Killin' Eggs!

We dyed Easter eggs at church this morning. A friend and her son came out to join in on the fun, and she shared a funny story. Judy told Micah (4 y/o) that they were going to dye Easter eggs at Riley's church. Micah was confused because he didn't know how something that wasn't alive could "dye". So, Judy explained the difference between "die" and "dye". Micah's dad called, and Micah immediately told his dad "We're gonna go kill some eggs!". LOL. Thought it was funny.

Anyway, here are a few pictures of us killin' eggs this morning! Ms. Jan was there too and had her camera, so there may be some similar pics popping up on her blog!

Waiting on the blue.

Another Riddle...

for the local bloggers? Do any of you recognize this location? The first picture was taken yesterday. The second picture (with Riley in it) was taken at the same location on 4-3-06. You can see how much earlier the trees bloomed this year, as they were still in full bloom a week later last year and nearly finished blooming yesterday when i took the picture.

My Take...

on a subject already covered by another local blogger! Shelia told me at church Sunday that she thought it would be neat if we (the local bloggers) each took pictures of the same subject and posted them. One subject with multiple perspectives. Since I had already planned to take pics of the Old Burnt Church and Ms. Judy has already taken pics at the site, I thought we could use that location for the "challenge". Now it's up you, Ms. Jan and Shelia, to get over there and snap some pics!

DUCKS!

Yes, I'm posting even MORE ducks, but these are babies! We spent the day at my Mammaw and Pappaw's on Sunday, as I stated before, and we didn't come home empty handed. We came home with four baby ducks (presumably for each grandchild and one for mom) Hayden took one home (and returned to pappaw's for another to keep it company)...and now we're down to two ducks?! I wonder where that other duck got to?! I hope Bailey took it home!

The yellow and black duck in front is Riley's. I'm not sure if he ever definitively decided on a name. Webster, maybe?

Flower "Bed"

This is a Flower "bed" that my mom is making in the back yard. I'm sure that my dad is thrilled to see it going in...but oh well, he said the backyard was hers. He did the front yard and has a hissy fit if he sees any color going in. He's all about shrubs and evergreens...boring! Don't get me wrong, it looks fabulous and has taken lots of hard work...but you need some color here and there too! That's where mom comes in. Anyway....here's the "bed". It was my old bed. No wonder she was pushing so hard for me to get a new headboard in my room....she had her eye on my old iron one!! By the way, it was white when it was in my room...not this turquoise color that she has it painted now.

Hold Your Horses!

We spent the day at my Mammaw and Pappaw's house today. Pappaw was hitching his horses up, and since he's been wanting me to take some pictures of them I grabbed the camera and snapped a few. He's teaching them to pull a wagon as a team, and today was the first time they had been hitched up together.

Good Gravy...

but the bugs were horrible this afternoon!! The weather is great, but the bugs just have to ruin it for everyone! I got "out" with the camera today, but I sure didn't stay out long. Bailey was a willing photographic subject today...so I went with it. Just a couple of quick ones before the bugs chased us away. It's hard to hold your camera still when you're scratching your scalp bloody from those darn gnats!

Now if I could just get her in some cute little girl outfit....

Another Spring Photo

'nuff said! I will get out and take photos tomorrow afternoon! I will! I will! I will!

Tub Therapy

Riley was still puny today. He didn't even go outside, which is VERY unusual for him. In fact, the only place he did go was back and forth between the couch and bed. Poor guy. I got him to eat about 5-6 sips of soup today, but that's about it. I did talk him into getting into the tub this afternoon in hopes that it would help him feel a bit better. I didn't think I'd get a picture today because I've been stuck on the couch with him all day, but I talked him into a couple while he was in the tub. I got these when I was drying him off. I just wish I hadn't cut his chin off in the first one...and the top of his head in the second.....but that bathroom is so small that my 50 mm just doesn't give me a lot of room. I still like them.

Under The Weather

My boy came down with a tummy ache last night, and tossed and turned all night. He just wasn't himself this morning. Very quiet. He asked to watch a movie in his room, and when I went back to check on him he was fast asleep in his bed. This is VERY unusual, and was cause for some concern this morning. He woke up an hour or so later and said he felt better, so it was off to town for us as usual. He didn't eat his lunch. I told him I would buy him the movie "Cars" so he could lay on the couch and watch it in the afternoon. We stopped at K-Mart, and it was there that Mount Riley "erupted". It seems that he has come down with some kind of stomach virus. We came home, and he slept on the couch all afternoon. It's only 9:15, and he has already gone to bed. I sure hope he feels better tomorrow! Of course, I'll probably have it tomorrow!!

The feet pics are inspired by my good friend Rochel Bussell, who took one like it of her daughter. I actually like hers better. Riley's room is on the back of the house and soooo dark. It's a wonder I even got these. Rochel's version is so bright and PINK...instead of dark and dreary (although I did mute the colors in these)!

An Early Update

I'm updating the blog early today because Riley has submitted some photos he's taken with his new camera. It is so fun looking through all of the pictures he has taken and seeing the world from his perspective (and his height...although I'm not THAT much taller than he is! LOL). I just picked a few from the many and put borders on them for posting. I may update the blog later tonight if I end up taking any new photos!

Bailey

Watching TV?

Ms. Patsy was behind us on the way home yesterday. He had just gotten his camera. LOL

Mommy. I'll have to teach him not to point the camera at me!!!

A Shared Interest.

Riley received some money for his birthday and made the decision to purchase a digital camera. He decided on the Fisher Price digital camera, and we went and picked it up today. It's very sturdy and easy to use with a two-eye viewfinder. Very handy for the little ones. It doesn't take the best of pictures, but it's all he needs right now. He knows how to work all the buttons and can view his photos on the LCD screen on the back, and that's about all he's interested in at this point. We went out shooting together this afternoon until the gnats ran us back inside. It was fun to be able to share this hobby with him, and I look forward to many more excursions with him and our cameras.

Another Old One!!!

I'm getting bad, aren't I? I've just had no time for myself this weekend. Friday and Saturday belonged to Riley, and today it's been all about work. Ugh!

This picture was taken back in November. My Mammaw used to keep this little blue-eyed angel baby. He is such a cutie, and I loved capturing those baby blues with my camera. This was just out on the back porch one afternoon. Those blue eyes and that little blond curl just grab me. So, this is "Baby Trace" (posted with his Mommy and Daddy's permission, of course!)

And an old one of my boy and his baby blues (squinty in this one...but blue, nonetheless!)

Whew! I'm Beat!

I'm beat tonight. The party was a great success. I think fun was had by all. I know my little boy was tired tonight, as am I. This post will be short and sweet. Would you believe that I didn't take any pictures of my child at his birthday party today? Well, I did take a couple, but I didn't take them with my camera! I was playing with my friend Tara's new Nikon D70 and snapped a couple. Tara said she would email me the pics taken at the party...so maybe I'll post one or two (with her permission) when I get them. Hopefully my friend Judy will also forward me the pics she took at the party today!

Okay, I did take a picture of the cakes before the party because I knew I would need a photo to post today! So...here ya go! Riley's pirate ship and island cakes. He loved it (and Hayden did too!) so it was all worth it.

Arrrgh!

I didn't take a single picture today. In fact, the camera didn't even make it out of its bag. I've been busy preparing for Riley's birthday party tomorrow. Yes, we're a little late this year!

This year's birthday theme is pirates! I ran last minutes errands all day today and spent a couple of hours tonight decorating the cakes. Hopefully I will have pics of the cakes for tomorrow's post. Tonight, I'm posting a pic of the invitations I sent out. They were done "message in a bottle" style. I used my scrapbooking distress inks to make the paper look really old and weathered, ironed the paper back out and put it through the printer (with a great pirate-looking font!). I think they turned out rather cool. I just wish the shells would have shown up better in the sand. I think the kids liked them....especially the little boys.

The invitation reads as follows:

Ahoy there Matey!

Cap'n Riley be lookin' fer some scurvy seadogs

to join him on his 5th voyage to sea!

So put on yer best pirate garb and come join the crew!

Chart yer course for Whittington Bay (our house)

We'll set sail on 17 March 2007 at 2 p.m.

Don't be late or you'll walk the plank!

Yo Ho Ho! Let us know!

Call deckhand Amy at (our phone # here)!

See ya there...........Arrrgh!

"Out On Assignment"

Today, I was out on assignment with my camera. LOL. Mom requested a photo of a certain fence downtown (at the corner of Bay and Charles streets), so off we went. I didn't get exactly what she wanted, but between the full-on sun with no shade in sight and all of the traffic downtown, I was lucky to get anything worth keeping. Mom informs me that this flower is called Lantana (sp?). There were roses too, and mom really wanted both flowers in the pic, but it just didn't happen today. We might go back on a late Sunday afternoon and try again....of course then the bugs will be too bad to even hold the camera still. We got Riley in a few frames, but he wasn't very excited about the prospect. Mom had to bribe him with a dollar! (He's saving his money for a digital camera of his own.) See, Heather...we're not above bribery when it comes to getting a photo! LOL.

Before the dollar!

I'm Cutting It Close Tonight!

It's getting close to midnight, so if this is going to be posted as my Wednesday entry I'd better get a move on!

My friend Rochel emailed me about a photo project I did last year. You take a picture of your child with their fist outstretched in front of them (being careful not to hide their face). The fist is supposed to be in sharp focus, with their face somewhat blurred. After printing, you make a small cut just above and below the child's fist and thread an artificial flower stem through the photo so that it appears that the child is holding out a flower. You remove the glass from a frame and insert the photo into the frame. It now appears that your child is standing inside the frame and extending his hand (and the flower) outside of the frame to the recipient of the gift. I did this project for Mother's Day in our Sunday school class last year. Of course, Riley was in the class, so I made my own Mother's Day gift. LOL. I don't care. I love it! I hope all that made sense (in case any of you want to try it!). I got the idea from a photography website that I frequent. So...that explains picture #1.

Picture #2 is just a simple snap of my nephew, Hayden, on the swing.

Hope everyone has a great Thursday! It's one step closer to the weekend! Woohooo!

Just for Jamie...

in Alaska; more signs of Spring! The first is a Bradford pear blossom on a tree in our yard. I didn't know what the second flower was until I looked at Ms. Judy's post from yesterday and noticed that they looked awfully similar. I asked my mom, and she confirmed that it is Jasmine. The state flower, and I can't even identify it! I just like the smelly kind of Jasmine (Confederate, I believe), and the Carolina jasmine doesn't smell.

P.S. I'm NOT copying your posts, Ms. Judy! I promise!!! I just needed something besides pics of the kids for today's post...and I'd already done the red geraniums! LOL.

PUPPY!

One of the sweetest things in the world is puppy breath. Come on...you know it's true. Bill had a friend over helping him with some remodeling he's doing on the house, and he brought his little beagle/blue tick puppy with him. The little guy actually jumped right over the side of the back of the truck. The boys (Hayden and Riley)got in a couple of squeezes before we had to put him back. I love the second one of Hayden, and I'm mad that I cut off the little puppy mid-nose in the last one!

An Oldie But Goody!

I didn't even pick my camera up today, much less press the shutter button! So, I looked on the computer to see what I could share with my friends for today, and I found some old photos of Riley. This is one of my old favorites. I've learned a lot since I took this picture, but I still love it. It's nearly two years old! Riley was loving the dandelions, and we were out riding the gator when he spotted some and wanted to stop and make a wish. I had the camera along and snapped a pic. Sorry for slacking off and having to share an old one today. Maybe tomorrow will be better!

Anyone who knows my brother, Bill....tell me you don't see him in this picture!

Childhood Snapshots

Just a few snapshots from this afternoon. I am soooo disappointed in these. They're okay at such a small size, but they won't print well...with the exception of the first photo (which is actually my favorite anyway). I get so disappointed when my pics don't turn out that I'm tempted to just trash them. I have to remind myself, however, that these moments are just as important as any other. When Riley is a grown man and looks back over the photos of his childhood, it won't matter that the photos are a bit blurred and not the best quality and the background is not devoid of distracting items. He probably won't even see any of that. What he will see is himself at 5 y/o attempting to fly the remote control airplane that his Granddaddy gave him as a birthday present. He'll see the pictures and be reminded of how much fun he had as a 5 y/o country boy running barefoot through the grass on a warm spring day. And THAT is why I will not trash these photos. I'll print them, and EVENTUALLY they will make it into his scrapbook for safe keeping.

My little country boy with ripped jeans and bare feet. Gotta love it!

He nearly ran over himself!

We saw a bald eagle out in the yard today, but I couldn't get close enough to get a good pic of him. When I tried, he flew off. I needed Ms. Judy's big honkin' lens for this one!

Bargain Shopper

My mom loves a good yard sale, and she's addicted to the classified ads on http://www.islc.net/. She found this great little curio cabinet in a classified ad last week. She's been looking for one for a long time, and was ecstatic when she found the perfect one for $30. It really is in great shape and worth a lot more than the $30. So, the cabinet only makes it into a small portion of the photo, but it's in there! P.S. The flowers were some that mom found at The Salvation Army for 50¢ and rearranged. LOL. You gotta love a good bargain!

Happy Birthday, Riley!

Today, my little boy became a big boy. Riley turned 5-years-old at 1:15 a.m. He, however, insists that he is still 4! He knows that when you're 5 you have to go to school. LOL. We spent the day in Charleston, where we went to Chuck E. Cheese's, ate lunch (at Shoney's) and bought him a brand new pair of Crocs (they're orange, Ms. Jan!) complete with some Jibbitz. I decided early in the day that I was not going to follow Riley around all day with the camera. I would get a few photos and be done with it and actually participate in the fun of the day instead of trying to document every second! I'm a scrapbooker, so that was a hard decision to make!! I don't regret it. We had a lot of fun, and my boy had a great birthday. We'll do the party thing next weekend.

I just wanted to add that my child did NOT eat this entire piece of cake. In reality he only had about two bites of it....mostly the hot fudge (as you can see on his spoon)! LOL. Of course, he did have blue cotton candy from Chuck E. Cheese's later in the day!

"Dear Lord, thank you for CHOCOLATE! Amen." They sang to Riley and brought him hot fudge cake for dessert. His face turned beet red, and he was halfway under the table the whole time.

The whole gang, minus Mommy!

In the Sky Tubes (with Uncle Adam; not pictured!)