2nd Grade Field Trip...

Today was Tyler's 2nd grade field trip.
I was a chaperon...as usual.
We went to the Pacific Science Center.

I had a group of 4 boys. They were all really good. I have known them all since kindergarten, so that always makes it easier on everyone.
One of them is one of Tyler's very best friends!
We checked out the dinosaurs, and the space exhibits.

Tyler flew this shuttle. :)

They had this live bug exhibit going on. Being boys, of course...they LOVED that exhibit...and wanted to stay there for a long time, and go back later, once we had looked at everything.

I honestly, did NOT think Ty was going to want to hold this GIANT Madagascar hissing cockroach, but he did...and he liked it.
He was a little bit unsure at first, and I kind of had to prod him into going up to the lady...but then he liked it.

His friend Nathaniel was the only other one of my group who wanted anything to do with it.

They had a "feel miniature" exhibit, which was really fun to take pictures with. They had this guitar, and they had a giant table and chairs, and a few other things.

We got to go watch an IMAX 3D movie about space.
It was REALLY cool!

I thought for sure that the glasses were going to give me a headache, and I still had half of the field trip left to last through....but actually, the movie was worse without the glasses...so I wore them...and was OK. It made me nauseous a couple of times...but it really was an AWESOME movie to watch. The seats shook with shuttle launch and you could feel it in your whole body.
Sure has come a long way since I saw my last IMAX movie...over a decade ago.

This was a periscope looking out at Seattle. Depending on where you turn it, you could see East, West, North and South Seattle. Pretty cool to try and find things that you know are there.
Kids all got a kick out of this...and we were stuck there for a while. :)

Also, one I don't have a picture of is the toilet exhibit. It had a toilet cut in half and it showed how the flushing mechanism worked, and actually had water in it.
The kids LOVED this one...I don't think I need to explain further. :)
Also there was a butterfly exhibit which I really loved. However...the pictures didn't turn out very well because the camera fogged up in there as it was SO humid and hot.

It sure was a fun day and I can't explain how truly happy it makes me that I am fortunate enough to be able to go on all of these trips with Tyler, and his classmates. I truly do have a great time, and know that I am lucky to be able to do so!

Fundraising central

Karman is doing an AMAZING fund raiser at school.

In one of her classes first semester, they had an offer at the very beginning of the year...that they could fulfill their volunteer hours that are required Senior year, by doing some sort of fund raiser.
So...
they had a group that was willing...and they were brainstorming ideas.
After school one afternoon, I said...what about doing something close to us...
How about Camp Goodtimes...which is the camp that she has attended every single year since she was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma.
She loved the idea.

So they went to workplanning.
On December 20th, they did a Christmas Caroling event at the local Safeway.
A group of them came together to collect donations, by singing, selling candy canes, and hot chocolate.
They did great and made just over a hundred dollars.

In January, they did a contest at school...where there were 8 jars filled with candy and the kids could come and pay to guess the amount in any that they wanted to.
They ultimately, would win the jar.
This event was not very successful, and in the end, they ended up taking a loss, and spending more on the candy then they made.
Still, it was a lesson.
And it was fun...and got the word spread around the school for the final event of the fund raiser.

Which was...
An item drive.
The camp has items that they are always in need of.
So they had a class competition to drive up the desire to "play" along.
Kids and teachers could bring in items...OR MONEY...
And everything had a point value.
In the end, whichever classroom had accumulated the most points won an ice cream party.
This went on for a week.


It was very successful.
They did great!!!
I mean...really great!

Much better then I ever expected.
Every single day Karman came home with more bags of items.
Right now....
My living room, LOOKS LIKE THIS as a matter of fact....

Seriously...
Overwhelming...
I am trying to organize it so that we can go deliver it all.


There ended up being somewhere around 200 tooth brushes, 100 toothpastes, 100 bottles of hand sanitizer, tons of soap, boxes of arts and crafts, and at least 60 boxes of tissue.
And in the end they also collected around $900 dollars (I never got a final tally after everyone was reimbursed for their items that they purchased...and the ice cream was bought etc)

They did a really good job.
I think that Karman learned through the whole thing, not only the importance of giving back....but as a life-lesson...the importance of working as a team, and that you can't do it all yourself.

These days, at her age...those kinds of lessons are just as important as any other.


I sure am proud and impressed with the work that Karman and all of the kids put into this fund raiser.
I know it will be very appreciated by the camp too!
GOOD JOB!

A Senior, and her Photos...

We decided that I would take a stab at doing Karman's Senior Photo Shoot.
It was a sunny/cloudy day. The kind that make you crazy in photography. Where the clouds are covering, and you get excited...and set up your shot really fast...and then the clouds blow away.
But
We tried.
And while I am WELL aware that I need an external flash and reflector too...
My subject was pure perfection, and was beautiful...
and...
In my humble opinion, I think they turned out
AMAZING!

Her school colors are Blue and White. We did many in this sweater for that reason.

This field.

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This field was no where near a field. In fact, it was a small patch of weeds along side a road that we drove, LOOKING for a field.

It had beautiful color, and long flowing weeds...which is what I was wanting...and a place to park...

So...that is where we ended up.

That set of pictures, actually ended up being my favorite.

I love almost every picture we took in this "field".

We were in full on Autumn...with gorgeous leaves in all of the Fall colors.

This sweater dress was a perfect off-set.

Karman didn't want to wear it.

I pleaded...she gave in.

They are her VERY favorite pictures of all of them!

I love all of the doorways in downtown Snohomish.

All beat up and tattered.

Grafitti-like.

A photographers dream.

We found these areas...along the sides of the streets that we were driving on.

Above for instance, is a fence to someones backyard.

It faces the street and is public property...there is a big tree too.

It was just one of those little corners in the world, that you pass all of the time, and never notice.

It was kind of perfect.

This is in a public park area in Snohomish.

Karman is wearing her debate jacket.

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I shot this one, time and time again...I couldn't get the sun to cooperate...no matter what I tried.
I still like it...

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Karman likes this pose. Her friends were showing her pictures, and this is always the pose she really wanted to do. So we did several. The problem is, because she can't bend that left leg, she can't do the classic pose, with her feet up. It makes the depth of the picture harder to grasp...also makes for a long picture.

They all turned out pretty nice though.

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I was playing with some photoshop settings on the picture above.

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I loved this little patch of weeds...It was a perfect setting...

Playing...

playing...

More playing...

Still more...

Stated with this picture (above...)

Really good picture,

really good lighting....

I played a little...and I got this....

EXCELLENT picture of her hazel eyes!

Sometimes it is hard with hazels and browns, to get a really pretty picture of them...

it takes the perfect angle and the perfect moment of light...

I MEAN SERIOUSLY???!!!?!?!?!

LOOOOOOVE the lines in the picture above!

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So, I LOVE those pictures that are so in these days...of everyone jumping off of the ground just in time for that perfect shot. I wanted to try it with Karman...but her leg isn't supposed to have that kind of pressure...so we played around with it a bit.

To her left, in this picture was a picnic table.

She jumped off of it, and landed on her right leg.

It was hard to get since it was such a short distance to the ground, and also because her left leg has to stick out, so the camera would focus on the leg.

Most were blurry it areas...even when I put the setting to auto...

It is still a fun picture.

In photoshop I removed the picnic table which was RIGHT next to her...and I added a radial blur just to spotlight her more (since she is actually a little blurry).

Then I wrote the text which is hard to see, I know.
I thought it would be a neat graduation announcement picture.

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And this picture, is the one we ultimately chose for the yearbook.

I love the picture...I loved others a little more...but there are rules about the sizing of the head and what you have to be able to see etc for the actual yearbook slot.

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A Senior?

I don't know how that happened.

At it's very best, having a teenager is an amazing feat. A phenomenon, really.

Kind of a reflection of memories that really weren't that long ago.

A merry-go-round of the same emotions that you rode day in and day out back then.

And, in a strange, but such-is-life way...it puts you in this middle ground.

One where you can understand your child...and in retrospect, understand your parents.

It has a way of making you want to cry because you alone, know what is best for your teen,

Smile, because you can remember trying to spread your wings too...

and laugh...knowing there are some things your should apologize to your own parents for.

Being a mom to a teenager is hard.

It makes you question the very core or everything that you think you know.

Everything you stand for.

It makes you wonder how strong you really are.

It is a challenge.

BUT...
Senior year.
It came faster then one can imagine.
I swear it...as a parent, you just blink and everything changes. One minute, you are soaking in every single little milestone...from sitting to walking to talking.
Then they go to school, and you literally marvel at the sponges that they are, and brag about how they amaze you.
Pretty soon, life continues on its mostly uphill path...and those things...the things that you SWORE you would never forget, are distant, foggy memories. Even the hard things, the brutal, I-don't-know-if-I-can-do-this kind of things...just become a piece of who you are...as a person...as a mom...and a parent...

Eventually...they all come together, in some messed up, unorganized fashion...
And you do a double take...
Because
you can't believe
that as luck would have it...
somehow...

LIFE BROUGHT YOU HERE!

Maky's Fall Field Trip

This is Farmer Ben

This is part of Makylie's adorable Preschool 4's Class.

They are grouped up and excited for their Fall field trip!
Ready to pick their pumpkins and go on a hay ride!

She has been ready for days!
The Farm has a big hay maze set up that ends with this big huge VERY fast slide.

They love it. They all go on it again, and again!

**Noah, Taylor, Clara, Ruby, Makylie (back) Aizak, Natalie, Ana

They are EXCITED!!!! Can you tell?

There are a lot of cute little picture taking opportunities.

There is a petting farm.

At the end, we saw a story about the 3 Little Pigs, with real pigs...put on by THE Farmer Ben.

And we played witness to a real true duck race!

It was kind of amazing!

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Then we got to go on a hayride.

Farmer Ben taught the kids a song....

This is a hammer,

And this is a nail....

When the wagons movin'

You keep your bottom on the bale!
The kids thought it was hilarious...and sang it the rest of the day!

These are Makylie's two friends, Clara and Ana.

Then began the hunt for the perfect pumpkin!

Makylie found the PERFECT one!

All of the kids had different ideas about perfect.

Some were fully green, some were white...some were medium sized and one was the size of a baseball.

It was so much fun!

Noah, Aizak, (back) Ana, Clara---Taylor, Natalie (back) Makylie and Ruby

Then the kids got to have orange creamsicles.

It was such a fun day.

Daddy even took the day off so that he could go with us. That meant a lot to Makylie!

As sad as I get sometimes about it,

I am so proud of my little girl who is growing up far too fast for me....

But I sure love that I get to watch it happen!