Take Me Out to the Ball Game

This past weekend I went to NJ to see my family. My three nephews each had a game on Saturday. First it was t-ball with Gavin at 9am, then soccer for Dean at 11am, and the day wrapped up with a baseball game with Grant at 3:45pm.

As you'll see below, the varying expressions made by the boys are what make some of these photos. We got a good laugh out of some of them. It was a beautiful day to be outside, as the temperature was near 70.

Just call him Twinkletoes

He spotted me

mouth agape

Mouth open....see the ball?

And eyes closed....not sure that's too smart :-)

SAFE!!!!

Philadelphia:: Mini Historical Tour

I have made it a personal goal for 2013 to get out more. What that means specifically is open for interpretation, but I live near so many cute towns/cities and am only a 1/2 hour from Philadelphia, and I rarely visit. I also got a smart phone in November and have enjoyed taking snippets of life and capturing them with Instagram. It's forced me to be more creative compositionally, and I've begun to follow complete strangers whose work inspires me. So the goal is quite simple: at least once a month, I want to spend at least a few hours out in a town/city that is near me. So far the list includes: New Hope, Peddlers Village, Newtown, Philadelphia, Manayunk (all in PA), and Princeton, Lambertville (both in NJ). I am hoping for my list to expand, but I figure that's a good place to start.

This past weekend, I took a trip into Philly with the family I live with. The weather was supposed to be warmer than usual for a January day, so we drove down, found great parking, and walked around the Historic District of Philly for a few hours. The kids have been learning about Betsy Ross and Benjamin Franklin, and so they were excited to see the sites. Our first stop was to see the Liberty Bell; I hadn't been to see the bell since my 5th grade field trip to Philly. Of course, when you're younger, everything seems larger than life, so when I saw the bell this time, it looked so small to me. But there's nothing like sticking 2 cute kids in front of it. They were a bit shy at first, but the posted guard told them they could get a 'prize' if they had their picture taken. Afterward, he gave them each a souvenir card with history of the bell on it.

Then we walked past the Constitution Center, Independence Hall, and the US Mint, and they posed for some pictures along the way.

We also passed the grave of Benjamin Franklin - contained within the Christ Church Burial Ground. We then made our way to see the Betsy Ross House. The house tour was quite informative; it was great to learn about her flag making from a reenactor. She was great with the kids, and showed them different materials Betsy would have used to fill pillowcases. She also showed them how to quickly make a 5-point star, and gave them a star to remember their visit.

We had a super fun visit, and the kids got really excited about each stop we made. With the exception of the Betsy Ross House, most places are free. Tickets are required at some points, but since it was a January day, not many people were there, and we walked right into the Liberty Bell and Betsy Ross House. For more info. on what to see, check out this site. There are plenty of informational sites, but this one gives an overview and links to other pages.

Take me out to the ballgame....

If there is one sport my nephew enjoys playing, it's baseball. A few months ago, he wrote a report for school and dressed up like Derek Jeter. He plays on a team, plays for fun when he's not playing on the team, and looks pretty darn cute, er, rugged in his baseball hat. He's for sure all boy -- doesn't mind the mud, loves running around and getting sweaty, and enjoys the days of youth.

I only got to see one of Grant's baseball games before moving back to PA. Just days prior he had gotten a pretty fat lip after taking a baseball to the face. But he mustered up the courage to play the game, and be the best 1st baseman/shortstop/pitcher he could be.

counting the number of outs (can you see the black and blue on his upper lip?)

All was going well, until he got a little protective of first base. The runner came toward him and he didn't realize it probably wasn't a good idea to stand in front of the bag. What happened next took us all a bit by surprise. He and the other little boy collided and Grant took a pretty hard hit to the sand.

But he got up and went about his business, trying to avoid crying and acting like the tough 8 yr. old that he is. But then his coach came over to make sure he was OK, and Grant just kept his eyes looking forward. He couldn't be bothered....

The inning ended, and he got up to bat. He got a pretty good hit that got him to first base.

 Proudly sporting the #2 jersey...

 He hasn't quite realized he shouldn't watch the ball as he runs...but he ended up scoring a run....

And meanwhile, his brothers were half watching, half playing, and I caught this pic of my other nephew Dean.... There is just something so gripping about this image...maybe because he's my oldest nephew... seemingly all grown up... Oh, how I wish I could freeze time and just savor these sweet memories I am able to capture.

I absolutely cherish the time I get with my little men. I still snuggle with them, and scratch their backs. I love trying to distract them from watching tv or playing their video games, just to hear them say "Siiiiissy, stop!" I love when they come running - ready to topple me over - when they've not seen me in awhile. And I love sleepovers... Why do they have to get so big??

Under the Sea:: Ruby's 5th Birthday Party

This weekend I had the opportunity to photograph Ruby's 5th birthday party with all her friends. The theme centered around all things mermaid/under the sea and the decor was ocean blues - shells, streamers, pom poms, fish-shaped sandwiches, and even a visit from Ariel herself, complete with face-painting, a treasure hunt, and - at the end - "loot pails" for each child.

I took pictures of Ruby's princess party last year and wrote a simple blog post about it. Ruby's mom - Jen - is fabulous with planning parties and is quite honestly the hostess with the mostess :-) Jen has launched a business out of her love for planning and is gearing up for some upcoming parties. Check out Jen's newly created blog for previous parties and those to come! I am so thankful we had the opportunity to meet a few years ago...I count it a blessing to have her as a friend and watch her love on her daughter.

But back to the party..... The day couldn't have been nicer - temps in the 70s - and a little girl so excited about her special party. Here's the birthday girl:

 Mom and Dad with Ruby.....

 Such a happy little 5-year old:

 Playing with the flowers....just love that "poof" of the skirt...

 A pic of the girls with Ariel in the middle...they were so excited when she came...

 Ariel's response when one of the girls asked her a question:

Ruby doing the "craft" -- painting shells...

Ariel did face-painting too...all the girls ran to line up....birthday girl got a little heart...

 Beaming as she listens to her friends sing "Happy Birthday".....

 The moms whose girls came to the party....they are a great bunch of really sweet women...

 The dining room, all set for lunch... Jen did a great job taking care of every last detail...

The cutest little holder for pink lemonade that the girls loved...and look at those cute straws....

 The wonderful hostess....and mom extraordinaire. Jen is so gifted...she's really so talented. She made so many of the decorations and food items you see in this picture:

the streamers hanging, the marshmallows on the left of the table, the pom pom hanging, 

and put thought into each and every thing that took place that day. 

Jen, thanks so much for allowing me to be a part of Ruby's special day. I am so glad I was able to capture the moments so you could enjoy watching it unfold. Your creativity is inspiring. It's amazing what a year does to little ones...Ruby is such a sweet young lady and it's wonderful to know your journey and have her be such an incredible blessing in your and Jeff's lives.

Absolutely superb party...can't wait to hear about next year's theme!!!

(Click here to see more pics)