Saturday we had as much of the family as we could assemble for a swim/picnic day. Of course there was food. Some of us couldn't wait to dig in. Roger had the boys playing ball. Aiden has a turn at bat. I think Lois was the umpire/catcher. Relaxing by the pool is a must. Best seats to watch the kids too! Silas in his own world with Kenny's watch. Lois shows the triplets how to swim. Rubí who is very ... Read More

Has it been so long since she played with my son, since I helped potty-train her, or heard one of her stories in her little girl voice? Now she's getting married! ... Read More

Iris has become someone special to me, she is more than a mother in law. So, even though we were deep in floor mess in the kitchen, there was no saying no when she invited us to come to the house for dinner and meet her side of the family.       ... Read More

Carrying on in doing things like no other couple does, two weeks after our wedding, Georgie held a wedding reception for us. She asked us to dress up like we did for the wedding which I was happy to do, I'm such a girl. :)                     The evening was wonderful. But one part of the evening was truly special, listening to John's dad sing Around The World in 80 Days. Good song choice as John and I had to go around the world ... Read More

As many already know, Laura and I are keen to start our journey into portrait photography. Laura got her first dslr camera, and we are looking forward to our second wedding gig this month. I like to practice and perfect this craft. I have a family willing to help me too. Perhaps there is a lesson in here somewhere, in any profession, there will always be days...you know how it is. But, wow, each year I try to take portraits of Enric, Miranda, Silas, ... Read More

Today was Lauren's baby shower. So wonderful to see everyone again. Naturally, I took some photos. Lois said she might not recognize me without the camera gear anymore. ... Read More

Just a short time after the Fletcher family reunion, my mom hands me an old photo of her dad, his brothers and sister, and their parents, so I scanned it. I love looking at the faces of family I never got to know, makes me a little sad too, but it's just too irresistible to think about grandparents and their parents. Above are: Walter Olie Fletcher (my mom's dad), his brother Malcolm, his sister Jesse (Great Aunt Jesse, I DID get ... Read More

Or is that Boselega and Fulcher? Since I went to my family reunion this past weekend, I have been thinking (again) about the origins of the surnames of my dad and mom, Bosley and Fletcher respectively. In times past, I have been interested in the family tree, and have even manage to fill t he family Bible with names of grandparents I never got to know and their parents. This is what I found on the Surname Database: Bosley This unusual name is of ... Read More

Family faces are magic mirrors.  Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future. ~Gail Lumet Buckley Yesterday, Laura, Mom, and I, went near Winchester, Virginia for the Fletcher family reunion. It wasn't easy to convince Mom to go, but I thought it would be fun for her in the end. I am glad we went and she was too. We didn't get to stay as long as we would have liked, so here are just a ... Read More

I had a ball at the reception getting to talk and be with friends and family and capturing some candid and posed shots of everyone. (Click on photo for larger image)   Rubí was a bit of  a show stealer. Mom joins the family table. Mom with Uncle Arthur Jim, Chris, and Britney. Amy (our personal cat whisperer) and Forrest. The groomsmen's table. Groom and Best Man. Brothers. Two Sillies. After being held a long time during the ceremony, Rubí was ready to take off on the open floor. So ... Read More

Well Miquel took me to lunch this week, and today, Enric and family brought me a bouquet of flowers, with so many lovely blooms, but sweetest of all, a sunflower! I do love them! We can't grow them here as we don't get much sun with all the trees. So with that, I will just wish all the moms out there a very Happy Mother's Day, using a photo of Enric's flowers and the suggestion of my children and I ... Read More

In 1998 our family took a trip to Spain. I am just now able to  take the movies from the video camera and get them onto a DVD. (thanks Roger!) I chose this excerpt, as I love the area of Lleida. It's a great place to explore and the shopping is fun there too.The children and I enjoyed our day there. Here are some of the photos taken that day. ... Read More

Each year, Christmas Eve's have been an evening of warmth, love, and hilarity. This year was true to form. It started as usual with going to Anchor's Christmas Eve service. It's a wonderful hour when we get to reflect and remember the reason for our Christmas season. When arriving home, little Rubí got the evening started. Then it was Silas's turn! Then we arrived to the food portion of the evening. Petra insisted we have a crab feast! Back to the presents. ... Read More

This year for Thanksgiving, ALL of the family was together except Miquel who had to work and Jenny who stayed home. But unlike last year Miranda and Silas were away, as a family, we were all together for at least part of the day. We had a great time, and I think Silas decided he likes Thanksgiving very much. ... Read More

Not having enough time at the Perth Zoo the first time we went, Sunday afternoon seemed the perfect time to go back, and to my delight the Olsens met us there.  We had already spent Sunday morning with them in worship at the Thornlie Church of Christ, to extend our visit with them at the zoo was perfect. Pauline took a photo of Rodney and I, she told a cute story that she was telling people that they were off to ... Read More

Still a little tired from lack of sleep here (and Laura from TOO MUCH sleep) we had an easy day of grocery shopping, dusting the house, doing the dishes, and ironing. Of course I took breaks and grabbed my camera and took photos of John's house from the front and back. The rest of the day we had a visit from Jeff and Jamie, we all teased Laura a lot, and then we went to John's dad's house as it was ... Read More

He that raises a large family does, indeed, while he lives to observe them, stands a broader mark for sorrow; but then he stands a broader mark for pleasure, too. Benjamin Franklin The great advantage of living in a large family is that early lesson of life's essential unfairness. Nancy Mitford The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing ... Read More

Along with my new phone plan, came this trial offer to try Family Map by AT&T. This helps me find Laura, or at least Laura's phone. I also added my phone to the plan, because for some reason, we part at times. :) (I don't guess I am the only one to lose my cell phone temporarily). So in signing up and trying it today, it gave me this map: As you can see the accuracy was off by two miles. So, I zoomed in ... Read More

From Prison Planet The UK government is about to spend $700 million dollars installing surveillance cameras inside the private homes of citizens to ensure that children go to bed on time, attend school and eat proper meals. Now the government is embarking on a scheme called “Family Intervention Projects” which will literally create a nanny state on steroids, with social services goons and private security guards given the authority to make regular “home checks” to ensure parents are raising their children correctly. Telescreens ... Read More

I got an email from Chuck Norris today explaining a little known fact in the health care bill, hidden on page 838. For some reason, telling parents how to be parents is considered part of the government's idea of health care. Dirty secret No. 1 in Obamacare is about the government's coming into homes and usurping parental rights over child care and development. It's outlined in sections 440 and 1904 of the House bill (Page 838), under the heading "home visitation programs for ... Read More

While Enric, Miranda, and Silas were here, Miquel had to work odd hours and go to school. Miquel didn't get to see them all he wanted. Miquel loves children and they seem to love him. So how much more is how he loves Silas. But gee, this is what happens to Silas, when his Uncle Meek gets some time with him! Silas with Miquel's hat and bike gloves. I wasn't fast enough to capture the short second Silas had Miquel's sunglasses on! ... Read More

July 3rd, when Sarah Palin announced she was stepping down as governor of Alaska, I was surprised, but I didn't think it was a huge news story. I guess I was wrong, because what has followed has been on all channels speculating as to why she would do such a thing. I can't imagine why people would be spending hours of television time speculating as to why. Money? A book deal? Well she already had a book deal BEFORE deciding to ... Read More

Technically, it's not the end of summer, but school has begun for most, and signals the end of summer vacation. With that in mind, mom and I told the kids to invite their friends for a party. After days of preparation, the party day started for me at 6 AM, picking up Miquel at work, where I also bought drinks and ice. Mike got the party started with a rousing....... ...nap. Miquel set up the music. Mike K and Laura splash around Brandon did acrobatics into the ... Read More

I've had a strange, hard week. Without giving away too much information, let's just say all the signs were there. If you're considering a relationship with someone, don't ignore important signs. A Dozen Ways to Get to Know Your Real Partner The Signs Are All Around You By Stacy D. Phillips In my line of work -- family law -- I often hear the same old refrain when my client explains to me why they split from their significant other. It goes like this, "I ... Read More

Well Easter at our house is ever changing of late. We're getting kind of used to Linda and George not being here, and we have come to realize that Stacey could show up with just about anyone, but for me, this year, Miquel was truly a missing piece. However after a nice morning in church, and spending part of the early afternoon relaxing, watching Across the Universe, my neices and nephew arrived with Aiden and Conner. We had a great dinner, ... Read More

I know I posted some older photos of past Easter's last time, so it only seems right to post the most recent. Easter was a cold one this year, so that explains Miquel's trench coat and gloves. Laura wore a new dress sewn by my mom, and she looked just dazzling in it, which is good because Mom worked hard! The rest of the day was a nice one, spent with family and nice homemade meal of ham, mashed potatoes, and every kind of vegetable ... Read More

I took advantage of this little graphic that came my way via a graphic's yahoo group, and decided to fill in my family tree. Years ago in High School we had to do a family tree project, and I worked so long and hard on it. I remember hours at my grandmom's dining room table telling me stories of her brothers, sisters, mom and dad in the mountains of West Virginia. I remember going to my Great Aunt Jesse, and her ... Read More

Yesterday, a day before the usual July 4th celebrations we went to a local park to watch fireworks. This was a tad stressful for me in the sense that years running now, I haven't really had successful fireworks photographs for my efforts. I am happy to say this year was different. The event was very pleasant and we went with a family from church. It's been 6 years since our local Down's Park has held fireworks, and people welcomed it back this ... Read More