Photo of the Day

Photo of the Day

Funny Faces of Fredericksburg

I'm on a mission, and I need your help. My niece has entered her precious little daughter (my great-niece?) into a 'funny faces' photo contest and she needs more votes. She's currently ranked 21st (last time I checked) and it would be most awesome if she won. Could you do me, and most importantly her a favor and vote for her daughter? If you would like to do so, go here. Oh, and I should note, the little girl that shows up when you click on that link above is her....just in case you were wondering. She's got a single pig-tail on top of her head, brown hair, squished up cheeks and is wearing a pink shirt. And well, she's just cute! Now I'm off to find out what the winner receives. I'll update when I know more details.

Photo of the Day

It's Greeblepix Photo Contest Time

Hi there. Yes, I know. You don't have to say anything, I KNOW. But first..... It's September and it's time again to enter a photo into the Greeblepix Photo Contest over at Greeblemonkey. Of course I looked through all of the other entries that are up so far and wow.

WOW.

I have some tough competition this month. But that's okay, I'm doing it just the same. And I'll do it again next month. Unless I win this time. So. Here goes, here's my entry:

And so I'm #26 on the list of entries. My favorite number!

Wish me luck!

Eight Miles of Heaven

Keven and I made an attempt to visit Eleven Mile Canyon earlier in the summer per the recommendation of our neighbor, but we missed our turn and ended up driving a long dirt road that eventually joined up to Eleven Mile Reservoir. And for the life of us we just couldn't figure out why our neighbor said the drive was 'so pretty' because really? It wasn't. AT ALL. When my brother and his wife were in town about a month ago, I suggested that we check out Eleven Mile Canyon since it's fairly close to home and easy to get to, and well that time our trip was a success. It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL. So beautiful that I could have stayed there all day. And all night. I love nature, I can't help it. The sound of flowing water, tumbling over rocks. The sounds of birds flying overhead. The warm sun beating down on my face and the top of my head. Me and nature, we have a bond. This past Sunday Keven, the kids and I packed into the car and headed west again to drive through Eleven Mile Canyon. You know, since I knew where it was this time and because Keven didn't get to go when my brother was in town. And it probably didn't help at all that I've continually talked about how pretty it was since that day, and well, he wanted to see it for himself. We've also been contemplating a camping trip before the fall / winter sets in and we wanted to scout out possible campsites. So. Here are some photos that I took the original day I visited, and then some from Sunday. It's a photographers dream, so you just KNOW I was in heaven. FOR REAL. ENJOY!

So now do you understand why I've dubbed Eleven Mile Canyon as 'eight miles of heaven'?

Snippets of Time

When we last met up here we were about to head to the zoo to celebrate Isaac's FOURTH birthday. Yes, I've allowed that much time to zip right on by but guess what? I don't mind. Hopefully you don't either. The trip to the zoo while chaotic (10 kids + a baby) was a total blast. The kids all started off in high gear, running to and fro, hollering and screaming leaving all of the adults looking for that magic taser hidden in a back pocket somewhere. Okay fine, I'll admit: I was the one looking for the taser. And if I could spell out the word 'I' any differently to show you possibly how much I really wanted that magic taser, I would. But you know 'I' is just that I, and well....what was I talking about again? I started to second guess the whole idea of a birthday party at the zoo (which started out with a picnic lunch in the parking lot, then cupcakes, then presents) but not too long after we fed the giraffes and saw the elephants, and the tigers and then the grizzly bears, the kids started to settle down. It was then that all of us adults started taking bets as to when the meltdowns would start. We rode the carousel, we visited with the goats in the petting zoo, and before we knew it we were one exhibit away from the gorilla house, which is usually our last stop in the zoo. It was right around that time that I casually said to a lady (while counting heads of kids) as we were coming out of the hippo house to NEVER have 10 kids. And wouldn't you know the lady looked at me wide eyed and I swear to the heavens above she said these four words that shook me to the core: I HAVE TEN KIDS. I kid you not. Then she proceeded to name them all, in order from oldest to youngest. I was so overwhelmed with shock that I gave the lady a hug right then and there in the stinky atmosphere of what was the hippo pool. And you guys! Usually I don't invade other peoples personal space but I was so exhausted from keeping track of TEN kids that I just couldn't imagine a life with ten kids, and well - my arms. I could not control them at that point from reaching out and giving that nice, sweet lady a hug. BY GOD SHE DESERVED ONE. Good thing she was cool with it because afterwards I was sort of embarrassed with myself. We marched on to the gorilla house and visited for a while, then headed for the parking lot and sure enough, one by one the kids started to melt like rubber on the hot asphalt. I think some of the adults that were present melted a little bit too. Let's just say this: it was good that we ended the day when we did - I mean enough is enough right? That evening we had a small 'family' birthday celebration at our house with my Mom & Dad where more presents were involved and pizza and quite possibly more cupcakes. It was the perfect way to end the day - a fun filled day at that. And then before we knew it the weekend was over and Monday had arrived and we did what we do best; we motored on through the week like a well oiled machine. But not without a few minor hiccups. Evenings were full of crocodile tears when homework was being done, and bedtimes were fought like World War III. I even got my first 'talking to' by Isaac's pre-school teacher because his attitude had all of a sudden taken a turn for the worst. And then the neighbors had to go and paint their house*. On Saturday we invited some friends over for a barbecue in celebration of a friends 31st birthday, and on Sunday we took a drive through Eleven Mile Canyon; otherwise known as: eight miles of heaven. Sunday evening Isaac and I headed to a local park to enjoy the Balloon Glo only to find out once we got there (and after we had walked 12 hundred miles) that it had been cancelled. But right before that? A neighborhood boy took a spill on his bike and was rushed off to the ER to get five stitches in his chin. And as a sidenote: It totally could have been one of my kids because five minutes prior to the accident happening? I was outside warning all the kids to BE CAREFUL because they were making me nervous. I woke up this morning before the sun even came up to head down to the very same park for the hot air balloon liftoff - which was a success - so now my holiday weekend is complete. Labor Day weekend just isn't the same without checking out the Colorado Balloon Classic. I've eaten more food this weekend than I care to acknowledge and I seem to have misplaced my motivation somewhere. Instead I just sit here just thinking about all that needs to be done before the reality of the week sets in. How is it that the holiday weekend flew by like a skein of geese heading south for the winter? So there you have it. Snippets of time if you will. *Our HOA was in an uproar over the color of my neighbors house. A color that they got approved beforehand. But that's a totally different story. Oh and also? Photos to come.