Scavenger Hunt Sunday

I cannot believe it is time for Scavenger Hunt Sunday again already!  There's been a lot of stress around here lately, but I won't go into all that.  Let's just get to this week's prompts, shall we?

1. LACE - My 6 year old's shoes, that he wears once a week on chapel days at school.  

2. BLING - I'm not a "bling" kind of gal, but I do love my engagement ring.

3.  WOOD - Our wood mantle above the fireplace, and my boy putting on one of his "shows".

4. FUZZY - My hands are always cold, so I bought these gloves to wear in the house.  This is at my employer's house. (I'm a part-time nanny).

I hope you all have a great week!  I'm looking forward to seeing your photos.

Scavenger Hunt #2

It's time for Scavenger Hunt Sunday!  I have to admit, I wasn't really feeling it this week.  I had a rough time with these prompts.  I mean, it was 25 degrees, so going to the "Park" was not happening.  All the "Auto"s around here have an ugly layer of mud and slush.  Plus, I had a super busy week, but I did it, and didn't cheat by going into my archives, so I'll call it a win.  I can't wait to see what everyone else came up with!

1. Basket - I got this basketball hoop when I saw it sitting by the curb, with the trash.  It looked brand new!  My son has been playing with it for 3 years now!

2. Park - I took this shot while "parked" at a red light.  On the rare occasion that Dylan comes out of school grumpy, I ask him "Did you leave your smile at school?  Do we need to go back and get it?"  This is him trying desperately NOT to smile in response.

3. Auto - Like I said, all the cars around here are dirty, so I went with this nice shiny red one.

 5. People watching - The lighting was horrible for these shots.  The only light was coming from a tiny lamp to the left of Jim.  Dylan and Jim were playing "The Masked Avenger", which entails a sleep mask, crazy wrestling moves on the bed, and lots of giggling.

An Extra Big Hand

Back when Dylan was about to start kindergarten, the plan was for him to take the bus home from school.  Due to the completely ridiculous bus schedule our district came up with, yours truly ended up taking him to school and picking him up each day.  Days like today make it all worth it.

When I picked him up today, I could tell something was wrong.  He usually comes running out, with a big smile on his face.  Today there was no smile, and he was walking very slowly, looking depressed.  He got in the car and handed me the "big" hand (which says "Great day", and means that he did everything he was supposed to do) without his usual smile.

Me:  "Hey!  You had another great day!  Good job, buddy!"

Dylan:  "Yea".

Me:  "How come you don't seem happy about it?"

Dylan:  "You know... Victor got an extra big hand today!  He got an extra big hand THREE TIMES already!"

Me:  (They get an extra big hand if the teacher sees them doing something kind, or if they are "extra" good)  "Well, Victor must have done something nice for someone".

Dylan:  "No, I think he got it for being extra good in chapel.  I was good in chapel, but it's really hard for me to be extra good in chapel.  It's SO long, Mom!"

Me:  (Trust me.  I've been there.  I know what he's talking about).  "I know, honey.  It is long, and I'm sure it is hard.  But, you were good!  You've been getting big hands so many days in a row.  You are doing a great job.  I'm proud of you!"

Dylan:  "I know, but I like to be the best".

Me:  "I know you do, but you can't always be the best".

Dylan:  "I know, but I didn't get ANY extra hands yet, and Ethan and Hannah got extra big hands today.  I don't think I'll EVER get one!"

Me:  "Honey, I'm sure you will!  There's four and a half more months of school!  You just have to do something nice for someone.  I know you like to help people."

Dylan:  "I do help people in my class, but the teacher asks me to do it, so I guess I don't get one if she asks me.  Maybe sometimes I do something nice, but she doesn't even see it!"

Me:  "Well, the important thing is not that she sees you, or that anyone sees you.  The important thing is that you do nice things.  The person you do nice things for will be happy and THEY will appreciate it.  That is what matters."

Dylan:  "Well, sometimes you do nice things for someone and they don't even say "Thank You" and you don't feel like doing anything nice for them anymore".

Me:  "Yea, that happened last week, remember?  When I freaked out yelling at you and Daddy, because I felt like no one ever thanked me for anything I do?"

Dylan:  "Yea, Mom, but if I thanked you for everything nice you do for me, I'd probably have to thank you, like 20 times a day, because you do A LOT.

Me:  "Wow, good talk".

(I'm kidding.  It didn't end there.  But, it WAS a good talk).

A January Day at the Zoo

That's right.  It was 61 degrees last Saturday, so we headed to the zoo.  As usual on Saturdays, we were having a bit of trouble getting out of our pajamas and actually leaving the house, so we didn't get there until 2:30.  Our zoo membership had expired, so we stood there trying to decide if we should just pay the regular admission, or if would make sense to renew our membership.  We ended up deciding to renew, which we soon learned was a good decision since the zoo was closing at 4:00!  So, we didn't have much time, but these are the shots I got, and we are anxious to go back in the spring.

My First Scavenger Hunt

Welcome to my very first Scavenger Hunt!  (Head over to Ashley's HERE to see what everyone else came up with, or to join in).  Since this is my first month shooting in manual mode, these shots (while not anything special), are a BIG step in my photographic journey.  I had no idea what I was missing while shooting in Auto mode, and I'm pretty mad at myself for not learning sooner.  But, since there's no time like the present...

1.OUTSIDE - One morning, when I was taking Dylan to school, there were tons of lines in the sky.  It was pretty, but also a bit disconcerting.  It reminded me of "Missile Command", (that old Atari game).  I'm showing my age here... uh, never mind.

2.BACKSIDE - My husband graciously volunteered to model for this prompt, but I went with the "backside" of our house/yard instead.

3. LITTLE THINGS - I was sitting at the table having lunch, when this little guy landed on my finger, and decided to check out my ring.

4. A CUP OF - I try to drink a lot of water.  Hmmm... do you see it as half empty or half full?  I try to be a half full kind of gal.

5. REFLECT - I love to get shots of trees reflected in water, and the early morning light on this day was pretty amazing.

If you have any tips or suggestions, I'd love to hear them.  See you next time.  Have a great week!

The Twelve Best Scenery Shots of 2012

As I was looking through my photos from the past year, for the best shots I took of Dylan, it hit me how much I love to take pictures.  I have a confession, though.  Up to this point, I took all my shots in "Auto" mode.  I never learned how to shoot in "Manual", but 2013 is the year I'm going to change that.     Call it a resolution, if you must.  In the meantime, here are my other favorite 12 shots from 2012.