Kids' Triathlon

Exciting events this weekend: our first family triathlon to start Saturday off bright and early!  Aimed at kids, the triathlon involves a 100 yard swim, two-mile bike ride, and a half-mile run.  We all participated and had a great time!  The kids were especially excited about the cool medals we got. (Sorry, no action shots.  Since I was participating too, no one took shots during the event.)

Preschool "Graduation"

This is Owen's second year of preschool grad festivities...and he'll have a third one next year.  But who's counting? :)  I was worried this one wouldn't go down because he kept talking about how nervous he was, but he came through with flying colors.

Hanging out in the back row, no hat, no lei.  Hmmm....just like last year.

Receiving his certificate from Teacher Nancie.  Giving the camera his "hard" look.

The best part of graduation?  The cookies, of course!

Love/Theme Thursday: Flowering

Couldn't resist the dual post for Theme Thursday & Love Thursday.  It's not exactly "flowering," but it's definitely "lovely."

Warning: Do Not Try This at Home

BSM: Sweet Converse

Ahhh...a holiday weekend.  Nothing says "fun" like watching cute 4-year-old boy legs, complete with bruises, dirt smudges, and scratches, out on the blacktop with a new pair of low-top Converse.  Life is sweet, indeed :).

Concert

For anyone interested (Mom and Dad, this is for you), photos of Harrison's musical extravaganza:  The grades 1-3 Spring Music Concert.  Although you can't see the autoharps or xylophones too well, we could definitely hear them :).  

Theme Thursday: Aged

It's been a bit tumultuous here this week; James' briefcase was stolen, so I've been enmeshed in all the fun that comes of dealing with theft.  Nothing like rekeying the house to get your week going!  I mention this because I love creating a new photo for Stacy's weekly challenges, but this week I've had to recycle (I did re-edit -- does that count?).  

This photo was taken about this time last year at an outdoor "museum" of old logging equipment.  Fascinating stuff -- and all out there for the kids to climb on (how about them rusty nails, eh?).  I had no idea what most of the stuff was originally used for, but it made for some great pictures.  I call this one "The Lumber Winch."  Don't know if that's what it is, but it makes great copy :).

Looking forward to "AGING" over at Stacy's.

BSM: Just Shoot Me

The warm weather arrives and so does the NRA.  OK, just kidding, but seriously, look at the weaponry on this group!  We've had a scorcher of a weekend here, with a lot of sprinkler time and water gun fights.  When I first shot this, the day-glo colors of the guns and bathing suits combined with the bright sun resulted in eye-melting colors.  I toned it down a bit to save everyone burned corneas :).

Technically, not a great shot.  But after all the cold weather, I'll take any warm-weather shot I can get!  For more Best Shots, go visit Tracey's.

Theme Thursday: Sunshine

Ahh...sunshine.  Tuesday's baseball game was only the second one this season that was not painfully cold.  Early evening light is my favorite, so I actually got a few pics with the sun shining on the players.  Of course it's supposed to soar into the 90s on Friday here in Oregon, so I don't think we'll need the jackets for this weekend's game either.  

BSM: Boys & Me

For Mother's Day, I took the advice offered in a recent Shutter Sisters post and took pictures of my kids...with ME!  I set up the tripod, got out the shutter remote, and told them they could press the button if they would sit with me.  No neat hair or nice clothes, just us.  Happy Mother's Day to me :)!  

Theme Thursday: Fun

"Fun" was a great theme for me this week.  After one of our girlfriends had to cancel her plans for girls' weekend at the last minute, it seemed the fun was over. Turns out, it had just begun!  We didn't want her to miss out on the weekend, so we invited another guest to take her place.  We call her Virtual Suzie.  

Virtual Suz went to lunch with us...

She caught some rays by the pool...

She even got a massage.

Virtual Suzie got to go everywhere we did, and she had a mighty fun time: dancing, shopping, dining, watching the sun set over the ocean.  As you can see, VS even had an extensive wardrobe!  Quite the fun gal!  

Virtual Suz could never take the place of the real thing, but she sure added even more FUN to our weekend!

BSM: Girls' Weekend 2008

"The making of friends, who are real friends, is the best token we have of a (wo)man's success in life."

-- Edward Hale