Good Shot

I got my first digital camera around 2003.  My dear father-in-law upgraded his camera and sent us his old one.  I was delighted to have a digital picture-taker.  And I could download pictures right onto my computer!  How wonderful!  It ran on regular batteries, and running the screen would just suck the life right out of them, so we used the itty bitty viewfinder instead.

Five years later, I upgraded my computer and lost the software to run the now-obsolete camera.  So I splurged and bought myself a Costco point-and-shoot for Mother's Day.  Oh, it was so nice to be able to just grab and shoot nice pictures of my kiddos and life as it was happening.  I kept it on top of the doorbell box in the entryway, so it would be quick to snap a shot.  And then I dropped it.  On the rough rock floor of our entryway.  The door that held the battery in broke, and the flash never worked again. Oops!

For Christmas the next year, Trent went to the pawn shop and got me a nicer point-and-shoot.  It lasted for a little while, but then it got temperamental.  It wouldn't turn on when I told it to.  And when I pushed the shutter button, it had to think about it for a while.  It took the picture when it was good and ready to.  It led to a lot of  "1-2-3-say cheese!  Keep smiling! I pushed the button so no one move.  Stay there.  Keep smiling!  Hey, get back in there!"  and then it would take the picture.  I actually got a lot of pictures of the floor because I got disgusted with waiting and losing my subject, but when I would lower the camera THEN it would take the picture.  Of the ground.  Bad words.

And then it quit working altogether.  Most of my pictures in the past few months are beauties like these.

So they finally talked me into buying a real camera.  I found a screaming deal online with the back-to-school specials (you need a fancy camera to go back to school?), gulped, and hit the "buy" button.  It's nice but not amazing.  Which also means that it didn't break the bank.  But it does come with lenses, so it will be fun to play with the effects.

It came and the boys are so excited about it.  I'm happy that now I'll be able to take nice pictures.  I'm mostly happy that I'll be able to pick up recording our lives again.

Now if I could only figure out how to work the thing...

Idlers

I was looking in a messy boy room when I found an academic-looking tome.  It contained words of wisdom from sage men to help us live better lives.  Although the book was old, its messages still rang true.  Trent liked this one well enough that he had to shoot it.

The irony of finding this quote in a book nearly hidden in a room which was messy because its owner was too busy sitting in front of his personal distraction device... priceless.

Back To School

It's that time of year again!  Ben and Chris are in high school.  Where has the time gone?  I didn't get shots of them on their first day because 1) they aren't fond of posing for Kodak Moments, and 2) they leave so early in the morning.  And if high school didn't start early enough, they both decided to take early morning seminary.  I think it's neat that they want to start the day off in spiritual learning and introspection.  My perfect days would start that way, too.

Trent bought this baby for $500, and he has been fixing it up this summer so that the boys could take it to school.  And Ben has been practicing his stick-shifting skills so he wouldn't stall in the high school parking lot.  He's gotten pretty good at it.  The boys (Trent included!) are loving the zippy little Tracker - I haven't yet driven it at all.

David started junior high, and is pretty excited about it all.  The school is close enough to walk, so he gets up and hoofs it with some other kids from the neighborhood

After agonizing all summer about where Eddie would go to school, we decided to just have him at our regular elementary school.  As soon as the decision was made, I felt so calm.  It was nice to get some peace about a difficult situation.  The school is not walking distance from our house - it's spitting distance.  We met his teacher, and she is one of those forever-loving people you wish you could have  for a grandma.  I think he's in the right place for him.

And once they were all gone, the house was not quiet.  Because some of this broke out.

So glad I have a man who plays like a with his kids!  And so happy to have all these lovely children to love on.

Love to See the Temple

Just have to share some cute pictures, because I love these little people.  I can't believe I have been so blessed to actually have them!  And keep them.  And take care of them.  Lucky mom, me.

They love to play together.  Makes my mother-heart happy.

She wouldn't smile for me, but I think I love this face better.  Those haunting eyes just bring back sad memories of her falling out the window.  So glad she's all together now!

Family Time

I love to be with my family.  My husband, my children.  That family.  And I love to be with my brothers-and-their-families family.  And I love my two in-law families.  I am a lucky girl to have so much family, and so much love, and so much support.

So when I saw this (It's from here, even though I can't find it in their current catalog), I just fell in love.  I wonder if I could do something like this on our wall?  Happy!

Twin Haircuts

I woke up the other morning, still delirious from not getting enough sleep.  I pried my eyelids open and saw the twins.  "Saw" is an overly generous word here, because with the combination of my ultra-bad eyesight and no glasses and bleary morning vision, I can't guarantee that I actually saw anything.  But I think I saw, there in the morning sunlight, two smiling q-tips, their frothy cottony tops illuminated like angelic halos.

As adorable as this is, first thing in the morning, it gets less adorable as the day goes on, and their hair does not improve much.  And they hate having their hair combed, because at this point, it involves a spray bottle of water.  So I gave in and gave them haircuts.  Now they look like Alec, because shaving their little heads is the quickest thing I can do with two wigglers!

Hot and Steamy

Love.  I love this man, even when it's hot and steamy.  And even when he's sweaty.  Just because I decided to.

And for the record, it was hot here!