Today’s subject: Charlie the bully April 7, 2009

Both were taken with my 50mm 1.8 lens.

#1. ISO 200, f1.8, shutter 1/2000
Some lighting adjustments, it seemed a tad dark.

#2. ISO 200, f1.8, shutter 1/1250
Again, lighting adjustments and change to b&w. I love the overexposed look of it though.

-as a side note, what is WITH the tear stains?!… we clean his face daily, sometimes 2 times a day. it’s an uphill battle.

I’m still struggling a bit. I made a point to move in and out of shadows, so that I could really work on adjustments. I want to feel confident enough to not use auto at all. I’m just afraid I’ll come home with a bunch of craptastic pics. Deep breath. It’s just picture taking, right?

Ah, the magic of Disneyland April 6, 2009

You know that feeling. The one you get when something exciting happens to your kid, and you watch their face light up? It’s a tingly sort of feeling in your nose and it leaves you breathing a little shorter.

It happened when we were there and I saw his face look like this…

You see, my kid is a Star Wars freak. He will talk to anyone and everyone about it. Truth be told, his mom is too. So, when these guys walked right past him, he probably would have passed out if he wasn’t so shocked. I tell you, if he would have had his light saber drawn, he would have done the Republic proud.

Now Joey, my sweet Joey. While he loved the place, he is the one who prefers a slower paced day. He was content to ride the Jungle Cruise over and over and over again. It was the perfect ride for mommy and E too .

I did convince him to take a bobsled ride.

I promise it wasn’t as bad as it looks.

It was a wonderful day, and a pretty good 28th birthday if you ask me. Ah. Time goes too fast.

Temporary frustration March 27, 2009

Yesterday was not the best day in my “lets do the camera manual” thing. So, I gave up, and we went on a lovely outing with friends. We ended up at one of those ceramic painting place, and it was fantastic. The boys were great and really enjoyed it. While I am thinking it’s a bit on the pricey side, I will probably do it again, with all the fun we had.

Spring break has been a wonderful, refreshing time with all 3 boys. They have been the best of pals, and we are all enjoying the break from the usual craziness.

C- “mom”
me- “yes”
C- “I LOVE spring break”
me- “why”
C- “because I can sleep all day if I wanted to”

But they don’t. They build legos, race cars, ride bikes, have playdates, watch a movie, color with chalk, and just enjoy being brothers. Makes me smile.

On to the picture taking. Most of my morning pics had a green or red cast to them. I need to figure out why.

But the evening light coming in saved me, and here is the final photo. Colorway is called “Fin”.

Photo stats ISO 800, f4.5, shutter 1/125

My resolve this spring… March 22, 2009

Is to not put my camera on auto settings. I started yesterday, and am enjoying the results. I need work, but I figure that I will learn best with trial and error. I am hoping to work my way to an upgraded camera (perhaps a used D80?)

The beginnings-

ISO-200, f2.0, shutter 1/250 (slower shutter? tripod? higher ISO?) I have to say, I love the sharpness to the curve of his cheek.

Some photoshop color alteration, ISO 200, f2.2, shutter 1/100

Darkening in photoshop, ISO 200, f4.5, shutter 1/200. I should have had a much faster shutter speed.

ISO 200, f2.2, shutter 1/1250

I’m hoping to look back and see a difference, point out flaws, and be able to shoot manually wherever I am! Wish me luck.

Life without internet. March 17, 2009

I’ll be honest, if I set aside the part where I had go to the library to pay bills online, it was wonderful. The house has changed, the kids have grown, and I’m enjoying my mom to 3 role.

We finished our renovations. The upstairs room is a playroom, and a kickass one at that. Originally it had 70’s paneling and a funky, non usable, closet. Paul tore it down, drywalled, textured, and then we painted. There is a reading center, a play table for trains, a work/craft center, a pretend play area, and of course, a sewing area. It’s in a bit of a disarray this morning. I still need to organize the sewing area, get stools for the work table, and there are a few things that still need to be unpacked.

All 3 boys are getting so big. Chris is doing SO well in school, even with the change we had to make. 4 is proving to be a bit rough for Joey, both on us and him. But, it all goes away when he interacts with Ethan. He was born to be a big brother . Ethan started rolling last week, and he doesn’t look anything like a brand new baby. The fact that he is already 19 lbs may have something to do with that. A couple trips to the ER last week took a toll on us, but we have a breathing machine and he is getting better as fast as he got sick!

They countered… January 6, 2009

we accepted… and escrow opens tomorrow!!! Holy carp. It feels totally surreal.

And after coming to my senses (seriously, I don’t think my head is on quite right these days), all personal info has been removed from the previous post. Excitement burns brain cells, you know. Fortunately for me, there were just 3 of clicks on the link and I don’t mind if you guys come a stalking .

Goodness, where do I even start with this house?

He’s huge I tell you! January 5, 2009

E is quite taken with the boob. So much so, that he gained 5 pounds in 5 weeks. Currently he just passed the 14 pound mark . His nickname, given by my brother who loves naming my chubby babies, is Squishy. And that he is.

Squishy does have a cold though. Seems that we couldn’t escape Christmas vacation without one. It is messing up his night routine too… speaking of, I am very, very happy to finally announce that I have a baby who only wakes once a night!!! 3rd time’s a charm. It’s funny, Joey wakes up before E does.

And in the house hunting news… we are waiting for a response on another house! It’s perfect, and better yet, it’s a private seller, so we may get a response in this lifetime (since we still haven’t heard back about the sweet little short sale home we made an offer on 10 weeks ago). If you wouldn’t mind sending positive thoughts, we would gladly accept them .

Ok, I’m being called, hopefully I’ll have good news soon!

He made it! December 9, 2008

And we are in love. Today he is 2 weeks, 2 days old, and growing so fast. His cheeks are filling out, he is outgrowing clothes, and he is staying awake just a bit longer. Long enough for me to stare at all of his beautiful features… especially his eyes.

He is a fabulous baby. Seriously. He knows night from day, a concept my older boys didn’t grasp until at least 2! He sleeps form 10-8, waking every 3-4 hours to eat. During the day he is content to relax with me all day.

The boys love him. Watching those sweet moments when Chris leans on the side of the cradle just to look in on him and pat his back. Or when Joey asks to hold him, and then rubs his cheeks with his own. Mommy bliss, I tell you.

Oh! We had his pics taken on Sunday. Our photographer was wonderful, and the pics turned out unbelievably sweet. If you’d like, go to Tara’s blog and comment on them, 10 comments = a free 5×7

Tara’s Blog

It’s a waiting game now. October 31, 2008

Well obviously for the baby, but in other big news, it’s for a HOUSE too. We put an offer in last week. I’d love it, but I am not holding my breath. My emotions are too rollercoaster-y right now to put a bunch of hope in the house.

In pregnant news, I am feeling officially huge. 2ish weeks to go, and I *really* wouldn’t mind if he came early. I am looking forward to meeting him and watching the boys meet him too. I couldn’t be more excited about those beautiful first moments. The birth… well, crappy news of being GBS+ put a wrench in my natural, stay at home as long as possible, plans, but after some research, I am feeling a tiny bit more in control.

Our Halloween celebration this evening was wonderful. We went to my parents for dinner then the boys went with Daddy for treats.

Forgive the lack of photography skills in this pic. I forgot to take one when it was still light out, and tortured them with picture taking before we went into Grandma’s house. Needless to say, 1 out of 5 turned out o.k.

Chris was Captain Hook (although he would rather call himself a British commander of a Frigate!?!), and Joey was my Spider. Chris loved his sword, and Joey adored having eight legs and looking at himself in the mirror. So. Cute.

Who updates their blog while pregnant???? September 30, 2008

Well, I don’t. That’s for dang sure.

So much has happened, so much is happening. We are getting ready for baby, and it seems so real now. It has gone fast, and while I have enjoyed this pregnancy (weeeeellllll, not so much the first trimester), I am very ready to met this serious soccer player. I believe his goal is somewhere in my right side ribs…

(not the best pic, but it gives you a good 33 week profile!!!!)

Joey is especially excited. Not to say that Chris isn’t, because he is, he just shows things differently. Anyway, Joey feels the need to try out all baby gadgets with his baby dolls, he loves my tummy, sings to Ethan daily, and asks *often* how much more time there is left.

We also have a new addition. We really went back and forth on him, given the upcoming growth of our family, but in the end (and after a TON of research) we decided to go for it. Paul’s friend from work gave him to us… he wanted him to have a good home.

He is the sweetest, sleepiest, slowest puppy on the face of the earth. His schedule aligns with Winston’s, and apart from inhaling food, which results in the worst smelling farts in the world, he is just perfect. He is house trained for the most part, loves his crate, and starts doggie school in a week.

Without further ado, I give you King Charles, a.k.a. Charlie.