The Loud Family!

We drove up the coast today to the beautiful and placid Paso Robles, where my beautiful and placid mother-in-law lives. Placid, that is, until we showed up with our rowdy bunch of extremely loud people.

I am loud by nature, I think. In fact, when I was a young girl enjoying Christmases with my mom's side of the family, the decibels would reach such magnitudes as to practically shatter one's inner ear. The working title of my mom's clan was "The Loud Family". And we were. We would play games and erupt in such a cacophony of excitement that the walls would literally vibrate. Literally.

Now, my father is also loud. Extremely loud. Loud like he shouts when he is excited and he is talking to you loud. I  have a loud voice and the ability to project my voice on a very grand scale. However, one thing I believe I have that other people in my household don't have, is the ability to tell when being loud is not appropriate. And it is not appropriate in Paso Robles. At least not in many of the places we spend time.

Now, lest I get into trouble,  I would like to state that Richard is pretty good about reading social cues. However, there are times when he gets so caught up in an idea or moment, that he forgets to turn down the volume. Very much like my father. Hmm...

The boys are so loud that we've had their hearing tested. They shout instead of talk. It can be quite embarrassing. Especially when we are around mild mannered children who use inside voices when they are inside. What a concept. This concept however has not made an impression on the Espy kids.

As I write this I wonder if Richard thinks about these things, or is it something only a woman would do?...Analyze and pick apart their offspring's behavior. Do guys do this? I need to know. Maybe it's time for another poll...

Outfit:

Shirt: Under layer. Forever 21. This was a pregnancy purchase a few years beck.

Shirt: Top layer. My mom gave e this shirt a very, very long time ago. I believe she got it at a thrift store. The thread is faded, and I dyed the shirt long ago because it had some paint stains. I love it even though it is very worn.

Belt: I made this by pulling off a bow on a skirt that I didn't think worked. It's two pieces tied together.

Skirt: Thrift store. I washed some of my New York clothes yesterday, and I pulled out my trusty skirt that I wore twice while there!

Shoes: zoe & zac.

With my red, blue, and gold I felt like I was channeling wonder woman's color palette!

Below I have included a photo my stepson Jordan made for me. He just took a photography class at SMC , and he got an A! He took some lovely portraits of the kids and he shows some promise as a photographer! You can see him in the photo if you look closely! Thank you, J-Dawg!