Santa Claus Shops at Malls

 

 

 

We were at the new mall because someone told us Santa shops there. And rides in fire trucks. And in some of the worse photographic conditions ever I managed to capture the elusive Mr. Claus, almost in focus! The kids got to watch a dance school full of little girls wiggle around on stage, cry while talking to the nice man that only sort of looks like friendly grandpa, eluded being trampled by the crowd and still were first in line! The night ended in irritation by dad, but he still lent his headlights to the "Levi Contemplates the True Nature of Christmas" photo at the end. Or "Levi is Mesmerized by Glowing Lights." I'm going with the Jesus theme because asking Santa for a zillion and two gifts certainly brought on such pensive reflections.

I need another camera

Right? Like a hole in the head, you ask? Well, when trying to decide between the snapshot pocket camera lovingly dubbed the piece of garbage that is so small it spends most of its trashy life misplaced anyway, and the big pro beasts that knock my kids in the head if they stand too close, I often opt for no camera. The cobbler's kids and the shoes adage comes to mind.

Today was one of those days I wished I could find even trashcam. I shot some real estate in the morning while Troy got the kids to work on their school. By the time I got back home, they were well on their way to being done. I packed up lunch and dinner, and when they were finished we drove down to Zilker Park.

They paid their own way on a mini train ride, spent an hour at the playscape, another hour on the grassy hillside playing some make believe nature game and talking to a very nice woman who acted so gracious as to care what they were telling her (plus she shared snacks). Then another hour in the Barton Creek aquifer science exhibit from which I had to drag them away to go to the open late Wednesday night at the Austin Children's Museum.

While none of those photos are really gallery worthy, they certainly make the blog much more attractive. They certainly will help my children look back fondly on their childood. And they certainly help my family blog look a lot more fun than your family blog. Not that we're competing. Or at least, you're not.

A Capitol Day

 

We had a get together in Austin for local and willing-to-travel members of DSP where I am technically still working even though I am not working there anymore. All of that someday I'll come back kind of thing because I really do miss teaching Photoshop. Anyway, we met at the Capitol Visitor Center, toured the rotunda, then headed out to the State Cemetery which was surprisingly beautiful and park like rather than morbid as it sounds. My homeschooled kids could get an entire semester of Texas state history just watching the video in its visitor center and doing the awesome packets they hand out there! We had a great time getting to  know each other better, talking about photography and scrapbooking, and of course, because we're women, talking about nothing.

I remember years ago at the Capitol how my mom about wet herself when she found out Governor George W. Bush was there that day, and chastised me for just walking into the governor's business office (as if we might accidentally run into and bother the man.) She gushed how she just loved him all the while my dad standing there and saying, "Dear, I'm standing right here..." So in her memory I barged into the Governor's office again, now belonging to the less lovable Rick Perry, and not surprisingly did not run into George Bush yet again.