They Never Saw it Coming

At dinner

I asked each boy to pick his two favourite friends. Each kid willingly named two, except for the six-year old, who named four.

I told them to hold the image of those friends in their minds.

Then I picked out a really terrific event that each son could image he was going to-- with his two best friends.
One child was going to see a really awesome movie he's been talking about,
one was going to be a mascot-for-a-day for our favourite footy team and
the youngest boy was going to a fun zone area (with his four friends).

Me: "Now imagine I'm driving you and your two very favourite friends to that special event and Friend One says to Friend Two, 'You're really stupid'. Friend Two says, 'I am not stupid and you stink'. Friend One says, 'You always cry about everything' and crying friend replies, 'I hate you!'".

J2 says, "Oh... like me and A1".

Me: "Yes, like you and A1. Every day I can't wait for my three best friends to come home from their day at school.
I make sure I've finished all of my errands and all of my chores so that I can be standing up at the bus stops eagerly waiting to see your faces."

"I cheer when there's a snow day, I love school holidays, I LIKE being with you, but my best friends-- the people I love most in the world come home and call each other names and antagonize each other to anger or tears".

Very somber faces.

Poor kids, only a few minutes before they thought I was getting ready to let them take friends on some really cool outing.

At least I know I got my point across.





Still in computer switch-over mode , so no 365 this week, but I will happily bore you with photos next Thursday! (my itunes is only missing some parts to some albums and we haven't touched the photos yet-- fingers crossed).
I do want to clarify: Never at any time have I ever been unhappy with my Mac baby. We've been loyal mac owners since they were called apples and took up an entire desk. This switch is to improve space and speed for my continuing education-- you know, just in case you're considering a Mac and think I've had any problems with mine.

8 thru 14

365 Photos



Photo 8
The snow kept coming. I woke up every morning probably more excited than my kids.

When I was a child, living in Northern Arizona (high desert),
I would wake nearly every winter morning in hopeful anticipation of possible snowfall while I had slept.
As I braced myself to look out my bedroom window, the first thing I could see was the flat roof of the house across the street. It was covered with those sparkling white rocks that only turquoise houses from the 60-70's could pull off with flare.
I'd catch my breath...snow?
No, rocks...
and my eyes would continue scanning down from the roof,
only to glimpse a disappointingly dry lawn--more times than not.

This winter here? Made up for all of the snow disappointments of my childhood.

Photo 9

I had no problems filling my photo quota.
I never committed to good or even interesting photos.
This is my driveway.
The one I am besotted with even though it needs a little cleaning up.
I probably have a minimum of forty shots of this drive
in every kind of weather.

Photo 10
Photos + kids = 107 photos (quit laughing, that was in two weeks, not one)
Sometime well into our new snow-blessed days,
it occurred to me we hadn't made snow cream.
The kids and I gorged ourselves on big bowls of sugary deliciousness.

It didn't stop them from eating the garden snow.


Photo 11
Fancy a game of Rummikub?
I've mentioned before that I have amazing luck and no one ever wants to play board games with me, even though I am at my happiest when someone will.
I don't care if I win or lose,
I really don't...which is good because
J2 has discovered another thing he's very good at.
He has taken to slaughtering me nightly now.

Photo 12
is my little Yoda Wannabe on a previous post. She's actually playing with a Zelda accessory piece for the Wii. A Christmas present for A1 last year. I believe her photo shoot was the
second time in a year that it was actually turned on.

Photo 13
What does one photograph when one has had an unbelievably rough day?
Envision a day with one child so difficult that you are considering buying stock in Duct tape. Imagine that her whining and screeching has set your nerves on hypersensitivity mode.
Try to imagine as 11.00pm rolls around
and all other children are in bed,
this particular child is still barking demands.
THAT is the time you realize no photos were taken to capture that craptastic day.
One shoots what one has.
(and yes Miss ky is a little big to be drinking with a sippy cup, but not at 11 pm when said cup is going to her bed-- I learned that lesson already)

Photo 14I lied yesterday.
My time to myself was stolen from me.
I spent over three hours with demands from my church calling and then the rest of the evening stewing about it.
I'm thinking maybe my blog should have been documenting the unraveling of a Relief Society President, but thought it better not to bore you.
Instead I have been silly a lot when I wasn't feeling very silly.

Today began with a 7am text whinging about yesterday. It was negative.
The person was angry (not at me) and started my day off just right.
Later, after racing home from a 2 1/2 hour R.S. meeting so that
the hubby could leave for work without a Miss Ky,
I discovered the little busy one's handy work.

I treasure finds like this because it makes me slow down and think,

• "What was her vision?"

• "What did she have running through her 3 year-old mind as she placed each card inbetween the dvds?"

• "What was her Dad doing at the time?"

365 -- Give it a go people, never too late to start humiliating yourselves
with mundane photos once a week.


Thanks Chris, you are fantabulous for hosting!

Hosted by Chris