Baby Boden

Cute Baby Boden.  Momma Angelia let me have two sessions with him because he was not 100% agreeable the first time.  He was actually a real stinker, literally.  He just was not into having his picture taken that day.  Or the next one.  But I did get lots of cute shots.  And I got to hold a one week old.  Awwww.  Nothing like their sweet baby skin.

Don't let that sweet face fool ya.  He was not sleeping.

Nope, not sleeping.

No, still not sleeping.

Angelia has a really amazing birth story.  Congrats to you, Angelia, he really is a lucky boy.

(Did I ever mention that the name of my business is Rockin' A photography?  Not sure if I ever clarified.)

Horse Show

Natalya had her first ever horse show on Saturday.  She had horse camp this week and on Saturday all of the parents got to come and watch what the campers had learned.  Proud moment, let me tell you.  Not only for us but for herself as well.

Our little English rider.  She can't wait to jump fences.

They got to paint their horses before the show.  Natalya rides a horse named Holly.

And, no, it's not everyday you see an English rider learning to barrel race...

...or pole bend...

...or learning to rope.  But I guess this camp was mostly geared towards Western riding.  Who knows, she may one day decide to ride in the rodeo instead. 

And here are her boots all done up fancy with some texture.  Natalya actually saw this picture and said that I made her boots look dirty.  I don't know which will be My Best Shot for today.  I'll think about it and get back to you.  ;-)

Photoshop, Anyone?

(Tutorial here, if you are feeling adventurous.)

Summer Lovin'

Hold on to your horses, this is a long one. 

Here are the pictures from our trip to the Bahamas.  I really made a conscious decision not to lug "the third child" (aka camera) around all the time.  As you know, it becomes cumbersome to have to watch it all the time, keep it dry, etc.  It did take one possibly life threatening spill on the first day we got there.  Luckily, it survived with only a headache.  But you should have heard the noise it made when it hit the ground.  Eek.

We had a really great time.  We stayed at a really nice hotel that was totally kid friendly.  Wall to wall kids.  Sorry to those who honeymooned there because you probably got splashed by our children.  The weather was great.  We had two days when it rained in the evening but it left us with plenty o' fun in the sun.  One of those evenings we ordered room service and the girls thought it was the best thing ever.  What kid wouldn't like eating in bed?

Treasure hunting.

She had high hopes of snorkeling in the ocean.  Until the fish came.  You know the ones.  The monster 3 inch ones that threaten you by swimming close to your knees then scamper away.  The snorkel works great in the pool, though.

Still treasure hunting.  Vienne actually enjoyed swimming in the ocean.  That snorkel will be for her next time.

The hotel was full of fish.  There were aquariums all though it.  There were also lots of "lagoons" with hammer head shark, sea turtles, sting ray.  We happened into this tunnel while exploring.

A highlight was definitely when we got to get in the water with dolphins.  We got to kiss, hug, and dance with them.  Vienne smiled from ear to ear. 

Natalya again panicked because of the monster 3 inch fish.  I have to admit, the fish freaked me out, too.  But they are still talking about the dolphin.

The lazy river.  This one was actually more crazy than lazy.  It has rapids that took us pretty high.  The girls got a kick out of watching Momma freak out.

The girls had to get their hair braided.  Somehow it's become a tradition when we go to the beach.  It actually is much easier to take care of while we are there.  They are still in. 

Beauty comes at a price.  Both girls were in tears by the end of it.  The ladies doing the braiding must have been pulling a little hard, it was at the end of the first day we were there, they each sat for a good 45 minutes, and I hadn't combed there hair that day because we had to wake up 4:00 am to get the flight. 

This might be the only evidence of me being on this trip.  This was taken by Natalya at dinner one night.  All in all, I'd recommend the Bahamas.  Actually, I'd recommend the hotel.  We only left the resort once and that was for the dolphin experience.  The water was gorgeous, the temperature was perfect.  When I was little, we didn't go on big family vacations often.  I'm so glad that we are fortunate enough to be able to share this kind of trip with the girls.  I hope that they can look back on this years from now and remember how much fun they had. 

Summer fun.  More at Stacy's today.

Miss Madison Monday

 

 

Little Miss up there is 9 months old and adorable.  Prettiest blue eyes and as sweet as can be.   Why do I feel guilty that my children aren't my best shot for today?  Maybe it's cuz I know I have Vienne's party pics to post and our trip pics to post. 

 Another fun filled weekend gone by.  We recouped from our trip on Friday, had a very hot visit to the zoo on Saturday (remind me to stay away from the zoo until the fall), and we got to play with friends on Sunday.  Natalya has horse camp this week.  Her first camp ever.  I thought she couldn't be more excited with just lessons but the girl can't stop talking about camp.  Vienne will be so bored without her.  Three hours away from her a day will be tough on the little one.