A soccer-sized thirst

Soccer, originally uploaded by juliecinci.

There are more artistic photos to choose from, but this one captures the day... spent driving to a distant game, getting lost, playing in the suddenly summer heat and culminating in a win and long drink of water.

Super heroes; Super high

Super heroes; Super high, originally uploaded by juliecinci.

The kite ended its trip to the sky tangled in a tall tree in our yard and the kids begged me not to show you. :) So this photo shows off its glorious flight.

Here's what the take-off looked like:

Come into the light

Come into the light, originally uploaded by juliecinci.

Surprising photo I took at the zoo today. I know flower pictures can get old, but I just love this one.

From=Fake Prom

From, originally uploaded by juliecinci.

Have to post an entry for the homeschool prom (what they call the "fake" prom or "from") from last night. Jacob is dead center surrounded by girls. It was actually an incredibly nice event and there was nothing fake about it (except no one grinds and everyone knows how to swing dance.)

Sparkling violet

Sparkling violet, originally uploaded by juliecinci.

Sitting in the sink to be watered, I was amazed at the way the petals sparkled under the lights. I wondered if they would show in a photo and happily they do.

Handsome professor

Handsome professor, originally uploaded by juliecinci.

It's nice to catch Jon at school before he teaches and I go to class. I sat out in front of Hinkle Hall waiting for him to drive over from University of Cincinnati last night. Our classes start at the same time.

Anyway, we stood/sat there talking and I saw him against the sky and school, and suddenly wanted to remember this shared Xavier experience of being on campus together. And plus, isn't he handsome?

Scandalous

Scandalous, originally uploaded by juliecinci.

Tonight's walk on campus revealed the work of social justice activists. I got a kick out of the jock strap(!).

Text reads: Garment workers in China working 14 hour shifts are paid as little as 11 cents per hour.

Lakota vs. Dayton

Lakota vs. Dayton, originally uploaded by juliecinci.

This photo is from last night. I've had no time to post. (Liam is #24 in the center.) I love when they raise their sticks and then yell, 1, 2, 3 LAKOTA! (They lost 4-2, but really had a strong comeback in the second half so we were pretty happy.)

They're here! Our baby wrens...

Baby wrens!, originally uploaded by juliecinci.

I feel like a proud mama. I keep watching through my window as the domestic partners bring worm bits to the babies. The nest is in our old BBQ so you have to lift the lid to see them. That makes mom and dad angry so we have to be very sly about trying to view them.

Of course, I was in such a hurry shooting the photos while the parents hunted for worms, that all seven pictures were blurry or missed the little beaks all together. This is the best of the bunch. Don't want to disturb them. Aren't they cute?

Will the chalk hold up?

Chalk, originally uploaded by juliecinci.

NBA play-offs...

Alternately, we finally have enough sunshine for outdoor hopscotch.

Sunday night cookout

From this:

Sunday night, originally uploaded by juliecinci.

To this:

Hebrew National, originally uploaded by juliecinci.

We like to burn twigs in the outdoor fireplace and cook hot dogs on Sunday nights in good weather.

Breakfast of champions

Breakfast of champions, originally uploaded by juliecinci.

I didn't have the camera today so I took this one before our full day of sports: two soccer games and one lacrosse.

After a full day of revising...

After, originally uploaded by juliecinci.

Big sky

Big sky, originally uploaded by juliecinci.

Grrr. The colors are not what they appear in iPhoto. Last night I was too tired from a long day to post a picture. So here is yesterday's photo. What drew me to this one is the truck, the skeleton trees and the crane on the right, all under a big midwestern sky. I've come to love it.

Today was a blur

Library visit, originally uploaded by juliecinci.

We visited the library and this is my favorite shelf of kids' books. But honestly, my life right now is all about libraries and books and it feels like I'm swimming in a sea of bleary eyes and revision notes. So when I saw that my camera took this photo and not a clear shot, I couldn't help but see how much it reflects my current state of being, and in the library no less.

In memory of...

In memory of..., originally uploaded by juliecinci.

the 33 dead at Virginia Tech.

(I see that Ampersand had the same idea...)

Pente: aka parental humiliation

Pente, originally uploaded by juliecinci.

I lost to Caitrin 6 times and to Liam, 5 times.

As Jon said after losing to Johannah, "I liked these kids better when they were four."

Revisions

Revisions, originally uploaded by juliecinci.

The two scholars in this picture both wear glasses... at least that's what I tell myself. Still plugging away...

Piggy-back turtles

Piggy-back turtles, originally uploaded by juliecinci.

Today's trip to the zoo yielded lots of colorful photos of tulips (Spring Bloom at the Cincinnati Zoo), a beautiful macaw, a trio of peacock and hens, a big rhino and one scary looking python. But I was smitten with these leap-frogging turtles.

Tibetan Sand Mandala

Tibetan Sand Mandala, originally uploaded by juliecinci.

These five days, Xavier is hosting the Gomang Buddhist monks who are creating a sand mandala for viewing. You can see them in the midst of creating it via webcam here.

Here's a close-up where you can see the long thin tubes that they use to funnel the colored sand.