Capture the Fun, Not the Pose

There is a time and a place for posed pictures.  I take lots of posed pictures.  But don't limit the pictures of your kids to just perfectly posed portraits.  You will miss the fun and miss the memories.

What do I mean by that?  Rachel and I were playing at a park while her big brother was at a hockey lesson.  She decided to play hide and seek.  I tried oh so hard to find her but eventually she had to give away her hiding place.  

I love that I captured her expressions that seem to say, "Oh mom!  Surely you knew where I was!" and then "That was fun!  Let's do it again!"

I caught those two pics with a quick shot from my cell phone then I went back to playing.  I love those pictures 100 times more than if I had her pose with a fake smile in front of that tree.  Those pictures captured the fun we were having and will remind me of that fun morning with her each time I look at them.

Rachel and I were each exploring the area and I called to her when it was time to go.  She came running across the bridge and I saw her pretty hair shining in the sunlight so I caught this quick picture.  Look at the happiness on her face!  That isn't from a boring posed picture.  This picture is alive with movement and joy.

Finally, when I commented to her about having taken some cute pictures of her, she decided that she wanted to pose for me to take her picture.  She came up with the location and pose and this is what I snapped.

It's a cute picture on a bridge with some nice trees in the background but it is sterile to me.  There are no special memories attached to this picture and it doesn't let my daughter's personality shine through.

Keep this in mind next time you are taking pictures of your loved ones.  You have to take the obligatory posed picture from time to time but remember that candid and unposed pictures are so much more rich with life.

Christmas in DFW: Irving Arts Center

The Irving Arts Center is celebrating Christmas with their 24th annual Christmas Tree Decorating contest so we stopped by to see some of the amazing trees that students from different schools have created.

At first we just thought they were nice trees but then we realized that there was a theme to them.  They were all decorated with recycled materials!  How cool is that?!  Nicholas was the first to discover it when he noticed this poinsettia was made from a water bottle!  How creative!

Once we realized how special these ornaments were, it became a fun game to look over each tree in detail and see who would discover the next really unique ornament on a tree.  It was a lot more fun than what I had expected.

This tree below was made with a nature theme - butterflies, lizards, turtles, etc.  It was my favorite of all of them simply because of the cute critters all over it.

There was one tree that was computer/electronics themed complete with an antenna tree topper!

There were several more amazing trees there but I don't want to give away all of their hidden treasures.  You'll just have to go there and hunt for them yourself :) 

The walls of the exhibit room and covered with art work from school children.  It was fun to look at the different subjects and different skill levels on display.

At the end of the Christmas Tree exhibit room there was another exhibit called The Book Forest.  Old books and magazines were the media used to form trees and various decorations throughout the room.

I don't know that I could actually do this to a book but the finished project does look pretty cool.

While we were there we also checked out the National Geographic Rarely Seen: Photographs of the Extraordinary photography exhibit.  The photographs are unbelievable!

A lot of the pictures are of natural wonders like this picture of Thor's Well.  It is a real salt water fountain in Oregon that is driven by the ocean tide.

Nicholas just stood and stared at this picture of the Northern Lights for a long time.  He read the plaque and told me all about it.  This picture is actually two pictures that have been joined together.

Of course this picture got a smile out of my little dare-devil.  It's called Dangle if you Dare and it's a picture of some crazy guy's feet dangling from a skyscraper in China.  I wonder if his mother knew he was doing that?

Look at the detail and perfection you can see in this snowflake when viewed up close!  It's such a beautiful example of God's handiwork.

Nicholas really enjoyed looking at the details in the photograph of a white tiger but every single one of these pictures were an amazing sight to see.

Nicholas was entranced by the whole exhibit.  He slowly went through and looked at every single photograph AND read each and every plaque describing the photograph.  He was really studying each one intently.  He especially like the picture of the Man o' War here.  He will be quick to tell you the differences between a Man o' War and a Jellyfish.

He was already interested in being a field photographer after our recent trip to the Perot Museum but now he is more interested than ever in nature photography.

Rachel stared dreamily at the giant chandelier for a long time.  Then she announced that we needed one for our house!

It really is a work of art by itself.  Here is the view from beneath the chandelier.

Finally, we headed outside to check out the sculptures and the water features.  I didn't notice any new structures since the last time we were here.

But its always a fun place to run around and get the wiggles out after being in a quiet art exhibit for a while.

And play hide and seek.  I wonder where Rachel could be?

The Irving Arts Center is located at 3333 North MacArthur Blvd. in Irving.  Gallery Admission is FREE!  Gallery Hours: Mon, Tues, Wed and Fri: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thursday: 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday: 1:00-5:00 p.m.

Birds of Paradise at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science {Giveaway}

Football-sized gems, show-stopping birds who strut their stuff, dry ice, liquid nitrogen, acorn dissecting, dancing corn and “blubber” gloves are among the Perot Museum of Nature and Science’s festive lineup of holiday happenings. The museum invited us to a special presentation to learn about it  The Birds of Paradise exhibit was the highlight but we learned some other cool things that I can't wait to share!  Keep reading to learn how to enter to win a 4 pack of VIP tickets to the Perot!

We learned about the new Brainiacs that you will see throughout the museum.  Brainiacs can't wait for you to "talk nerdy" with them.  They will be located on each level and they are available to talk to you about the different exhibits or just answer your wild and crazy science-related questions.  We got to watch them do some cool science demonstrations for us.

Rachel loved the presentation and couldn't wait to get a picture with some of the Brainiacs that we met.  She said that would be an awesome job to have.

Afterwards we talked to some other Brainiacs.  Here we talked about differences between the red fox and the arctic fox such as different teeth structure, different coat colors, etc. 

Next we talked about birds, their different habitats, and even the differences in their eggs.  Rachel got to hold an ostrich egg!

At the pinnacle of the event was the groundbreaking Birds of Paradise exhibition, where the adventures and stories behind the first survey of all 39 birds-of-paradise are documented and brilliantly displayed.

BIRDS OF PARADISE (through Jan. 8, 2017) is a story of nature’s most fascinating feathered flirts.  A science exhibition, art show and natural history display in one, Birds of Paradise, co-produced by National Geographic and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology takes visitors on an expedition to a New Guinea rainforest to witness the spectacular plumage and dazzling dance moves of the family of birds known as birds-of-paradise.

Kids (and adults!) can learn and test their bird moves at this interactive and competitive Bird of Paradise game.

We enjoyed learning about how the riflebird transforms or shape-shifts into unusual poses and stays that way for up to a minute as part of their mating dance.  That's nature's "mannequin challenge"!

Of course, as always with the Perot Museum, there are plenty of interactive displays to help kids learn more about Birds of Paradise, their behavior, habitats, etc.

It was interesting to learn that even though all of these birds are considered Birds of Paradise, each species has unique features including distinct bird calls.  Kids love pressing the buttons and hearing each of the calls.

Look at all the different species of Birds of Paradise!  Nicholas' favorite is the black sicklebill.

Through beautiful National Geographic photography, we followed the adventures of two determined researchers who made 18 trips to New Guinea over eight years to complete the first survey of all 39 known species of birds-of-paradise.

We watched a video about Tim Laman, field biologist, photographer, researcher, and explorer.  Nicholas was fascinated with the idea of combining nature exploration and photography as a career.

I'm so grateful that the Perot Museum included this back story to their exhibit because my son is excited to learn more about expedition photography.  I have to say that I would have loved to have done this for a career too!

Once you've seen the fabulous Birds of Paradise exhibit, be sure to check out all of the other amazing activities going on at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science over the holidays!

WINTER BREAK. The kids are out of school, and parents can keep young minds alert during the  winter holidays. At select times during winter break Dec. 24-Jan. 8 (except for Dec. 25), guests of all ages can enjoy daily brain-boosting experiences, from bookworm readings and science trivia to activities and demos such as acorn dissecting, pine cone science, blubber gloves, dancing corn, holiday table “magic” and more. Plus, little ones ages 5 and under can enjoy themed crafts such as turkey headbands and “polar opposites” animal art daily until 3 p.m. Activities are free with general admission. Visit perotmuseum.org/holiday for daily schedules. 

From Dec. 27-30, winter Discovery Camp will take pre-K through 4th graders into the “cool science” worlds of robotics, chemistry and the marine biology of Arctic creatures. Visit perotmuseum.org/camps for registration and additional details. 

2017 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE! SPEAKERS SERIES. Call it story time for adults. The 2017 National Geographic Live! Speaker Series kicks off Jan. 5 with Hilaree O’Neill, the first woman to climb the world’s first- and fourth-tallest mountains (Mount Everest and Lhotse, respectively) in under 24 hours. As a professional skier, mountaineer, writer and mother, O’Neill will discuss her many adventures in Hilaree O’Neill: Point of No Return. The series continues on March 2 with aquatic ecologist Zeb Hogan, host of Nat Geo’s Monster Fish TV show, plus NFL cheerleader-turnedprimatologist Mireya Mayor on May 4. All three talks will take place at 7 p.m. in The Hoglund Foundation Theater, a National Geographic Experience. Season ticket packages are $75 for Museum members and $90 for non-members. Individual tickets are $30 for Museum members and $35 for non-members. National Geographic Live! is presented by Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. 

FAMILY-FUN EVENTS. There are plenty of reasons for a repeat visit this holiday season! Folks looking to visit after dark will enjoy First Thursday Late Nights on Jan. 5 (themed Robotics) when the Museum stays open until 9 p.m. with inventive and edgy experiences. Kids and their adult chaperones can snore and explore during the Museum’s “winter wonderland” sleepover on Jan. 7, complete with exciting animals, science experiments, a screening of the holiday film Elf, a Fire & Ice demo, a dance party plus a winter wonderland-themed photo to take home. Discovery Days and Late Nights are free to members and included with general admission for non-members. The Winter Wonderland Sleepover is $50 per youth and $40 per adult chaperone

HOURS. General hours of operation for the Perot Museum are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. On the first Thursday of each month, the Museum will remain open until 9 p.m. for First Thursday Late Night.  

Holiday and other special hours. The Perot Museum will close Dec. 25 (Christmas). The Museum will offer extended hours until 7 p.m. Dec. 26-Jan. 1, except for Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve) when the Museum will close at 3 p.m. and Dec. 31 (New Year’s Eve) when the Museum will close at 5 p.m. 

Member-only mornings. From 9-10 a.m. every Saturday and 11 a.m.-noon every Sunday, members can enjoy exclusive access to the Perot Museum, plus member-only access to the Moody Family Children’s Museum on Mondays from 10 a.m.-noon.  

TICKETS. Museum general admission is $19 for adults (18-64), $12 for youth (2-17) and $13 for seniors (65+). Museum general admission is free for members. Admission to the theater is $6 for a short film (20-25 minutes) and $8 for a long film (40 minutes). For members, admission to the theater is $5 (short film) and $6 (long film). Films and general admission for children under 2 are free. For groups of 10 or more, call for special rates at 214-428-5555 ext. 8. All prices are subject to change. 

Birds of Paradise requires a surcharge for a total admission cost of $27 for adults (18-64), $19 for youth (2-17), $20 for seniors (65+), and free for children under 2. Member tickets are $6 for adults (18-64) and $5 for youth (2-17) and seniors (65+). 

The Perot Museum is located at 2201 N. Field Street in Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit perotmuseum.org or call 214-428-5555.


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Sunset on the Lake

We went out to Grapevine Lake to hopefully get some pictures of the kids with some bluebonnets but there were no bluebonnets to be found this year.  There was actually not much real shoreline to be found at all since the lake was so high that it covered the entire hill that we usually find big patches of bluebonnets on.

They explored around a little bit but the sun was starting to go down so we didn't stay very long.

At least we got a picture of them together with a nice sunset behind them.  Rachel has a walking stick she found while exploring.

Stuart took this picture of Nicholas looking out over the water.  He knows how to work the camera to make it take amazing shots like this.  No editing was done to this picture!

We love having multiple lakes all around us.  There is just something peaceful about being near the water. 

Macro Snowflake Pictures

I recently saw this article that showed some incredible macro pictures of snowflakes.  It inspired me to take a few macro pictures of our snowflakes.  I didn't have a fancy set up and I only used my old little point and shoot camera but the kids had fun looking through the pictures. 

We also used this Guide to Snowflakes to help us learn about the different shapes of snowflakes.  Nicholas noticed the pattern of multiples of 3 in the different snowflakes.  God's amazing design is seen in even the smallest of details!