An egg and another picture." Instead she found a brand new scooter waiting for her. Off she went, down the driveway. What a great day!