Found My Camera

Blog title says it all.

My bro participated in a charity event. Fundraiser for the Denver Adult Down Syndrome Clinic, which is an essential part of his life right now. My brother is the bomb, apparently.

 Here he is with some Denver Broncos cheerleaders, and below with none other than Miss Colorado.

Here he is with some Denver Nuggets dancers. He was pretty busy that evening, as he was also part of the main entertainment. Some of the clients of the organization put together some dance numbers and performed them. The best, though, was that Maki danced with all of these very nice, lovely ladies that evening. It was fun!





A couple of years ago, I enrolled Ellie in ballet classes. After a few months, I realized it was a total bust. She was not loving it, to say the least. I gave her a year off and now we are back at it. Here is the first day of ballet (and tap and tumbling) lessons, part II. We hope it sticks this time.

This child can't not pose for a photo.

A week later, school started. It was a very exciting day, since it was Ellie's first day of kindergarten.

I had to throw these in here, just to balance things out.

Unfortunately, for this date and time, this is all I could get of this guy. Hey, at least he's wearing pants!

Waiting for the bus. I'm only partially joking when I say that I selected the kids' elementary school based on the fact that the bus will take them to school. (I can be one lazy mama!)

Have a good day at school!

Despite the fact that I grew up where I grew up, I am one who makes a point of staying away from nature as much as possible. (Not quite as bad as Monk, but I definitely sympathize with his position.) I believe that there is such thing as too much nature, and that threshold isn't very high.

Today, however, we made a short trip into nature--the Garden of the Gods, to be exact. It was, of course, beautiful. Despite the intense heat, it was a fun and worthwhile family activity. It was made even more worthwhile afterwards when we went to Rudy's for lunch/dinner. Yum....mmm....

It was a good day. It's been a good summer. I don't think I'm ready for it to be over.

Filler

Dear World,

I have been a terrible blogger. At this point, I don't think I can even call myself a blogger. (Which begs the question, what is the definition of a real blogger, anyway? But this is not a topic for this particular blog.) I rarely post. Currently, I have left off part III of a 3-part series on my family's vacation that we took in May. I will repeat, I am a terrible blogger.

My current excuse for not keeping up is that we recently purchased a new computer. While I am loving this change (we are now converted Mac users), it has turned my world upside down. Not just learning to use the Mac, but transferring files, etc. (Thanks Dr. Doctor Dirty!) Add to that, the fact that I hate the camera that I currently own, and if you know me, you know that if I have taken a dislike to anything, it's bad news for that item. In this case, it means that (a) I can't find the stinkin' device; and (b) even if I had the stinkin' thing in hand right now, it might not make a difference because it hasn't been working due to some possible abuse it has experienced at my hands. (I mentioned that I have taken a dislike to this thing, right?)

Anyway, the newest photos are not currently accessible. I apologize. Here is a cute photo just to keep you reading. (Old file photo.)

That reminds me, I need to deep clean my kitchen. Well, my house, really. But then, what's the point? I have 3 kids, the oldest of whom is 5 years old, the middle of whom is 3 years old and has a Y chromosome (if you have a child with a Y chromosome, you know the implications), and the youngest, of whom is as much trouble as 2 or 3 of the middle child. Youngest of said children doesn't even have a Y chromosome. Oh, and she bites.

To continue with the futility of cleaning my house--Judd is in the process of potty training. Long story short, the world is his potty. More specifically, my hardwood floors are his personal toilet. (Clorox is currently my best friend.) If you know my son, you are currently thinking, "I can see that." Personally, I would just have him stay in diapers because potty training is the pits. (Second only to breast feeding, in my opinion. Le Leche League, please refrain from commenting, ever, on this website.) However, I have 2 major motivators driving this thing:  (1) 3-year-old child poop really stinks and (2) he starts preschool in a couple of weeks. I'm up against a deadline here. (In case you're wondering, Jake still holds his breath when he changes the kids' diapers.

Anyway, here's to hoping that my next blog post is all about the Chuck-e-Cheese potty training victory party. Oh, and here is my message to the world about potty training:

Makers of toddler underpants, please make them so the picture is in the FRONT. If the picture is not in the FRONT, my child has to wear his underpants backwards so the picture will be in FRONT. He has a very difficult wedgie he futilely adjusts all day long because he has to have the picture in FRONT. Thank you.

Here is another gratuitous photo:

Because I am a terrible blogger, this is all for now. I promise to one day finish my travelogue. I really need to find my camera, upload the photos, and break the stinkin' thing for good.

In case you're wondering, that is the same cabinet the kids are playing in. Currently, all three kids disappear into that cabinet on a daily basis. I need to get a photo of that. Where is that stinkin' camera?