One-on-one time calls for a trip to visit some horses

Last week before preschool starts! I've really enjoyed this one-on-one time with my 4 year old, despite the challenges that come along with "that age".  I'm grateful he enjoys my love of photography and doesn't throw a fit as soon as he sees my lens aimed toward his way.  Wasn't so long ago, he was running the other direction.  Now he enjoys my sometimes irritating paparazzi(ish) tendencies.

Monday morning we went to the Houston Mounted Patrol Barn with some friends to hopefully capture some great memories.  So glad my little guy is fearless.  I can't imagine how much larger these animals look from his viewpoint.  He tends to treat these massive, 1000 lbs animals like dogs.  Innocence is bliss at that age, but not so blissful for Mommy.  I had to keep reminding him, that he couldn't just run up to them, poke, prod, hug and kiss their heads off.

Fortunately, these horses have been in more stressful situations than dealing with my 4 year old.

While we were photographing these beautiful animals, one actually got out of his stall and snuck up behind us.  Guess he thought he'd get preferential treatment and receive our bag of carrots and apples all to himself.

Here's that little sneaky horse!

I'm a city girl, born and raised in Southern California.  I don't know anything about how to get this animal back to where he belonged.  Ironically, when we needed someone to come assist, we couldn't find anyone.

Lucky for us, the horse decided it was much easier to get some feed in another stall, which gave me the perfect opportunity to shut the gate and then find someone to put him back where he belonged.


Our lives are full of surprises.  I enjoy them all!  Here are some of my favorites from our morning at the Houston Mounted Patrol Barn.

One-on-one time calls for a little baking project

My six year old was at school enjoying (okay maybe that's an exaggeration) 1st grade.  I'm was home with my 4 year old, who has finally acquired the patience for baking.  The perfect distraction to help me from loosing "my" patience.

Usually, when I attempt to do this with boy boys, it becomes a crazy, messy, not-so-fun event.  There's a little arguing, there's a little tit-for-tat, and a recipe that usually takes 30 minutes tops, ends up taking almost all day.

Since it would be hard to actually help him while taking photos, I just let go and went with the flow.  I was quite impressed ... no flour all over the floor or egg shell pieces in the bowl along with all the other ingredients.  My little guy wasn't so little anymore.  Bittersweet!

Here are some photos of our session baking a recipe out of our WIlliams-Sonoma Kids Cook Book - Cheddar Corn Bread Wedges.

Puppy LOVE! A great (photography) inspiration.

Yesterday, I drove four hours (round trip) to pick up the sweetest Blue Heeler, 11 week-old puppy.  My youngest son and I packed up and drove South to Bay City, TX, weaving through farm land and not much else.  I figured why not!  It was for a good cause, right?

My husband wanted to get a companion for his Dad now that he finally settled into his new home here in Texas.  This little guy is the perfect for his Dad.  Well behaved, gentle with his teeth (our labs were not at that age), follows you on a walk without running too far, and didn't whine all night to get out of his confined headquarters (make-shift bed using our recycling bin).  I just wished his stay with me was more than 18 hours, most of which I was sleeping.  At least I get to visit him once in awhile.

Eight years ago it seemed so much more difficult raising puppies.  Maybe because we had two?  Or is it because I've had two babies since then and those are definitely harder to raise.  Well... even if it was short lived, I loved every minute, except for watching my Labs get jealous.  I'll make up for it today!

Emmie, our 8 year-old,86lb Lab, illustrates how little Smoky really is.

Thank you "Smoky" for inspiring such a great session.  I'm sure this is not the last.  You are too cute!

Want to see more from this session?  Visit my flickr page.

A piece of heaven - blue water, white sands, sun, fun and family

We always look forward to our trip to the Emerald Coast of Florida, typically referred to as Destin.  We also decided a night in New Orleans would be a good stopping point in our 10 hour drive.  Great excuse to enjoy the good food, beautiful architecture and interesting night life.  "Boys, close your eyes!"

This year was the first year we had to visit during the heat of Summer and that we had a guest (my French Canadian cousin) along for the ride.  We finally got to try a Beignet at the famous Cåfe du Monde, that my husband had been bragging about having for over a couple years.  It was so delicious we had to order seconds.

The not so good news about going during the heat of the Summer?  It was Algae season (June-July) and we weren't expecting it!  Don't worry ... we actually found beaches lacking the greenish slime you'd typically find on Nickelodeon. The nicest surprise was being able to catch the Blue Angels flying, front row, on Pensacola Beach.  Perfect way to end our travel!

Here are some favorites from our trip.

Like to see more photos from this trip?  
Feel free to visit my flickr pages:
New Orleans
Pensacola Air Show