Curly Kisses

This is my nephew Ethan with his dad Andy, I thought it was an adorable shot.

Visit to their great great grandpa's barn 2 days before Christmas

Ate a peanut

Two days before Christmas, we hit the peanut field, and this is Ethan eating a peanut. I sang them the song

"Ate a peanut, ate a peanut, ate a peanut, just now"

Jacob

This is Mike's nephew Jacob, he's just the cutest little thing, with that black hair and blue eyes. I like this shot I got of him even though he's not smiling.

Christmas present for my sister Dena

I'm getting it all framed for them, thought it turned out good, I want to get some good ones of everyone at Christmas too. I want to get some of Sherry and Mark. I have really been believing lately that they are going to be getting pregnant soon. I just know in my heart I'm going to be an uncle again, I hope I can be there when the next one comes.

Little Casey

He's only one month old, so I got to take his first month's picture, Casey is my cousin Gina's little boy. I fades around the sides with the soft effect, I kind of like the way it turned out.

Reflections of Autumn

First she was sticking her tongue out at herself, then she smiled. She she just looked into her blue eyes and I got this shot.

Ari

Mama and baby

I took this of my cousin Gina with her new baby over Thanksgiving.

Another one of Sherri

I like the way this one turned out too, she's got the greenest eyes I've ever seen.

Sherri

Grace

Beauty and Grace, this sweet lady was at the birthday party this past Friday, it was the last picture I took of her, I hugged her and gave her a hug on Sunday when I left. She passed away last night. She is our friend Theresa's mother. This is the first person from our church to pass away since we've been going.

One year

Loving Father

I took this at a birthday party yesterday, I just loved the way this one turned out.

Brothers

I watch these two together Eli and Ethan, it still seems like yesterday, Eli was 2, and Ethan was being born. They are very different, but they really get along great, Eli is a really good big brother, I think Dena tells him he has to be a good big brother like his Uncle Derek was. I hope they will grow to love and depend on each other more as they grow, who knows maybe they will have a little brother or sister one day, but I think Dena and Andy are fine with two. I'm praying for Sherry everyday that she will be blessed with a little one.

Sherry

It was right before I left, usually Sherry is always the last to say goodbye, I took this right before I left to come back home to Jacksonville, then she left Autumn to say the goodbyes, Autumn blew me kisses the whole time I was driving away. There is always a sadness when I have to leave.

Great Aunt Mary Jo

This is my great aunt Mary Jo. I took this of her Sunday at my home church's 90 year anniversary, the one my great grandparents helped start.

Cousin Betty

She's actually my mom's first cousin, but she made the Kilgore reunion fun for me, she was one of the main reason's I was wanting to go, she and I have been sharing research for years now. She's such a sweet and good lady. You just feel good when your around her. I like the way this one turned out.

Lilly

I've started doing something new. I walk a lot lately, and I always bring my camera. This lady and I ended up on the same side of the street walking home, she greeted me with a big smile. We actually had left a place at the same time, I told her because of my back hurting, she said she had left for the same reason, and started going into the pain blocks and a few of her ailments. With camera and passing flowers I asked her could I take her picture since we were both walking home. After that she opened up. She was a retired nurse for a nursing home, she had messed up a disc helping a patient that had fallen. She tried teaching school for a while also, but the pain go to be too much. We only walked three blocks before I turned off to my place, but it was a nice three block walk. I shook hands with her told her my name, and she told me her name was Lily.

Eighty Eight

Aaron

He took five of his first steps this weekend. It was so awesome. Then he took four, then he got tired, and said no more, and sat down.

Round Robin Challenge ABC's of Autumn

It's been quite a while since I've done the Round Robin, so I wanted to get back into it. This was kind of hard, especially since I just couldn't think of anything that started with V.










T.J., author of Photo Inclusions: Every Picture Tells a Story. I'll let her introduce it:
Topic for October ...oh that can only be one thing.
=ABC's of Autumn=
Using the first letters of your first and last name. Here's mine....
D is for Dazzling display of color
V is for V formation of Geese and very nice weather

I just realized I'm a few minutes early posting this, sorry guys.

LESSONS FROM PAPA
It was a magic world I lived in as a boy, stepping onto the boat with Papa was always an adventure. Papa understood me and he always played along with my imagination, he went on my adventures with me. Sometimes he would sit me on his lap and let me steer the boat, with the engine roaring he would whisper in my ear that we were flying. As the wind blew through my hair I would inch my way to the front of the boat. I felt as if I was flying, I would be right up front almost feeling the wind would lift me into the sky. Looking into the water hypnotized me, and then a splash of cold water would hit me bringing me back to reality. Every time I would look at Papa he would be smiling back at me as much as I was smiling at him. When we finally did slow down and throw anchor, he would make our fishing trip magical, telling me of all the fish that lived underneath us, he said there was a magic fish and if I could catch him he would grant me three wishes. He was a gold mackerel. As Papa baited my hook, I would cast my line and sit with anticipation of catching this magic fish. Spraying lemon juice on my head for luck, we would sit and talk about things. As a flock of geese flew over our head, Papa would tell me to look, if it isn't the Bird family of V....'s flying over, that the V stands for well our last name. He told me to really watch them, how they fly together in that v, all going in the same direction. He would say if one falls out of the v that it is harder to fly because the wind that the wings of his brother or sister goose helps him fly. He also wanted me to notice how when the lead goose gets tired they change positions. The brother and sister goose takes turns. And how the goose in the back is always honking keeping them at their speed. Funny thinking that papa was trying to teach me a lesson way back then. I'm thinking about my grandpa tonight as you can see.
Linking List
T. J. - POSTED!Photo Inclusions: Every Picture Tells A Story
Carly - POSTED!Ellipsis...Suddenly Carly
Karen - POSTEDOutpost Mavarin
Janet - POSTED!Fond Of Photography
Teena - ***Welcome New Member***It's All About Me! POSTED!
Nancy - POSTED!Nancy Luvs Pix
Boliyou -Percolation
Danella - ***Welcome New Member***Deep Red Style POSTED!
Suzanne R - POSTED!New Suzanne R's Life
Linda (Lou) - POSTED!Blah Blah Blog
Kerrin - POSTED!Kerrin's Daily Photo
Gem -Journally Yours
Julie - POSTED!Julie's Web Journal
Steven - POSTED!(sometimes) photoblog
Rrose - POSTED!WAIT-NOTYET-/
Gina - POSTED!Gina's Space

Kilgore's the beekeepers

This past weekend I ran into my mom's first cousin at a birthday party. The highlight to me was the lady in the picture. We caught eyes when we were in there, and there was something familiar to them. I saw my grandmother's eyes. She smiled. It crossed through my head that she was related to me. Well when she came up to me it was like she looked at me and said hello, and before she could ask me how we knew each other I told her I think we're related. She covered her mouth, and laughed. Her father and my grandmother were brothers and sisters.
An interesting thing I found out about our Kilgore ancestors, these were my mother's mom's family. Was that they were beekeepers. I remember my Nana's brother Uncle Joe we called him, I think his name was Jodie. He had many hive bodies out in his fields. I remember my Uncle Joe but this is the only thing I remember talking to him about, because it was one of the only thing that really interested me. I hung out more with his wife Aunt Doris and their daughters and grand-daughters and grandsons. I remember there being a lot of women in that family. But they all worked as hard as any man. Anyway this whole beekeeping thing seemed interesting. I wasn't crazy about bees or getting stung, so I was amazed that he actually kept them, and he'd say they were his bees. I asked him about it and why he did it? And he said well, my father did it, and his father did it. My brother Gene does it too. So I guess it's a family thing. He showed me the hives, I was scared at first cause I thought when he opened the boxes they would just swarm out and attack like in the Killer Bee movies I had seen. But they didn't. I remember other things he told me. I wish I'd listened more, because he told me about these boxes he made for the bees, and how he made special chambers like one just for the queen of the hive, and he explained it all to this little boy that was me. I really don't remember much more than that, but I do remember this, I loved to eat honeycombs or the wax on top of the honey because I had asthma and it was supposed to be good for asthma. I loved anything I could learn about insects, not sure why they interested me so as a child and teenager. My project was Entomology from 6th grade till 9th grade in 4-H, I would usually win in District Project Achievement, but at State I only won once. Anyway getting off the subject. Anyway I remember bits and pieces of it all, but not really much. I asked him how he got his bees in the first place and he showed me something that I will never forget. He took part of the honeycomb full of honey, and put it in a jar. We left the hives and just walked for a long ways. Somewhere out far. I remember my 3rd cousin Greg being with us. He had red hair and freckles like my Uncle Andy. He took the honeycomb out and put it out on this old log. Greg and me played and ran around and looked at the hogs and the rest of the farm, then we saw Uncle Joe waving his arms, we came over and on the honeycomb was a bee. He said these bees here communicate,this bee will go find it's bee friends and within a hour or so there will be more bees here. And they will just keep coming till a whole swarm is here. They will carry all the honey back to their hive. Well these were actually probably bees from the hives we had walked from, but he said this is an example of how got his bees. I then asked him did he ever get stung, and he said more times than he'd like to remember. That was it, then it was off with cousin Greg to play until we heard our moms calling us to tell us "The Wizard of Oz" was on, for some reason my mom wanted me to see this movie with all my Kilgore cousins. I often think of things when I was young, and apply them to today. I think about Uncle Joe, one of my Nana's favorite brother's and his childhood stories about his bees. Wouldn't it be great if we were like these ole bees. Are we telling others about the One we have found? The spirit has filled me with much good news, I think that's why I like sharing it in my blogs, just like those bees. Don't remain silent if you feel something you are supposed to share. Let it out! Honey is like Jesus, bring the bees to the honey! This one's for you cousin Linda!

Little Sister

I'm not sure why I love this picture I did of my sister Sherry but it's always been one of my favorite's, she's usually either hiding from my camera or posing. But this one I got of her when she really was in a moment of thought, she didn't even see me catch her with the camera when I got it, she was million miles away. Autumn reminds me so much of her.

Autumn

Autumn is growing so fast, she's turning into such a little sweetie. I took this of her on the balcony, and played with the color, kept her eyes the original color.

The niece and nephews beach black and whites

Aaron

It's been such a long time since I've posted on here, Aaron just keeps getting bigger, here's the latest ones taken this weekend!

Aaron just keeps getting cuter

Photo on my new Photoblog

I started a new photoblog, and this was the picture I used for today's theme of Reflection, I think someone has been reading our Round Robin blogs. Anyway here's my new blog address
http://www.photosbyderek.shutterchance.com/ and the picture I used.

Emotions: Round Robin Challenge

Chris, author of the journal, "My Photographic Life," has chosen a very versatile subject to challenge us with, she has selected, "Emotions" as the topic of our next round of play. :)We all have emotions...don't we?
Check out the other bloggers at
We Interrupt This Program"Round Robin Linking List: Chris: My Photographic Life Posted!Carly: Ellipsis...Suddenly Carly Posted!Karen: Outpost Mâvarin Posted!Amy: My Life And PicturesSuzanne: Suzanne R's Life Posted!TJ: Every Picture Tells a Story Posted!Sara: Animated Seasons Posted!Julie: Julie's Web Journal Posted!Dorn: Through The Eyes Of The Beholder Posted!Steve: Paparrazi By Proxy Posted!Kat: Prima LuceTerry: The Captain's File Welcome, new member!Tammy: The Daily Warrior Posted!_rRose: WAIT-NOT YET-Valorie: RetrospectUSA Posted!DesLily: Here, There and Everywhere Posted!Deb: Sassy's EYE POSTED! 2nd entry Sassy's EYE POSTED!



I thought I captured two totally separate emotions, the one in color was the beginning to a fun day, and little Asher was so happy, the one in black and white was towards the end of the day, and when we told him we would have to leave the park, and all the fun he was having.

Julie and Theresa

I love the way this one turned out of our friends Julie and Theresa. Just captures the two of them to me.

Aaron with his Davy Crockett hat on

Autumn in a daze at the Beach

Two lizards joined by the tail

Just kidding, I took this and decided to make it look like two lizards. Love the effect.