Sunday, February 02, 2014

The Backyard Front Porch

They really need to re-enact this picture in 60 years.


I'm doing Weight Watchers again. Last time was before I had August and it worked.

So far this is about how it's going:

- On Monday I made a huge pot of (healthy) minestrone. It was supposed to be my lunch for the rest of the week. But after perfectly healthy Owen threw it up all over the table I could barely get it down one more time.

- Tuesday I went to the farmer's market for fresh produce. I came home with Chinese food and a gourmet caramel apple. That counts as fresh produce, right?

But really, it's going alright. I reached one mini goal and that means everyone clapped for me at a meeting. Whatever love language that is, it's mine.


Back to the farmer's market.
Sally spied George and his birds and had to hold one.

Then George insisted Auggie have a turn.


Drew took this picture of a piano practice with Owen:
I finally started teaching him and Drew lessons over Christmas break. Tried Sally, too but she's not ready.

They don't love the idea of practicing, but once they're focused they do awesome.

I'm actually liking teaching them so far. I can practice w/them every day (and do the teacher duets that make the songs sound so much better). I can catch little mistakes right then instead of them practicing wrong for a week in-between lessons. Also, if they're ready for a new song mid-week we can do it, instead of them being bored w/a song once they know it.


A quick hour at the aquarium with just him:
 White trash and shirtless is better than soaking wet. Those smocks are useless.



Yesterday there was another free community event:
Family Day at the Monterey Museum of Art (La Mirada).
A. I love that museum.

B. Doing art in an art museum is cool (especially since the mess isn't at my house).

They had an Ansel Adams exhibit and one of the projects was using copies of his pictures to make a dreamscape (pictured above).

In another room we learned how to make Valentine's dream catchers.
Never knew there was such a thing.
Here's the model:

And here's Sally's version:

And here's how the boys felt about it all:

So I took them out to the little pond till Justin could come rescue them (he had been at a scouting merit badge thing all morning).
This duck picture looks peaceful, but it was not. August wanted in that water bad.

After the boys got picked up, Sally and I stayed another couple hours until it was over.

She was in heaven.

On the way out we ran through the gardens real fast. I mean, she ran.

That bright fuzzy tree in the background was full of cherry blossoms.


These two are earlybirds.
This is what they came up with this morning while everyone else was sleeping.

Safety first!


Today our stake had a special fast for rain. Not sure the extent of the drought going on but rain is needed bad.

It was awesome to wake up and see it had rained some overnight.

This morning Owen said his prayer to start his fast and minutes later it started raining again. Cool for him.


And then after church August discovered my dress.


Aside:
Some of these are camera photos and some are phone photos (like pretty much all my posts).

Every now and then I take awesome phone pictures.

Too often I take bad pictures with my real camera.

But hands down I like my real camera better.

5 comments:

Rachel said...

Yes, a caramel apple counts as fresh produce and I'm still dying to hold George's Birds. Impressive that your boys are taking piano from you! I don't think I ever could've with mom. Auggie is not white trash without a shirt, just the cutest ever! And I like Sally's heart dream catcher better than the model.

The Watkins said...

I love your journaling of your daily life Shauna. It will be so fun for your kids to look back and get a feel for how things really were. Have you printed it yet? And you are my favorite photographer...phone or real...capturing day to day is so important. Anyone can post a picture from a photo shoot, but your pictures are like a peek into your life. So I feel lucky to be invited, or nosy like I'm snooping. :)

Evaly said...

this post made me laugh! so many cute things. i just love it all :) miss you!

Rachel said...

I vote you update your blog every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday cause those are the days I am bored at work. :)

Rachel said...

Third comment on one post, why not? I was showing this to Jacob and noticed for the first time your super cute heart garland on your fireplace. I love it.