A Family Picture

It has been several years since we've had a family picture made. We had the opportunity to get one this week for our church directory or we still would not have gotten it done. Setting up an appointment was easy with three days to choose from. Preparation was a whole 'nother thing.

What do we have everyone wear?

Since this was our first in a long time, we had some pretty high standards. We were going to try coordinate the colors everyone would wear...only we started discussing this a mere two days before our appointment. After consulting my closet (since, surprisingly, Jason Slade has more clothes than I do...sad, I know), we finally decided that Jason Slade would wear a pale blue Polo that closely matched a pale blue sweater I had. Grace would wear a pale pink dress (what else?) and the boys would wear matching Polos. With my hurt leg, this put Jason Slade in charge of taking the boys shopping for Polos.  What color for the boys?  Jason Slade suggested a pale blue--something a little lighter than ours. I chimed in with "As long as it doesn't clash."

(Screeching halt to the conversation.)

Jason Slade said (among other things), "You have to remember, when you say the word 'clash'...you're not talking to a woman. When you say 'clash,' I just think of cymbals."

Now, I have never claimed to be a fashionable person, but I can understand what "clashing" is. In fact, I probably dress more conservatively than most simply because I do not want to err on the "clashing" side, especially since I know I don't know much about fashion as it is. I spent the next few minutes trying to make him understand this concept. I finally said, "'Clashing' just means it looks weird," and he said, "OK." (Not that he acutally understood--it was more an attempt to end the conversation. I let it go.)

The shirts were found, they didn't clash, and everything went well enough. Well, aside from the time or ten that Josiah crossed him arms and said that he wasn't going to smile. Why? Because he was mad that we wouldn't let him play outside...

For the thirty minutes or so in between him getting completely dressed until we were walking out the door. Poor thing.

Oh, and he smiled, all right. Mr. "You Can't Make Me Smile" showed all of his teeth in every single shot.

Robert, on the other hand? The photographer asked him if he had any teeth. (And, yes, it got a nice smile from him.)

Grace proved to be the most difficult out of the bunch. She kept looking to the side (she does that all the time with me, too--drives me a little nuts), did weird things with her eyebrows, and kept crossing her arms across her chest.

And I promise you, she just started doing that as we were waiting for our appointment. (Now, as I write this, I think it came from Josiah's pouting about how he was not going to smile.)

After we got home, Grace told me, "When dat big guy took my pi'ture, I not look at him," as she shook her head and furrowed her brow. She continued, changing to vigorous nodding and a sincere smile, "But when you take my pi'ture, I'll look at you, Mommy."



I'll hold her to that. Because this is what I typically get:







But these are my favorites in the parade of bad pictures...because this one from May 2008


looks strangely like this one from April 2009.

You Capture: Joy

This is Week 10 of the You Capture blog carnival hosted by Beth over at I Should Be Folding Laundry. Each week Beth presents a new challenge and this week’s challenge was Joy.

I'm still recovering from my leg injury so I haven't been on my feet much this last week...and I couldn't exactly grab my camera every time I saw what looked like a good shot. I did hobble out to the back yard for these photos, though. I love the look on Grace's face!

And you should have seen the look of joy on Josiah's face when, after I covered up bare spots and a toy sword in the middle of this photo, I added some grassy features to the kids' faces:

I will also cheat a little and use a 3 year old photo that I recently made into a button for my sidebar. The brief story behind this photo is here. Josiah was a joy-filled little boy at age three, and he still is!

Check out I Should Be Folding Laundry for more You Capture participants.

You are welcome to grab the button off my sidebar if you like it. You should be able to right click and "Save As"; if that doesn't work, let me know!

Overheard: The Vacation Edition and more!

The Vacation Edition

During the drive down to Valdosta...

Me [hoping this wasn't the start of an illness]: Why are you sneezing so much, Grace?

Grace [seriously]: 'Cause I have bad feelings.

~~~~~

While waiting for our food at the Waffle House, Josiah was waving out the window as people drove up and parked.

Me: Are you the greeter?

Josiah [seriously]: Not so much. I don't really work here.

~~~~~

On the way back home, we stopped off at a dog show in Perry...

Josiah: If I had a dog like that, I'd name her Hannah Montana and dye her hair blonde!

Grace: If I had a dog like that, I'd name her Hannah Montana. [pauses to look at another dog] If I had a dog like that, I'd name her Charlotte!

Charlotte is the name of her newest doll that Ms. Carol gave her for her birthday.

~~~~~

Josiah: I like the dogs who lick me the most!

~~~~~

We also stopped at High Falls State Park to stretch our legs. All three kids fell while walking along the trails at various times, so each came home with a (minor) scraped knee. One reacted more dramatically than the others...

Josiah [wailing after falling at High Falls]: Well, don’t just stand there! Can’t you see I’m hurt?!?

I took this picture a couple of minutes after Josiah had fallen. Apparently it wasn’t too terribly bad, because he was happily heading further away from the first aid kit in our car.


~~~~~

And More...

While putting Grace to bed...

Grace: Mommy, you're da best!

Me: The best what?

Grace: Da best Mommy!

Me: And you are the best Grace.

Grace: And Daddy is da best Daddy, and my brudders are da best brudders! [joyfully hugs me] I love all da peepul in my family! [more serious tone] And Mommy, I love your sons.

Awww!!

~~~~~

While at a pet store...

Josiah: When I get a dog, if he's been good, I'll give him a bedtime snack at night--a treat! And if he's been really good, I'll give him two bedtime snacks!

Jason Slade: How will you know if he's been really good?

Josiah [seriously]: If he listens to Grace.

The adoration is mutual.

~~~~~

While at the same pet store...

Grace [looking around, bewildered]: Where's all da dogs?

Jason Slade: They don't have any dogs here, just these cats.

Grace [roaring]: Rar! Rar!

Jason Slade [amused]: They're not that kind of cat.

Grace [matter-of-factly]: I just scarin' dem!

And she's not that kind of three year old girl, who is all mushy over cats. ;)

And, yes, I am seeing the whole dog theme. They don't have me fooled. They are trying to chip away at my resolve...

What I learned this week

Jo-Lynne at Musing of a Housewife hosts a blog carnival called "What I Learned This Week." I am joining in this week a little late. :)

Soooo...What have I learned this week?

1. I should not attempt to kick a soccer ball. Ever again.


2. It is really hard to sit all day long.


3. It does, however, make it easier knowing that I have three kids who will willingly pitch in to help in a variety of ways.


4. It also helps knowing that I'm off the hook for dinner preparation for at least a couple of nights. (And you can't beat having a dishwasher installed on the very day I learned #1, after washing dishes by hand for 9 months!)


5. I can get my husband Jason Slade to make tea for me, and with only minimal joking about “dirty leaf water.”
   
6. If I am being forced to sit with my leg elevated, I can and will balance the checkbook the day that the bank statement comes in the mail. (That’s the first time in many, many years.)
   
7. Mad Libs will keep 6 and 11 year olds occupied for hours at a time.


8. A 6 year old boy will quickly learn everything from nouns to adverbs while playing Mad Libs.


9. Therefore, Mad Libs can be counted as school time.


10. If you need a body part while playing Mad Libs, “bellybutton” is consistently the funniest one you can pick.


11. If you need a noun while playing Mad Libs, “cat” is consistently the funniest one you can pick, according to 6 and 11 year old boys.


12. I, however, am partial to using the word “platypus.”


13. My 6 year old did not know what a platypus looks like. He does now.


14. The platypus and the echidna are the only two mammals that lay eggs.


15. I already knew this fact about the platypus; I didn't think I'd ever heard of an echidna until I read its nickname, the spiny anteater.


16. I will read aloud about animals from encyclopedias when I am bored sitting with my leg propped up.


17. Both the platypus and the echinida are from Australia.


18. I can read approximately 324 books to Grace in a day if I am sitting with my leg propped up. Or maybe it just feels like that…


19. My 11 year old will still hang around to listen to me read aloud children’s books.


20. My 6 year old can stay outside all. day. long.
    

Head on over to Musings of a Housewife to see what others have learned this week!

~~~~~

Since I have heard from a few people who were concerned about my injury, I wanted to assure everyone that I am doing better. I’m getting around much easier and, no, I didn't break any bones. It’s a muscle injury, and Jason Slade has some experience/training with sports injuries…although I hesitate to refer to this as a sports injury since I got hurt before I actually made contact with the ball…how pathetic is that? Anyway, he has been keeping tabs on the location of my injury as well as my improvement. So, I'm OK...really! :)

You Capture: Letters

This is Week 9 of the You Capture blog carnival hosted by Beth over at I Should Be Folding Laundry. Each week Beth presents a new challenge and this week’s challenge was Letters.

Hmmm...Letters. There are so many directions one could go with "letters." Right away, I saw "letters" all over, everywhere we went, like these (E, F, H, and I, for a sample):

But, oh my! That's enough to push me over the edge, coming up with A through Z!

So I stopped...and moved on, much to my own relief. (I am still seeing "letters" everywhere, though.)

Then I thought of the most famous letters: the red letters.*

John 3:15-20

And for yet another take on "letters," this is one my son Robert took at my insistence, since I am currently unable to hop up and grab the camera whenever I want.

Check out I Should Be Folding Laundry for more You Capture participants.

~~~~~

* Red Letters by dc Talk

Pages filled with a holy message
Sealed with a kiss from heaven
On a scroll long ago
Phrases, words that were bound together
Now have the power to sever
Like a sword evermore

Heed the words divinely spoken
May your restless heart be broken
Let the supernatural take hold

CHORUS:
There is love in the red letters
There is truth in the red letters
There is hope for the hopeless
Peace and forgiveness
There is life in the red letters
In the red letters

One man came to reveal a mystery
Changing the course of history
Made the claim he was God
Ageless, born of a virgin Mary
Spoke with a voice that carried through the years
It's persevered

Heed the words divinely spoken
May your restless heart be broken
Let the supernatural take hold

What You say moves me, revelation, come and take me
The more I look [the more I look] the more I see [the more I see]
The Word of God [the Word Of God] is what I need

Speak to me, breathe in me new life [x2]
Let Him in your heart [x4]

Lyrics were found online here.

It was the best of times; It was the worst of times

Oh, just being a little dramatic here. :)

Dad came by yesterday (Tuesday) morning to install our brand new dishwasher (WHOO HOO!).

He had a faithful helper, and not the one I imagined would be glued to his side and talking his ear off...but she covered the former and the latter, too, all while wearing high heels and tending to her baby Emily.

See?

Presenting...the end to washing all dishes by hand, at last! (And, again, I say "WHOO HOO!")

Thank you, Dad!!

After Dad left, things went downhill quickly. I was planning on getting us out the door to go to ALDI (Dad not only installed our dishwasher, but left us with his car while he took our second car that was having problems home with him to fix it); instead, Robert talked me into playing a few minutes of pseudo-soccer (kicking the soccer ball across the yard). We kicked it back and forth a few times, and then as I readied myself for a "big" kick (obviously too big for my abilities), I felt a "pop" in my lower leg followed by tremendous, blinding pain. I limped as quickly as I could into the house, simultaneously demanding that Grace get inside the house with us, asking for an ice pack, asking for the recliner to be cleared off so I could sit down, and asking for the throw pillows to prop up my leg. Seriously, I was hurting so badly that the sounds of the children's voices were fading away softer and softer, and then suddenly I popped back to where I could hear them again.

I don't know exactly what happened, but it's nothing so serious that it required a visit to the doctor. There was absolutely no change in color in my calf--just a little swelling and a lot of pain to walk or with most movement. Today (rather, tonight) I am moving around much better, which is perfect timing considering that my hip and knee on my "good leg" were beginning to hurt from all of the hobbling around in a strange way to minimize movement on my "bad leg."

Fortunately, the kids have been very helpful with doing and fetching things for me, and have (gasp!) even been fussing less amongst themselves. Grace, however, still can't understand why she can't climb all over me with a big stack of books...I am, after all, sitting down, so why can't she climb up for story time???

Praise the Lord, wasn't it perfect timing to get a working dishwasher?

Wordless Wednesday: Spanish Moss

This was a tree outside our hotel in Valdosta, during our recent vacation. I thought it was very interesting with the contrast between the bright colors of the tree and the Spanish Moss.

(Does anyone have any idea what kind of tree that is?)

Visit 5 Minutes for Mom or Wordless Wednesday for more Wordless Wednesday participants.