Goofing off at the park today

So we were on our way home and I figured we should waste some time at the park. Of course I had my fourth child, my xti, with me so we stopped at a little bridge that screamed "TAKE MY PICTURE"
Unfortunately the children weren't cooperating, and who can blame them considering the heat. But I captured a couple ok frames anyway.

The one to the right here I love only because my Princess is proudly displaying her little pouty lip. She loves sticking her little lip out and well as her mother I think it is just precious!

Granted if she would just look at the camera we would be in much better shape, but like I said the children were not cooperating in any way shape or form today.


So I did get a shot of the bridge as well. No excuses for it not cooperating, though I do have to admit a child was running out into the street as I tried to figure out the best manual settings for the image. Lol. Composition is iffy, I'm not sure what I should have done to get it to work for me.... But since it is a bridge and all once I figure that out I will so be running right back to get a better image. I still like this one anyway however.
It was slightly underexposed and I used the zoombrowser software (came with the XTI) to touch it up ever so slightly. I need to find myself a subject to pose so I can really play with all the options this charming bridge has to offer.
So then there was Babycakes. My dear little babycakes. Who is normally a ham saying CHEESE for the camera and squinting smiling and crunching up his face trying to be cute. Today he was just running rampant. Lol. He did evidently remember a time we took him to a park with Christina (his God-mother) and I threw him up on a branch for a picture. He saw some trees today and started chanting "SEET, SEET, SEET" in his oh-to cute way. So I sat him on a limb where he has happy for all of one split second and then started whining to be down again. Kids. So I snapped a frame but since I used the meter from previous shots I ended up blowing the sky and the shorts. But with my mommy-goggles on the shot was decent.I also grabbed a few frames of the wood on the side of the bridge, the old stones and of an old tree to hopefully be used for textures in the future. We'll see what happens.
I did meet a young woman today I would LOVE to practice with. I don't see me as summing up the courage to ask her father, but she so has the model look. We'll see what happens....
My photography is still mediocre at best (though I sometimes like to think it is more, I know better) and I really don't need to be borrowing subjects until I am technically competent.
Oh I suppose I could just leave my camera on the auto settings and pretend I'm a genius but the Pros I chat with will see right through that "technique"
I feel like I'm rambling again so well I better stop and go to sleep. And hopefully I won't be dreaming about my poor, broken lens again.....