Thursday, April 21, 2011

Embrace the Camera: April 21st

We finally made it to the opening of the Butterfly Pavilion at the Natural History Museum, and the moment we entered the exhibit Lily was in awe of fluttering wings. Everywhere we looked there were beautiful butterflies flying above our heads, landing on people, and eating while the paparazzi snapped away.

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This was by far one of our favorite butterflies, we almost missed it because it blended so well to the flower it was feeding off of. It actually looked at me at one point and twisted its antennas.
Not sure it was a good sign...

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Most of the butterflies had damaged wings such as this one, not sure what causes that. The eyes on this one creeps me out a bit, but they are quite blue and beautiful...sort of.

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At a close range this little guy looks like an owl to me, its face turned individually from its body like an owl too. It was definitely one of the furriest ones there, and its wings were nearly gone.

It was over 90 degrees that day,
and moments after these images were taken we headed indoors seeking AC.

There she is walking along side her daddy...again, in awe of everything. At this point, you may want to count the amount of times you see this expression run across her face. I counted 4+

We entered the slide show room (I really don't know what's it's called), and they both stood there watching videos of underwater life. The video is displayed in 360 view, so no matter where you sit you basically have front row seat. Sweet!

This family of 3 has never been to the snow, so this is the closest we have gotten to ice. I can always open the fridge and get creative, but something tells me it's just not the same.   

As we were making our way out she ran towards this telescope, and made every attempt to look through it. I eventually picked her up and showed her the sights below. At this point I also noticed the map on the floor, and pointed out our house (it wasn't really our house, but I'm sure it was someones house)
...she was captivated by this idea.

 I really wish I had edited the video of this working sculpture, we must have been playing with it for a good 15 minutes. It's meant to work like a giant telephone...you stand on one end while someone else stands on the other end...and even a small whisper can be heard. Yet, with Lily all you get are screams or a loud 'Heeeeeeeeellllllllllllooooooo!' 

 We finally made it to the attached Aquarium, and by the looks of her expressions
...this is her absolute favorite part.

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This was our end...and my absolute favorite image of the day!


Thursday, April 14, 2011

Embrace the Camera: April 14th

My Water Lily...

     A few days ago we took her to visit the USC campus in hopes of picking up new gear before the football season begins. Yet, the moment we get there all she can focus on are all the fountains. Every turn we took displayed one fountain after another.

I kept her at a safe distance...obviously I'm the boring parent.
So she asked her dad to give her a closer look...

My husband had a good hold of her, otherwise we would likely become one of those parents who everyone stared at because they allowed their kid to fall into the fountain.
Plus, I've seen a dog pee in that fountain years ago...
that kind of stuff stays with you.

Oh lookey here...she found another fountain. Yup, there she goes.

You would think that after spending quite some time on campus looking at water...well, it would become boring. Clearly I'm wrong because look at that face, you would think my daughter had never been introduced to water. Come to think about it, this is the kid that will ask...no, beg you to take her a bath.
She has nearly cried for one on a few occasions.

Little Foot here found a giant leaf and that was our cue to distract her enough to pull her away from the fountains. It took her a minute to realize what was happening, and she made a scene I would rather not document. Let's just say she caught the attention of a few college kids, and I felt SO much like that parent.

Fortunately, she forgives and forgets quite easily. The tears left as fast as they came. Then I proceeded to tickle and chase her all the way to the car. Please ignore my face in the images above and just focus on her (oh, and my wrinkled sweater).





Thursday, April 7, 2011

Embrace the Camera: April 7th

     We had been having a rough 3 months, and it seemed as though we were experiencing one thing after another. Through it all I kept a pretty positive outlook and tried to remind myself that I should focus on the blessings in my life rather than the negative. There was the incident where our car got rear-ended, the trip to the ER when Lily's fever wouldn't subside, and the tsunami/radiation scare we had here in California after the earthquake in Japan. I told myself that the car can be fixed and everyone was fine, Lily's fever was gone the next day, and though my heart goes out to all the victims of Japan's earthquake...it's another reminder to cherish life because we are not guaranteed another day.

     So I am focused now even more than ever to cherish every day...the mundane...every moment. I have also learned that Mozzarella sticks makes everything better!