Sammy’s Amazing Race

The birthday parties I remember when I was a kid weren’t the ones where I was getting the presents. I’m sure I had delightful birthdays, but the ones I really remembered and most enjoyed were the ones for my friend, Rogan.

Rogan’s parents are geniuses. His dad was a professor at Kent State University, and with Rogan’s mom, they arranged the most fun, delightful and creative birthdays imaginable. They tended to be elaborate games that were some combination of Capture the Flag, an off road biking adventure, food fight, and Lord of the Flies. More than 30 years later, I still remember and treasure those parties and the resulting scars. Continue reading “Sammy’s Amazing Race”

Shooting children and puppies

When shooting children and puppies, be sure that they are sitting still. That’s rule number one.

Wait, wait, wait… that sounds bad. I don’t mean shooting children and puppies. I mean, taking pictures of children and puppies.

Anyway, this past weekend was our annual holiday card photo shoot. Here are a few sample shots, none of which was chosen as the “winner.” You’ll have to wait for that.

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Some recent photos…

Here’s a collection of some recent photos from the library.

This one is of three cardinal eggs, which have since hatched. The mama and papa birds are none-too-pleased when we stop by for a peek.

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Recently, we attended Lucy’s “Coming of Age” ceremony. Sammy followed it up with some, um, gardening.

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And Lucy was darling, of course:

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Check out this photo (obviously not by me) of David among his people. I wonder if he’s told them that Mike Schmidt owes him $20:

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Sammy’s papa.

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That’s it. More soon.

Some recent videos

Sorry for the absence of posts. Just been super busy. Here are some videos I’ve shot recently:

In this video, we see Sammy learning to swim and enjoying pushing me into the pool. Thank goodness for the waterproof housing!

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI9pfOY3QKc

Here, Sammy surprises Cyn with a Mother’s Day treat:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOATF-4JRw4

In this video, Sammy and Nana do a little singing:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSTkVdfBpnY

Finally, in this video, papa teaches Sammy how to paint her feet. She’s been into that ever since. Thanks, papa.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Vwvfjrc5I

Fine!

The other day, I chaperoned Sammy’s class trip to the local fair. It was a cute time. But the launch of the outing got off to a troubling start. Check it out:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQgA8xd14j4

Meanwhile, here’s a nice pic of Sammy with her classmates looking at some Koi.

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