Last day of summer

Today is officially our last day of summer as a threesome ... mother, daughter, son. Tomorrow I go back to an Orthodontist appointment, so my kiddos will be having a happy day with my parents. Then school resumes on Wednesday.

My son blamed my daughter and me of adding too much sugar to our oatmeal and cereal this morning, as I was losing it and he was cracking up. It all started while I was in the kitchen talking to my husband (whose den is just down the hall) about printing some 5x7's for our entry table; when my son entered and said, "Mom ... dad left for a meeting." OH, I guess I didn't get that goodbye. I was brushing my teeth upstairs and he was running late; he thought blowing a kiss up the stairs to the kids included me. That was a good fifteen minutes before I found myself talking to my target audience who was out of the house. All is good.

Then the day just got funnier from there. We had to buy Foot Undies for my daughter. She will wear these at her Modern Dance class and they look like this:
To replay all the scenarios of laughter and giggles about truly nothing, but we all found funny, would come across as too confusing. So I will just leave it that we laughed our way through the dance store, the mall, and Costco. And, by the way, I would suggest not trying to find boys' jeans 36 hours prior to the first day of school. They were literally sold out at Old Navy (our favorite fit). The weather forecast looks promising for shorts on the first day, but rain by day two.

It was a good last day of summer.

Smile Day

The best part of Sea World was seeing my son's delight when we got to the Dolphin tank. Pure love, joy, and happiness was the only thing I saw when I looked at him; as I held onto his shorts so he would not blissfully tumble into the water. I have not seen anything like it before; and I am planning to hold that memory for life.
I am the first to admit that we spent more money on Dolphin sardines than on most of our souvenirs, but I could not fathom having just five fish among four people. I splurged and I am proud. Those Dolphins were well fed and my children were more than pleased.
These animals are so gentle, and they look like they are always smiling. How could you not smile back? What a gift it would be to work with these animals. I think you would always be happy ... and wet. They were very playful at twisting their bodies just in the perfect way to create enough of a splash to make you laugh. And they would smile.
Hard. Slick. Their eyes human like. Their thoughts almost readable.

The best Smile Day at Sea World!

School Gatherings

My son got a pair of Converse for school and I love them on him! He loves them on him! This week we got to check out the kids' classrooms by meeting the teachers and fellow classmates. My daughter received the teacher we were crossing our fingers for and we are thrilled. Although she does not have her core group of friends with her, she has held strong that she wanted this teacher more than friends because ... "You can't really socialize in class anyway, and we've already decided on meeting places for lunch and recesses." She has always been my girl full of wisdom.

When my daughter was in third grade the population of students was on overhaul mode. The school asked a fourth grade teacher to step down to third grade to create an additional classroom for all the students, and that is the person my daughter received. It proved to be a great fit and the entire classroom moved up to fourth grade with the same teacher and that teacher will stay at fourth.

Now that my son is entering third grade we do not have a teacher to secretly hope for; so when we arrived on Thursday we were relieved to have a good first impression from his teacher and classroom. It happens to be the biggest classroom in the buildings; my son lucked out. The class sizes have all increased due to budget cuts, etc. as a result of the state's education budget crisis; to have the extra space as third graders will be nice. My son is more of the social butterfly, mixing it up among the classroom. When he counted the class roster and came up with a dozen names he could hang out with (boys and girls), he was well ready to start the school year.

Our last weekend. Fifth and third grades. Where does the time go and how come it has to sprint and not just slowly walk away?

Riverwalk San Antonio

Don't Mess With Texas ... 'nuff said!

Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa

If after reading my posts about our recent Texas vacation you decide that you too would like to travel to the Lone Star State, then I encourage you to check out the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa. It looks great online, but it was more magnificent in real life.

Everything from the big ceilings in the lobby, to the outstretched green grass lawn where Cinderella played on an enormous big screen one evening for the guests, to the sauna and health club, the bikes you could pedal through the resort trails, the pristine golf course attached, the many restaurants, the kids playground and volleyball net ... and the pool. The highlight of our stay.

When the website mentioned it had a lazy river with a man made beach and deemed a kid pool versus adult pool, I thought it would just be a small gimmicky item as there were not many photos of the said fun. We were surprised then when we found it to be gorgeous, stretched for (I believe) 4 acres of winding currents that snaked through trees and waterfalls. The pool was huge, foot bridges connected from one pool to the next, one patio to the next, one poolside restaurant to the next. The pool area hours were 8 am until Midnight, so we could still complete our day activities and swim in the evening (which seemed to be our favorite as the river was so pretty lit up at night and most other guests were headed to dinner or bed). The resort had a bon fire on the beach nightly and provided S'more fixings for all. A true delight, completely kid friendly, and literally a five minute drive over the freeway to Sea World San Antonio.

A few photos from the three nights we were pampered by this fantastic resort:

Sea Turtle, Inc

To say that my son is an animal enthusiast is an understatement. If you mention hunting, eating meat, a story about an injured animal, or anything remotely close to animal-negativity, you will get an ear full, or at least an upset boy. It is a fine balance trying to explain to him about choices at his age and at his current passion level; because it just may be this exact passion and attitude at age 18, 31, 52 that may save the world or an endangered species, and I do not want to be the one standing in the way. But at the same time, at age 8, there is a fine line between respect and inconsiderate behavior regarding others' beliefs that do not match his own.
When we found the Sea Turtle, Inc. Rescue and Rehabilitation center at South Padre Island, my son was incredibly anxious to get inside. He grabbed his Kodak and away he went documenting his time(these photos are his); leaving the rest of us to gather up our water bottles and hats from the car.
The small connection that we have to Sea Turtle Rescue is that my best friend traveled to Costa Rica during an Interim month at college to help release Sea Turtle Hatchlings back to nature. Her experience was inspiring then, and continues to inspire my son with stories told seventeen years later.
He purchased a Sea Turtle magnet with his own money just for her. A private Thank You that he wanted to give her for helping save an animal. He didn't tell me at the time what he was thinking, but shared privately with me later what his plans were for that wooden turtle magnet. It warmed my heart; my sweet boy.It is fun to imagine your childrens' future, but you never know what inspiration will be sparked as your child goes through their life. Will it be this or something else? Regardless, I will always remember my son's focus, deep interest, and love for the mission of Sea Turtle, Inc.

Lost Lagoon at Sea World San Antonio

I did not even realize that Sea World also resided in San Antonio until my friendly neighbors from Texas shared the 411 with us last year. They raved about the water park that was inside the park, which was absent from Sea World San Diego. And I remember they raved about the San Antonio Riverwalk. We decided to follow their advice and everything they had mentioned lived up to the awe and fun they had shared.

My husband and I vacationed to La Jolla, California six years ago for our ten year anniversary, leaving the kids behind. Neither of us had been to Sea World, so we went during that trip and it was entertaining. Six years later, the kids are now well aware of Sea World and have been asking to go. Although we are far from world travelers, we have had our fair share of interesting vacation destinations under our family belt. Therefore, not wanting to repeat California as the kids have been to Disneyland, we opted to take up the advice of our friends and check out Sea World San Antonio.

Now having been to two of the three Sea Worlds, I would say that the San Antonio offers much more. Not only do you see the Shamo Show, Viva Divers, and the chance to feed dolphins, but the Lost Lagoon Waterpark is fantastic and an incredible addition to the water celebration that Sea World promotes.

We spent two days at Sea World. The first was all about the animals and exhibits and a few rides. The second day was all about getting wet in Lost Lagoon and more rides. My children have never been to a water park. I know, hard to believe. But it is not due to the fact that they don't know how to swim, as they are well accomplished in that sport, rather it was because neither of them are too adventurous ... until. this. trip.

A day well spent. They went on water slides and waves pools and my son went on roller coasters that I wouldn't venture on (which to be honest, isn't saying much, but at least so far he does not continue in my chicken footsteps). Full sun, shade for lunches and breaks, swim suites all day long. Doesn't get much better than that. Lost Lagoon Park at Sea World is a must-do for kids of all ages and bravery levels.

My husband paving the way for the kiddos.
My son fell through the tube as soon as he hit the pool. My daughter went down backwards the whole way down.
The wave pool ~ our family favorite. It was hard to get individual pictures because the kids would either get eaten by the wave or too many strangers blocked the view. They finally held hands to get one group shot.
Headed towards the gates at closing.
Last family photo at Sea World. Get used to these exact bathing suit shots because there are more photos in this attire coming up. HA!

Where to begin

Where do I begin? Chronologically? My favorites? The cutest photos? There is no good answer as we enjoyed every hour of our fun, energized vacation. Now I am back running full speed towards school starting in exactly one week. I just need to pick a starting point and start writing. So I will.

One of the first things that we noticed while in Texas was the humidity, and then we later learned that the humidity was not actually "that high", considering that they are experiencing a drought and have been rainless for months. But to us, when our sunglasses and camera lens fogs over as soon as it exits the case, we can point to humidity. There was not an ounce of fog on the Gulf of Mexico, unlike what this photo makes it appear. It was our lens fogged over from the heat.The plane landed in San Antonio and after two days at Sea World we drove to the Gulf of Mexico and stayed two nights at South Padre Island, the southern most tip of the Texas Coast before it runs into Mexico. It was beautiful!! We have been to the Pacific Ocean wearing shorts and tanks, but one does not venture far into that water. So I packed thinking We'll wear this and this at the beach (tanks and shorts) visualizing wading up to our knees at the most into the water. But when temps soar into the low 100's, the white sand is hot to the touch, and the water is shallow enough to be bath water temp, we were forced to wear suits all day, showering just before dinner, to change into this and this.Our children have never used any water toy in ocean water before, and my husband knew it was a must for the Gulf of Mexico. We purchased a wave board for $15 at the grocery store, knowing that we would donate it to the next family at the beach upon our departure. The wave board proved to be a hit for our children (and the next family too). My husband found an abandoned circle floatie while on his sunrise walk on the beach. The kids finally got the hang of how to catch a wave and let it pull them to shore. A couple of times the kids tasted salt water as they tumbled off, but for the most part they stayed on board.
Sand castle building was not a high priority, which was something different from ocean trips past. We much preferred the water and water toys.We rented some beach lounge chairs and umbrella from our hotel and enjoyed an entire day relaxing on the beach, ordering lunch service, and being beach bums. It was truly relaxing! While the drive from San Antonio was lacking in excitement (five hours of a disappointing n-o-t-h-i-n-g), we would venture South again to South Padre Island.

Gorgeous. Slow paced. Peaceful. Perfect.

Note to Self

We returned home late last night and there are a few things I learned while on vacation. We went South to a state we've never traveled; Texas. While we read online the weather forecast as being hot, like 100 to 106F, we did not realize that they were in a three year drought nor their daily temps have not fallen below 100 degrees for months. What did this have to do with our trip? Here is a note to self for the next trip we venture to which includes triple digit temps, high humidity, and water play ... and a few more thrown in.

*The ratio of swim suites to clothes should be about three suits to one outfit. I packed two suits each for the kids, and one for me (my husband packs his own clothing, and he did the best in his ratio). We ended up wearing the bathing suits all-the-time, just like every one else. The first day we went to Sea World San Antonio, we were the most dressed up family in shorts and tanks. Every one else wore swim suites. The second day, we wore swim attire, brought a change of clothing, and never changed. Note to self: swim suits are the clothing of choice no matter how different that feels.

*The number of hats should be at least three for a seven day trip. Otherwise, every picture will be with the same hat and that gets old real quick. Not to mention, if you do not take the first advice and pack multiple swim suits, then all photos will look like you never changed; which technically isn't far from the truth. I had to buy some hats while I was there to switch it up. Note to self: humidity makes everything damp and a damp hat is just not fun to add to your head.

*There is no need for makeup while in a humid climate. Waterproof mascara does not hold true when it is hot and humid. It is best to go without, lather on sun screen, and enjoy that tan face. Note to self: only pack lotion and lip balm.

*When it comes to shoes, just pack a dinner pair for going out in the few outfits you pack, otherwise, your comfy bathing suit flip flops will do the trick the other hours of the trip. Note to self: less shoes packed means less bulk in the suitcase.

*Grab an envelope and some one dollar bills before you leave, label it tips, and know you are good for the trip. We scrambled for lower denomination of bills for all the bell hops, valets, and airport car transfers. In the age of debit, we rarely carry cash and by the end of the trip, we were gathering handfuls of quarters as tips. Note to self: take the time to add up all the service spots before your trip, multiply by the dollars per tip, and grab that many ones.

*My husband read that the average American family takes about 450 digital prints per year. Note to self: we are not the average American family; we shot over 2000 in seven days. Give me a day to sort out the architectural photos, from the landscape photos, from the animal photos, from the test photos, from the family photos, from the things you'll never see in our state photos ... and then I'll start my series of posts with pictures.

Baseball

Usually the kids have been to at least two professional baseball games before we reach this part of the season, but for some reason this year was not like prior years. We enjoyed bleacher outfield seats as a four-some today enjoying the kids' first game of the season and the return of the sunshine. The kicker that topped it off was a blowout win!
My son made this sign last year, saved it, and brought it back out today. The story behind it goes that our local sports station which broadcasts the games had a Commentator who choose to give free French Fries to someone in attendance at a game two seasons ago. We were down points that game, the free fries were deemed the answer that brought us luck as we found points after to win the game. So the nice gesture became a new tradition and it was named the Rally Fries, for those games when we are behind and we need to Rally to get some points. Now many make signs to see if they can get the broadcasters attention, and if chosen, a woman with a microphone followed by a camera crew will appear at your side about the 7th inning with your free Rally Fries ... and a spot on television.

Although we were up the entire game, we didn't need the sign, and there were no Rally Fries given out, but my son was still determined to wave and DANCE with his sign the entire game. We made sure he knew the rules not to his raise the sign during play, as the surrounding crowd would not have appreciated the green neon in their face during a home run hit or amazing tag ... but he could continue his dance moves. He did.
We are headed off for a family vacation which will involve air travel and a car rental to a state we've never adventured into, so I will make this my last post as I have much to do. I wish an enjoyable week for everyone and I'll catch up when I return.

The Best Kept Surprise

Remember as a child when you received a birthday invitation and you just wanted the days to zoom by so you could be in the moment of celebrations with your friends? The days always seemed like they could not turn over fast enough. For my girl, and my husband and me, today finally arrived.

The invitation said the birthday girl parents would pick up the four girlfriends at 11:00 am, and a second wave of friends would join them for a swim party at the community pool at 5:00 pm. My girl was all for that, no questions asked, she was ready with her yes RSVP.

I, on the other hand, wanted more information. What would these four good friends be doing from 11 to 5? That seemed extraordinarily long. So I sent an email to the mom (also a friend of mine) and asked for the full scoop.

It started with this:And then it will continue to a drive through our town picking up the other girlfriends, pedicures from a salon, at the birthday girl wishes the limo will stop at the grocery store where the girls will be dropped off to go inside with the mom to buy candy before stopping at the favorite Mexican restaurant in town for lunch. Then finally they will return to the birthday girl's house for a scavenger hunt game before settling into their pool clothes to leave again (but with out the limo) to meet up with the rest of the party goers. An hour of swim, pizza dinner and gifts after, and then finally home to say goodbye.

A long, excited, perhaps exhaustive day is in store for my girl. My husband and I kept the surprise, but let me tell you, it was hard. I found myself back pedaling a few times once I started going down the road of filling her in before I remembered she had no clue. Talking generics is hard to do when you want to talk specifics to your own child. The reminder to Stick Together receives a confused look from your child when all she thinks she is doing is hanging out at her friends house. Or, the reminder to Don't forget your purse (which holds the new pay-as-you-go-phone-we-purchased-this-week-for-this-event-and-future-situations) gets an even more confused response of It'll be by my shoes at her house. Aww, a good lesson of letting my little bird fly all by herself today. I can't really give her many tips as she knows n-o-t-h-i-n-g about where she will be today. She is on her own.

Remembering the days when I ventured out to birthday parties and loved every minute of my time with girlfriends. Happy for my girl, happy we kept the surprise!

Rookie ,,, and no time line

I pick up our Canon SLR camera from time to time although I do not know how to operate it to its fullest potential. My first action is to switch it to Auto Mode. I learned on our camping vacation that Auto does not mean it will Auto-matically Take Good Photos. Darn! The day my husband and children were out playing in the boat while I stayed on shore to chill and take photos, I learned that many pictures did not come out as I had thought they should have. In my opinion, an SRL is not a point and shoot camera, and that is exactly how I have been treating it.

Therefore, the next morning while my husband was running for a quick trip to the town for ice, I played with the camera at the campsite. I turned knobs and shot a photo. Then, I would turn the knob again to snap the same subject. I saw no difference. I tried to figure out what the ISO meant in comparison to the other numbers. I was lost and confused. To me, it all looked the same.

I dabbled in photography as a teen enrolled in a photography class; to the point where we were expected to develop our own film (canister and black bag, dark room and solutions; it was awesome). I remember getting an A+. I remember my dad and my instructor both explaining ISO and F-Stops to me. However, I really didn't get it, and perhaps never really said it at the time, but I just carried on and acted like I did, and at the time I received good results. But now, it is as if I learned nothing. I should have spoken up back then.

When my husband returned from his excursion, I showed him my photos in the view finder on the back of the camera and I finally admitted, "I don't get it and I don't see the difference". I know that many photographers (including my husband) will use enhancements to finish off their photos. I am not even going there. I am just trying to master the Canon SLR with out using Auto Mode.

My husband sat in the camping chair beside me and really tried to explain it to me again, but to no avail. I think my brain honestly does not work well with numbers and abstract concepts. To me, he might as well have been talking in a different dialect, because it sounded just like that.

And I'm not even gonna touch the essence of the art of photography; capturing emotion, texture, shapes, and colors. That, I think, is a gift ... or could come with a lot of hard work and practice.

I will not give up, but I will also not put a time line on when I will master the basic concepts. But for the record, our local small town paper used MY photos when they published an article about our neighborhoods National Night Out. (Okay, so I stole the camera from my hubby that night and he didn't get a chance, but fair is fair).

My photos:His photos: