2011 Photo of the Week : Week Thirty Four

 

Week Thirty Four : A Captured Moment

More river fun captured on film...er, sort of :)  On this image, i applied Aly's vintage action i got off the internet, then added some of my own Photoshop magic to come up with "A Captured Moment". 

Rocky Mountain Raptor Open House ~

 Saturday was Open House at the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program, so i surprised Jordyn with a visit there to meet some of their Educational Ambassadors. 

 This Long Eared Owl greeted us at the door...isnt he cool!

 Then we learned about owl pellets and all the neat things you can find inside them.  Jordyn and i are always looking for these on the island behind the house, but so far, we havent found any yet. 

 This gorgeous Peregrine Falcon was missing a wing due to electrocution, so now he lives at the facility and travels to schools and educational shows, raising awareness and funds for the program.

 This is the Rough Legged Hawk, and hes been with them for many years.  He is blind in one eye, and therefore cannot survive in the wild.  He travels to the Renaissance Fair every year, as well as schools and other fund raisers.

 Here Jordyn learns the difference between different raptor feathers, which was really interesting!

 And my favorite little guy...the Eastern Screech Owl.  Also blind in one eye, he was so tiny and cute!

 We had a great visit, and im glad we made the trip down.  After a visit to the gift shop, Jordyn picked out this cute furry owl, while i scored a t-shirt and we picked out a magnet for Daddy. 

 

 Overall, a great distraction from a conversation we had earlier that morning...thats right, the dreaded question..."Mom, is Santa real?"  Doh...shes in kindergarten for a week, and already someone is spoiling the magic!

I asked her why she wanted to know, to which she replied, with great sadness on her face..."some kid at school told her he wasnt real."  So i told her, "some people dont believe in Santa, but i choose to believe in the magic of Santa, how about you"....to which she gleamed "me too!" And with that, she finished brushing her hair and went about her day.

Sketchbook Challenge for August ~

Its been a few months since i participated in the sketchbook challenge, so i decided to get out my paints and give it a go.  The theme for August is everyday objects, which seemed like a fun subject...so here it is!  Not too shabby for someone who hasnt picked up a paint brush in 4 months!  Gotta get back in my groove, cause now that Jordyn is back in school, i can start meeting with the watercolor society again.  Though i miss Jordyn when shes at school, i look forward to having a little more free time for creating!

Kindergarten ~ First Day of School!

 We just dropped Jordyn off at school, and its official...we have a kindergartner!  Justin took the morning off so he could ride up with us, which was great, because when Mommy got emotional, he stayed in the classroom and took the photos. :)

 Im not sad to see her starting kindergarten, just proud and excited for this giant milestone in her life.  Kindergarten in rural schools are full days, so she will be there all day with the rest of the kids...a big step indeed!

 Here she is modeling her new school outfit (courtesy of her Godmother Christy)...i just love the tutu-like skirt!  You probably recognize it, as she wore it during rogue camp during the treasure hunt.  Personally, i love her Scooby-Doo crocs and Scooby-Doo lunch box!

 Most of the kids take the bus, so even though we were 10 minutes early, the kids were already in their seats...so here she is saying hi to all her friends and showing off her Scooby-Doo lunch box.  Look how excited she is!  Hurray for Kindergarten!!!

And the Winner is...

Congrats to Nik at Nik's Bits and Pieces for winning the drawing for my 500th post giveaway...just send me an email with your mailing address and ill mail you your prize :)  Thank you to all of the ladies that entered my giveaway, the kind words about my blog were quite inspiring, and i hope you visit again soon!  Happy Sunday Everyone!

Harry Potter and Fort Fun Friday ~

 

(image courtesy of the official Harry Potter website / Warner Brothers)

Once again, i think we were the last people to see the final movie in the Harry Potter series...but i didnt mind the wait...no lines, no crowds, an empty theater, and the seats of our choice!  

Since Jordyn was born, we had not seen the Harry Potter movies in the theater, but instead waited to buy them when they came out on DVD...but we decided we would all go to see the last film in the theater, and i am so glad we did!

I know Jordyn is a little young for these movies, but she absolutely loves them.  This is the first time Justin was able to come to the movies with us too, so it was a special day!  It was a fun and emotional experience...the last movie of the series, after 10 years of enjoyment!  I knew the storyline so the anticipation was great!  Ill admit it...i cried, i cheered, i applauded with laughter...its been a while since a movie touched me like this!  An awesome experience indeed!
After the movie, we decided to head over to Fort Fun for pizza, beer, and games!  Jordyn LOVES this place...the mini carousel, the giant wave slide, the paddle boats, the arcade games...but this time she got to ride on the Go-Carts...and that was a blast!  Jordyn and Daddy rode, while i laughed at the spectacle before me.  Why is it that the most memorable and special moments in your life are not photographed...thats right, i left the camera at home.  Sometimes i feel like i miss the moments because im always trying to capture them with my camera, so yesterday, i went without.  Ill never forget the look on her face as they drove out of the gate...her hair was blowing up in the air like Don King, and the look of terror and joy on her face as the other cars raced past her was classic!  She was laughing and hollering at Justin..."faster daddy faster...dont let them beat us"...and then when he went fast, she'd yell "too fast daddy, too fast".  She was grinning from ear to ear as they circled the track, and i had tears in my eyes as i laughed watching them!  

At the end of the day, Jordyn cashed in her prize coupons.  She picked out three plastic dinosaurs, a wind up lady bug and a giant pixie stick (great suggestion daddy...ill be sure to let her eat that on your watch).  What a fabulous family day!

2011 Photo of the Week : Week Thirty Three

 

Week Thirty Three : Waters Edge

I was really pleased with the light in this one, so i thought it would look nice in black and white.  Digitally painted in Photoshop.

And dont forget...theres only a few more days to sign up for my 500th post blog giveaway!