Fun with Playgrounds (and Photography)

Nothing says JOY like the face of a child at a playground.

Taken with my Canon Rebel XTi and Lensbaby Composer Pro lens.

By the way, I'd like to plug my photography blog over at http://overcaffeinatedsnapshots.wordpress.com. As I wrote over there, I've promised myself that in 2012, I would work on making myself a better photographer (and to have more fun with it). After receiving some new gear for Christmas, I'm having a blast! (And so is my son — he usually asks to see the LCD display on my camera each time I take a shot.)

Baking with Friends

My son loves to cook, pretend or otherwise. His toy foods and mini kitchen have been his favorite toys for almost two years now, and this past Christmas, we finally got him his own Easy Bake oven so that he could bake his own treats like mommy. (After picking him up from preschool a couple of weeks ago, one of the teachers asked me if we owned a restaurant. When I asked why, she mentioned that they noticed how enthusiastic my son is about play-cooking and serving food to the other kids.)

Today we played at a friend's house, and among other things, we let the boys help bake some brownies. They took turns pouring in ingredients and stirring — as someone who loves to cook and bake, it warms my heart to see how enthralled my son is about the craft.

If he ever wants to become a chef, I would be more than happy to send him to culinary school.