The Peace Keeper....

When it comes to my sons it doesn't take much to incite an argument between them. They take turns instigating the fights, mostly due to who's turn it is to play Xbox or what game to play. The one thing they do agree on however is their love for our dogs. Molly in particular has a special talent for keeping the peace between the boys, therefore she plays an important role in our family.

Molly's peace keeping efforts help keep me sane on a daily basis. When she hears the boys fighting or even senses a grimace vibe in the air she springs into action. She immediately charges into their room and starts to mollify the situation. Redirecting their focus from whatever quarrel they are in and beguiles them with her utter cuteness, comical energy and play. Gradually immobilizing their defenses and easing the tension. Molly declares neutral territory with her mere presence. Suddenly all you hear is the bellows of laughter and docile squeals of pure amusement.

When her job is done Molly retreats back into the living room leaving my once feral boys soggy and saturated with her kisses. She comes over to the sofa and gives me a look like "It's taken care of Mama" then lays down next to me for a well deserved rest and treats. Molly's method for diffusing the boys bickering is nothing less than amazing. Molly even has the ability to turn a grumpy, tired and stressed out Daddy into a smiling, happy, relaxed Daddy. These two talents alone solidifies her title as the Peace Keeper of the house. She has brought our family so much closer and gives us precious moments of pure joy everyday. Molly's vivaciousness spreads through the house like wildfire and it is impossible to be around her without smiling and laughing. No matter what goes wrong, being loved by and loving Molly makes everything better.

Nolan's Photography

My amazingly talented son Nolan loves taking pictures, especially of his Me. He has a surreptitious way of capturing candid moments of me and the dogs, his favorite subject to shoot. He is vigilant in his stalking and when he finds the moment he wants, he officiously starts shouting out commands. Freeze, wait, look down, look up. hold it. After the ambush is over he goes to the computer and starts downloading. When he faces the dilemma of a picture coming out poorly, he gets onto iphoto and the reworking begins. Changing the effects with various forms of Sepia, Antique and Black and White. He mixes them together altering each level and he transforms a bad or blurry photograph into something really interesting. As much as I have always loathed my picture being taken, when Nolan is the one behind the camera I suddenly become intrigued. How they will turn out once he puts his spin on it. It's like watching his imagination come to life and having the chance to see through his eyes. Which moments speak to him, which photographs he changes. He took these pictures the other night when the house was scorching hot. The dogs and I had taken up refuge on the floor in front of the fan. He also caught a particular irritating moment for me. Our dog BoBo has a penchant for laying on me at all times and when it is hot having a fluffy, fat dog on you is not ideal. No matter how much I pleaded with BoBo to get off of me he still insisted on at least having his head touching me. Nolan found this extremely funny and started to shoot away. Here is some of his photographs, please excuse my attire but the house was roasting and I was desperate to cool off.