a bird and a door

What do a bird and a door have to do with each other? Well, not much really, except that they're both taken at Animal Kingdom. We do go to Disney quite often. Last February we decided to purchase annual passes (the kind with blackout dates.) We knew that our girls we are the perfect ages, and we had never been before. We saw it as an investment in our family. And, who knows how long we'll live in Orlando? We're lucky that we get to vacation in our backyard. Actually, ever since we've been married, David and I have lived in places that neither of us were "from." So, we've always made vacations cheap by being "backyard tourists." Anyway, we really do love Disney, but we always come home exhausted.


I'm not in the least a wildlife photographer, but I thought this shot was kind of cool.



Another cool photo-op location. I loved this door too!

There are slight glimmers of hope that the Orlando heat is passing, but I have to say that I'm so jealous of all of you who are experiencing a true fall. I miss it so much! Happy "fall."

the blue door {Animal Kingdom}

I just fell in love with these blue doors when I spotted them at Animal Kingdom. That place was full of dream-locations for photographers. My sweet A is almost always willing to pose for me. M just scoffed at me, "Mom, you take too many pictures!" Probably true. I'm obsessed, what can I say? These were taken with my new-to-me Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 lens. I found it on craigslist. I just love craigslist! I also took the Africa photos with that same lens. So far, I've been nothing but happy with it.

african skies {Animal Kingdom}

Went went to Africa this weekend to celebrate M's birthday. Of course, it was *just* Animal Kingdom, but it never ceases to amaze me how authentic (in a Disnified sort of way) they make it feel. The first and last photos were taken on the African Safari ride. I made sure my shutter speed was set at 1/640 to get clear photos. That ride is incredibly bumpy and I actually felt a bit nauseous (it doesn't really take much) by the time we got off. Also, if you have a chance to go, the new "Finding Nemo" musical is just fabulous. The other great thing is that park is very shady, so we felt almost cool most of the day.







I meant to say "thank you" to all of you who weighed in a few days ago with encouraging words or empathy about cranky school-aged children. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one. I had no idea that it was so common for kids to be this way. We're continuing to weigh other options, but we're going to give it a little more time first.

birthday girls

M turned 6 yesterday. We had strict instructions to call her "birthday girl" all day. For several days before her big day, she would tell me, "You're supposed to say, 'I can't belive you're turning 6. You're getting so big! I'm going to miss the 5-year-old M SOOO much." And, then I would have to repeat verbatium her lines. What a kid! She requested her favorite supper last night: hot dogs and Pilsbury Grand! biscuits.

Oh, and I wanted to make her feel special, so I told her I would come to lunch and bring cupcakes for her class. When I went to check in, the secretary informed me that homemade cupcakes were not allowed. (What?!?) Apparently, only store-bought food items are allowed to be distributed to other kids. I can't tell you how shocked I was. Her teacher told me that it didn't even occur to her to tell me because I was the first mom to bring in homemade cupcakes to school. (What?!?) Ok, now I feel really old-fashioned.

Anyway, a few weeks ago we had a very small birthday celebration for the girls. They were each allowed to invite one friend over for a sleepover. They went swimming the next morning and then on to Chuck E Cheese. David braved that place with them. It drives me batty! I decided to make a storyboard and get it printed as an 8x10. Anyone else have ArtsCow.com print credits for more 8x10's and 12x18's than they know what to do with? I only have so much wall space! So, I'm trying out storyboards...anyone else have creative ideas for all those print credits?

just fun

Here's the last of my favorites from Bill and Amy's family sesssion. Your kids are so cute, guys! They worked this photo shoot into their family vacation. They had all just gotten off of a plane from the Midwest, and all the kids wanted to do was go swimming in their hotel, and go to Disney. All things considered, I think we did pretty well!






On a completely different note, I've been pondering and struggling through the reality of schooling since school started. For some reason, I was under the impression that once your children started going to school, life would suddenly get much easier. I guess I'll blame all my mom-friends with older children for not filling me in more accurately. But, I'll just tell you that it's be no easy thing in our household. Are all school aged children the worst versions of themselves when they come home from school? I mean I seriously think that we have two versions of the same child, the school-child and the home-child who are completely opposite. One is compliant and brilliant and always does the right thing and never gets into trouble. The other one is whiney, mean and difficult to be around. Oy. Can some of you older moms tell me that it gets better? Kindergarten in Florida is full-day. I'm thinking it may just be too much for one little person to handle. We are seriously considering pulling M out and homeschooling her just so that we can experience just a taste of the sweeter version. Oy, oy.

a bit moody

A was asking me to take pictures of her. She's been asking everyday. I think it's because she saw me take the Pez dispenser to a photo shoot a few nights ago. "What's that for?" she asked me. When I told her it was a reward for kids who behaved nicely for my camera, she became quite interested in photo shoots again.

The processing on this is a bit more moody than I usually do, but I like it. It's something different for me. Hope you're having a good weekend!

why I love kids

They're just so darn cute for starters, and I love cute things. And, they have the best posing ideas. Kids are just naturally photogenic. I love taking their photos so much! Here are just a few from my family session a few nights ago. I will definitely be sharing at least few more of my favorites in the next few days.

sushi lover

We hosted a dinner party last weekend, and let me tell you it was yummy! The theme? Asian food. We made some, and bought some. My favorite dish of the night? A sushi platter. I don't know if I was more excited about eating it or photographing it. Aside from being delicious, it's just so pretty to look at. My mouth is watering for some more just thinking about it.

lady in red

Isn't she just stunning? I think red is such a great color choice, especially for an expectant mom. Here's my play on a storyboard. I recently figured out how to make a cute little scalloped edge border. I think it's just so fun! Oh, and my favorite new font is "Mary Monroe" from fonts101.com. Ok, I'm off to make school lunch for tomorrow!







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virtual flowers for my friends

This post is dedicated to my friends, Kendra and Melanee, who have recently given birth to baby girls. So fun!! And, I haven't sent flowers or gifts yet. Sorry I'm so lame! They're in process and will be on their way soon. So, for now, here are some virtual flowers for you both. Hugs! :)

down at the tracks

Though it looks lovely at the RR tracks, beware it is not! The standing water around the ditches makes lovely homes for mosquitoes too. And, they loved us! So, we did not stay long at all. But, I think it was worth it, don't you? These are by far my favorite shots out of the day. Oh, and the train the background? Yeah, we planned that just so we could get some good composition. No, not really. (We were walking along and Larry goes, "Isn't that the train coming?") We were forced into the mosquito filled ditches. Not so lovely, but at least the photos are. Thanks, for going along with my crazy ideas, Larry and Amanda.