#151-May 31st

Some wonderful friends of ours, the Orme family, spent the day with our fmaily helping to fill sandbags for the City of Minot.  {Aren’t the muddy pants great?!?} As of today they are evacuating almost half the city because they expect the dikes to not be able to handle the overflowing river.  It is just crazy!

#150-May 30th

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY to you all!  I am so thankful everyday for this flag and what it stands for.  I am even more thankful for the men and women who put their lives on the line to defend it!  Thank you for those who have served, those still serving, and those who laid down their lives for my freedom!

#149-May 29th

The ducklings have arrived!  They started hatching this morning and the little ones are all huddled under momma duck while more are hatching.  They are so cute and fuzzy.  I am just glad that the kids got to see them before they take off!

#148-May 28th

Here is another photo of the Minot flooding.  This is another road that will soon be impassable.  It is sad, and there is more rain in the forecast for the entire next week.

#147-May 27th

Blake headed out this morning for his first solo train ride.  He is heading back to Montana to spend a month with his grandparents.  He was nervous but looking forward to the adventure.  At the end of the day he told me it was much better than traveling by car.

#146-May 26th

For the first time in over a decade we got family photos done!  We had an incredible photographer –Gemar Photography take the images for us.  Here is one from the shoot that is a favorite.  I am thinking we need to get them done more often!

{Check out this link to see more.  Gemar Photography did a fantastic job and I would HIGHLY recommend them!!  http://www.gemarphotographyblog.com/2011/06/06/the-wasserman-family/}

#145-May 25th

Finally some sun~and Kati had her Field Day at school.  I spent my afternoon helping to make snow cones for the snow cone booth.  Kati was not happy when I took time out to run over to her class to try to snap some photos.

#144-May 24th

The flooding on base, on the way to town, and in the town of Minot has gotten steadily worse with the constant rain added to the snow melt off.  This week the kids at the high school were given the option of either taking their final or helping to fill sand bags for the city!  Trent said every kid opted to help the city and not just to get out of the test.  They are all worried about each other and many people’s homes.

#143-May 23rd

I am SO PROUD!  Blake had a Jazz Band concert in town for his last concert of the year.  His band did an INCREDIBLE job!  They even played a couple of songs that the kids wrote themselves as a class.  Plus they all had their own solos during the song!

#142-May 22nd

There was such a gorgeous sky tonight.  Dan and I had to run errands around base so I shot this out the truck window on the way home.

#141-May 21st

Kati wanted super curly hair for church so we picked up some soft curlers to give it a try.

#140-May 20th

This is the momma duck in our front  garden in her nest.  We figure the eggs should hatch sometime in this next week.  She hasn’t moved off of them in days and we can now get so close and she won’t even budge.  The kids are so excited and we hope that we get to see the chicks before they take off.

#139-May 19th

Tonight was Western Bingo night for the Officer Spouse’s Group’s last meeting for the year.  I had a blast.  I ended up winning a $25 gift certificate to a local restaurant that Dan and I haven’t gotten a chance to try yet.  I am looking forward to that.  My friend, Kim, that I went with won the biggest prize for the night, a new Kindle.  It was good food, good friends, and nice conversation!  Great girls night out.

#138-May 18th

This is our “Lion” Cole at the zoo.  He is so thrilled it is opened back up for the summer.

#137-May 17th

Cole had his end of year preschool party today.  He had such a blast at the picnic!

#136-May 16th

We had a gorgeous moon tonight.  It was SO huge.  I didn’t get a chance to capture it the way I truly wanted to because we were out running errands.  I will have to put the next full moon on my calendar as an appointment to shoot!

#135-May 15th

This is how we found Cole maxed out watching afternoon cartoons.  Don’t the football gloves make a great fashion statement?!?!

#134-May 14th

I got this wonderful wall decor that is in my upstairs hall.  I love the reminder!

#133-May 13th

This is an image of the decorated chocolate candy tins that I made for the ladies that I visit each month from church.  My friend Kim and I get to visit with three wonderful women and friends.  It is through a wonderful program at my church called visiting teaching.  They try to assign everyone people to visit each month and that way each woman has a network of people they know that they can call on in times of need.  I am so thankful for this program because I have made wonderful friends, been able to do and receive service, and get a chance to get out or get visited each month and gab with wonderful women!

{Each can is filled with Dove chocolates and Hershey kisses.  To make these you open the fruit cup from the bottom with a side can opener (I use my Pampered Chef one.)  Eat the fruit, remove the label, and wash and dry the can.  Fill with desired treats, and super glue the bottom back on.  Then add pretty paper around the sides and a tag.}

#132-May 12th

Since I haven’t posted a photo of Blake lately I thought I would share this one that shows his amazing eyes.  His hair is getting way too long (as he is often told) and he was suppose to get a hair cut on Friday but instead he will be attending a special band concert in Bismarck.  He will be getting the haircut on Saturday whether he likes it or not.

#131-May 11th

This is the unbelievable flooding on the highway from town.  They already had to fill in the southbound lane with about a foot deep of dirt to make it even passable.  It looks like they will soon be doing the same for this lane, the northbound.  Notice the car submerged in the center.  It is the second one that has ended up there so far.  The water is about 6-10 inches deep in places.

#130-May 10th

I had to of course catch an image of the nest.  It is under a bush that is still dead from the winter.  The kids are so careful when going out the door now to try not to disturb her.  Gestation period is about 28-30 days for a duck so by about the kids last day of school (the 26th) we should have some ducklings.

#129-May 9th

The kids have been so excited because over the past few weeks a mother duck made a nest in our garden area right by our front door.  She started by laying three eggs, the next day we noticed four, and then six, and then eight.  There is now twelve eggs that she is taking care of.  They were so worried when we got snow last week, but she dug into the snow and made almost like an igloo around her and the nest.

{Taken from inside the house}

#128-May 8th

The Great Falls entertainment never ends.  This is a guy who is leaving the car show, traveling with his dressed and decked out stuffed dog.  Love it!

#127-May 7th

Since I was having problems finding subjects and locations for my last photo assignment for my lighting class I used the excuse, grabbed the kids, and drove home to Montana for the weekend.  It was a perfect time to surprise my mom for Mother’s Day and to get to see my brother before he deploys Friday for six months.  The weather was just perfect for Great Falls annual downtown car show.  

#126-May 6th

I AM SO SPOILED!!!  My wonderful hubby got me the new 100mm 2.8 macro lens that I have been drooling over for years now.  I was so excited and even jumped up and down when I opened the box.  It was the perfect Mother’s Day gift!

#125-May 5th

Today was Trent’s last day in his JROTC uniform.  Hard to believe the end of the school year is almost upon us.

#124-May 4th

This is a still life image that I shot to represent our friend and neighbor, Rob, who is a dentist at the base clinic.  He was so helpful letting me invade his work to do a photo shoot for a school assignment.  Thanks Rob, and thanks to his wife Kim for watching my kids while I “shot” her hubby.

#123-May 3rd

Kati and one of her closest friends and our neighbor, Rebecca. 

#122-May 2nd

Trent had a band concert tonight.  He was thrilled to get to turn in his marching band uniform.  It is a one piece jumper with a jacket and we all agree it isn’t the most flattering of attire.  He did wonderful at the concert.  I am so proud of his musical accomplishments.  His band teacher is even going to help him start playing dual instruments.

#121-May 1st

I have had to move to exterior architecture lighting.  This is a shot of the entrance to our base clinic.  Hard to believe that four months have passed and so far I have had a photo to post every day.  I know I haven’t been the best at getting them posted daily, but I will work at trying to keep up with that better.