Jeff's birthday present...or is it mine?

Jeff's parents are notoriously difficult to shop for. There isn't a lot that either of them need, so for Dad's birthday or for Father's Day, the family tends to buy him things that they want themselves. He knows this, and it's kind of a running joke among the adult children. Want a new toy? An RC boat, new toys for the pool, Rock Band? Buy it for Dad!

Last month, I found a camera I wanted. I don't need a new camera, since Jeff got me one for Mother's Day last year, and it works just fine. The one I was lusting after was pure want. It's an Olympus, a brand I've always admired in cameras, and it's 8MP as compared to my 6MP, but what really had me drooling is the fact that it's completely waterproof up to 10 feet and shockproof when dropped from up to 5 feet. (Here, read all about it yourself.) I have a friend who owns one, and she is the most incredible photographer, so I figured if she likes it then that's a pretty strong recommendation right there.

So, back to the presents thing. I wanted the Olympus. I mean, I really, really wanted it. No excuse to buy it whatsoever, other than the fact that it would be just a cool thing. I found some really good deals online, but with no real justification, I just couldn't do it. Then I went to Costco one day, and the store was featuring a traveling roadshow selling ten different types of high-end cameras they don't normally carry. Guess which model they had? Yes, they had it. Yes, I am an impulse shopper. I grabbed it, checked out, and headed home, all the while trying to figure out how I could rationalize my purchase. Then it hit me: Jeff's birthday is in June! And if we can buy Dad the things we want to play with ourselves, then I could give Jeff my new a new camera because I really want it it's his birthday. Perfect!

So here are the first few shots with my new toy. None of them are really underwater, but I took pictures while the kids were playing with the hose, which I would have never done with my Samsung.

Lily is trying to convince us that Aspen's tricycle should really be Lily's tricycle. It's kind of funny, because unless she's on the slightly-downhill-slanted driveway, she can only go backwards on the trike.

We made water shadows, which evaporated pretty fast, but the kids were impressed.

And, of course, the kids rode around the culdesac. Since we can ride the real ATVs in water, I had a hard time convincing Levi that his ATV really shouldn't go through the hose. Difficult concept when you're two!

Levi actually took this one:

I hope he enjoyed it, because it's probably the last time he's going to get to touch my camera! I didn't even realize he had it.

Hm. Not sure what to call this one.

Writing a blog and saving it in draft doesn't do a whole lot of good if you never come back to publish it! This is from mid-May, when the kids were in school.

Jaden & Kendra had a Book Week at their elementary. As a culmination of their activities, all of the kids got to dress up as their favorite character from a book, and they held a parade around the school grounds. It was really quite cute, and the school arranged for some members of the drum corps from the high school to come and play while the kids marched.

And on the way back in...

Kendra really liked her princess dress, so she just read books until she found one with a Cinderella picture that somewhat matched. Jaden, on the other hand, knew without a doubt exactly who he wanted to dress up as.

There were quite a few parents there watching the parade. Nearly every person I talked to knew exactly who Jaden was, and a few specifically complimented his costume. It's sad, though, that out of the entire third grade, not one student recognized him. They're just not teaching the classics any more, I guess. (And if you don't recognize Calvin when you see him, well then, forty lashes with a wet noodle for you!)