Day 119 (Saturday 4/28/12) ~ Walk for Autism

Today, my family and I participated in the Walk for Autism at Veteran's Park.  We were a part of "Noah's Wingmen" team.  Noah is the brother of one of my students and this family is amazing!
Of course, I had my camera around my neck the whole time we were there and there were lots of photo opportunities.

 Erin and Will

 HAHA!

 We were told this tortoise makes an appearance every year.  The kids loved him!

 Lots of walkers brought their dogs.  Roxy would have been going crazy!

 I had to take a break from walking long enough to change my lens and try to get some shots of the baby geese with their parents. 

It was a great morning!  I will be returning next year!

Day 115 ~ 2012 THS Baseball Banquet

Tonight we celebrated the end of the 2012 THS baseball season.  The parents in charge of the food, decorations, etc. did a great job! We said good-bye to the seniors and thanked the coaches.  Here is a silly picture of Will and a few of the other 9th grade players.  Good night!!

Day 114 ~ Good Luck Lady Warriors!

The THS Lady Warriors Tennis Team leaves Wednesday for Mobile to compete in the AHSAA tennis tournament.  This is their second year in a row to qualify and represent Thompson High School.  These girls have had awesome seasons for the last 2 years and have added 3 team tennis trophies to the school's trophy cases.  And, those trophies are the only ones the school has for tennis.  Good luck girls!  We are so proud of you!!

Day 112 ~ A Part of Their Childhood Comes Down

We've been saying for a long time that we needed to tear down the play set and get rid of the pieces.  Well, today was the day.  Mark got most of it done.  It was a little sad to see the old thing come apart as easily as it did.  I think if the kids had done one last good-bye swing on it, the thing would have fallen apart.  It's been a huge part of our back yard for about 13 years.  Here is Mark taking off the slide.

 When he took that slide off, this is what he found underneath...GROSS!!  

 Roxy is checking out the climbing wall after it was taken off and laid on the ground.

 Piece by piece, it is getting smaller...

 The carpenter bees that have been calling this baby home for years were not too happy today!

 This is where they have left their mark.

 Rotten wood on the floor of the first part of the fort...

 :(

 This is too cute of Mark!  

It is just going to be strange to look out there and not see our "Backyard Adventure".  SO SAD!!

Day 111 (4/20/12) ~ More Photography Class Homework

This week we learned about shutter speed in the photography class I am taking.  We learned that the slower the shutter speed, the more blurred the picture will be.  One of our homework assignments was to take 4 images of something moving but to decrease the shutter speed each time. We had to use a tripod for this assignment.  I felt so accomplished using a tripod for the first time.  Of course, Erin and Will had to show me exactly how to use the tripod and put the camera on it.  They learned in their broadcasts classes at school.   The following pictures show Erin doing a cartwheel for me with shutter speeds of 1/125, 1/30,1/8, and 1/4.  

 1/125

 1/30

 1/8...Will decided he needed to be in this one!

1/4...can you spot Will?

I think that is just so cool!  In the last picture (1/4), you can see the hand that Erin has on the ground with her watch on it as the only part of her body that is not moving at the time.  

Another part of our homework was to make 2 images of running water on a tripod with 2 different shutter speeds.  Here are my best ones:

 This one is on a faster shutter speed, 1/125, and captures the running water without blurring.

This one is on a slower shutter speed, 1/4, and shows the blurring of the running water.  I love this one!

I am having so much fun learning about my camera and doing my homework assignments.  I asked our teacher if she teaches a class that will follow this one that will teach us more about taking better pictures and about how our cameras work.  She said she has been asked to teach an intermediate class and is putting together some material now for it and hopes to offer one soon.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that she will be able to do that because I am going to be so sad in 2 weeks when the class is over...

Day 108 ~ 18 More Days...

We are very picky about what we put on our cars.  There have only been a few decals placed on any of the cars we have driven over the years.  Well, I owned this one for one day before Mark washed my car and put it on for me.  I CAN NOT WAIT until all the Bulldogs are back together and are playing baseball again.  Only 18 more days...

Day 107 (April 16th) ~ Going Out With a Bang!

On Monday, the THS Lady Warriors Tennis Team played in their sectionals tournament.  The team was the runner-up of the tournament with 43 points. This is the 2nd year the team has done this and they will represent the school in Mobile for the State Tournament next week.
Erin has had an amazing season!  She won #2 singles in the county tournament and she won #2 singles at sectionals as well.  And, she and her doubles partner, Maria, won #1 doubles in sectionals!  Yesterday she played like she was on a mission!
This is a picture of her bag tag awards.

When she was given her #2 Singles Champion bag tag yesterday, she said jokingly, "I'll just add this to my collection!"

Day 106 ~ Photography Class Homework

We learned about aperture in the photography class I am taking.  Our homework assignment was to take pictures of a person, a flower, and 3 other things using different apertures.  My photography class buddies and I met at Aldridge Gardens today to work on our assignment.  Of course Erin was happy to be my model.  Here are some of my faves...

Day 105 ~ 9th Grade THS Baseball Season is Almost Over

We've been cheering them on since February 20th.  Almost 2 months later, we are near the end.  The Metro Tournament is going on now and after that, all we will have left is the end of the season banquet. The team has won some and lost some.  They've played extremely well and played not so well.  The fans have sat through freezing weather, rain, wind, and the hot sun.  We've screamed at the umps and laughed at their calls.  We've worked the concession stand and the score board.  We've ducked from foul balls and kept our fingers crossed for hits.  It has been fun and it's been tiring.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  I still just love to watch him play!  

Day 103 ~ Doing What We Do

Today 6 kindergarten classes went to Oak Mountain State Park on a field trip.  We started at the petting farm, then went on a scavenger hunt to find things in nature, ate lunch, and finally watched a presentation about insects.  It was the perfect day for such activities and I imagine the students aren't having any trouble sleeping tonight.  I got one of our parents to take a picture of me, Tanya, and Melinda.  I have worked with these girls for 12 years and love them both dearly.  I think we make a great team along with Khrista, Kristi, and Jessica.  Loving your job goes hand in hand with loving the people you share that job with.  We've got that covered in our class!!

Day 101 ~ Spider Web

I did not take this picture today.  I took it at the ball park last night.  It was just too cool not to share.  And, I didn't take any pictures of anything today.  This spider web was in the net around the field.  

Day 100 ~ Just Love to Watch Him Play

A very good friend of mine told me about an article she read where the top college and pro baseball players were interviewed about their high school playing days.  She said they were asked what they liked the most and the least about it all.  Almost every one of the players said what they liked least was the talk they had with their parents after a game.  You know, the talk that usually goes, "why didn't you run faster after that ball" or "why did you swing at that pitch?"  I am sure just about all of us that have a son that plays baseball is guilty of that.  But, the thing that most of the players interviewed said they liked the  most was when their parents told them , "I just love to watch you play!"  No criticism...  After all, we aren't the ones on that field making those decisions or listening to what the coach is saying. So, to my #16 Warrior, "I just love to watch you play!"

By the way, the 9th Grade THS Warriors won a double header against Clay tonight!!  Way to go guys!

Day 99 ~ Easter

Today was Easter. We went to church and one of the Easter traditions of Crosscreek Baptist Church is to place flowers on a wooden cross.  This is the shadow of that cross.  

These hydrangas reminded me of my grandmother.  She used to have these flowers in her yard.

We ate lunch at my mom's house with my family today and not only did we celebrate Easter but also all the March birthdays in our family.  There are 4!! It was a nice day!

Day 98, April 7, 2012 ~ An Evening at Home

During this time of the year, it is rare for us to have an evening at home.  Mark, Will, and I spent a relaxing time grilling, playing with Roxy,enjoying a yummy dinner, and watching a movie.

 Roxy bringing the ball back to Will.

 She sometimes doesn't want to give the ball back...

 Roxy dancing for her treat!

 Get down with your bad self, Rox!

 Mark grilled some great chicken!

Will drinking his chocolate milk.

Day 97 ~ I See You Have A New Hairdo

My hair is naturally curly and thick.  People who do not have naturally curly hair think it's a blessing but most people that have it think it's a curse.  I would say that 95% of the time, I straighten my hair.  That means blowing it dry while brushing it out with a large round brush then pulling it up in sections and holding it in place with clips while I use a flatiron on sections of it at a time.  Well, this morning, I just wasn't feeling it and decided it would be a "curly hair, don't care" day.  Now, I have only worn my hair natural and curly one other time this school year.  And, you have to remember that most kindergarteners do not have a filter when it comes to saying what pops in their head.  While I was patrolling the hall this morning doing my weekly duty, a student that is in another teacher's class stops and says, "I see you have a new hairdo."  I said, "Yes, what do you think?  Is it okay?"  After studying me for a few seconds, he says, "A little..."

The last time I wore it this way, one of my students said, "Where did you get that hairdo?" I was asked by a dad that came to the school to have lunch with his daughter if I had gotten a perm.  Do people still get perms?  I don'f know.  This is what I call my "lazy hair".  Wash it, towel dry it, put some mousse for curly hair in it and off I go.