Better late than never, right? Here’s a continuing purge of a backlog of photos which needed to be retouched. This post is only 1.5 months late. That’s an improvment, right?

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Christmas 2013

The following post attempts to document a whirlwind tour of Texas locales last month celebrating Christmas with friends & family.

Madeline, Grandpa & and a salt pig.

Madeline got new wheels!

Maddie was thrilled that Grandma, Grandpa & Taylor Hart came to Austin to celebrate Christmas!

Grandpa, Grandma Hart, & Taylor with Maddie

Grandpa, Grandma Hart, & Taylor with Maddie

White elephant says you’re stuck, Michael..

Aunt Tay-Tay, Maddie & Mommy

Everyone needs a ridiculous costume

Ron & Robyn G.

Joaquin G.

Joaquin G, Madeline & Grandma Hart

Jennifer, Amy, Tyree & Robyn

Santa’s Little Helper

Does this make my ensemble?

The beauty of Austin in December is the weather – break out the fire pit!

Jen & Dave with our Christmas tree this year

Dave, Taylor & Jen enjoy a little shopping money!

Grandma Cheryl & Maddie

Go away Big Green Monster!

I’m a monkey

Maddie & her new cow

Who needs presents when you could just have packing materials?

Grandma Cox, Maddie & Grandma Hart

Grandpa Hart & Maddie

Grandpa Cox & Maddie

Maddie with Joe, who was Dave’s best man and was visiting from Houston.

I can empty the dishwasher in less than 30 seconds!

Maddie with Tyree, who was taking a break from the cold of Saint Paul visiting her old stomping grounds.

During the break, Grandpa Mike’s daughter Micki, her husband Jim, and their kids Elli, Emmy, & Ewing drove down to Texas from Grand Island, Nebraska where they were delighted to find weather appropriate for shorts. We smoked a pork loin outside and Maddie had a fantastic time meeting her cousins.

Maddie’s 2nd cousin Ewing

Maddie & Ewing

Maddie playing with Emmy (Elli in the background).

It turns out that 30 year old Avon perfume Christmas “ornament” bottles can still have a bit of liquid sludge in them. And that liquid sludge is rank. Wow, like WAY rank. Maddie helped mom & grandma clean them out.

Finally, for those of you still puzzling over whom Clark is, the title of this post is taken from this classic cinema masterpiece:

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Austin recently celebrated the grand opening of a brand new aquarium which is about 2 miles from our house! One neat aspect of the facility is lots of touch tanks which allow you to feel and interact with the critters. Maddie was fascinated by the fish but wasn’t quite ready to try petting the tortoise.

Maddie looking at the tortoise

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As part of the great Spring 2014 photo purge, herein lies contained the festivities of Thanksgiving 2013.

Thanksgiving 2013

The Coxes & the Kinneys got together for thanksgiving this year. Maddie had a wonderful time introducing her city-folk grandparents to the baby cows.

Magical

The Coxes

The Kinney’s

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Much like the cobbler’s children who did not have shoes, apparently the photographer’s kid sometimes has no photos. Or at least their photos continue to get delayed due to paying clients expecting to have their images in a timely manner. Or something. Whatever. I have now caught up retouching family images through Christmas. So, after much ado and many requests, expect a number of posts catching up on the last 3 months.

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Ranch Time October 2013

Madeline with Grandpa Kinney

Helping grandpa close gates.

I love this photo so much – it has such energy and needs a soundtrack. Perhaps something with a great funky walking-bass line. Maybe the soundtrack to Sanford & Son?

Yes, that’s pretty close.

A pretty good portrait of a sweet young girl.

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Happy birthday Mommy!

“Wow! You, madame, are old!…”

Our family could not be more blessed! Happiest of birthdays, darling!

Jen as a baby

Images from a beautiful shoot in November when it was not quite so cold.

Madeline has 2 of 3 Grandpas (“Bampaws” in Madeline-ese) who own tractors. Bampaw Bernie in Nebraska drives John Deere while Bampaw Mike in College Station prefers Kubota. Bampaw Ralph in Austin also briefly owned a small International Harvester but had to sell it after he received a terse letter from the Avery Ranch neighborhood association strongly disagreeing with his definition of appropriate cultivation techniques on 1/3 acre.

Madeline & Mommy getting ready to help feed cows

Madeline now associates all tractors and all cows with Bampaw. We were recently talking a walk through the park in our neighborhood. The massive rains had washed out some of the running trails and the neighborhood association had contracted with a gentleman to spread new crushed granite on the trails. When we entered the clearing of the park, Maddie saw the gentleman’s tractor, which was several hundred yards away, immediately yelled “Bampaw!”, and started running. Understand that this tractor was blue (not green or orange) and much smaller than any of the tractors Madeline has seen before. We explained that it wasn’t Grandpa’s tractor and that it wasn’t Grandpa, but she was having nothing of it. Upon reaching the tractor, Madeline’s yells had reached a fever pitch of “BAMPAW BAMPAW BAMPAW.” Upon realization that it wasn’t grandpa, the look of confusion on her face was like that of New York’s Mayor when Pete Venkman told him that he should accept the fact that his city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.

Mayor: What do you mean, “biblical”?
Ray Stantz: What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath-of-God type stuff!
Venkman: Exactly.
Stanz: Fire and brimstone coming down from the sky! Rivers and seas boiling!
Spengler: Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes!
Winston Zeddmore: The dead rising from the grave!
Venkman: Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats, living together! Mass hysteria!

The gentleman on the tractor was very nice and very sorry that Madeline was so upset that he wasn’t Bampaw. He said “I am a grandpa, if that helps!”. It did not.

Riding in “Bampa’s Truck” (golf cart) on a cold morning helping to feed cows.

“Bampa’s Truck”

We were told there would be cake.

Madeline with mommy helping Grandpa feed cows

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We made the trip to Dallas to celebrate the engagement of Dave’s cousin Emily to her awesome beau Lance. We had a fantastic time and Madeline had a blast getting to meet lots of new friends!

Madeline in her beautiful garden party dress (a gift from Dave’s co-worker Khaled and his wife Diana)

The Simpson (nee Bradley, Cappleman, Thaxton, Van Zant) Clan – Marty Von Runnen, Jim Van Zant, Emily Van Zant, Debbie Van Zant, Dave, Jennifer, Maddie, Doug Bradley, Lisa Bradley, Kerry Van Zant, Lance Burroughs (click for full size)

The Van Zant Family – Kerry & his girlfriend Joy, Lance & Emily, Debbie & Jim (click for full size)

Doug (Sue’s cousin) & Susan Bradley (click for full size)

Jennifer, Madeline, David, Lisa Bradley (Sue’s cousin Charles & Susan’s daughter), & Jack Von Runnen (Sue’s cousin Marty’s husband) (click for full size)

Kerry (Dave’s cousin) & Dave (click for full size)

Madeline with bride-to-be Emily

Madeline with Dave’s Dallas cousins Emily & Kerry

Madeline with Dave’s aunt Debbie

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We recently went to the amazing Cameron Park Zoo in Waco. Cameron Park one of the largest municipal park outside of Central Park in New York. The zoo has a fantastic natural habitat design. In 2005, a large new area was opened called the Brazos River Country, featuring a 50,000-US-gallon saltwater reef aquarium, a large swampland habitat, and many other native Texas type habitats, featuring numerous species found within the state.

Madeline with Mommy in the Brazos River Country Aquarium

One of the cool features of the alligator tank was a small cave where you can crawl down to be under the level of the water just next to the critters

Madeline with Mommy

Madeline with Mommy

Tigers!

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Madeline had a fantastic tea party with Grandma & Grandpa Cox

Grandma & Grandpa Cox’s cat Skyler

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