Saturday I shot the Shisley wedding from the time they exited the LA Temple until the end of the reception.  It was a very long day and I could barely move by the time I got home.  Over all, it went very well and I am happy with the pictures I have seen so far.  I haven’t seen the first GB (300 Pictures) becuase they were on Tracy c’s card and she needed it that evening.  She had them downloaded for me and I just need to get together with her.  I took  nearly 3 GB (800) worth of pictures putting quite a bit of mileage on my camera in one day.  My trigger finger and adjoining arm were feeling it the next day.  Tracy C was a huge help at the temple.  She packed around all my equipment and was a much needed second pair of eyes to catch all the “moments” that needed to be recorded.  She also made sure all the players had plenty of makeup to make them perfect for the day.  I would not have been able to do it without her. 

I was feeling a bit poorly Sunday morning but I made it to all my meetings and upon reaching my bed after the block retired for 3 1/2 hours and felt almost completely rejuvenated after. 

The trusty little Saturn is no more.  Brian nursed it down to Ceritos yesterday to look at some new cars and was hoping to make it and trade it in before it breathed it’s last breath.  Well, it expired before he got there, although he got really close.  He was informed by some nearby dealerships that they wouldn’t touch a car with that many problems on a used car buy trade in.  So what to do?  Towing it back to Calabasas would have cost $400 and then what do we do.  We had no intention of spending the $700 to fix it and hope it worked well after that.  The trade in value would have been only $500 if it was running.  It has had problems every month for the past 4 months.  So Brian called a local Salvage yard and they said they would pay us $100 and a free tow.  Brian yelled “SOLD!”  And indeed it was.  I had a moment with my first purchased car, handed over the keys, and drove away. 

We headed back to Calabasas in time for Memorial Day festivities, and thought no more about it.  Then I busted Mom and Dad’s computer.  But Brian fixed it.  Its been a bad week mechanically for this family. 

I know, everyone’s going to have a heart attack at all the posts I have been doing.  I just have so many pictures to share.  Last night Brian, SV and I met Mom and Serra the Kimber Academy play, The Wizard of Oz.  We have some serious thespians among us.  I was blown away by our little niece and nephews.  (Jacob didn’t say more than 3 words but he took that very seriously, a very cute munchkin)  Even Georgianna got into it imitating Katrina’s witch cackle.  I took over 50 shots and I hope Gary arranges to have the thing videotaped for those that won’t be able to see it.  Katrina and Joseph were the two stars that knew all their lines (and everyone else’s).  I was proud to be part of the family.  Here’s what you really want.

Gary did well as Master of Ceremonies and Katrina and Joseph had double roles as the tornado.

Scarecrow Joseph.  A little wobbly from being stuck on a pole.

Following the yellow brick road…

cuter munchkins?… I don’t think so…Serra kept trying to get up on stage with her cuzzins. (Serra V that is)

One amazing witch.

Monday was also Dad’s birthday dinner.  I came up early after the doc appointment so Brian and I could drive together and home later on.  Spent the day chillin’ with Serra and Serra and Mom.  It turned out to be a beautiful day after a few scorchers. 

New news.  The Saturn is starting to cost more money than a car payment.  There is an engine problem that needs addressing for a few hundred.  The air conditioning has been estimated at $300 (er go Brian cooks), and now the clutch suddenly gave up today barely getting Brian into work.  Don’t know yet how much that is going to run.  It’s not like the car owes us anything but we were hoping it would last until Brian finished school.  We may end up getting creative with one car.  Can’t really afford another car payment.  Can’t really afford to keep fixing the problems with the Saturn.  What to do?

Saturday all the girls in town went out to breakfast at IHOP.  We had a great time.  The two littlest found the stash of boosters and kept busy.

SV got her fingers caught in a drawer at Grandma’s.  It was a sad moment we all agreed.

Fun at the grandfolks

Joseph, fast as lightning, caught one of the million lizards that make thier home in Calabasas.  Serra tried to kiss it.  He let Katrina hold it until it started to squirm and Katrina began to squeal.  The lizard landed safely between a crack in the deck.

We take special care to Mo proof the house when we leave.  This includes putting up the garbage on the counter.  However, this time Mo discovered how to get into the pantry and made short work of all the cereal he could get his measley mouth on.  There was a crunch underfoot on all three levels as well as up and down the stairs.  He is still in the dog house and….well I will just stop there. 

My doctors office bought a new ultrasound machine a few months ago and in was very helpful in diagnosing some of my problems.  Most women don’t have more than 1 maybe 2 ultrasounds during their pregnancies.  They really like to use it in this office though and I must say I don’t put up a fuss because I like to see what is going on inside.  So far I have done one each month.  This was yesterday.  I labeled it for those of you who have a hard time seeing anything but a blob.  Baby was waving and kicking and putting on a little show for us. 

Saturday was our Primary Temple trip.  I took Serra with me so Brian could get some things done at home without having her underfoot.  We first stopped at the visitor center to look at the statue of Christ and to watch a movie.  Serra~V~’s first words as she gazed upon the statue was. “Big Jesus!”  Later we took a tour around the temple grounds where we learned about the corner stone and saw the baptistry entrance and also talked about the angel Moroni.  Our kids are pretty smart, even pointing out that he faces east.  Serra took a nasty spill and is sporting a nice scrape on the side of her face.  Let us hope that it isn’t the only thing she remembers now about the temple. 

This morning while SV and I ate breakfast, a bug stopped by next to Serra’s plate.  She gave it to me and I promptly smashed it and put it on the floor for later pick up.  (It was really small)  She got down to look for it and had it on her palm.  She said, “look Mom, on my hand.  Right here on my paw.”  Hmmmmm.

The girl has a sense of humor.  She knows what we are going to think is funny.  Tights on the head to amuse mom and dad.

Serra has still been struggling to kick this bug although it has manifested itself on the opposite end.  She seems much more solid today and hopefully is on the road to being 100%.  She has been sleeping a lot more over the past few days and I must admit I lay right down with her and snooze myself.  It helps me stay awake with Brian later at night. 

The flash for my camera came yesterday and I have been experimenting with it to get the best possible results.  (Note to Julie:  I can take pictures in the dark and inside the house with out problems now)

I learned a trick as well.  When you use a flash and it points directly at the subject you always get harsh shadows behind then.  I found that if you point the flash upward and bounce it off the ceiling or the wall behind them you get a really nice effect and no shadows behind them.  I’m still working at it and reading up on how to get the best results but here are some pictures we took yesterday. 

Here is an example of the bounce flash.  The first pictures has the flash pointed directly at Serra.  The second one is bounced off the ceiling.

I tried the bounce flash in the dark and it makes it more subdued and the background disappears completely.

You can tell which ones I used the flash with even outside in fairly good light.

It was definitely a bug for poor Serra~V~.  She spewed forth more great offerings yesterday afternoon after the first nap.  She ended up sleeping most of the day.  In the evening she kept telling me she was hungry but I was mean and only let her have chicken broth and crackers.  She was still hungry but I wasn’t taking any chances. 

This morning as Brian got up to go running he took Serra to the potty like usual but she didn’t go back to sleep this time.  She asked him where he was going.  When he told her she said,”I want to come.”  What a nice daddy.  He got her shoes and some pants on and took her with him.  Of course this meant he had to cut it a little short and couldn’t do as much as he would have liked but he scored some major points with the boogus.  She watched Cinderella when they got back and he got ready for work.  When it was over she climbed back into bed and fell asleep. 

These were taken at the Wynn Hotel in Vegas. 

Last weekend was Brians last few days of freedom before classes started up again so we took off on Thursday and headed to Vegas.  We left early enough that we avoided traffic all the way.  We made it in early enough to be able to sit and chat for a while before heading to our respective beds.  (Or couch in poor Amy Jo’s case whenever we come to visit)  A new casino had just opened the night before and was rumored to cost over 2 billion.  We thought we would go down and see what all the fuss was about.  We never really figured it out.  It just looked like a really high end hotel and casino that catered to the very wealthy in terms of the stores available to shop in.  You know the kind of store that has 4-5 items displayed with expensive art work and fancy displays.  You pay $1000 for a T-shirt because of the label.  Thanks, but I’ll stick to browsing the racks at Ross for the $3.50 deal.  As we were leaving, shortly after arriving, Serra announced that it stunk in there.  She was right.  Lot’s of smoke.  Anyway we made the trip worthwhile by stopping  by a local park and watching Amy Jo and Serra play.  It’s great to have young aunts and uncles to play with the kids.

We spent the weekend relaxing and eating.  Brian and his Dad took some time to discuss some possible business ideas for the future.  Serra went shopping with her Grandma and Aunties on several occasions and never came home empty handed.  Her favorite thing now is the Barbie purse with Barbie accessories including, the cell phone, car key with remote, makeup, and credit cards.  She thinks she is pretty hot stuff with all the needed necessities.  Brian was in the bathroom with the door locked and she kept knocking at the door.  Then a light bulb appeared above her head.  She ran to her purse and grabbed her key.  She ran back to the door and started trying to unlock it with the key.  When that didn’t work she started pressing buttons on the key remote.  At that moment Brian walks out.  She got really excited and yelled, “It worked!”  The only downside with the phone is that after Barbie says a phrase she hangs up and it upsets Serra.  “Barbie hung up on me.”

Serra received a fancy tricycle from Ethan Cianflone this week.  It has been a little rainy but she has had a few opportunities to ride it.  She calls it her bike.  She loves it.  It won’t be long until she figures out the pedals.  It’ s pretty heavy duty so I’m sure it will take abuse from several children and cousins to come.  Thanks Tracy and Ethan.

Saturday Brian had to work but had purchased some pepper and tomatoe plants on Friday so I decided to tackle our poor neglected patio and get started on planting.  We have a small patch of dirt that was originally a rock bed.  It has rocks about 8 inched deep mixed with dirt.  I spent 3 hours shoveling and squating over the area removing rocks so there was mostly dirt.  Brian picked up some soil on the way home and while he took Serra to the park on a promised outing to ride her bike I mixed the dirt and planted half the tomatoes and peppers.  There is still a lot of work to be done out there but I made progress and hopefully will enjoy fresh tomatoes and peppers all summer.  I am amazed at how much Dad, Mom and Dallas accomplish in thier yard when I only got done such a small amount on our tiny patch.  I am still sore from bending over a shovel and getting up and down so much two days ago.

Yesterday was Mothers Day.  I realized on Saturday that I was sharing time and when I sat down to do the lesson I tried to figure out something we could do for mothers.   Well, our ward doesn’t have the kids sing for anything so I decided that I would review/teach them 2 songs and we would go in at the end of Relief  Society and sing to the Moms and Grandmas, and then have the kids pass out a flower to each of the ladies.  The kids did such a great job; all six of them.  (7 with Serra)  I had a hard time containing myself when Serra sang the last few words of each verse in exaggerated vibrato.  She usually goes to primary with me because our nursery leader is rarely there.  Serra is the only other child beside the teachers kid.  Serra was there the whole time we were learning the song and picked up a few words.  It was very cute and she got several chuckles and it melted me.  As the kids finished, the bishop brought in a tray of huge pieces of chocolate cake.  The kids started drooling immediately and when we got them back to the primary room they started chanting, “CAKE, CAKE, CAKE.” Most of them got quite a bit from their mothers so all was well.  I was really proud of our primary kids.

After church we came home.  Brian and Serra had me sit down so I could open up thier MD present.  They got me the Work and Glory DVD.  We saw it in the theatre a few months ago and I really enjoyed it.  Brian figured I would eventually like the whole set when they finish all the movies.  How right he was and I am excited to watch it again soon.  Brian always puts a lot of thought into gifts and I appreciate that.  We needed to get ready to go so Brian put the finishing touches on his seven layer dip. (Mexican train wreck as Aunt Karen likes to call it)  He made most of it last night and wouldn’t let me help at all.  We Mo proofed the house.  Which basically means we tidied “up”  so he couldn’t get into anything.  Brian loaded the mandarin trees to be givien to the folks and Gary and Liesl, loaded the kid and we were off to Calabasas.  We arrived at about 2pm and sat out on the deck and enjoyed the sunshine and Brian’s delicious dip.  I’m afraid by the time the cousin contingency arrived it was nearly finished.  Luckily by that time dinner was ready and they didn’t have time to notice too much.  Hamburgers, hotdogs, salad, white corn on the cob, folks and fun.  Immediately after the blessing Serra grabbed a bun just like Grandpa had instructed us and went and got a burger slapped on it.  I didn’t notice and I asked Brian if he would get her set up with some food.  He pointed to her and informed me she had taken care of it herself.  There she sat on the swing with the cousins munching on a plain hamburger happy as can be.  Alrighty then.  Latter as we moved the party inside Dallas brought out his portion of the meal.  DESSERT.  What a creation that was.  Remember the Bob’s Big boy hot fudge cake?  It was like that only not with cake.  Ghirradelli  Triple chocolate brownies.  It was the size of a small roast as Gary said.  I am ashamed to admit that as an Arnell I only made it through about half.  Great job to all the men.  It was a great day. 

About the time dinner was getting finished Elder David called to wish Momma a happy mothers day.  We all got to listen and talk a bit.  We sure miss having him around.  The kids especially.  Dallas does a good job of filling in the empty spot but we still miss him.  We are proud though that he is doing what he should be doing right now.

When we got home a little after 9pm Serra was cuddling me on the recliner after finishing a full cup of milk when suddenly the gates of her belly opened up and spewed forth the first offering.  Brian just looked at us not sure what had just happened when the second offering projectiled a full 12 inches from her face.  What do you want me to do Brian asked me.  I asked him to take her to the tub quick and I would assess the damage at the scene.  He rushed her up the stairs dripping all the way and into the tub just in time for the 3rd great offering.  I had no idea such a small stomach could hold such and huge amount.  The new recliner was absolutely covered along with my clothes, Brian’s and Serras, and a blanket we had on us.  Luckily the carpet escaped harm.  I am so glad the chair is leather.  It cleaned up like a dream with no residue.  A cloth chair would have been destroyed.  She declared teary eyed from the tub, “I’n sick, I frowed up.  I need medicine.”  Everything went into the washer, the downstairs floor got mopped, Serra got a serious bath, and we settled down again with poor little Serra sipping her “medicine”  which in cases like this is Peppermint tea with honey.  She is a little on the tired side today and is nearly asleep on the couch as I write at 12pm, after waking up at 10am.  I think she may have a touch of something, or it may have been too much food and fun yesterday.  She says she feels fine and held down breakfast fine.  We will take it easy today. 

I had a dream last night that I had my baby and it could talk at a week old.  I was also mortified to realize that I had forgotten to feed it yet and I hadn’t named it because Brian was out of town and I wasn’t sure if it was a boy or a girl.  Hopefully not a vision of the future.

I have a few picutes to post but it will have to wait until Xanga is finished doing something or other.