It's a Vivas Thing!

You are here: Home / Archives for Humor

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

This weekend B-boo and I were working on her school. While sitting there with her, I started going through some old pictures I'd found, when I came across the following. These pictures were taken 6 years ago, the first time my niece came to live with us. I hadn't realized that the photographer was snapping while we were getting ready.

Vivas_001

Vivas_002

Note that the Talented One is starting to look like he is in trouble…and mom is looking rather annoyed.

Vivas_003

I don't remember what he was doing, but it is obvious my look said enough.

No words needed.

Vivas_004

The look must have worked, because he was standing straight and paid attention. As a matter of fact, for the next 27 pictures, his face stayed pretty much the same. Maybe it has something to do with the prayer his sister seemed to have been doing?

Vivas_005

The end result was the following family picture. This was done with swapping of heads and lightening up of the Good-Looking One's major sunburn. The main thing I remember is that it took FOREVER to get this family portrait!

Vivas_family final 

It was the last professional portrait we ever took as a family. That was six years ago. Last year, we had to have a family photo for licensing. There were a lot of groans and complaints, but we got it done in one…count it…one shot!

IMG_0418

And then, the Talented One fixed it for me in Photoshop. You know, as I was writing this blog, it dawned on me, how *talented* the Talented One has become with photoshop. The pic below was done in a matter of minutes. He's actually really good at it now. I wonder if it has something to do with that family pic of oh so long ago that he was in so much trouble with. I wonder if he vowed then and there he'd never have to go through that again. Probably not, but it does make one wonder……………

Familyphotoshop

I'd love to have a new, professional family portrait. I really would. But I don't think I'd ever be able to get my kids to do it again….it would be a nice gift though…hint, hint.

This post is linked to Wordless Wednesday on 5 Minutes for Mom.

A Blog Worthy Post

I blog a lot about my family and friends; of course! With being so sick over the past few months, there is another piece of my life that has been missing. I haven't been able to be part of the youth ministry that I love so much! A few have come over here and there, but it isn't the same as being there week after week. This weekend was our church's D-Now weekend. (Disciple Now) And although I am still not allowed to do much, and most certainly am exhausted from it, I had a blast being part of it and taking lots and lots of pictures!

I had to smile Friday night when a group of them were talking about my blog. A lot of them read it. So when the question came up of what will it take to get on my blog, I simply answered, it has to be good…and worth blogging about! You gotta love the passion!

For instance, to be part of my blogging about teens when there's a variety of stuff to choose from, you have to be willing to fight for it!

 
Img_0013-3(rev 1)

You have to be a good friend (after all, this weekend was all about building great relationships!) and be willing to force a helmet on someone with hair like this!

 
Img_0069-2(rev 0) 

Img_0073-3(rev 0)

So that they can turn around and do something like this!

 
Img_0085-1(rev 0) 

You have to be tough!

 
Img_0103-2(rev 0)

B-boo was the only girl left! 

 
Img_0145-1(rev 0)

But she was also smart…when pastor offered to pay the boys $20 each to
get her into the trash can, she quickly bowed out of the game and let
the boys duke it out!

 
Img_0146(rev 0)

You have to be willing to laugh at yourself! This one was supposed to be blowing the feather to keep it in the air…not biting  catching it between his teeth!

 
Img_0156-1(rev 0)

You have to show kindness. The boy in the back recently had a 12 hour surgery to correct severe scoliosis. He wasn't able to participate in the games. But the teen in the front made sure to play safely so that he wouldn't get hurt, but have some fun in the day!

 
Img_0164(rev 0) 

Did I mention competitive?

 
Img_0177-2(rev 1)

Um…last man standing wins…not first won falling!

 
Img_0200-2(rev 0) 

And running from a challenge might get you on my blog, but it doesn't help you win.

 
Img_0202-2(rev 0) 

but community service, helping others;

things like that will always get you on my blog!

 
Img_0208-2(rev 0) 

Thank you to all my teens for an awesome weekend!

Quotable Quote #7

At dinner tonight, it was just the two youngest and myself. Actually, for a while, it was just Chicken Noodle Butt and me. We were eating chicken, rice and corn and he mixed it all up saying he’d made a casserole. Yup!

Then, the conversation turned…and I quote:

Him: “Aunt Hope, did you know if you eat chicken you get the chicken pox?”

Once I stopped choking on my food from my laughter, I replied, “You don’t get chicken pox from eating chicken. Actually, it has nothing to do with chicken.”

Him: “Then what does it have to do with?”

Me: “It has to do with small blisters all over your body. But nothing to do with chicken.”

Him: “Oh! I know! It has to do with chicken beaks.”

I’ll admit it, I’m puzzled by now. Until he says, “That’s why it’s called chicken pecks!”

Ah, the mind of a five year old!

Oh Deer! What’s for Dinner?

Last night, we had a family gathering. For once, all of my children that still live with us, were home. At the same time. I know, in a family of seven plus two, that is virtually non-existent! And while my eldest no longer lives with us (insert sad face), he still makes sure to check in often.

But anyway, the kids were all home. So was hubby. It was a miracle.

Earlier in the day, I'd decided to make meat loaf since our pickins' in the freezer are getting pretty low. I knew I had potatoes and I knew I still had enough deer meat for one more go around. It turned out that was a perfect idea…because we actually had a family dinner, minus the eldest. (insert sad face)

(Insert even bigger sad face) It was the LAST of the deer meat!

Now, you just have to understand that most people I encounter don't like deer meat. BUT, my mom makes the best deer meat. I'm not sure what she puts in it, but all we have to do is thaw it out and make patties out of it and whalla…amazing deer burgers! I'd never made a meatloaf out of it, but all I added was garlic and onions…and whalla….amazing deer meatloaf.

And now…it's all gone.

But, the family dinner was so much fun. We laughed and talked. We talked of eating Bambi. (Sorry for the morbid humor.) We talked about elbows on the table. We talked about napkins in the lap.

We talked about broken noses and black eyes; and how B-boo's injuries have all been self-inflicted from her clumsiness. We talked about facial features and the Talented One's cute dimple. I explained to him that he wasn't born with that dimple, but that it had happened when he was 2 or 3 and a little girl had picked him up and dropped him in Sunday school. On his face. His cheek had slammed into the corner of a table. He was bruised for weeks and ever since then, he's had a dimple on his right cheek. So, B-boo speaks up,

So, mom…you saying he wasn't born with a deformed face that turned into a dimple, it happened later."

We all spewed.

Yes, dinner conversation is much like our laundry folding. We all get together and the conversation takes on a life of it's own.

Now, if we could just get our hands on some more of my mom's deer meat, all would be well in the Vivas household again.