Smorgasbord Orgasbord Orgasbord {red river portrait and lifestyle photographer}

So if you people are as great as I truly believe you to be, you know from the title that this post will be about The Fair. Because you will remember this scene from this sweet childhood favorite of mine.

Thanks for being great. ;)

So, let it be known that no trip is complete with out M&A (if you poke around on my blog for any amount of time you're sure to hit a jackpot full of pictures and musings about them). They are just too eh-DAR-able. ;) And they successfully got us more than hyped to enjoy the night after going on and on while we were driving, about how much fun we were gonna have. We hopped out of the car humming Adele, basking in the setting sun, smelling the sweet smell of rusty contraptions, livestock, and sugary treats; thoroughly prepared to have a wonderful time. :D

Maggie was the brave one...she knew she was going to ride everything in sight.

Anna believed herself to be brave. Her courage was soon to be put to the test.

We were happily joined by their beeeeautiful friends: 4 year old Addison

 And 6 year old Avery :) {btw, these girls have amazzzzing eyes...wow...}

 Maggie gravitated quickly to her favorite ride first. No matter what they invent...the classic slide will be a forever crowd pleaser. :D

(To lay some ground work to straighten all this out...that's my Uncle Donald holding her {my mom's oldest brother.} It's Maggie and Anna's Paw-Paw because it's their Daddy's Daddy. SO, to set the record straight: Maggie and Anna are my oldest cousin's {on my mom's side} little girls. Thought you'd like to know. ;) Alrighty then...moving on...)

 Anna wasn't quite ready, she was still...ya know...warming up to the idea of being that high off the ground.

Uncle Donald: Look Anna, there's Maggie.

Anna: Oh. *Gulp*

 Uncle Donald: That looks fun, doesn't it?

Anna: Yeah!

Uncle Donald: You wanna do that next? Or just stay here with Paw-Paw?

 Anna: I wanna stay wif you, Paw-Paw.

 Next ride choice...the Go Gator {tiny} roller coaster.

 Anna was especially nervous.

 Maggie: I got this. This ain't even scary. Anna'll be fine.

Anna {to herself, through gritted teeth and rising panic}: *I can do this, I can do this, I can do this...

 Anna: No I can't!

Maggie had the prospect of riding alone for a full minute or so...

Then Anna was back!

Let's just say, she battled a mood swing or two before she finally convinced herself she was okay. 

Usually the ride starting suddenly makes your decision for you.

 Big sisters are such blessings...can I get an amen or aye?

 I was subconsciously eyeing this ride half the night...

 The cars were much more suited to Anna's anxiety level :D Personally I think this is an endangerment to society. Think about how many countless children that will be prepared to drive cars with two steering wheels! This can't be good...Our roads are going to be a dangerous place in a decade or so, just wait...

 Maggie and Anna's friends; Cousins Kate and Reece thought it a pleasant ride as well. But, really, isn't driving a firetruck always a thrilling experience?

 The perfect ride for a gaggle of girls to enjoy themselves in. :D The girls on the far left and right are Alexis (Reece's big sis) and Abby (Kate's big sis)

 My subconscious was finally satisfied. ;)

 That's my Aunt Dana in the middle...yep, that means I'm the one laughing hysterically with Snoopy on my shirt. ;) Generally having a blast. :D 

Anna was slightly worried but she felt better with her Grandmama (my Aunt Freda) so close to her.

Maggie was all smiles as usual. :)

 The last time I was crazy enough to ride this I was 4' 11", 9 years old, and my friend Jessica's flipflops flew off and slammed me in the face. I'm sure I had a black eye for weeks...

  You simply cannot leave a fair without getting a sugar rush, right? That's somewhere in a long-lost rule book, isn't it? It should be.

 Just between me and you...one of the girls got much stickier and colorful than the other...but I can't quite remember which one it was.

 Uncle Donald couldn't bare the fact that there was no pictures of me. So he took one. And I, having the great privilege of The Self-Conscious Photographer who has such a hard time letting go of the camera and all the implied rights and getting in front of it, enjoyed myself by super-over-editing this...I had to have some control, ya know. ;)

When we left we were all sufficiently filled with high fructose corn syrup no doubt, our heads were spinning after all that circular movement, and our eyes were swimming with neon color. "Umor has it" we had a lot of fun. I'd say so too. ;)

~Through Christ's Love ♥

Lila's First Haircut {houston,tx child photographer}

Everything we do in our life can seem mundane from time to time.

We get up,

get ready,

eat breakfast,

start our day.

We do everyday things, in the same places, with the same people, and at the same time. 

But do we forget

the mystery,

the wonder,

the excitement,

the unknown about

Our First Time?

Obviously we don't remember the first time we walked or talked...but what about the first book we read? Or the first time we rode a bike? Now that stuff is old hat but at one point it was new, strange, and undiscovered.

Last week I got to document this little cutie's very first haircut. :)

It all started at this place in a mall in Houston called:

When Lila got in the chair, they gave her some distraction to ward off the scary, butterfly fluttery, flip-flopping tummy feelings she may be having. She welcomed it happily. :)

They suited her up...

And she waited patiently as her Mommy explained to the hair-dresser what kind of haircut they had come for. 

"Just a trim...it's her very first. Oh and we want to keep as much of the length as possible!"

Isn't it funny how parents can be just as nervous (sometimes more so) about "firsts" then the children? :) 

Then the uncertainty began, the newness, the unpredictable parts of this thing called 

a haircut 

that Mommy and Daddy had warned her about...

The Spritzing was the first new experience...

But her Mommy was there to redirect her attention to a video they had playing for the kids. 

Even so, there was still the unpleasantness of not knowing what was coming next...Don't you imagine its a little scary seeing someone come at your hair with scissors when they've never done that before?? ;)

Good thing her Daddy was there to make her smile :)

She soon got the hang of it and looked like a beauty shop regular :D

Of course, another ball or two helped keep the mood peaceful :)

Before she knew it, the haircut was over. :)

And now, the next time they come she'll know just what to look forward to. :)

(i.e. Shorter hair, a new hair clip, and a quick ride on the carousel outside the shop.) ;D

Well...um...fun-house mirrors...they don't necessarily always show your good side. ;)

 Stay-tuned for more of little Lila later :D

~Through Christ's Love ♥