You Capture - Photo A Day

I must admit, as I start this post, that I cheated a bit this week.  I didn't get around to viewing last week's You Capture posts until Tuesday, which means I got this week's challenge a day late.  So with the topic being "A Photo A Day" my week ran Tuesday - Monday.  And while I'm at it, I will also admit that this challenge stressed me out a bit.  (OK, more than a bit.)  I thought I would NEVER remember to get a decent shot each day.  BUT I surprised myself and had fun in the meantime!

On Tuesday morning the kids and I went to the park near our house.  Their favorite thing to do there is walk the Nature Trail and my favorite thing to do there is take their picture on this bridge.

On Wednesday we played in our back yard.  This year we planted pumpkins for the first time ever, just to see what they would do.  I love to see them early in the morning, as the sun rises and their blooms open wide toward the East.

Thursday was the start of soccer season in our house.  Both Ella and Lucas will be playing this season and Ella had her first practice Thursday evening.

Friday morning I took the kids downtown so they could play in the new park on the river and we could meet Brandon for lunch.  This was our first visit to this particular park and I can't wait to go back.  They have an exhibit on The Black Brigade and I loved this statue that was perched on top of the wall surrounding the exhibit.  I believe the title was "A Mother Waits With Her Children" (but that probably is not 100% accurate).  The piece alone was moving, but add to it the fact that you can see the Ohio River in the background and the bridge coming from Kentucky and the American Flag (just barely) at the top... it is just unbelievable.  So much to take in.

With a very active, athletic 4-year-old boy in our house a lot of things get stuck on our roof.  Saturday it was a boomerang so Brandon went up to retrieve it.  The whole thing made me giggle - him up there in his Superman shirt with the blue skies in the background.  Too much!  (And so photo-worthy!)

A Sunday afternoon nap - who doesn't love one?!  Casey loved one so much that she didn't care if Joseph's shoes were in her way.  In fact, she seemed rather comfortable snoozing with her nose in there.



And finally Monday morning... I received a single pink rose on Sunday afternoon and it was just too beautiful not to photograph.

So that is my week in photos!  See what everybody else has been up to this week at The Home of You Capture.

You Capture - Things That Start With B

Wow, it's already Wednesday and I still haven't posted my You Capture shots for the week (which should be done on Monday, for those not aware).  Of course I don't think I have ever posted on Monday... I am always at least a day behind.  But so goes life!

So for "Things That Start With B"... here is my Baby Boy playing Basketball in our Backyard.  Is that enough for you?  :)  This is his favorite past time when we play out back.  I keep trying to raise the hoop on him to see what he can do, but somebody always winds up lowering it again.  His big brother and sister have taught him to say "He shoots!  He scores!" which is adorable, especially because it comes out sounding more like "Eee Ssshhhh!  Eee Sssss!"

Here he is going in for a shot...

...So close!  Reach just a little more...

Slam dunk!

For more "B" shots, visit Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry.

You Capture - Get Down Low

I almost didn't make the You Capture post this week.  Quite honestly, I should be long asleep right now - it is late and I have another long day ahead tomorrow.  But sometimes things just weigh on your mind and you can't go to sleep, even though you really are exhausted.  You know?

Anyway, this week's You Capture challenge was Get Down Low.  Yea!!  So easy around here because all little people in this house are constantly getting up high.  I think I live with a bunch of monkeys.

This summer Lucas learned how to get himself started on the swing set, keep himself going by pumping his legs and make himself go higher and higher.  He is so proud!  I may have slightly risked my life by laying under him to take this picture but he thought that was funny and that was enough to put a smile on my face.

Joseph also learned something new this summer.  He learned to climb the ladder to our clubhouse/slide.  I am not so excited about this one because he is going to give me a heart attack.  No fear for that boy!  At least he's cute.



Ella, our ever cautious and careful child when it comes to dare-devil-ism, is the only one who loves being in the tree.  The branches aren't quite low enough for her to get up there herself, so Daddy has to provide a little assistance.  But once she's there you can forget about her because I think she is setting up camp and staying for a while.

And finally an indoor shot of my guard dog.  I actually have two, almost identical.  They love to lay at the top of our steps and look out the front window so they can keep an eye on people who have the nerve to walk on our sidewalk, UPS men who have the nerve to bring us packages and dogs who have the nerve to sniff our mailbox.  What would we do without them?  (Apparently I caught this guard dog at nap time.)

Check out some more low shots at I Should Be Folding Laundry.

Unfair

I kind of pride myself on being a positive person.  Even in bad situations, I will always try to find something positive - the silver lining, if you will - to take away from it.  I do this because that is how I want to live my life.  I don't like to dwell on the negative and stay down in the dumps.  Don't get me wrong - it's not that I am oblivious to the bad things that happen.  But rather, I prefer to find a way to attack them and turn the situation around.  How can I make it better?  How can I make it go away?  Think positive for a positive outcome.

But this week I was thrown for a loop.  I learned that someone very near and dear to me is in for the fight of her life.  My first thoughts when I heard this news?  It is so unbelievably unfair.  And it sucks.

I have always believed God doesn't give you more than you can handle, and I'm certain she thinks this way, too.  But isn't there a breaking point somewhere?  She and her husband and children have endured so much and it seems they are always fighting some battle.  There isn't time to recover and regroup from battle #1 before battle #2 starts raging.  And yet in the midst of her own personal battles, she will be the first person to rally for you if you need anything.  She will give you the shirt off her back, even if that means she doesn't have another one to replace it. 

So one would think with all the fighting and good-deed-doing, she would finally be dealt a good hand.  Right?  Not so.  This time the bad cards are in her hand and the latest battle is one she must fight for herself.

So many questions swirled through my head this week, but mostly "How?" and "Why?"  And I have prayed like I haven't prayed in a really long time.  Prayed for her and prayed for answers and understanding.  Hasn't she been through enough already?  Doesn't she deserve a break?  Even a little one?  My heart is breaking for her and I feel so helpless because I can't make her better.

I went to visit her on Wednesday and as I ran all the details through my mind the next day and reflected on exactly what was going on (and prayed some more - I really don't think I have stopped since the news broke)... something became very clear.  I have always known her to be an amazingly strong woman and such a fighter.  And here she is again, fighting.  Not a mad, angry, crying fight.  But a strong, determined, positive fight.  The kind that says "You just try to mess with me.  I will take you down."  When faced with the biggest struggle of her life, she is not backing down.  Not one little bit.  She is poised and filled with faith and is even maintaining her sense of humor through it all.  Wow.

It is very difficult to rationalize something terrible happening just so something good can result.  But here she is, facing something so very terrible, and showing us all how to deal.  She is the strong one.  She is the role model.  Yes it's true - God knew who he was dealing with when he handed out this fate.  He knew she could fight it.  Does that mean I think it is fair?  Does that mean I understand?  No and no.  And I probably never will.  But oh my, has my admiration for her grown.  This woman has always been one of my role models for several reasons and now I can add her fighting spirit as another.

I know she will come through this and walk out the other side even stronger than she was before.  I know it won't be easy for her, but I'm certain she will make it easier for the rest of us.

Lost

I am feeling lost of late.  In some ways very grounded and exactly where I should be and rolling right along.  But in other ways... just lost.  What bothers me even more is that the things that make me feel this way are somewhat elementary and immature and silly, but you can't always help the way you feel.

I told Brandon tonight something that has been on my mind for several weeks now.  (And let's face it, something that is never, ever far from my mind.)  I need some alone time for ME.  Absolute, 100% me time.  It's not that he is preventing me from having this or that he doesn't encourage it - it's just life.  We are busy with jobs and kids and being grown-ups.  But these days, the only time I have to myself is when I am running errands.  The grocery, the bank, the like.  I tell myself that if I have some time to hide out in a back corner of the library and read one of the many books on my night stand that I will come out refreshed and ready to start anew.  Or that if I can have a day at the spa (which hopefully accepts Monopoly money) I will be so relaxed that I can't help but resurface ready to conquer the world.

I've heard so many people say you have to schedule time for yourself. Actually pencil it in somewhere. (Or type it I suppose. Who actually has a paper calendar anymore? Me, that's who.) For the longest time I thought that was the dumbest thing I'd ever heard. You can't schedule "me" time and plan on sticking with it - stuff happens! Life happens. Sometimes you have to just bypass and take care of business. But now I am realizing this is exactly what I must do for the sake of my sanity.

Just tonight I also told Brandon (during a different discussion) that sometimes you just have to find a way, and if the old way isn't working then you have to find a new one.  So perhaps I should follow my own advice.  Find direction in those moments when I am lost.  Take charge and seek the path I am looking for.  And if the path I think I'm looking for can't be found, then forget about it and find another. 

So perhaps in the midst of all this path-seeking and me-time-scheduling I will come to some resolutions about where I am going and what my next steps will be (and should be).  It just feel like there are so many loose ends right now and I don't know which ones to grab first.  But it is becoming more apparent that I cannot grab them all at once and tie them into one nice, neat, big bow.  So I will start tying knots, one at a time, to keep them from fraying.  And once that is done I might be able to gather them up into one tight bunch.  And maybe I won't.  But that certainly won't stop me from trying, and maybe even tying some new knots if I need to.

Hidden Gems

Perhaps the title of this post should be "Obvious Gems."  But when the gems aren't so obvious to me, they fall into the hidden category.

I am always trying to find fun, new things to do with my kids, especially during the summer.  As much as they love to swim and play in the backyard and go to the park, it does get old after a while and let's face it - nobody wants to play outside when we are under an Excessive Heat Advisory.  So trying to find something that A - appeals to all ages and genders and B - doesn't cost a small fortune can be a bit challenging.

And that's what best friends are for!  Mine suggested taking the kids to the Wright-Patterson Air Force Museum.  Why on earth haven't we thought of this before?!  It is an easy 45-minute drive from our house and best of all, it is FREE!  (Of course with the cost of gas these days I guess it's not 100% free, but its about as good as it gets folks.)  So off we set on Wednesday morning with 6 kids, not really sure what to expect other than a bunch of airplanes. 

Saying this was a "pleasant surprise" does not even do it justice.  The whole thing was an awesome experience.  For starters, the kids had a great time - not an easy task when you are dealing with boys AND girls, ranging in age from 1-9.  They loved seeing the planes, reading about them and checking out some other small artifacts throughout the museum.  And of course they wanted their picture taken in front of just about every aircraft we walked past.

The museum is set up in 3 hangars - we made it through about one and a half, from "The Early Years" through the Vietnam War.  There were planes on the ground and planes in the sky - so much to see everywhere and so many different things I wanted to photograph.  Unforunately it was not so easy when trying to keep up with a bunch of kids, but I did get some neat shots:

One day I would love to back sans-children and actually read and learn about some of the things I saw, like these:

And while there were planes, planes and more planes, there were also plenty of other things - TONS of other things - throughout that I would love to check out.  





We convinced the kids to stop and look at a few but you know as well as I do that a large airplane right in front of you is much more appealing to a child than a piece of paper in a display case.

I think I could easily spend the entire day there, reading and learning and soaking it all in.  Walking through there makes me realize how much I DON'T know and for that I feel guilty.  My grandfathers fought in World War II, my father-in-law fought in Vietnam and while I know what I was taught in history class in school, there is so much more I am completely unaware of. 

So in addition to the history lesson, I learned a few other things... 1) How to plan better for my next trip there with the kids because they really want to go back and see the things they missed.  2) I will need to find a babysitter so I can back sometime and see what I want to see.  3) Going forward I will do a much better job of seeking out the wonderful opportunities around me.  What's that line from The Wizard of Oz?  "If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard..."

You Capture - Drinks

What a fun challenge this week!  The story of my weekend can actually be told through drinks...

Last week the kids and I spent every morning at Vacation Bible School.  While it was amazing, it did throw off our normal routine and I think it is safe to say it wore us all out.  So by the time Friday evening rolled around, I was DONE.  Once we got the kids in bed, Brandon and I planted ourselves on our family room couch and caught up on our DVR while enjoying a few much-needed adult beverages.  Nothing fancy, but simple is exactly what we needed!

Saturday our friends threw a Luau-themed party, roasted pig and all.  True to their style, the house was decorated in bright colors, everyone received a lei as they walked in the door and there was a variety of frozen drinks to choose from.  They even took care of the non-frozen-drinkers with some good old fashioned beer, but they still couldn't escape the festive cups!

Of course the best part of this evening was getting to share a few drinks with my old friend. 

My absolute favorite parts of every weekend are Saturday mornings (and sometimes Sundays) when we have nothing to do except sit around, drink coffee, watch cartoons with the kids and read the paper.  It doesn't happen often around here, but when it does... oh, it is glorious!  (A side note on my mug of choice: We have 3 photo mugs, one for each child.  And you better believe they pay attention to which one you are using and ensure they get proper rotation so everybody gets a turn!)

Sunday afternoon my best friend and I took all 6 of our "little" kids to the zoo.  It was supposed to be a nice day - warm and sunny.  At least that's what the weather man said.  The reality: it was HOT!  Luckily I still need to bring a stroller on such outings so we could load up the basket with refeshments.

Sunday night as Brandon and I sat down after the kids were in bed, we both agreed it was the best weekend we've had in a very long time.  Time spent together, time spent with good friends and fun for everybody.  Doesn't get much better than that.

See what other people are drinking this week at I Should Be Folding Laundry.