SATURDAY: 10.18.08--SNEAK PEAK

THIS FIRST IMAGE IS MY FAVORITE FROM THE DAY. I KNEW IT WOULD BE THE MOMENT IT WAS CAPTURED. I LOVE EXCITEMENT IN HER EYES! One of the many interesting sights around the Mississippi River Bridge as viewed from the Vidalia Riverfront Levee during the afternoon flight.

I am still trying to catch up on editing. I have all my older sessions caught up (I still need to some slideshows for newborn sessions.), but I have done many new sessions over the last few weeks that I really need to finish before I get really behind again. So I will make this post just a quick fun little sneak peak into our Saturday. I have many images I would like to post, but this it for now. This should wet your appetite for more, huh?

I love watching all the interesting things that happen through the eyes of a child!

~~Natalie's Mimi~~

FRIDAY NIGHT

EDITED: CLICK HERE TO SEE IMAGES FROM THIS NIGHT.

Friday night after almost 2 weeks, we see Natalie again. It's always so great to see her. She has the most awesome greeting for those she loves the most. We were at the balloon glow on the Natchez side (I wanted to ride the ferris wheel.) and Brittany met us there with Natalie. When Natalie saw us, Brittany put her down and she ran as fast as could (with all her might) and jumps into my arms and gave me the tightest best hug ever!

I don't have any photos of this evening. Randy and I had gone to Alexandria that afternoon and we decided to go on a whim. Randy had been actually looking forward to going to some of Balloon Festival activities, since this is the first year he has ever had an opportunity to so. Every year it is in October and every year he is ginning cotton (7 days a week/24 hrs a day), but not this year. It is quite strange, but in some ways it was has been really nice for him to share some things with us that he normally doesn't get to. It was so neat that he got ride some fair rides with us and Natalie. I used to take my children back to Oak Grove each fall (my home town) to the fair, a big annual event for such a small town. As they got older and we got more involved locally, that tradition faded away, but it was something I always looked forward to as a child. I realized on the way home that Randy had a little bit of fair experience with Natalie, an opportunity he never had with his own children (because of his job).

Brittany did have her little camera. So maybe she will post some images or at least email me some to include with special night at the fair (balloon festival).

One more thing before I get to work around here:
Last year at the balloon activities (fair on the Vidalia side) was Natalie's first time to experience Cotton Candy. She loved it and wants it every time she has the opportunity. So she started asking for cotton candy as soon as she got there. We had been there a bit already and were already getting hungry too. I was craving a hot dog...I love hot dogs from fairs and such. So after Natalie rode one ride, we all headed for some fair food. Natalie insisted she was having Cotton Candy for supper...who can argue with that at the fair. Fortunately, she decided that she liked my corn dog...not the most nutritous meal for a 3 yr. old either, but certainly much better than cotton candy. She and I did still eat lots of cotton candy then and the next day too! Her enthusiam for the cotton candy, rides, balloons, all of it is so precious and contagious. I laughed so hard that night watching her ride fun (but a little scary) rides. She grinned from ear to ear!

~~Natalie's Mimi~~

McDONALD'S IN ST. FRANCISVILLE

I took Natalie home...well almost home Monday afternoon (10.06.08). I met her Mommy and Daddy in St. Francisville. So it was almost home, but I didn't have to drive into Baton Rouge...that was nice for me.

Before we went into McDonald's Brittany gave Natalie her mail (her "happies" from Mimi). Natalie has a confused look. This was something that I ordered from someone I found through ebay. It is hair holder that looks like a ballet tutu. I had them seller send it to her rather than me first (to save shipping...rather then me pay again to mail it from here).

A better expression...
This completed the series of 6 Disney Princess books that I sent her over several days. She loves her books.

Now time to play...

Brittany took most of these while I ate. She posed for her in this one!

Natalie's Daddy, Natalie and Natalie's Mommy

Another priceless expression...
Natalie and Mimi

We had a great visit. I am tired and still have much to do, but I wanted to post these before Natalie next trip (this weekend). I have rushed through this post. So if I have left out something that I really wanted to included, I will just add it later.

GINNING COTTON....

NATALIE'S FIRST TRIP TO THE COTTON GIN DURING GINNING SEASON...

and another adventure in "Natalie's World"

Okay, this probably wasn't her first trip to the gin during ginning season, but it will probaby her first memory of it...you know the first time she should be old enough to remember. My kids used to have to go to the gin during ginning season just to get to see their dad...he worked much longer harder days during the fall back then...he practically lived there. Now it is only bad when they are having problems...well, they are having many problems this year, but it isn't gin-related problems. Randy has been ginning cotton now for over 20 years actually this is his 24th season.

Natalie thought this was very interesting, but she didn't like the loud sound of the gin.



















[This was the last thing Natalie and I did before I took her home...that is before we went to town to run errands and then we hit the road. She fell sound asleep by the time we got to Natchez and slept all the way to St. Francisville.]
I will try to come back later and give a little more information about the process of ginning at least to the extent of the images. One day I will do a series of cotton ginning from the beginning until the end. But for now this will have to do.

~~Natalie's Mimi~~

A LITTLE RAY OF SUNSHINE:

After our portrait session and before lunch, we did something that Natalie is always asking to do...play with play-doh. There is always a million reason that we can's play, but this time when she asked...I thought, why not...I can always clean this mess later, huh?

Our collaborated creation...A LITTLE PLAY-DOH SUNSHINE!
This was a simple little fun activity that Natalie and I shared last Monday.

~~Natalie's Mimi~~

BEFORE THE PORTRAIT SESSION

Natalie "cheesing" it up and acting silly and a little un-cooperative after her bath. I had to remind her of her PRIZE several times. I often send Natalie little "happies" to remind her that her Mimi is thinking about her. It makes her look forward to checking the mail with her mommy. Early this morning she was beginning to exert her will over mine...yeah, that's how I will put it. I didn't want to punish her or even threaten to do so. I wanted to have the full grandchild/granddaughter experience of just fun and excitement...though I won't hesitate to be the disciplinarian when the time calls for it. I just didn't want it to be this day. We had already had so much fun just being together. So I told her if she would be sweet or however I put it at the time, I had a PRIZE for her. I have a basket of just this little things, happies, that I collect to send to her. This particular happy was a little heavy...I really hate to pay a ton on postage sending her these little gifts [normally things like DVDs, paperback books, stickers, etc.] so I thought this would be her PRIZE for the day and in the end I would save on postage too. So as Brittany put it the other day when we were at the restaurant...it's like Natalie's Birthday everyday.
I told her to show it to me. This is what I got (above image). It as a Diego flash/card game thing for learning counting. She loved it and wanted to play it right now. So we stopped and played a few minutes and then told her she could take them home so "her parents" could play with her This next image really made me smile. I had chose this image to show her looking at it and now as I am working on this, I noticed what an interesting express that is. Too Funny!

["Her parents" to tell about her referring to her parents as her parents recently. It just a little too growning for a three hold...I provided the link in case you missed it.]
As mentioned in a previous post, Natalie really got into her baby doll this weekend. It is the sweetest thing. So I want to be sure and capture some images of her being mommy to her. She even told me "I'm her mommy".
I often photograph, parents holding their babies like this. So why not little girls with their babies. [By the way, Natalie had just go of the shower. Her is still wet. I had keep reminding her about the PRIZE to get her dressed for her mini portrait session.]

After I finally succeeded in getting her hair dried and her settled down, she watched some her shows while I got a shower.

Isn't this one sweet?The Little Mommy in action, this her changing Sally's diaper. I love this little nurturing phase. Is so sweet...
As mentioned in a previous post, I am trying to spread out the images from last weekend over the next two weeks. She will be back this weekend and then I will have more new ones. These images were photographed Monday a.m. before I took her back to mommy and daddy.

I enjoyed my time with Natalie more than words can express.

~~Natalie's Mimi~~

SNEAK PEAK

A Sneak Peak Image of Natalie's "mini" portrait session from Monday morning (before the LSU photos). This dress was among the new clothes in the package that Natalie opened that came in last time she was here. After she got out of the tub, she was asking me about the flower dress in her closet...I soon realized she was talking about this new dress. So why not wear it today!

~~Natalie's Mimi~~