Halloween Etiquette Checklist

1. Dress up in whatever costume your mama bought you without complaining  – no matter how goofy you think you might look.

2. Walk calmly to the front door of any given house – without barreling over other children…

…oh, and if you can’t walk by yourself, then you probably aren’t old enough to be Trick or Treating in the first place.

3.  Hold out your bag and politely say trick or treat.

4. Thank the person who just gave you candy – without adding an amendment such as “Thank you, but I don’t like raisins.”

5. Don’t throw a fit when you don’t get the same thing as the person next to you.

And last but certainly not least…

6.  I realize you have taken a lot of photos this evening, but if someone who just gave you candy thinks you’re cute and would like to take your photo, don’t refuse them that joy, just as they did not refuse you that candy.

Two and a half out of six isn’t bad! Could use a little improvement for next year though.

This message has been brought to you courtesy of the Brookshire boys.

Flashback Friday

November’s theme: “Family Ties.” Post pics of you and your family, immediate or extended.

Where October went, I have no idea. But here it is November already and time for a new Flashback Friday theme. This month we are celebrating family.

I’m thrilled because next week, I am headed out of town to see much of my extended family. My sister is getting married and so everyone will be there - aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents.... It feels like the last time I saw many of these people was seven years ago at my own wedding – how sad is that?! But since our moving to Oklahoma, I have had little opportunity to go back east and visit with my relatives and I can’t tell you how sad that makes me.

It just seems like life passes us by so quickly; and for some reason we don’t seem to take the time to spend with loved ones. These two girls are my cousins, Gina and Tabitha (who will probably kill me for posting this photo on here); and my brother and I are the ones on the backs of the bikes. This was taken in West Palm Beach, Florida (our favorite place to vacation growing up).

Obviously a lot of time has passed between this picture and now. Life has led us all down different paths and each of us now has our own families to take care of. Unfortunately life and distance has caused us to grow apart; but when we do get together every few years, it’s as if we’re magically transported back to when life was simpler.

i heart faces – week 43

A few weeks ago, I did a photo shoot with some old college buddies and their children. They are such a fun family I knew we had to do something exciting; so, I took them to some old abandoned rail cars, gave them some balloons, and let them have at it.

When I saw this week’s theme at i heart faces was “Balloons” I knew I would choose a photo from this particular session.

To see more “Balloon” photos, or to join in yourself, head on over to i heart faces.

Spooky or sweet?

Crazy stalker fans

So last night, I could have easily qualified for a stalker. I went to PW’s book signing in Oklahoma City with my friend Kaci (another crazy fan who you can see more of on my photography blog).

(can you tell I’m just a tad bit excited!?!? – so pathetic!)

We weren’t alone though. There were hundreds and hundreds of people there all to see Ree (I can call her that now…we bonded). I even got to see one of my old college buddies, who appears regularly on my blog during Flashback Fridays, Mandy.

We saw Ree’s punks; and the girls even came around to sign the cookbooks.

And I even got a couple of seriously creepy stalker photos of Marlboro Man (me being the stalker, not Marlboro Man). 

And so, after waiting in line for three hours, it was my turn! Of course, as my luck would have it, my camera malfunctioned, aka – it ran out of batteries because I’d been taking too many pictures. But eventually I got it to where we could at least get a few photos, in focus or not. 

And somehow, during this fiasco with the camera, Ree and I started to mess with our hair and then we got on the subject of our annoying cowlicks. 

We sympathized with one another, we felt each other’s pain, and like I said earlier, we bonded.

Flashback Friday

October’s theme:  “Costume Party.” You can post photos of you or your children dressed in some sort of costume and it doesn’t necessarily have to be a Halloween costume.

Since tomorrow is Halloween, I figured I had better at least post one Halloween photo this month.

I think the last time I dressed up for Halloween was my freshman year of college for a sorority party. I went as Mini Mouse – 1. because I like Mini and 2. because it was cheap; and you know how all college students like cheap. So, are you all dressing up this year? If so, I would love to hear what you plan on going as!

And don’t forget next Friday starts our new Flashback Friday theme “Family Ties”. Simply post pics of you and your family, immediate or extended, and link up!

Field Trip

Regardless of how I feel about the name “Chester’s Party Barn” (admit it, that so does not sound like an appropriate place for little kids…or me for that matter), that is where Jack’s Pre-K class ventured on their very first field trip. 

The parents were asked to come along as well, so I loaded up my camera, lined up behind the school bus and 50 other cars, and off we went.

“Chester’s Party Barn” is located out in the sticks. Literally it was down dirt road after dirt road. And somehow along the way I got lost.

How I lose a big yellow school bus and 50 other cars is beyond me, but I did.

Stick me in a crowded city with road signs and I’m fine. But lead me down dirt roads surrounded by farms, and you might as well blind-fold me.

I digress. So, eventually (after having to ask for directions not once, but twice), I made it.

And despite the weather being crummy, the kids had a blast.

They road hay rides,

pumpkin bowled,

and decorated their own pumpkins among many other things.

And afterwards, miraculously, we all (including myself – although I was 2 miles short of running completely out of gas) found our way home.

He’s a maniac, maniac on the floor

For the past few weeks, Jack has been involved in his first organized sport. Although neither his dad nor I ever played soccer, this was the sport Jack begged to play.

[yes, they are playing indoors on a basketball court…the weather has been poor lately and we (the parents)  are all just wanting to finish the season]

I wasn’t real sure how he would like it, but as the weeks have gone on, Jack has become more and more intense with regards to the sport.

His favorite position is goalie; although, I’m not real sure it doesn’t stress the poor kid out. The ball doesn’t make it his way very often; in fact, the ball stays mostly out of bounds during the four-five-and-six-year-old games. But when it does make it down his way, Jack ends up…well…you’ll see in the following video -

What he’s doing with his feet, or where he even got that from…I have no idea. If it wasn’t so cute and funny, it might just be embarrassing.