I 'moustache' you a question....

Has it really been since July since I have updated this blog? Oh my!

No excuses other than it has been busy with many ups and downs in the past 6-7 months. I have also been experiencing burnout and frustation with the photography business. As a consequence I have been taking fewer and fewer photos of the boys. This is unacceptable. So I've decided to step back for a little while and focus (he, he) on the reason I picked up a camera to begin with.

Here goes!

happy independence day!

What a perfect laid back, lazy day we enjoyed. We ate grilled pork tenderloin, baked beans, and cheesy garlic polenta all topped off with a blackberry cobbler and a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

The boys had a lot of fun playing with the sparklers I had picked up.

Then we headed into town to see the big fireworks. We waited until 20 minutes before the show was supposed to start to head over and somehow managed to score the perfect parking and viewing spot.









The boys loved the big fireworks! With every explosion Ben shouted "fire in the hole!" and Alex breathed in awe "cooool".

It was a very late night for Alex, so he did not make it for the 5 mile trip back home.

blackberry picking

One of my favorite things about summer is being able to pick fresh blackberries. I found an area covered in blackberry bushes while scouting photo locations one day. So last night when the sun started to drop down I packed the boys up and headed over for some picking. When we first arrived we were greeted by a pretty little bunny.

We found these deer tracks to inspect.



Then it was time to get down to picking business.







We didn't get as big of a haul as I was hoping. I have a feeling the local wildlife beat us to all of the big berries, but we certainly have enough for a blackberry cobbler tonight.



The boys had a lot of fun, which is the most important part. As we were leaving we looked out into the field to hundreds of fireflies blinking at us and we even got to see an owl perched on a telephone pole. Perfect summer memories!

on the hunt

when hunting bugs one must wear the appropriate attire, a boonie hat and winter boots (typically worn on the wrong feet)

and of course one must have a giant magnifying glass!



all the better to seeeee you with!



he found a butterfly...



and even got to hold it for a moment.

gary the snail(s)

Thanks to Spongebob Squarepants Alex believes that every snail is named Gary and that they meow. It is our mission every time we go outside to find a Gary. It took some work, but I have finally convinced him to adopt a catch and release policy. Whew!

this is how they roll

It's 90+degrees out and they are running around in shorts, no shirt....and fleece lined winter boots. Silly boys!

a new edition!

As I was in the middle of my workout routine, on the floor doing abs, I felt a tickle at my elbow. I was focused and lost in the loud music of my iPod. Without breaking stride I swatted it away and continued on. I felt the tickle again, this time as I went to swat I turned my head and saw a gray blurr staring at me. I think I must have jumped 10 feet in the air. After a moment I was able to focus and realized it was a kitten! Tim had brought her home from the grocery store, what a surprise!!

She has the most beautiful markings, every angle offers a different pallet of colors and design. After living with her for about a week we have settled on the name Polly because (a) she likes to perch on my shoulder like a parrot and (b) poly means many in regards to her color/markings.



Polly has settled in nicely. The other kitties, Sylvester and Tweety, have come to accept her and put up with her relentless play attacks. Otto, well, let's just say we are careful to keep them separated or closely supervised at all times until Polly gets a little bigger. He doesn't mean any harm, but the big goof has no idea how strong and powerful he is even when he's just playing. He wants to be her friend, really.



She has quickly stolen all of our hearts. Alex tells me at least twice a day "Awww, she's cute! I love Hollwee (because he has trouble with that 'p' sound)!". I am so glad she is a part of our family now.

it's sprinkler weather!

One of our favorite summer time activities! (and a great way to get the weeds grass watered)

one of my all time favorite images taken so far this year



After a few minutes of snapping some pics Ben told me to put my camera down and play.

So I did :)

a day at the zoo

Thanks to a partnership between the Georgia state libraries and Zoo Atlanta we were able to take the boys to the zoo for free. This was Alex's first visit and a perfect birthday gift for me. Every time he moved to a new exhibit he would exclaim "Look Mommy, I found something!", it was precious!

His favorite animal was the elephant.



This was his 1st look at them, such wonder in that face!



Trying to call the elephant over





I never thought I'd say this, but warthogs are kind of cute...in a muddy sort of way



Ben and I shared a very mature giggle over this sign.







There were a LOT of turtles giving ummm, piggy back rides that day.



It kills me that I didn't catch this moment in focus, but I love it all the same ♥



I see a resemblance, do you?



What could possibly prompt such a face you ask?



Yeah, I have to agree with B's horror over this sight!



The reptile house was Ben's favorite, although I was sad to see the alligators and crocodiles are now gone.



But there was plenty of snakes!



My favorite is the pandas. I want to snuggle one so badly!



This is the new baby, Po, so cute!!



Proof that I was there too. Poor Alex was pretty hot and worn out by then.



As we were leaving the park this bird was all too proud of it's treasure, a rat. He kept strutting back and forth and posing for all to admire. Not exactly the image of cuteness I wanted to leave with, but what can you do?



I can't wait to go back next year!