Danger!

So I walked by my living room yesterday morning, and this is what I saw. I was a bit concerned for Christ's safety. I relocated my statue, but I was subsequently asked if he would rise again the third day if he fell and broke. And it was noted that he might have been blessing their track. Oh dear. Good thing I have a best friend to make me laugh.

Jaws

On Sunday, I regaled my children with a childhood trip to Universal Studios.

We were initially discussing superheroes, and how I wasn't really in love with any when I was growing up. I thought Superman was handsome, I said, but after learning how they made him fly at Universal Studios, I was less impressed. Meh.

Then I laughed. Because Jaws, too, was at Universal Studios. And I. Was. Terrified. I distinctly remember feeling utterly panic-stricken. And screaming. And apparently I leapt over all the other people in the boat to get to the middle and away from Jaws after he jumped up right next to me (I swear!!!).

Mom sent me the only pictures she has from this particular adventure, and really, I'm still surprised that she even has this much, given how I reacted.

I have always loved listening to my dad tell this story. His laugh makes my heart smile.

Sariah is sitting next to me right now, laughing at poor Jaws. She says that he looks surprised, not scary, and that his eyes are weird. She may have a point there. Her laugh makes my heart smile, too.

Fort Fun

Some days you have to make messes, forts, and towers. And frowns, too. This is what I awoke to after my Sunday nap. There are much worse ways to wake up, lol.

A Few More Favorites

Some of my other favorites from messing around in the yard with the camera on Saturday. These are my more elusive subjects, lol.

Poses

This is the other child who likes to pose for me. Until she doesn't, which is what happened in the photo above. In the meantime, she has the best antics.

Rex

Man, I thought Rex was never going to outgrown his awkward photo phase. I was starting to puzzle out in my mind what we would do for senior pictures next year. But. There is hope, even in spite of my many photography errors here.

Because of those errors, I tried out several filters with Rex's pictures, and edited several of them (in so far as I am able, lol). My favorites are of him with his most natural expressions. Those are very hard to come by, and for whatever reason, the lighting was not great in the originals. But thank goodness for simple editing. I'm happy with them even if no one else is, lol.

 

This last picture is entirely for my own gratification. When I was a little girl, my grandmother came to visit, and this is the face she was made while she knitted. I spent an entire rainy Arizona afternoon trying to figure out how she was making herself look like this. In retrospect, knowing my grandma, I halfway wondered if she made this face for that many hours solely for the amusement of watching me try to emulate it. I certainly wouldn't put it past her. Naturally, Rex figured out how to make this face right off the bat when he was like 3, and does it regularly because it makes me laugh. He's the best.

Sam the Man

So, we got a new camera for Christmas. It's not that I actually knew how to use the previous DSLR. It's that it was almost 12 years old, had been repaired multiple times, and was getting kind of crotchety. Also, the lens had been pretty abused (7 kids, anyone?).

However, with all these free classes out and about in the time of the plague, I decided to start learning how to actually use the new DSLR. It came with 2 lenses, you see, and I guess I need some more smarts, lol.

So, don't flip and scoff when you see my pictures. I'm only on the second class. That's the one where they tell you what equipment you could need or want ... and that you should actually try them out before you buy. Hahaha. I got the new Nikon on a Christmas online deal, so there was no trying out anything, but whatever....

Sam is my ... most willing ... subject most of the time. He will generally strike all kinds of poses. They usually aren't the ones I'm anticipating getting, so there's that. But his personality definitely comes out. In any case, I was mostly experimenting with light and just a few basic settings on the camera, and I do mean experimenting.... I don't really have an eye for this stuff.

In any case, I love this kid. He makes my mouth and my heart smile every time.

Masking It

I guess we're legal now.

The first one took me several hours. The rest all together took me another several hours. Interestingly, I had just enough elastic to do what I wanted to do. That's good. Since the ties seemed labor intensive and like they might require straighter lines than I am capable of making, lol.

Journaling

I bought this journal last year to experiment with, partially because I was struggling with journaling and blogging. It seemed pretty ordinary, like a journey in getting to know myself. Until this spring. Then the entries became telling, sometimes entertaining, something that will be interesting to read later on when the full journal is complete, a glimpse into the past maybe. Also, yes, I am a day ahead. It makes me feel accomplished.

Zooming

Rex and Sariah got to do an online church meeting with some of the other youth and youth leaders from church. I think they enjoyed seeing familiar faces. Not really sure. Between the two of them they maybe said fifteen words the entire time. To answer your questions: yes, this is the beginning of Rex's troublemaking look. I love him. And yes, that last expression is one we see on Sariah's face a lot these days. She is feeling very ... twelve. And I am feeling very old, as in too old for these shenanigans. I love her, too.

Wiped

If this little girl had a Fitbit, she'd be kicking my tail at steps, and running, and jogging, and scootering, and biking. She was wiped completely out before 8 pm ... which is unusual for our little night owl trying to keep up with the big kids.

Easter 2020 Preparations

Easter happened, and we did indeed prepare the day before. I've just been busying myself with other tasks than the blog. Sad day. But fun times getting reading for the Easter bunny. Check out Madeline's cake -- best decorating job ever!!!