Mimi's Visit

Mimi came down to stay with us for a week.  Even though we really didn't get out-and-about much because of the overwhelming heat, Brenna kept Mimi on her toes.  One solid week of Mimi's undivided attention and Brenna was in heaven.

For her birthday, Brenna got a collection of Pinkalicious card games which have quickly become her new favorite thing.  By the end of Mimi's visit they both were so good at cards I was considering signing them up for a Texas Hold'em tournament to make a little cash on the side.

Everyone had a great visit.  Brenna enjoyed some fun with Mimi, and Jacob and I were able to get-away for dinner and a movie.  Thanks Mimi for all the help and the Charlotte Cake too!

Make Your Bed

Brenna likes to help with everything.  And in some things, she's a very big help.  Last week I was cleaning the house for Mimi's visit and Brenna was helping me strip the sheets from our bed.  She carried all the sheets to the washer for me and helped me put them in.  She asked "What else can I help with Mama?" so I said "Now you go make your bed" and I turned to go put some things away in the closet.  An indeterminate amount of time later I walked out of our room to discover this.

Me - "Brenna, what are you doing?"   Her - "I made me a bed!"

Naps are Better with Friends!

Hanging with Hammy

Lightwriters - Another Photography Class

Last week I had the pleasure of squeezing in another photography class.  This class was given by a Houston area photographer that was recently voted one of the top five photographers in Houston.  Allison Carlino did our family photos right after we moved to Houston and she's scheduled to update those for us again in October.  She's a fantastic photographer and I love to follow her work.  She offered a 3-day course that she calls Lightwriters where she covers all the basics, does photo critiques, and even brings in a model for shooting practice (with a camera, I mean).  I really enjoyed the class, got some great ideas, and learned some new techniques.  She was very complimentary of my photos and encouraged me to take the next class, which is sorta like a preparatory course for those going pro where she covers more advanced techniques and the in-and-outs of running a professional photography business.

I told Allison that I couldn't devote the time to another (and much longer) photography class right now, but that I wonder consider joining next summer when she taught it again.  She invited me to join her as an assistant photographer for a wedding shoot in the coming weeks.  WOW!  I would love that!  But, that prompted a conversation about getting into the photography business.  I must confess that the thought has crossed my mind on more than one occasion that this could be a possible opportunity for me when Brenna starts school (elementary, that is).  I'm constantly improving and I figured with continued education and practice by then I would be able to produce a product worthy of a price tag.

However, talking with Allison was very enlightening.  We discussed the initial investments required to kick-off a photography business, the financial payback, the time commitment involved, and the always important work/life balance thats required.  I won't go into all the details, and she was very encouraging about taking the plunge.  But, I just don't think the business end of things will fit into our family right now.  For now this will just be a hobby that's limited by how much my husband is willing to fund it each year.  I guess I'll just have to be satisfied with taking pictures of friends and family.  But that's ok, it just so happens that they're my favorite people!

Oh!  And here's some of my model shots.

Brenna's 4th Birthday

Oh my!  Where to begin?  Brenna turned 4!  I can't believe how quickly the years have gone by.  I still haven't come to grips with the fact that she'll be starting preschool next month.  There's so many things I love about this age.  She's beautiful, (she's always been beautiful, but now she's beautiful with more hair), smart, active, rambunctious, spunky, and lives in a pretend world for most of her day.  I love her imagination right now.  Throughout the day we solve mysteries, hunt dinosaurs, swing on vines through the jungle, and sail on a pirate ship.  She absorbs everything that she sees and hears and processes it in that brilliant little mind of hers.  She's our gift from God and a very special little girl.

Like every birthday party before this, the planning started months before with a simple question.  "What do you want your birthday party theme to be this year?"  and the answer, "Rainbows!"

Sounded simple enough.  You'd think with something as common as rainbows there would be rainbow party decorations everywhere.  Oh, was I wrong.  After hitting all the major chain party suppliers and coming up with naughta, I regrouped and started visiting the more boutique party shops.  After no luck, I finally asked one of the store owners why there weren't any rainbow party decorations!  Her response was surprising.  Apparently, shortly after the gay pride movement and the rainbow was selected as the official logo for that movement, the children's party supply manufactures began to back away from rainbows as a kids party theme.  So unless it had a unicorn, Rainbow Bright (remember her?), or a Care Bear on it, there were no rainbow party supplies to be found.

So, equipped with my Parents Magazine article on Do-it-Yourself Birthday Parties, I hit the Internet in search of homemade rainbow party decorations.  At this point I'd just like to say that if you may have that particular magazine, THROW IT AWAY!  If you've read the article, FORGET IT!  It's not worth it ladies!  You all know I'm the queen of bargain shopping and love to find a nice cheap alternative, but don't do it!  Not for this.  Spend your $35 at Party City with confidence knowing that its the most effective and sanity-saving way to spend your time.  I won't go into the details of the hours of printing, cutting, gluing, pasting, and taping it took to put together one simple party tablescape.  Just heed my warning and learn from my mistake.  It will save you a whole lot of headaches and numb fingers.

On a more positive note, I wouldn't have done this particular party any other way.  Brenna wanted Rainbows and this was the only way she was gonna get them.  Also, she had a great time "helping" make all the decorations with me, so it really led to her enthusiasm about the party.  This year we had it at an indoor playground.  Texas in July is no place for a backyard birthday (without water) and 12 kids and their energy level can no longer be contained in my very breakable house.  This worked out great.  The kids had a fantastic time and the adults got the sit back and chat without worrying about the kids bouncing off the padding floor and walls.

Here's some shots from the day.  Thanks so much to everyone for a wonderful birthday!

Houston Space Center

My parents came down for Brenna's birthday party, and after 10 years of living in Texas, we finally went to the Houston Space Center.  I knew going into it that this little excursion would be more for the "Big Kids" than for Brenna, but I knew there would be some fun stuff for her too.  Anytime Mawmaw and Pawpaw are around its a party for Brenna no matter where we are.  The Space Center takes a long time to cover everything.  We left after 6 hours and I still didn't get to see or do everything that I wanted.  I think the return trip will have to be when Brenna is alittle older and can get more out of it.

We more-or-less stuck with the educational side and toured the grounds, astronaut training facilities, Mission Control, and the museums.  It amazing to try and wrap your mind around what humans are capable of creating.  The idea that a group of people would have enough faith in the brain power of a handful of engineers and rocket scientists to strap themselves onto a piece of metal that contains thousands of gallons of rocket fuel that will propel them into the unknown at 125,000 mph is just crazy.  They do have a beautiful memorial on site to the astronauts that have given their lives in the pursuit of space travel.  I'll never forget watching the news coverage of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003.  One other thing I noted was that there was no mention of the recent funding cuts effected by our current President or that because of those cuts the next trip an American will make into space will be on the high ticket price of independent business or by hitching a ride with Russians.

Texas Children's Hospital and the S.P.C.A

This weekend Brenna got a lesson in giving.  Our neighborhood just opened a new section that included several beautiful new model homes.  So, there was a Grand Opening and they invited everyone to come out for free cupcakes, pocket pies, balloons, face-painting, ice cream and pink lemonade.  They were also taking book donations for the Texas Children's Hospital.

So, I sat Brenna down and tried the explain the importance of giving and what a donation was.  We talked about how a hospital was kinda like the doctors office except sometimes you have to spend the night.  I explained that there was a special hospital just for kids and sometimes those kids have to stay a long time.  When I suggested that we give-away some of our books to the children at the hospital, she was completely on board by saying "Not the red books, because I really like those, but they could have the blue ones because we don't read those anymore."  And so the negotiations began!  In the end, while we did leave behind a few books that I thought should have gone (Brenna insisted the they were must-haves) she parted with about 20 books.  She received some very nice compliments as she dropped her books in the donation buckets at each of the new homes that we visited.

But, our lesson wasn't over.  Later that afternoon, Brenna joined some of her friends for a volunteer fundraiser!  Our friend Anna recruited her brothers, cousin, and Brenna to run a lemonade stand and all the profits went to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.  Thanks to the humor and generosity of our neighbors the kids raised $22.25 for the S.P.C.A.!

Brenna and the Frog

Brenna is definitely more tomboy than girly girl!  Even though her favorite color is pink and she likes for her Daddy to tell her she's pretty when she's dressed up in her Sunday dress, that's about as far as her feminine side goes.  I don't mind.  I was a tomboy growing up too and even as a grown woman I've never been one much for girly things.  I've never had a manicure or a pedicure in my life and if I get to the hair dresser once every 3 months its a miracle.

Still, sometimes I can't help but laugh at Brenna's idea of fun.  No one will ever mistake her as prissy.  Here's just a few reasons way.

1.  Her bike basket is filled with sticks and rocks that we've collected along the creek trails.
2.  If you ask her to play her most favorite thing inside or go outside, she'll always choose outside.  She'd rather be digging
     in the sandbox no matter what.
3.  Her latest outdoor activity is to go on a safari through the flower beds with her bug cage and butterfly net and catch
     anything that has wings.
4.  She's never picked up a baby doll or barbie and dress-up has never made her to-do list.
5.  If we have to play inside we build things with blocks and magnets, or we play pretend which usually includes pirates or
     dinosaurs.
6.  She's not even 4 yet and we already have 2 chipped teeth because she's so rambunctious. Her legs and arms always carry
     some cut, scrap, or bruise.

So, on our last bug safari, what should we find but this a four-legged hopping friend who Brenna affectionately named Family Frog (because she thought he should be part of our family!)

Blankie

I'm reading a book called Mamarazzi.  I'm pretty sure I'm guilty of this title.  I'd never heard of the term until a friend recommended the book.  It's all about the how-to's of Mom's photographing their kids.  So, it's not so much of a fun-to-read book (unless your a learning photographer) as it is an attempt to simplify the technical terms and techniques of photographing kids.  There's a particular section thats all about not forgetting to document everyday life.  I've always thought I've done a pretty good job of that, since I'll take a picture of just about anything.  But, it specifically talked about capturing kids with their lovey!

Huh!  Wait?  Of course I have pictures of Blankie!   I must have?  She's carried him all over creation since she was born and has never slept a night without him.  So, I head to my photo albums to investigate because I can't remember any specific pictures.  I keep all our photos digital with a separate back-up to ensure we never lose our memories.  I have pictures dating back to 2001, which is about when digital photography really started to boom!  Today I have more than 15,000 pictures all sorted into appropriate albums.  After looking through all of Brenna's Age Albums I realized I had missed a very,very important part of her life.  There were a few pictures with blankie, but nothing that really captured what that grubby little patch of pink fabric really means to her.

So, what to do except get to snapping!  Here's our precious Blankie through the years!

The beginning of Blankie.  Here Brenna is only 4 days old, although she's not too pleased at the moment.

Pandamania at Grand Parkway Baptist Church

After our late night Monday with the fireworks, we were up bright and early Tuesday morning for our churches Vacation Bible School. Our church is pretty small, and last year we didn't even have a VBS because we were afraid we wouldn't have enough kids.  This year we had about 140 kids 2 years old through 4th grade and the theme was Pandamania.  As a comparison, one of my friends was sending her children to the very large Second Baptist Church and they had over 2,000 children registered!  

Brenna had a fantastic time!  I was alittle nervous about it since this was her first "school" type experience. I tried to explain it to her that it would be different from regular church. As we were driving up the first day she said "But Mama, this is regular church!" She loved every minute of it, and I really enjoyed things too. I lead the Bible Adventures for the preschoolers and while it was a blessing to be so active with the kids for the week, a week was plenty! I was worn out!

The first day after Brenna had been with her Bamboo Crew, she ran up to me in the general session and said "Look Mama, I have my very own name tag.  It says Brenna, B-R-E-N-N-A!"  I said, "That's great!  Look, I have a name tag too!"  Her response "But Mama, you got the wrong one!  That's not your name!  It doesn't say M-A-M-A!"

Happy 4th of July

Ok, so this post is alittle late.  Sorry things have been slow on here lately, but we've been busy!  I'll be playing catch-up with a couple more posts over the next few days, so check back soon.

What was suppose to be a nice relaxing long 4th of July weekend kicked off a very long week filled with backyard BBQs, birthday parties, fireworks, and VBS (more to come on this later!)

We attended a 4-year old's Justin Bieber birthday!  I can't believe its already started.  This little girl is just in love with Justin.  Of course, Brenna had no idea who he was and unless he was coming to play, she's wasn't too concerned.

We also attended one of the 4th of July celebrations so Brenna could see a real fireworks display.  She really liked it this year.   We were far enough away, that things weren't too loud, but close enough to enjoy the view!  Here's a few shoots from the weekend.

Rainbow Kitty

Recently, Brenna discovered a new game with her side walk chalk.  She likes to scribble two or three colors over one another and then rub them together with her hand to see what new color she can make.  When Abraham came over to investigate, Brenna gave him a big pat on the head which resulted in a red ear!  And that started a whole new game!  Abraham the Rainbow Kitty!

Brenna's Gymnastics

Well, with the dance recital in our review mirror we looked ahead to the summer.  Since Brenna is a "big girl" now, she likes to make her own decisions.  And her first major self proclaimed decision was about gymnastics.  While she enjoyed her year of dance, it just didn't bring the enthusiasm that gymnastics did.  But, since we paid the tuition, recital fee, shoes, costumes, and professional pics (the list seemed never ending), we stuck it out to the end.  At the end, I told her she could chose to do whatever she liked.  So we went back to gymnastics.  She jumped right back in like she never missed a beat and she loves it!

Kite Flying!

I know I've mention this many times before, but I love our neighborhood.  I love the quiet street that we live on;  I love all the wildlife that comes with the beautiful trees, creek, and lakes;  I love the bridges and the trails.  But most of all, I love all my wonderful neighborhoods.  I love waving as everyone passes by, standing out in the street chatting, and having no pitty to borrow an egg from my next door neighbor, because she just borrowed milk!  I love cooking extra and passing along left overs to my friends, and I love all the yummy treats that find their way to my door!  I also love that on any given summer day, when the temperature is between 70 - 95 degrees our street it littered with bikes, toys, and kids!

Last week we spent every afternoon outside with bike races, water gun wars, mud pies, and kites.  The kite flying was new for Brenna and all the kids enjoyed it.  The Dads managed to get the kite in the air and the kids took turns.  Elmo never looked so beautiful waving down from the big blue sky!