Going to the park in December?

So, there is a back story to these pictures that I feel the need to tell. Sorry.

The first week in November, my friend, Pauline, and her daughter, Rachel (who is 6 months younger than the girls), came with us to Centennial Park here in Nashville. We walked around and we stopped at the pond to feed the ducks. Pauline had so wisely brought bread for the occasion. I had forgotten my camera, but Pauline had hers. I used it to take pictures because the girls were mesmerized by the whole feeding ducks event. I thought it would be a cute blog also. A week passes, still no pictures from Pauline. I call to ask for them, she says she will get them to me as soon as she dumps the photos from the memory card. She also mentioned that she hadnt dumped the pics from another full memory card, so the prospect of getting my pictures anytime soon was not looking too good. So began my weekly harassment of her for my pictures. I used email, voicemail, even facebook. Finally, a month and a half later....I get my pictures.

I kind of have this thing were I dont like to blog about things that happened a while back, just because the girls change so much. They have changed so much, even from pictures only a month ago. I decided just to keep them as a memory of a fun day because there was no way I could pass them off as happening recently. I am wearing a short sleeve shirt in the pics, the girls dont have jackets on...anyone would be able to tell these were not taken in December. Who brings their kids to the park in freezing December?

Fast forward to today. In some whacky messed up meteorological world, it was 73 degrees here. A week before Christmas, and it is 73 degrees in Nashville. At the same time I talk to my family in NY who is getting snowed in with 8-10 inches of snow. So strange. So, here it is, December and in the 70's. So, I call Pauline and we head to the park again. The whole irony of this situation was that I didnt want to blog about the pictures with the ducks because I thought the moment had passed for park pictures, since it is December. Since we went back to the park today (me in a short sleeve shirt...except I put jackets on the girls because it was windy), I feel as if it is appropriate now. So, behold. The duck pictures.

I began to throw bread to get the ducks to come....

and boy did they come!

Then came pigeons. I mean flocks of pigeons. Like, Alfred Hitchcock kinds of flocks. I will admit to diving behind the stroller in an act of self-preservation several times. I guess I just assumed the girls could defend themselves.

Seriously though, look how close they came to my kids. If they werent strapped in, Maddie would have gone after one.

I love this picture of Ruthie because whenever I stopped throwing bread, she would grab my arm to try to get me to throw more to make the ducks come. So cute!

Next year will be fun when they can feed the ducks themselves. I will make sure to bring my own camera and post the event promptly. Just think, if not for 73 degree day in Nashville today, you may have missed out on these lovely duck pictures....and how sad that would have been!