Mischief and Laughs

Do you miss me?

2011-01-10T18:57:00.000-05:00

I miss my readers! One day I might figure out how to update my RSS feed to automatically get my blogger platform readers to see my self-hosted posts. (And if any of you know how to do this, I would be quite grateful indeed.)

Until then, visit me at the new Mischief and Laughs!

I still post some pretty cool stuff like this gem I captured of my boys this morning:

Also, I'm (for real) going to start the "Rock the Camera You've Got" series. Soon.

Something new and AWESOME!

2011-01-03T11:04:00.000-05:00

I have a new online home! www.mischiefandlaughs.com

Blogger was good to me, but I am ready for something bigger and better. My new site is a combination of my personal stuff and professional stuff - I want my clients to really know who I am, and connect with me, outside of just the hour or so I take their pictures.

I am still planning to host the "rock the camera you've got" series on the new site, so be sure to update your links/subscriptions.

Snow Play (for the big boys)

2010-12-31T08:40:00.001-05:00

We didn't get two feet like some parts of the country did. But we got some - enough to cover the grass. It's all but melted now, the ground is mush and the eves have been drip-dripping all week. Good thing the memories I'll have of my kids in the snow won't melt away as fast.

(Did you see what we do with the baby when they want to go sledding?)

Blogger Burnout?

2010-12-30T09:55:00.001-05:00

Blogger Burnout?

Totally. I can't imagine some of these long-time, multi-post per day blog authors! (MckSomeone comes to mind, as does my friend who is 364 days into her 2010 new years resolution to blog every.single.day.)

I'm feeling the burnout bad. I've got pictures to post. I have them edited. So why is it so tough for me to create a blog post and share them?

Some of my issue is the balance of my personal blog and photography blog - they sort of overlap.

So for 2011, what form is this blog going to take? Well, for one, I am considering combining personal and professional under the name "Mischief and Laughs Photography." I feel that the name is so much more me than the kinda generic "cara marie" name (which is funny, because that is my name, how much more me can it get? ha ha!) I also hope to set up a self-hosted wordpress blog, and a small gallery site for my professional work. I am working on some rebranding as well.

And that long-awaited "rock the camera you've got" really is coming, I promise. :)

For my fellow bloggers who are also feeling the burn? Here is an awesome post talking about fighting blogger burnout. (and this post follows tip 6 & 7, ha ha!)

Christmas Joy

2010-12-29T15:38:00.004-05:00

I love spending Christmas morning at home with our little family. So peaceful, so relaxing. All day in our Jammies. :)

The best I got of all three. Apparantly, I'm really good at taking pics of other people's kids, but I suck at photographing my own. (Awful lighting didn't help.)

"You'll shoot your eye out, Kid!"

Santa really did bring her presents, but she liked the wrapping paper better.
(also, notice how she can't keep her little feet in her jammies. She's a tiny little thing!)

Anna Kate looks on while the boys help her open her loot.

Nate's first Lego creation built using real instructions - he did 80% of the work himself, pretty good for a 3 year old if you ask me!

Stocking stuffer candy. That's a "super duper reindeer pooper" and yes, it poops out brown jelly beans when you push it. And the boys loved them.

Oh, and look at this trick. No hands! (Stop growing up, Baby.)

All-in-All, a wonderful day. We are so blessed to have three sweet children to spend it with.

A Holiday Tradition

2010-12-25T14:25:00.000-05:00

Each year we go downtown to see the train display with my sister and her kids.

This year was no exception.

The kids look forward to this day almost as much as Christmas day itself.

I believe.

2010-12-24T23:21:00.000-05:00

In the Magic of Childhood.

In the Hope of the Season.

I believe there are two little boys who are waiting for the big guy to come right now.

Snow Play with a 9-Month-Old?

2010-12-20T23:03:00.000-05:00

Last week was a loooong week. Chris worked some wicked hours, and the boys had 2 snow days. Snow days = drive mom crazy with requests to go sledding. I am comfortable with them playing together in the yard (where I can see them from the windows) but they are still too little to go to the sledding hill alone.

So what do I do when I have to take them out? And I'm home with them all day (week) by myself? No Daddy to take them sledding?

I get the boys all bundled up. And then I throw 'em out the door because by that point my patience with them is gone.

I bundle myself up.

And then I put the Ice Princess's royal robes on her.

I put the princess on her on her royal chariot.

When we get to the sledding hill, she sits upon her throne and oversees the action.

And when the princess has decided that sledding time is over, we all pack up and haul back home, led by the royal chauffeur.

Snow Day

2010-12-16T08:41:00.000-05:00

Kids are off school today for snow today. I don't want to go outside. At all. I usually love to play in the snow, but the thought of bundling up 3 kids (and then myself) and then going out in the bitter cold for maybe 15 or 20 minutes max - while the baby is strapped to me in the mei tai. Not appealing to me.

This is actually our 2nd snow day this week. The first (Monday) was a smaller snow, like 3 inches. This is a moderate snow - it's about 4 inches, and still coming down. Yes I realize that there are many parts of the country that think calling snow days for under 6 inches is insanity. I agree - but the fact is that the road crews here are not all that great. They don't get things cleared well. My kids live a block from school, and well, we could make it there in any weather... I mean, I'd be happy putting them all in a sled and pulling them there if I had to. But I guess since our school system is county-wide and there are a lot of rural roads involved, school gets called pretty often.

I hope they get to go tomorrow. Alex is having his Christmas party and I'm supposed to go.

Anyway, some pics from Monday's snow play - where I let the natives run free and I watched from the comfort and warmth of my kitchen.

Hue and Texture = Purple

2010-12-13T13:49:00.001-05:00

I found a great inspirational challenge at Marta Locklear - looking for color and texture in the world around us. For starters, the focus is on color only (any texture is allowed.) In the future, textures will be specified. Color and Texture are 3 basics of photography. It is something that I consider when helping select wardrobe and props for my professional sessions, so I thought that this would be wonderful practice.

I just wish I had a macro lens.

Anna Kate - 9 months

2010-12-08T08:30:00.000-05:00

Wow, I've been a bad blogger. I have several hundred blods to read in my reader. I haven't updated my own in days. I'm even behind on my Anna Kate update. Oh well... more important stuff to do these days I guess. I mean... It's not like I'm busy or anything with my 3 busy kids.

Well, Anna Kate is 9 months old now.

She is a crazy, curious baby. Into everything!

She woke up yesterday and as I carried her downstairs the boys yelled "here comes Trouble Trouble!" and that isn't far from the truth. Ha!

Truthfully though, we have been blessed with such a sweet, awesome little girl. Her curiousity is just the sign that she is a smart little girl that wants to explore the world around her. Like how long does it take to pull all the cans off this shelf in the pantry. Can I pull all the DVD's out of the drawer before mom gets over here? What does this Christmas ornament taste like? Can I take a bath in the toilet before mom sees me? (Thankfully that last one hasn't actually happened - yet. I better keep the potty clean, though!)
She crawls. Fast. She stands (and even is testing the waters letting go!) And she can climb the stairs now too.

She is talking now too! She says "da da" "ma ma" and "dog." I think that she has said "Alex" (while looking at a picture of Alex) but it remains unconfirmed because she has yet to repeat it.
She jabbers all day long in her sweet girly voice. She has such a soft, sweet voice.

The stats: I'm also late with the dr appt. So I'll have to update this later. But I'm guessing she's still 15 lbs. Maybe 15 1/2. She's a tiny little thing.

Eating: well, she eats anything. As long as she can feed it to herself, that is. No baby food for her.

Sleep: she isn't the best napper. Some days she'll do one 2 hr nap, and one 15 min catnap. Other days she'll only do two 45 min naps. She's not the best sleeper at night either. She still wakes up 1-2 times. Some nights she'll go back to sleep in her bed, some nights I have to bring her to bed with us. I'm a sucker, I know.

Overall, she is a sweet, perfect, tiny, funny little thing. And I love her.

Christmas Tree Bokeh

2010-12-02T14:03:00.001-05:00

Practicing for some upcoming Christmas-themed shoots. Trying to perfect my sparkley bokeh.

(bokeh = that blurry stuff in the background)

My subject: willing... but seemingly unable to make a real smile.

And I love it that way - he's so five.

Today he wanted a haircut.

Why?

So Mrs Smith would think he's Super Handsome.

And then she would call him to the front of the class every day.

I think he's got his first teacher crush.

Wordless Wednesday - Babymonster.

2010-12-01T01:02:00.003-05:00

*Shameless Plug: Please vote for my middle kid, Nate

in the Cutest Kid Contest HERE*

Thankful.

2010-11-27T22:06:00.000-05:00

We had a sudden change in plans for the holiday weekend. Chris's grandma ended up in the hospital, very sick. So instead of his family coming to visit us, we went up to visit them (and her.)

She's not out of the woods yet, but is doing better. (Thankful.)

We packed Mr. Turkey in a cooler and had a wonderful, albeit rather thrown together, Thanksgiving feast with my husband's family. (Thankful.)

I got to shop the black friday sales with my wonderful mother in law and my sweet baby girl (Thankful.) And yes, I am aware that I'm crazy for taking her to Target before the sun came up. (Also I am thankful for a mei tai that she will sleep in.)

We came home Friday night, very late. The kids and I slept nearly the entire 5 hour drive while Chris drove, no pit stops. (THANKFUL!)

(I should download a great picture or two from the weekend. But it's bedtime. And for that I am thankful.)

Pixel Perfect - Christmas Mini Shoot

2010-11-24T11:40:00.001-05:00

Saturday I did a few Mini Sessions at a wonderful indoor botanical garden, Krohn Conservatory. It was opening day of their holiday display, and the place was swamped with photographers. It was very tough to get an angle that didn't have other people, camera bags, or random toddlers in holiday garb.

Here is another clean edit of one of the little cuties. I am liking the simple clean look more and more these days. I don't get into all those textures... but I'm mainly a portrait photograper, so I guess that makes sense. I want my pictures to be timeless.

I edit in Photoshop Elements 6:

Cropped to remove distractions, levels, brightness adjustment

MCP's free Touch of Light/Dark (light layer only used)

Coffeeshop's Eye Bright action to accentuate catchlights, and whiten teeth a bit.

Everyday Action's free "Florida" action ran.

Shine at 40%

Creamy Glow turned on, set to 4%

Sun Light turned on, set to 20%

Sharpened, flattened.

I also used MCP's new free Facebook action to put it side by side with the SOOC shot.

(I did this for last week's pixel perfect, but never entered it, so I'm entering it today)

My Little Nugget

2010-11-23T07:48:00.003-05:00

Ha ha, Kid likes his Chicken Nuh-niks. Seriously, a LOT.

I didn't actually take this picture. My husband did (and I think he did a fantasic job making the mundane pretty interesting.) Compositionally wonderful. Great DOF for the subject.

Ok, he had some help too. He always hands the camera to me and says "get this thing ready for me." And I set it on Av (usually) and adjust the iso/aperture to something appropriate for the lighting.

What you don't see: The other 106 pictures he took of this very same child eating this very same meal. And the other 105 were not nearly this interesting. Actually they were pretty snooze-worthy (Sorry Chris.) But really? Our children are not so facinating that over 100 pictures need to be taken of them eating fast-food garbage. Even if it is their favorite thing. In the whole world.

But I am excited that he's gotten over his fear of the camera. I applaud the effort. Maybe now you'll see some pictures of me on the blog every now and then. Or maybe you'll just see 106 pictures of my child eating lunch.

*Shameless Plug: Please vote for Nate the Nugget-eater in the Cutest Kid Contest HERE*

I hope the *i heart faces* crew thinks it's ok that I post his picture, not mine. After all this is our family's blog. He just happens to rarely write. Ok, so he never actually sits down and types things. Every now and then he'll tell me "my mom wants to see more pictures of ____ on that blog." So he's a contributor. ;-)

The Years are Short

2010-11-18T10:17:00.003-05:00

Yes, the years are short.

But my, oh, my.

The days are so long.

Painfully so sometimes.

Mommy I'm huuuuuu-ngry.

Mommy wipe my butt.

He's bothering me!

Can you find my _____?

Mommy hold me (when I clearly have my hands

more than full with baby. diaper bags. groceries.)

Winter is approaching.

It is chilly and rainy here.

Confession:
The same 4 laundry baskets are still sitting there, waiting for me to fold them.

Meanwhile, there is an ever growing pile spilling out of the hamper upstairs.

I sweep the same floor 5 times a day,

and she still finds stuff to eat.

*I have to remind myself often that I am going to miss this*

Sometimes it is so painful to stay here in the house,

so we go out.

Usually to Target.

Which is an event in and of itself.

Yes I do have my hands full.

Yes, they are all mine.

No, I'm not the babysitter.

No, they are not twins.

Yes, they are very busy boys.

(usually said when they are actually being good, oddly enough.)

Confession:

Every day is a countdown of sorts... how many minutes till bedtime?

When they are quiet and sweet and perfectly still.

And I get to snuggle my sweet baby,

and whoever else finds their way to my bed.

Yes, the years are short.

Cutest Kid?

2010-11-16T08:33:00.004-05:00

Well, I've got 3 of the cutest kids. Ever.

But right now, I'd have to say the cutest of them all is my Nate (sorry Alex and Anna. If you are ever big enough to read this, I was forced to pick one of you for a contest with lots of swag!)

This kid will bring a smile to the darkest of days.

His laugh is infectious.

He has never met a person he didn't love.

He wears his heart on his sleeve (along with some dirt, apparently. Hey, he's 3)

He will walk up to you in the grocery store, and tell you how much he loves you.

Never mind that you've never officially met.

He gives the best hugs.

And his cheeks feel like marshmallows.

Really, what's not to love about the little guy?

(Please help me win the contest by voting for Nate HERE)

Hosted at Freckles and FudgeAndUnexpected Surprises

Sunset Wedding

2010-11-15T17:16:00.005-05:00

We attended my cousin's wedding over the weekend. It was beautiful! My sister's kids were the ring bearer and flower girl. I'll be posing some ultra-cute pics of them later in the week, along with my sweet kiddos. But for now, the bride and groom. I didn't get too many shots of the ceremony, due to a fussy baby tied to me in a ring sling. But I thought this one was pretty appropriate for I Heart Faces this week.

Also shared at Paper Heart Camera - "from where you're sitting" because I was a guest and couldn't walk around to get a good shot - Although I love the spot I chose. And yes, I chose this spot just so I could get a good sun-flare pic. :) Well, also the fact that I could escape easily if that baby started to cry. Which she did.

Also shared at Simplicity, because what young lady doesn't daydream about her day.

Rub a Dub Dub

2010-11-11T21:08:00.005-05:00

Rub a dub dub,
Three in the tub.

And squeaky clean they be.

* * *

I've been away from my blog for a bit.

Taking care of the things that need more attention.

(this may not be the best shot I have EVER taken... I mean it was shot in a dim bathroom for goodness sakes. But it is currently my favorite of my 3 kids.)

Also, Ni Hao 'Yall is doing an awesome series of giveaways. Go check it out.

Preschool Party

2010-11-05T22:03:00.000-04:00

One last Halloween post. I dunno... Halloween was, you know... so last week. But these pictures touch my heart. :)

I was able to go to Nathan's preschool Pumpkin Party. Watching him at his school, with his little friends - nothing short of magical. Little Yoda, his chubby hand holding mine, showing me all the stuff in his classroom.

"Look Mommy, my cubby!"

"Look Mommy, my chair!"

"Look Mommy, my friends!"

We played a couple games, made a craft, and ate some cookies.

Pin the nose on the pumpkin.

Yeah, he ran right into the wall. He he.

But his nose ended up pretty close to center anyway!

I love this boy, and I was so thrilled to get to spend the day at his school.

He loves his teacher, his class, and his bus.

He loves to learn.

Preschool is good for him.

8 Months

2010-11-04T15:20:00.003-04:00

Anna Kate is getting so big - and she's so much fun.

She weighs only about 15 lbs, I'd say. She's a tiny little thing.
Her hair is long enough for pretties. And they actually stay in!
She still has zero teeth. But that will change very soon, I think.
She is crawling all over the place, on all fours. She is a little roving babymonster constantly looking for trouble, or something to eat.
She also pulls up to stand on stuff, and even lets go with one hand!
She eats only finger foods now - no purees. She hasn't let me feed her for a solid month. Actually, before that, she wasn't eating much solids at all, because she wouldn't let me feed her then either. She just waited till she was able to do it herself. Little miss independent.
She nurses about every 3-4 hours. Even at night. And I let her because I'm a pushover. And plus, she's so small... I feel bad telling her no. Oh, well. She'll sleep eventually. Right? (She was doing really well for a long time, she slept through the night at 7 weeks, but for the past couple months she's been not a good sleeper.)
We stopped swaddling her because she could break free from the Miracle Blanket. She doesn't like that, which contributes to the night waking. I think I'm going to start wrapping her up again, and then putting her in a sleepsack, so she can't roll out. Maybe then she'll sleep again. If that doesn't work, maybe I'll use duct tape. (Kidding!)
She says "da da" and means it!
She takes one short nap every day (usually in the car on the way home from whatever we're doing) and one longer nap. Some days she skips the short nap. Love my quiet afternoons!

Trick Or Treat!

2010-11-02T14:34:00.001-04:00

Well, since Halloween was crazy-busy for us this year, and we didn't get home to trick or treat until it was almost dark, I didn't get any pictures of the kids *actually* trick or treating. But they had lots of opportunity to wear their costumes before that. This was at the zoo trick or treat day.

Yup, that's Obi-wan, Yoda, and little Princess Leia.

And some from a Halloween party we went to:

lightsaber duel with another jedi boy.

Engrossed in some pumpkin painting!

Sweet Yoda.

No tricks, only treats here!

Cute little baby princess!

The Pumpkin Farm

2010-10-31T22:09:00.000-04:00

Subtitled: Post-Halloween Picture-heavy Post #1 *Completely unedited and horribly snapshot-ish. (gasp)

We go to this pumpkin farm every year. It isn't the closest, the biggest, the flashiest, or the fanciest. But it's tradition. I went there when I was just a kid.

(This is what you get when you ask a five year old boy to go sit in the pumpkins because you want to take a picture of him. Nice.)

We took a hayride.

On a real horsedrawn wagon.

Nate had a good time.

After the wagon ride, we measured up. Another yearly tradition. A tradition that never produces accurate measurements or fabulous photos. I need to find the shot I got of Alex at age 2 when he was just a blur running past the measuring stick.

Those other kids are my niece and nephew. They are sweeties.

Run around, check out the farm.

Get eaten by a crocodile.

You know, the normal pumpkin farm stuff.

Anna Kate enjoyed all the pumpkins. Although I think the hat made her eyes look funny.

All-in-all I think we had a fantastic Pumpkiny day. Happy Halloween!

Pixel Perfect: Hamburger Baby

2010-10-27T23:37:00.004-04:00

I took pictures of this sweet little guy the other day... he is going to marry Anna Kate when they grow up. It's been arranged.

Anyway, his mommy wanted him to be a little hamburger for Halloween. He was not terribly amused, the costume got in the way of the serious leaf-eating operation he was trying to undertake. I only got a couple good ones of him looking at us while wearing the costume. This was by far the best.

But it looks like he's giving the camera the bird.

Which he may well be doing... Can't say I blame him too much. Ha ha!

Also, fixed the ugly hotspot on his head, took a bit of the blue cast of the blanket, popped the colors, and made the blanket not cut off in a strange spot behind his head.

And no middle finger. :)

I can't remember if I used PW's "boost" action, or just made a duplicate layer set to "soft light" to pop the colors. Either way, the outcome is similar, and I'm pretty sure I dialed down the opacity a bit, and probably masked it off his little face some. I'm starting to realize that the clean, saturated look might be my style. I was doing vintage, muted colors at first, but I'm finding that it's just not me.

So, if you had to describe your editing style, what would it be?

(and yes, I realize that technically I'm supposed to be using a picture of MY kids for the paper mama challenge. But he's gonna marry my baby one day, which makes him a future son-in-law, so i guess it counts, right? LOL)

Bad Bad Blogger.

2010-10-26T21:37:00.002-04:00

Yup, that's me. It's been 5 days since my last post. I've been busy, busy editing sessions (5 in the last week and a half. That's a lot for a full-time mom and part-time photog, with a really slow computer.) I have some AWESOME pumpkin patch pictures coming up soon. Although they may well be SOOC, completely unedited. Because well, I don't really have the time to edit any more stuff .

Oh well. Keepin' it real, I guess.

For now... check this out. The baby crawls. And she's into EVERYTHING. Including the 5 year old's sight words. Add another thing to my to-do list: chase around baby.

Take a walk with me.

2010-10-21T08:16:00.000-04:00

I am loving this fall weather and all the gorgeous orange leaves. Sad to think that in a few short days they all will be gone, the air will turn cold, and the sky will be dark.

But that is what makes October so special. You blink and it is gone.

In the Orchard

2010-10-19T07:12:00.004-04:00

Last week we got the call from a friend, inviting us to come along to their grandma's house to help pick the latest crop of apples. We piled in the car and hauled over there in a hot second.

The boys loved getting to run around the yard full of apple trees and grape vines, picking apples for pies and apple butter, and sampling nature's bounty. I had forgotten how good it feels to pick ripe fruit directly off the trees and taste the goodness that our Lord has created for us on this earth.

The next evening, I made apple crisp. I had lost the recipe (gasp!) but after much searching, found it again. It is quite yummy. The recipe is not my granny's, but it is someone's granny's. :)

Granny's Apple Crisp
4 cups of apples, peeled and sliced. (I have no clue what variety these were. Smallish and pink-y red. Somewhat tart. Galas work well if you aren't lucky enough to be invited to a friend's grandma's.)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup oats (I used quick cook this time, but I prefer whole, they give the crisp a bit more texture)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter

Lay apples in a 8x8 pan. Pour water over apples.
Mix dry ingredients in bowl.
Cut in butter until crumbly. It doesn't have to be perfect.
Pour flour/butter mixture over apples.
Bake about 40 minutes or until apples are done.

(Time varies based on type of apple, McIntoshes cooked up in 25 minutes for me, Granny Smiths took nearly an hour to get soft enough.)

And for those of you here for Tasty Tuesdays, I don't have a picture of the food. We ate it too fast!

Also, I won't be spamming you all the time for votes, but I'd love to somewhere not at the bottom of the list here. He he... Just a click on the button below is all it takes.

Head Swapping Tutorial

2010-10-18T10:53:00.000-04:00

I was asked to do a tutorial on how to swap heads (my Pixel Perfect entry for the week) but considering I am up to my eyeballs in heads to swap pictures to edit, I will just link up this awesome tutorial that got posted this morning on MCP actions' awesome blog.

This is nearly exactly what I was going to post for my tutorial, except, I don't erase the edges, I use a layer mask. Since I work in Photoshop Elements (which doesn't support layer masks on it own) I need to either use a plug-in or I use this technique to create one. *note: the newest version of elements, just released, includes a layer mask button! Yay! it's about time, Adobe.

*further note: photoshop has a plug-in that is packaged with it that does this process for you, it's called "Photomerge: Group Shot" but in my opinion, the results never turn out well unless you are taking the shot from exactly the same angle, and the person you are swapping hasn't moved left or right or turned their head at all. Which never happens. Besides the tutorial version is just as quick, if not quicker, once you get the process down.

My example of a head swap:

Saturday Morning Coffee.

2010-10-16T07:48:00.000-04:00

In case you were wondering, it's pumpkin spice flavor. And I've got an english muffin with pumpkin spice cream cheese. I think I'm going to turn into a pumpkin before fall is over, but I'm ok with that. My children (whom I adore) picked out my new coffee mug at Target the other day. It has Snoopy on it. Snoopy always reminds me of the fall/winter holiday season, thanks to a childhood full of Peanuts specials, which I thankfully get to relive through my children.

"I got a rock"
"It's not a bad tree after all, it just needs a little love. Oh, no, I killed it!"
"I can't cook a Thanksgiving dinner. All I can make is toast."

Speaking of TV, that baby of mine woke up early this morning, and is currently being entertained by a Baby Einstein video. Yup, I'm a horrible mother like that.

She's crawling now, a bit. Nothing is safe!

We have yet to do our pumpkin farmin' for the year, but that's on the schedule for next weekend. October has been crazy busy for us, it always seems to be! This weekend I have three (3!) shoots for other people. I normally would limit it to one/week, maybe two, but since the trees are only pretty for a bit, I'm cramming a month's worth of shoots into a week's worth of time. So then I'll be up to my eyeballs in pictures to edit, and by the time I get them all done, it will be Christmas picture time!

And that's it for me today. Have a happy Saturday!

Pixel Perfect: Our Fall Family Portrait

2010-10-14T13:55:00.001-04:00

Sunday we went to a park and did a little photoshoot of our own family - complete with a press-the-shutter-and-run shot. I'm thinking this may be our christmas card shoot this year. (alhtough Anna Kate looks pretty puzzled as to why she's supposed to smile at a camera sitting on a box, LOL.)

And since it's Pixel Perfect day, I'll post my unedited version of this also.

As you can see, my camera on a box was not lined up too straight. Plus, I had to copy Alex's head from another image. I'm getting pretty good at copying heads. There seems to be one kid in every family who won't make a normal smile for group shots. Alex is definitely ours.

And here's the rest of our shoot. I'm moderately pleased with the results. Actually, I'm happy as a clam that they all cooperated, and that I didn't have to go to a chain studio. And that our photo turned out significantly less cheesy looking than the last family photo, which was when Alex was smaller than Anna Kate is now.

I think I need to work on that last one a bit more. I don't love it yet...

Wordless Wednesday - Dump Truck

2010-10-13T09:00:00.000-04:00

(Yes, he did eventually fall out. He got a busted lip.

Thankfully he wasn't going 90 mph at the time of the crash.)

My Baby and her Legs

2010-10-12T13:52:00.001-04:00

Trendy Treehouse's Shutter Love theme this week is Babies. Hey, I've got one of those! And she's awfully cute, too. But I'm biased.

She's getting close to crawling. And since it's getting cooler will evenutally be cooler once this crazy indian summer heat wave is over , I decided to make some sweet little legwarmers to protect her chubby thighs and sweet little knees. I got the idea from my friend Amanda. (I tried to search for the post where you had pictures of the ones you made, but this is the closest I got.)

They were easy to make, and cost me only $0.66 a pair (not including the embellishments from my craft stash.) I got 6 different colors.

Miscellany Monday: A Tale of Two Teeth

2010-10-11T08:40:00.002-04:00

1. The faces of two of my kids are about to change forever. Anna Kate is getting toother nubbins on the bottom. She is chewy chewy. It won't be long before the lil' chompers decide to poke through! This makes me a bit sad. One more sign that my tiny baby isn't a tiny baby anymore.

2. What makes me even sadder is the news my 5 year old gave me yesterday morning. "Mom, my tooth is loose." Sure enough one of Alex's tiny bottom baby teeth is a teensy bit wiggly. He is so excited to loose it and put it under the pillow for the tooth fairy. I am not so excited. I am not ready to have a big kid with big kid teeth!! I love those tiny litttle baby teeth. I love his tiny little perfect smile and I'm not ready for the crazy lopsided grin phase.

3. After hearing that news, I told my husband that our family photos CAN'T wait. So I dressed 'em all up and make a spectacle of myself pressing the shutter button and running for it. I got some decent shots. Not fantastic. But pretty decent. I think all of us are looking somewhat the same direction at the same time. Will post some as soon as I get around to editing. Which my be a while.

4. I've got 2 families to shoot today. I feel so blessed that the photography thing is starting to take off. October has been BUSY! Although it seems that November will be slower. Which might not be a terrible thing.

5. We cleaned our bedroom this weekend. That hasn't been done in a while. It seems that room gets neglected. After all we're the only ones that ever see it. Now if I can keep up on the laundry, it might stay clean. *I give it a week.*

6. I am working on my first few posts for the "Rock the Camera You've Got" series I'm putting together. Hopefully that will start next week.

I do it MYSELF!

2010-10-08T23:58:00.001-04:00

Yeah, if she could talk, that's what she'd be saying.

The girl refuses to be spoon-fed. Flat out refuses. She never did really eat purees. We tried at just over 5 months, she wasn't ready. That did not end well, let me tell ya. There were bad faces and lots of tears.

So we held off a bit. She ate rice ceral maybe three times towards the end of her 5th month. Every time she'd try to grab the spoon from us and make a giant mess, so we'd just hold her little hands down while we fed her.

Well, then she decided she didn't like to eat. We tried cereal and breastmilk, cereal and water, cereal and fruit, straight-up fruit, sweet potatoes, veggies you name it. She'd eat maybe a bite, and then loose interest.

I'm not the most patient or persistent person ever, plus I don't have time to sit around and force feed a baby, so I just went with the assumption that she didn't really need it. Hey, I offered. Ok, maybe I didn't remember to offer solids to her every day. I mean, what was the point? She didn't eat them anyway. Ok, let's be honest. The girl was lucky to get a meal twice a week during her 6th month of life. Once again, I didn't really see the point considering she'd just spit it out and turn her head.

Well... long story short, I've finally come to the conclusion that she wasn't actually rejecting the food... she was rejecting us feeding her the food. Little miss independent wanted to feed herself.

I made this discovery with a french fry, of all things. Wonderfully healthy first food for my baby, huh?

So that's what I've been doing for the past week - plopping her in the high chair and letting her go to town. Here she's eating gumming to death a big ol' chunk of apple on her 7th month birthday.

Tonight at Outback she grabbed the big loaf of bread off the table. No one wanted it after she slobbered all over it.

She also ate wore nearly half of my sweet potato. The part near the peel that's all stringy is perfect for her. I ate the gooey middle all covered in butter and cinnamon and sugar. 'Cause that part wouldn't be good for a little baby, ya know.

I bought her some squashes (spaghetti and butternut) and I plan to bake her up some finger foods as soon as it's not so hot in my house. Until then, she's been enjoying bananas. She likes them cut down the middle, so they are skinny and french-fry shaped. I think I'll get her an avocado. She also likes scrambled eggs.

And weirdness of weirdness, she loves sauerkraut.

This stubborn little independent baby's great-grandma fed her a piece of scrambled egg on a fork today. And this stubborn little independent baby proceeded to spit the egg out, pick it up, inspect it, and then feed herself. She just wanted to be in charge.

So I guess we'll be doing baby-led weaning.

Although I hadn't planned on it.

Anyone got some creative finger food ideas for babies with zero teeth?

You Capture: Faces

2010-10-07T13:19:00.000-04:00

The You Capture theme at I Should be Folding Laundry is "Faces." Here are some of my favorite faces from the week.

Sweet newborn face. (Traci, I have lots more sweetness for you soon!)

Powdered sugar donut face.

Learning to eat solid stuff face.

Excited to see a horse face.

Dirty little nugget face. (Kristin, he cracks me up!)

Coming soon: Rock The Camera You've Got!

2010-10-07T08:26:00.000-04:00

I am going to start a new tutorial series soon called "Rock the Camera You've Got" aimed at Point and Shoot users, to try to improve your picture-taking skills without buying new equipment.

I had to wait... and wait... and wait... for my SLR camera. During that time, I learned how to maximize my point and shoot's potential. I took the thing everywhere (still do.) And I took pictures every day.

When I got my new camera, I had so many friends say "wow, your camera takes good pictures." Well, yes. It does. But honestly, without knowing some of the basics that I learned in my point-and-shoot days, my pictures would just be so-so. A fancy camera does not a photographer make. In my opinion, someone with a good eye and some basic knowledge can take much better pictures with a point and shoot camera than someone who gives no thought to their photos using the fanciest of gear.

In my series, I will cover some of the basics of photography, and how it relates to the point-and-shoot user. I will post linkies with a spot to show off your new skills. And I will provide some encouragement to anyone who links up. (SLR owners are welcome to join in the fun as well. There is plenty to learn regardless of what type of camera that you have. Just know I won't be giving any advice on aperture and stuff.)

I hope you'll join me during the next few weeks. Tutorials will be posted about twice a week (although I'm not sure yet what days I'll be posting them or how many I'll have) and I am going to put a tab on the top of my blog so you can access them all easily for future reference.

(I doubt I can stay) Wordless (this) Wednesday - Camping

2010-10-06T08:42:00.000-04:00

It was cold. She didn't seem to mind.

Couldn't keep the boys out of the fire. They just wanted to watch stuff burn!

Little pyros.

Nate was in a fight to the death for his little trike. I had to intervene.

It could have gotten ugly.

My dirty lil dirtballs spent the whole time digging in the dust and ashes.

He ate so many donuts he busted through his chair. *Snort*

Her first time in a swing. That's me in about 5 layers. Did I mention it was cold?

Miscellany Monday: Cold, Grief, and Doubt

2010-10-04T13:29:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the melancholy title, but not every post on here is going to be flowers and sunshine.

My good friend from high school lost her battle against cancer this weekend. She was only 29, just a year older than me. She left behind he husband, her two little boys, her loving family, and many, many friends. She was an inspiration to everyone she met, with her attitude during the trials and treatments, her determination, and her hope against the odds. This world will miss her. Please pray for her family, that they may have comfort in this difficult time.

It's cold here. And damp. Summer is definitely over. The weather is not helping my sad mood today. I'm up to my eyeballs in laundry after out weekend camping, plus the great closet switchover preparing for fall.

And doubt, I have many doubts these days:

Doubt about my new job as a photographer: I have so many photoshoots lined up in the next few weeks. I am starting to doubt if I am good enough to do this professionally. And I am starting to doubt if it is right for our family for me to be doing shoots (although I know in the long run it will be good for us, because it will allow me to stay home with the children even after they are in school, something that a traditional job would not allow.)

Doubt about how I am raising my children: we are going through a rough season with Alex. I think we need to show him more consistent discipline, but also find a way to show him more positive attention when he behaves himself.

Doubt about my role as wife. I am so exhausted, mentally and physically by the end of the day. I have barely enough energy to cook dinner, and nothing left after putting the kids to bed. Chris has been working a lot of hours lately, and it is wearing on him too.

Pray for our family. Pray for the family of my friend Amy. Pray for me to find the right balance in my life.

Photo Roulette is fixed now!

2010-10-01T12:56:00.000-04:00

Well, sorry my Photo Roulette post earlier today wasn't working. Camping last night went fabulously with the kiddos. We'll be going back to the site for round 2 as soon as Alex is done with Kindergarden.

Anyway, I've fixed my linky thing. Photo Roulette is working now.

Photo Roulette Friday: Your Choice (9)

2010-10-01T00:47:00.002-04:00

Today's Photo Roulette we'll be doing something a little different. You are allowed to choose the folder of your choice! So pick something special that you want to share. Go as far back as you feel like going.

The catch? You must choose the 9th photo in that folder, no matter what. I don't care if it's right next to something fabulous, or if you are in it and you look awful! (Why are you holding on to that picture anyway? Delete delete delete!)

Tell the story, and link on up.

My photo this week is from our first camping trip of 2010. Anna Kate was just a little nugget. I think I was still counting her age in weeks at that point. In this photo, my niece is feeding a very tousled-looking Nate some clover. I think he actually ate it. Weird kid won't even eat his broccoli. Why on earth would he eat some weeds?

So why did I pick this folder? Well, I'll be camping this weekend. Thurs night I will be alone with three small kiddos. Wish me luck. (I'm drafting this early, so for me Thursday is in the future. Weird. It's like a fold in the space-time continuum)

For Mamaw.

2010-09-30T09:59:00.001-04:00

(Together.)

(Girly.)

(Raspberry. Why'd I teach her that?)

Wordless(ish) Wednesday: Nine.

2010-09-29T09:36:00.002-04:00

It's been nine years. Nine.

That number makes me feel a little old.

We celebrated a couple weeks ago when my mother in law (free babysitter) was visiting. We went to the park where we got married (beautiful) and of course, there was another couple tying the knot. Most years we try to visit that spot. And most years (if we celebrate on a Saturday) there has been a wedding going on.

This couple had finished the ceremony, they were busy with pictures, guests were milling about, caterers were busily working on food. They didn't have anyone in the top of the pavilion, nothing set up there. So we crashed the wedding to get a pic and remember the moment. We don't get to do this every year. Many times the wedding is going full-force or there's stuff set up up there and it's too intrusive. But this year, we were able to sneak in for a bit.

In hindsight we should have stayed for the party. It looked like it was going to be a good one.

(Pardon the photo quality here. Selfies taken w/ my point and shoot. Totally worth it to get to carry my cute little clutch instead of a diaper/camera bag)

Happy Anniversary, Honey!

I love you. You are an amazing man.

(and awfully handsome, too.)

Miscellany Monday

2010-09-27T11:10:00.001-04:00

1. My home phone is not working. *grr* I can't stand it when stuff doesn't work. Odd thing, I can still get online. We have DSL through the phone company. There is a service order out for them to come here and fix the phone. I really hope it's something with the line itself, and not something that they think I *should* be able to fix. Because if it's something on my end, I'll be charged a service fee, I'm sure.

2. Phones, internet, and cable just cost too much money. It seems no matter what we do, being connected just costs a lot.

3. I'm going camping this weekend. Thursday I'll be alone in a tent with 3 small children. Wish me luck! (There is another family going Thursday. Otherwise for safety reasons I wouldn't be going without my hubby.)

4. Funny story: Nate was crying about something or another one day recently. I was holding Anna Kate. He got all jealous and then screamed "Put dat baby in da CAGE!" and pointed at the pack and play. Ha ha.

5. Yes, I occasionally cage my baby. It really causes a rift in my soul, because in an ideal world I would be either wearing her, nursing her, or she would be happily down on the floor exploring her world. But in reality, our floor is covered with broken wheels from matchbox cars and tiny little legos. Oh, and rambunctious boys. So the "cage" is sometimes the safest place for her.

6. Paper Mama entry: Touch of color. I don't generally like selective color. I think it's usually poorly executed. And it usually makes an otherwise awesome photo look overprocessed. (Sorry to those of you who love selective color. I feel the same way about textures usually.) But on the right photo it can make a big impact and look really cool. Obviously, I don't really have the "right photo" to use it on right now. But I'm entering this anyway. Oh well. I'm a sucker for a photo challenge.

7. She blows raspberries all the time now. See photo above. :-)

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2010-09-26T22:36:00.001-04:00

Miniature:

Nate's little civil engineering project. Actually, Alex may have helped with this because when Nate does it alone, everything is lined up EXACTLY straight. All the houses in a row. All the signs in a line. All the people standing shoulder to shoulder.

Water Droplet:

How did I get a shot with perfect focus AND a drippy-hangy-looking drop of water?

Um... I took about 75 shots. Maybe more.

Color:

Anna Kate eating some toys.

Bedhead:

Alex - Every single morning. And quite frankly, I don't care to "fix" it because he is a hair twirler and it just gets messed up anyway. He asks us to let his hair be longer so that he can play with it. We cut Nate's pretty short, but the longer shaggy look suits Alex pretty well.

Eyes:

Ok, I think I popped her eyes a bit too much. Not that they need much help. She has beautiful eyes!

I went back to the original file to see the difference the pop made. There hardly is a difference. See an unedited pic from the same day here to compare for yourself. I guess my baby just has extra-sparkly eyes. Love her.

Photo Roulette Friday 10(7)

2010-09-24T08:26:00.000-04:00

It's back! (And I don't think it will be every week, I might skip a few here or there. I'm not very good at keeping a schedule for anything, so why would I think this would be any different?)

10th folder, 7th shot. Don't have 10 folders? Flip the numbers. :) You can also pick the year of your choice if you organize by year. I choose 2005.

Our first family trip to the pumpkin farm - we are in the corn maze, with my father in law holding my biggest little nugget (here he's about 6 months old.) All my kids look the same as babies, although this is a very "Alex" espression he's giving. Eyebrows up, eyes open wide!

I'd love if you joined in. Just be random, post your pick, tell the story, and link away.

Pixel Perfect - The silly boy

2010-09-23T15:14:00.000-04:00

Family photos last week for a friend's family. The 3yo was quite a character! So I take 300-some-odd photos of them, and wouldn't you know... nearly none of them have all 4 of them looking the same general direction and smiling. Or at least looking pleasant. Ha ha! (of course, all 300 were not group shots.)

So in comes the Photoshop Magic. Please let me know what you think. I think overall it's pretty good. Not perfect though. The kids hair bothers me a bit. I have some others that may have turned out better, but I've ditched the SOOC shots already.

After fixing the kid, doing some adjustments. Still dull, and the background is overexposed. And there are blotchy light patches on their faces. Wow, I should have chosen another photo to show you. Oh well, it is what it is.

I like it in black and white. You?

Why God gave the world Little Sisters.

2010-09-21T23:45:00.001-04:00

Last night when I was editing senior pictures for this dashing young man, I came across this gem. A smile. A real, honest-to-goodness smile. Real smiles seem to be at a premium for shoots involving young men.

Who do I have to thank for provoking this smile?

His little sister. Doing those funny things that little sisters love to do.

Little sisters are amazing. They honestly one of God's greatest blessings.

I love my little sister.

(shown here with her baby girl, who is also a little sister. I would not be a mean big sister and post the OTHER photos from this day at the park, that actually show my sis's face. It was not a "pretty" morning for any of us.)

What is so special about little sisters? They can make their big siblings smile in ways that no one else can. I am so grateful that my boys now have a little sister to call their own. Someone to laugh with, someone to love, someone to protect.

My boys truly love their little sister.

Did I mention that I may never ever again get a "good" family photo?

Not that I particularly care. I think these are perfect just like they are.

(entered into raw(e) - take your pick, I think nearly all of them show laughter pretty well.)

The post in which I shamelessly solicit your votes.

2010-09-20T13:40:00.000-04:00

Well, I entered August's Photo Hunt Challenge (a month-long 20-item photo scavenger hunt) and my photos have been selected as finalists for 15 categories! I can't believe it. there were about 75 contestants, and 20-25 favorites were chosen for each category, so that means I was in the top third for most of my entries.

So now I'm going to solicit your votes. The first ones listed here are the ones that my photo is doing the best so far in, so I'd really appreciate your vote on those especially. (Only if you think my photos are best, of course.) Click on the picture's title to vote.

You can vote 3 times per category, so after you *hopefully* vote for me, find two others that you like and give 'em some love.

Something Comfortable: Entry #4

(I am in the lead on this one, but only barely! Thanks for voting!)

Butterflies: Entry #17

Macro/Closeup: Entry #16

Something Feminine: Entry #19

Eco-Friendly: Entry #5

Culture/Ethnicity: Entry #25

Something in Season: Entry #17

Miscellany Monday

2010-09-20T08:26:00.001-04:00

I've been a bad blogger this past week. I didn't even post a photo roulette. I'm so sorry. I feel terrible. But I think maybe it will be an every other week thing. Or maybe I'll do it 2 weeks in a row. Ha, I guess I'll just have to keep you guessing.

So what I have I been up to? What could possibly be more important than updating my blog?

1) Photoshoots. Wow, my new photog business is just taking off! I've decided to limit shoots to 1-2 a week for now, because I don't (can't) have it be a full-time job right now. I'm also reading up on business practices, pricing, etc. I have so much to learn.

I need to keep some persepective, though. While it is a fun, exciting endevor, raising my children and being the wife I should be needs to be my #1 focus. I can't forget that.

2) Class. I am learning so much from the Faith's (from Simplicity) photography class. I'm excited to get this week's lesson and shooting guide. And I promise to not make my photos for the week an afterthough.

3) Memory. Computer memory, that is. My computer was clean out of it. And I have an external hard drive set to back up continously, but eventually it overwrites old info, so I wasn't comfortable deleting old stuff off my computer. So I got a new hard drive. Now I can get old videos off my computer (although actually deleting them made me sick to my stomach in fear. Like I'm deleting my babies babyhood or something.)

Anyway, that's what I did ALL. DAY. FRIDAY. and why I never got around to posting the photo roulette. Because I was mad at my computer for being stupid. (Did I mention I'm not very tech-ish?)

But now I can actually download more than one shoot's worth of photos at a time. (I shoot in RAW + JPG most of the time, so 300 pics is a full 8gb card.) And hopefully I can make it through a typical weekend without running out of memory or staying up till 3am doing RAW conversions on stuff that needs converted.

4) Why could I not find extra SD cards at Best Buy? Seriously? They should not be that hard to find. They should be right there by the cameras. Why were they not there?

5) Park day vs. flu shots. I'm double booked again. Hopefully this doc is on the ball and gets us in and out of there. I hate thinking I'm missing a park day to do doctor stuff. Blah.

6) Because I love to include photos in my posts: Here is a collage that I did for the Simplicity class. The prompt was "a day in the life." I think I like to make collages. And I like the way they show up here on the ol' blog. I shall make more.

"A Day in the Life" by Cara @ Mischief and Laughs

Home + Office

2010-09-18T21:13:00.002-04:00

We are really loving the new "office." The boys play underfoot while I do my emails, edit photos, and pay bills. The baby has a spot she can chill too. So much better than a useless dining room.

Layer Masks in Photoshop Elements?

2010-09-16T08:40:00.001-04:00

Anna Kate came with me earlier this week to a newborn shot for the Baby That Would Not Sleep. While mom (and dad) were trying everything to calm the little nugget, I tested out my camera settings/background choices with my sweet little girl. And I got this beautiful shot.

Nice... I like it. What a sweet girl. But, honestly... a little dull, lifeless. Cold.

Brightened eyes, added Pioneer Woman's "Warmer" action. Flattened.

Better. But still Blah.

Added Pioneer Woman's "Seventies" action.

Eeeh. Not exactly what I was going for. But close.

Hmmm... reduce opacity on seventies layer to 50%.

Oh, that's what I'm talking about. I like it.

But I miss her blue eyes.

*Oh, I wish I had the full version of Photoshop. I need layer masks!*

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, layer masks do exactly what the name says. They help mask off part of a layer. It's kind of like using the eraser tool to take away part of a layer, so that the layer underneath can peek through. Except when you use the eraser, that information you've erased is gone forever. Sure, you can use the "undo" function like 1,000 times, but then you loose all steps you've done after the "undo." With layer masks, you just paint a contrasting color to mask the layer, or the same color to show the layer again. For more on layer masks, go here.

Great, if you have the full Photoshop, right?

But Elements doesn't have a layer mask button!

But, wait!

There's a trick. You can fake layer masks.

(I use Photoshop Elements 6 for this tutorial)

Start with your two layers. The original on the bottom, and your special effect/action layer on the top (here it's shown at 50% opacity because that's how I want it. like I said, it was too much before)

The only way I know to access any type of layer mask in Elements is with an adjustment layer (the half white/black circle in your layers palette.) I always click on Levels, because I can exit out of it easily without changing my image at all.

So click on levels. A menu box pops up.

Just hit ok to exit out without making any level adjustments.

Now your layers palette should look something like this: Background on bottom, Levels layer in middle, effect/action layer on top. Move layers around if yours doesn't look like that.

(I just realized I have my "seventies" layer hidden from view here. You should probably have it visible, although at this point it doesn't really matter too much. But you won't be able to see what you're doing later if you don't make it visible.)

Anyway, click on your effect/action layer (Seventies, in my example.)

Hit Command + G (mac) or Control + G (pc)

or if you don't like shortcuts... Layer > Group with Previous.

I had to look that up. I'm a shortcut kinda gal.

Anyway, after you do that, your layer palette will look like this (notice little arrow on seventies layer.)

Now... you can click on the WHITE box in the "Levels" layer. Use a BLACK paintbrush set to the opacity you desire, and paint away the "seventies" layer. (see below.)

I'm sure many, many people wish they could just paint away the 70's.

I wouldn't know. I'm a child of the 80's. Hardy har har.

Here, I've painted away the "seventies" from her blue eyes with a small 100% opacity brush, and from her skin with a large 50% opacity brush. You can see the dark spots on my layer mask in the layers palette. On the photo of Anna, you will just see the original non-70's layer peeking through. You won't see any black marks or anything.

After that, I just flattened everything, sharpened, and added my watermark.

Good to go!

Once again, for comparison sake:

Cold, dull. Kinda Blah.

Warm, Sparkly (can a photo be sparkly?)

Has a vintage feel about it, without being overdone.

I think Photoshop Elements is a great consumer-grade program, at a great price point. It has its limitations, but all-in-all you can really do some amazing things with your pictures using Elements. And honestly, now that I can do layer masks, I think I'll put off upgrading to the full version until I have to get a new computer. That is the one thing that I really missed.

** Edited to add: there are plug-ins and actions available various places around the interweb that will allow you to add a layer mask in one easy step. These actions are wonderful, but I wanted to show how to do it without adding anything to PSE.

So... what do you think? This is the first tutorial I've done, and I'd love to get your feedback. Was it helpful? Was it clear? Thanks for your input!

Wordless Wednesday - Dino Munch

2010-09-15T08:21:00.000-04:00

Baby + Tree.

2010-09-13T14:59:00.002-04:00

Loves to be outside.

(Entered into Paper Mama: Brown)

Photo Roulette Friday 8(30)

2010-09-09T22:39:00.001-04:00

Finally getting the photo to post here.

The kite got the best of him. :)

I'm feeling completely overwhelmed at the moment (in mostly good ways, not bad.) I think I need a moment to breathe. If I go "off the grid" blog-wise for the rest of the weekend, don't worry. I'm here. :)

Just enjoying my family, working on editing piles of pictures, and having a little fun.

Anyway, we'll be going to the 8th folder (that'd be August, in my case) and picking the 30th photo (if you don't have 30, choose the 3rd.) You can also choose a year if you organize by years. I actually just took my first photo from the date 8/30. There are so many ways you can interpret these numbers.

Rules:
* be random. You don't have to follow my numbers exactly, just pick some random numbers that fit your organization and post away. No peeking!
* Tell the story if you feel so inclined. It's more fun that way.
* Link up to me so other can play along.

Thanks for playing, and have a great weekend!

Anna Kate (6 months)

2010-09-09T13:58:00.002-04:00

(taken on her 1/2 birthday, on 9/4/2010)

Height - 26 3/4 in. (85th%)

Weight - 13 lb 12 oz (10th%)

She has aspirations to be a 5'10" 120 lb supermodel with gorgeous blond hair.

Watch out, world.

Sleep: I wish I could say that she still sleeps through the night, but she doesn't. Oh well... She still likes to sleep a lot, though.

Bedtime: 9:00, or whenever I can pay attention to her after I get brothers to sleep.
Wake-up: depends how quiet brothers are when they get up.
She sleeps in her crib. All the time. No more coming to momma's bed, 'cause she's a roly-poly thing.
She (still) sleeps swaddled. Doesn't appear like she's wanting to quit that either. She's so long I'm gonna have to get a full-sized sheet to wrap her in soon!
Naps: in a perfect world, two 1 1/2 hour naps. But we rarely live in a perfect world here. So she usually gets a morning snooze in the car, a midday big nap in her bed, and a mommy-forced evening snooze so I can cook dinner without a whiny, tired baby clinging to me for dear life. Overall, she's flexible with the nap stuff. And I am thankful for that.

Eating: still primarily breastfed, although we have started solids slowly.

Refuses to take a bottle. Still. Not that I try very often.
Will drink water from an open glass. LOVES this trick, and spends most of the time at a restaurant practicing.
Nurses every 3ish hours during the day. Sometimes more often. Basically whenever I sit down, she sees it as an invitation to nurse.
When she wants to eat she lets me know by coughing. Not crying, coughing.
Solids: we started rice cereal at 5 1/2 months. Now she's eating some purees (she likes sweet potatoes and peaches, doesn't love bananas or avocados.) She eats solids usually once/day, unless I get busy. I'll up it to 2x/day... um... eventually. Honestly it's easier to just nurse her.
When she doesn't like a food, she will hold it on the top of her mouth and try not to touch it to her tongue. That leads to some gagging, which is a little scary. But it's just mush, so I guess she can't choke. After a bit, she'll usually start eating the food.

(first solid food. 8/14)

Temperament: Still super easy-going. She has a 3rd child personality for sure. Happy to just be here, entertained easily, goes with the flow. She smiles easily, but doesn't laugh that often. So if you can get her to laugh, consider yourself lucky. It's the sweetest sound ever.

Favorites:

Toys: her feet, her Minnie Mouse lovey (but only the tag part) and any plate/bowl you give her. Also dangly stringy things like necklaces or toys with soft ropey parts.
People: Still Alex. She loves her biggest bro.
Being outside.

Tricks:

Sits completely unassisted without falling over much. She started that about 2 weeks ago.
Rolls from back to belly a lot now, but forgets that she can roll to her back again and gets mad.
Loves to stand (with us supporting her.)
Blows raspberries. A lot.
Scoots around a lot when she's on her tummy. It's starting to get intentional, like she's trying to get from point A to point B.

Other:

Still likes to be worn in the sling.
We have put up her pack and play to keep little legos (and rambunctious boys) away from her. I never put the boys in a playpen, but then again I didn't have the need to protect them quite the way I do for her.
She's got her daddy wrapped around her little finger.
I think that she's the most beautiful thing ever.

Wordless Wednesday: Shadow Play

2010-09-08T09:29:00.001-04:00

Sweet Girl was entralled by her shadow, too.

Talk to shadow, play with flower. Rinse and repeat.

Miscellany Monday (Tuesday edition)

2010-09-07T08:56:00.000-04:00

1. Monday was Labor Day. 'Nuff said. Of course now I'm too late to link up. Oh well... still got lots to say.

2. My photography class for SLR camera users (through Faith at Simplicity) started yesterday. So far the class sounds really cool. I love that there are all levels of photographers there. I'd say I'm in the middle-high end of the class as far as knowledge of my camera goes. Only because when I got it 2 months ago, I refused to take even one picture in full-auto mode. Oh, and I google EVERYTHING, so I've already read lots of technical tutorials. But the class will hopefully be a growing experience for me anyway.

(For those of you who are interested, Faith is having a basics of photography class in October. Anyone with any type of camera would benefit from this class. She doesn't know I'm writing this, I just think her classes are cool.)

3. I probably won't be participating in as many photo challenges this month, since there are daily assignments with the class. Plus I'm up to my eyeballs in portrait photoshoots! (Yay!)

4. Why am I starting a photography business when I'm super busy with little'uns? Because I love it. And because they won't be little forever. I've always had the intention of doing something career-wise when they all get in school. I have never had this much fun at a job. And I can do most of my work (editing) at home, after they all go to bed. Perfect, because I'm a borderline insomniac.

5. Speaking of photoshoots, one of the portrait sessions I did over the weekend was for my own sweet baby. She turned 6 months old over the weekend! I can't believe it. I've been putting off her 6-month-old birthday post with updates and stuff, because I don't have photos edited, plus we haven't been to the doctor yet because of the holiday, and I'd love to put height/weight and stuff in the post. But I'll post it soon.

6.) I turned my dining room into a home office last week. It's not perfect (we don't have a real desk. but I don't think I want a real desk either, since we'll have to use it as a dining room on occasion.) I think I like it. I never used it as a dining room. It was more of a dumping spot for junk. I've been using it as an office already. And the boys have a spot to sit with me at the table and color/work legos

Here's a before/after.

And another after:

First Day (Pre-K)

2010-09-04T09:10:00.001-04:00

Nervous. Anxious. Hoping that all goes well.

I'm talking about me, here... not Nate.

Actually, he has been pretty upset about the prospect of going to school, and especially riding the bus. He was honestly scared of the bus. He said it was too big. Too noisy.

I expected the first day to be tear-filled. For them to take my sweet baby from my arms in tears. I had some serious worries about this.

Even our backpack shopping trip turned into a tear-filled fiasco. He refused to even look at them. In the end I chose the Darth Vader backpack for him. I knew he'd grow to love it. Actually, Alex tried to steal it. ;)

Every time I mentioned his backpack or his school, more tears.

I was really getting nervous about this.

Day of preschool, I mentioned that it's his first school day at about 10:00. He ran and hid in his toybox. More tears. Oh boy.

Then something strange happened.

I started packing his lunch, and he grabbed his little lunch box. And was totally excited about it. Put his lunch in his Darth Vader backpack. And then put his backpack on. He could hardly wait to get to school! By the time the bus came at 11:50, he was totally stoked!

(^^ That one is my paper mama: excitement entry)

We haul up to the bus, the whole crew.

Hugs all around.

And we wait. (not sure about that face! Ha!)

The bus comes. And he gets on. No tears. Actually kind of excited, I think.

He rocked it.

I love my boy.

Photo Roulette Friday 2:(6)

2010-09-03T08:57:00.001-04:00

(Dice, because it's cool. This was generated by Random.org)

I'm pulling from my 2002-2003 CD. Good stuff. I'll have to use this disk more often.

My lil' sister's high school graduation. Love it.

Blurry, but I love the smile.

She gave a speech, too (there were actually two graduation ceremonies, she went to a technical school for Firefighting. So the top is our local High School's ceremony (where she got her regular diploma) below is the tech school graduation. I think that one meant a lot more to her. She did awesome there. We had our concerns when she was at the regular high school, she didn't pay attention to academics. But at the Tech school she excelled, made awesome grades, and she was fully certified to be a Firefighter/EMT upon graduation, although she decided to continue her education and ended up becoming an RN later on.

So that's my photo, and the story behind it.

I hope you'll play along. Here are the rules:

- Go to your 2nd folder, 6th photo (you can choose the year if you organize by year)

- if you don't have a photo in that spot, just make up some random numbers and post a photo that you do have.

- be random, no peeking!

- you can edit or not, I don't care.

- link up to me somehow.

My favorite by far from last week was And Baby Makes Three. SO cute, go check it out.

(also, I wanted to note that for some reason I can't ever comment on Mars Pic's blog! I promise I'm not ignoring you in my lack of commenting)

Confessions of a Slacker Mom

2010-09-02T13:45:00.001-04:00

^^ That would be me.

1. I did NOT organize my house this month. (Note, it is not monday. Meaning that when I say NOT I really truly mean not. Meaning my house is a pigsty. Meaning I will be repeating this organizational exercise soon.)

2. It is now Thursday. Nathan started preschool on Monday. *Note that I still have not posted pictures of his first day* (although I did take them, I promise you that.) They will be up soon. And they will make you smile.

3. The reason I have yet to post 1st day pre-k pics: I am up to my eyeballs in photos. Between my first-ever senior session, and August's photo hunt (whew, that's over!) I have been an editing mad woman. Plus my hunky hubby is getting ready to lead a Bible study starting this Sunday and has been hogging the computer prepping for it.

4. I have lost the power cord to our old computer, which would solve some of our issues. And now we're back to confession #1: my house is still a pigsty.

5. My sink is definitely not shiny. My September goal is housework routines, and day 2 of September is not going swimmingly. I need to dive into that. I have used the Flylady system in the past, and like it (although on an 'off' day or week the emails/facebook messages feel a bit naggy) but nonetheless it helps keep me motivated.

6. I have some great photos I could have used for Pixel Perfect, but have lost the SOOC's. It's probably better that way. They were pretty gross looking before and posting them would be further proof that still don't have much of a clue what I'm doing yet.

And there you have it.
Whew, I feel better now.

Photo Hunt Challenge Entries (August)

2010-09-01T12:38:00.003-04:00

1. A flag that represents me

2. Something comfortable (my lil' boy's Lambie. Totally comfy for him)

3. Something in season (fresh, juicy southern peaches)

4. Feet (My babe's favorite toy)

5. Repetition

6. Culture or ethnicity (Drums from the Music around the World exhibit at the museum)

7. Contrast (Old & Young)

8. An indulgence (sleeping past 9:00 is totally an indulgence!)

9. A macro or closeup

10. Something masculine

11. Something feminine

12. Light

13. Eco-friendly (Supporting local beekeepers is a great way to support your local ecosystem. Without bees, many plants do not fertilize.)

14. Business

15. An arrow

16. Something wet

17. Something dry

18. Butterflies*

19. Heart-Shaped Clouds

20. Strength (this photo has so much personal meaning for me. This is a good friend of mine (a cancer warrior) and one of the strongest people I know. Also the strength of the bond her and her husband share. This is from their recent last-minute vow renewal ceremony I was blessed enough to have the privilidge to witness.)

(all of these are entered into August's Photo Hunt Challenge)

Wordless Wednesday - Like Flies to Honey.

2010-09-01T07:18:00.000-04:00

Simplicity: Love

2010-08-31T10:22:00.000-04:00

Here is a shot from my most recent family session. I totally love Daddy-Boy bonds. The photos I take of Daddys with thier boys hold a special place in my heart.

See the rest of their session here.

Soon.

2010-08-30T13:42:00.002-04:00

As I was savoring my sweet baby before her afternoon nap today, I kissed her fuzzy little head. She still has that sweet baby smell that lingers in her hair. I was struck with a sense of sadness, as I realized that she will never again be exactly this small. She will grow, and before I blink my eyes, she will be big. Soon she will have shiny blond hair where her fuzz used to be. Maybe some pigtails, if she lets me.

Soon she won't want to be swaddled to sleep. Soon she won't need me to nurse her, or rock her. Soon she will outgrow her cozy crib.

Soon (too soon!) she will be in school, just like her brothers are today.

It's not that I don't want her to grow up... it's just that I love my sweet fuzzy little babe, and I want to savor every moment if it.

(entered into Mellow Yellow Monday and Raw(e))

When a good bow goes bad.

2010-08-29T07:36:00.000-04:00

I confess, I have a little hairbow addiction. I guess that's what happens when a girly-girl has a little girly-girl after two smelly 'ol boys.

My poor baby.

Bedtime Stories.

2010-08-28T12:40:00.003-04:00

I love my family. With a fierce kind of a love.

Lately the boys have been asking to read stories from their little Bibles (they have several different little Bibles) and lately they've loved the story about Samson best.

It was hard deciding which photo to use for Sweet Shot Tuesday this week. This photo was a close second. I love both so much!

Photo Roulette Friday 12(14)

2010-08-27T09:07:00.002-04:00

Well, the more i do this, the more I realize my photo organization is weird. Oh well... we'll deal with it. Today's numbers are 12(14.) Or 6(14.) pick one or the other before you look at your actual photos. Mine are organized by year, then month, then event, so I have to access both numbers to get a photo.

So 2009 > December (12th folder) > 6th event folder > 14th picture.

Holy Moley, what a mess!

So last year, my boys got invited to a fun birthday party where the host let all the little boys play in a "foam pit" - basically a cardboard box full of packing peanuts. They used shovels, dumptrucks, you name it. They had a great time! And then when it was time to clean up, it wasn't that big of a deal. The little kids used their bulldozers to scoop them into a pile, the bigger ones used snow shovels to put the piles back in the box.

So when I got a box full of packing peanuts, I decided to try it at home. After all, I was 7 months preggo, and it was too cold and slippery for me to waddle around outside. I needed easy entertainment and my kids were playdoh'd out.

Slight problem: the styrafoam peanuts break apart. Really easily. I had tiny styrafoam nuggets all over my living room. In the kids hair. Under the couch. Stuck with static to every cranny of every plastic toy (and there are a lot of plastic things in our house.) It took me a week to clean it all up!

Actually I'm still finding crumbs. Why was my foam play an epic FAIL when that other mom's was a rip-roaring succuss? She used the "green" biodegradable peanuts. You know, the disolvable kind. Moral of the story? Go green! Or just buy a bouncy house or something!

So now its linky time! Link up your 12(14) or your 6(14) pictures. If that's not how you organize, fine. Just pick some random numbers that fit your photos and play along! No peeking first. ;-) And be sure to link back here. (I'll get my button grabby code working soon. I need to put it in my sidebar, I think.)

My fav posts from last week: Crooked lines (great story behind a kind of random photo!) RMontelban (totally made me laugh) PaperMama (she's awesome as always) and HiBaby (sweet, sweet photo. And I know how hard it is to get the momma in the picture sometimes. I need to work on that)

Also entered at Christopher and Tia's Flashback Friday.

This week's Photo Roulette...

2010-08-26T22:22:00.000-04:00

...will be coming in the morning. I've had a busy evening, and I'm going to bed.

But the numbers will be 6 (14) or 12 (14) - I'll explain later, but it has to do with my weird organization system. Pick one or the other *before* you look at your photos.

Linky to be posted in the AM. Thanks!

Her favorite toys...

2010-08-26T13:20:00.002-04:00

...are attached at the ankles.

I took this shot for Sunday's Photo Scavenger Hunt... but never posted it. So here it is for Pixel Perfect. (below is my SOOC shot.)

I know a lot of people edit the poo out of their photos for this bloghop. Not my style, sorry. I might not ever "win" because my photo hasn't been texturized to death or have something else done to it. Oh well, at least I'm doing what I want with my photos. After all, they are my photos. Right?

(actually I did add texture to last week's entry. But that is the exception for me... not the norm.)

A Spider's Tale (A not-so-wordless Wednesday)

2010-08-25T00:00:00.006-04:00

Once night recently I was Facebooking like a madwoman working on the computer, fueled by insomnia and a desire to relish all the moments of quiet I could possibly soak in during the still of the night. A friend informed me (by way of status update) that there was a meteor shower expected that evening.

It being a balmy summer night, I decided it would be a splendid idea to take my laptop outdoors and be nosy network with friends under the light of the night sky.

So I pack up my laptop. I open the patio door. I take a deep breath of late summer air, and step onto the deck.

And then it hits me. The gossamer threads across my face. Accompanied by a wave of sheer terror.

I just walked into a SPIDER WEB.

Oh the horror!

I just about dropped my laptop, run back inside, and start clawing at my face/hair. Get the nasty spider OFF ME! Right now!

So I'm now jumping around my kitchen like a madwoman. All over a little arachnophobia.

In the morning, I see that my little nemesis has rebuilt his silky home (and I breathe a sigh of relief, because this means he never really was on me.)

Long story short: I completely blame my friend Mabel* and her status update for my unfortunate run in with the 8-legged terror.

*name changed to protect the accused.

ALSO: I have entered a blog button contest over at Simplicity. Mine is the last entry. Go check it out and vote for me (or whomever you think did the best blog button.) Click the word Simplicity or my button below to be taken to the voting page.

Here is my entry:

Another Bouncy House Post.

2010-08-24T21:24:00.003-04:00

I seriously have to get one of these. They are fun! (Too bad the ones marketed for home use are probably too small for adults. Ha ha!

This was from a super-fun birthday that my kiddos were invited to this past weekend. I may post more shots from the day, but since it's not my kid's birthday, I should probably ask his momma first. I got some good shots though.

This week's Yellow House challenge happens to be birthdays. I'm excited that I didn't have to dig into my archives, and that I get to share this fun shot.

Blog Button

2010-08-24T15:33:00.000-04:00

I was told I ought to give this a try... so here goes.

Blog button contest for Faith at Simplicity.

Puttin' all that good college to use (even if it's just for my amusement.)

Alex's thoughts on Kindergarten

2010-08-24T07:25:00.002-04:00

Well, we are almost a week into this whole Kindergarten thing. Alex is loving it! He was pretty disappointed Saturday and Sunday when I told him he couldn't go. I guess that's a good thing. And I have a feeling that he won't always be this gung-ho about school... but I'm enjoying it for now.

What is your favorite thing about Kindergarten? Everything! Wait, no the school bus. I love the school bus.

Do you like your teacher, Mrs. Smith? I love her 'cause she's so nice. And she lets me have toys and treats if I keep on the green. (That's his behavior chart, green is good.)

What's your favorite class? (they have been to music, gym, and library so far.) Gym. Because I like to excercise.

*see all of Alex's first-day pics HERE and HERE*

Warning: Way too cute for words.

2010-08-23T23:05:00.002-04:00

This post contains way more cuteness that most women can handle.

It makes my uterus hurt.

I cannot be held accountable for inducing baby fever,

because I warned you!

(that right there is her excited face.

She was thrilled to be sitting up, outside, holding a fun new toy.)

(entered into Paper Mama's flower challenge and Trendy Treehouse's laughter challenge)

Look what I can do!

2010-08-23T14:59:00.000-04:00

Once again, I'm NOT combining Raw(e) and Not Me Monday again. Because I'm NOT a busy woman, ya know.

I did NOT threaten my sweet little 5 month old baby yesterday morning. I did NOT tell her that she'd better learn to sit up pronto, before she turns 6 months. NOT even jokingly!

Why would anyone do that? Certainly NOT me! What could possibly be a person's motivation for telling their baby that she better gain the trunk control and balance required to master this milestone?

Could it be because that someone wants to take cute 6 month old pictures with a sweet sitting-up baby?

NO... that would be just wrong! I would NEVER push my children to master a milestone just for a cute photo op!

But SOMEONE must have told her that she should sit up yesterday. Because yesterday, she did!

(ok, it was actually kinda weird that the very day I told her that she better figure out how to sit up soon, that she actually did it!)

Oh, well. Cute photo ops, here we come!

Bubbles and lots of little friends

2010-08-21T14:51:00.003-04:00

Park playdates. Popsicles. Fun with friends. Sharing smiles and laughter. Learning lessons on how to share, how to play, and how to be a friend. Having some fun in the morning before we have to catch the bus. The joy of getting to play with my children every day. We are so thankful and so blessed to have these opportunities.

And my advice to any new mom or future mom who will listen... work hard, make plans, make sacrifices. Do your best to stay home with them while they are little (even if only part-time) because they are only little once.

I do it as much for me as I do for them.

Honey, Honey.

2010-08-20T23:08:00.000-04:00

Well, I have a newfound obsession with yogurt, honey, and granola. Only I'm picky. I only like the store-brand full-fat yogurt (weird I know to prefer the store brand, but it just tastes better.) And I love, love, love local honey. Well technically this isn't local honey, I guess. It's fresh from my great-uncle's honeybees honey. But he lives several hours away, so I guess I can't call it local, right?

At any rate, it's good honey, Honey.

And that's what's been going on in my kitchen. Oh, that and about 40 popsicles. My husband just had his tonsil out. (yes, singular. As in one tonsil. Long story.) So we've had popsicles out our ears.

** You still have lots of time to enter this week's Photo Roulette bloghop! Check it out!*

Photo Roulette Friday 3(25)

2010-08-19T22:43:00.004-04:00

Awwww.....

I mean... Awww....

Need I say more? This is my firstborn, my sweet biggest baby,

back when he really was a baby.

You know, the kid I just sent to kindergarten.

(boo hoo)

And yes, I'm aware that Anna Kate looks a lot like him. Just wait till I post pics of the middle kid at that age. Anna is spitting image of Nathan! I guess hubby and I only make one type of child. Good thing they're all cute!

So it's Photo Roulette Friday and today I'm pulling from the 3rd folder, and the 25th photo (or the 5th if you don't have that many in your folder.) And for those who organize by year, this happens to be 2005.

The rules:

Be random. If you can't follow my numbers exactly, don't fret. You can still play along. Just pick some random numbers and go hunting for memories!
It's extra fun if you tell the story behind your photo.
link up to my blog so others can join in the fun!

I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Last week I LOVED the post by Megan @ And Baby Makes Three, and Ashley @ Ramblings and Photos. Great posts, everyone!

Tonka Truck Unwrapped

2010-08-19T21:25:00.002-04:00

I love the way my Tonka Truck shot turned out for this week's Scavenger Hunt Sunday Masculine theme. This was Alex's favorite toy for a loooong time (well, until we hid it and all the shovels from him because he was tearing up the yard, actually.)

SOOC.

Final edit: After adjusting the sliders a bit in Camera Raw, I used Coffeshop's Urban Grit action to paint on some extra texture (on the tire, bolts, grill, and dirty spots) and then ran PW's seventies action.

His very first day...

2010-08-19T13:29:00.001-04:00

I meant to write this post last night... but life is getting the best of me this week. All is good, don't worry. Just been a busy momma.

Alex, all ready for his first day of school.

So proud to be big.

Happy.

And a little bit nervous.

But mostly excited.

Walking up to the bus stop.

Waiting.

"I see the school bus, Mom!"

And on he goes! With a kiss and a wave...

With his new bus buddy.

Bye, Alex! Have fun at school!

(And fun he certainly had. He couldn't wait to go back!)

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Wordless Wednesday - In just a few hours...

2010-08-18T07:44:00.000-04:00

My baby boy will be getting on a bus and going to kindergarten.

(These pics are from his kindergarten camp last week. Check out his classroom. So cute!)

He's excited. He has been counting down the days for the past week.

And he's a little bit nervous, too. Although not much. Mostly excited.

I'm nervous too. My baby boy's all grown up and in elementary school! Before I know it, I'll be loading up the car and helping him set up his college dorm.

Happy first day of school, Buddy.

One Last Summer Day

2010-08-17T16:34:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, we celebrated the end of summer.

We splashed.

We Swam.

We slid.

We splooshed.

We swang.

We slurped.

We sprayed.

We said See-Ya-Later to the sweet, sweet summer.

(Thanks again to all our friends who played all day with us and of course to our lovely hostess.)
(Shared on 3 boybarians and communal global)

Shades

2010-08-16T16:43:00.000-04:00

Oh boy.

Along for the Ride

2010-08-15T22:53:00.007-04:00

My favorite color is green.

And this is my favorite green thing.

Because my sweetie loves it so.

And I love to hold her close.

And who would have thought that she would be big enough to ride in it this way?

I mean, she's supposed to be my baby.

You know, a baby.

One that rides the sling in a cradle hold.

Not upright with her chubby legs hanging out like a big girl.

*sniff*

My oldest boy was talking to her today.

In a little sweet voice.

"Sweetie, you're so beautiful.

I love you, Sweetie.

You are a princess. Do you know why you are a princess?

Because you're so beautiful.

You're beautiful-er than all the other babies."

It made my heart melt.

I wanted to get him on tape so I can play it back

in 10 years when he doesn't want to be caught anywhere near her

because she's his little sister and that's just not cool.

But I didn't.

By the time I got to my camera, he had stopped.

(shared on: Raw(e), beep beep beep CLICK, Miscellany Monday and

Two Moms Made a Photo Challenge, and Paper Mama)

This photo gets around.

Sunday Scavenger Hunt

2010-08-15T16:47:00.001-04:00

Mood: The nervous, unsure look of a soon-to-be kindergartner on open house day. I love it!

Something Masculine:

Something Feminine:

My first Initial: C is for Clouds. This is also my favorite scripture right now, and I've been looking for a way to showcase it. This photo shows exactly what I feel.

Architecture:

Paper Mama: Orange

2010-08-15T00:31:00.000-04:00

OK... I hate to wish the last 2 days of summer break away... but is it fall yet?

Seriously, I'm ready for some brisk air and some falling leaves.

But... it's only going to be 92* this week (ha ha.)

So maybe I can deal with a couple more days of summer.

Maybe.

(I really did take a current picture of a totally cute baby girl wearing a little orange dress. But I just feel like posting something fall-ish instead.)

He's not really mad

2010-08-14T21:05:00.002-04:00

He's just making his scary face.

I think it's pretty hilarious.

Especially with a grape juice mustache.

Photo Roulette Friday 5(10)

2010-08-12T23:53:00.025-04:00

Photo Roulette Friday time! Let's get random, people!

Today I'm pulling from the 5th non-chronological folder. (Boy, as I'm doing this, I realized how convoluted my photo organization is.) This folder happens to be stuff I scanned for my inlaws when my husband's grandfather passed away last year (which would make it 2009, if you are organizing by year also.)

So, here's grandpa flying his light aircraft over the vast flatness that is Indiana sometime circa 1978.

And for giggles, here's the plane in its entirety.

I miss Grandpa, although he wasn't my grandpa (he was my husband's, and I only knew him for a few short years. And he kept asking me when I was going to get fat. And if you know me, you may be wondering if that's even genetically possible because I'm a toothpick.) Ha ha, can ya see why I miss him?

Grandpa reminded me of Archie Bunker. (Should I even know who Archie Bunker is? Probably not, I'm only 28. But I know anyway. I guess I watch too much old TV!) Yup, Grandpa would say whatever popped into his head. NO FILTER. It was rather entertaining, actually.

So anyway, go ahead and dig into your 5th folder, 10th photo. Or whatever. I'm not picky. Just grab a random picture and slap it up here. :) Tell me the story too, I love to hear the stories behind these pics.

And last week's winners with the neatest posts? Mars Pics and Ramblings and Photos. Oh, and I loved, loved, loved Mommy Elephant's but since I asked her to link up after the fact, and since hers probably wasn't random, I guess I can't declare her the winner. Oh well. Still a cool post.

Remember: 5th folder, 10th photo. Keep it random! And don't forget to grab my button. Thanks!

Digging in the Dirt

2010-08-12T22:28:00.000-04:00

Oops... almost got too busy to do one of my favorite bloghops.

SOOC

Edited.

Organize Project #1 (and an "everyday" photo I love)

2010-08-12T16:03:00.001-04:00

August is Organize Month. I've gotten a little sidetracked with sickies populating my house (and next week doesn't promise to be any better.) But I at least wanted to clean off the dining room table, and get a dedicated "homework/bills" area set up.

Here is what we had before:

Coloring books and supplies willy-nilly. Piles of papers, toys and receipts in a hodge-podge. Clearly it was not working.

So I took the bottom shelves of my china cabinet and created a "homework/bills" station. It has doors, so I can close out the clutter. When we are working, I can easily grab what's needed and work with my children on the dining room table.

It all gets closed up neatly when not in use!

And because the kids bring home all sorts of school papers and artwork, I have a designated an "art drawer" to store all the good stuff, until I can further organize it.

A couple times a year, I plan to go through the art drawer and photograph their artwork. Most will get trashed, although I am allowing one 11x13 envelope per child, per year to keep originals and certificates and papers from school. I figure that will still be a good number of school papers (3 kids x 15 yrs of school x whatever fits in the envelope)

Organize project #1 down, only about 27 more to go. *whew*

And since this week's I Should Be Folding Laundry You Challenge theme is "everyday things" here is a photo of one of the most everyday of everyday-special things in our house - my 3yo's lambie. :)

Wordless Wednesday - Little Brother's Watching...

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Check out my new Friday Bloghop - Photo Roulette Friday!

Hope you can come back and link up this week.

Our Vacation

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Well, Trendy Treehouse's theme this week is "vacation" and since I haven't shared the pics of our trip to Cumberland Falls on here, I'm gonna post them. These are from way back in June (you know, like, before my SLR days.)

(He has a love from creepy-crawlies, especially daddy "wong-weggers")

The camp playground had one of these. These things are AWESOME. Even my big boy (you know the 34-yr-old one) loved playing with the dirt.

Oh, and the most memorable part of the camping trip? After we got the tent set up, Nate started yarking everywhere. It was already close to dark, and we were pretty much committed to sticking it out with the sick kid. I mean, what were we gonna do? Take down the tent in the dark and drive a puking kid 3 hours in the car? Um... no.

So poor little sick kid had the upchucks in the woods.

*super-fun memories*