One might ask why so often does miss Sophie have a band-aid on her face?

she is nearly three years old. she loves Dora. she thinks she's hurt and it makes her stop crying when she gets a boo boo.
wait til Holden catches on to this...

Speaking of Dora. The boy is infatuated with her.
He calls out for her, "D-D-Do-wah" all day long. I've even heard him on the monitor calling for her upon awakening.
He's yet to call Sophie by name, but can correctly name Dora, Boots, cousin Diego, and Backpack.
And we hardly ever watch Dora. But she's everywhere-
on the yogurt, clothes, books, dishes, toys, stickers, dvds...

Commercialism seeps it's way into the raw minds of our youth from the time they're born.

The State of Me

I am a self-reflector and a self-searcher. I'm constantly searching for new parts of me. Hobbies, interests, skills ...that are buried within and waiting to be discovered.
One of my newest trades I've taken to is the daily crossword puzzle in the newspaper.
The first day I tried I felt really stupid. I couldn't get more than 5-7 answers.
Progressively throughout the next week or so I learned the crossword lingo and redeemed my smartness... working my way to completing near half the puzzle. and then at last the day came- the day I completed the ENTIRE crossword puzzle!
It only took me all day, in between my motherly, wifely, and homely duties- but I did it!
Now I'm officially smart.
The proof:

Note my book over there too- I'm currently enjoying 'In Cold Blood' by Truman Capote. An incredible story so far! Quite revealing after watching "Capote"- an eye opener into uncovering the layers and background of the story.


My other new project is a photography assignment: SKIES
A self-assigned project I've begun after checking out some photography books from the library. I'm attempting to learn more about exposure- the how to's, when and where's.
This will be an on going project for me to work on improving my skills and learn more about capturing highlights and shadows in photos.

I'm only sharing this one for now, but you can check out my Flickr page if you'd like to see more.


Without turning this post into a novel, I still have more...
Happy Memorial Day!
It was our first weekend to take the boat out on the lake. We packed a picnic lunch, lubed up the Lummins with gobs of sunscreen, invited some friends, and headed to the lake early.
A pleasant day, but no pictures to share since I was fearful of harming my Nik out on the waters. (Remember there is good reason for this, which I need not explain to those who know me.)

None of that has to do with the real meaning of the holiday and to keep our minds on track, OddMix has given the Weekend Words Challenge a true Memorial Day meaning-
Duty and Remembrance.

Short of time and locations to shoot, I only have one photo:


To me, Band of Brothers is the ultimate symbol of remembering those who've served and fought for this country. An absolutely unforgettable story of brotherhood and war...

BAND OF BROTHERS tells the story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army. Drawn from interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as soldiers, journals and letters, BAND OF BROTHERS chronicles the experiences of these young men who knew extraordinary bravery and extraordinary fear.

Really, a must see!

It's been one of those days.
the one where I say fuck about 52 times.
Mostly under my breath or in my head, but every now and then something shitty slipped out of my mouth...
It started out with an early morning of screaming. Followed by a breakfast of screaming. Moving on to a full morning of screaming.
While scrambling around the kitchen to prepare breakfast, serve sippy cups the right color and right temperature with the right beverage at the speed of a nanosecond, when I haven't had a drop of coffee yet, and the dogs start barking and won't shut up-
I let a "goddamn motherfucker" in the voice of a grizzly bear slip out under my breath.
Dwayne shimmed his finger at me and told me to stop cussing so much.
Pissed me right the fuck off!
Sometimes, some moments are just worth a goddamn motherfucker.

And it was that kind of day.
You either had to laugh or go completely insane.
I did both.

Sophie's biggest tradgedy of the day was when Big Baby's pajamas were not fastened completely. My god! there was a quarter inch NOT VELCROED!!!
Hysterical screaming ensued for fifteen minutes. Complete with foot stomping and body thrashing.
How do you not laugh?!!?

It's been three days in a row Sophie has not taken a nap.
She turns evil around 3 o'clock.
The only good thing about a no-nap day is that it will be short day. She'll crash out by 7 o'clock.
But I am fearing the worst- that she might be trying to give up naps completely.
noooooooooooo!!!!!

I'm hoping tomorrow we'll be down to reasonable number of "fuck"s running through my head.

The day I met Walker

This is Walker,

the 8 inch long walking stick!

And that is an exact number because I indeed did get out the ruler to be sure.
Eight inches was my guess, as I’m skilled in that length-guessing area (just ask Dwayne); and after Walker stuck around for hour upon hour, I decided to put my length-guessing skills to the test- I was right on the money!
After measuring, I studied Walker for quite some time. Fearful at first, for I didn’t know if walking sticks were dangerous and prone to attacking innocent bystanders…
But Walker just hung.
That’s all he did. A good four hours or more he stood.

And then he played peek-a-boo with us!

Mexican Boar

Mexican Boar
Originally uploaded by lucky lum.

What do you think,
should this be my new profile pic?

I get giddy on the weekends.
I have a purpose.
I read the words and began to view every object as a potential subject.
I hunt and I shoot.
Trying to capture that just right photo to fill the role.

What am I talking about?
Mr. OddMix presents us photographers with a Weekend Words Challenge.
Two words. And it's our job to shoot pictures that represent those words.

Now that I have an official real photography assignment, I can believe that I'm an official real photographer. Even if it is just in my head...
Today is show and tell, so here are my samples of this week's challenge.

MISSING



(Toni thought it was delicious treat.
I'm wondering where the hell you find another one of those wood knobby things?)


MIRROR



happy monday!

Now that I’m done gloating about my trip and the vacation withdrawal period has ended...
it’s time to inform the uninformed about the new tricks and trades of the Lummins.
Holden has finally, FINALLY taken his first steps!!!
The kid is over 14 months old now and has been perfectly content to scoot his little bum around on the floor to get to where he needs. He’s quite an efficient scooter and has seen no need to try to stand up and use those legs for mobility.
I swear the kid was going to be a butt-scooter til he was 5.
While Dwayne and I were in Mexico, I left explicit instructions for Oma and Aunt Cathy to teach Holden how to walk.
I give them a B+. They got pretty darn close!
When we returned Holden stood up proudly and showed off his new skills. He was able to take two wobbily, hesitant steps towards us!!
It’s in the making now…

The boy has also sprouted three new teeth to accompany the lonely four that have resided in his mouth for months now. Painful he'd tell you. Sprouting new teeth would make anyone a little cranky...
And while he can proficiently use a spoon to feed himself, he still prefers the old hands=utensils method. Especially when eating any non solids- yogurt, ice cream, applesauce especially. They become instant edible fingerpaint for him!



I have little news in the way of Sophie’s recent advancements, other than that she would like to rule the world.

Not only was the trip to Mexico about fun and beer with good friends,
It was about relaxing and doing nothing. About reconnecting as a couple.

What better way to do that sans children,
Sitting down for conversations over leisurely five course gourmet dinners,
Enjoying the ocean breeze while sipping cocktails,
Swinging on our hammock with the gentle rhythm of the waves rocking in the background?
No responsibilities and no stress.




For our anniversary we celebrated with a candlelight dinner on the beach,

(Too much champagne, and the evening was topped off with my vomit in the toilet bowl!)


Besides the champagne mishaps,
Mexico was an absolutely wonderful time!


I keep thinking how I'd like to be on a permanent vacation.
I mean I could really get used to a life without having to cook, clean, do laundry, or take care of kids…
The hardest decision on vacation was choosing the right drink and deciding on how many deserts to order.

The picture show is here.

And check out TKW for more pics and stories.

BEACHES, BEERS, BIKINIS

Maxim will be knocking at our doors any second now...



Me and my girl TKW having fun pretending we were high paid models and Dwayne was the lucky photographer...



The day we spent 8 or so hours on the beach, sunning ourselves, drinking beer, playing in the sand, and getting silly...





check out my flickr for more...

How can I even begin to describe the BEST VACATION EVER...
I keep searching for the right words but today my brain is out of commission.
My body feels as though I'm trying to walk through water. very very slow. I'm having to put forth great effort to accomplish even the smallest of tasks.
Coming back to reality sucks.
I swear when my body and mind catch up to Texas, I'll come back with grand stories and pictures to share of my best vacation ever.

You can now refer to me as the Butterfly Whisperer.



Butterfly was alive, but barely.
I picked it up carefully and placed it in my hand. Butterfly was shaking and quivering involuntarily across my hand. I thought it was a goner.
Then after holding Butterfly, talking to it for 10 minutes, and of course taking dozens of pictures- I set it on the rail of the deck.
A half an hour or so later Butterfly was on the ground walking sluggishly. The same one.
I had healed Butterfly!!
And a short time later it was off and flying away.
Now tell me what other explanation could there be?

********************

Results from the last poll:
The majority of you are perverts!
22 of you would sit and watch at the nude beach
17 people would stay and get naked
11 of you would leave

I'm not saying how I voted, but it might be that one in the middle.
And you'd have to mix a little booze in there like Sheri and Suzan pointed out!

So I've got a new poll question to ask:

If you walked out of your house one morning and saw a bird with a broken wing huddled in some nearby buses, what would you do?
	Walk back inside and forget about it
	Walk back inside to go get yer gun and come back to put the bird out of it's misery
	Get the bird and try nursing it back to health
	Go call the vet to ask what you could do to save the bird
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Have a vote there and I'm off tomorrow on a 7 am flight!!
Hasta

Take a look at these Sexy Ladies!



These vivacious women are my mother in law Trudy, and her sister Cathy.
Two peas in a pod I tell you.
They flew down here from the oppposite ends of Canada to watch the little Lummins while Dwayne and I fly to Hedonism.

And

Trudy, aka Oma, came with practically an entire suicase of loot for the Lummins!
16 shirts
6 pants, 1 skirt
3 one-piece outfits
2 gorgeous silk jackets from China
3 dresses
2 pair pajamas
2 bedding sets
5 pairs of socks
1 towel, 2 washclothes
and
a number of other gifts for each of us.

Not only is she a very giving woman, but
a loving grandma
an intelligent, thoughtful individual
genuine
friend, mom, sister
an independent
open minded
saucy lady!
I love her.
We love her.

and her sister is just as fabulous!

Items to be packed for Mexico other than flip flops and sunscreen:
-bikinis
-pretty clothes to dress up for nice dinners
-high heels to fall down in after too many drinks
-wheelbarrow to roll me back to the room (or just drop me off at the beach)
-Advil to ward off any evil hangovers
-birth control pills

Here's a sample of what's packed in my head so far...

ONE WEEK!!!
and I'll be on the beach!

TWO weeks in a row the Lummins have missed school because of illnesses.
Dammit.

THREE beers I've currently been enjoying: Stella Artois, Newcastle Brown Ale, and some Fat Tire.

FOUR more hours I have to sit and wait for the AC repairman...


PICTURES
the Lummins enjoying one of their favorite activities- Let's Bounce Up and Down on Daddy and See How Many Farts We Can Sqeeze Out of Him

JUST FOR THE RECORD

Because somebody thinks that the blogging world now views him as a cad...
Today I'll shine the light on the multitude of reasons why I love Dwayne.

He's a catch! And I'm completely in love with him.
Sometimes I feel like this relationship is too good to be true.
(Ah, but thankfully Dwayne will always go and do something to assure me that nobody is perfect and no relationship is perfect.)

He's a wonderful father.
He places family first on his priority list. He'd rather spend his time with us and makes an effort to be around. A very hands-on dad.
He may not remember what size diapers to buy, but he frequently changes diapers.

Our relationship is built on friendship.
We were initially friends when we met and stayed friends for a long while before we became a couple. (ok, with a brief dating stint in between)

He's sexy.
He has skills.
He respects me.
He loves me.
He's tender and caring.
He calms me.
He listens to me. (or at least pretends to while I babble on incessantly)
He lets me sleep in on Saturdays.
He believes in me.
He likes to shop.
We have a good time together.
He tells me I'm his dream girl.
He's a smarty. and always has the meaning of big words I don't know.

We solve problems and make desicions together.
We're partners.