POTW 10

Love my brother... and my little boy, of course! Here they are together at Easter. Thank goodness for Mom having an Easter egg hunt at her house, because WP and I were sick the whole week before and didn't really plan or participate in any Easter activities.  But we had a blast at my parents' house.

Proud of my Friends...

No POTW this week.  You know how it goes.  BUT... my husband and I did have the chance to drive up to Dallas this weekend for the couples shower of my DEAR, sweet friend and former-college-roommate, Angie.  My parents kept WP (thank, Mom & Dad!).  This was one of the best weekends I've had in a long time.  I am just overflowing with JOY on behalf of my friend Angie & her engagement.  She has never been one to settle, and now, all of her waiting for the right man has paid off!

I got the chance to catch up with several friends from college who live in Dallas and who I don't get to see that often.  And I just have to say that I am SO PROUD OF MY FRIENDS.  They have always been beautiful and kind and fun to hang out with. They have always loved the Lord and been an encouragement to my faith. But now, they have grown into strong WOMEN. Fiances. Wives. Mothers of one, two, three, etc... Some work outside of the home. Some stay at home. Some do both. But they have all just come into their own and I admire and respect them all and am so thankful for those friendships that run deep.  These are the friends who knew me in college in the days of wearing t-shirts and Reefs/New Balances and sometimes bandanas. (Bandanas?!)  It was PRECIOUS to be able to recall some of those days. But even more precious to see my friends who are so special and to know that we are all just doing the best we can with what we've been given.

Throughout the trip, I thought of the verse in Proverbs: "A friend loves at all times."  And it's true.  These are the friends that I love at all times (and who love me at all times) regardless of how much we see each other or talk to each other.

Sweet friends - you know who you are. I love you and I am proud of you. I enjoy checking your blogs to see what's going on in your lives... but it was even better to see you in person, even briefly, this weekend.

POTW 9

POTW 9: Dandelions

This picture pretty much describes the sweet, slow pace of our spring break! I love how the dandelion seeds stand out against the background. And, how this captures William's sweetness and innocence. And how he is wearing a Mater shirt and has stamps on his hand. Our 7 year old neighbor made an astute observation about William's clothes. She said, "Every time I see him he either has on a really nice shirt or a shirt with Mater on it." I guess it just depends on who picks out his clothes that day!  :)

POTW 8

My dear friend and college roommate CeCe and her son Max came to visit us this weekend.  We went to the rodeo and had a blast with the boys.  And... it was good for our souls to get to see each other and catch up in person.

I love that this picture captures beautiful CeCe in a candid 'mom moment' - riding the caterpillar ride with her boy, holding his back pack and his sword.

POTW 7

Went to the Houston Rodeo fair grounds this week, 3 moms and 4 boys.  My favorite part (again this year) was the farm-to-market walk-through for kids.  The kids each get a basket and then take turns pretending to be a farmer. They 'plant' and 'water' seeds, then they get a vegetable for their bucket. They 'feed' chickens then get an egg for the bucket. They 'milk' a 'cow' and get a carton of milk for their bucket.  And so on and so forth. At the end, they get to trade all of their items for 'money' and they can use the 'money' to buy a snack (a real, actual snack).

So, there are multiple Pictures of the Week again. Maybe I should call it 'The week in pictures.' But that would be too ambitious. Most weeks, I'm doing good to get one picture posted.

planting and watering onions

feeding chickens

milking a cow. these fake cows were pretty cool.

running to the farmer's market to sell items

sorting produce into bins 

enjoying the 'fruit roll ups' of their labor

POTW 6

The further away I get from my photography class, the worse my pictures are getting. I think I need a refresher course.  All I seem to be learning lately is that taking the DSLR camera off "Auto" has some risks. Like unintentionally making your child look like a ghost.  "Oh, I hope I always remember how my son was blurry and transparent at age 3 1/2," said no one ever. This is NOT the picture of the week. 

These ARE the pictures of the week:

 We met Sid the Science Kid at the Houston Children's Museum. Sid told us that he is 4 years old (in case you were wondering.)  William had a lot of fun, and I was so proud of him for not being too scared to give Sid a hug and take a picture with him.

We fed the horses again, and I love their expressions in this picture. You can see William holding the empty bag of carrots, and it's as if the horses are saying, "Come on, don't you have some more?"

POTW 4 & 5

So, I missed a week of POTW. I didn't even take my camera out. I really enjoyed just living life and not having to take pictures and document everything. BUT.... I do still want to practice using my camera, AND I love having the every-day memories captured from W's childhood.   Since I skipped last week, I'm including a handful of pictures from this past week. 

The weather in Houston has been beautiful, and we are taking full advantage.  So... PictureS of the Week 4 & 5 are all "play" pictures. Over a month out from my photography class and my technique is really fading. The first picture below isn't even in focus - anywhere.  BUT... this is me trying. 

Philip & William driving Cars at the Park. This picture is worth 1,000 words to describe our lives right now!

William's first outing in the Power Wheels, after abruptly deciding that he is not scared of it any more.  

Philip finding William at hide & seek. William hides behind this big rock every time!

William shows his newest Car (Rip K.) to one of the horses (Nebraska) we feed carrots to. 

POTW 3

Things I want to remember about this POTW:

• William picked out the shirt he is wearing because orange is his FAVORITE color
• He and I were having an outdoor picnic, eating apples and learning letters
• After he had taken a few bites of his apple, he said, "Look, Mom! It looks like Lightning McQueen!"  That boy always has Cars on the brain.

I'm still not good enough to be able to get my camera to do exactly what I want it to do AND be able to capture the fleeting moments I want to capture. But, this practice is helping me. And, since I am taking my camera with me more, I am able to get more pictures of our "every day" lives. I know I'll be glad I have them. 

POTW 2

About this week's POTW
I think this picture captures the magic of our ordinary days.  Nearly every afternoon, William and I go outside to play with neighbors.  All the kids come out and bring with them an assortment of snacks, scooters, skateboards, rip sticks, roller blades, balls, chalk, and helmets. William adores all of the 'big kids', and he and I always stay and play as long as we can - before dinner has to be made. These two girls were taking a snack break and watching the other kids play in the street. I don't know that the picture is "photographically good" - I just know that it captures a feeling about William's child hood that I really want to remember.

ISO 100; 50 mm; f/2; 1/2000

Picture of the Week (POTW)

Why POTW?
I attended a photography workshop today, led by the talented Laura Veno, and I am inspired to take better (and more) pictures!  As soon as I got home, I started practicing some of the things I learned. Laura suggested a blog that has some great ideas for weekly pictures to take, which inspired me to commit to taking my very own Picture of the Week - POTW.  I'm doing this for two reasons: 1) so that I will keep learning and practicing new skills and 2) to have some accountability and regularity for documenting our family's life on days other than Halloween, Christmas and beach vacation.

About this week's POTW
I'm still about as amateur as it gets, so I knew I needed a still subject and good light to practice with. I also knew that I wanted to be better about capturing the special "little" things that make up my whole world right now, but often never make it into a picture. What better than Cars?! William wants to play cars 24 hours a day.  Not just any cars - Disney Cars. And his favorite? Lightning McQueen.  I love how this picture focuses on McQueen, and how the other cars are still visible in the back ground. William, Philip and I know every single Car's name... even when they are blurred!

ISO 800; 50mm; f/2.5; 1/30

Halloween

William as Buddy the TRex from Dinosaur Train

I love the tail!

William's class on Halloween

William & his friend Trick or Treating

Here are some snapshots from our Halloween this year. William really loved Trick or Treating and had so much fun wearing his Buddy the T-Rex costume!

Thanks for Voting...

... The Diamond Blackfan Anemia Foundation made it into the top 11 and won $100,000 from Chase!!!

I know James Thomas' family appreciates your vote... and your prayers!  

Please Read and Vote Online Today or Tomorrow...

Our sweet friend James Thomas needs your help:

James Thomas and his family are dear friends of ours through church. He is William's age and was born with Diamond Blackfan Anemia. He received blood transfusions every 3 weeks until he was 15 months old. He was hospitalized several times and had 3 surgeries by 18 months. Now he survives on daily steroids and monthly trips to Texas Children's Hospital. And... you might never know it because he is such a joyful, happy little boy!  You have the chance to help James Thomas, and hopefully find a cure, by helping the Diamond Blackfan Anemia Foundation. They have been blessed with an amazing opportunity to raise money through Chase Community Giving. 

This is where you come in: by clicking on the links below to vote for the Diamond Blackfan Anemia Foundation, you can help the Foundation win $100,000 from Chase. Only the top 11 groups will win the money, and the Diamond Blackfan Anemia Foundation is currently in 12th place. Voting closes at midnight tomorrow, so please take a second to vote through Facebook or Chase (if you are an account holder). I just voted through my FaceBook AND Chase log in, and it took less than 3 minutes. You can see the links below. 

Chase customers, please vote here:

https://www.chase.com/online/Special-Offers/chasegiving_none.htm?dest=https://www.chase.com/online/Special-Offers/ccg_redirect.htm%3Fnptag%3DCCG

 

Facebook users, please vote here: 

https://www.facebook.com/ChaseCommunityGiving/app_162065369655?app_data=ein|16-1459422

Thank you!!!

A Funny Story

This is one of my favorite WP stories as of late. I am posting it here, mainly so that I can remember it, but hope you enjoy it too.

I recently started updating the light fixtures in our house. I did my homework and research, went to Lowe's and got the supplies, and got to work. WP was my little helper. He is in this precious phase where anything Mom or Dad do, he wants to help. He will get up from playing cars (his favorite) to help me with the laundry. So sweet. This day, he was handing me things, like screwdrivers, as I needed them. I had all of my supplies lined up on the floor, and when I needed one, I would tell him what I needed and he would hand it up. When I needed the new cover plate, I looked down and it wasn't there. I asked him where it was. He acted like he had no clue.  I knew he had done something with it, but just wasn't saying.  Just in case I had misplaced it, I looked all over the house, twice. Finally, I said to him, "William, if you tell Mommy where the cover plate is, I will give you a cookie." His face lit up and he said, "I didn't put it in the trash."

"Oh, the trash!" (the one place in the house I hadn't looked.) I opened the trash can, and there it was, right on top.

William, Curious George & the Orangutan

We went to the zoo today. William wanted to take "Curious George" and show him to the other monkeys and apes.  Look closely at the orangutan's eyes in both pictures... he is actually looking at "Curious George!" How precious is that?

A New Blog!

I am excited to say that I have a new blog! 

My friend Kim and I recently started www.KidEats.co.

Kim and I are always looking for better ways to feed our kids, and the blog is basically our place to share our favorite findings – everything from recipes to “brain food” activities. 

And... We are having a Christmas Cookie give-away right now!  Sign ups end this Friday - check it out here! 

And if you have time to browse, here are some of my favorite posts:

• Nativity Scene Printable - this is a one page print-out that you can laminate, cut out, and add magnets to.  
• "Rocket" Ranch Dip - a yummy way to add more veggies to your holiday diet!
• Edible Peanut Butter Play Dough - this was a really fun activity that kept us busy for a full hour!
• Yummy Chicken Balls - William doesn't really like meat, but he loves these! 

Kim and I both find so much encouragement (and great ideas) from other moms… and we hope that our blog can provide the same back to you! We look forward to hearing your comments over at KidEats!

I will still be updating our Lukefahr family blog as well. 

Best Friends

Is there anything better than Christmas through the eyes of a child?  William is so excited about all things Christmas this year!  Here are a few of my favorite memories so far:

• Him helping put ornaments on the tree. He will hang two ornaments on the same branch (like these birds) and say "they gonna be best friends." 
• Him asking for everything Christmas.  He has asked for a Christmas bath, and told me that he wants to wear Christmas clothes to school. 
• He knows his Christmas list by heart: Buzz & Woody Cars, new Play Dough, Cars Stuff, Train Stuff and Dora Stuff. 
• Every day, he asks "is it dark outside?" because he wants to drive around and look at Christmas lights! 
• He calls the Spiral Christmas Trees that some people put in their yard  "Cars Ramps"
• He calls Elf on the Shelf "Book on the Shelf". I guess Book is our elf's name. 
• Every morning, he asks for his "owl candy" (advent calendar candy.)  This really confused me until, today, I realized that there are several owls where I keep the advent calendar.  
• When we read the Polar Express and get to the part where Santa asks the little boy what he wants for the "first gift of Christmas", William quickly says "Buzz and Woody cars." 

William's First Homework

The sweetest boy goes to Mother's Day Out at a church in our neighborhood.  This week, he came home with the first homework of his life. School sent home this tiny green box.  I may have mentioned to William that it was the size of a raisin box (oops.)  It actually was a raisin box covered in green tape. The assignment was to find something that fits in the box, and bring it back next time to share in "circle time". I said "Ok, William, you need to find a toy or something that fits in this box."  He tried several cars and trains, and each time I asked "Does that fit in the box?" He said "Nooo!"  So I say, "Well, what do you think is tiny enough to fit in this box?"  And he says "Raisins!"  So.... his teachers went through all of the trouble to 'cover up' the raisin box... and we put raisins right back in it. To his credit, they fit.

Mostly so that I remember, this is him in his all-time-favorite "cars jammies" as he calls them. Even though they are getting too small, he asks if they are clean every night. Maybe Santa will bring some new ones. And... he doesn't feel like himself. He always sucks those two fingers when he feels tired or crummy.

The past 8 months... in photos

Why has it been so long since I posted?! I don't know. But once I got out of the habit, it was easy to stay out of the habit.  Since I can't remember many of the details, here are some of the photo highlights of what we have been up to! (Again, these are the highlights... and the things I have pictures of. In between, we stayed home lots too... and spent many days playing cars - "You, Mom, play cars", trains, and even Candy Land. Those days were just as special... only I don't have pictures of them.  I need to remember to take some more every-day type pictures.)

William and I visited our friends in Dallas... and ate at Adam Glenn's restaurant Sauced

Philip went to London on business, and I got to go with him! (Thanks to the grandparents who watched WP!)
This is King's Road - a great shopping area!

A Beefeater and my tour guide at the Tower of London.  The Tower was fascinating!

At a proper English Pub

Scones and clotted cream. 

More shopping at Picadilly Circus. Love the back 'taxis'.

Picadilly Circus.  At crosswalks, the streets have "Look Left" or "Look Right" written on them so that tourists like me knew which way to look for cars before crossing!  It doesn't seem like it would be THAT confusing - the whole driving on the other side of the street... but it was. For me, anyways. The "Look Right" saved me from walking into traffic a few times. 

10 Downing Street. Not much to see here, folks. Except I did keep thinking of Hugh Grant as Prime Minister in Love Actually... I mean, all the world affairs shaped here... I mean, Hugh Grant.  

House of Parliament / Big Ben. In a sort-of related note: Philip and I both came to love HP Sauce on this trip!  It's sort of a cross between ketchup and Worcestershire sauce - so good!

Westminster Abbey (side view) - just days before Kate & William got married there. It was fun to be around all of the pre-wedding buzz in London (but really, the buzz was bigger here in America!)

St James' park... the most beautiful part of the trip.  If you walk from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace, you will pass through St. James' park. If ever in London, do not miss this!!

The weather was perfectly sunny and cool when we were there, and it seemed the whole city had come out to enjoy the sunshine!

St James' park with the Eye of London in the background

William hunting Easter eggs at my parents' house, with help from Aunt Kaki

At Cars 2! (This poster/display was a bigger hit than the movie!)

At the San Diego Zoo

In La Jolla

Visiting Uncle Cams in Corpus

Visiting Dallas friend again!  Me, WP, Zoe, Mel, CeCe & Max

William turned 2 on July 17! Here he is blowing out is candle with Dad.

He was all smiles at his Little Gym birthday party!

We saw lots of pumpkins in October...

...and dressed up as Boots from Dora for Halloween!