Saturday Happy Hour

It has been quite awhile since I’ve posted a happy hour post.  I figure today is a perfect day though because we had some family fun at a local park.

My girls were both born in May, and this weather always reminds me of that.  It takes me back to the excitement and anticipation of those days of waiting.  We pass a local farm on the way to pretty much everything, and they finally have their horses out.  Magoo loves waving at them.  Last year, they had a couple of baby horses.  I haven’t gotten a close enough look to see if they are out this year, but if they are, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell them from the older horses.  Magoo used to get sad when they were inside because of weather, and so we told her they were inside watching Dinosaur Train.  She still believes that.

And there is a local butterfly farm.  It’s a small enclosed area where they have butterflies of all different species.  Most days, they have about four different types flying about, but there are dozens of species over the course of the summer.  It’s gorgeous with a little pond, waterfall, and tons of flowers.

TJ wanted me to let you all know that he took the following butterfly photo.  He said it makes him a published photog.  I say if you are married to the blogger then it’s not quite as impressive.  It’s almost nepotism.  Still, I humor him.  I think he took a gorgeous shot.

We go there a lot.  When TJ used to work over by the farm, we would meet there for a picnic lunch a lot.  We can’t do that anymore, but we go there often at nights or on the weekends.  Both girls love it, and Magoo seems to have gotten over the fear of the chipmunks that run around there.

Today was the first day we have gone since the butterflies have been out.  I think the Goose liked it as much as Magoo.  And of course TJ would spend his entire summer there.

We found out that wearing the Goose on my back is much more comfortable, now that she’s almost 20 pounds, than wearing her on my front.  I think she enjoyed looking forward as well.  This is another picture taken by TJ.  I’m just glad that I still have the opportunity to wear her from time to time.  Obviously, she prefers to walk, but when that’s not possible, she’s usually happen to rest back there and enjoy the view.  I love my Ergo Carrier.  The Moby worked wonderfully last year, but now that she’s bigger, I feel more secure with her in the Ergo.  I would have shown more of myself in the photo, but I’m bending forward so TJ can get a clear picture, and I look like I have a huge hunchback.

I live in the country, but I wouldn’t necessarily consider myself a country girl.  But I am obsessed with farm photographs.  They always just look so earthy.  This is one of my favorites that I have taken.

Magoo does not like having her picture taken.  I think she spent the first few years of her life with a camera in her face nonstop, so now that she can say no, she does say no… often.  But I have found that if she is having fun somewhere, she will keep asking me to take pictures because she knows that as long as my camera is out, she can continue to have fun and play.  I love this action shot.  It looks like she’s jumping over the Goose.

And finally I’ll end it with this fire hydrant picture.  I had a wonderful idea in my head of how great this would look as a retro shot.  And it didn’t.  It looked awfully odd.  So I decided to just play around with Photoshop and see what I could come up with.  It’s odd.  But it was fun to edit, and so I figured I would include it.

I sometimes question whether I should post these photo heavy Happy Hour posts because they aren’t something that would really appeal to a wide range of readers.  I believe Simon Cowell would say they are self indulgent.  But one of my primary purposes for this blog was to create a snapshot for my daughters of what our life was like when they were young, and what I went through as a newish mother.  So self indulgent though it may be, this is our life.  In color.