Puppies!

Hello! I've haven't posted at all this year (yipe! ;D), so I'll fill you in on some of the events that have taken place around here. On Christmas Day, our dog, Kelcie, rather surprised us with six little "gifts." Can you guess what they were?

Precious, isn't he?

I've always suspected that Kelcie was a thoughtful dog...and she proved it by having six puppies. A temporary puppy for each of the puppy-lovin' children in our family...now that's generosity! ;)

Being as these li'l guys were born on Christmas, I thought that we should give them names accordingly. Welll, the family didn't exactly cooperate. Puppy names are as follows:

Buddy, Kirk, Trixie, Chelsea, Bailey, and Zig.

That's right...Zig. Wesley named his that because it has a zig-zag pattern on its back or something like that. Hey, it was either that or Leroy. :/ Ugh, would someone please adopt this puppy so that it can have a normal name? lol As you can see, no Christmas-y names made the list...except my puppy, Bailey. As in George Bailey from "It's A Wonderful Life"? (Er, she could just as easily be your little namesake, dearest Bailey, if you would like to adopt her? Hmmm?) :D

They are at that roly-poly exploring stage right now, so it's rather difficult to get some good pictures, but I'm hoping to take more later. :)

Note: After writing this post, Wesley informed me that he has changed his puppy's name to "Dakota." Now that's better. lol

My Poor Neglected Blog...

Poor neglected little blog, forsaken in this way,

Sitting desolate, cold, and silent while Erin is away.

Rather lame prose, I know, but it's the best I can do in a pinch. ;) And can a blog even be "cold", so to speak? Hmmm, something to ponder. lol

I've had a lot of photo shoots lately, so I've been spending much of my free time editing. I've never really thought about it much before, but have you ever noticed what awesome things eyes are? For instance:

Aren't they beautiful?

And again...

I would like to pause a moment to say to any of my blog readers with blue eyes that I completely envy you. *sigh* My eyes are brown...not exactly expressive unless you're going for the "sad puppy" look on occasion. lol Oh well, I shall be content with what I have. Although those blue eyes...;)

So handsome...


There are those eyes again! I think someone is out to give me a "Covetousness Complex." :)

What color of eyes do you have? ;)

Note: All four of these beautiful (and handsome) kids are from the same family. You can visit their mama's blog here. :)

Have I mentioned lately...

...That I love my new camera? No? :D LOL Just wanted to share a few of Wesley's "12 Actually Closer to 13" pictures! :)

Don't let this boy fool you with all of his formal poses...half of the pictures I made were of him revealing his nutty side! lol I may have to share a few of those later...

Have a great night!

I can only say...

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! :D Because that's what you say when you can't think of anything else to say...let me provide a visual aid to explain my feelings:

*sigh* I am now the owner of a Canon EOS 50D...and oh so happy about it!! :D Needless to say, I have been taking picture after picture after picture after picture...well, you get the idea! :)

I am planning to enter a photography contest hosted by A Little Sussy...the winner receives a the very first copy of her textbook. The problem is, it's a self-portrait contest and when it comes to self-portraits, I'm like this:

lol Well, maybe not quite that bad, but I'd much rather be behind the camera! :D That being said, I'm having trouble deciding on a *cough* entry...perhaps you could help me out? ;)

Photo 1:

An, um, attempt at an artistic shot. ;)

Photo 2:

Photo 3:


Photo 4:

Photo 5:


Please disguise your laughter with coughing at my attempts, and let me know which one you think. ;)

Alright, here are a few more photos made with my new camera...

One of my favorite subjects. :)


Another favorite subject! (Compare John and Zander and see if you can find any similarities in their features...I know I can't!)


Whoa...believe me, this was a rarity to get Wesley actually posing for the camera!


Miss Ellie in a bed of wildflowers.


And Elisabeth...:D

Yes, all of my siblings have been being chased by the camera lately...well, come to think of it, just about everything that might lend itself as a subject has been chased. ;) Expect more photos soon, because I am having some kind of fun!

Suspense...and the Outcome

A few weeks ago, while on a family vacation at the beach, several of us sun-burnt cousins decided on an old- fashioned game of cards…“Old Maid” to be exact. And, being the annoying person that I am (mwhahahaha), I photographed the entire game. :D
Cousin Drew, in an attempt to create a tough guy image complete with “poker face” dons a back hat and sunglasses. Very intimidating, Drew, very intimidating. ;)

Is Erin hiding a frown or a gleeful smile behind her deck of cards? Only she can tell. :)

Elisabeth studies her cards intently…

As you can see, concentration reigns high around the card table. Mouths are drawn into taunt lines, conversation is stilted, players dart glances at one another and then back at their deck. Everyone can practically feel the tension…

…Well, almost everyone. :D

As the game nears its close, it is unclear as to who has the unwanted card, the one that spells defeat for a player. Sighs of relief can be heard as, one by one, each player draws and places down their last match…except for one.

(Me.)

*deep sigh* Sheesh, if this turns out to be prophetic, then I’m in trouble! LOL

The Forgotten Bouquet (Reprise)

Yep, just like the bouquet I posted about back in October, these weren't actually forgotten...but, like I said before, it still makes for an intriguing title, doesn't it? :D

"The Forgotten Bouquet" (Reprise) ;)

Aren't they lovely? :)

Graduation-Part 1

Well, graduation is over and Elisabeth and I have officially turned our tassels, so to speak. :D I was quite sad when it ended, but guess I can relive the events of the past two weeks through the photos provided by Mom, Aunt Mindy, and Milly. :)

Our actual graduation took place at the GHEA in Atlanta on May 2nd with about 29 other homeschoolers from Georgia. Everything was planned out so well, and it was so much fun walking down the aisle with the other graduates to the tune of "Pomp and Circumstance".

Donning our caps and gowns beforehand with Zander "holping" sort through our 4-H ropes! :)

I was a li'l nervous about walking up on stage with my parents 'cause, knowing me, I'd be likely to trip or something. ;) Thankfully, everyone went in alphabetical order according to their last names, so that meant that Elisabeth and I were further down on the list and could watch the other graduates and listen to the announcer read off a little information about each one.

Oh, and for the record, I didn't trip...although I did almost knock off my cap. :S

Dad, Mom, and Elisabeth on stage right before Dad handed Elisabeth her diploma...at least, I think that's Elisabeth. See, she has this sister that looks an awful lot like her so it can sometimes be hard to tell. :)


Aha! I was right...it is Elisabeth! :D


And here's me...huh, not sure what I'm looking at in this photo. :D Oh, and the rose? All of the homeschool graduates presented their mother with one as a token of love and appreciation...I think our mom was the only one who received two! lol


A shot of one of the big screens on either side of the room. The two shorties on the right are...I'll let you guess! ;D


Two happy graduates!


A family photo afterward.


And all of the family and friends who attended!

*sigh* I want to go back and do it all over again! lol We had a graduation reception this past weekend (which was wonderful!), so I'll be posting more on that later. :)

Our Class of 2009:

The Salutatorian and the Valedictorian

orrrr

The Valedictorian and the Salutatorian

Take your pick! LOL

A Scottish Visitor

A few days ago, I had a chance meeting with a small visitor dressed in the classic clothing of a Scottishman (or at least, my idea of the classic clothing of the Scottish). ;D


He tipped his tam (is that what it's called?) and smiled a bonny smile. I eagerly awaited for him to speak, quite certain that his voice would hold that unmistakable Scottish brogue....

"Can I take dis off now?"

Unfortunately, my Scottish visitor soon grew weary of his hot clothing and returned to his native land to change into something more comfortable...leaving me with only three snapshots and the memory of his brief stay. That and one small tam which was abandoned halfway to the backdoor. :D

Some Lovely Springtime Surprises

So I was setting up for a photo shoot in my grandparents' garden the other day when I noticed a female cardinal flitting about the arbor that is currently covered at the top with greenery.

She appeared to be carrying something in her mouth...a moth, to be precise. She then proceeded to hop into the greenery and disappear. I could hear ecstatic peeps upon her arrival and then, I imagine, tiny sounds of swallowing followed soon after. Rest in peace, poor moth, rest in peace. :)

I ventured closer for a better look...hmmm, not much of a view for a short person. ;) Undaunted, I grabbed an old stool and climbed on it with my camera in tow...


...And found a nest with a soft and feathery surprise or two.
Or three. :D
These cute li'l fellas didn't seem too disturbed by my visit...quite possibly due to the fact that they were napping. The parents, on the other hand...

Well, they met my arrival with some trepidation, anxiety, and-


Okay, so their looks were openly hostile. :)

Papa Cardinal lurking in the shadows.


Sheesh, you'd have thought I was up there harming the kids or something! :D However, for fear of sending Mama and Papa Cardinal into cardiac arrests, I climbed down after a minute or two, content with the knowledge that at least the babies didn't seem afraid of me.


"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
Maybe I spoke too soon. lol Actually, I think that Junior was expecting a handout...try to imagine that you're an unfortunate worm wriggling in Mama Cardinal's beak as she leans forward, closer and closer...

Hmmm, quite an interesting perspective. ;)