Zoo Day::February 28

Yesterday, Steve & I (along w/ Jared and Matt, who played up in the game room the whole time) took Michael to Shriner's Hospital for a yearly checkup with his orthopedic surgeon. What we found out? All is well. Very nice :)

Afterward, we went to the zoo and met up with the other kids. It was free zoo day :)



The day was sunshiny and blue skies. Such a nice change!



And it was nice to be out in it! Also, such a nice change :)



Matt and Emily commented on how much they loved the aviary portion. It was very warm and very humid in there.



Matt kept insisting that someday he'll move to a tropical rain forest. Steve warned him about the multitude and size of bugs there :) I kept thinking how much it felt like the area that we used to live in Tennessee.



When I was in there, I found that I loved it too. I think if I wasn't a person, I would choose to be a bird. In the rain forest. Where getting a buggy dinner would be an easy process. ;)



We saw most of the animals. Many were sleeping.



Who could blame them? I would have loved to be stretched out and sleeping in the sunshine too :)



Here is a funny thing that happened: We were all in the elephant's area admiring the massive beasts.... except Michael.



He was admiring the ceiling fans instead. He always likes the fans best :) One day I'd love to learn how his mind works!



Aiden was with me when we got to the ostrich cages. He loved them and told me to take a picture of them because he liked them. Such a cute boy! :)



As we walked through the zoo, I got candid shots of all of the family:



Steve pushed Michael in the wheelchair. Sometimes the long walks are too much for Mike. Sometimes we like him in the chair so that even if he is protesting about something, we can keep moving right along.... Life with Mikey can sometimes be a challenge.







Josh brought along a friend and her cute little ones too.... and while I like them very much, my heart isn't ready for any changes yet.



And I was missing Karen. Change is a hard thing for me.



The day was a long one... but it was wonderful to spend the day together. And being outside in the sunshine was wonderful! And animals are my favorite things. One of these days we'll have to go to the zoo w/o going to a (very, very long) doctor's appointment too.

I remember the first time I went to the zoo I was 18. My mom and sister and I stayed up in SLC for the weekend. We went to the zoo and to the State Fair. I could have done without the fair, but the zoo!!!!!!! I was in heaven!

Maybe when I grow up I should be a zoo keeper (I've had plenty of experience with my own group of monkeys!!) ;)

Have a wonderful day!!

Spring Fever!!::February 26

I was going through my old pictures and found this one:



I have spring fever so badly! I can't wait for the outside to be warm, and flowered, and green!

Here's hoping it comes soon!

Happy Birthday, dear Karen!::February 24

She is 21! Her actual birthday was on Tuesday, but we celebrated with her after the baby shower on Saturday.



It has been fun to watch her mature for these many years. She and Josh first got together when she was 16. A lot has happened in these 4 1/2 years! Even though she and Josh aren't together any more, I still claim her as my daughter. ♥

Happy Happy Birthday Karen! We sure love you!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Also on Saturday, Amber and I put on a baby shower for Karen. (Her midwife said that she thought the baby would come in about 3 weeks!! Where does the time go?!)

We played lots of games, but I think for Aiden, Emily, and Karen one of the favorites was playing with mustaches.





Even in Karen's birthday pic, you'll notice she is still wearing a mustache :)

We all had a fun time. It was nice to get together with friends and family and play games, visit, and celebrate LIFE!

Have a wonderful day!

My Grandson is Mr. Cheese::February 23

At Karen's baby shower we played with mustaches.



Emily helped Aiden with his. Add to the mustache a hat that looks like Sheriff Woody's and his big, ginormous smile and I think he made my whole weekend!

What did I ever do without this kid?! Being a grandparent is epic. :D

7/52::February 22

This boy insists on having a hula hoop in the house at all times. If it gets broken, it must be replaced immediately.



And this is one of his favorite tricks; he loves spinning the hula hoop on his finger. Hangers will do in a pinch, but they're not nearly as favored as the hula hoop :)

I hope that you have a wonderful weekend!

A Photo Walk of my own::February 19

Yesterday, Steve & I went out to lunch at Sizzler and then to Twilight:Breaking Dawn Part 2 (both paid for with gift cards from Amber & Tino for Steve's birthday :)) Lunch was very yummy: all-you-can-eat soup and salad for me, steak & mashed sweet potato for Steve, along with the salad bar for him. We went away feeling very full and very content.

The movie was awesome. Although I don't usually like Kristen Stewart's acting, she wasn't too bad in this one. I do love the story of Twilight; I read all of the books one after another, devouring them all. The movies, well, they are alright, but yesterday's really touched my heart. I'm still trying to figure out why, and I know Christina Perri's "Thousand Years" really added to my internal emotion. There is something about loving someone "Forever" that is simply amazing. In the final scenes of the movie, clips from all of the movies combine to tell the whole story: Bella first meeting Edward, their first kiss, their wedding, and baby pictures of Renesme are shown, along with bits of the book with the keywords highlighted to add extra insight. "Forever" was one of those words. Powerful stuff, forever is.

But before lunch, and before the movie, Steve went and worked out in the gym and I took a photo stroll around a building that I've wanted to photograph ever since I saw their first red bench.



It was empty there. I only saw 3 other people, one walking and two driving.



With it being President's Day, many businesses were shut down.



I didn't mind though. I need to build up my courage to do street photography with people.



Taking pictures out and around without a particular thing to shoot still alludes me a bit, so being alone for a moment was a good thing. :)



This next picture makes me a little sad. The empty picnic tables buried in snow and facing the volleyball net look lonely and sad but hopeful for warmer days to come.



And this next picture makes me smile. There were these big things, I think they are generators, that look like a metal animal sculpture; they were all over the place. They remind me of rhino or elephant gargoyles, protecting the buildings from evil :)



I loved the reflective buildings. Seeing the mountains, sky, and clouds reflected in them was really cool.



And, since there was reflection, I decided to take a self-portrait. :)



It was a wonderful, relaxing day. I love taking life at a slow, easy pace. Spending time alone with my art, and then time spent together with my love; life doesn't get much better.♥

Have a wonderful day!!

On our walk...::February 18

Steve & I headed for the hills at sunset last evening to go on a walk. And I took a camera:

I love it when the sun gets low and casts a golden glow. It lights up the landscape like it is on fire, and it is so beautiful!





I also love taking portraits at sunset. Steve, however, does not love me taking his picture. His "church lady", disapproving look made me laugh. He might not like his picture taken, but I love taking it! So usually he lets me take it anyway.... and sometimes I get "the look". :)



Today we are going out on a date. Lunch and a movie is what we are planning on. Before that, though, he wants to stop off at the gym and work out a bit. I will take my camera along and take pics while he works out. Win/win. :)

Have a great President's Day!

6/52::February 17

When he heard me say that I needed to take a picture of him, he dashed away into Emily's room to hide. From there, he stood and watched video games being played.

I hope that you are enjoying your weekend!

Merrie Melody Blog Header Pics Throughout 2012::February 15

..... I will have to look for the summer header pic. I'm not sure where it went!

Steve had the idea that I needed to put the header pics in a blog post so that they weren't "lost" from the blog after the season passed.

I hope that you have a wonderful, relaxing weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day!::February 14

Steve gave me a single rose for Valentine's Day. So pretty and elegant.
Of couse I had to take pictures, and now I am giving you a virtual rose for Valentine's Day. ♥



Happy Valentine's Day! xoxo