"There's somethin' 'bout the southland in the springtime."

    
      On our drive home from Austin, we had to stop for wildflower pictures.  It really is our civic duty as Texans to do a highway stop, as unsafe as it sounds, and drag our kids up a hill for a MUST HAVE picture.  I should have known.  In past years, these pictures have never been easy to get.  This year was no different.
   First of all, check out the attire.  After letting the kids pack themselves for the trip, we were left with only a few choices for the drive home, none of which screamed cute bluebonnet poses. i.e. Elijah's "Save the Planet, with Baseball" t-shirt.  But, we carried on.
       When the girls fell asleep, minutes before we stopped, I knew this was going to be bad news.  Girl #1, woke up, no problem, happy to oblige us and take pictures in her sweatpants and unkempt hair.  Girl #2, not so easy.  After crying, refusing to get out of my arms and then screaming that she had to go to the bathroom, we (embarrassingly) took her on the side of the road, very close to bluebonnets.  We're very fancy.  We're hoping that's not a crime.

    Tears were gone, but complaining was not.  See biggest fire ants ever.  With every step through wildflowers came resistance as the scratchy grass and mounds of ants brought "hold me" cries. Again, we persevered and many pictures were taken.


I love that I got this determined shot of Elijah running after a butterfly.


It reminded me of our first wildflower experience. I had to search, but I found it. Elijah, age 3, high-stepping away from the camera. Five years ago. He wanted nothing to do with sitting still.

And look at Lydia, not even a year old.  Already showing off her coy, shy look. We were novices in the bluebonnet fields, and you can tell with the pre-planned matching, dressy blue outfits.  How much time can change priorities.  

That was then...
     2007
                       This is 3 years later.          
                                2010



  And this is now . . .

I love these pictures, no matter how hard they are to get.  It's a little glimpse of Texas beauty, and as the Indigo Girls say, "There's somethin' 'bout the southland in the springtime."  It's true.  There's just something about it.