Uncle Andrew’s been talking up the Tennessee Aquarium to Livia as long as I can remember, so it was pretty fun that we actually got to visit it. We met up with Andrew’s good friends Bo and Brynne, and their adorable daughters, much to Livia’s delight. She and three year old Maren hit it off and gave us some pretty cute photo opps.

The funniest moment of the morning came when we had the chance to feed stingrays. Liv, however, knows about the death of Steve Irwin—yes, we did share this macabre knowledge with her—and she shared it every time the word stingray was mentioned. But she watched carefully as Bo and Andrew laughed—with a slight hysteria in their voices—as they fed the rays bits of shrimp. I knew this was the one chance I’d have to touch and feed a stingray, so I did it too. Unnatural, that’s all I have to say.

Yesterday Livia and I hopped aboard a plane and landed in Wisconsin amidst 50 mile/hour winds, within mere hours of tornados touching down. It was an exciting landing. Livia shrieked with joy as I clutched the armrest and watched the plane tilt in ways that felt entirely uncomfortable to my being. Praise Jesus, we landed just fine and the pilot earned applause from several relieved passengers.

Here’s Liv in the Milwaukee airport, looking remarkably like Fuzzy, who hitched a ride in her backpack.

Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.

My brother Andrew picked us up in Nashville, again, in the middle of crazy thunderstorms. We drove down to Chattanooga wondering what kind of weather we would encounter on the way. Meanwhile, Jenny, Andrew’s girlfriend, encountered tornadic clouds in a grocery store parking lot and texted us a photo of the skies. She quickly went back home, grabbed a friend and her cell phone and sat in the stairwell of her apartment building. Forget Nebraska being the land of tornados… There was far more unseemingly weather waiting for us here!

Despite the storms that swept the country yesterday, Livia and I had a great day of traveling and we’re enjoying the beauty of the south. Check out those fall colors. More adventures to come.

I was in Pioneers Park last night on a photo shoot and the light was unbelievably beautiful. I experienced several moments of absolute grace and pleasure by looking on this gorgeous land God created. I noticed a lot of folks were walking their dogs in the fading sunlight—it reminded me to slow down and enjoy the fresh air outside before winter sets in.

I’ll go ahead and say it: there is no place like Nebraska. I love it here.

I was thrilled when Larisa’s mom (aka my friend Indra) called regarding senior photos. Though I love taking pictures of high school seniors—mainly because they pose so beautifully compared to two year olds, ha!—I was excited because I always enjoy spending time with Larisa. I knew we’d have a good time stomping all over Lincoln together. What I didn’t anticipate was Larisa’s smile; it lit up every single shot I took. Except for the ones where I told her to quit smiling.

Larisa, you are beautiful and talented. I can’t wait to see what you do after graduation! Have an awesome senior year.

At the end of a long day of kindergarten, sometimes an episode of Scooby Doo is just what a girl needs.

I am crazy about this kid.

Yes, we really do live close to our neighbors.

My niece Madeleine was a sight to behold at her four-year-old birthday party last weekend. She was wearing PINK! with FAIRY WINGS! and a TUTU! because she was now four. FOUR! Around the playground she flew as though the sun’s bright rays that day were energizing her for all the tasks a birthday girl must accomplish. She ate lunch and yummy mommy-made butterfly cake. She opened a multitude of awesome presents. She played games. She was the star of the day.

Happy birthday, Madeleine! Aunt Becca gets such a kick out of you.

The road to public embarrassment via pajamas is a slippery slope. I used to judge people who went out in public in their jammies. Yeah, I know, it wasn’t kind of me. But I couldn’t fathom how someone would go to the grocery store in their nasty sweatpants without even running a comb through their hair. As we all know, pride goeth before fall. I think I fell this morning.

Getting a kid ready for school is an interesting, somewhat rapid-fire process. I try to squeeze in every last minute of sleep that I can, and then it’s GO GO GO to the finish line at the door to kindergarten. The main objectives are as follows:
1) get kid dressed
2) feed kid
3) brush teeth, brush hair (always making sure to use the appropriate brush)
4) pack lunch
5) get to school on time

You didn’t see anything in that objective list about mom getting dressed or brushing teeth. And that’s where the slippery slope creeps in.

“Dressed” means to cover oneself. Points aren’t given for beauty in the early morning race, so there’s a wide option of how one can dress. And here you can see how I’m sliding already. Fleece jacket over pajama top (uh oh), comfy-pants-that-aren’t-sweats (at least that’s how I define them), shoes (flip flops were best, too cold for those now). I haven’t yet worn my slippers to school but I am tempted to do so EVERY DAY.

The “brush teeth, brush hair” objective seems like common courtesy, doesn’t it? For realz, how long can it take to swish some Colgate around one’s mouth? Too long some days. That ham sandwich isn’t going to make itself and those grapes aren’t just going to jump in the lunch bag. As long as I don’t get too close to the crossing guards, halitosis isn’t too concerning. Gross, but understandable, right? Right?

And so goes my morning five out of seven days a week.

But this morning, after completing the race and triumphantly climbing into the driver’s seat of my car, I glanced into the rearview mirror. And was slightly aghast. I think I brushed my hair, but truth be told, I looked like I had just rolled out of bed. Cow licks like nobody’s business. Mascara remnants under my eyes. The green fleece jacket swallowing all color from my makeup-less face. Yikes. The crossing guard didn’t need to get close to my breath, my physical presence alone could’ve knocked her over!

Clearly I have two options for the days from here on out. I can either start laying my own clothes out the night before and maybe, just maybe, wake up a few minutes early as a public courtesy. OR… I can go the full monty and walk into school in curlers and slippers in a matching pair of Hanes sweats.