A Work in Progress

My newest pet peeve is when I get a shot that looks fantastic on the LCD screen, but turns out to be completely out of focus once it's up on the computer. For example:



I love the rim lighting effect that I got from Noah's window yesterday morning. I thought Katie's face was in focus, but alas, no such luck! She's always so curious about my camera (you'd think she'd look at it as a piece of furniture by now), and now that she's more mobile, whenever I try to take her picture, she starts crawling towards me, which instantly puts her out of focus. Woe is me :(

On the other hand, I did get a kooky one of Noah, sporting two pairs of emerald green shades.



Then there was the oh-so-cute brotherly love shot. I love this one. Before Katie was born, I worried constantly about Noah's reaction to our new addition. Little did I realize how much he would surprise me. I remember when he came to visit us at the hospital after Katie was born, sporting his "I'm a Big Brother" t-shirt. He seemed so accepting of her, it blew me away. It's almost a year later, and not to say we haven't had a few jealous streaks here and there, but I am still amazed and so proud when I see the two of them interacting together. You always feel that your baby has a special smile for you, but I can also see the special smile that Katie has for Noah. Obviously it's not illustrated in this shot, but it's definitely there. Her face just lights up when he talks and plays with her.



Truth be told, I think he was actually the reason why she was crying in this picture - oops.

Ouch.

I was debating whether or not to post tonight, mainly because my other boot camp is literally kicking my butt. What a nasty workout today! At least I get a day off tomorrow. Anyways, with Katie waking frequently during the night, I'm starting to get a little tired, so I'm going to keep this one short. And there's nothing incredibly artistic about these photos, just so you know.

Noah had a bike rodeo this afternoon, so here are some pics of him riding his little tricycle. He spent a grand total of about 10 minutes riding his bike. The rest were spent collecting sticks to put in the yellow compartment in the back. The other day, I took him outside and got him to collect some sticks for our firepit. He went to work and created a huge pile of sticks behind our shed. Sunday evening was actually nice, so we decided to have a fire. Guess who didn't want to part with his sticks? That's right. Noah cherishes his collections - it's pretty cute. Currently we also have a pile of pinecones under our patio...






So Katie isn't in any of these pics because she was cuddling up against my back in my baby carrier. She didn't make a peep the whole time, even when her hat was down in her face!

Time for bed...

Fingers and Toes

First of all, I hate feet. I hate my own feet even more than other people's feet. I do however have a few exceptions:



I could kiss these feet forever.

And I have kissed these feet for almost four years:



Well - they're usually not this dirty. Yes, I do bathe my children regularly, and no, my floors are not that dirty. Noah wore black fire truck socks today and I am blaming the dirty-looking feet on the socks (although my floors could using a little mopping - any takers?) Did I mention that when we went to Jigga Jump today Noah insisted on wearing blue striped socks on his hands and called them mittens? Too cute for words.

So, in a nutshell, I spent the better part of this afternoon trying to get feet and/or hand pics. Noah's recent obsession with abstract painting/coloring brought me these few photos:





I honestly think he enjoys the cleanup part just as much as the painting. He likes to give the painting tools a shower.



And here's Katie exuding her usual cuteness:





Peek a Boo!



So that's it for today. It is now June 1st (which means I really should be in bed right now), which means only 5 more days to Boot Camp. I'm trying to do a posting everyday to get warmed up for what's to come...

Tea For Two? (Well, Maybe Not Tea...)

So these shots took all of about 10 minutes at around midnight last night. No Photoshop. Just me, Christian, and a mini Maglight. After I finished laying out the blog, Christian made these delicious blue lagoon drinks. He did such an awesome job garnishing them that I just had to take a few pics. So while I'm taking the pictures, he's holding the Maglight, moving various items out of view for me (Noah's paintings, highchairs, etc.), and he says, "So I guess your bow-making phase is over now?" I think most of you reading this will know what I'm talking about. Basically, I've been making hairbows for Katie full-tilt for the past few weeks. The coffee table in my rec room is covered with bow-making paraphernalia. So I guess Christian was beginning to think we'd get the coffee table back now that I've begun this new blogging adventure. I think not.

As for the pictures, if it hadn't already been so late, I would have tried a few more things to make the pictures a little better, like turn off all the lights and use a tripod. But to be honest - I was a little anxious to try the new drink. Maybe next time...

No Excuses.

How this all got started: Last night, I was checking out photography blogs and came across Creativity Boot Camp. If you're not sure what that is, pop on over and check it out. It's basically a free two-week e-course that will help you take your creativity to the next level. Immediately, I was intrigued and wanted to sign up. The thing is, I have been interested in photography for quite some time. Actually, since university, where I would look longingly at posters for photography classes and think, "I'm a poor student. I can't afford one of those fancy-pants cameras that you need for those classes." Then the thought would be dismissed and I'd carry on with other somewhat more affordable university student-type activities. I'm sure you can imagine. I got my first DSLR this Christmas and I have been taking lovely pictures of the kiddies. The problem is, it can be a little challenging to get all creative and artistic when you have two subjects that are constantly moving. I have done a lot of reading about photography over the past few months, but that's about where things come to an abrupt halt. I really need something that's going to get the creative juices flowing. Enter Boot Camp. So why blog about it? Because if I don't, I'll probably never follow through. I'll start coming up with lame excuses, etc. and the whole thing will be forgotten. So, Boot Camp begins June 2nd. Come along for the ride.

Sidenote to grandparents: This will in no way interfere with my taking pictures of your precious grandchildren. I may even post some pics here from time to time in the hopes that you will continue to read this blog!