Gas Lines

I've told some of you about the desperate gas situation here in the Charlotte area. We are officially staying in our home so as to not run out of gas. Gas stations everywhere are out. Even the gas station at Costco is out. There are a few places where you can still find gas, but they are (as I said) few and also far between. Yesterday our equiptment man, Todd, canceled his appointment with us because he had no gas to drive to our home. He also told me our physical therapist, Susan, canceled her appointments yesterday because she was out of gas. I called Susan on her cell phone, and she said I caught her waiting in a gas line. She had been there for two hours and had witnessed some unbelievably childish behavior. I don't know how long it took her to finally get a turn at the pump. Some of the stations that have gas have been choosing to close down because the behavior of the patrons is getting out of control. My friend, Cyndie, blogged about a gas line she passed at her local Wal-Mart. She couldn't see the end of the line, but she did see the aerial police surveillance unit. I have stolen her pictures for you to view.

Money Saving Tip #347

Be your own portrait studio.

Traditionally, Caleb's birthmom has had a portrait taken of all of her children at 6-weeks old. She gets a 12x18 (huge) print and hangs it in her hall. I wanted to help her keep this tradition with Caleb, but around here, we don't usually fork out the money for studio portraits. That's why I took photography in college and bought a nice camera. Yesterday, the conditions outside were perfect for taking pictures. It was a little hazy, so the light was filtered and not too harsh. I took the bouncy seat outside and threw a blanket over it, propped Caleb up, and started shooting. This was our best photo. I wasn't happy with his collar being in front of his chin, but in most of the other pictures, he had a very disgruntled expression on his face. I know that we are missing the obligatory fake background, but hey- this isn't Sears. Hopefully this picture looks professional enough to hang beside her other ones.

Caleb Smiles

Caleb is smiling now. Here are a few cute pics.

Because My Mom Complained

The other day, my mom complained about me not updating my blog frequently enough. She wants more pictures of the kids.

Today while eating snack, Ben said with a dramatic wave of the arm, "We want to fill up this house." "Fill it up with what?" I asked him. "With children," he answered. I chuckled to myself. While I think we are finished having children, we do enjoy having family and friends over. Brad's brother Mick came and stayed with us recently. Of course, Rachel and Keith were here, too. While they were in town, we took the opportunity to get some shots of the grandchildren. A week later, my friend Erica was here with her son Kent, as they evacuated Baton Rouge for hurricane Ike. I will have to rely on Erica for pictures from that visit, because I didn't pick up the camera the whole time they were here. I can't believe I forgot.

Welcome Home Molly!

On Saturday, we had the privilege of meeting Molly (and her parents), at the Charlotte-Douglas airport. Ben, Anna, and Emily came with us to get their first non-internet glimpse of their new friend. Brian and Melissa are glad to be home and are trying to recover from their trip to and from Vietnam. We should be seeing them again next week after they have a chance to rest and get into a routine. Here are just a few of the great pictures we took.