The Petting Zoo

I've already shown a couple pictures from the petting zoo here and here, but figured it made sense to put them all in one place.  We, particularly Maggie, really enjoyed the petting zoo and has looked through the pictures on my computer every chance she has gotten.

Here she is being a little unsure about these strange looking dogs or cats.

We both thought the piglets were awfully cute.

Then she stared down one goat while gently petting another.

(Linking up to McDougall's Fabulous Friday Challenge)

We had the circle the calf a couple times before she would approach it.

Gwendolyn was very impressed with how soft the bunny was.  So were many other kids I think because the bunny was trying its best to hide.

Then came what Gwendolyn was most excited and Maggie was most curious about: donning the bouffants and helmets to ride a horse!

Gwendolyn hopped right up and was guided around the field and smiled ear to ear the entire way around.

And Maggie followed.  Keary and two guides walked her around the field and Keary said she laughed like a little hyena the entire way.

And less than 5 minutes after getting in the car, she was sound asleep for almost an hour nap.

Linking up to Photostory Friday @ My Chaos, My Bliss

Walking into Spiderwebs

I managed to avoid walking into this one, but I didn't think I was going to get a picture before Gwendolyn or Maggie wandered into it since it was on the swing set.  We all got by though and the web is still on the swing set.

I had trouble at first focusing on the web, my lens (or camera or operator error perhaps) kept trying to focus on the ground and ignore the web. I didn't do much to it besides sizing it down from the 4700x3200 image that is on my computer to something more manageable and ran the "I'm feeling lucky" picasa action.  I don't like sizing pictures down because they look so much clearer on my computer, but the pictures are way too big otherwise.  Any suggestions?

Linked up with Show off your Shot at And Then, She Snapped, Nature Photo Challenge @ Pulling my mask off, Fabulous Friday at McDougall Photography

Quarterly Top 5

I decided to participate in the Quarterly 5 at Naptimemomtog, meaning I picked out my 5 most favorite pictures I've taken since January, through March.  I've actually already posted all but one of these previously.

I posted this one for another photo challenge at I heart faces.  I love the intensity of Maggie's stare coupled with the wild movement of her hair.

I rarely am able to get a picture of Gwendolyn without her posing or making a fake smile.  You would think we watched lots of America's Next Top Model given the way she acts n front of the camera sometimes (we don't).  But I thought this was a sweet capture of her taken at Spring Break.

We had cupcakes at the library for Dr. Seuss's birthday!

Slice of Life shot and it was our first time to ever fly a kite.

Maggie and Gwendolyn swing and play outside every day the weather allows.  I love how they are both smiling and laughing and playing together, and I love that I was able to capture it because I know they might not always play so well together.

3/ 52 weeks of happiness

Gwendolyn is off on spring break this week and she is none too happy about it.  She wants to be in school with her friends.  And if she cannot be in school, she wants us to do FUN! SPECIAL! things we don't regularly get to do.  I, of course, want to oblige but am having issues coming up with things to do.

Sure we could go to the zoo or the children's museum, but that is about an hour and a half drive and Keary has to work. And there will be a kajillion people at both of those places so the girls will have to stay right with me and may not get as good a look at the [insert favorite animal, dinosaur, whatever].  That doesn't sound fun.

So we are going to try to make the best of it at home.  Maybe go check out the nature center, pick flowers, eat ice cream (I can't because I gave up ice cream for Lent and that is all I have wanted to eat since Ash Wednesday), have picnics in the backyard.  Then maybe we can hit up the zoo next week on her day off school when schools are back in session.

Of course, before we can make the best of the week, I had to stock up on basic foods which required taking the girls grocery shopping.  I've mentioned how difficult shopping with the girls can be. As soon as we walked in the store, Gwendolyn started asking for this and that.  Stuff we never get.  "Can we get this pleeease?" "Mom, oooh I've always wanted some of these."  I growled and kicked myself for coming to the at lunch time. Again.

And then I caved.  We are going to be eating lunch at home all week, you want cheetos?  Fine, as long as you don't get that day-glow orange powder on me or make me smell them.  You want to make some brownies, fine.  Then we came to the produce.  Strawberries?  No. The last two times we got strawberries, I've had to throw dried rotten strawberries away because everyone is so excited when I buy strawberries, then eat three and are done.  No, NO, no strawberries.  And then I looked at the strawberries.  And I smelled the yummy strawberry goodness.

And we bought strawberries.

And Gwendolyn washed the strawberries for us.

And I made fruit dip so hopefully the strawberries all get eaten this time.  And the girls danced and ate strawberries.

Day one of spring break: 0, Us: 1.

 You Capture: youth

Dr. Seuss's Birthday Party

Last week the library had a special story time and birthday party for Dr. Seuss.  Gwendolyn had to go to school so it was just Maggie and me.  One of her favorite library staff members even dressed up like the Cat in the Hat, but she wasn't too sure about that. I tried multiple times to get her picture with her, but Maggie wouldn't get any closer than 3 feet away or so.  Oh well.

She did let me get her picture later when she was eating the birthday cupcake.

I love how she appears to be trying to be dainty.  In the second picture you can see she isn't even letting all her fingers touch the cupcake.  But the blue icing on her face doesn't bother her in the least.

I heart faces: Just a Swingin'

The challenge this week over at I heart faces is "People's Choice".  I know I posted a picture of Maggie on the swings a couple weeks ago, but she and Gwendolyn spend a lot of time out there playing so here is another.  Gwendolyn pushes Maggie on her swing and they both laugh.  

I Feel the Earth Move, Under My Feet

Okay, so it wasn't so much under my feet that I felt the Earth move as it was under my butt since I was already in bed.  But the point is we had an earthquake, and I felt it.

I was lying in bed with Maggie watching the debacle known as the Oscars when I felt my bed start to move.  I thought it was strange and honestly, the first thought maybe my house was haunted.  Yes, that is where my mind went first when the house and bed started to move: rather than the obvious process that would lead me to realize we were having an earthquake, particularly since we live super close to the New Madrid Fault line, I went with the haunted house option.

In my (meager) defense, I  was scarred by watching Nightmare on Elm Street at a Halloween party when I was in fourth grade- you know the one, where Freddy Kruger is under the water bed and stabs Johnny Depp up through the mattress- and have since been afraid that a ghost would attack me in the same way.

But then Keary came downstairs and said "Did you feel that?  That wasn't wind.  My computer and computer chair were just swaying and moving on their own."  So I hopped on twitter to see if anyone was saying anything about it, but they weren't yet.  Keary and I had already come to the conclusion of EARTHQUAKE!, but sometimes it is good to have the confirmation of twitter.

Now I am thinking that we need an emergency plan and supply kit.  Not just knowledge that we have plenty of first aid supplies upstairs and enough of canned goods in the pantry but an honest to God kit and plan.  Do you have one?  What all does it include?
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The photo challenge at I Heart Faces this weeks was Anything but a Face.  Almost all of the pictures I take include faces, but I found this one of Maggie from September.  I love the chubby baby legs and arms, how she is balancing and still a little wobbly, and her shadow stretching in front of her.

Barefeet

Like I said, the weather this weekend was fabulous.  We spent plenty of time outside and shoes were optional.  Maggie had a blast!

I've got no coherent thoughts....

It had been my intention to get several ideas out of my head and posts made up of them this afternoon.  I sat with Grandy this morning though so her husband could go to an appointment and I am now mentally exhausted.  She is getting around fine physically, but her short-term memory is awful.  I answered the same two questions probably 150 times easily, chased her and the girls around the house, and never did succeed in getting her to eat anything.  

So here is a picture of the girls playing outside. The weather was divine this weekend.

Family Pictures

We had family pictures done yesterday.  *sigh*  I stressed for two weeks about getting them done. Seriously.  No, actually, I think I stressed longer about it.  For weeks I looked for a photographer.  I didn't want just basic Sear's photo pictures with the fake background and someone getting paid minimum wage to just click a couple pictures.  But holy hell, have you seen what some photographers charge.  And I don't know if it is just because I have been drooling over and trying to learn from the Pioneer Woman and Karen and their stunning photography, but many of the photographers in these parts just do not hold up.  The lighting is wrong, the exposure is off, they process the hell out of them.  Oh my, one photographer did really nice work, except she airbrushes everyone's faces, including the babies', way too heavily.  So I looked around and googled local photographers, then I went on facebook to see who people I knew were fans of, and compared pictures and prices. Finally I made an appointment with someone who went to the same high school as I did.

That was just the beginning of the process though.  Then I had to find clothes for everyone to wear.  While I wanted natural-looking photos, I did not want us to actually look like we do daily.  You know.. me in my pajama pants or boxer shorts with a margaritaville shirt, my girls rarely ever wear pants.  Keary is generally presentable looking, but that is because he wears a uniform and just changes shirts.  But he has been complaining about the way his shirts fit, so I had to find him something new that he is comfortable wearing.  Gwendolyn and Maggie have a ridiculous amount of clothes.  I had to go find clothes that fit and were flattering though.  I am not a good shopper.  I am easily flustered and I have to tow both girls with me and they are totally unhelpful.  Unless you qualify Gwendolyn announcing loudly "Momma, you are almost naked!" or "When I grow up, will I have as big boobs as you?" or any number of things.  Anyway, I easily found a couple pair of nice jeans that fit, then a nice sales lady at Dress Barn found a nice green and brown sweater cardigan I liked.  That meant I had my color schemes- all was left was to find Keary a shirt to go with it and make sure the girls had something that would work too.  I shopped for four days and finally had something for everyone to wear.  And then I realized I had picked a completely different shade of green for myself that did not go with the rest of the family's.  Back to target I went and picked up another sweater.

While we were getting ready yesterday, Gwendolyn started to complain that she thought she would be too hot wearing a shirt I had laid out for her.  I took a deep breath and decided that it was just pictures and as long as we are all in it and happy and comfortable, it is fine.  So I told her to go find a green short-sleeved shirt in her closet.  She came downstairs happily wearing a Snoopy shirt and some mardi gras beads.  Then when we put Maggie's new dress on her, we saw it was almost ankle length on her.  I started to change her clothes too, and then decided she was fine.  We all got dresses, did our hair, I put on make-up.  We looked presentable and we left to meet the photographer.

It was 85 degrees yesterday for our fall photo shoot.  It was hot.  Good call on Gwendolyn's behalf not wearing long sleeves, I wore long sleeves and a sweater and sweat like a pig.

 The girls fell asleep on the way to meet the photographer.  She doesn't have a studio or anything but said she had somewhere in mind.  So we met and followed her.  We followed her to a cemetery.  If only I had had a red dress like the bloggess.  There was good lighting though.  And we used the backside of the cemetery where there are no headstones.

I think the pictures will turn out okay.  I am hoping so at least.  Maggie was really in no mood to have her picture taken.  That happens when working with toddlers though.  Honestly, I have taken lots of good pictures of the girls, so even if those pictures don't turn out, it will be okay.  I just really want pictures of all of us together.  I am behind the camera 98% of the time and when I am not, Keary is taking pictures.  I want some evidence of all of us being together.