Bandwagon

I am the proud new owner of a Canon Rebel T2i. I didn't ever think my photography interest would extend past a simple point and shoot camera, but now I am whistling a new tune. Fancy cameras are fun! And while mine is hardly the Cadillac of DSLR cameras, the difference it makes helping out my mediocre picture taking ability is amazing. Plus it is always fun to learn about something new... even if it is as cliche as photography. So move over bandwagon of stay at home moms who buy expensive cameras/lenses to take hundreds pictures of their kids, I am climbing aboard.
Here are my first photos while visiting our friends the Nuttalls in Fort Worth. Thank you to Julia who is legitimately good at photography for taking the time to show me the basics, and for lending me her cute daughter to exploit.

*the last 4 pictures are the more accurate depiction of Wheeler and Livy's true love/hate relationship.  

 

(Oh and I am proud to report that I have worked my way off the automatic settings and am giving it a good effort on manual mode!)

Thirty-One

Last month I celebrated my 31st birthday. My sweet little family outdid themselves as usual and I fell asleep that night feeling really loved and grateful for my life. It is amazing in contrast what 12 short months can do for your perspective on life. Last year on my 30th birthday I remember feeling quite anxious and unsettled. I craved some higher purpose and balance in my life, and I suppose I was struggling to define who I was in my fairly new role as a stay at home mom, and a woman heading into her thirties. What a pleasant surprise to wake up a 31 year old and now to be quite content with exactly who I am and where my life is headed. No major changes noted ( beside the sweet little babe kicking in my tummy) same house, same city, same family, same role day in and out, more wrinkles, ironically 15 pounds heavier, but markedly more content, less anxious, and overall a sunnier me.
A Happy Birthday indeed!

31 things about me you may or may not know.

1. My favorite color... not pink... green.

2. My favorite food... chicken curry and dark chocolate, but not at the same time

3. My favorite activity... water skiing

4. My best friend... Matt, but that's the easy choice... So a close 2nd my sister Jill.

5. My favorite physical attribute about myself... straight teeth (thanks for the braces mom and dad) and small narrow feet. 

6. My favorite article of clothing to wear... Chacos/new birthday Birkenstocks

7. My favorite tv show... Game of Thrones!

8. My biggest character flaws...  stubborn, opinionated, and don't like to be told what to do. 

9. My mom would be disappointed if she new... how much I swear, how often I skip church

10. My biggest regret... not getting a dog sooner. I love Murphy. 

11. My fantasy vacation... right now I just want to take Wheeler to go to the new Cars Radiator springs at Disneyland... the excitement on his face would be priceless

12. My biggest guilty pleasure... I love the smell of coffee and could spend hours in the bulk coffee bean section at central market.  

13. Right now I am learning about... American civics, to take my US citizenship test.  

14. Best compliment I received lately... "mom you are so pretty" - Wheeler

15. Biggest annoyance... texting and driving.

16. I wish I were... bilingual, or able to play a musical instrument

17. Something I only do at home... dance party with Wheeler. We really get into our Raffi and the Rio soundtrack.

18. If I changed my profession I would go into... nursing. I actually like hospitals and think it would be a really satisfying and useful career. 

19. Best advice ever given... fake smile until you feel happy

20. Most looking forward to...having a daughter this fall.

21. Second most looking forward to... moving back to Canada in the upcoming year.

22. Thing I seldom admit, but know is true... I am very much like my dad.

23. I'm not good at... keeping plants alive. Especially in Texas, I kill off all my flowers. 

24. Bandwagon activities I enjoy... yoga, photography, buying organic, creative home projects 

25. I cook... vegetarian twice a week, and attempt cooking Vegan on occasion. I have strong opinions about meat and animal product consumption as well as additives and preservatives. 

26. I believe in... acupuncture, holistic medicine, and chiropractors, but that none are a good substitute for a competent specialist. 

27. Next vacation I am going on... Echo lake for 10 days! Can't wait!

28. I am secretly interested in... politics. 

29. Something I spend unnecessary money on... we hired a house cleaner once every other week. It is AWESOME!

30. I am jealous of... people who stopped getting pimples in high school, and girls who gain weight in their butts not their tummies like me. 

31. I am grateful for... my husband. Again cliche, but true. No one makes me laugh harder or is more appreciated for all that they do to make my life easy/great. 

Three cheers for visitors!!!!

This spring has been flying by in our house. We have been lucky to have a lot of visitors come to town. The beginning of March brought Matt's sister Courtney and her busy bunch of kids for a week. Wheeler was in heaven, and we packed the week with ton of activities including a first trip to the splash park. The homegrown Texans were looking at us like we were nuts. I guess 75 degrees is only hot enough for crazy Canadians to bust out their swimsuits. And by those terms it looks like Wheeler is a Texan after all. He said "it not sunny enough" and was content to watch Sam and Sophie get wet. Here are a few pictures from our week.

Movie Night at Grandma & Papa's.

For Christmas 2011 all the grand kids got their own Ipods... they are hilarious to watch playing on them, and are clearly all hooked.  I guess at least they all play on them alone, together...

Walking to the park with my little buddy.

Crazy kids!

Best buds. Poor tiny Daphne is 7 months older than Wheelie and he is at least 3 inches taller and 15 pounds heavier. Occasionally he tried boss her around, but in the end her sweetness won him over and he was just happy to be her buddy and hold her hand. 

  Court and I are both pregnant and due within a week of each other the end of summer. This is how we felt about being in our first trimesters of pregnancy and chasing after crazy kids all week!

The following weekend Matt's other sister Megan and cousin Kelly came to town. We hit some yummy restaurants and suckered kind Meg into babysitting on her vacation. It was fun to see them both and catch up on their busy lives!

Cousin Kelly (Meg was camera shy, so no pics documenting her trip)

Shortly after our Swan visitors left, we had my sister Jill and her family come to visit for a week! Their visit was equally packed with fun outings, including a trek to the zoo, splash park, an Astros baseball game, and a 2 day trip down to San Antonio! We had been planning on taking Wheeler down to Sea World in San Antonio for a while, and were excited to get there before the baby arrives. Here are some pictures from our little getaway!

 We stayed at the historical Emily Morgan, which is said to be one of the most "haunted hotels" in the USA. It is right across the street from the Alamo and was used as a hospital in the 1920's. We didn't see any ghosts, but it sure was pretty!

Daddy and Wheels posing at the Alamo.

Daddy chasing Wheeler off the "do not walk on the grass" grass at the Alamo.

The Flockhart's first visit to the Alamo. The day we got there it was over 90 degrees. I think maybe a little bit of getting used to for our Utahans.

Excited about the "big gun".

A Riverwalk boat ride

My favorite video from our Sea World trip... Wheeler and Ella feeding fish to the Dolphins

Shamu (or "shampoo" as Wheeler calls him)

Rides at the Elmo world area

Matt won the dad of the week award as he chased Wheeler around and around the climbing park with huge sections of tiny tunnels he had to sqeeze through. 

Tired, but happy after a long day! 

A huge THANK YOU to all of our visitors over the last +month. We had a great time visiting with everyone, and appreciate your love and efforts to come all the way to Houston to see us! Thank you for helping our spring go by so quickly... time flying is a priceless gift when you are pregnant!