118 - And One

John playing in a Derry, NH tournament. He made it in for a basket and got fouled - made the extra point as well.

117 - Circles of love

A couple of bracelets that Tia received as gifts from Grandma.

116 - Surprise!

Tom, my sweetheart kid, bought balloons at the town market and spent the evening blowing them up on the sly. He then waited until his sister was asleep, then sprinkled them all over her bed and the floor. She will wake up to quite a surprise!

115 - Green carpet

Green! The forest floor outside the house is beginning to get the carpet of green. Spring is here, summer not far behind!

114 - Wii!

Tom takes a break with one of the new birthday Wii games.

113 - Metal work

My Dad was a craftsman disguised as a sheet metal worker/welder. This was one of his goofy ways to use up some scraps. I treasure this, miss my Dad like crazy.

112 - Hoops

John playing in a tourney in Lowell, MA. They won this game (I think).

111 - Chimes

Soothing sounds of the windchimes. These, however, hang in the basement and the kids hit them every time they walk by. Hey, we do it a bit different here.

110 - Yeee Haw!

Is there an unwritten rule that states you must embarrass your teenagers? Took John out for dinner on his birthday today, let the waitress know, but what WE didn't know is that they roll over a saddle for the birthday boy to sit on as they SCREAM to the entire restaurant that it's his birthday and everyone yells YEE-HAW (yea, it was a classy joint). He took it in good humor!

109 - Let them eat cake!

No, it's not a planet full of craters, it's John's birthday cake being baked today for his 15th birthday tomorrow. Counting down, 6 months and he will start driving (*yikes*).

108 - Bunny on my pillow

So I go to get into bed after a long day and am ready to snooze. Hey, what's this tucked in and sleeping on my pillow? Tia's Easter bunny!

107 - Bubbly Tia

We went to the mall tonight and it was Tia's turn to try the bubble (John declined, too cool for teens I guess). She had a great time!

106 - Homework

Tia and I are sitting side by side doing homework. Right now, I'd rather have her packet over mine!

105 - Iridescent "eyes"

For a present at Christmas, Tia received these peacock feathers. The iridescent colors are just gorgeous.

104 - Cookie drop experiment

The cup was made by Tia and me during a "girls night out" (she loved the pottery place). This is our attempt at capturing a picture of a cookie dropping into milk. Obviously, we need some more practice! But it was a fun experiment and one we'll try again another time.

103 - Jellyfish

Tia's first grade class had a field trip to the New England Aquarium in Boston today and I got to chaperone. They have been studying penguins and had a great time visiting the penguins. While walking around the exhibits, we found these really neat jellyfish.

102 - Pens 'n stuff

The cup of pens and stuff from the kitchen. Exciting stuff for today's picture! I like the composition though.

101 - An April day at the beach!

At 89 degrees today, we skipped all responsibilities after school and headed straight for Plum Island! Gorgeous day. Tia is playing in the sand, John is relaxing just behind her, and Tom is throwing stuff into the surf. Feels like summer and it's hard to think that there is homework waiting for us when we go home - we'll go to the ice cream shoppe first!

100 - Another late night

Another late night picture! We are sitting in the parking lot at 9:20pm waiting for John to get out of basketball practice. He was nice and loaned his iPod to Tia and she is comfortably settled in playing games.

099 - Blue means sports

The Daily Shoot challenge for today:

Blue is the color of sky and water. Many call it the color of hope. Make a photo with blue and what it represents to you.

Blue is the color of sports. Specifically, John's sports (Tom is red and Tia has no preference). I always have sports drinks and water in the back of my truck, especially with warm weather in the works. We are at a sports practice or event every day and the kids grab their drinks and go work hard at the physical activity. So if blue is hope and blue is sports, I hope my kids are having fun as they keep active in both body and mind.

098 - Get us out of here!

Although Tom helped for a bit, this was Tia's project. She sat at the table and sang as she colored a carton full of eggs, mixing the colors and making them all beautiful.

Happy Easter!

097 - Books

I took on a Daily Shoot assignment for today's picture:

Paper is versatile and malleable. From napkins to origami, it's all around. Make a photo of something made of paper.

One of the favorite pastimes in our house is reading. This bookshelf is in Tia's room and is stuffed full of her books. It used to be the bookshelf in my own bedroom when I was a child. Tia and I repainted it bright shiny colors and it now sits in her bedroom. There is even a sticker on the side that we didn't paint over that has been there for decades. A link to the past.

Yes, I know the picture is sideways. I like it that way!

096 - Water fight in progress

It is in the low 70s here today (yay!) and Tia is refilling her water tube to continue the water fight with her brother John and his buddies. Four high school freshmen against one first grade girl. Guess who is winning? Yup, Tia is.

095 - Happy Birthday Tom!

Today is Tom's 12th Birthday - he's my April Fool kid and has the mischief in him that makes it his day! Happy Birthday kid!