Theme Thursday: Close Up

I have not participated in the Theme Thursday link-up in a dog's age.  But I thought I'd join Michaela et. al. today (one day late), because I have the perfect photo to fit this week's theme: "Close Ups."

Here he is, our newest family member--our second grandson and our sixth grandchild overall (I'm calling him "Little Dude" here at the blog).  Is he gorgeous, or what?  When my husband and I flew down to meet him on the 10th, the day after he was born, I snapped some pictures of him in the hospital.  I zoomed in on his perfect little face and somehow ended up with this utterly amazing shot.

I already posted this picture earlier today on String of Pearls, in color.  But since this Theme Thursday link-up is all about photography, I thought I'd play around with it a bit and see what it looked like in classic black-and-white.

When you're finished swooning over Grammy's little darling, head on over to California to Korea to see more close ups from my fellow blogging shutterbugs.

Theme Thursday: W

 



 

I thought I'd link up with Cari over at Clan Donaldson today, to pay tribute to the wonderful letter W.

 

Papa was reading an alphabet book to our twin granddaughters this morning, and did you know that W is for wiggly worm (and that he had two such creatures sitting on his lap at the time, too)?

 

W is also for wise (beyond their years), which describes my little angels, who've known all the letters of the alphabet for ages already, and they aren't even two-and-a-half yet!  (So W is for WOW!!, as well!)

 

Now head on over to Cari's, where I'm sure you'll find plenty of wicked wacky W-themed posts today.

 



Theme Thursday: Double

My better half and I have some great advice for all of you parents out there whose children are going and growing up on you (wait--how did that happen?), leaving your nicely feathered nest (the nerve!), getting married (a joy, to be sure), and having children of their own (the gold at the end of the rainbow, I tell you).  Here it is: when you have your first grandchild...have twins!  Why have a single when a double is so much more fun for everyone?  (And by everyone, I mean the grandparents...because we've seen what taking care of infant twins round the clock looks like, and believe me, it's not for the faint of heart.  It's the best possible way to break into the grandparenthood club, but not quite as easy for a set of first-time parents.)

I realize you can't order just exactly what you want, but twins truly are the very best way to start out, especially when Papa and Grammy have been missing having babies around the house as much as my husband and I had been by the time Bonny Babe and Cutie Pie arrived on the scene just over two years ago.  We both admit that it would have been well nigh impossible to wait our turns if there'd only been one little bundle of joy to hold and cuddle, one little soft head to sniff.  We might have behaved like a pair of nap-deprived toddlers, yelling, "Mine, mine, mine!"  But we each had a baby to hold, a baby who looked so much like her identical counterpart that it was as if we were seeing double.

Now, these two look-alikes have a seven-month-old baby sister, Little Gal, and our cup runneth over.  As we look forward to the wedding of our #3 son in December, we can't help but think of all the other angels that will be added to our String of Pearls in the coming years (no pressure, kids).

But no doubt about it: we were doubly blessed, right out of the gate.

Now head on over to Cari's and you'll really be seeing double.

Theme Thursday: Secret

It's been a little while since I joined Cari and her fellow shutterbugs for a Theme Thursday link-up, so I thought I'd hop in on the action today...I believe this is what is commonly known these days as photo bombing?

My #3 son is getting married in about two months, and I've been busy working on making flower girl dresses and addressing rehearsal dinner invitations--so understandably, I've had weddings on the brain lately.  And that led me to feelings of nostalgia, which led me to breaking out my own wedding albums.

Back in 1980, a wedding shoot was a whole different animal than it is today.  It was all very simple and straightforward, with not a hint of Pinteresty creativity.  The package we got from our photographer included about seventy proofs (4 X 6"), out of which we were allowed to choose twelve shots that were made into 8 X 10" prints.  There was nothing particularly artsy about most of the poses: aside from the pictures of everyone coming down the aisle before and after the ceremony, they were mostly of the wedding party lined up on the altar, and then the parents with the bride and groom lined up on the altar, and various other groups snapped in line-up fashion.

There is one candid moment that our photographer happened to capture on film that I find to be rather sweet, however.  There we were, kneeling side-by-side shortly after we'd recited our vows, and my newly minted husband leaned over to whisper something to me (I wish I could remember what it was!), and I in turn smiled at him like the deliriously happy bride I was (as I played with the new gold wedding band on my finger).  I love this picture, and I'll always be so grateful that the photographer happened to catch my husband in the act of sharing a secret with me on our wedding day.

Excuse me for a minute...I've got to grab a hanky...

Okay, then.  It's no secret that you'll find some interesting photos over at Clan Donaldson, so maybe you should head on over there...I'll just be here poring over these old albums...

Oh, and by the way: apparently the best kept secret is that I'm giving away a paperback copy of my novel Finding Grace.  If you're interested in winning a free copy, go to yesterday's post and leave me a comment!  :)

Theme Thursday: Statues

On Day 2 of the Catholic Writers Guild/Catholic Marketing Network conference, I'm linking up with Cari for Theme Thursday--blogging from a hotel room in the Garden State (but I took some pics on Tuesday before I left home, just so I'd be prepared).  I love religious statues, so I was excited to see that today's theme lends itself to showing them off.

When my #4 son was about eight, he bought me an old plaster statue of Our Lady of Fatima--spending a whole $1.00 of his own money--at our boys' Catholic school's annual tag sale.  It was chipped when he gave it to me (Our Lady's nose was broken right off), and the paint job was faded and peeling.  But I thought it was indescribably lovely just the same.

We have a lot--I mean A LOT!--of statues in our home (of the Sacred Heart, Our Lady of Grace, Our Lady of Fatima, St. Joseph, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Patrick, and others), but I think this one is my absolute favorite.  Even in its run-down, hand-me-down, tag sale state, I loved that statue.  But then I put a lot of TLC into it, repairing the plaster and doing paint touch-ups where they were needed (even using some actual gold leaf paint on the embellishments that decorate the mantle of the Blessed Virgin Mary and on the Rosary She's holding), so now it's even more beautiful than it was before.

The reason this statue is my favorite is that I love the gentle expression on Mary's pretty face.

This statue, my favorite out of all the Marian statues in our home, takes pride of place in our living room, right next to (but a little bit below) a larger Sacred Heart statue that my husband brought back from a trip to Rome some years back.  It is one of the sweetest little boy gifts I was ever given.

And while we're on the subject of statues--or trophies, or what-have-you...I am not going home with the Catholic Arts & Letter Award.  But I'm more than fine with that.  My husband, the moral supporter extraordinaire, was much more disappointed when my title (Finding Grace) was not announced as the winner at the CWG/CMN breakfast this morning than I was.  So I may not have won the CALA statue...but look at all this wonderful Catholic SWAG we're bringing home from the conference!

And it's not even over yet!

Theme Thursday: Askew

I'm doing a dual link-up today: I'm on day 4 of a blogging challenge over at Conversion Diary called  7 Posts in 7 Days, and I thought I'd also jump in on Theme Thursday with Clan Donaldson.  It's my birthday, so I can do that.  Right?

Today's Theme Thursday topic is interesting: askew.  I thought about breaking out my Nikon and trying to photograph something crooked or off-center to post here, because above all this link-up is supposed to be about photography.  But instead of doing that, I'm cheating once again and unearthing some old photos, from way, way back when I was a whole lot younger than I am today.  (I was born in 1958, so you do the math. Young I am not.)

I've always thought grade school pictures were some of the best examples of things that are askew that you'll ever see.  Hair, teeth, and/or clothing are often askew in them.

Here's yours truly in second grade, bangs askew.

And in third grade, teeth askew (chipped and crooked).

My hair is askew again, too, if we're being honest.  I had pin-straight hair 364 days out of the year, but on school picture day, my mother insisted on pulling out the pink sponge rollers and giving me "luxurious" curls.  Oy.

Some of my boys' school pictures rival their momma's.  Here's son #3 in first grade.

With that hair, he's a chip off the old block.

And here's son #4 in second grade.

His hair is impeccable.  But his front teeth are a bit of a mismatch.  (Something's askew here!)

At our boys' Catholic elementary school, they had a picture re-take session, for those parents who didn't think the first shot had come out good enough to justify buying one of the packages, but we never did those. It's the imperfection--the askew-ness--that I love about these photos in the first place.  (We never didn't buy a package.)

We get a good laugh when we look at our little-kid selves, all askew in all our unsophisticated awkwardness. (One of my husband's sisters wants to make a "wall of shame" in their family homestead, where she and her siblings post all their most unattractive school pictures.)  But to me, imperfect images such as these are so endearing and sweet.  They're so REAL.  Because let's face it, we don't walk around ready for our close-ups most of the time.  Usually, there's something slightly askew.

There is with me, anyway.  What about you?

Theme Thursday: Rooms

After being a bit of a blogging slacker, I'm trying to get back in the game this week.  And what better catalyst to get my tush off the bench is there than a fun link-up?  So today I'm joining Cari and her photography-loving friends for another round of Theme Thursday.

Today's topic: ROOMS.

Great topic!  There are plenty of rooms in our house that I love to spend time in and would be proud to show you, in all their homey/comfy/put-your-feet-up-on-the-coffee-table/not-quite-Pinterest-material splendor; but when I hear the word "rooms," the one that springs to mind is our man cave/sports room, a two-car garage that we converted into living space over a decade ago (but still tend to refer to as the "new room").

This room is a paean to the men in my family and their love of sports.  They love it.  Their friends love it.  Every pizza delivery boy who's ever seen it says, "Wow.  I want a room like this."

So here we go: the new room, in pictures.

Note my husband's Notre Dame rugby jacket hanging up above the door.  
(He wore that thing for about 20 years, until it got threadbare and  I made him retire it.)
There's also a football signed by Joe Namath in this shot, on top of the fridge.

This area is filled with Red Sox homages.  (And the little red skis there on the wall are the ones my youngest son learned on, and in a Pinterest-worthy move, I re-purposed them as hooks for hanging coats, hats, and bags.)

Of course, our man cave has the requisite 70" flat screen smart TV, with HD, 3-D, surround sound--
and you name a bell or a whistle, it has it.

My only complaint about this room is that I've run out of wall space completely.
(If we ever have to move, when we take all the pictures down the walls will resemble Swiss cheese.)

Our boys' high school football jerseys are among my favorite decorations in this room.The blanket on my husband's leather recliner, with a photo of  him and our twin granddaughters on it, is another favorite.  (And what room would be complete without a Gold's Gym power tower in it?  You just never know when you're going to have to knock out a few dips or pull-ups, right?  Or is that just my family?)

Our boys' high school varsity letters; my husband's cowboy hat collection.

Note the two photos in the middle row, on the left.  The black and white one is my husband during his high school glory days; the color one next to it is our oldest son, who looks like a mirror image of his dad here.

Here's a treasured photo that has pride of place in the room: at our #4 son's Junior Parents Weekend at Notre Dame, we got our picture taken with legendary ND football coach Lou Holtz, who was a speaker at one of the events.

Our oldest son and a buddy once ran into ESPN personality Scott Van Pelt at a bar, and of course
the photographic proof of that brush with fame earned a spot on the wall.

And finally, what man cave would be complete without a bar?

Okay, that's ten pictures.  So...have you seen enough of this epic room yet?  ("Yes, Laura," I can hear you saying.  "We're mature blog-reading women, not teenaged Domino's delivery boys!")

Sometimes I just like to show it off, that's all.  For better or worse, the "new room" is my greatest home decorating triumph.

Go Saints!  (That's my sons' high school team name, FYI)
Go Irish! 
Go Patriots!
Go Red Sox!
Go Bruins!

And go on over to Cari's for more rooms!

Theme Thursday: Black and White

Nothing tells the story of how much my life has changed since our nest emptied out two years ago (when our youngest son went off to college) than this itty-bitty jar of peanut butter I picked up at the store yesterday.

There it is, in black and white: the story of our downsizing.

For the past thirty-ish years, I've been buying family-sized tubs of p.b., and yet it seemed like we were always running out.  When the boys were little and we'd visit their grandparents, I'd open the cabinet at lunchtime and spy the miniature jar of Jiff and mutter under my breath, "You've got to be kidding!  That's about enough for one meal!  Who buys peanut butter in such small quantities?"  (By the way, Mom and Dad, I get it now.)

Thanks be to God, none of my sons had a peanut allergy, because there were stretches when they lived on peanut butter (well, peanut butter and dare I admit it?--Kraft mac & cheese with hot dogs) during their childhood days.  It was one of the staples of their diet, and in all the years they lived in this house, I never once had to throw out a half-full jar because it had gone past the expiration date.

Well, a few days ago I was going through my pantry, trying to figure out what supplies I'm going to need for this weekend--because my baby is coming home from his six-week internship in Paris!  Yippee!  That boy eats nothing but p.b. & j. on a bagel for breakfast, every morning, without fail; so while I was making sure I had everything he would need, I happened to notice that it was long past the "best if used by" date on the still-half-full vat of peanut butter I'd bought for the troops over Christmas (or maybe last summer?  I really can't remember).  I simply couldn't believe I had to do it...but I threw it out.

Yesterday when I brought home that pathetically small, practically baby-sized jar, it was a sad reminder that there really aren't that many mouths to feed around here most of the time anymore.  My husband and I like peanut butter; but we don't eat it often enough to justify buying it in the enormous containers we needed to have on hand when we were feeding our growing lads back in the day.

Who would have thought that buying a small jar of peanut butter would make me feel so OLD?

(I ended up sounding pretty Eeyore-esque there, but don't feel sorry for me.  If my son doesn't use up that little jar during the three or four days he's home before he leaves for Army Airborne school, I'm going to whip up some peanut butter cookies--and probably eat them all, too--following an awesome three-ingredient recipe I got from my daughter-in-law: 1 c. peanut butter, 1 c. white sugar, 1 egg; bake for 8 min. at 350.  Mmmm-mmmm!!)

Okay now, for more B & W imagery, click on over to Clan Donaldson.

Theme Thursday: Water

I just had to link up with Cari at Clan Donaldson today, because the theme this week is so apropos.  I've got water on the brain.

My husband grew up in a house on a lake, in northern New York.  We just came back from a visit up there with two of my husband's sisters and their broods, and I snapped a couple of pictures the other day as I was sipping my first cup of coffee in the a.m.  The morning sun was shining on the water, making it sparkle like diamonds.  That's what my late mother-in-law used to say, as she sat in her comfy stuffed chair in the kitchen, staring out at the view: "The lake is diamonds."

It's astonishingly beautiful, isn't it?  Is it any wonder that my husband and his seven siblings gravitate to their childhood abode every summer with their families in tow, to be together again in such heavenly surroundings?

To this day, my hubby could sit and stare at the water for hours on end, mesmerized.  The view right out behind his childhood home is his favorite on earth--and as an airline pilot who's been flying hither and yon for a quarter of a century (to breathtakingly beautiful spots, both foreign and domestic), trust me, he's seen a lot of terrific views.  Give him a Diet Mt. Dew or a beer (depending on the hour of day) and a deck chair to sit in, and he could be happy for hours on end, just sitting on the deck of his parents' house, gazing at the water.

When my mother-in-law died in 2009 (six years after we lost my father-in-law), my husband and his siblings decided to keep the house and share it equally, rather than sell it and split up the proceeds, and they formed an LLC to manage its upkeep.  This year, a new sea wall was built in order to shore up the bank, because they were losing so much real estate to erosion.  Atop the sea wall is a gigantic patio like you've never seen before: I believe my husband could land one of his 767's on it.  I can only imagine the fun we're going to have sitting on that patio when the whole gang is there (which will happen around the 4th of July). We have a big gang.  It's a gang that needs a big patio.

It's not just the water that brings us all together in that place; it's the shared family memories that have been made there--not just for my husband's generation, but for our boys and their many Pearl cousins.

Yes, it's really family that makes this spot special.  But the fact that it's by the water doesn't hurt one bit.

Now swim on over to Cari's.  The water's fine!

Theme Thursday: Dad

Here's my husband with our boys in 1993, playing the role he lived for, sacrificed for, and loved: being a dad.

When our boys were growing up, he used to say that if a parent tries to be his kids' friend during their formative years (those all-important years when along with the love, they need healthy doses of guidance and discipline), then more often than not, it's difficult to be friends after they've grown up.  Parenthood is not supposed to be a popularity contest, he would say (a notion learned from his own excellent father).  And he was totally on board with that. His goal was not to be popular with his sons (not all the time, anyway, because he had to be tough on them when the situation warranted it); his goal was to raise fine upstanding men: men of character; men with their Faith and morals intact. His goal was to raise future saints.

Here's my husband with our boys in December of 2009, at the rehearsal dinner the night before our firstborn's wedding.  These boys men will always be my husband's sons first; but as you can see from this picture, they are now also his friends.

And I'll drink to that!

"Well done, Dad!"

I'm not only drinking up here (figuratively speaking, anyway), but I'm linking up as well--joining Cari at Clan Donaldson for a round of toasts to dads!

Theme Thursday: Self-Portrait

I was lucky enough to tag along with my husband on one of his working trips last month (one of the perks of being married to an airline pilot...if you're into the whole terrifyingly unnatural FLYING thing, which I am learning to finally enjoy in my old age--or if not exactly enjoy, at least do without feeling the need to write teary "good-bye/I hope I was a good mom/have a great life" letters to all of my children before I board the airplane).  My favorite captain was headed to San Juan, where he would lay over for a day at the oh-so-cushy Caribe Hilton Hotel right on the beach...and back at the ranch, the old nest was going to be as empty as ever...so I thought, What have I got to lose?

Best.  decision.  ever.

When we first arrived and got settled in our room, my thoughts as I looked out the window at the beachy nightscape went something like this: Why in the world do people spend thousands of dollars to fly here and stay at this hotel?  I mean, it's nice and all...but not THAT nice.

For the record, I was wrong.

It WAS that nice.  The next morning, the view out our window looked a lot more like a proverbial slice of Heaven than it had the night before.

And what was even nicer was that my husband and I were able to spend a whole day in Paradise, and it didn't cost us a dime for the air fare or hotel room.

We had to get some digital evidence of our magical day, to prove that it had actually happened and wasn't a figment of our imaginations.  Too embarrassed to ask anyone to snap some pictures of us standing near the beautiful, turquoise-colored ocean, we decided to take a couple of self-portraits ("selfies," I think the youngsters are calling them these days), with my husband holding the camera at arm's length.

Here we go.

Let's try that again, shall we?  (You're not trying to tell me something, husband of mine, are you?)

Much better.  Perhaps we should quit while we're ahead?

Third time's the charm.

Kids these days have so many photos of themselves, don't they?  When I look at the Facebook pages of my nieces and nephews, I am amazed by the thousands I see posted. My husband and I dated for three years in high school and then four years in college, before we finally got married about six months after our 1980 college graduations; yet from that seven-and-a-half-year time period, there only exist about as many photos of the two of us together as you see on this very page.  I wish now that we had more!  If only easy-peasy digital photography had existed back when we were a little more plastic-looking and a little less long in the tooth!

But I'm grateful to have these "selfies" from a wonderful day that I won't soon forget.

(BTW: the reason my sunglasses are so gi-normous is that they are actually made to slip on over a regular pair of glasses.  I'm wearing not one but two pairs of glasses in these photos.  So...now you know just how cool I really am.)

I just love linking up with Cari for these Themes on Thursdays, and now I'm going to head on over to Clan Donaldson to see what's shaking.  You should do the same!

Theme Thursday: Bodies

I don't have a new photo to share today for the Thursday-riffic link-up with Cari Donaldson et.al.  And although I wanted to play along, I wasn't quite sure what kind of picture I could post that would illustrate the very interesting theme for this week: bodies!

I thought, hmmm, should I show you some bathing suit shots of my fifty-something husband and my fifty-something self from our recent trip to San Juan?  No, I decided...no, not a good idea at all.  Because while we do have bodies, they're not exactly--well, never mind about that.

Then I thought, hmmm, what bodies do I know of that actually look cute with little fat rolls on them--and of course, that made me think of my three soft, pink, positively edible little granddaughters.  But I'm trying to keep pictures of them off this blog, for the most part, for privacy's sake.

So I'm posting an old photo of my boys and me from way back in 2007--when aside from the oldest, who had graduated from college the year before and begun his military career, these bodies still spent a good bit of time hanging out in their childhood home...near their mommy, who has always been happiest when they're no more than an arm's length away.  I was always the family picture-taker; but during this Notre Dame football weekend get-together, my husband grabbed my camera and told all the boys to huddle around me and show me some love.  All those bodies squished together, those happy smiles...it made for this great photo, which is to this day my husband's very favorite.

 Where are these bodies right now, you ask?

The oldest is out in CO, where he is stationed in the Army; he's a husband and a father to three little girls under the age of two.  The second oldest lives about an hour away from his dad and me, where he teaches high school math and coaches football.  The third one in line lives and works down in VA, is newly engaged, and will become a married man in December.  Number four is not quite a third of the way through a six-month deployment in Afghanistan.  And the baby left two nights ago for a six-week internship in France (which I wrote about yesterday).  Sometimes, I get panicky at the thought of how scattered about and far apart we all are--at least physically.

What I wouldn't give to have all those bodies--and the beloved souls that reside in them--a whole lot closer to mine.  What I wouldn't give to be able to hug and kiss each one of those "temples of the Holy Spirit" every single day!

[Sigh...]  But you know what they say: If you love somebody, set them free.  If they come back, they're yours.  And these somebodies do keep coming back...so I guess that means that these somebodies are mine.

Now go over to Clan Donaldson and check out some other bodies...or other somebodies...or whatever!

Theme Thursday: Animals

Linking up with Cari over at Clan Donaldson for another installment of "Theme Thursday."

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I were down in VA to attend a surprise party that our third son's newly-minted fiancee threw to celebrate his 27th birthday (which didn't turn out to be a surprise, exactly, but was a whole lot of fun--and dinosaur-themed to boot!). While we were there, the soon-to-be-betrothed couple took us to see the venue they've chosen for their December 2013 wedding.

Their reception will be held at a well-known vineyard in Northern VA, an establishment that is surrounded on all sides by breathtakingly beautiful mountain vistas.  This vineyard sometimes hosts polo matches, and back behind the events center there's a barn that houses some beautiful horseys (sorry--horses, that is; I've been hanging around with a pair of almost-two-year-old twin granddaughters as of late, and that's what they call them; and while we're at it, horseys say, "Beigh, beigh.").  I couldn't resist taking some pictures of those gorgeous animals.

I LOVE horses, but only at a distance. Or when they're safely tucked away in their stalls, looking at you with those big brown eyes, hoping you've got a sugar cube or a carrot you'd like to share.  I love to look at them and feed them, and maybe give them a gentle rub on their snouts.  (Is that the right word?  Snouts?  I'm not much of an equestrian, as you've probably surmised.)  But the idea of hopping up in the saddle and riding one of those huge, muscular beasts fills me with fear.  One of these days, I'd like to get up the nerve to go horseback riding.

I never used to think I had a bucket list, because my life has been almost fairy tale perfect, and I don't feel the need to say "Oh, I must accomplish this [or that] before I die!"  I've already checked off every important item on my list.

Marry my high school sweetheart: check.
Become a mother: check.
Become a grandmother: check.

And then there's that item I never thought I'd be able to check off, because it seemed like a pipe dream (and it certainly wasn't necessary as far as making me feel fulfilled).

Write a novel: check.

But riding a horse might just be on my list now.  In the meantime, I'll enjoy the twins when they ride their little wooden one.

"Yee-haw," as my little granddaughters would say.  Now head on over to Clan Donaldson for more animal pictures!

Theme Thursday: Mom

I know, I just did a "Theme Thursday" post two days ago; but I was really LATE for that one, and I'm right on time today!  So I'm linking up with Cari and the gang over at Clan Donaldson for this week's picture sharing party.  The theme?  MOM!  How perfect, with Mother's Day just around the corner.

I absolutely love vintage photographs--black and white head shots from the 40's and 50's especially.  They have a glamour about them that seems to be missing from our modern color photographs.  Whenever I look at pictures of my parents and my mother- and father-in-law from that time period, I think, "Did everyone look like a movie star back then?"

As a for instance, here is a gorgeous picture of my mother when she was no more than 20.

Of course, she was a beautiful woman to begin with, so it wasn't just the professional magic of a 50's portrait studio that made her look so movie star-esque (I mean, check out those cheekbones!).  But isn't she something?

Most of the pictures of my mother from her youth are in black and white, but here's a rare color snapshot.  She was a fresh-faced twenty-something here, a busy young mom without a speck of make-up on her extraordinary face.  This is my father's favorite picture of her.

My mother got married at 20 and had five children by the age of 27.  Here she is, looking like a Hollywood starlet, surrounded by her brood.

We must have been a handful, but she was still smiling, still looking as glamorous as ever.

With her high, sculpted cheekbones, sparkling brown eyes, and mega-watt smile, I think my mother could have been a movie star--or a model.  But she wanted to be a mom, and I'm so glad she did.

For more photography celebrating moms, head on over to Cari's.

Theme Thursday: Play

I know, I know: it's Tuesday, not Thursday.  I'm five days late, and in two days, it'll be time for another Theme Thursday.  But I've been traveling so much lately that I hardly know what day it is anymore anyway.  And I love this link-up with Cari over at Clan Donaldson--and I missed it last week because I was busy packing for a Friday flight to VA, to attend a birthday party for one of my sons...and then I was out of Internet service (NooooOOOOO!!!! A blogger's worst nightmare!) for the whole weekend...and then I spent all day Sunday either in airports or in the air getting back home...and then Monday, I was on the road again by car, traveling to Upstate NY to visit my folks...Well, I won't bore you with the details of my nomadic life these days.  (Did I just hear someone say "Too late!"?)

ANYWAY...here I am, finally, with the world's greatest pictures to go along with the theme PLAY.

I'm guessing most of the linkers' photographs will probably involve little tykes playing, but my brood is all grown up now.  However, even though my sons currently range in age from 20 to 29, they remain quite young at heart.  Here is a photo of son #3 about a year ago (at 26), with a dear cousin (a childhood playmate born the same year he was), playing with some dolphin buddies at Sea World out in San Diego.  Having the opportunity to get in the pool and play with the dolphins doesn't come cheap; and these shots were professionally taken, I believe, so I'm sure they weren't overpriced at all. But these two cousins just had a ball and felt the experience was well worth it, no matter what the cost.

Aren't these the greatest pictures ever?  I think I just won this week's Theme Thursday! BOOM!

(Wait, it's not a competition?  Sorry for getting carried away there...but I raised five sons, you see, and in our house, every backyard Wiffle Ball game was played as if the World Series pennant was riding on it.)

For more playful pictures, head on over to Clan Donaldson!