My Little Chef

Well, it was bound to happen: I went to bed without posting as promised. It was one of those days where we ended up spending some family time at the pool, which turned into takeout dinner with friends, which turned into watching the kids ride bikes in the street. When it was all over, I flopped into bed and read for about five minutes before falling asleep. I didn't keep to the blog schedule, but my heart and mind were definitely where they were supposed to be.

So here's a random little post, and I'll try to follow it up with something else later. I did have a session with some darling 22-month-old twins yesterday morning, and I'll have their preview ready soon. It'll be a fun break from the Clausen-polooza that's filled the blog lately.

These snapshots are from a recent summer afternoon. The boys were at camp, and I was trying to get a few things done around the house. I was not in the mood to make and clean up yet another lunch, and the girlie happily volunteered to do it herself. I was pretty darn impressed with the results!

Ball Boy

Tonight's post highlights Mr. Middle Child.

This kid is the sports fanatic of the bunch. If there's a sport to watch, play or wear (via a logoed hat, shirt or shorts), he's all over it. So far he's played on baseball, soccer, basketball and flag football teams, with plans to play them all again in the coming year. He's also obsessed with handball, so much so that he finally convinced his dad to clear out one side of the garage to create a handball "court." No we have nowhere to put all of our extra crud. ;)

With all of that said, his favorite thing to do is just drag out his dad for a good ol' game of catch.





I've seen this look so often this summer that I've started calling him Grumpelstiltskin:



This look is MUCH better:

Snaps from Beach Karate

I spent most of last Saturday's beach karate event in line at Joe Mama's, waiting for a muuuuuch needed cup of coffee. (I understand and appreciate that they craft every cup by hand -- and mmmmm, it's good -- but YIKES that place is not speedy.) E was out on the beach with his dojo-mates, kicking and punching and demonstrating his moves, and the rest of the family was out there watching and playing, so I figured that slipping away to wait for caffeine was just fine.

Of course I did have my camera on my hip and fired off a few snapshots before I trudged off to tank up.

My favorite was this first one, with my little orange-belt in the air.







As I just explained to my yahoos, the blurred faces above are because I'm super careful about posting other kids' images on my blog without permission. My boys said it's cool because it makes them look like aliens.

Our 4th

I said that I'd post something daily for the rest of the summer. I didn't say that the photos would be of-the-moment, or even in chronological order. :)

Tonight we're hopping back to the 4th of July.

We spent the holiday weekend in Carmel (and some of it in Santa Cruz), as we tend to do. On the 3rd, the weather was GLORIOUS. We walked the beach in warm sunshine and soaked it all up. It was fabulous.

The actual holiday was quite cold and foggy -- as Carmel so often tends to be -- and we spent a good chunk of it reading and playing around the cabin itself. Brian fired up the grill, but not before shopping for enough to feed 20. Despite a guest list that included only the five of us Clausens, we managed to make a good-sized dent in his spread.



We did actually have a few feathered guests, notably a red-headed woodpecker and this blue jay who stopped at the feeder for a snack. Interestingly, this guy knocked a bunch of the seed to the ground and then hopped down to pick his way through it down there. Our super sneaky dog, Crunch, kept an eye on him from a top-secret hiding spot.







Silly, silly dog.

Resolutions

Drat. Sometimes I HATE my laptop. I had this whole, well-thought out blog post typed up and almost ready to post, and with one errant brush of my palm, the whole thing went POOF! into thin air. It has happened before, and I can't tell you how frustrating it is. UGH.

I'm not feeling up to redoing the whole thing, so let me summarize in much a much less entertaining and articulate manner: I am making some resolutions. Make that RESOLUTIONS. I am talking serious commitment here.

A few highlights in bullet-point form:

- I will stop using the excuse that I'm missing this year's SLO triathlon to slack off on exercise. I WILL BREAK A SWEAT ON A DAILY BASIS.

- I will continue to focus the majority of my energy and attention on my now 5-, 7- and 9-year-old kids. They reeeeeeally want my time and attention more than anything else, and they're actually quite entertaining little people these days. Unfortunately for my clients and potential clients, that will mean a continuation of my very limited work schedule, at least through the summer (and possibly through the fall). It makes this a tough resolution for me, but I've come to see the importance of it above all else.

- In the absence of regular client previews, and in an effort to document the fleeting moments of this summer, I'll publish at least one blog post a day for the rest of the summer. They may be brief, with only a photo or two, but there will be something to see for anyone who happens to drop by.

I have many, many more areas of self-improvement to tackle, but I'll leave the published resolutions at those for right now. They seem to be enough. They fill the plate. They are possible.

So for tonight I leave you with just a couple of snapshots from the girlie's 5th birthday party last month. What the shot of her lacks in technical perfection, it makes up for in personality and emotion. She was SO THRILLED to host her Pinkalicious pool party.





Until tomorrow...

Happy Birthday, Eazy E

I borrowed from a star-crossed rapper when I nicknamed my first-born.

One of his good buddies calls him The Incredible Mr. E.

I think that we're both on the right track.



Happy 9th birthday, sweet boy.

The Circus is in Town

Circus Vargas plopped down in the middle of San Luis this week, bringing a whole bunch of trailers and trucks and of course a big top tent. I figured that it would be a fun experience for our kids, who've never been to anything even remotely resembling a circus. Plus, since this is the summer of Questionably-Conceived But Likely Still Memorable Clausen Family RV Trip, I figured that it fit right in with our summer plans.

The kids were absolutely exhausted from a day of lessons/camp/playdates/swimming, but they were excited, and fortunately the circus didn't disappoint. It was a pretty cool show with at least half a dozen acts that left us marveling (or hiding our eyes behind our hands like big chickens, in the case of Evan and me). I didn't photograph much during the show, mainly because I was either hosting a kid in my lap or clinging to our belongings so that they didn't fall through the bleechers (again). Or hiding behind my hands (again). Plus, our seats were good for seeing, but not so much for photographing.

ANYWAY.

Here are a few fun shots. Of course, it was all about the circus food at first...











At intermission, they announced that anyone interested could line up to get a photo taken with their enormous snake. (Interestingly, this was the only animal in the tent. The circus is animal-free these days, which I understand and appreciate.)

GUESS WHO BOLTED TO THE RING TO BE THE VERY FIRST PERSON IN LINE?

Seriously, I was still trying to figure out if I'd even heard the announcement right, and Little Miss Crazy Pants was all ready to go. It happened so fast that I didn't even have time to get the camera properly set for my own photo. Fortunately, I was able to get it all ready before she jumped into a second opportunity to pose with one of her brothers.



And here's a final shot of my clowns on our way out to the car after long but pretty much perfect day:

Little D's Big Day

I hadn't seen Mr. D since his six month photo session, and when I laid eyes on him this time around, I was struck by how much he's looking like big brother T. The boys are just 14 months apart, so it'll be really fun to see how much they resemble each other -- or not -- as they grow together.

While T was a barrel of laughs at his own one year session, D is a much more serious guy. We did have fun and captured some great smiles, but he's definitely more reserved at this age than his big bro. And they differed in another regard as well; while I told their mom that T was perhaps my most enthusiastic cake eater, D here was about as lukewarm on the whole idea as they come.

But enough with the comparing and contrasting of the little dudes. I think handsome D stands out just fine on his own. :) Here are a few favorites...







Thanks to his parents for allowing me to commemorate the big "oh-one" in photos!

Little Lovely

I am extremely grateful for the life I lead, but I admit that every once in awhile I find myself feeling like a hamster on a wheel. Dashing from place to place, cramming in errands and housework during every free minute. Juggling three kids and the business that I have carefully built over the last few years. Toss in one of my own kids' birthdays and the last week of school and I swear, I know how that darn hamster feels.

Fortunately, this hamster had a little help. My parents were in town this week and lent a big hand with the kids. My husband continued to cover some of the bases -- okay, several of them -- for me. And I got the privilege of photographing a couple of special little people.

First up was a precious little baby girl. Just eight days old, and already she and her parents seemed to have settled right into life as a family. It was a joy to be able to spend time with them all and to capture her at this fleeting stage.

This is one gorgeous little girl.







This morning's session was with a birthday boy who hit one this week. I'll be back soon with a few photos of him...

This Big Reason

Here's the big reason why I haven't blogged much lately:



Care to guess who finished preschool last week? I'll give you a hint: She's an art project-generating chatterbox, and I love her very much. :)