(Snowy) City Sidewalks

Headed down to Georgia Street this evening for City Sidewalks, which was billed as a holiday festival in downtown Indy.  I think the impending snow storm may have kept some vendors away, but we still had a lot of fun wandering around downtown tonight.  Besides, anytime you get to meet a camel named Moses it's got to be a good evening!

Then there were the other animals from the live nativity

And Herbie the Reindeer

We hung out with some animals of the costumed variety

Had a photo op with Santa

Popped into St. John Catholic Church.  Aaron's response, "Whoa!"

I think they may have been getting ready for Mass because a priest was moving some candles to the alter.  Part of me would have really liked to stay.  The building was beautiful and peaceful, but this Baptist may have been in over her head! :)

So we moved on to a yearly tradition....hot chocolate on the circle

Photobomb courtesy of a root-beer swilling Aaron!

And another tradition - the photo of the monument all lit up

I love my city!

Holiday Happenings

Perhaps I'll make a New Year's resolution to blog with more frequency and quality....until then, some photos.

Children's Choir Christmas Performance

Happy Birthday Jesus party

Riding in the chilly Christmas Parade

Thanksgiving in photos

Back from our annual Thanksgiving trip to Illinois.  The trip in a few photos

So not technically during Thanksgiving, but thankful to be able to pack boxes for Operation Christmas Child again this year

Baking started the night before

Our family's pie requirements:  pumpkin pie, sugar-free pumpkin pie, and gluten-free pumpkin pie

Have to watch the parade

Noodlin'

Let's eat

They're obviously starting an Axl Rose inspired rock band

Uncle Joel took Aaron out for a little driving instruction.  He said he was up for the challenge and had lived a good life

These two weirdos decided to do push ups during the commercial of their Hallmark Christmas movie

Sadly this was the scene from our back deck when we got home.  I heard that the family all made it out safely, but as you can see the house did not fare well.  Prayers for them.

Fall Photos

Aaah....fall..my busiest photography season.  I've photographed a ton of families, but I haven't had my own family photos taken in 3 years!!!  Big thanks to Paul, our photographer extraordinaire.  A small sampling - I'll get around to editing the lot one of these days!  Just like I'll get around to updating my blog header...one of these days.

Awwww...sibling love!

Urban Exploring - Fountain Square

The sporadic blogger returns.  Been a while.  Since I've been blogging over here for a while about my trip to Tanzania next year and my adventures as a beginning jogger, this blog has been a bit neglected.  Labor Day found us down one kid as Rachel spent the holiday with a little buddy and her family.  I have been very busy shooting photos lately and really needed to update my own kids photos.  For some time I had wanted to find a wall of graffiti to use a a backdrop.  Not the scummy run-down stuff but the stuff done by the talented individuals wielding spray paint.  The Painter crew had been down to Fountain Square to do some duckpin bowling over the weekend and I saw a photo of Hayden in front of the stuff I was looking for.  I did a little research and discovered that Subsurface Indy 2013 was this weekend and there was walls and walls of graffiti art in that area.  Score!

So Dusty, Aaron, and I loaded up in Stevie (our Dodge) and headed for the Fountain Square area which is a neighborhood just southeast of downtown Indy.  We struck out on restaurants. Most were either closed because it was Monday or because it was a holiday.  But we scored on the graffiti.  In fact, there was still several people working on a wall in an alley.

Not every kids gets to say that his sophomore photos include graffiti....it's how we roll.

I couldn't resist.  I needed one myself. :)

There were so many walls within close distance with every range of color imaginable.  Too bad it's a little bit of a drive for me, but I'll be back.

We ended up downtown for lunch and on the way back to the car Aaron spotted a candy and soda shop on the circle called Rocket Fizz.  We left with a bag of taffy.  Next time we'll pick up a bottle of the off-beat soda.

But NOT this kind! 

Michigan Camping

Our 4th of July holiday was spent in St. Joseph, Michigan with the Painter & Bohrer crews for a 3 day camping extravaganza.  Heather, Sarah, and I had spent time cruising Pinterest to come up with some fantastic camping meals.

 Our 1st evening we attempted a pizza roll that was cooked in foil over the fire.  The Pinterest photo we was working off of was this:

And after wrangling 4 of these over our fire....this is what we ended up with.

While I'm not sure you can call it a wild success, it was not too bad....and made for a lot of fun and laughs!

The weather was beautiful and even though Lake Michigan bordered on frigid everyone had a great time on the beach with sandcastles, playing in the water, and several spirited rounds of bocce ball.

And then there was the "I hate to be cold and wet" person who was content to read his book in the shade.

The Fourth was spent in St. Joseph.  Silver Beach was CRAZY crowded.  But after braving the beach front crowd for a little while we had our fill of ice cream and settled in on the hill overlooking the beach to watch the fireworks.   Got to take in a patriotic concert and cheer on a crowd of our proud veterans.

After the beautiful sunset it was time to wait for the show...and wait...and wait.....  Fireworks began at 10:50!!!!  OK, so St. Joe, you put on a good party, but why so late?

Our campground had a pie eating contest for the kid campers.  Our bunch cleaned up...literally! 

And then there was the Pinterest find that actually worked!  Glow stick bowling.  Only we forgot the ball and  had to invent a new game.  Glow stick potato bowling!