French Quarter Photo Safari

Sunday I headed to the French Quarter for a Photo Safari Girls' Day Out.  (I know, what a strange girls' day out, but we're strange girls!!)

Our guide and instructor was non other than Dan Milham, who, besides enjoying photography as a side job, is the Weather Guy for the local NBC station.  He was very knowledgeable, and funny to boot, so the morning went very well.

Now, I am not an individual with a great artistic eye, so when it comes to photographing scenery I don't have the slightest idea on how to make my pictures different or stand out.  This photography thing is just a hobby that I really love because it is something I can enjoy while also enjoying time with my children.

With all that said, I think I captured a couple of interesting shots on our tour.  (I mean nothing to make you jump out of your seats or anything, but just interesting.)

 I found this one interesting because it seems like the St. Louis Cathedral is floating somehow.

 Seeing Nuns just walking down the street is not something I see everyday!

 I like this because it's got the old style transportation and the modern style.

 This is supposedly the oldest building in the French Quarter.  I think it was the blacksmith's place or something.

 And I'm not sure what this was about.  No matter what time or what day you are in the French Quarter, you are always going to see something strange.

There was a pretty good breeze blowing Sunday morning, and when you looked up at the Cathedral, the clouds were flying past it fairly quickly which made the Cathedral seem like it was moving.  I have to admit that I have to hold on to a pole to keep from falling over every time I looked up.  It was a very strange sensation.

Well, those are my favorite shots from the French Quarter Safari shoot.  It was a great time with great ladies.  Love you all!!!

Red Bluff Farm with The Boy

Today I had the wonderful privledge of attending a field trip to Red Bluff Farms with Eli's class.

It was a gorgeous day!!  A front came through last night and the weather was PERFECT!  Sunny, with a breeze, maybe a bit chilly, but just wonderful!

The kids were all very excited to see the animals, but some lost interest pretty quickly....which didn't affect Farmer Brian at all.  He knows how to handle 70 something kids.  He would just simply draw their attention back announcing, "Boys and Girls, everyone say SHHHH!"  And everyone would.....amazing!

I was able to get some wonderful pictures.  Here are a few of my favorites that didn't contain any children other than my own.  (I don't like to post pictures of other children unless I have permission.)

Here are two baby cows who were standing in the background waiting for their mommas to finish eating.  They looked so nervous, it was absolutely adorable!

 This is Farmer Brian at the Baby Cow feeding station.  The kids actually got to hold the bottle he is holding and bottle feed the baby cows.  (Sorry, no great shots of that with Eli...too many other kids in the way.)

 Here is Eli sitting in the back, listening to Farmer Brian talk about Dairy Cows.

 This is Mary Lou, the cow that Farmer Brian milked for the kids.  LOVE this shot!

 I like this one cause it looks like she is sticking out her bottom lip and pouting.

 These are the other cows he has.  (I'm sorry, I wasn't paying enough attention to tell you what kind they are.)  These are the mommies and dad of the two baby cows in the first picture.

 This is one of the two horses he has.  Again, sorry, I don't remember what kind, but I do remember that they are HUGE!  He said they are working horses and that was why they were so big.  I do remember him saying these are about 17 hands tall, where a normal horse is about 14 hands tall.  I just LOVE this shot.

 And here is my man sleeping off his busy day on the farm.

I have many other really good shots from the farm, but since I'm about 4 or 5 posts behind I thought I would just post a few and then come back later and post more if I feel up to it!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Clayton's Birthday Party

Saturday we attended Clayton's Birthday party. 

Hannah has been lucky to have the sweet and adorable Clayton in her Pre-K class last year and in her Kindergarten class this year.  It is just awesome to know that he will marry her best friend Ainsley when they're all older.  (Awesome cause that means Hannah hasn't shown interest in boys......yet!!)

The birthday party was a blast, with a pirate theme and an incredible pirate ship cake that Clayton's Dad made!  Can you believe that???

 There was a bouncy house, so I barely saw Eli the entire two and a half hours we were there.

 I eventually had to drag him out for fluid intake.  The Boy sweats like no body I've ever known.

I hope he grows out of it.

 My girl Evelyn was there....being her one of a kind self.  I have no idea what the thing is on her head, but it's not a hat.  She found it in the house and decided it should be a hat.

 And she brought out the hammer for....? Well, I'm not sure what for.

 Hannah of course was finding bugs, and teaching everyone who would or wouldn't listen everything she did or didn't know about them.

 She did take a few minutes to ride Clayton's motorized scooter.....I think mostly to prove to me that she could do it, and therefore I should get her one for her birthday.

Um.........I think not.

 And here is the Birthday Boy!!!  He is so handsome!

 WHO GAVE THE BOY A WEAPON????

Seriously!......not a good plan people!


The party was a blast.  The evidence of that was shown because both kids and Mom were exhausted by the end of it.

That's always the sign of a good party!

Thank you Clayton and Mrs. Terra for inviting us!  We love you!!!

Global Wildlife Center

Friday I chaperoned a field trip to the Global Wildlife Center with Hannah's kindergarten class.  I lucked out and only had to keep up with two children!!

It was a perfect day for this outing.  Beautiful sunshine, nice breeze, and great company!

Here Hannah's friend Ty is showing her how you can hear the ocean if you put the feed cups over your ears.

 This was Hannah's face after smelling the feed for the animals.  I told her she should take a bite.....she didn't agree.

 I took a lot of shots, but most turned out not good at all.  Every time I would get lined up for a series of shots, a child would jump in front of me, totally messing up my focus!  I'm definitely a novice camera woman when it comes to total chaos around me.

 The animals liked to steal the cups.  The kids got so upset when this happened, and would cry.  Hannah had one cup stolen, and then she learned to have a death grip on her cup.

 They had beautiful giraffes, but only one was brave enough to come near our wagon.  The kids kept throwing food at him, and he did not appreciate it, so he didn't stay very long.

 And the zebras were not too friendly.  The guide advised against feeding them cause they get a bit snippy.

The bison were definitely a favorite of mine.  They simply walk up, open theirs mouths, stick their tongues way out, and wait and expect you to pour the food in.  Pretty cool.

The deer followed us pretty much the entire route.  They new how to fill their tummies. 

 Check out this big boy.  I'm not sure what he is, but he was amazing to see up close.  He was about 4 feet from me in this picture.

 And this guy was my favorite.  He had those black spots all over his neck and head.  Just beautiful.

 She is a very serious patron.  All business when it comes to feeding these animals.

And this is lazy Aladdin.  He only lifted his head when we pulled up.  I guess he realizes that the food will eventually come to him, and all he has to do is sit and wait.

And these two gentleman definitely need a time out!!!  That white one was feisty the entire time we toured the facility.  Maybe it's mating season or something?

All in all, the field trip was so much fun, even considering my lacking ability to get good shots.  Oh well.  Practice makes perfect, so I guess I'll just have to take the kids again.

I'm sure they wouldn't mind!

Perspective....

The Boy was a very grumpy, whiny, and obstinate child after getting him from the gym child care yesterday evening.  He LOVES the gym child care, so normally he's in a great mood because he's been able to run, and climb, and chase other children around for about an hour and a half.

But last night he was thirsty, hungry, tired, and WHO KNOWS what!  I certainly couldn't figure it out cause he just kept whining, and mumbling.

Once we finally made it to the car Hannah picked up his fire truck to play with it, and the boy started screaming again.  I finally said, "Hannah, please give him the fire truck, and don't talk to him.  He's in a very bad mood for some reason, and I think he just needs some space."

To which Hannah replied in a joyful, AH HA type of voice, "Mommy!  It's opposite!  He's being bad and I'M being good!!"

Yes, I guess that's one way of looking at it.