I wrote a post a while back about kiddos and the amazing things that they can say. In it, I listed some questions and challenged YOU to ask your kiddos the same ones, or more. I finally sat down with Kate today, one-on-one to get her responses. So here they are! Enjoy!
- Where did you come from? Texas <THAT’S my girl!!>
- Where are you going? (giggle) To my house
- What is dancing? Fun
- What’s the best place in the whole world? Home Why? Because my Mommy and my Daddy are here.
- What do you wish for?
- What is a giggle? It’s a laugh. Like what I’m doing. (giggle)
- What do you dream about? Mommy and Daddy
- What did you dream about last night? Mommy hugging me. <aw. So sweet.>
- Do you want to be beautiful or smart? Both.
- What is the sky made of? Blue and white.
- What did you do today? School.
- How fast can you run? Very fast.
- What’s the meaning of life? I don’t know. <join the club, sister!>
My husband just bought a new camera.
My husband just bought a DSLR camera.
My husband just bought a Nikon D80.
And I was afraid of it.
Seriously, I’m used to the cute little Nikon CoolPix point-and-shoot that we’ve had forever where you quite literally “point” it at your subject and then “shoot” the pic. I learned much about photography on that little camera. Things like “make sure that the heads of all the people in the picture aren’t cut off” and “the flash only lights up a few feet in front of you, not the entire concert stadium”. And once I mastered those incredibly difficult photographic techniques, I started working on framing my photos using 3rds, and not always using the flash, and looking to see what’s in the background of what I’m shooting (ie. is that pile of dirty dishes the back drop of the otherwise incredibly cute pic of the kiddos?).
I just got to a point where I felt comfortable. Like I kinda knew what I was doing. Like I could take a half-way decent picture of my own children.
And then he bought the monster camera.
And everything I was proud of myself for learning was now child’s play.
I was suddenly immersed in a world of F-stops and aperture priority and focal length and ISO. It was to be expected that I was scared. Intimidated. Overwhelmed. Sad that I wouldn’t be able to take pictures anymore because there was no way I would ever learn how to use this thing.
Somehow (I blame it on almost 14 years of marriage), my dear husband picked up on my hesitancy to even try using the camera. So, he sat down with me, showed me how to put it on “auto” everything and then MADE me shoot with it until I was more comfortable with it.
Now, I’m learning how to change the focal point. And use the “aperture priority” setting. I’m still fuzzy on F-stops and ISO and the difference between lenses, but at least it doesn’t scare me to pick up the camera anymore. So, when our friend handed me his D3, the much bigger brother to our D80 (see above picture), I actually kinda knew what I was doing. In fact, he may have created a monster by teaching me so much. Now, my friends know that if I’m showing up at an event, I’ll probably be the one toting around the camera bag and shouting at the kids to “say cheese” for the umpteenth time.
And I’m actually okay with that.
One of my favorite pictures (of the almost 500 dear hubby shot) from our recent trip to Puerto Morelos, just outside of Cancun. We stayed at the fabulous Azul Sensatori Resort thanks to some beautiful friends of ours and thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. Now we’re just trying to figure out how we can get down there again – and SOON!
A bit about the book…
Laurence Anholt has done a beautiful job of telling the story of Matisse and his nurse, Monique, who became a nun, in a way that children can relate to and enjoy. Since I didn’t know anything about this artist, I also enjoyed getting to learn more about his personality and his art, too.
What we loved…
While the illustrations were quite unique, I also loved the way that the author used typesetting to help ‘illustrate’ certain passages. During a passage about “diving in tropical lagoons and rowing on blue-green seas”, Anholt typesets the words in curves that go around the fish in the picture behind the words to hint at the motion of swimming and waves. But, more than anything, it was the story itself that captured both my attention and the attention of my six year old. There’s just something fascinating to me personally about an artist creating a chapel in a new and different way.
Continue reading…
Thanks to my facebook friends (yes I just joined) for making me write this list…
1. I’m a native Houstonian. and proud of it. and dislike Dallas. and never want to move.
2. I have 2 websites that I maintain. 1 is for moms: http://www.TheMommyJournal.com and the other is for homeschooling: http://www.Homeschool.Me
3. I’ve never had a cavity, broken a bone, or been admitted into the hospital.
4. I LOVE to organize (especially other people’s stuff). I HATE to clean. (Thanks, sis, for this one. We ARE related, aren’t we?)
5. If I could, I think I would read all day long. I’m not even terribly picky about what I’ll read. I’ve been known to read the back of a shampoo bottle just to entertain myself.
6. I taught 8th grade Earth Science for 5 years. I still have nightmares about showing up to class naked or not being able to get the class under control or the principal walking in while I’m yelling. Let’s just say that while I love the art of actually teaching and watching the light bulb go on in someone’s head, the rest of the stuff that goes with the profession wasn’t my cup of tea.
7. Speaking of tea – I like hot tea with cream and sugar. I blame it on Shawn and his proper English grandmother. Of course, I like a good latte from Starbucks even better…
8. I adore Tex-Mex food. The cheesier, with more sour cream and salsa, the better. Oh, and don’t forget the avacado!
9. I’ve only dated 4 men in my life. This means that all my repressed sexuality and romanticism from my teenage years has been reserved for Shawn. We’re both still enjoying the benefits of that.
10. I smoke cigars on occasion. I love a good, mild, sweet wrap, Dominican.
11. I drink red wine. Can’t stand white or blush. Enjoy a chianti or a good spanish merlot the most.
12. I lived in the same house from the time I was 3 until the day I married Shawn. I still have dreams about that house. There were some great memories made there.
13. Our honeymoon was a 10-day road trip around the SouthEastern US in Shawn’s little blue Miata. Hot Springs, AK; Chattanooga, TN; The Great Smoky Mountains, TN; Pensacola, FL; and New Orleans, LA. It was the perfect trip for us.
14. I took classical piano lessons from 2nd grade through 12 grade. I still love to play from time to time, and miss the outlet that used to represent for me emotionally.
15. I was a choir geek. I live for that moment of dischordant harmony that finally resolves – it sends chills up my spine. I was a 2nd Alto and even sang Tenor a few times. In HS, all the 2nd Altos called ourselves “Viking Women” because we could sing so low. In fact, the last time I auditioned for anything, the director was determining my range and finally stopped when I got to an octave below middle C.
16. I’ve had 3 children. All 3 naturally with no meds. All 3 water births. And this from the girl who once told her mother she would never have children of her own because child birth scared her so much. Who’d have guessed? Certainly not me!!
17. Shawn (my husband) and I met on the Praise and Worship Team at our church. Our first date was a group trip to Galveston after a P&W rehearsal. He’s says I asked HIM out on our first date because I asked if I could ride with him to the beach. I say he asked ME out, because afterwards he took me to Applebee’s for dinner by ourselves.
18. I have a BS in Elementary Education from Baylor University with a specialization in Earth Sciences. I like to say that I combined the best of my mom, a teacher, and my dad, a petroleum geologist, when I did that. 
19. I do not like raw tomatoes. The slimy snot inside mixed with the tiny seeds just makes for a very unpleasant experience in my mouth. I also do not like seafood. If it looks like it did when it was alive, I can’t put it in my mouth. Gross.
20. I had a strict curfew growing up. In fact, I even had a curfew the night before I got married.
21. I go out with a group of moms for dinner once a month. We have the best times sharing kid stories and husband stories and just sharing life together. Every mom should have these kinds of friends in her life.
22. I am an introvert by nature. I was a wall flower during Jr High and High School. I’m only loud and obnoxious with my true friends (aren’t you all so lucky?). The rest of the time I’d rather be curled up with a good book or movie.
23. I love Indy Racing. I’ve inherited my husband’s family’s passion for racing and disdain for all things NASCAR – hello, anyone can make a left hand turn, but can you run a road course? in the rain? That’s the true test of a good racer! Go Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan!
24. I dislike the color pink. In fact, when we found out that Kate was a girl, I ALMOST had them put on the baby shower invitations, “No pink, please.” (Of course, she is the MOST pink-loving-ist girl I’ve ever known. God has a terrific sense of humor, huh?) I love the color blue – have since I was a little girl. My favorite shades are midnight blue and cobalt blue.
25. I’m 5 feet tall. I cannot stand the song “Short People Got No Reason” and think this is why I’ve never liked any other Randy Newman songs or his voice. Of course, this all stems from childhood issues of being teased for my short stature sung to the tune of that song. But, I’m totally over that now… Okay, mostly over that now. In fact, I will quote you from my favorite tshirt (Thank you, Sara!), “I may be small, but I’m very influential!”
By Kay on Mon, Apr 13, 2009
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