Petting zoo

Mom and I visted Dena in Shreveport a few days ago.  While we were there, we took the kids to a petting zoo.  While the kids had fun feeding everything in sight (Jack went through 4 large cups alone!), Dena got cozy with one of the animals.

I think every girl at some point has had one of these clover headbands-

This camel was all over Dena…

I hate to make fun of any of God’s creature.. but sometimes it’s hard not to laugh - here’s Jim Bob 

The boys…

A few more of Jack melting my heart-

Who I love is Mom and Dad, Spencer,  Claire.

 

 

 

Well, hello there….

I feel like I should jump and say- Tada!!!  Here I am!  as if I’ve been magically pulled from a hat.  I’ve had several calls and emails asking where I’ve been.  My favorite was a very concerned call asking about my health- she was convinced that I had taken some severe illness (malaria, no less) and that had kept me from posting.  I really did have a terrible bug, on Dance picture day! 50+ girls and a stabbing stomach pain-   I know all those little girls thought I was the wicked witch for not even smiling at them.  I just knew in my heart that if I so much as smiled I would toss those perverbial cookies.  I have been rather busy- and all these questions about my whereabouts make me feel like I’ve been stuck on a distant planet.  I also feel a bit guilty.  I abandoned my blog!  I didn’t take Spencer’s 5 month pictures.  I have been late on posting sessions.  I put my camera down and didn’t touch it for a week.  I felt like I didn’t have much to say. 

I’m back now and things are back to normal..   ar least my version of normal.  I have  a 20 pound baby on one knee trying his best to swat at these keys, i’m typing onehanded, listening to ET in the background, burning a customer’s DVD and getting ready to make dinner.   On second thought- I think we’ll go out for pizza.  

Since I havne’t posted in a while- I have plenty to show.  Here’s Nikki and JJ’s wedding from earlier this month.  These two crazy guys had an all out fun wedding bash.   He actually spun her around and kissed her when the preacher said “you may now kiss the bride” - ahhhhhh.. romance.   So, traditional wedding photography just would not work for these guys.  I make it no secret, that the thing I do not care for about wedding is doing the formal shots.  All those people staring at me, wondering where I want them to stand- what to do.. ick.  Stand there. Smile.  That is not me.  I would rather disappear behind my camera and observe.   I have to say a great big THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU- to these two for making those formal shots absolutely fabulous!  They are quite unique formals, and full of personality… just like the bride and groom.

So here’s what it look liked when Nikki and JJ got married.

Those formals I was talking about… why stand, when you can jump???

 

 

Cutest Couple…

I was in Ruston last week for this couple’s engagement session.  I love just walking the streets of town.  It’s one of my favorite things to do.   Ruston is busy at 6:00 though- which means lots of spectators and lots of nerves!   I did try to make this a quick shoot, since I could tell that someone ( I won’t single him out by name) wanted this to be over as soon as possible!  The session only lasted a little over an hour.  That was okay with me, and I didn’t push it since I figured he now owes me on wedding day!   

A little side note too-  I was proofing just these few pictures and like usual, I was getting ready to fix skin problems.   I fix skin blemishes and dark circles,  ect.  I selected my tool and zoomed in ready to fix…. and I paused.  NO FAIR!!!  Neither one of these two had anything, whatsoever to fix.  Not even the hint of an undereye bag!    Good Genetics….

 

  

Busy Bees

Is it May already?  I am heading to Jena tonight to shoot dance pictures.  I honestly feel like I just did that a few months ago.  I am caught up in a whirlwind of proofing, sessions, weddings and running around like crazy.  It means that I am blessed with lots of work and I am grateful for those blessings.  I am, however, ready for a bit of vacation!  I haven’t seen  Jack in weeks.  He leaves for school and I leave for work just about the time he gets home.   We see each other in brief minutes between our comings and goings.  In my desperate attempts to relate or be with him in anyway- I bought him a few old movies and explained that I used to watch them when I was a kid.   He’s always asking about what I did when I was kid.- did I ride a bike… did I play in the dirt…   I have him watching Bedknobs and Broomsticks right now.  He likes it and I’m glad- it’s a classic and I still hum “bobbing along on the bottom of the beautiful….”  He hums with me now. 

I titled this post “busy bees”  in part about myself, but also about the fellow below!  Typical of his age, he was full of energy and was everywhere!  I just followed and tried to keep up!  He’s got that “I keep my mom on her toes”  look- doesn’t he?   Here he is with his baby sister!