This post is for Memom, that would be My Mom... The Memom who is always asking for more pictures, the Memom who flew all the way to Texas last spring for bluebonnets and didn't see one, the Memom who was supposed to have her Grandbabies for Easter and got a new refridgerator instead... Happy Easter Memom, we love you!

Spring has sprung! We had a fantastic Easter filled with all kinds of bunny huggin' activities, and though I tried my darndest to get that perfect egg hunting shot where my toddler clapped his hands with glee over his treasure, I did not succeed. I learned this year that smarter people, who are not trying to photograph two children in their darling, matching LLBean shirts, have seperated preschool egg hunters from less experienced toddler siblings by a field AND a fence. Then again, the bluebonnets are really popping up now, and here in Central Texas, you can't get any more SPRING in your step than stomping through a field of these blooms with your cutest kiddos in tow! Is it STILL snowing where you are? Head over to I ♥ Faces to get a glimpse of Spring and to wish everyone a HAPPY EASTER!



KIDS ENTRY:

Bluebonnets are the state flower of Texas and every true Texan will tell you that the thing to do in the Spring is gather up your babies and haul them out to a field of bluebonnets to get the perfect Easter picture. What they don't tell you is that bluebonnets usually grow in the middle of four lane highways and are hot spots for fire ants, snakes, and other itchy/crawlies! But I find that those facts do not scare away parents from wanting that Bluebonnet Baby anyway! A big thank you to the understanding and patient parents of these adorable kiddos who hopped in the car on short notice "because the light was perfect and bluebonnets don't last long". So, nothing goes better with those gorgeous bonnets than bribes! We had many a discussion about the ice cream that was sure to follow this shoot, be it a blizzard from DQ or a bowl full of sprinkles, we ALL have a flavor that brings a smile to our face! Though there may have been a gripe about "the pokies" once or twice, there was no shortage of great smiles! Enjoy your sneak peek!

My journal entry from Friday, March 27, 2009:
Beware the "Ides of March" my husband tells me. We are driving away from the beach, our tent under about 3 inches of rain water. This whole camping adventure was my idea and has been nothing but a series of eco-challenges, sort of like a marriage retreat with complex problem solving and trust-falls, minus the Chaplain's encouraging words and delicious catered menu.
Challenge #1: Let's erect a tent we've never seen before with an audience! No, The Baby and The Boy are jubilantly digging in the sand dune and are for the first time in their lives as brothers, entertaining themselves! No, the audience to which I refer would be a couple in their 50's, enjoying the view from behind a little Weber grill where they have presumably just finished their hot steak and lobster. They have practically repositioned their lawn chairs to better view the charming young couple with the sweet babies and the absolutely enormous two cabin tent. Fortunately for us, the howling wind from the surf masked any smart remarks we might have overheard regarding our positioning of the tent with the door facing the ocean (so the 30MPH wind off the surf would inflate the tent!) or the impending arrival of Yuki's harem, because good Lord, that tent is huge! Lucky for my adorable husband, these onlookers were in my mind as I bit my tongue, followed orders sweetly and stifled the urge to ask why the heck someone would rent a tent without a rain fly?...
Challenge #2: Being right on the beach is grand when it comes to sand castles and sunsets, but when it's time to eat, bathe, or sleep, just how do you make all that sand go away?! How do you stop The Baby from grabbing fistfuls of sand and how DOES one extract sand from The Baby's eyes, in the dark, with the wind blowing at 30MPH, while changing a poopy diaper; are we having fun yet?!
Challenge #3: Now that the tent is up and everyone is inside, how do we get to sleep? Never mind the chaos that was bath time and finding jammies and dinner, my that sun did set quickly, but the wind is pummeling our tent and the surf is deafening, I can't even hear my husband who lays next to me a mere 6 inches away. Whoever said that ocean waves was soothing white noise was obviously listening to their sound machine somewhere in Denver. We both dream that the tide comes too high and threatens to carry the car and the tent into the Gulf. It was the longest night of our lives, beating out the births of both our children by a narrow margin.
By now I have probably scared you all off from camping with children. Glad to have talked some sense into anyone considering the idea! Seriously though, we had a blast. We made some fantastic natural discoveries, sand dollars, jelly fish, herons, Bic pens, and there were far more smiles than tears. This blog is really just the tip of the iceberg; it would take me weeks to process all the "memories" and write about them in such a way that would be interesting. Alas, we are back home and that means back to work, and I'm happy to report that I am working a lot these days and just loving the excitement of having the best of both worlds, Mom & Photographer!

Nothing signals the arrival of spring on a military installation more than the onslaught of invitations for "Change of Command Ceremonies." For my non-military followers (hey! I have followers now!) this is a most important, sometimes career defining event, where an officer will take charge and lead a group of soldiers, in this case, an entire Regiment! (Specifically, the 3d Armored Calvary Regiment was replacing the outgoing 72nd Commander with the incoming 73rd Commander.) The gorgeous blue sky day was filled with distinguished guests, flowers delivered via horseback, artillery blasting echoes for all of Fort Hood to hear, and an impressive "Pass and Review" when hundreds of troops filled the parade field and marched to the beat of the 3ACR Band. There was no shortage of material to entertain my lens and after three and a half hours I was breathless and exhausted, left with the daunting task of choosing just a couple of my favorites to share in a sneak peek! Congratulations are in order to the new commander and his family, Good Luck and God Speed!

I've added some brief titles for those of you who have no idea why I am photographing a bucket of carrots ;) Though I have to admit, as a wife of a Military Intelligence officer, the learning curve for the day's events was quite high for me, having seldom witnessed all of the fanfare of a Cavalry Regimental Change of Command.


Soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment march in formation on their way to Cooper Field, Fort Hood, Texas.

A bucket of carrots awaiting the ceremony, presented by the departing Commander's Wife to the Horse Cavalry Detachment.

Last minute review before the beginning of the ceremony.

A bouquet of yellow roses arrives by horseback and is presented according to tradition to the incoming Commander's wife.

The Commander's daughter, the most well behaved and well dressed child in a five mile radius of the ceremony.

"Trooping the Line" when the official party composed of the outgoing Commander, incoming Commander and the Regimental Sergeant Major, together with the III Corps Commander inspect the troops.

The official Change Of Command; the outgoing Commander, Colonel Bills, is passing the "saber of command" on to the New Commander, Colonel Allen.

Distinguished guest, Lt. General Retired Ramsey, takes in the impressive sights of the day.

Colonel Allen leads the troops in a "pass and review"; all soldiers march in formation past the grandstand and the official party.

Soldiers from the 3ACR marching in the "pass and review".

The party is officially over for this little one, the Commander's son, as he finds a comfortable shoulder and sleeps through the entire reception!

ADULT ENTRY:

KIDS ENTRY:

Okay, so a mother can dream can't she? There are moments, few and far between, but still, they happen, when I can see into the future and my boys are indeed friends. It may take awhile, but if my brother and I are friends, these two have it in them.

Julie wrote in her blog "I can think of no better friends than my daughter and Karyn's son", and I have to protest! Though Julie and I have not wed, yet, and we haven't resorted to hitting one another out of frustration, yet, we have shared hopes and dreams and stress and a package of fruit snacks or two. I would have to say that surviving a deployment as battle buddies will hopefully have us bonded forever, and our children would never have found one another if the Mommies hadn't connected over email and put forth great effort to organize outings and picnics. So when Julie called me up and mentioned that I Heart Faces was "friends" week I was totally game for an attempt to get the two of us, together, on the opposite side of the lens. The outcome speaks for itself, and really is a perfect portrait of our lives this past year! I will treasure this image as much as I treasure my friend.

Has it really been 13 weeks since I discovered I ♥ Faces ? How cool is this website? I've learned nifty tricks about taking better images, sweet quick fixes for editing problems, and I've made friends on the other side of the United States AND Australia, not to mention I've "bumped" into folks online who are actually living on the same Army installation! This website will boost your confidence (because tons of well meaning people will visit your blog and stroke your ego- this is of course the number one reason I return each week;) ), inspire you to take better photos, introduce you to people with huge talent and even bigger hearts. Don't waste anymore time, come join the fun by clicking on the link below!