Mom n' Me Monday

Loving Julie's project to force herself to be in some photos with her kids...and as the sole main photographer in this family, I've been relying on old photos to participate.  It's almost as if I don't know that most cameras made post-Flintstone age have timers ...or maybe it's just that 90% of the week I look like a hot mess and I'm not trying to break my new camera.

So, my brother-in-law is in town and staying with us for a little while.  Sean and I managed to sneak out for a quick date this past weekend...bringing up the total of dates we've had since Kaia was born to less fingers than I have on both hands.  While I have few photos with the kiddies...I probably have even less with Sean.  So, a pre-date photo was needed but we had company:

While a majority of people say that Jaron looks like Sean (and even though you can't tell because apparently Kaia has some latent issues about wanting to be the only child)...I beg to differ.

Seriously beg to differ.

Because, right here, he CLEARLY looks like his mom:

So there.

Pop over to Julie's blog to join in the memory-making!

Figure It Out Friday

Dear Big Puppy,

I love you but you need to stop using Mama's boots as chew toys.  I've tried to be patient with you.  I've bought you lots of toys even when Dad said you had too many.  I've let the kids know the importance of putting away their wooden toys as you seem to have a penchant for wood.

But now, you done did it.

You ate Larry.

You know Mama doesn't buy expensive shoes/boots.  These were my ONLY leather boots...and I even named them.  Even the kids know their names and which is which and that they are Mommy's other children.  Harold is sad that his partner Larry has been maimed.  I waited patiently for an entire season for these bad boys to drop in price...drastically.  

Seriously, Puppy, you need cheaper chew toys.

But, thank you for providing a great lesson for the kids that Mommy needs to work on HER procrastination and put HER stuff away.

Still, touch Harold and be prepared for the wrath of Mom.

That sounded tough, didn't it?

Love,

Mom

Dear Zachary

If you're looking for a good movie to rent/buy and/or you really want to see a movie that boils your blood/makes you bawl your eyes out/stirs your sense of activism, look no further:

"Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son about his Father"

More information can be found at the site: www.dearzachary.com

This documentary was just beautifully made and the love & passion that went into it was unbelievable. I was crying like crazy and The Hubs was getting seriously pissed off during some of the parts (at the movie not at me...just to clarify). It's heavy, but it is definitely a must see.

Kudos to the filmmaker Kurt Kuenne on his labor of love to honor his friend and his friend's parents.  But, the even bigger kudos go to the parents Kate & David Bagby (David is a former sailor) whose outstanding parenting raised a man much beloved and whose tireless efforts for social justice and social justice reform has turned such horrific tragedies into triumphs.

Really, there are no words for this movie other than to go see it.

For Netflix subscribers, you can also view it at home sans DVD.

Figure It Out Friday

Just a snippet of The Hubs' pile o' laundry.

Note the prior Abercrombie & Fitch folding skills are still intact.

That mountain has since diminished and today, it starts all over again.

But, laundry is one of the only types of cleaning I strangely enjoy.  Again, it's probably due to all those damn years @ A&F during college that ingrained my love in perfecting folding piles.

Weirdo.

Water Makes Me Happy

I love water.  Rain, not a huge fan of it...especially since Big Puppy is a total slob and he just sloshes around the backyard.  Old Lady...well, she's just perfect (if you don't count her gaseous activities).  But back to the original point...I love water.

With that being said, it's been a great blessing that I married a subby and we're constantly near the water.  Even better, there are little lakes/ponds/etc. galore down here in Hampton Roads.  We are lucky enough to have one in our backyard.  It makes the gloomy days a lot less gloomy and the beautiful days that more beautiful.

The Hubs got me a brand new toy.  I'm still trying to figure this sucker out and looking for some downtime to play with it here and there.  Yesterday, I had the chance after looking out and seeing one of our frequent visitors...the magnificent Great Blue Heron.

But, before I could snap him/her, I saw this sucker swimming across the lake.  My zoom is good but not great.

Not sure if it was a nutria or muskrat, but either way...I know this destructive little critter is going to be target practice for our neighbor.

Anyhoo...so, I turn my lens back to the heron.  I'm hanging out my dining room window here since I wasn't sure if he/she was skittish or not.  Some of them are and some aren't.

Plus, by the looks of it, I wouldn't want to interrupt it's lunch.

I went outside and it stayed put for a little bit before deciding I might be a potential threat.

But he left his lunch behind:

This dude was also peeking out to check out the action.  He & his buddies usually hang out on our bank too when they're not hanging out in the middle of the water.  Some are tiny and some are pretty ginormous.  They ARE very skittish.

Then Big Girl's bus arrived, so right after, we took a field trip to the backyard...which is an adventure in and of itself seeing that the ground was still a bit soggy from the rains and there were a few "land mines" we didn't attend to yet (and if you're wondering pit bull & German shepherd "land mines" are relatively the same size...if you wanted to know).

I wanted to show them the heron's missed lunch...they get to see the wildlife living in our backyard but usually when they're feeding them, which means they're usually swimming, breathing, eating...you know, things living creatures do when they're LIVING.  Anyhoo, the fish we usually see are gigantic carp (unfortunately not the cool monster fish like they show on Animal Planet) not this itty bitty.  I assured them it was dead.  It had been sitting out for who knows how long.

From I'm not sure what I want to be when I grow up...

But, of course, after answering Kaia's "But how do you know it's dead?" question with a duh-I'm-an-adult-and-know-these-things-not-to-mention-mother-knows-best resolute answer that this fish is most certainly dead...

...it breathed.

Not just a reflex-type of breath...like a few breaths.

After looking for some kind of stick to push is back in and finding none, I took off my shoe and pushed it back...where it slowly sank and bobbed back up towards the surface...kind of hanging in limbo...for a while.

Then the explanations of why I did that and how the poor fish was already speared to death by the heron and how I couldn't let it lay there and turn into fish jerky...Kaia was finally satisfied that I kind of knew what I was talking about.  ;o)

Poor fishy, rest in peace.

Census 2010

Did you send in your Census?

From I'm not sure what I want to be when I grow up...

They did!