Little Miss

Circa 2002
photo credit stick gardner

Science Fair 2010

2nd place...
... for ms ella rae's gem stones and crystals project
blue ribbon pal citlalli covets crystals too
alex, ella and cy's most constant partner in crime also places
my personal favorite

Laguna Beach

jo & lynne together again

jo, mary, keely and a perfect sunset

Horse Charm

I found this charm in my jewelery making stash and tied it on a hemp cord for my budding equestrian.

Clan Update

Sure did miss my Sis, J and handsome nephews this holiday. Poor dears went gallivanting around South America.

adam impersonating galapagos iguana
Speaking of unfortunates, the Grand P Joneses are heading for the Bahamas on their catamaran with Tango the Bengal. Check out Travels with Tango blogspot for details.

tango the boat cat

winter break part deux

With all my lurking around trying to get candid pictures of Buggets, Cy Cy and gang I've ended up with a hodgepodge of shots. I think the picture collage approach captures the essence of these lovely vacation days tho.

horse camp
biker gang
mookie and our temporary dog mozart
new years eve
new clubhouse fun and indoor projects

Days of Christmas

Documentation was lean on account of the belly bug Cyrus brought home for the holidays. Safe to say there was an abundance of...

family
and critters
books and music
toys
friends AND a fancy new fort
and fine wine and food

...to make our Christmas bright.

Immigration Celebration

Ella Rae and her fellow 2nd graders interviewed immigrants, made posters and prepared speeches to present to their parents, peers and educators. Undoubtedly I was more nervous than Ella Rae when she took the stage. To my great joy she smiled wide, spoke clearly and seemed to genuinely enjoy the experience.

A big thank you to our delightful friend and interviewee Dorte, who helped ease the inherent challenges of multi-step projects and public speaking.

poster

Cyrus Lee Jones turns 4

birthday suit other birthday suit and balloons
signage
friends & food
sparklers

Blue Santa Parade

I have such vivid memories of my Girl Scout troupe strutting in procession through the streets of downtown San Juan Capistrano for the Swallows Day Parade, circa 1977. Flash to 2009, I find myself on the other side of the rope cheering on our girl and her gymnastics team.

snazzy no?
ella rae fan club president and co-chair
more images of blue santa 2009

On my way

Saying so long to my kinder class was bittersweet. My student teaching assignment is complete YIPPEEE!!! but I have grown so attached to my eighteen little learners. I can hardly wait to have a class of my own.

keepsake

Hambone Halloween

That holiday season tingle struck early this year. By "tingle" I mean that special moment when you feel a volt of gratefulness for the life that you have mixed with excited anticipation for the life to come. The pomp and circumstance of the holiday season usually elicits this feeling sometime after I finish wrapping the presents and position them under the tree. Some years it requires a dose of Bing Crosby's immortalized "White Christmas" or the like to draw it out. Not so this time around. While I was lighting candles arranged around miniature pumpkins for a surprise dinner with Uncle Craig I got the tell-tale shiver. I think this bodes well for the year to come.

bat, wolf, witch
bat, ham
flaming pumpkin

More GivingCity

When Mr Mooks isn't weaving scintillating marketing and PR yarns he rustles up articles like this one for GivingCity, about the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) and its new cancer patient navigation center.

Mr Mooks and Doug Ulman, president LAF

Prep Team!!!

Our little hot shot has progressed to the next level. She was proud as punch after her performance last night. We celebrated at our local pizza joint with a pie and a gazillion games of Frogger and Pacman.

Empty Bowl Project

I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning than making art with friends and family. Cheers to Mathews Art and Philanthropy patrons for bringing projects like this to life in our community. These lovely bowls will be auctioned off (and filled with yummy soup) to raise money for the Capital Area Food Bank's Kids Cafe Program.

photo credit: elizabeth breston

Camping

The Papas took the pigeons for a romp on the Guadalupe River this weekend. They came home tired, dirty, fire ant bitten, smelling of smoke and talking a mile a minute about their adventures in the wild.

bonfire
bonding
fishing