Wings that WOW!

Yesterday Michaela attended a birthday party in Belton, Mo. The entertainment was provided by Yvonne Patterson of Wings of Love. She gives live presentations to help kids understand the connection between the rainforests, our personal survivability, and the preservation of our global natural resources. Yvonne has been a birdkeeper since she was two years old, and she brought 16-17 birds to share with us. I highly recommend her as a presenter for any function you might be hosting. Learn more at http://www.wings-of-love.com/

Getting ready

Tonight Michaela had her final practice leading up to her next gymnastics competition. Sunday afternoon she'll participate in a Kansas City, Mo., event. Tonight they spent a lot of time working on balance beam. She will also do bar, floor and vault rotations.

I'm so proud of her. She never gets discouraged. She just keeps trying until she masters each new move.

First shots

Back in the Swing

Thanks to Mike, I'm back in the swing with a new camera. I'm so excited to have the camera I've been dreaming about for the past six months -- a Nikon D40X. It's wonderful!! I can hardly wait to see what kind of photos I'll get at Michaela's next gymnastics meet!

Watch tomorrow for samples of my first images!

Crashed and crushed

Nicholas participated in his scout troop's Pinewood Derby last night. His car did great. It was my camera that crashed and burned. I wasn't there when it happened, and I don't know if it can be fixed. And this, after having spent an entire day scrapbooking with friends. I clearly treasure my photos and enjoy taking them. No problem, just get another camera ... right?

I'm afraid the end of this story won't be as happy as the mini-van story -- where I ended up with a better vehicle than the one I started with.

I'm crushed.

This is one of the last photos taken with my beloved Fuji S5100.

Snow angels

For once, the forecast was correct. We had about 4" of snow last night.

Naturally, the kids are a little more excited about going outdoors than Bingley is ... Here's his version of a "snow angel."

The road crews evidently weren't convinced the snow would really come, so the roads were a mess this morning. Accidents everywhere. It took me twice as long as normal to get to work.

Put me in a box!

Why do we never learn? It's the same thing every year after Christmas ... You buy 'em toys, only to learn they'd rather play with "the box."

On the road again!

This weekend I got a new set of wheels! Before I could even figure out how to turn the radio on, the kids had already folded the stow-n-go seats into the floor. And once they saw the built-in DVD player, any longings they had been feeling for the old car were gone. The navigation system is nice ... but my fave feature (for now) is the heated leather seats!

I had it washed last night so I could get a nice photo. Tomorrow the snow will be back, and it will be just another used (dirty) car.

Post Happy New Year

Christmas is over, and the decorations are put away for another year. There's nothing else left to do but nap!