I was a little too late....

this year to get good Bluebonnet pictures. Every time I thought about going, it was either raining or we were heading to soccer or some other activity. I packed the kids up this afternoon and found a little patch with the last vestiges of blooms for the year and snapped a few pictures. The kids grumbled, of course. They do not see any reason why I should drag them out every year and plop them on the ground with bees and ants simply to take pictures among our state flower. I can't really explain to them why I feel so compelled to get this annual picture. I think it has something to do with the brief period of time that we get to enjoy the sight of the flowers--a metaphor for the whole experience of having children (Wow--that was deep, huh??). I also think it has to do with my dad's profound love for this state and for everything associated with Texas. He asked me to take Laiken the year she was born and get a picture of her in the Bluebonnets. She was 9 months old at the time and the pictures were adorable. Every year since then, I have retaken the pictures. Some years, we have had fabulous fields to snap in; other years, like this one, we have had a little tiny group of the flowers. The kids asked me how long they have to do this and I told them that they would take Bluebonnet pictures every year until they left for college. I was not very popular after that! So far, I have 9 years of photos that, eventually, I will use to make a beautiful collage. Don't laugh, Monica--I will get the pictures printed someday!!