If you don’t get the title, don’t worry about it.  It’s because my neighbors have the longest freakin’ name ever, & I was just trying to be witty.  These two lovelies, Anna & Kate, are two of our neighbors that make me never want to leave my little place in our townhouse community.  Each year I anticipate what outfit their mom (and my friend), Laura, will buy them for Christmas.  She has done it again.  And we have not one, but TWO outfits this year!  We decided to try the Annapolis Mall again this year simply because the day we scheduled to shoot it was pouring rain outside…again!  I know God needs to water the earth & all, but it’s getting a little soggy over here!  Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed playing around the mall with Anna & Kate.  My girls absolutely love them & wanted to go copy them & have their own photo shoot just like Anna & Kate!  Needless to say, our Sroka Girls photo shoot didn’t turn out quite as well – what can I say!

Here’s Anna & Kate…

Now for those of you who read the title of this post and thought we might be teaching our children to shoot guns, that would probably be for my brother’s blog, not mine.  Although I was raised around guns in the wild state of Oklahoma, I don’t know how to shoot that kind of device…just a camera, and the occasional water gun.

I decided to take some photos for just the fun and love of it (thanks for the reminder Tasra) and decided my girls were good subjects.

When I was at Target (when am I ever NOT at Target) I saw these really cute Paul Frank rain coats & umbrellas.  Unfortunately they were only toddler size so they just fit Brooke.  Emma, in her short four years, has stretched up to the big girl’s size 5/6!  So we got the raincoat & umbrella for Brooke, but what kind of mother would I be if I left Emma out!  I scoured the Internet for raincoats with matching umbrellas for-ev-er!  Every thing was super cute, but super expensive! (for my taste)  I finally found the Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Mollie & Bollie polka dot lady bug pattern.  It fit Emma perfectly – size & personality!  She loves walking around with her umbrella folded up like a “walking stick,” posing, tapping, and just looking cute.  Brooke isn’t quite as in to the fashion aspect of her ensemble, but it keeps her dry.

As I was taking photos of the girls, they asked to use the camera too.  So, I finally said, “Sure!”  And as you’ll see below, they did a pretty good job.  Enjoy my kids playing “rain” in their wet weather gear…and no, it wasn’t raining.  We were just practicing for a day like today.

Under her umbrella-ella-ella-ella

Brooke took this one of Emma.  Look at that bokeh!  She just needs better framing.

Emma took this one of Brooke!

I took this one!  Aren’t you equally as proud of me too?

Another Emma shot.  I see where she gets her inability to smile correctly…ugh!

Another Emma shot – looking good girl!

And our tree stump + timer took this one.  Not bad either!

Oh, and I purposely left of the “logo” so grandparents can swipe these, like they usually do.  You know who you are Amaw, Grandpa, Gigi, Pop Pop, Papa, & Nanny!

Yesterday was my husband Josh’s and my sixth anniversary!  Can you believe it?  It seems like just yesterday that he was daily changing the color of his hair, contemplating his next tatoo, and adding his fifth earring!

I have been blessed with such a loving, faithful, understanding, patient, godly example of a man.  Now, this isn’t to say that Josh is perfect, and neither am I by any means.  And I don’t mean to give the impression that marriage is a walk in the park, because it isn’t.  However, I know that my marriage to Josh is worth the time, the tears, the effort, and all the love.  He is my soulmate and I am his.  And I just wanted to take this post to brag on him by showing you how he proposed to me seven years ago on a picnic.

Let’s set the stage:  It was May 24th, 2002 and Josh had planned a picnic for us at Downs Park.  I knew it was coming, it wasn’t a surprise, and I also didn’t expect the “gift” at the end.  Josh packed us peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, canned lemonade and I don’t remember what else…all inside a great picnic basket from his mom.  I had just finished my junior year of college along with some student teaching and I remember specifically having Josh help me on a lesson plan that involved Laura Numeroff’s book If You Give a Pig a Pancake.  So, when I opened the picnic basket and Josh had some more Laura Numeroff books for me, it was a pleasant surprise.  However, the next book he gave me was hand-made by him!  Here is that book…

And here is where I finished reading the book, and didn’t have a clue what was going to happen next.  Josh gave me the ring box, I opened it up, and finally got it!  Well, to speed things up, I said yes, we were married the next year, and have been together ever since.  Here’s to many more wonderful years, Josh.  I love you!

(Disclaimer:  These photos were taken with my iPhone because I didn’t want to lug my nice 40D out in possibly torrential downpours)

Yesterday we continued our tradition of attending the Baltimore Orioles‘ Opening Day.  We went with our friends Steve & Heather and each of us were excite because our lovely mothers had our children for most of the day!  We were also excited because the O’s played the Yankees and it’s apparently a big rivalry.  Not that the Orioles skill level matches the Yankees, just that the Yankees fans live so close that they always come down and crowd our stadium.  Well, we showed them yesterday just who’s house they were in…OUR HOUSE!  The Orioles won 10 to 5…amazing!  We had a great time with Heather & Steve.  Here’s a little about what happened….

On our way in, dodging many bar-goers, we were stopped at a light and this huge Gecko kept looking at Heather through her window.  So we amused him/her and took it’s picture.

We ferociously booed the Yankees‘ Mark Teixeira.  I mean that poor guy got booed from the time he left the dugout until he finished striking out at bat!  Josh informed that he had apparently teased the Orioles by saying he may play for his hometown team and then went to the Yankees instead for more money.  What now, Teixeira!

Every year we comment on how we love Opening Day, but we hate how many crazy drunks we run in to.  Steve had the wonderful opportunity to sit next to “Mark.”  We saw him with a few drinks, but didn’t realize why he was so wasted until he told Steve that his “coke” wasn’t really Coca-Cola…it was another mixture!  Thankfully he was seated next to Steve who helped him not set a Yankees hat on fire…twice! We didn’t take a photo of him, but you can barely see the side of him in this photo of Heather & Steve.

Then there was the ever-so-loud, slightly drunk, woman next to me who kept shouting, “Give me my money back, O’s!  Do something.  Show me why I spent my money!”  Hopefully she feels her money was well spent!  Here’s a view of Josh hiding under his hood, and Heather, being silly behind him.

And last, but not least, a photo of Josh and ME! I know…those are rare!  I begged Josh for one so we’d have evidence that we actually were there.  Now, I know, it does look like I’m choking my husband, but that’s not at all what happened.  He kept shaking his head around so Steve wouldn’t be able to take a picture, so I had to hold his head still.  End of story.

Great win, Orioles!  Let’s see what you do today!

I’m now 28…and feeling older, wiser, and very loved! Thank you to all my family & friends for your birthday wishes.