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In May, we had a fundraiser for Team B-Patrol at Wine & Design, a bring-your-own wine painting studio. They provide all the supplies and an instructor, and everyone creates the same painting step by step. They have some variations on this idea with special sessions where you can paint your child, house, or pet. I would love to do one of those sometime! Well, except for the pet part.

Anyway. We had a great time, and we raised money for the National MS Society. I can get a little hung up in the details (how far should that branch be from the edge? exactly how many flowers should I draw? how much white should I mix into that blob of blue?). I had to keep reminding myself that my plans for the painting were my 3-year old’s room. She loved it! She wants me to paint another one for Cullen.

I always have a fun time seeing my sister!

We had 16 total participants, and half of them were our friends. We were pleased to get some random people from the community to help our cause.

My finished masterpiece!

My sister and I posed with our final pieces of art.

Our group of artists!

Most of us plan to be back sometime soon! My sister has already gone back and painted one of her pets…now, I guess she will have to find time to come back and paint the other 3!

We took a field trip to a local hotel. I had never been to the hotel, but I was familiar with some of the grounds as it is very close to my work. I was largely uninspired by the field trip. I ended up taking a ton of photos of a fountain on the pond, but I didn’t like any of them. I just couldn’t find anything that interested me. I had hoped for more guidance during the field trip, but it was more of a “walk around and get photos of things” type of outing. Oh well. I think I learned a few things, anyway. I wasn’t happy with my photos. These are the ones that I chose to show the class.

When I went on my excursions for Cityscapes, I tried also to get some photos for our Urban Landmarks assignment. The best I could do is to take photos of the Free Expression Tunnel at NC State. I knew I wanted to try some HDR techniques, so I experimented with the tripod and exposure bracketing. I learned a few things in the process. Now I know I should have tried a wider range of exposures, and I probably should have taken a couple more exposures as well). I was reasonably happy with the results.

Our latest assignment was “Cityscapes.” Our instructor did not necessarily intend for us to do skylines. Storefronts, buildings, and other urban elements were acceptable. I had trouble with this assignment, but I think the same is true of almost all of the assignments. None of them are subjects I would normally shoot. I went during nap times this weekend to several locations. I also went with Melissa and Jason to get some downtown photos. These are the ones that I submitted to class.

I couldn’t get inspired for this assignment. Art is not my objective when I’m snapping photos. I want to capture the expressions and milestones of the kids. I want to remember details about our vacations. I don’t really care to get published in a magazine or to see my photo hanging in an art gallery (though either of those things would be pretty cool). It’s not that I don’t appreciate those things. I just don’t have the eye or creativity for it. So, I was unhappy with my submissions this week.

This was my favorite photo of the week. It’s artsy, right? Sorta? Oh well.

I attempted to get some photos of Cullen’s hands after he had played with markers for a bit. I had a tough time getting it to work for me. It’s the best I had out of my various “artsy” attempts, so I had to work with what I had.

I missed the first week of class, so I didn’t submit anything for the first assignment which was “Still Life.” In the second week, we could choose to do pets and/or landscapes. I have limited time to take photos for this assignments, so I decided to pay my sister a visit and shoot her pets. (HA! Shoot her pets!). I took some photos of each dog outside as well as some indoor photos of the cats. The cats were not very lively and didn’t show off much of their personality, so I decided to just submit some of the dog photos for the assignment.

This is my favorite of Brendon. Happy dog!

I also like this one of Mandi. Don’t let her fool you – she wasn’t a sad dog! She was a bit of a nut while I was trying to take her photo.

It took considerable effort to get Brendon to show his normal ears. He kept trying to fold them back flat against his head like a wet seal.

Mandi was a nut. I kept laying down in the grass to get a different angle, and she just wanted to lunge at the camera. I think she was a little confused at what I was doing down there.

Something that makes me happy: Getting caught up on some photos (though I still have a long ways to go). I did manage to upload several albums to Shutterfly and blog a few picture posts this week. I feel like I accomplished something.

Something I’m thinking: I still need to write some thank you notes for Walk MS donations. I’m really behind on these this year.

Something I’m hoping: I’m hoping that Cullen completely heals soon from his surgeries. I’ve been worried about him.

Something happening around the house: Catherine came to visit with her family so that she could take photos of Maddie and Cullen. I can’t wait to see how they turned out!

Something I’m reading: I finished Definitely Dead and started on Jodi Picoult’s House Rules. I’m trying to sneak in some non-book club reading before starting on our next selection.

Something I’m watching: We started watching the first episodes of The Killing with Gabe’s mom while she was visiting. We are planning to continue watching the series! We had a busy week with Gabe’s mom’s visit and Cullen’s surgeries, so we’re not caught up on several of our shows including Game of Thrones.

Something tasty: I haven’t made them yet, but I’m expecting cookies baked for teacher appreciation week to be tasty. I know a few special people who are expecting them tomorrow.

Something Maddie is doing (38 months old): She sure does like to whine and throw temper tantrums. It seems that she spent quite a bit of time in time out and having quiet time in her room (to calm down) this week. I’m sure that it is somehow related to her getting less attention after Grandma left and due to Cullen’s recovery. She had a great time bonding with Grandma! She had her first Bike Day at school. The timing wasn’t great as it was the day after Cullen’s surgeries, but it did allow all of us (including Cullen and Grandma) to attend. They rode their bikes twice for 30 minutes each time (though I think the second time was a bit shorter). This was the longest that Maddie has ever ridden her bike continuously. She did great!!! We were impressed by how well she did. She needed a little help with the hill, but otherwise she pedaled and pedaled and pedaled around the circle. We were so proud of her.

Something Cullen is doing (15 months old): Cullen had a big week. After his first Easter egg hunt on Easter Sunday, he had another one on Monday at daycare. Since this was the day before his surgery, we were glad he was able to enjoy it. Grandma was here, so that’s another special event that she was able to see. Cullen gathered quite a few eggs, but he was more interested in opening them and seeing what was inside. Tuesday was the day of his surgeries. I plan to post more about that soon. Everything went well, according to the surgeons, but I’m concerned about his recovery. He has a bit of swelling, so I’m anxious for his post-op appointment on Tuesday. I stayed home with him and gave him lots of cuddles on Tuesday and Wednesday. Poor little guy. He continues to add new words to his vocabulary, though I have lost track of all the new ones. Two of his new words were “rock” and “flower.” I know he said others. He also has been saying (for a while) something that says (and means), “I want that.” He’s also been repeating things more often. I only count the words when he says them on his own in context.

Something I am struggling with: I just realized that I would miss the first session of my photography class that I’m itching to take this summer. I’d miss one more for book club, so I’m a little bummed about this. Fortunately, the class is 8 sessions, so I don’t think it will be awful if I miss a couple of them.

Something I’m doing towards my goals: We booked our flights for our cruise on a megaship later this year! I worked a little on our 2010 photobooks (Volume 3). I’m thinking about ordering Volumes 1 & 2 today as there’s a 30% off special plus a $10 off coupon. The shipping isn’t free, though, so I’m thinking that I might be able to find a better or equivalent deal later.

Something I learned: I learned a little about cholesteatomas. The ENT told me not to google it, but I couldn’t help it. Why would you tell a parent about the possibility of something like that if you didn’t want them to look it up or if you didn’t think it was a possible diagnosis?

Something I’m looking forward to: Mother’s Day events at both Maddie and Cullen’s classrooms, Cullen’s followup with the urologist, a book club outing to see Water for Elephants, games night, and Mother’s Day! Whew, it’s another busy week!

Something random: Yesterday, we ate at a bakery/cafe and Maddie had a chocolate cupcake. When I offered her some milk to “wash down that cupcake,” she proceeded to dump milk onto the remaining pieces of cupcake on her plate. It reminds me of the time where Gabe said, “Maddie, you crack me up” and Maddie responded, “Daddy, you don’t have cracks. You’re not broken.”

Something captured: I had lots of photos to choose from this week, but I decided to just go with my absolute favorite shot of the week.

Others writing The Sunday Somethings: Audrey

Something I’m thinking: I’m thinking about the crazy storms and tornadoes that came through our area yesterday. Many of our friends were directly affected with major damage to their houses. Others missed complete destruction by just a few houses. One of the tornadoes was pretty close to our house, but it missed our neighborhood, thankfully. We are glad that our friends remained safe. We were a little scared during the storm, and I hung out with the kids in our closet under the stairs for a little while. They thought it was great fun to play in the closet!

Something happening around the house: We had last minute plans to go to the town Easter Egg hunt and met one of Maddie’s buddies there. They came over for a play date and dinner afterwards. Good times!

Something I’m reading: I finished The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and started one of the Sookie Stackhouse books (Definitely Dead). The last time I’ve read any of that series was 2005, so it’s going to take me a little bit to get reacquainted. It’s pretty mindless reading, which is what I need right now. Plus, it’s on my list of books that I need to read from our bookshelves.

Something I’m watching: We’re getting ready to watch Amazing Race and Game of Thrones. I hope Game of Thrones is good!!! I’m glad that I’ve finished the first book, but it will probably be a while before I can get around to reading the rest of the series. I was making progress but then I needed to work on book club books.

Something tasty: Carnitas!!!

Something Maddie is doing (37 months old): She participated in another Easter egg hunt, as I mentioned. She’s doing pretty well with staying at the dinner table and has been keeping all 3 of her cards most nights. She’s enjoying the warmer weather and loves playing outside. She’s getting a little better at her balance bike. She likes coloring with chalk. She never stops talking!

Something Cullen is doing (14 months old): I took Cullen to get his ears checked this week, just to be sure. Of course, nothing was wrong with his ears. I am guessing he’s working on more teeth. I think he must be the world’s worst teether. Each tooth takes like a month to come in, and he has many cranky moments along the way. He was putting his hands in his mouth a lot this week and had quite a bit of drool. He also had a huge appetite this week. He must be going through a growth spurt! He added a few more words to his list this week. He said “shoe,” “pasta,” “back” (as in, “Daddy/Mommy needs to come back!” after we leave the room.), and “diaper.” He’s also saying, “thank you” spontaneously sometimes. He’s been bringing me books, and then he says, “book!” and climbs into my lap to hear a story. It’s adorable. He seems to prefer the books with real pages instead of board books, but I prefer to read him the board books. It’s much better than worrying about him ripping the pages! He seems particularly interested in Corduroy and Brown Bear, Brown Bear. He still likes the Boats book and That’s Not My Train… (to which he says, “choo choo”). I’ve also been reading one of Maddie’s favorites to him, Oh My, Oh My, Oh Dinosaurs!.

Something I am struggling with: Something is stuck in my foot or something. It hurts to walk.

Something I’m doing towards my goals: I took a vacation day on Monday to work on photobooks. While the kids were in school, I completed over 30 pages! I ended up finishing Volume 2 this week and started on Volume 3. I would have made more progress on Volume 3, but we were without internet for about 24 hours. I am working on my thank you notes for our MS donations. I’m way behind on those!

Something I learned: Gabe was looking at our place mats this morning (which are all colorful and somewhat educational). He had the map of the world, and he asked, “since when do we have a Southern Ocean?” Apparently, since 2000. Hmm, that happened even before the whole “Pluto isn’t a planet anymore” thing. (Fwiw, we have a solar system place mat that does not list Pluto as a planet – these place mats are educational and up-to-date with the latest teachings).

Something I’m looking forward to: Dinner and a movie with a friend, another Easter egg hunt for Maddie, a visit from Gabe’s mom, and a visit from THE EASTER BUNNY – WOO!

Something random: Why is it that I have so much trouble with this category? I am constantly saying random things.

Something captured: Cullen and Maddie picking flowers and enjoying the spring weather.

Others writing The Sunday Somethings: Audrey

Something that makes me happy: Reading to my kids.

Something I’m thinking: I’m tired.

Something I’m hoping: I’m hoping to get more sleep tonight than last night. I didn’t feel like I slept at all. Cullen was up often.

Something happening around the house: We hosted a pizza party for Team B-Patrol members last night to celebrate another great fundraising year.

Something I’m reading: I’m reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks which is this month’s book club selection. I’m enjoying it so far, but it’s not reading as quickly as I would like. It’s an interesting read!

Something I’m watching: I’m getting ready to watch Amazing Race. Oh, and I did finally get to see The Lovely Bones. I read the book years ago, but I didn’t remember too many details. It’s not the most uplifting film, of course.

Something tasty: I had lunch at the new cafe at work twice this week. YUMMY!

Something Maddie is doing (37 months old): One of her preschool teachers told us that Maddie is showing her stubborn side. This is the second teacher that said something like this. By the way that the second teacher said it, it seems that perhaps our preschooler is more stubborn than most. She did say that Maddie does “beautiful work, when she wants to do it.” When she asked who she gets it from, both Gabe and I admitted to being stubborn and that she was doomed. We’ve been reading longer stories for a while every night. I love how she has a bigger attention span for books these days. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse continues to be her obsession, and we usually watch an episode every day. It’s part of our bedtime routine, provided that she still has a card leftover from dinner. She’s been doing great with her cards this week. I don’t think she lost a single card the entire week. Maddie and I went to the neighborhood Easter egg hunt. She was excited about that! She sat very attentively afterward when one of the ladies in the neighborhood read stories to the kids. A few times this week, I let the kids play on the playground at the preschool. I try not to worry when Maddie climbs on the large play structures since I know that she does that unsupervised during the day. Yikes!

Something Cullen is doing (14 months old): Cullen continues to add new words to his vocabulary. This week, new words included beans, all done, thank you, choo choo (for trains, of course), cup (he’s been saying this for a while, but it sounds like “nuck” when he says it. It took us a while to figure out what he meant), cheese (he’s said this one when talking about the food, but he’s also started saying it sometimes when I take out the camera), up, duck, basket, woof woof (in addition to “dog” for dogs, of course), Nana (this morning he was pointing to photos of Nana and Papa. He says “Nana” for Nana or Papa), banana (this is not a new word, but it was the first time he’d said it in a while), and maybe “Donald” (as in Donald Duck). He’s been excited about books lately, and will pay attention through short board books. We read one about boats, and near the end there is a page where you “wave goodbye to the people.” Cullen LOVES waving and saying “Byeeee byeeee byeeee!” to the people. It’s adorable. It’s also adorable to hear him say “woo woo” (woof woof) every time he sees a dog (in person, drawings, or photos). He was a little fussy this week, off and on. I keep wondering if his ears are bothering him or what. Little man keeps us guessing. Last night was one of his worst nights of sleep in a while.

Something I am struggling with: Finding my motivation for getting things done (like photobooks and reading). I was doing great with the photobooks, but I seemed to have hit a wall on those. Hopefully, I will be able to get things done tomorrow since I am taking a vacation to work on photobooks.

Something I’m doing towards my goals: We raised over $5,000 for the National MS Society! You still have plenty of time to donate to Team B-Patrol.

Something I learned: I learned about the births of two friends’ babies (on the same day!). Yay, babies!

Something I’m looking forward to: Dinner/playdate with friends and THE ZOO!

Something random: I’ve been avoiding chewing on my left side of my mouth for years. My dentist thinks I have a cracked tooth and need a crown, so maybe in a few months I’ll be able to safely chew on that side without pain again. Wow, I really hate going to the dentist. It looks like it will be another expensive year with out-of-pocket dental expenses. If only I knew the previous year, so that I could put the appropriate amount of money in the FSA. Grr!

Something captured: Our team at Walk MS 2011.

Others writing The Sunday Somethings: Audrey

Not long after I first posted my goals, I entered Gabe’s goals into the database. I didn’t get around to adding a link to his goals since he hadn’t finalized them and I hadn’t entered his sub-lists. Now, Gabe’s goals have finally been officially added to the About Us section. We’ll be keeping track of his progress (and will probably keep you posted in my Sunday Somethings).

Gabe’s list