Hey Shontell!

Look here!

:)

This face

can only mean one thing...

Softball season has begun again!

We almost didn't sign her up for softball - we thought it might be to much with drill team and a tougher teacher for 2nd grade (we love you Jo!)... but at the last possible minute we alled to see if Violet could join her old team from the last 2 seasons. Unfortunately the league was full... so I called her old coach and said if a spot opened up to let us know. Wouldn't you know it - the day before their first game, they called and Violet was back on the team! She was thrilled. The cool part is that almost all the girls from before are back. AND the group moved up a division and is now 8B instead of 8C... so they are running the bigger bases and the rules are a little stricter. And they are playing some teams that are tougher, so it's a good challenge. And of course, Violet loves it. She's pitched a few innings, but is really hitting her stride as shortstop - totally stopping the ball, covering second base, and even tagging out some runners. Totally cool to watch her play her part so well!

Her games are Tuesdays and Saturdays through the end of October - call if you want to join us for any of the games. I know Violet would love to see friends and family watching her play.

Update.

Yardwork.
Poop patrol.
New BBQ grill.
Planning.
Designing.
Dreaming.
Budgeting.
Planting.
Digging.
Shoveling.
Raking.
Pruning.

Must be fall... we are officially working on our backyard. Our goal is to finish it by the end of October. Okay, that's *my* goal. Hopefully we will have most of it done by then. Maybe not the grass, cause that's a bit of a chore and budget-eater. But at least we will have planters and retaining walls and rock moved and stuff like that. Pictures to come... if I get my act together.

Ok so this is why I love YouTube.

And The Internets.
Cause you know, no matter what, you can answer a question with a little search on the Internets.

So after my last post I did a little YouTube browsing, wondering if there were other versions of Canon in D that people had done.

And I found this one... which I know Melinda will appreciate even more than the last one... :)



Click here for the direct link

Pachelbel Bedtime

The best Pachelbel adaptation I have heard in awhile... ;)



If the embed code didn't work, click here:

Pachelbel Bedtime

Melinda, I thought you would definitely appreciate this! :)

Getting there!

The Wii fund is growing! We took all that change from Rick's jar to the Coinstar machine... nearly 3000 pennies were in there! We left with just over $60 to add to the Fund, which means the kids have just surpassed the $100 mark. They are pretty jazzed about that... too bad I have to break it to them that they are only 1/3 of the way there... lol

The Wii Fund

The kids want a Wii.

Naturally, being my father's daughter, I am going to make them earn their Wii.

The kids have started what they call "The Wii Fund"...

Any spare change they find, they put in the big jar. They are volunteering for chores they normally won't do to get some extra cash... and just a couple weeks ago, they had a lemonade stand at the entrance to our neighborhood.

It was a nice, hot day. We had a 4 gallon jug of freshly made lemonade, a cooler full of extra ice, and nice, big cups. We sold the lemonade for 50 cents a glass... and, in just over an hour, the kids sold it all! They made THIRTY BUCKS PROFIT in one hour!! It was insane.

And so their Wii fund grows... Rick added a whole huge jar of pennies he had been keeping in the garage too. A couple more lemonade stands, some dog poop patrol in the backyard, and a little creativity (yes, Riley is working on his artwork to be sold at an etsy shop), the kids should have earned their Wii by Christmas. :)

Best $100 ever spent

A couple months ago, Violet earned enough money doing chores to get this camera. Since then, she has been making all sorts of movies, music videos, plays, and more. Sometimes they are really inventive, creative, and fun. Other times, well... here is a typical day at my house:

My children are so precious :)

(and how cool is it that Blogger now has an option to upload video?!!)

Links on the right --------->

Check em out! I put links to my site and my *new business blog* up so you can see what I am up to. The business blog will be there to showcase images from recent sessions and give my clients a little "preview" while they wait for their proofs.

And, coming on Monday on the business blog... a special announcement for my past clients! Exclusive *Limited Edition Sessions* will become available on a first come, first serve basis. This will be a great chance to get that updated family photo for Christmas cards without having to book a full session. You won't want to miss it!