And the Winner is....

If you are my Facebook friend, you may remember that I was recently soliciting advice on SLR cameras.  I have been wanting one of these puppies for quite a while, but never had the extra cash to get me one. Well, after saving lots and lots of pennies, it was finally time to bite the bullet, do some research and figure out which of the thousands of models of cameras I should invest in.

I started the research with my Facebook friends and got some solid advice (thank you!!!).  I knew the price point I wanted to stay near and I knew the type of features that interested me.  After a few trips to Best Buy and some major Amazon stalking, I narrowed it down to 2 models - the Canon EOS Rebel SL1 and the Nikon D5200.  They are both very comparable from the specs right down to the price so what it ultimately came down to was how it felt when I was holding it.  The Nikon was great, but much bulkier than the Canon.  The Canon model is a new one and is one of the smallest SLR camera's out there.  It also has a touch screen which was a nice added bonus.  Between the feel and the great bulk deal that Best Buy was offering (300mm lens, case, 16GB SD card and lens cleaner), it was a no brainer.  Canon came out on top.

So here I am.  A novice at photography holding a mega-camera in my hands.  Luckily, Canon makes it very easy for a newbie like me to jump right in and take some awesome photos.  They have a variety of pre-set "modes" to capture just about anything from portraits to kids in motion to night scenes.  They also have a few modes that allow you to choose what you want.  Of course, I have no idea what I'm doing so I'm sticking with the pre-set modes for now.  With just a few clicks, I got some great shots.  What a difference!

It's amazing how crisper (word?) James looks with the new camera vs. the old.  And that was just a test shot.  Here are some more test shots taken while at Grandma and Grandpa's house last weekend:

The fact that I was able to get that action shot of Lucy licking James without any blur is amazing. Not to knock my old camera, but no way that would have have happened.   Now that I have this new amazing piece of equipment, the number of photos I take is going to increase ten fold - which is huge since I was already taking a ridiculous amount of pictures.  Thank God for the Apple Time Capsule and it's 2TB of memory!  

So thank you for all the great advice Facebook friends - so far very pleased with my choice!  

Mama's Takin' Us to the Zoo Tomorrow...We Can Play All Day!

If you are not a parent to a small child, you probably don't recognize the reference to the Raffi song and are absolved from pressing Play below.  Those of you who were bopping your head when you read the title, this is for you:

Why am I putting you through this torturous exciting musical experience?  Why, to tell you that we went to the zoo of course!  Last Saturday was one of the nicest days on record so we decided to pack up the car and head to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

One of the best things about this zoo is that it is free.  And typically you get what you pay for, but when it comes to the National Zoo, that is not the case.  This zoo is filled with all sorts of beautiful animals placed along different themed trails and walks.  The most popular section these days is the Asia Trail where the adorable pandas live.  A new cub was born a few weeks back and although she is not on display, you can get a peek at her on the Panda Cam!  There are actually all sorts of cameras set up on the zoo's website to view all the animals.

But we weren't at the zoo to watch them on camera. We were there to see them in the flesh - and boy did we!  With the weather being so nice, the animals were out and about ready to be photographed.  From small critters like the prairie dogs and turtles to big guys like lions and zebras, we saw it all!

The biggest hit of the day was over at the Think Tank with the lovable orangutans. There were 2 of them hanging around and the female decided to come on over to say hi to James and pose for some photos.  She was so close to the glass that James actually got a little spooked and started freaking out. He pulled it together though as soon as she started to walk away.

After a quick lunch (where James decided he would eat his fruit cup from the comforts of the ground), we made our way to the Elephant House where one of these cool guys entertained us with a dance.  James was all smiles watching the big guy boogie!

We eventually made our way to the Great Ape area and were surprised to see all of the gorillas outside playing.  There are a total of 6 gorillas at the National Zoo at this time - the youngest born in 2009.  James LOVED watching these guys in action and made lots and lots of monkey sounds while we were there.

All in all, we had a great time.  James even got to ride on a Merry-Go-Round for the first time and he absolutely loved it.  Thank goodness - I wasn't about to tuck and roll off of it with him in my arms if he had a melt down!

Milestone Update

During James' first year of life, we did a really good job of highlighting his milestones each month along with a photo to see just how much he was growing both physically and mentally.  After his first birthday, the ritual ended, but the growing didn't so we thought it would be fun to update you on where James is now that he is just a little over a year and a half old (what?!?!).

Our little baby boy is gone and has been replaced with a thriving toddler who loves to run, climb, explore and play.  He continues to be a happy kid who seems to enjoy life and loves to laugh.  Unless he is in the middle of a melt down that is.  Like most toddlers, the kid knows how to throw a tantrum and boy does he do it up!  Mr. Drama King is his nickname sometimes.  And so are "Destructor" and "Jaws".  The books do not lie.  Terrible Two's do exist and they start somewhere around 16 months.  That's the fun fact that they leave out. :)

Milestone: Talking

The kid has become a bit of a chatterbox lately and its not all jibber jabber anymore. There are real words coming out of his mouth and it seems like he has a new one every day.  I think we are up to 14 words and because I know you are on the edge of your seat to know what they are, here is a list: Car, Truck, Shoes, Banb (Banana), Duck, Ball, Apple, Mama, Dada, Up, Hop, Moo, Cat, Dog.  Now of course, his diction is not 100% so strangers may not know what the heck he is saying, but Mommy and Daddy do. :)

Milestone: Comprehension

James amazes us with the amount of stuff that he understands.  When in the bath tub, if you ask him to hand you the duck, he gives you the rubber duckie.  If you say, "James - go get Mommy the ball," he comes back with a ball in his hands.  When you start singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" he is touching each body part as you sing.  Just last night I asked him what sound a monkey makes and he started making the "oo-oo-oo" sound and put his hands up to his armpits to look like a monkey. It's incredible! We LOVE to see his little brain at work.  He is truly learning something new every single day.

Milestone: Affection

This kid knows how to hug!!  Now that he is a little man, when you ask him for a hug, he comes running into your arms and gives you a big bear hug.  Same goes for a kiss.  You ask for one and he is slobbering all over you.  Not only does he dole out the love to us, he is also showing love for some of his stuffed buddies in the house.  Every morning and every night, we have to give Maurice the Giraffe a hug.  Same goes for Pretty Kitty - his stuffed cat given to him by Grandma Mangiaracina the day he was born.  We love seeing that softer, loving side of him.  Makes us see that he is going to be not only strong and tough, but also sweet and nurturing.

James is an amazing kid and we thank God every day that he is ours.  We are so blessed to have him and are grateful everyday that we are his parents and get to see him grow up.  It's hard to believe that in a few short months, James will be 2 years old.  Time truly flies and we are appreciating every bit of it.

Doggie Paddle

As Labor Day approached, so did the Annual Doggie Swim at the Little Rocky Run pool.  We have forced Lucy into this horrifying fun event for the past two years and it was time once again to get her doggie swim on.  Poor Lucy prayed for thunder and lightening all day so that she could skip it this year, but luck was not on her side. :)

We headed over to the pool after dinner and were greeted by many four legged friends.  Ed wasted no time and got Lucy in the pool before she could run and hide in the locker room.  As much as she hates swimming, she is really good at it!  She keeps up with the big dogs and is much braver than dogs three times her size!

James and his friend Noelle were there to cheer Lucy on, but James was less than enthused about the entire thing.  I think he was turned off when the big black Lab continued to get him wet as he shook.  He did get a kick out of seeing his Lucy girl running around like a crazy woman with her little friends.

To keep James entertained, I thought it would be a good idea to take some selfies with him.  Again, not so enthused.

All in all, Lucy did great.  She now has lots of time to take a break and start worrying about next year. 

End of (Summer) Days

I can't even believe that it has been over a month since I last posted on Being Mangiaracina.  Don't worry...I've slapped my own hands.  :)  To be honest, life has been going about 100 miles an hour lately so I have been just too exhausted to get online and put it all out there.  Even with this post my head is not totally in the game, but I vowed to jump start the blogging again so here we go.

Our summer was jammed packed with activities - always a good thing when you have a very active toddler.  I thought I would share quick recap using a photo montage of our end of summer days.

Weekend in Richmond
We decided to take a weekend road trip down to our state capital to check things out.  We had heard that the Richmond Children's Museum was a "must see" and we felt compelled to check out the Carytown Watermelon Festival.  Neither disappointed!

Burke Lake Park

We happened to get lucky with some awesome weather one weekend so we decided to take advantage and hit Burke Lake Park to "hike" the trail.  Lucy joined in on the fun and only had to be held 15 minutes of the 2+ hour walk.  James had a blast looking at all the trees and the ducks and riding in his car.  We ended the journey with a picnic in the car.

Neighborhood Fun

We always try to make sure we have a plan to keep James busy and entertained during the weekend and that typically takes us outside the house (which is a good thing since he is likes to tear the place apart!).  We took lots of walks (kid is obsessed with trees and will point every single one out!), clocked lots of hours at the playground and made some fun new friends at Toys R Us and Old Navy!

Pool Days

We learned this summer that our little guy is a bit of a guppie - he LOVES the pool!  We took advantage whenever we could and invited Grandma and Grandpa to join in on the fun.

Before we knew it, Labor Day was here, the kiddos were going back to school and life was a little bit more back to normal.  There is lots more to tell - especially since it is already mid-September so stay tuned.  I'm just getting started. :)