Benches

The second photography assignment I gave myself at the Arboretum was benches. There are benches everywhere, and I know I would've gotten several more shots if we had ventured farther than we did. But we were limited on time and Jacob's first stop had to be the Texas Discovery Gardens. No water walls for me...

I took one picture that I thought would be near perfect, but I forgot to check my settings - and check the image right after I took it. It was too dark. I'll play around with Photoshop and see if I can salvage it. Otherwise, I'll have to find it again next time we visit.

Circles

My friend Laura is a great photographer and has inspired me to take better photos. While reading her blog one day, I came across a link to a photography site about giving yourself a photography assignment when you go somewhere for the umpteenth time. We go to the zoo and the Arboretum frequently, but how many pictures can you take of the same thing? I was inspired!

Jacob and I went to the Arboretum yesterday and I was excited to take on my assignment of photographing circles, the idea suggested in the blog article I had read. Here are a some of the circles I found.



Hydrangeas are almost circular...













While I was there, I found something else to serve as a photography assignment. Those are coming soon... :o)

Metal

seat of an old plow, Dallas Arboretum
This is one of the shots from my Circles photo assignment.

See more "Metal" at Photo Friday.

Pizza Inn vs. Cici's Pizza

Jacob and I ate lunch today at Pizza Inn. We were on our way to the Arboretum and Cici's was the other direction, so we stopped in. After I ate my first few bites of pizza, I decided Cici's is the better choice.

1. Cici's has more pizza choices on the buffet. Not only do they have more space for it, they put out a lot of different varieties.

2. You can request special pizzas at Cici's; Pizza Inn has certain varieties they keep putting out. Several times I've been to Cici's, I've requested a veggie pizza. Caleb always wants Alfredo cheese pizza, and if there's not one already on the buffet, they get it right out. Pizza Inn's standards are hamburger; pepperoni; sausage, peppers, and onions (which was pretty good); buffalo chicken; ham (which looked really greasy); pepperoni & jalapeno; and a supreme with pepperoni, sausage or hamburger, onions, bell pepper, mushrooms, and green and black olives.

3. Cici's has better dessert options. They always have the apple pizza and the brownies on the buffet. Pizza Inn had a tasty cinnamon crunch type dessert as a standard, then they varied between a Bavarian cream pizza and one with cherry topping. Neither one looked very appetizing.

4. Cici's is slightly less expensive. The boys and I can eat there for $11 or so; Jacob and I ate at Pizza Inn for nearly $10.

5. Cici's pizza tastes better.

Pizza Inn did have a few things in its favor.

1. The salad bar was better. They have the build-your-own kind, whereas Cici's has two kinds of salad already prepared. Well, three if you count the pasta salad.

2. Pizza Inn's pasta bar gives you a choice between sauce or meatsauce. Cici's only has sauce. I've never gottent the pasta at either place, so I can't vouch for taste.

Jacob said he prefers Pizza Inn, but I think that's just because it was new and he was disappointed with the games the last time he went to Cici's. I definitely prefer Cici's, and since I'm driving and buying, that's where we'll be going from now on.

Two Healthy Boys

I took the boys in today for their annual wellness check-up. They were caught up on their shots and everything looked great!

The only issue seems to be Caleb's vision, so I'll be making him an appointment to see an eye doctor sometime this summer. Based on the pediatrician's analysis, he may need glasses. He said that once before, though, and when I had Caleb checked out, his vision was fine. Still, since my vision isn't so great, it'll be good to have him checked.

When the appointment was over with, the nurse gave me a copy of the boys' shot records and growth charts. It's interesting to see how things have progressed in the 3 years they've been seeing Dr. Sonnen.

Caleb has gained 23 pounds over the last 3 years and has grown a little over 12 inches. He's currently in the 26% for weight (taking into consideration that a lot of kids are overweight and possibly skew the curve) and in the 50% for height.

Jacob has gained 12 pounds over the last 3 years and has grown 10 inches. He's in the 57% for weight, and has consistently dropped in the percentile every year. For height, he's in the 92%!

It's fun to see how they've grown! When you see them every day, you tend not to notice these things so much - just when the seasons change and their jeans don't fit anymore!

Menu Plan Monday #39

Monday: Jacob's choice - ended up being scrambled eggs, sausage, and toast. (Billy took Caleb out to eat at Taco Bell, where they ended up getting pizza from Pizza Hut Express. Then they went out and bought us a Wii so we can all play Rock Band now that we're hooked!)

Tuesday: hamburger steak, potatoes, salad, and Banana Pudding Bites (a Sandra Lee recipe, which I will post on my recipe blog soon)

Wednesday: Asian Noodle Skillet (modified from a Pampered Chef recipe, which I will also post on my recipe blog soon)

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: pancakes & sausage

Saturday: grilled cheese sandwiches (Our small group meets at 7:00, so we'll need something quick.)

Sunday: ???