muggin' for the camera

muggin' for the camera, originally uploaded by MonicaSmoot.

Another from the "Pretend We Went Somewhere Way Better Than Cancun" night.

Jenny's birthday card

Jenny's birthday card, originally uploaded by MonicaSmoot.

Jenny got to go to Cancun for her birthday. The rest of us got to wear funky wigs. Too bad you can't see the full awesomeness that is my afro.

Ham

Ham, originally uploaded by MonicaSmoot.

Neon wigs. Black background. Pink sunglasses. Extremely photogenic child. How can you go wrong?

snack time

snack time, originally uploaded by MonicaSmoot.

The exotic pet store moved recently to a bigger and better building and they had a mural painted on the side of the building. I've been dying to photograph it and finally got a chance on Saturday.

Not a picture of Teri.

Not a picture of Teri., originally uploaded by MonicaSmoot.

Not the best photo, either. But I like it's mood.

Unconventional Methods

Unconventional Methods, originally uploaded by MonicaSmoot.

Sometimes I really don't understand how my son works.

curls

curls, originally uploaded by MonicaSmoot.

The schools are closing early today so the kids can get home before all the traffic ahead of the hurricane starts, even though the traffic already started. I'm not complaining, though. Work is letting parents leave early today and we don't have to use our vacation time to do it.

We won't get much from this hurricane, although I suspect we will get enough rain and wind to keep us inside tomorrow. I'm looking forward to a day of being stuck in the house. And if the power goes out, the kids will have nothing else to do except help me clean. I've got my fingers crossed.

Naked times 5

Naked times 5, originally uploaded by MonicaSmoot.

My men found the babies on Saturday while mowing the backyard. They lifted up a piece of plywood and saw the momma scurry away. I think there's a reason why no one says "as ferocious as a momma rat." I'm guessing the babies are only about 1 day old here.

So now I have a dilemma. We just paid a huge amount of money to get some critters out of our attic and I certainly don't want any more finding their way in to my house. I also don't want to encourage snakes into my yard, although I know they are already there. If we leave them alone, my dog will most likely end up getting them once they start leaving the nest. As it is now, they are protected under some plywood that takes a couple of strong arms to lift. But I can't bring myself to get rid of these babies. I'm just going to let whatever happens, happen.

Some might say the bass guitar is boring.

Some might say the bass guitar is boring., originally uploaded by MonicaSmoot.

What is really going on here is he is trying to feel the notes with his face. Now there's a kid who really gets into music.

I am so excited my kids (the older two anyway -- don't know about the youngest yet) are so into music. I really need to get off my butt and sign this kid up for drum lessons. But I can see that bass guitar lessons are on the horizon, too.

I've always loved the sound of the bass guitar. My husband played one in a band long ago before there were children. Sometimes I miss those days of late night practices, and shows in clubs where you are glad it's dark so you don't have to see how dirty the place is.

Col. Klink

Col. Klink, originally uploaded by MonicaSmoot.

He has no idea who Col. Klink is. The show was WAY before my time, too, but I did catch a couple of episodes in syndication. I never could get into it. There's something about war and comedy that just don't go together for me. I know. That's weird, huh?

Wait! That's no princess in a box!

Wait! That's no princess in a box!, originally uploaded by MonicaSmoot.

Help! School has started and that means I've been so busy the past couple of weeks that I haven't had time to do anything that isn't kid/school related. But there is light at the end of this very long tunnel. After this coming weekend of madness, I have three weekends in a row blocked off for me and my family. No intruders. Get out. We need some time together. And I need to have time to play with my new-to-me film camera.