35 mm f1.8

I bought a new lens with some of my bday money, and I could not wait for it to come in! I got home from my workshop today, and Nick and Presley were eating dinner. I couldn't even wait to wipe Presley's mouth before I started taking pics.

Just what I wanted. Sharp foreground, and blurry background. Now, if I can get Presley to look at the camera while we are outside, I might get a good picture (after I practice a LOT more)!

Branson, Part 1

Last weekend we went to Branson for Nick's mom's family reunion. We stayed at Stonebridge resort for 3 nights, and it was beautiful. On Friday, we went to the Butterfly Palace. They had a lot of interactive things for the kids to do. Presley had so much fun hanging out with her cousins, Addison and Peyton!

Beach Friends

The second week that we were at the beach Presley met some friends from Georgia. Ashton (4) and Addison (2) were so cute! Presley called Ashton her beach boyfriend (which I did NOT like).  She was so excited to see them everyday! The day before we left, they hung out all day. She told me the next day when we were on our way home that she missed him.

Addison is so cute! How could you say no to those big brown eyes? 

Presley making Ashton sand cookies.

They were cracking up in this pic.

This one too. Goofy kids!

:)

Marine Biology 101

I wish I had written a blog entry every day that we were on vacation, but that probably would have been very redundant (sleep, beach, eat). One of my favorite things that we did was snorkel in the bay. I LOVE marine animals because they seem so bizarre compared to the things we see everyday. I was so excited for Presley to be able to see and touch things that she never has, and I was shocked that Will and Greg were sure that everything in the ocean bites and stings! Good thing that they had a biologist with them to tell them what things were and include the scientific names because I'm a NERD!

This is an auger snail and a Coquina. The one on the left eats the one on the right. They are found in the swash zone (where the waves are).

My sweet girl holding a starfish.

Horshoe crab. Limulus polyphemus. Their pinchers are so weak- they don't pinch, but that barb on the tail can do some damage!

Sea slug or sea hare. See the purple ink around its body? It does that when it gets mad. I think this is a black-rimmed sea slug, but it is Aplysia sp.

Variegated Sea Urchin. Lytechinus variegatus. They attach shells and grass to themselves as camouflage.

Green-banded hermit crab in an Apple Murex shell.

Tulip Snail.

Tiny hermit crab.

Just a pic of how clear the water was. Beautiful!

Stiff Pen Shell. Atina rigida 

Umbrella Algae. Acetubularia crenulata. 

Apple Murex egg cases. 

Another sea hare!

They are called sea hares because of their "rabbit ears."

Nurse shark.

Nurse shark.

Brown spiny sea star. Echinaster spinulosus. See its tube feet?

Alright guys. There will be a quiz tomorrow. Make sure you can spell those scientific names, or it will be marked wrong. Have a nice day ;)

Awkward Family Photos

Have you ever Googled "awkward family photos"? You should. They are mostly hilarious, but some are strange and border on creepy.

So we went to the beach, and we had to do the family beach photos. Cliche I know, but a must when you never visit the beach! I shopped for the perfect outfits. I don't like white and khaki. Been there done that (as has every other family). I wanted something different, so I started my shopping months ago. I found the perfect outfits. I loved them! We got to the beach, but I wasn't in a hurry to get the photos since we were staying so long. So, on the last night of our vacation we went to get the perfect shot. It never happened. Here are some awkward family photos for proof.

What am I DOING?

Nick, you don't have to close your eyes when you wear a ski mask! (Notice the sunglass tan line?)

And this is my favorite. There are so many things wrong here. Geez.

I will try again for the perfect family photo. It didn't happen this year with the three of us. But when you subtract me and take away the racoon eyes and the child with a fear of looking at the camera, magic happens.



Happy Fourth!

I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful 4th!

We are just hanging out at home. Nick cooked ribs for dinner last night, I grilled hot dogs for lunch, and Nick is grilling for dinner. We still have enough fireworks for 10 kids even though we enjoyed a bunch last night, so Presley is ready for sunset!

Here is a pic from Presley's first 4th and one from this year. Although I think Presley is a beautiful little girl, I sure do miss that baby face!

We're Back!

We are not just back from a blogging hiatus, but we returned home from our Florida vacation. We had a blast! Cape San Blas was beautiful, and we got to enjoy it for two weeks so we were {almost} ready to come home.  I was glad to sleep in my own house, but I already miss the ocean breeze and the sunsets.