Sunday, May 23, 2010

Fishing (and other) adventures, part II.

Three generations of my family had the same thing in mind today. Ever since word had spread that the creek (pronounced 'crick' please) had been restocked with trout twice this past week, my dad and husband were itching to go fishing.
I won't lie to you. Things got off to a slow start.
So slow that I studied bait. For a long time.

I studied Daddy-long legs too.
And fishing positions.
After getting only one bite, we decided to change fishing spots.
Upstream we went. Along the way, I got distracted with flowers and bees.

And more flowers.


Luckily I caught up with the fishermen in time to watch all the excitement. Sam reeled in a small rainbow trout but refused to touch it once it was off the line.


Will then caught a fish that was so small, I wondered if
he should just keep it on the line to use as future bait.

He then decided to look for snails and other creek life.
Finally someone made the call. Let's head home and get some dinner.

Along the way, I got distracted again.
This seems to be a recurring problem for me.

I love buttercups.
And dandelions.
I realize they're weeds, but I think they're dreamy.
~
Unfortunately, this is where my post gets ugly. Viewers should be advised. Small children and adults with weak stomachs should stop reading and look away.
You see, when my dad and husband have too much down time together, they start scanning the fields for critters. Mostly of the groundhog sort. Once the hunting rifle appears, it's all down hill from there. Well, downhill, if you're a groundhog and you're dumb enough to stand when people whistle at you. Let's just say the men enjoyed a little target practice tonight.
While 200 pound lap-dog Boomer snuggled with my dad, Dave and the kids headed down to the field to make sure all was quiet. (Answer: Yes it was). When they returned, Sam described the groundhog's expression.
That's about how I looked too.
~
Now tell me about your Sunday. How was it?

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Wednesday goodness.


The weather finally cleared yesterday so I could meet my lovely friend, Jill, and her sweetheart of a daughter, Miss Ellie, to get some pictures. Jill and I have been talking about getting together ever since I ambushed her with my camera on the streets of New Wilmington one chilly day in late winter. Poor thing never saw me coming and didn't have a chance to run for cover.


When Jill and Ellie got out of their car, both were wearing dresses and boots. Boots. People, listen. In my book, boots are heavenly footwear. I adore any kind of boot, especially kicking cowgirl boots. And that's exactly what Miss Ellie was wearing. As if this wasn't enough, they came prepared with a bag of props. When Ellie pulled out this antique frame and grinned at me, I about fell to the ground in a puddle of happy tears.



Oh my, I love the picture above. Look at how Ellie is holding onto her momma's back. Such a sweet moment. The morning was loaded with them, actually. What a special time. And what a special mom and daughter.



Thank you, Jill and Ellie for a wonderful morning. And thank you SP, BP, LW, KC, & EO for your words of encouragement yesterday. You are all good, good people :)

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Growing pains.


I must admit I'm having a bit of a pity party at the moment. Just when I think I could maybe {maybe} pull off this photography thing...I stumble on someone else's work and instead of being inspired, it makes me feel small. That terrible, no-good, critical voice creeps into my head and I hear myself say things like, "What am I doing? I can't consistently get a crisp shot on my camera! He/she is a brilliant photographer...Argh, I have so much to learn!...." and the list of negativity continues.
~
I know, I know. I shouldn't compare my work to others. I should look at my own progress. Is my work evolving? Is it improving from where I was before. If the answer is yes, then that's all that matters. I'm exactly where I need to be, right? But the truth is I'm terribly frustrated at the moment. Where I want to be seems painfully unattainable. Will I ever get there? How? When?
~
The following images are from today. My dear friend Kori and her son Max came for a long-overdue lunch. As I look at the pictures I smile at Max's expressions. He grinned and giggled, he frowned and even fussed. At those moments and these, I remember that little people (just like big people) experience joy in the little victories as well as frustration with setbacks. We are each a work in progress. And I suppose if there's progress...it has to be good.

My dear Max, here's to baby steps.
Thank you for reminding me that we all have to start somewhere.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Queen for a day.

I was supposed to be photographing my beautiful friend Jill and her sweet daughter Ellie Blue having an outdoor tea party for two today, but the weather didn't cooperate. Boo! So, I am stuck inside cleaning my house instead. Boo and ick. I loathe cleaning. To make the day less painful, I am considering wearing a tiara. I shall call myself the Queen of Clean. And Sam shall be my jester. I would love to stick around and chat with you, but I must go. I have a dirty throne to clean. Happy Monday to you!

Friday, May 14, 2010

Friday fun with cousins


My nieces E.B. and Mare Bear were off school today and we (Sam and I) had the pleasure of spending the day with them. What a treat!!! And speaking of treats, it didn't take us long before we ended up enjoying some. After hitting the library in search of a hilarious kids' book called Pete's a Pizza, we ran next door to Dunkin' Donuts for some delicious hot chocolate and fresh munchkins. For the record, I will be picking these three children as members of my doughnut eating team if I ever need one. They inhaled fresh munchkins like only varsity players can. And to my sister - please know that we read books while we waited for our hot chocolate to cool a bit. It wasn't all fun and games!



I'm thinking we should totally start our own kids' book club. We can gather, eat good food (and by good I mean high in fat and sugar) and discuss fine children's literature...or maybe just compare hot chocolate mustaches and laugh a lot.
Thanks for spending the day with us, E.B. and Mary. We loved every minute of it!!!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Looking for new owner.

Wanted:
Good home for 3-year-old male.
House-trained {sometimes}.


My three-year-old Sam had words with a teacher at his school yesterday. Not just any teacher. And not just any words. According to my cousin, who picked our kids up after school, Sam was doing something he shouldn't (shocker, I know). I guess he was trying to touch something fragile. Mrs. B, the school director and also Sam's teacher next year, told Sam not to touch the object because it could break. Sam, with a devilish smirk, ignored the order and leaned toward the object anyway. Mrs. B said, "Sam, I have a feeling we're going to butt heads next year". Sam responded, "Oh no we won't because I'm going to kick you in the balls."

When my cousin relayed this story, she was laughing so hard, I almost couldn't understand her. She said it was that much funnier because it wasn't her kid. Lucky her! After I scraped my jaw off the floor, Sam and I had a 'come-to-jesus-talk'. I'm not sure how much of it sank in but it sure as heck felt good to hear myself say it. He was told to sit and reflect on his words...which looked a lot like a kid studying dust floating in the air...but that's beside the point. His punishment continued. Sam then spent hard time (about 45 seconds) creating a card to express his deep remorse. He was not allowed any screen time all day and I threatened to take his beloved blankie away if he ever talked that way to another human on the planet. If it happens again, I may just have to kick him in the...well...let's just see how this goes.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Bird post.

Bobby Robin is growing up so fast! Here he is tonight, taking his dinner nap. We tried hard to chirp like momma to get him to look up at us, but he wouldn't budge. He kept his little bird beak tucked in next to his egg brother and sister. They still haven't hatched, but big brother is helping to keep them warm whenever momma and daddy are off getting food. We were surprised at how ... um ... unphotogenic Bobby is at this stage. Perhaps once he has more feathers, he'll look a little more handsome?
~
Stay tuned for more fascinating bird activity!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Baby day!


I got my baby fix today.



Those itty bitty baby toes make me giddy.


And I love to watch mommas with their new arrivals...so incredibly sweet.


And speaking of new arrivals, look at our baby robins! We went from 6 eggs down to 3 in a matter of days and we worried that this robin family was doomed. Nope, they're alive and well! Meet 'Bobby Robin' (thanks to Sam for picking the name.)
~
Hope you get a fix of some sort today!

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