Embrace the Camera: August 18th

San Diego Sea World!

The family was finally able to take a vacation this year, and it was long awaited. During the last 2 days, I was able to capture Lily's very first Sea World visit. A week prior to our vacation, all she kept requesting were to see animals and it seemed as though we couldn't reach that day soon enough. So when it came time, we all woke up with excitement to begin the day.

The moment she woke up I turned to her and whispered, 'Guess where we're going today?'. She began to guess a few places including her baby sitter's house. I hovered over her and said 'We're going to see your animals today!'...that instantly put a smile on her face. Then she stretched, rolled over, she sprung out of bed and immediately headed for her shoes.

As I gathered her clothes and shoes to get her dressed, Lily opted to sit by the balcony window. The lighting that morning was so beautiful as the morning dew covered our window. She would rise to see the golfers already doing their rounds on the golf course, and then sit back down and have some grapes.

As Lily sat there eating grapes, I was transfixed by her carefree expression. She was taking in the scenery, just existing in the moment. It made me exhale, and feel blessed for the little person sitting beside me.

We didn't waste any time, we went straight for Shiver the polar bear...and a few shots with Shamu.

We were thrilled to be seated in time for the first dolphin show, it was AH-MAZING!

We bought Lily a few sardines to feed the seals, yet she threw most of them in before I could even prepare to capture it. I also handed one over to a little boy standing near me whimpering because his dad wouldn't buy any. The smile on his face was priceless.

We stood a bit watching the seals, their call for food made Lily jump from time to time but she loved it.

The size of this starfish statue caught Lily's eye the moment we reached it. She hopped right up and gave it a huge hug.

She didn't hesitate to place her hand in the water and reach out for every starfish she could touch.

We reached the fish exhibit, and took a few shots of our favorite ones. Most of the fish there were larger than Lily!

The piranhas shimmered so beautifully that when you gathered them all together in this tank they gave out an amazing light. There must have been hundreds of them swimming along side each other.

Lily's favorite had to have been the turtles. They followed her little finger, and would swim near her for the entire time we remained there.

When we exited the exhibit...our little friend was waiting outside. Well, I think it was him...they all look alike.

I had to place a sweater on her to enter the polar bear exhibit, it was FREEZING! By this point, her hair was such a mess from the day that I had to leave it down and let it be. Once inside, she ran towards the window and stood in awe as the polar bear...well, he just slept the whole time. 

As we reached the end of our Sea World trip, we made sure we caught Elmo's 3D movie. This is her attempt to place the glasses on her face. Not quite right...but she got them on eventually...15 minutes later.

This was the best I could do in capturing  her during the movie. The room was dark and I sat right next to her not giving me any room for much. I love her expression of enjoyment though...she really loved the entire movie from beginning to end.

These two were beyond tired at this point...and developing a sunburn!

By the time we made it back to the hotel, all everyone wanted to do was lounge.

We all spent the remainder of the day out on the balcony. Eating, relaxing, and waiting for the sun to set. These are the moments I want to remember.

Embrace the Camera: July 28th

Oh Glorious Summer!

We finally got around to buying the little one a pool this year. We always figured we could simply drive down the coast and spend time by the shore, but this year she kept insisting we allow her to swim. I don't trust the ocean very much in terms of allowing her to swim in it, especially at her age. So we settled for a family size pool and parked it in the backyard...

She was in heaven the moment she stepped in. She would screech, yell, and laugh in that hysterical way that announces she's beyond pleased. As I filled the pool she would stand in one place and extend her arms wide allowing the water to hit her...then dance before doing it again.

When the pool was filled to capacity, the water reached Lily's shoulders when she sat. She would pretend to swim from one side of the pool to the other, when actually she was only crawling along the bottom. Even then she swallowed far too much water and kept coughing it up.

I kept interrupting her session with 'Look at Mommy! Say Cheese!'...she wasn't having it.

Yet, she took time out of her busy swimming session to plant a kiss on her daddy's nose and say 'Thank You' for the pool. He's a sucker for her, and I'm just glad she's not aware of it. Otherwise, she'll be asking for a car next!

Embrace the Camera: July 21st

Though we have been experiencing a heat wave the last few weeks, the weekends spent at the beach have been so much fun. Usually we just hop in the car and drive down the coast with no plans to stop besides getting a good bite to eat. Yet, this day Lily kept calling for Nemo, Ponyo, and every water character she has seen in movies. So despite the fact that she didn't have a bathing suit and we walked down the sand fully clothed and in shoes...we had a great time. 

The water was beautiful, and she kept her eyes on the seagulls with such delight.

She walked the beach feeling the sand between her toes...

and when she finally reached the water she hesitated. She stared out for such a long time, just taking it all in. Then she began calling the water towards her, feeling a little brave she walked step by step a little closer to the shore.

Before she knew it, the water had reached her feet and nearly knocked her over. Her dad was there to hold her hand through it, but she soon decided she would rather sit it out.

She looked pretty content just sitting there until...

She began throwing sand all over herself.

Over and over she kept this up, then I realized I would have to figure out how I was going to get rid of it all. I took her by the car and changed her completely (luckily we carry extra clothes), but she had sand everywhere. By the time I managed to remove most of the sand, we were ready for a treat.

We stopped by our favorite spot...Yogurt Island!

Lily ate one spoonful of yogurt after another...and with every spoonful came a smile from ear to ear.

At the speed this little one ate her yogurt, she exhausted herself.

Then came the sugar high!

Lily was out before the car left the parking lot, and she proceeded to sleep a full 3 hours thereafter. Which meant we had a chance to sit and relax after a great day. What a sweet summer!

Embrace the Camera: July 7th

We have been keeping busy this week trying to get through this California heat, and lately it seems the only escape for us are LONG bath sessions. Lily will insist on staying in the water until her finger tips wrinkle up and look like raisins. Then by the time I wrap her up in her towel and begin to lotion her up she's asleep before I can even dress her. This has been our routine for the last two weeks...and I'm quite enjoying it.

That's my Water Lily...can't get enough of it.

These are the kind of pictures I get when I attempt to get into the frame and hold her still...I'll get lucky if I get a serious face out of her. Yet, this is Lily at 2 and I want to remember her this way for as long as I can.

Embrace the Camera: June 16th

We finally came around to doing something we had been wanting to do for the last two years...we introduced Lily to the magic of Disneyland!

We had been waiting all this time knowing it would be all the more sweeter when she was old enough to know who all the characters were, and really get into what Disneyland is all about. We watched all the movie classics weeks before, and she memorized everything pretty quickly. Though my husband and I grew up in Southern California, our parents rarely took us to Disneyland...which made going there all the more exciting. I plan to experience that with Lily so we opted not to purchase annual passes.

We woke up on a Thursday, and the first thing I asked her was 'Guess who we're going to see today?'. I pointed at the Ipad playing 'A Disney Christmas Carol', and she asked 'Mickey Mouse?'. She had no idea what she was about to experience.

The ticket booth was nice enough to hand us a '1st Visit' button Lily could wear, and she was eager to have us put it on. I think I was just as excited as she was.

Our first two rides were The Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean, and this was us waiting to enter The Haunted Mansion. She loved every moment, and nothing seemed to scare her...except that teenager screaming in our ear when a ghost scared her. Lily was a true trooper.

We traveled through Critter Country, and sadly the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was closed. But we stood there a bit looking at the mountain nonetheless.

Did you know Disneyland had a petting zoo? A sad looking thing with a few goats but I swear it took us a very long time convincing Lily to move on. Unfortunately, she made an older girl cry by kicking dirt at her shoes. I had her apologize, but the 6 year old would not have it.

We moved on to the one ride Lily had been eyeing since we arrived at Fantasyland...the Carousel. Lily was in full 'Ohhhh...Ahhhh!' in this picture. Again, another situation where we had to convince her we had to move on and there was so much more to see.

We stopped to pet Dumbo...she kept insisting.

We covered all of Fantasyland before we began to get hungry.

After lunch we took out the map, and she proceeded to point out the Sleeping Beauty Castle and Toon Town. She definitely called the shots that day.

How could I resist a Camera Shop? Love it!

We took Mickey's car and drove ourselves to Minnie's House.

Boy does Minnie have uncomfortable love chairs, and a weird taste in fabric. Yet, I fell in love with her magazine rack alongside the chair.

Lily proceeded to take a message for the call she had just answered.

We found ourselves sitting at Minnie's vanity table while she wasn't home, and noticed she's in need of a little cleaning. We could hardly see our reflections, but Lily thought it was the most amazing part of Minnie's house.

Time for tea...if only the intruders behind her would leave the kitchen. Isn't that tea set the cutest thing? I'm digging the chairs too.

We made a wish at the wishing well with 25 cents...does that mean we get 25 wishes?

Mirror mirror on the wall...I looked scared but I believe I was caught in mid sentence. I don't remember what I was saying...something along the lines of  'Whoa, did you see Mickey?'

Tada!!! We made our way through Mickey's house and ended up meeting him. Lily walked right up to him and said 'Hi Mickey!'. She then proceeded to hug and kiss him...take a picture...and even give him a high five. Best moment of the day!

We then watched the parade, and soon after proceeded to ride the submarine. We ended the night watching Captain EO!!! It was the first time sitting through it with the new renovated experience, we were enjoying MJs music and bouncing in our seats. Lily kept the glasses on through the whole movie...she was amazing!

We couldn't leave Disneyland without commemorating the day with a classic Disney hat with Mickey ears...and have it personally engraved with her name. She absolutely loved wearing it...she still does.

12 hours at Disneyland...1 hour nap...and we made it to watch the firework closing ceremony! Then the battery died, haha. What a wonderful day!

So many images and video footage was taken that I promised myself I would complete a short video for Lily. It'll be a compiled video of all I couldn't cover here. That's my next big project.