Randomness

Earlier this year my camera died.  It was about 7 years old, so it had probably outlived its life expectancy, anyway.  We have found, though, that the camera on my cell phone is actually better than my old camera.  As a result, I find all kinds of random photos on my phone.  Or, like today, my children will pull out the phone while we are our and about. 

Here are the latest random photos:

The cat had been outside and came in looking like this. 

At the mall - no desire to go in here!

In my class last week on Diversity we learned about Afghanistan culture. The women in class got to use henna to decorate their arms, hands, and feet. This was my henna "tattoo."  The mark can last up to 3 weeks, but mine faded after about 5 days.

 We get a lot of Daddy pictures!

 

Sleepover with our friend Mercedes before she left for college

 

 Emily called this "James Bond's license plate"

 

This one says "RUBBISH", which is a phrase The Doctor uses on Doctor Who, a favorite British TV show.  The bumper sticker on the right is a British flag.

 

Heather's chemistry class learned how to change the color of pennies yesterday. One was changed by chemicals; the other by fire exposure.

 

If The Shoe Fits

I have heard that women love to shop for shoes. Personally, I don't enjoy shoe shopping that much, but there are few things that make my girls happier than a new pair of shoes. I thought I'd share the results of our recent shopping expedition. I found it entertaining because each one of them was happy for a different reason.

Megan and Heather walk home from the bus most days. On a recent raining day, Megan advised me that her feet were soggy by the time she got home. Confused, I asked why. So she showed me her shoes.

Yikes!  Both shoes had split on the sole.

Her new shoes look pretty spiffy!

Megan was ecstatic because she went from a childrens' size 4.5 to a WOMENS size 5.5.  She's in the big league now!

Heather usually wears white socks so this week when she was wearing black socks it came as a surprise to see her toes sticking out the side of her shoes.  What happened?!

She loves these sleek new shoes.

Heather was happy because a) she no longer had the extra ventilation on the side and b) because she went from a women's 8.5 to a women's 9.5.  That means she wears the same size as Emily and she grew TWO SIZES since August.  No wonder her toes burst out the sides!  I need to stop feeding that girl before she grows out of everything she owns.

Emily's old shoes

You can't see it, but the rubber trim is falling off and separating from the sole. 

Emily's new shoes

Emily didn't make much of a change, in either style or size.  She is still in the same size (which I hope means she has stopped growing!) and she picked the same basic style as before....and before that....and before that.  However, she and I both like the blue plaid version better than the solid black she has always had.  I like the nod to femininity.  She likes the fact that I allowed her to purchase shoes I would normally consider "LOUD".  I thought these were cute, though.

All things considered, it was a successful shoe search.  And the best part?  Payless was having a SALE!  Yahoo!

Four Musketeers

Kendra, Emily, Shelby, Clarcy

(Maybe we should call Kendra "Kendry" so they all end in Y!)

Emily has three friends that she spends a lot of time with.  They go to dances and Young Womens activities together.  They also recentlly went shopping together and decided to have a photo session at the outdoor mall. 

Emily gets very silly when she is with her friends.  I love it!

Look at those happy smiles! 

This was my favorite shot of Emily. 

Emily has grown up so much in the last year.  Sometimes I miss the little girl I used to know, but I love getting to know this lovely young woman.  She is such an amazing girl.

Shop 'Til You Drop

Kendra, Clarcy and Emily, ready to start their shopping expedition

Emily is now old enough to attend the church dances each weekend. Naturally, that meant a shopping trip to the local mall to find the perfect outfit for her first dance. (She is, afterall, female.) We invited her friends Kendra and Clarcy to spend the day with us.

We tried on clothes we liked and made fun of clothes we didn't like. We went into stores where we knew we weren't going to buy anything....just because we could. The girls tried on shirts, pants, jewelry, hats, scarves, shoes, jewelry, hair accessories, jewelry, and more shoes.

We also had lunch at Johnny Rockets, which is a 50's style diner. The burgers were fabulous and the employees sang "Happy Birthday" to Emily..... backwards. It was pretty funny.

We finally left the mall when everyone's feet were too sore to keep walking. The girls were pretty silent on the trip home. I think I wore them out.

Before she went to bed Emily threw her arms around my neck and told me it was the best birthday..."so far." High praise indeed from a teenager!