I don't mean to brag but...

...my kids are beautiful.

a novella

brought to you by hil and sam's Cinco De Mustache party

this is the story of Lone Vaquero.

fastest draw in the south west.
he devoted his days to finding the evil El Nino...

face of a sweet infante

but heart of a diablo.

the locals lived in fear.
for he pillaged the villages to satisfy his lust for milk and diapers.

he kept dastardly company to aid in his tirades.

including Rubia, owner of the cantina.

who had a secret dance to warn the villains that occupied her establishment,
and help them escape the law through her underground tunnels.

Vaquero knew of this song and dance.
he tracked El Nino to the cantina one day.

but first he stationed the policia at the back escape.

Rubia sensed the danger and shook her maracas with fury!

El Nino fled but Alguacil was hiding in the shadows.
The tyrant was caught at last!

and there was much rejoicing!

real quick

i haven't been able to post any of judey's newborn pics because my disc was cracked.
now i'm finally getting out his birth announcements.
i'll probably send you one, but if you think i don't have your address,
you can post it as a comment and i won't publish it.
{picture taken by studio lush}

the eggs get hunted

i thought i was sneaky hiding some eggs in trees.
then i could hide behind and wait with camera poised.

my dad is here again. mouth open and everything.

oh easter pictures. getting spiffy'd up, holding the kids hostage, dan's awkward stance,
the hysterics, the parents' waning smiles. i can't wait til family pics this month!

this one is a little better.

the only time caden is interested in having his picture taken,
is when i'm trying to get one of someone else.
someone younger and smaller.

the zoo gets visited

the boys had fun testing out the elephant scale.
please guys! i weigh more than both of you combined!

forgive me for being crude, but check out the rock behind the rhinos and tell me that doesn't look like what i think it looks like! coincidence? i don't think so.

one of many unsuccessful attempts to get a group photo.

it worked better when we broke them into smaller increments.

i took a few pictures of animals but apparently got bored because most of these are of kids.
they are more of a challenge to shoot anyway. with a camera.

parker and korbin at their favorite exhibit... the train.

my favorite exhibit.

i think he was hoping we were lunch. he lingered a little too long.

doesn't my mom look too young to have 5 grand kids?

tall, dark and handsome. why do the good ones always drool?

we made a perfect plane. unplanned.
my dad was the ONLY way i was getting out of there with a picture of caden.

aren't my kids so photogenic?

my baby bro. we have the same hairdo.
also unplanned.

they were so sweet to hold hands but i felt a pang of guilt that this took precedence after we accidentally left parker behind.

chloe LOVED the elephants. they had a new calf. no - i didn't get a picture.

parker was more than willing to let me hover around him like a desperate paparazzo.
{that's singular for paparazzi - kimiko taught me that.}

see what i mean? but i don't mind my dad being in the pics. he's caden's fave "grandma."

korbin sustained a wicked shiner when he tripped and smashed into a giant boulder meant to enhance the 'natural habitat' feeling.

dan gets old

We had a Vegas party for Dan-o in our basement. {This will explain the the half insulated walls that serve as the back drop for the pictures. And at some point basement dust got on my lens.} Our guests were invited to dress up and we were delighted with the results.

There was poker. And the real pros wore shades.

she decided to trade being an angel for a vegas bunny

party animals.

Somebody crashed the party. No, not my dad, he was invited.

There was some particularly moving karaoke.

yes indeed.

i'm not going to lie. it was difficult deciding on which of the many fab pictures to post of these two. they were just so darn photogenic.

there was some fierce table tennis. and the spectators were REALLY getting into it.
{patrick did the 'old man playing the slots' vegas. the straw hat you see dan wearing is his.}

you have to get a picture of this guy just to prove he was there.

he claims he didn't dress up but i think his bleached, mohawk/mullet says otherwise.

awww. carmen's baby is no longer a baby.

my dress was beaded in gold and rhinestones. it was returned two days later.

if it looks like people were having a good time - it's because they were!

the vegas look is just so glamorous.

old buddies.

dressed as a celeb doing vegas or, "looking like a homeless person."

sorry guys, i wish the only picture i had of you was cuter.

we actually used a cardboard cutout of dan to pose with all the gifts.

that's why he looks the same in every picture.

no pics, but my mom had her share of wicked karaoke moments.
my dad sang none.

wouldn't be a vegas party without the King.

and somehow he managed to blow them all out.

thanks to all that came! the party was a'rockin because you were there!

{i regrettably did not get pics of everyone. i was kinda pretty busy.
if you have some will you email them to me?}