Happy Thanksgiving To All!

Well, we did it!  Another successful Thanksgiving!  But this one was a bit different.  Instead of lounging on the couch, reading Thanksgiving circulars and watching football and the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, we were a but more "involved."  See, Caden doesn't really like to lounge.  He's not too keen on staying in one place for too long.  A rambler, he is!  But, I wouldn't have had it any other way!  Sure, I was beat by the end of it all, but it was worth it because Chumbie really started walking!  He took a step two weeks ago, but this time, it was ON!  We were fortunate enough to catch it on video, as well!

And so, we ate like kings.  Fried turkey, Turduckhen, ham, green bean casserole, corn casserole, cranberry sauce (my fave), candied yams, mash potatoes, crescent rolls, apple butter pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake!  Whew!  And it was good, too, yall!  We spent the Holiday with Gigi and Pipi, Bunny and Paw, and my grandma, Meme!  We also got to spend Friday with our good friend, Brittany! 

And the table was set........ Notice Chumbie's cute travel high chair in the corner!  Travis even taped his plate down!

The loot

Chumbie feasted on all the Thanksgiving goodies

My Plate....and yes, that's definitely some Pink Lemonade!

On Friday, we continued with tradition by going up to College Station, TX to visit Santa's Wonderland, take our Christmas picture and enjoy some big ol' steaks from The Somerville Steak House. 

Last year we took our picture in front of the giant Aggie Ring in front of the Association of Former Students on the A&M Campus.  This year, we decided to do that same.  The ring is an exact replica of the Aggie Ring that every Senior recieves!  The Aggie Ring is one of the most well known Aggie symbols across the world!  In every nation, Aggies will recognize each other just from the ring worn on their finger.  Travis and I both wear ours proudly!  Visit http://www.aggienetwork.com/ring/history.aspx to learn more about the Aggie Ring!  Our good friend, Brittany, came with us this year!  Aunt BB took some great pics with Chumbie! 

This year there was a bit of a break in tradition.  The Somerville Steak House closed their doors a couple of months ago.  Located in a tiny town 20 minutes from College Station, The Somerville Steak House was a well-known establishment among Aggies!  It was an old house, probably not even 1000 square feet, turned into a restaurant where they served the freshest steaks!  Seriously.  The cows were actually in the back!  Served with country sides, the steaks were no less than GIGANTIC.  I guess the economy hit them... Who knows.  But, we did find a suitable substitute, Sodolak's Beefmasters in College Station.  Owned by the same family as The Somerville Steak House, Sodolak's was equally amazing!  Caden LOVED his mashed potatoes and chicken tenders!

Lastly, we visited Santa's Wonderland, which is a HUGE light display where you can drive or take a hayride through over 3 millions lights!  It's gorgeous!  Then, you can make your way into the little town at the end with cute stores and booths!  They also have some of the best kettle corn and hot chocolate!  Each year, the displays gets bigger and better!  This year, we took a hayride through the lights!  And it was COLD!  Thursday evening the temperature plummeted over 20 degrees in two hours!  By Friday, it was downright frigid....well for us Texans, anyway.

We don't often get snow here in College Station, so a snow machine helps set the Christmas mood!

This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for my family, my wonderful and supporting husband, my son and my friends.  I'm thankful that I've been able to watch this miracle, my Caden, grow this year!  I'm thankful for so many things that there is just not enough room to write it all here.  Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with so many wonderful miracles and gifts.

Texas Renaissance Festival 2010

Travis, Caden and I went with our family to the Annual Texas Renaissance Festival this Saturday!  We go every year, and it's a BLAST!  With over 53 acres of land, the Renaissance is the largest of its kind in the nation!  The festival is a 16th Century wonder with vendors, entertainers, jousting, food, gardens and much more!  Entertainers, shop keepers, and even ticket takers, all don the attire and speak the tongue of the 16th century!  The festival runs for 8 weekends from October through November.







Shadow Play

Caden and I took advantage of the GORGEOUS day today!  The rain cleared and left a beautiful blue sky, cool weather and perfect lighting for photos!  However, I didn't want that typical gorgeous-midmorning-sun look.  Today, I focused more on the fun shots you can get with shadows.  I love to use shadows as part of the composition....love how they fall across the ground, over the face or distantly in the background.

I also remembered how much fun I had "breaking the rules" when I did photography back in the day.  And by that, I mean that I would set the photos to be either slightly over- or underexposed.  Exposure is just the total amount of light allowed to fall onto the film or sensor.  Usually, there is a meter in your camera, seen through the viewfinder and on the LCD screen of a digital SLR camera.  When you manually expose your shots, text books urge you to aim to get that meter to fall right in the middle.  However, it's when you shoot slightly left or right of the center when you get GREAT shots!  I tend to shoot slightly left of center, which means my shots tend to be a bit darker, or slightly underexposed.  I often compare my work to professional photographers, and I see many professionals over exposing their shots.  I guess that's their creative niche.  I usually prefer a darker, more saturated look....  Caden and I took some really great shots in a very shady area today, and I found myself shooting both left and right of center.  I really enjoyed both looks, especially in the shadows!

Mr. Crazy Hair

Caden LOVED the awesome gazebo over the water!

I love the way the shadows falls across the planks.  I also love the way the vertical shadows of the trees in the background compliment the horizontal planks on the bridge.

Shot a bit to the right

Shot to the left

My FAVORITE from today!  The shade was just right, and the light that came through looked like a spot light! 

More Family Fun!

It's been raining on and off here in Cypress, so we've made the best out of the nice days for photos!  Saturday, we had Gigi and Pipi and Bunny and Paw over for a BBQ and to watch the Ags BTHO Baylor!  On Sunday, we made it to the park right before the rain brought us right back home.

The rain is bringing some really cool weather in, and we're really enjoying the change.  Life is much better below 60 degrees Fahrenheit!  Next weekend, we're going to the Texas Renaissance Festival!  I hope the weather is nice, and I plan on taking an overwhelming amount of pics!  Be prepared!

My Daddy (Paw) and Caden

My Mom (Bunny) and Caden

Caden loves his Paw and Bunny!



BBQ and Day with the Ducks

Travis, Caden and I had a great, relaxing weekend!  We spent Saturday with Bunny, Paw and Aunt Jo!  Jordan came down from college to spend some time with us!  We had a great BBQ, and watched the Aggies BTHO (Beat the Hell Outta, for you non-Aggie fans) Oklahoma University!  Seems like the Aggies might actually save face this year!  We'll just have to see.  All I know is that my Thanksgiving turkey tastes even better when the Ags beat the snot out of t.u.  So, here's to some mighty fine tasting turkey in a couple of weeks!  Gig 'Em Ags! 

On Sunday, we decided to head down the street to the lake and feed the ducks.  Now, I never feel sorry for these ducks, because they've been conditioned to see people and expect to eat.  We pulled up in Caden's stroller, and the ducks starting coming in droves!  We seized the opportunity to take some great photos.  Travis was an amazing assistant, helping position Caden, removing foliage from his mouth, making silly sounds, and, best of all, even getting in a few shots with Chumbie.  Today was a big day for Chumbie!  He actually decided to stand up all by himself three times today!  He's stood up on his own a couple of times already, but this is the first day he's done it multiple times! 

Saturday Game Day and BBQ

  

Caden, Aunt Jo and Bella

 Feeding the Ducks on Sunday

Here come some more!

Standing up all by himself!

 

Cute top tooth....

 

Look at that curly hair!