Camera-less

I guess it's probably good to be without a camera for a little while, so that real meaningful posts occasionally happen. Not having a camera sure makes me appreciate having one! Paul's been out of town since Tuesday, and while it hasn't been easy, things around here have been a LOT better than they were a few weeks ago, discipline wise. It's been a while since I first picked up "Love and Logic" at the library, but I feel like I've forgotten a lot of it. A certain oldest child of mine has been keeping me on my toes, to the point where I've had absolutely no idea how to handle him. Anyways, Paul ordered "Love and Logic" last week, and now I've decided it needs to be on my permanent night stand, right along with "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." Especially since Elder Wilson of the Seventy basically quoted it through his entire talk this last General Conference!  I love how inspired all the words our prophets and leaders teach are for each of us, no matter what we're going through!

We went to the zoo earlier this week, and had a marvelous time riding the carousel, and running around. The moment that will be seared forever in Nora's memory though was eating lunch on the park bench. The geese behind us may or may not have gotten a few crackers before a zoo keeper came over to remind us not to feed them. Then just as we were about to leave, one of them bit Nora's little outstretched finger. The whole way home,  I heard "Goo! Finger! Hurt! Ow! [what] Happened?" She still repeats this, when she's looking for a little extra  sympathy and love. She seems to be learning cause and effect, and has also hopefully learned this week that eating about a half a cup of un-popped corn kernels produces undesired results. I used the opportunity to introduce the potty more, since she was telling me when she needed to go, and now she at least talks about how we don't eat the popcorn (I made sure she identified them). We'll see if that sticks. She's a funny little eater. I admit that I am the enabler here, but she has had nights where she wakes up and cries for over an hour, demanding pretzels. And I want sleep, so I usually cave. Nora is a funny little imitator, and will sometimes walk around with a box on her head, repeating, "I. AM. A. RO. BOT."

Peter is at a great age right now. Isn't it so interesting how quickly stages change? I was trying to remember the last time I wrote a little about him, and I think it was in the middle of a very volatile stage. He is very interested in gaining approval and acceptance, and that usually means imitating whatever Benjamin says he likes to eat or do or wear. During Benjamin's baseball practice last night, Peter and Nora and I were on the playground. At one point, Peter came to me, lips pouting, chest heaving, eyes watering, telling me that some older boy wouldn't let him go down the slide. I reminded him that other kids aren't in charge of him- he is. The situation quickly resolved itself, which made me glad. When I tell him I can't play with him right now, or that we can't do something he wants to do, there are no fireworks or tantrums of any kind. Just an "ok." It's nice, but at the same time, it kind of makes me sad that he's so accepting. When we're together, he'll often say, "Tickle me FOREVER!!!" And he generally means it. He's a sweet, cuddly boy.

So I've been debating about different cameras, and I'd love any and all input. We had a Canon Powershot, and it was ok. It was one of those bulky DSLR-looking ones, and I guess it had a pretty decent optical zoom. But as you know, the pictures it took were just OK. Someday, I'd really like to save up for a real DSLR, but I'm not sure now's the time, considering our last camera's fate. Does anyone have a point and shoot that they absolutely love? Or ones that I should avoid? The ones I'm leaning toward on Amazon are the Panasonic Lumix

and the Fujifilm Finepix.

I guess if I'm going for a point and shoot, smaller is probably going to be better....but maybe not? I don't need a zillion megapixels, just a camera that takes a picture the moment I push the button and does  a decent job, indoors or out. Buying a camera seems like such a gamble to me, especially since I feel like I always lose. Virtual penny for your thoughts?