Big Kick

Today is Saturday, so as always, that means the little man has a soccer game. They had another tough one, great talent on both sides of the ball. The daily shoot assignment was "Make a photograph dominated by the color green today." Seeing as how we've had a ton of rain, the fields certainly are green!

More signs of spring

It is supposed to be spring, though around here you wouldn't really know it. Peaks of greatness show up and quickly dissolve into more rain and clouds and cold. I didn't get out today to take a photo because it was just too lucky. So I am posting one of what I would like the weather to be instead.

Lines

I was looking at an archived list of daily shoot assignments, and this one jumped out at me "Make a photograph that emphasizes converging lines." The thought of looking at lines intrigued me. At soccer practice I looked out across the country side and the farmers had just cut the hay. There were so many lines in the field - the lines made by the pile hay, the lines in straight rows from the cut stalks. Some converge, some are parallel. If you click on the photo for a larger view you can see some of these details. The photo of the small area doesn't do the view justice. It was peaceful and beautiful.

Meal time

Today my grandparents were in town on their way back north. That gave my sister's family and mine an excuse to converge on my parent's house in the middle of the week. All the cousins had a great time playing together and filling in grandparents and great grandparents on the goings on in their lives. It gave me an opportunity to take more photos of the beauty above. She is growing up way too fast!

Circle

The daily shoot assignment was "Make a photograph that features a circle today." It is amazing how many circles you can find in a day! Traffic lights, basketball hoops, erasers, tire swings...the list can go on and on. Out of all the circles I saw today, this one made me smile. It is on the wooden upright on a neighborhood playground. I'd like to think the little person inside the circle is trying to encourage the kids to get out and play and have some fun.

Purple Sneezes

Here it is. The Easter flower that is everywhere in abundance. The hyacinth. Nice to look at, but I can't stand them. Daffodils and hyacinths - signs of spring, right? Not for me. Those little suckers are enough to put me completely over the edge in the allergy department. All it takes for my eyes to swell and water, nose to run like crazy, and throat to go haywire is for me to be downwind from one of these "lovely" little plants. I don't even have to see them - I can smell them from far away. You won't find me having these beasties in my garden.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, everyone!

Friends

Today we had a great day with some awesome friends. The dads brewed some homebrew, the moms talked about what to do on a future day trip, and the kids had a blast. They rode bikes, jumped ramps, played with RC cars, made-up games, got dirty in the backyard, fished for minnows, and even shot targets. We enjoyed a great dinner of burgers on the grill. Couldn't have asked for a better day.

Springline

Spring is here, and the trees on the street are in bloom. A lot of the blossoms have been blown away or knocked out of the trees by rain, but the ones that are left sure are nice to look at!

Just Play

Once again I found myself at the soccer field with some time to kill. I took a lot of actions shots, trying different settings, but most were duds. I saw this lonely ball in the middle of the field so I decided to see how far my zoom lens would work and focus on the ball. How appropriate that the Nike swoosh was right there. Just do it.

Connection

This week my daughter had an extra soccer practice today at the middle school. My son came along - he was hopeful that Rossi might let him play, too. But that all changed when he saw his "friend" from school - Liv. Liv is a great girl - active, imaginative, and fun to be around. My son was thrilled to spend time playing with her while my daughter played soccer.

Rainy, rainy

Rain, rain, and more rain. Wait - a few hours of sun - then more rain. Today was mostly nice, but with some showers, and then harder rain after soccer practice. These poor petals were knocked out of the trees by the rain and wind. The beautiful blossoms won't stick around very long this year.

Egg

Today at school our fifth grade buddies planned an egg hunt for the second graders. The big buddies wrote math problems on slips of paper and placed them in eggs. They then hid the eggs in the courtyard for the second graders to find. Find an egg, solve the problem, get some candy. Good times.

Dribble

The rain stopped, and the sun flirted with coming out from behind the clouds today, but it was incredibly windy! Even so, the girls had their third game of the season. They passed well, talked to each other, and scored some goals. Keep up the good work, ladies!

Drive

It is another wet, soggy, rainy day, so the kids get to enjoy time together inside. Today's activity - driving! The children challenged each other to races while playing Mario Cart. Let's just say it is a good thing that neither one will be driving for real anytime soon.

letters

Letters are the building block to written communication. Learning the sounds and symbols, using them to build words, then sentences, books, stories, and news. A favorite of many kids are the magnetic letters. When they are all in a jumble they don't look like much - but just wait until a child uses them to leave a message on the refrigerator. Amazing little things indeed.

A field with a view

Twice a week my daughter has soccer practice on a hill. On the hill is a small township park with a small playground, a baseball diamond, and two soccer fields. It is up above the bordering roadway, and it is very peaceful. On clear days you can see for miles. This is a sampling of a view from the field. Not a bad scene.

people

A box full of people sits on the shelf. The people in this box are red, blue, yellow, and green and they are used frequently in my classroom. We use these people as game pieces, actors, and place holders. We move them, line them up, and pack them away. These people do everything we ask them to.

Texture

Today's daily shoot assignment was "Focus in on an interesting texture and make a photograph today." One of my students has a shiny red coat. It was on the back of her chair and the light was reflecting off of it in an interesting way. I snapped this photo without the flash - the reflection is from the light coming through the window.

Spring is in the air

It was a beautiful spring day today. Before we went in to piano, we took some pictures outside. In this one it looks like the kids actually like each other! After we posed a few photos, We were looking at all the blossoms and I was able to catch this one:

 too bad the spring weather isn't here to stay!

GOOOOOOOOOOAAALLLL!

It was another great day for the Black Lightning Bolts. Another shut out, and our daughter even scored a goal! Smiles all around...

Concentration

Today was the second game of the season for the Blue Lightning. Our son loves to play. He has been practicing his "moves" and always wants to show them off. Today his team did a great job of containing the other team, and everyone was very focused on teamwork, passing and goals. Here is a picture of the little guy in action...

Spring?

Spring is supposed to be here. If you only paid attention to the temperature you wouldn't believe that spring really is here. The kids and I have been watching for signs of spring. This is the first bud to bloom on our tree out front..I guess spring is on the way!

Spelling Practice

Practicing for a spelling test is a right of passage. My son has lately been getting "extra words" because he does well on his pretests. These words are tough for a first grader and have been giving him a needed challenge. What is his favorite way to practice the words? Using a magnadoodle!

Not Good

Baseball season is upon us. That means many teams use fields at schools and other locations at all hours of the day. And that means we have the traditional spring delivery of the port-o-potty to those locations. Too bad these two didn't hold up to the wind we've had lately...

Edge

Today's daily shoot assignment was "Focus on an edge today and make a photograph." I was at a nearby school this evening, and noticed some brick pillars. They caught my eye because every so often a random dark brick would appear. I decided to focus on the edge of this brick and take a photo. Here is the result.

Unpredictable Weather

Spring weather can be unpredictable! Rain, clear sky, more rain...an unending cycle. Check out this view from our playground. I would like to be under that tiny patch of blue sky!

On the Ball

Today was the first game of the season for U10 Black Lightning Bolts. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon. The girls had an amazing game, scoring 6 unanswered goals. The girls talked to each other and passed the ball well. Keep up the great work, ladies!

Opening Day

Today was opening day of the U8 soccer season. The sun was out, the fields were lined, and we were ready to go. The Blue Lightning had a great start with a super game. Lots of moves, great passes, and of course some goals. Here the little man drives one home on his breakaway. Good job, buddy!

April Fool

Today Mother Nature pulled the best April Fools joke ever. We woke up to snow! Snow! This photo was taken in the parking lot outside of KinderCare. The poor magnolia buds were covered in a blanket of snow. Luckily for us the snow melted by mid-day. No fooling.