Toga, Toga, Toga!

This past Saturday night, after returning from Hannah's cross country meet, and after taking a delightful 2 hour nap, and after purchasing a few awesome new photography props for some upcoming newborn photo shoots (that was a long intro huh?), it was time to Toga, toga, toga!

Rachel was invited to an "epic" 18th birthday party for her friend Jami.  Everyone was invited to wear a toga to the party realizing that black lights and washable paint loaded into water guns would be there too.  I grabbed a cheap black top sheet and started working on a toga for Rachel.

I use the word "working" loosely because it was 20 minutes before the party when she asked for my help.  Oiy!  No pressure!  So, I ripped that sheet in half and started layering.  I was working at the speed of light, she even had a cute little flower made out of the sheet by the time it was over.

Rachel looked in the mirror and wrinkled her face.  No go!  So, I tried it again, and I liked this one even better and it was without the fancy flower.  Nope!  She didn't like that either.

Hannah and I wrapped her again in the toga and finally...success!  Before she walked out the door, I snipped off a little of the edge of the toga, braided it together and threw together this fabulous headband.  Please, now refer to me as "so very Martha!" Oh, I'm kidding! 

Here is the 3rd toga attempt...and I think the toga princess is actually smiling!

Yes, yes she is smiling.  Woo hoo!!!!  Toga, toga, toga!

Rachel had an absolute blast at the party and came home covered in glow-in-the dark paint that looked quite fabulous on her toga underneath the black lights.

Hannah and I celebrated creating 3 different toga looks in a matter of 15 minutes by having Chilis to go for dinner.  Delicious!

Watching from the Sidelines!

Oh, ya'll!  I had the BEST time this past Friday night.  I got to take pictures of our high school football team from the sidelines.  I was over the top excited and nervous too because I just normally visit and have the best time during football games. I don't know much about the game.  Yes, I coached pee-wee cheer leading for 6 years but I didn't have to know much about football for that; it was all about cheer leading. Just ask Mr. Incredible.  I think it was Hannah's 4th grade cheer leading team that I encouraged to cheer, "Block that kick!" Yes, it's a great cheer...but not during kickoff! 

I did not know that until Mr. Incredible came flying out of the stands as all 10 of our little cheerleaders were screaming at the top of their lungs, giving it their all, "Block that kick!"  He was hollering, "Stop!"  I was so upset that he would ruin such a great moment of cheer leading until he explained that you never try to "block that kick" during the kick off of the game?  I think I said something like, "Oh, really?  Well, we do, that's how we roll!"  No, really I just nearly died right there but that's okay.

Because our team scored and we got to throw our cute little bags of candy to the fans in the stand.  I thought this would be a great moment of recovering from our cheering faux pas, until one of the sweet little cheerleaders binged an elderly man in the head with our finely crafted goodie bags.  Oiy!

So, you can imagine my nerves this past Friday night.  Right?  I didn't have to lead any cheers but I certainly didn't want to get tackled by some of my football-playing students either.  I asked my man to go with me and to please, "guard me with your life!"  He agreed and he even offered to carry my camera bag! 

My high school principal and superintendent now refer to him as "bag boy!" and encouraged that maybe next week he would be promoted to water boy!  My husband smiled and seemed to grow a few inches in height as he delighted in telling me where to look for the best shots, what would be happening next, and what kind of shots he would want taken of him if he were out their playing.  He was a huge help!

I have to admit, I was a bit timid at first.  But, it didn't take very long for me to jump right in.  At one point, one of my students had the ball and he started running to my side of the field.  He was getting closer and closer in the viewfinder of my camera and it was exciting!  Pretty soon, I felt my man grab my the back of my shirt just in case he needed to get me out of there.  Thankfully, he didn't have to move me out of the way.  We scored.  It was so fun!

I am going to change a few setting on my camera for Friday night and hopefully shoot some even better pictures.  I loved being on the sidelines cheering our boys on to victory!  I have a new sense of respect for what they do on the football field!

Our guys won! 

Here is our Rachel leading the band:

What?  You can't see her??? Oh, let me fix that for you!  Now can you see her?

I Wish it Were 3 Miles!

Last Saturday morning, our baby girl ran in her first cross country meet of the year.  Hannah had to be at school at the early hour of 5:30 A.M.!   Which is way before the rooster even begins to crow!  She woke up just as happy as she could be...on only about 5 hours of sleep.  The night before we were at an away-game and we didn't get home until around midnight.  I expected waking up my sleeping beauty might be a little hard to do but she surprised me. She and I were ready within 30 minutes. 

On the way to the school, I asked her if she was ready.  To which she sweetly replied, "Yes, but I really wish it were 3 miles instead of 2.  I do so much better on 3 mile runs!"  I felt of her forehead to make sure that she wasn't running a fever and then we both giggled.  She really does like running 3 miles instead of 2 she explained that the race isn't as fast on the three mile runs.  Wow!  I admire her endurance and her confidence!

There were hundreds of girls at the meet.  Hannah's group ran with over 200 girls. 

As the race began I held my breath and prayed that no one would fall in that enormous group of girls.  Thankfully, Hannah and her team mates all made it safely.

I love this crowd shot.  You can see Hannah smiling as she began running.  I love that girl of mine! She has the happiest heart I know!

Her daddy and I watched and waited for her to come around the corner.  Look! 

 There she is.  Go, Hannah, go!

She finished the race strong and we were so proud of her!

Look at her precious face!  There is no way that this child was going to quit the race. She ran all the way to the finish line.  This steadfast, confident look on her face reminds me of this verse:  "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."  Hebrews 12:1.

I have always loved this verse!  We are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses...they are cheering us on to victory...to finish the race marked out for us.  We are to run with perseverance and for His great glory! 

Hannah didn't finish in first place and she didn't finish in last...but she finished the race and we rejoiced!  What a great reminder for us spiritually! Can't you almost hear the Father saying, "Run, child of mine, run!  Don't give up...keep going...can't you hear Me cheering you on?!"

A Rainbow and a Blessing!

We have been blessed with some rain in the last week!  And with a good, cleansing, rain comes a gorgeous rainbow!  Rachel called me and told me to grab my camera!  I am so glad that she did because this bow was GORGEOUS!!! 

And then it started raining again!  We loved watching the rain through the trees! It rained so hard that it looked like it was snowing.

I love seeing the beauty of the sun peaking through the rain.  To me, there is so much meaning spiritually in this picture.  You may find yourself in a season full of rain, but I promise the Son will shine again...in you and through you...even in the midst of the rain!  There is no one like Jesus!

A few days later it rained again but this time the sky was a brilliant turquoise blue:

In the middle of all of the wonderful rain, my picture orders began arriving!  I was so excited to see them and to text all 3 of my clients, who are friends and placed their individual orders at the same time, while they were at Wednesday night church to tell them to come over after church because...their pictures were ready!

Within an hour all three moms were at my door.  It was incredible and such a blast to see their faces.  I cried after they left because God is so good and I am so honored to be joining Him in this photography adventure!

Jaclyn ordered a 20x30 standout of her family portrait.  I cried when it arrived because it was far more beautiful that I even hoped that it would be.  Delight!

Here is a quick picture of the standout on my couch!  I am totally ordering several standouts of my girls very soon!!!!!  This is the thick edge of the standout.  They come ready to hang on your walls...no framing necessary!

All three families texted me or sent messages on Facebook that they were so pleased with their orders and that filled my heart to overflowing!  God is so good!

A Silhouette!

I love silhouette photography, don't you?  There is something so cool about a photo that tells a story without seeing expressions on people's faces.  I took this picture during an outdoor Christian concert while the beautiful west Texas sun was beginning to set.  You can tell by the hand motions that the youth in this photo were worshipping the One who is so worthy of our best praise.

I am so pleased to post this picture at two of my absolute favorite photography blogs:  Go{4}Pro!  and I Heart Faces

That's so Ga-Ga!

So, I really didn't mean to leave you hanging with "Frank" for an entire week~so sorry!  I MISS blogging soooooooo much!  Life is so busy right now, but good.  I'm going to try to get you caught up on life at Kiki's Corner.  I think I already told you in a post that Rachel, our high school senior, is a co-drum major this year.  Right?

It is a lot of fun to watch Rachel and her friend Jami leading the band.  In plain talk that means that Mr. Incredible, Hannah and I are going to every football game this year...every one of them and they are all 2 hours away or longer.  My rattle-snake-killing-suburban is going to hit the 100,000 mile mark this fall for sure.  But, that is what we bought it for.

The band is playing music from Phantom of the Opera, Mr. Incredible's favorite!  So, Jami and Rachel decided that they needed masks to wear to the games with their costumes.  They both went to one of my favorite stores, Hobby Lobby (Happy 40th anniversary Hobby Lobby!), to pick up supplies to make their masks.  They met at our house and had so much fun decorating their masks all the while talking and laughing and having the best time.  Want to see their masks?

This one is Jami's.  I love the lace!

And this one is Rachel's.  The glitter makes me think of Lady Ga-ga (not that we are fans) and I adore the feathers:

The Phantom of the Opera is here....looking super cool in her Drum Major outfit!

Major babe...I think!

Rachel let me help her with her "bump" in her pony tail.  It was fun!

And there she is doing her drum major thing:

Go Rachel!  I think she heard her fan club in the stands...because after it was over she smiled

at us from ear to ear!!! Yay, Rachel!!!

She Calls it Frank!

After school Monday afternoon, the girls and I were chilling before band practice and one act play auditions, yes we are only in the 2nd week of school and life is BUSY.  I was working on my laptop in the family room with my girls who were watching a rerun of Gilmore Girls.  I noticed Hannah was lying/laying on the floor patting her tummy.  I asked her what she was doing and she quickly replied, "I'm checking on Frank."

I looked over the top of my laptop and and inquisitively asked, "Who's Frank?"  To which Hannah replied, "It's my belly button hair.  I call him Frank."  And then we all cracked up laughing!  She looked at me as if everyone names their belly button hair and what was my problem.  And that made me laugh all the more.

A few minutes later, Rachel answered the telephone.  Mr. Incredible was calling to ask about our schedules and things.  Rachel decided to talk to her daddy while plopping herself on the arm of the couch...which apparently was slippery because she fell back and landed on to the couch...and we all cracked up laughing again.

Belly laughs with my girls and Frank....I love my life!