Photography credit

Something I've failed to mention during this recent mass posting of pictures, with some text included, is that Chris is the photographer in the family. He got his first SLR camera in early 2007, and recently upgraded to this Canon 50D this March, for his birthday. It's a fun hobby for him, and he's known for getting up at sunrise on a snowy, icy morning to catch some pictures around town, and he's taken just one or two of our sweet daughter! He has captured some great photos of our travels, and although I just grab the standard images he loads on his Mac to post to this blog, he does some photo editing, and keeps a photo blog. Check some of them out here. I know he's interested in doing some photography shoots, so if your family or kids are in need of some pictures, let him know, and I'm sure he'll be more than happy to offer his services!

Happy 4th of July

Growing up, my family always travelled to Gulf Shores over the 4th for a big family gathering on my dad's side of the family. So, this year, I requested we all try and get together at the beach, and we stayed at Chris's grandparents house. It was a fun, extended weekend, but we did stay clear of the water due to the oil. We had some tar balls on the beach, but did manage to try and take advantage of the sand and fresh air.

Riley making friends with her uncle David. They were best buds by the time we left.

She was so proud she found part of a sand dollar.
Tasting said sand dollar, with Nana B and Granddaddy.

Playing around with Granddaddy.

Sitting pretty on the pier.

And you think you could say "NO" to those beautiful eyes?
Aww, loving her daddy!
We had a fun trip, I celebrated another birthday milestone, but now it's back to the real world!

Happy Father's Day

Due to the fishing trip, we spent Father's day in Hattiesburg. I captured this moment right before we left for church Sunday morning.

Knock knock. Who's there?

I'm curious to know who all out there in internet land is reading about our little world we live in. Granted I don't post regularly at all, I'm still curious to know who finds us in this huge blog world. If you don't mind, leave a quick comment in the comments section and let me know who you are, and how you found us. You never know, it might inspire me to update a little more often if I actually have followers!

Fishing trip in southern Louisiana

For the last few years, my dad has made a trip to southern Louisiana with either my brother, or uncle, to go fishing for red fish, flounder, and speckled trout. This year, Chris's schedule finally allowed him to participate, so he joined my dad and uncle for a trip down south. It happened to fall over Father's Day weekend, which was a great outing for them, and mom, Riley and I got to hang out in Hattiesburg.


From what I'm told, Chris caught the biggest and most, so he may or may not be invited back next year!


Here is Chris with one of his red fish.
The three fisherman. My dad is in the middle, and my uncle Ramon to the right.
Looks like a successful trip!

Cake decorating

For Christmas this past year, I requested a gift certificate to our local Viking Cooking School. They teach a variety of classes, ranging from observation to hands on. This past June, I was finally able to attend their advanced cake decorating class, which deals with fondant, gum paste, and other decorative ingredients, along with some great hands on experience and teaching. It was a 5 hour class on a Saturday, and I felt like a kid playing in the kitchen. It was a much needed break for this mommy!


Below is my creation. We had some issues due to the serious heat wave here in Memphis with the gum paste drying, so it didn't come out quite as detailed and sharp as we had wanted, but I still loved the class, and can't wait to sign up for another.

Summer fun

Beating the heat with a cool treat.
Riley is quite the helper around the house, especially outside when it involves watering the flowers. She may have gotten squirted by her parents once or twice during this watering session.
Taking the task at hand very seriously.

Ft. Morgan beach trip - Memorial Day weekend

We took a road trip with Chris's family to his grandparents beach house in Fort Morgan, AL over the Memorial Day weekend. We both took the Tuesday as an extra day, so we got to spend lots of time playing in the sand with Riley, and this kid LOVES the ocean. We returned, and I immediately signed her up for swimming lessons.

Luckily, on our trip, the oil hadn't reached the beach yet, so we were free to play.

Family picture, with an ever growing belly.

Yes, she does this same activity in the bathtub and pool, always with the same expression: pure joy!

Perhaps I'm slightly partial, but she's just cute, even from behind!
Working on a serious project. One shovel in each hand.
One half of the happiest and proudest grandparents of our sweet little girl.
Yes, Chris took a belly shot, and I'm possibly regretting posting this. I would be somewhere around 21 weeks along.
Pops playing with me in the ocean.

Memphis Botanical Gardens - May 1

My parents came to visit the first weekend of May, and we took a trip to the Botanical Gardens. We had never been, but it was a great place for Riley to get out and run, and the scenery was very nice.

I think Nana B is pointing out some of the fish in the pond.

Grandaddy pointing out nature.
A nice way to wrap up the afternoon visit by cooling down in the fountain!

Some very proud great-grandparents

Spring pictures at mommy's work

After returning from our cruise, many of the azaleas were blooming in our area, so we took Riley up to my office, which has a beautiful area between our towers full of flowers.

Someone is being silly!
Look, I found some flowers!

Southern Caribbean Cruise - April 2010

I'm back to trying to catch up on blogging again. Back in April, we took a cruise with the Garner's and White's to see the southern portion of the Caribbean. Both sets of grandparents were graciously willing to keep Riley and Millie, so we jetted off and never looked back! The 6 of us flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and we boarded the Celebrity Summit. Our port of calls were on the islands of St. Thomas, St. Kitts, St. Croix, Antigua, St. Lucia. We had a very busy schedule, which didn't leave much time to play on the boat, but it was so much fun.

Here is the break down of our excursions or activities we did on each island:

St. Thomas - we took a private sailboat with just the 6 of us and 6 crew people and sailed and snorkled at Honeymoon Bay. Captain Mike and Josh will continue to be a memorable experience for us.

St. Kitts - We all took a train ride on the old railway used for their sugar plantations. It poured on us, but the island scenery was wonderful.

St. Croix - The Garner's took a day of rest on-board, but we agreed on a 13 mile bike ride with the White's, and although the scenery was good, we decided our rear-ends aren't meant for 13 miles on a bicycle seat!

Antigua - Our favorite location by far. We just grabbed a cab, and went to beautiful beach spot for the day. Enjoyed some fruity drinks and food with a great ocean view, and we also rented some jet ski's and rode around to check out some coast line. We've found our retirement location!

St. Lucia - We took an all day tour around the island with probably 15 stops along the way to see different parts of the island, including the famous Piton mountains.