Photography Fun

I went to a photography class on Friday with Chea Lamb. I have really been focusing on all the technical aspects of photography. Her approach to photography is very artistic, and so it was really good for me to hear everything she had to share. She chose the locations and did most of the posing of the models. These are all pictures that I took and processed. (Sorry there are so many!) I tried processing them all in a few different ways to get a certain feel that I wanted. This was really fun for me, and now I'm hoping that maybe I can find a couple high school seniors this fall that will let me do their senior pictures for them!

A Cautionary Tale

Well, I tried making some Rice Krispie Treats this week with some Cocoa Krispies. It was a disaster! I used some somewhat stale generic brand marshmallows, and they would not melt! They got a little puffy and then they just started to burn. I tried using my beaters to get them to mix up with the butter, but that just ended up making a bigger mess. I decided not to let everyting go to waste, so I stirred in some peanut butter and put chocolate frosting on top. That helped a little to mask the funky marshmallows. They end up being very chewy with a couple bites that were so hard they could break your teeth. Moral of the story: Never use stale generic brand marshmallows to make Rice Krispie treats with!

My brave husband

Somedays, I really love my job!

I've really been enjoying this Summer with my boys so far. We hang out at home in the morning. We eat lunch together. Then it's usually off to the swimming pool. We have a family pass this year and have really been trying to take advantage of that! The boys have fun splashing around, and I'm glad that I'm finally going to be tan again! I know, shame on me for being so vain! Sometimes we'll go for a snow cone afterwards. I love that we're doing something all 3 of us enjoy. The boys usually then take great naps after swimming, and I can get stuff done! Seriously, how awesome is it that I get to spend my days hanging around at the pool and eating snow cones with my two little buddies?!! I love this job!

Grady just as we're heading out to the pool with his awesome sunscreen hair-do!

In other news, I read a book! I'm kind of embarrassed to say that it's only the second book I've read since Grady was born. My mom is probably one of the most well read people I know, and she said this was one of her favorite books ever, so I decided to give it a try. I loved it! I loved the quirkiness of all the characters. I loved that it wasn't a love story, and I loved the message. I highly recommend it, and it only has 231 pages! It's called The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver.

And of course, a few pictures of my little Gerber baby at 11 months!

3 Month Outdoor Photo Session

I was lucky enough to get to photograph this little cutie again. I did a newborn session for him back in February. He was just so sweet, cuddly, soft, and just full of smiles! This was also my second paid photo shoot ever, so that was pretty cool for me. I would love to start doing photo shoots more often, now that I'm starting to feel like I know what I'm doing! It is just such a creative outlet for me, and gives me such a feeling of accomplishment. I have learned a lot these past 8 months, but I know I still have a lot to learn. At the start of each month I've thought to myself about my photography "Okay, I know what I'm doing now!", but then by the end of the month I've learned something new that I don't know how I thought I knew what I was doing without that knowledge! Anyways, hope you enjoy!

When we were finished and the sun had just set, I asked mom to join her little one for a couple quick shots. She protested, because she said she hadn't done her hair or make-up that day. I'm glad she did though, because she really is beautiful and a mom can't have enough pictures of her with her baby!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Summer!!!

We've had a relatively mild Spring this year in Thatcher. It's really been quite nice. A few days this past week, we've really got a taste of the Summer heat though! I'm going to try and post more this next month. My mom and sister Emily are in Europe for a month, so I won't be able to talk to them for a whole month! They will have internet access though, and I know my mom would probably go crazy with out updates on my boys for a whole month! I'm excited that now maybe my mom will start looking at my blog finally! I love you mom!

"Bugging my little brother? -Who me? -No! Never! Just look at my sweet little angel face!"

I made a deal with Ty that I would let him do whatever he wants with Luke's hair once I finished his 3-year pictures. So off came the hair! I hope Ty won't get upset that I'm sharing this, but after he buzzed Luke's hair Ty said to me "I kind of feel bad about cutting his hair - Almost like I've robbed him of his beauty." This totally shocked me that he said that! Oh well! The hair is nice for Summer, and it will grow fast.

The first cut!

After

Luke checking out his new hair. It sure feels good!

Those of you that know me well, know that my favorite part about Summer is the popsicles and snow cones. I'm probably a bad mom for giving Grady popsicles so young, but they just make him so happy!

Notice the tupperware duct taped onto the ambulence? Luke was getting so frusterated that his trains would not stay on top of the ambulence, because he wanted to take his trains for a ride on the ambulence. I came up with this ingenious solution! I was pretty proud of my mothering on this one!

In September or October I bought this splash mat. I spent $3 on it, and justified my spending that I would give it to Grady for his 1st birthday. (Am I the only one out there that has to justify a $3 purchase?!) It's been so warm that I gave in and opened it early, mostly because I didn't want to go through the hassle of blowing up our inflatable pool. Luke absolutely loves it, but Grady- not so much. Luke says to me all day " I want to go play splash map".

In other news, the Safford pool opened on Friday. I was so excited, because I've planned to spend my whole Summer there. We were there just minutes after it opened. We weren't there but a few minutes before Grady started having a bad allergic reaction. Not life threatening or anything, but he immediately broke out in a rash on his face, his eyes got really red and puffy and watery, and his little nose was red and running. I called my dad, a doctor. He said it was probably an allergic reaction to the chlorine or pollen that had fallen on the water, and told me to wash him off, give him some Benadryl if I wanted, and that he'd be better in a few hours. Grady was pretty miserable for the next couple of hours until he fell asleep and his symptoms slowly disappeared. I'm pretty worried that this might happen every time I take him to a pool. He's gone swimming before twice, and has worn this sunscreen before once without any reactions. Hopefully, it won't happen again!

Meet Luke

Luke is 3.

He likes to play cars and trains.

It's a sure bet, that if he's awake his mouth is moving!

He loves making up words.

He loves to call everyone he meets "Chicken Boy" then laughs hysterically.

To date, he has never refused a popsicle.

His favorite people in the world are mom & dad.

He is cautious and sensitive.

I love this kid!

These are his 3 year photos that I took. I feel like I've learned a lot lately about how to photograph my own kids, but I know I still have a lot a lot of room for improvement. I've been trying to embrace my surroundings, and all these photos were taken within walking distance of our house. I have way too many favorite, and these only represent 1/2 of them! This kid is so much fun for me to photograph. I've been taking pictures of him since the day he was born, and I don't think he has ever given me the same facial expression twice in three years! He just looks like such a different kid from picture to picture, but they are all faces I know and recognize. As always, feel free to critique! Isn't this kid just adorable?!!

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In these next two he really reminds me of my brother Jeffrey.

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I have no idea where this facial expression came from! I laughed out loud when I saw it upload on my computer!

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Ha Ha! Okay, this one is just for fun!

Boys

These are my friend Britni's oldest two kids that I did a quick photo session for. These boys were so fun and I just loved their freckled faces! Seeing these two together gave me a little glimpse into possibly my future with my little boys.

I tried some funky processing on this last image. The first one is how it would usually look, and the second one is my funky edit. I kind of like it. What do you think?

Then & Now ... and some chicken

Then
(Me, Anne, and Savannah)

Now

Savannah and I were BFs in high school and roommates in college. Back then our priorities were boys, having fun, and school. Now we each have 2 kids and live across the country from each other! When she came up to visit her parents, nothing could keep me from coming up to see her. While it is definitely harder trying to carry on a conversation when there are 4 kids running/crawling around and calling us mom, we had a great time just hanging out again! We probably have a lot in common now than we did in high school. This is kind of crazy, but I am 1 month older than Savannah, Luke is 1 month older than her oldest, and Grady is 1 month older than her baby! I actually think our baby's look quite a bit alike too.

Savannah's little girl Rhylan. This picture just puts a smile on my face!

Our little boys, and no we did not coordinate their outfits beforehand!

Sav and I. We were going for cheesy on this first one, and I think we totally nailed it!

In other news, I canned chicken for the first time this week with my friend Amy! I know, a lot of you are most likely quite shocked that I had never done it before, but I am pretty proud of myself. Just call me Betty, Betty Crocker that is! :) Thanks Amy!

Motherhood

My mom & me on my blessing day

My grandmother always hated Mother's Day. She hated going to church and hearing all the talks about how perfect and wonderful other mothers were. Mother's Day made her feel inadequate. But there are no perfect mothers out there. Every mother is different and every child is different. All have faults. Sometimes we as mothers can be too hard on ourselves. We carry around too much "mother's guilt". There is always something we could have done better. All we can ever do is try our best, and know that we will make mistakes. I just want all you mothers out there to know that I think that you are great mothers and great examples to me. So, for one day, please forgive yourselves for not scrubbing the toilet or for loosing your patience with your child, and just enjoy the day. I know you all deserve it!

I just wanted to take a moment to say thanks to my mom. She sacrificed so much for me, and still does so much for me. She's smart. She never told me what to do, because she knew that would never work. She taught me everything by example. She taught me how to eat healthy, the importance of prayer and scripture study, and not to judge others all through her example. Through her subtle ways, she also instilled a great deal of confidence in all her children. Did you know that I could have been a doctor, or a lawyer, or even President of the United States? My mom did. She has always believed in me and supported me. Even now, as I am a mother myself, my mother is always tells me that I am doing a wonderful job at being a wife and mother. She tells me that I am doing a much better job than she ever did, but I know that isn't true. That's just the "mother's guilt" talking. I just hope that one day I'll be half as good of a mother as she has always been. Of course my mom wasn't perfect, but she was the perfect mother for me. I love you mom!

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

Happy Birthday Luke!

I love this picture with the tear rolling down his cheek! Luke turned 3 this week. I seriously can't believe he is three. He has grown up so much lately. He had a great fun day filled with lots of new toys, family, and sweets. When asked how old he is he'll hold up three fingers and say "10 months". Ty asked him how this next year is going to be. Luke replied, "I think it's going to be a quiet year." One can only hope!