Twice As Many Moments

Valentine’s Day Cards

2012-02-06T15:13:00.001-08:00

This year the kids are in pre-school, so I took photos specifically for their Valentine’s Day cards. I will take photos next weekend for their yearly Valentine’s Day photos. (Last year here and here.)

And with the suckers included:

My dad

2012-01-29T09:31:00.001-08:00

My dad passed away last Monday. We miss him very much. Here is the link to the slide show I created in his memory.

http://vimeo.com/user9057025/dadmemorial

Visit with Santa

2012-01-27T12:33:00.001-08:00

Shannon, Julian, Melisande

2012-01-09T20:12:00.001-08:00

Finally I am finished editing photos from October! These are my best friend’s children. She and I have known each other since we were about 9 and I’ve had the pleasure of watching them grow up. Shannon is the oldest boy, Melisande (pronounced Mel-uh-sahn-dee) is the middle child and only girl, and Julian is the youngest boy. They were so much easier to photograph than 3 year olds!

Holiday Card 2011

2011-12-09T18:24:00.001-08:00

2009: (Pentax, kit lens, lightscoop)

2010:

(Link to last year’s post here.)

Every year I spend time looking at lots of cards to decide what I want to do. I always have more ideas than I can execute, so I try a few to see what I can come up with. ‘Let it Snow’ is what worked this year with the twinkle light background and blowing snow ideas from Pinterest. The kids LOVED participating in the card this year and I am happy that everyone is on the card!

(I took the photos, except the one of me…my husband helped. I also designed the card in Photoshop.)

And here are some of the other great photos that I had a tough time deciding not to use.

Busy Weekend Part 1 –Movie & Sledding

2011-12-04T20:12:00.001-08:00

We had a very busy, very fun weekend. We got invited to a special showing of Happy Feet 2 by the real estate agency and mortgage company we used when we bought our house. The movie is adorable and the kids had a blast. (iPhone)

Then we went sledding after lunch. This is the first time the kids have gone sledding and they LOVED it. Our neighborhood has greenbelts between all the houses that have pretty good hills. It was so convenient to just take a short walk down the block. My husband and I joined in on a few of the hills and we had a complete blast. Now Cooper keeps asking when we’re going to the mountains to go sledding. (all iPhone pics)

Cooper helped Charlotte by giving her a push.

Then they learned to paddle with their hands and Cooper figured out very quickly. Charlotte isn’t quite as strong so it took her much longer.

They tried to carry their sleds back up the hill but they kept falling or letting go of the sled. It was a lot of up and down for me.

And they insisted on pulling their sleds home.

The best thing was they were so exhausted, went right to bed, and slept so well all night!

Stay tuned for the visit to Santa!

Work Holiday Party

2011-12-02T18:08:00.001-08:00

Last night was the holiday party for work. It was great to get dressed up and go enjoy ourselves sans kids. There are nearly 1,000 employees that work in my office, so the party was huge. The set up was fantastic with a cocktail/casual lounge set up outside the ballroom. They had dancing heads green screen (kind of like this) as part of the entertainment in that area, which was so funny to watch.

Inside the ballroom there were multiple stations set up for food: salad and carving station, sushi station, salt/veggie/bread station, and pasta station. I took this pic with my phone of the salt station. I have never seen one and I really have no idea what to do.

Of course it was a full open bar with several bars strategically placed around the ballroom. It felt very much like a club with a live band, dance floor, and lounge couches/pillows/chairs. There were several tables to either sit or stand at to eat and mingle.

The toughest this year is that I barely know anyone because I just started a few months ago. Not surprising, but I saw many people introducing themselves to each other and proceeding to ask which half of the couple works for the company. One of my coworkers said it was so tough for him because everyone looks so different all dressed up.

We had a really great time, although we came home a little early because it had been a long week and day for me and I seem to have picked up the cold from the kids.

(Thanks to my friend who took a picture of us when we dropped the kids off! Love it!)

Ryan & Reese

2011-11-27T06:23:00.001-08:00

My friend asked me to do photos for her daughter since she is turning 3 and try to get some sibling photos as well. I’ve taken photos of both girls before, but Reese was a newborn the last time I took them. Amazing how she’s grown!

Sneak Peak of Christmas Card Photos

2011-11-26T14:12:00.001-08:00

I did some twinkle light photos this year with the kids. Once I’ve created my card and sent them out I’ll post it here with the rest of the photos. They are adorable!

Cooper took her cars. It made her very sad. And cute.

Before I could move the couch out of the way he wanted to be super cute.

Basement Reveal

2011-11-22T20:19:00.001-08:00

We finally finished our basement remodel! The same contractor who did our master bathroom also finished our basement for us. The basement was already finished, but the previous owners used it as a live-in nanny space, while we wanted it to entertain. Since the space was already finished, we only had to move or remove a couple of walls/doorways and then put all new surfaces in.

We wanted a more modern entertainment space with a water/rain ‘theme’. My husband had more influence on the space since I had more influence on the master bath. He tends to prefer contemporary and modern, plus very masculine spaces. I actually really love how the space came together. My favorite part is the aluminum backsplash.

Here is what it looked like going down into the basement. We sold the carpet on Craigslist for $300 and the guy who bought it was a contractor so he also removed all the carpet! You can still see the carpet on the stairs. The biggest change was adding a wall to hide the pole, opening the wall on the right to make a hallway, replacing the carpet with hardwood, and moving the rail to the other side so that we could pass inspection (the space was previously unpermitted and we permitted the space).

This is another view looking back up the stairs. You can see that we removed the doorway leading to the new workout room and opened up the side of the stairs a bit to the new hallway. The stair rail is all custom welding work done by our contractor.

This was the bedroom that we converted to a workout room. I took two before pictures to show the wall where we put the mirrors (the TV is in the same spot) and the number of doorways we were dealing with. We took out all the doorways, made the closet slightly smaller and put new double doors on at a 45 degree angle. I only took one after picture since we have large mirrors installed. The mirrored wall is on the left in the picture and the room extends to the right. The tv is in the same place in the before/after.

This is the view of the new hallway. Before the entire hallway was part of the bathroom and didn’t make much sense. We moved the wall to widen the hallway and removed the door. This made the closet slightly smaller. The first set of pictures is looking toward the bathroom while standing in the workout room and the second set of pictures is looking back toward the workout room.

The bathroom had quite the remodel. We completely gutted it and had custom cabinets installed. We also removed the tub (we have 2 other bathrooms in our house that have tubs) and removed the wall in the corner to make a larger dual shower.

We removed the door way to open the hallway and made the bathroom smaller. We also automated the house using Control 4 so we built a new ‘closet’ for the rack system.

We left a little play area for the kids under the stairs, but moved the entry to the other side of the stairway. Here you can see the new 45 degree door to the workout room and how we opened up the stairway and hallway.

We put in a new theater system and made the zig zag wall flat, plus hid the pole.

The basement already had plumbing for a kitchen, so we used that area for the new bar. The contractor did the foot rail, counter supports and wine rack to match the rest of the metal work in the basement.

The contractor created the custom wine rack and we put glass doors on two of the overhead cabinets. We used the same pulls in the bar area as the bathroom, as well as the same backsplash. The wine fridge also has a regular drink side. We installed a dishwasher in the other corner opposite the wine fridge to avoid moving dishes up and down the stairs (not shown).

The new pool table/game area worked out well for the space. We used the beam on the other side to hang the pool cues on. Out of reach for the kids, and a great use for the beam. Our contractor also made the drink rails in the pool table area.

We’ve had a party in the space and it is a perfect entertainment space. Tons of fun and lots of space to spread out. Lucky for us the workout room seems to double as a playroom with large mirrors.

Info on finishes, paint colors and furnishings. We purchased nearly everything at local stores, so many of the links aren’t where we actually purchased from, but rather pictures to show you the items.

Paint colors: Benjamin Moore Old Navy (theater area), Benjamin Moore Blueberry (bar area), Benjamin Moore Platinum Grey (pool table and other major areas), Benjamin Moore Urban Nature (workout room), Valspar Mountain River (bathroom), Behr Frost (white trim)

Flooring: Handscraped Engineered Maple, forgot stain color, walnut maybe?

Bathroom Floor: Porcelain Moutain Slate Iron (20 in x 20 in) from Floor and Décor Outlet

Shower wall tile: Porcelain Soho Lafayette from Floor and Décor Outlet

Shower accent tile: Bliss Random Waterfall Mosaic from Great Indoors

Shower floor tile: Carrera Brick Mosaic Marble from Floor and Décor Outlet

Backsplash in bar and bathroom: Eden Mosaic Tile 3D Raised Brick Pattern Aluminum Mosaic Tile

Bathroom Granite: Blue Pearl

Bar Countertop: Quartz Fresh Linens

Bar Sink: Single Bowl Stainless Kitchen Sink

Bathroom sink: Kohler Ledges in Sea Salt finish

Bar Faucet: Delta Vero

Bathroom Sink faucet: Kohler Loure

Hansgrohe Raindance airfall shower heads

Kohler Flipside hand shower sprayers

Bathroom light: Metro Park Bathroom

Bar Pendants: Blue Bobo

Pool Table Pendants: Rocket Mini Pendant from Lighting Universe (do not use this company, they have filed for bankruptcy and do not note it anywhere)

Theater Room Sconces: Arc Panel Glass & Chrome Lamps Plus

Umbra Zen Towel Bars from Amazon

Theater area rug & throw pillows: Homegoods

Sitting area rug: River Waves Rug from World Market

Union Square Grommet Window Panels in platinum and Indigo and Twilight Pewter rods from Bed Bath & Beyond

Faux Fur Chinchilla Throw Blankets from Amazon

Sectional: Crate & Barrel Axis in Douglas Coffee

Bean Bag: Lovesac

Loveseat: Preston Vanilla Beige Leather from American Furniture Warehouse

Black sitting chairs from American Furniture Warehouse (can’t find link on website)

Coffee Table: Archer style round coffee table from Overstock

End Table: Carlyle Chairside End Table from American Furniture Warehouse

Pool Table: Olhausen Madison

Benny Sofa Tables from Amazon

Cream white faux leather and wood barstools from Overstock for under sofa tables

Bar stools at bar countertop: Amisco Madison Swivel Stool with upholstered seat

Visit to the library

2011-11-17T15:54:00.001-08:00

I took the kids to finally get library cards after being home for a year. They completely loved it and insisted that I take pictures of them with the statues out front. (cell phone)

Scout likes babies too

2011-11-16T19:15:00.001-08:00

I have now seen my dog cuddle with dolls more than I have seen my own daughter do so. (cell phone)

Charlotte reads to Cooper

2011-11-15T17:34:00.001-08:00

My husband found them in Charlotte’s room. She was sitting there ‘reading’ (describing the pictures) to Cooper while he sit and listened. Love it. (cell phone pic)

Picking out the best parts

2011-11-14T20:43:00.001-08:00

Charlotte’s favorite cereal is Raisin Bran Crunch. Cooper tends to like Frosted Mini Wheats. However he realized that Charlotte’s cereal has his favorite snack – yogurt covered raisins. So he sat for the entire afternoon and picked out all of the yogurt covered raisins. Charlotte was very disappointed the next morning.

School pictures

2011-11-13T18:52:00.001-08:00

I think my children are so adorable even when they look a little corny.

The day mommy said yes to everything

2011-11-11T20:04:00.001-08:00

I took the kids to a nearby outlet mall one afternoon, partly to hang out and do all the fun stuff, and partly to shop. We didn’t do any shopping because I let the kids be boss that day. I haven’t had so much fun with them in a long time!

We walked into the mall and they asked if we could get a stroller from the stroller ‘vending machine’. I said yes and they jumped for joy. They LOVED riding in a stroller again.

We walked by these little motorized trucks/tractors/cars and they asked if they could have a ride. I said yes and they laughed and giggled the entire time.

They asked if we could ride the train. I said yes and they waved, laughed, and got so excited to hear the train whistle.

They asked if they could get squinkies out of the toy vending machine. I said yes and they were so excited to discover which one they got and proudly carried them around in their pockets.

They asked if we could ride the carousel. I said yes and their eyes lit up and I could just see the pure joy in their faces.

They asked if we could ride the carousel a second time. I said yes and their eyes lit up all over again. You would never know they had just enjoyed a ride.

They asked if we could sit at the kids tables to eat our lunch. I said yes and didn’t even notice how uncomfortable I was because they loved the ‘right sized’ tables and chairs.

They asked if they could play in the bounce house. I said yes and they couldn’t take their shoes off fast enough. They bounced and bounced and came to say hi at least 10 times in the 10 minutes they were in the bounce house.

They asked if we could have ice cream. I said yes and watched the ice-cream drip down their chins as they tried to eat their cones before eating their ice cream.

They asked if we could take pictures in the photo booth. I said yes and captured the memory of one of the best days. The day I said yes to everything*.

(*Note: I only said no to one thing—the indoor bungee jumping. Cooper asked and I told him maybe when he gets bigger. My husband then took the kids to the mall to actually shop a few weeks later and Cooper asked daddy if he could bungee jump because he was ‘bigger now and mommy said he could’. My husband thought I was crazy and text me to ask if I had let Cooper bungee jump. I told my husband I thought he was too small, thinking he was crazy for considering it. I let my husband know what I had told Cooper and we both had a good laugh. That’s a smart kid I tell you.)

Field Trip!

2011-11-08T21:39:00.001-08:00

I was able to attend the last field trip my kids went on to a local nursery. The kids had several stations to go to and I sat down almost the entire time since I was only a week out from surgery. I’m glad the field trip only lasted 1.5 hours, because I wasn’t up for much more even with sitting down. I brought my camera and snapped a few pictures and just enjoyed seeing my children play with their new friends.

Charlotte wanted to wear her Tarheels hat. So cute. And this is her ‘berry best fwend Ebowyn’ (very best friend Evelyn).

They planted flowers and watered them.

They both loved the cardboard cutouts, especially Cooper.

This was the only photo-op booth he would sit still to let me take a photo. Charlotte wanted nothing to do with it.

Ring toss! Look at Cooper’s form! And I love they way Charlotte flicks her wrist.

They had to clap and it made the spider move which Cooper said was ‘scawee’. They loved the parachute animal popcorn game.

They decorated pumpkins and then promptly removed all the decorations when we got home.

This is how I always see Charlotte in my mind.

Also, Debbie is the winner of the MomSense book! I will email you and get your book on your way to you!! Thanks for commenting and check out the author’s response to my post in the comments!

The important people in Cooper’s life

2011-11-07T21:50:00.001-08:00

I walked by the stairs and noticed this:

These are the important people in Cooper’s life. He absolutely loves Phineus, Ferb, and Perry. He took them with us to the store and I told him he could take either Phineus or Ferb. He couldn’t decide between the two, so he left them both in the car. He also asked if we could name our new dog (which we don’t have by the way) Perry.

House Exterior Before and After

2011-11-05T11:16:00.001-07:00

We had the house painted and some other things done on the exterior this summer. We went from a butter yellow/cream to a warm grey on the siding. We kept the white trim, but re-painted it. We bought new shutters changing them from brown louvered to black paneled.We also had the accents on the house painted black to match the new shutters. We had a custom-made steel porch rail installed and a new front door made and painted peacock blue with a new door handle. We had new garage doors installed because the old ones had dry rot, since they had not been treated on the inside. We went with a slightly different style for the windows in the garage door. Lastly, we removed the shutters from the lower part of the house to expose more brick.

Paint Colors:

Grey – Kwal color matched to Benjamin Moore Secret AF-710

White – Kwal White (whitest white they had, not sure of the name)

Black – Kwal Black (blackest black they had)

Peacock Blue – Behr Moonlit Pool

Rail

Front door

Hiding under an umbrella

2011-11-04T18:27:00.001-07:00

The kids love playing with umbrellas. They provide endless entertainment. Cooper’s loves that his is green.

Happy Halloween

2011-11-04T18:16:00.001-07:00

We got pumpkins two days before Halloween, so we got them for buy one get one free. Basically the kids all around the little pumpkin patch making it in impossible for me to get any photos in focus. These are all straight off the camera with maybe a crop and added watermark. Too lazy to edit!

Waiting to get started carving.

Charlotte’s ‘happy’ pumpking and Cooper’s ‘mad’ pumpkin (their choice on face style).

We had so much fun trick or treating this year. We went out with friends and their daughter Maile. The kids really seemed to ‘get’ Halloween this year and had absolutely no problem running and cutting through yards to get to the next front door! Cooper was a little too exuberant and tried to open people’s doors and help himself to their candy. I think if he looked more like a 3 year old and less like a 5 year we wouldn’t have gotten as many dirty looks.

I took all of these with my speedlight. The ones on the porch are bounced off the ceiling on the porch. For the others I had my flash 45 degrees forward or straight forward. It’s tough to get all the right settings and use the flash in the dark! I think shooting on auto might have been better.

Here’s what happens when you ask preschoolers what’s on your hat. (How cute are they…Thomas the Train, Tinker Bell and Iron Man.)

And then remind them you are going to get some candy!

We’re off!

Cooper was the first to the door, partly because he was the only one tall enough to reach the doorbell.

Have no idea what he was so happy about. I’m guessing the candy??

And our required costumes per Cooper and Charlotte’s request – a witch and black spiderman (AKA Venom). (Friend took this with her D7000 and pop up flash.)

Book Review & Giveaway!

2011-11-01T19:41:00.001-07:00

This is the very first giveaway I’ve ever done! I don’t normally do this kind of thing on my blogs because I don’t usually advertise my blog publically. However, a friend sent me a request to get a free book as long as I was a mommy and a blogger. I was on bed rest after surgery so I volunteered, especially because I LOVE reading!

This is essentially a blog hop by MOPS to read and review the book MomSense: A Common-Sense Guide to Confident Mothering. I was sent 2 copies of the book, one for me to read and review and one to give away on the blog. If you want a FREE book, then leave a comment with how you found my blog. I will do a random drawing to pick a winner.

The good:

Following your instinct as a mother can be challenging. I’ve gotten a significant amount of unsolicited advice, there are thousands of books on parenting, and the internet gives me more information than I could ever need. As a mother, more information isn’t necessarily better and has often left me feeling overwhelmed and confused.

I find myself now only seeking out advice or finding a solution when I am having a problem that I can’t solve, rather than reading to prepare myself for what’s to come. This has allowed me to listen to and trust my instincts more. This book is a good reminder about doing that very thing.

I really liked that this book mentioned both adoptive and biological families, as well as mentioned non-traditional families (i.e. using the term parenting partner and spouse instead of just husband). I appreciate when authors recognize that families come in all shapes and sizes.

There are several pieces of advice that I liked:

Embrace and trust your instincts
Practice patience and set the example for you children. You may miss seeing things from their view if you constantly rush them through life.
Respect your children in order to raise respectful children
Remember that your kids may have a different communication style than you and so listening to your words might be tough for them. Try pictures, letters, movies, books, etc as a different approach in getting your message across. Additionally give them your uninterrupted attention when listening to them.
Teaching how not to lie is going to be tough—if they end up telling you the truth then how do you punish for the lie without making them feel like they get punished for the truth. This has sparked conversation with my husband and I.
During times of chaos or panic, just BREATHE. It’s helping both me and Charlotte this last week.
Love yourself and make time for you.
Laugh and have fun with your kids. Experience their joy.

The bad:

I think the author used too many anecdotal stories from other mothers and authored very little of the book. I appreciate hearing from other mothers as an example, but if all the stories and quotes were removed, then the book seriously lacked content. In at least two chapters 50% of the material was from quotes or anecdotal stories.

I never really grabbed onto the author created word, MomSense (common sense and mother’s intuition). I had to keep remembering what it meant and just made the book tough to read with the phrase ‘strengthen your MomSense’ repeated several times.

I’m atheist. That matters because it strongly influences my biggest beef with the book.

A little background: Other than a couple of my friends in California belonging to some playgroups run through MOPS, I knew nothing about the organization before agreeing to read and review the book. I realized after I offered to read and review the book that they are a Christian organization. I confirmed that they still wanted my feedback and they told me that since I am a mother and a blogger, they welcomed my feedback.

This book does not warn the reader that it is a Christian book (I think it should be in the title) and I find it insulting and confusing that the author assumes the reader is Christian. Bible quotes, recommending prayer, and overall ‘believe in god’ mantra in the book was very off-putting and I felt I was being preached at. By the end of the book I was doing a lot of eye-rolling and was becoming irrationally angry that the recommended solution to deal with my children was to pray.

I think it was awkward the way the Christian message was incorporated. Up through page 27 there are only a couple of minor references to god and then out of nowhere it says the Bible encourages us to live sensibly and quotes a Proverbs bible verse. It felt really out of place and didn’t flow at all with the first 26 pages. The disappointing part was that the overall Christian message got in the way of the ‘Common-sense mothering’ message. My friend said it best – ‘I don’t think parenting and belief in god necessarily have anything to do with each other.’

Would I recommend the book?

I would not recommend spending money to read this book. If it’s free, there are some good messages (see my bulleted list above). If you are Christian you may enjoy the book more. If you are Atheist, agnostic or anything other than Christian, you may find yourself annoyed as you try to sift through the ‘Believe in god’ mantra in the book.

Don’t forget to leave a comment for your chance to win a free copy of the book!!

Scout thinks she is a cat

2011-10-29T19:03:00.001-07:00

Scout sleeps/sits/lays on the back of the couch. This means she squished our catch cushions, which annoys me. I don’t think she realizes she is a dog and not a cat.

Sister-in-law’s Wedding

2011-10-27T18:45:00.001-07:00

My sister in law got married in September and we flew out to attend the wedding. It was wonderful to see family and be there for such a big day. Charlotte and Cooper were the flower girl and ring bearer and were adorable. Charlotte loved all the attention, while Cooper hated his tux, his shoes were too small and he generally just didn’t care very much for the ring bearer job. I brought my camera to capture a few moments and put the photos in the video below. Not all of the photos shown are mine (there are 5 or so from the maid of honor’s camera). I am most sad that I did not get ‘the big moment’ of her walking down the aisle. I hope someone else was able to get it!

(I am not a professional photographer, do not claim to be, nor do I ever wish to be one. I have never brought my camera to a wedding before, but my sister-in-law asked me and I happily obliged. Although afterwards I decided I won’t be bringing my camera to a wedding again…too much work!!)

Untitled from Salina on Vimeo.

So much for the playroom organization

2011-10-27T18:02:00.001-07:00

That didn’t last long. We have moved these benches to Charlotte’s room because I’m tired of them tipped over like this.

First day of pre-school

2011-10-27T18:01:00.001-07:00

The kids started pre-school at the end of August. They are in the same class, but if as time goes on we may consider having them in different classes if it seems to detrimental to have them share a classroom.

Charlotte was so excited and walked right in, followed directions and sat in the circle. Cooper had a tougher time. He didn’t want to wait in line, didn’t want to check-in or wash his hands. He eventually sat in the circle but the teacher said he was pretty upset the first few days. He tried to seek out Charlotte for comfort, but she brushed him off! He was happy when we picked him up though!

Overall school is going really well now. They are eating up all the learning and have tons of best friends. When my husband picked them up from school in the first few weeks, Cooper proclaimed “Dat’s Caden, he’s my boyfwend. I hab boyfwends, Charlotte doesn’t have boyfwends. She has gulfwends. Only I hab boyfwends.” Adorable I tell you.

Here are the photos on their first day. They would.not.cooperate. Good thing they’re cute!

Master Bathroom Reveal

2011-10-17T17:08:00.001-07:00

We have been in the process of remodeling our house since July. It’s part of the reason I’ve neglected the blog a bit. Sitting around recovering from hernia repair surgery has freed up my time to catch up blogging. So here’s the big reveal on the master bathroom, although it’s been done for about a month now.

We hired a contractor to do all the work for us. We could probably do some of the the work ourselves, but we just didn’t want to. Our contractor is the owner of Remington Construction and is a friend of the family, therefore we trust him implicitly. The work was high quality and done within the expected time frame and budget. We couldn’t be happier!

We did pick everything out and put it together. I felt confident in my ability to pick what I wanted and have it come together. My husband let me have more say in the master bath, while I’ve let him have more say in the basement (almost done with that space as well). I wanted a hotel/spa feel to the bathroom, with a lot of natural feeling elements. This meant all neutral colors.

This is the view upon entering the bathroom. We haven’t put new blinds up yet, but they’ll be a similar style. We had the windows framed out to help them look finished.

We chose the cabinets first and I fell in love with the rift oak with weathered slate finish (gray stain+glaze). Everything was custom made for the space which meant we also helped design the layout. We planned to remove the medicine cabinet so we added the middle cabinet to replace it. I love the hardware too, something the cabinet guy recommended. I also wanted real storage in the toilet closet, so we had a cabinet made to fit the space. I also chose light fixtures to have a similar shape to the tub. The mirrors are empty 24” x 36” cabinet doors with mirror installed into them.

Then we chose tile for the backsplash, shower, wainscoting, and floor. I have always wanted wood floors in my bathroom, but that much water plus wood seems completely impractical. So I chose a porcelain tile that looks like wood to replace the carpet and tile in the toilet closet. We also had radiant heat installed—it’s just fantastic.

I was inspired by this tile pattern, but wanted something more neutral with less ‘texture’ in the tile. I found a porcelain tile that was similar and had the tile guy make the right cuts in both 20” and 13” for the non-pattern pattern. I also liked the slate pencil edge to finish everything off. The wall color is Glidden Designer Grey, a nice greige (beige + gray).

Next we picked all the hardware and fixtures. I was inspired by this bathtub and found one that had similar lines.

We found a sink that had a similar curve, and then found brushed nickel faucets with the perfect twist detail. We went to the granite fabricator and chose a remnant in the yard by bringing our tile, flooring, and cabinet stain with us.

We designed the shower to have a fixed head, 3 body sprays, and a hand sprayer plus inset shelves installed.

I wanted a bench to shave my legs so we used that to also build a pedestal for the bathtub hardware to avoid the cost of putting it on an exterior wall. We used seamless glass and the door opens both in and out for the shower.

We moved the closet wall back to make room for the larger tub and shower and removed the door to make an arched doorway.

We used some of the closet space for the bathroom, but made both spaces more functional. Our contractor custom made our closet and had the oak stained to match our cabinetry. There is more than enough room for all our things, and we aren’t short on closet space in our house so I didn’t mind losing some of the space.

I LOVE using our master bathroom and I am very proud of how it all came together.

Edited to answer some common questions:

Tub: Victoria & Albert Toulouse

Granite: It was a remnant, White Delicatus

Hardware: Brizo Virage series in brushed nickel

Rug: Fieldcrest bath rug from Target

Wall Tile: Castello Bianco

Floor Tile: Serenissima Barrique Castagno

Shower Floor Tile: White Onyx Mosaic Marble Tile (I think that’s the right one…here is the stick version from Floor & Décor where we purchased the mosaic tile)

Wall pencil edge: Autumn Slate Pencil

Paint Color: Glidden Designer Grey

A Napkin Will Suffice

2011-10-10T20:52:00.001-07:00

Our beagle is close to 5 now and she is as adorable as ever. She loves cuddling on towels, blankets, clothes, and pillows. I guess a napkin will suffice.

Tiny Town

2011-10-10T20:41:00.001-07:00

My friend and her two girls, Ryan and Reese, joined us for day at Tiny Town. It’s a miniature town with houses, stores, churches, schools and even miniature people. There is also a little train. I remember going there when I was a little girl and I just didn’t ‘get’ it. You just look in tiny little houses, nothing moves, and you can’t play on anything. I think I was slightly older too, so maybe it’s only fun up to a certain age.

The kids really seemed to enjoy themselves and they loved the train ride. It was a fun day in the sun up in the foothills. Plus I love spending time with my friend and her two girls.

I love that Cooper is doing exactly what the sign says not to do. It was exhausting to tell the kids to stay off everything.

Cooper telling me to stop taking pictures and help him jump stump to stump.

Every time the train went by they stopped what they were doing and watched.

They finally installed some miniature houses for the kids to play inside.

My friend was thoughtful and brought my two a Ring Pop. My how they loved it. I can’t believe how big our kids are getting!

This is my favorite of the day. This is also with no editing other than the watermark. Yay! (I wish I felt inspired to pick up my camera more…practicing makes a huge difference!)

Babywearing Little Daddy

2011-10-09T21:22:00.001-07:00

Cooper loves his babies. (Complete opposite of Charlotte who refuses to touch any dollies.) I’ve posted before about it here, and he hasn’t changed much with his love for his babies. I used to wear Cooper and Charlotte when they were babies, more out of convenience than anything. (Note this was an attempt at a forward facing wrap that was not comfortable for either of us. It was the one and only time I attempted it, and reverted back to a kangaroo hold or high back hold.)

I have since wrapped them up a handful of times as toddlers, but stopped around age 2, finding it much easier to have the two of them walk (plus I didn’t like the tantrums of the one that had to wait to be worn). Cooper brought me his baby and my scarf and asked if I could put his baby on his back. I don’t know if he remembers babywearing, but I thought it was adorable!

Fun at the fountain

2011-10-09T21:04:00.001-07:00

It’s starting to feel like fall, but I’m combing through all the photos I haven’t posted and I love these because we had so much fun that day at the fountain. Summer went by way to fast, despite me taking a couple months off before starting a new job.

(I am just now getting everything set up on my new computer and my calibration is still off. I’m trying to go easy on editing, so these are all pretty basic.)

There was a really awesome dog enjoying the fountain that day. She was serious about attacking the water. Cooper though it was so funny.

Vacation to Seattle Part 4!

2011-07-28T19:53:00.001-07:00

After a long week and a cancelled flight we made it home. We had a great time seeing a new city, staying low key and enjoying really great food. We were so tired!

Vacation to Seattle Part 3!

2011-07-28T19:50:00.001-07:00

Ferry Ride to Friday Harbour, San Juan Islands for Lavender Festival. Took both the 24-70mm and the 105mm f/2.8 macro (used mostly at the festival).

On the ferry. Charlotte learned to make silly faces and pose for the camera, while Cooper learned to wink and showed off his Angry Birds skills. There was nothing to see outside because it was too foggy.

I really love all of these. It was so beautiful and so relaxing. The bees were really hard to capture—they are so fast! I took about 50 pictures and these were the only ones in focus!

The lavender chocolate ice-cream was delicious. A little strange at first, but very good!

Vacation to Seattle Part 2

2011-07-28T19:21:00.001-07:00

Pike Place Market (24-70mm f/2.8)

Snoqualmie Falls (24-70mm f/2.8)

Visit with my niece and nephew.

Space Needle & Ride the Ducks (kit lens, 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6)

Vacation to Seattle! Part 1

2011-07-28T19:18:00.001-07:00

Here are the pictures from our vacation to Seattle. We had a really great time, despite the dreary skies.

At the airport. Taken with my new Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8. Holy sharp!!

I didn’t touch her eyes in post processing. Wow!

At the zoo, also taken with the 24-70mm f/2.8.

iPads = great entertainment for 3 year olds

2011-07-09T22:09:00.001-07:00

The kids have stolen our iPads. They both love Monkey Lunchbox, although Cooper knows how to navigate the darn thing and switch it to whatever game he wants. Other apps they love: Pocket Pond, Fruit Ninja, Harbor Master, Snake (puzzle), Talking Tom (and friends), Eric Carle’s My Very First App, Wheels on the Bus, and Super Why.

Macros in my garden

2011-07-09T22:03:00.001-07:00

Taken: July 2, 2011

My new macro lens arrived! I wanted something that will challenge me to pick up my camera again and learn something new, while still having the flexibility to use it as a portrait lens which is primarily what I use my gear for. I bought the Nikon 105mm f/2.8 VR Macro and I love it as a portrait lens (see July 4th photos with the kids here), and I have a ton to learn about macro photography. Here are some of the first photos I took. Amazing contrast and color (I barely edited these at all), as well as very creamy bokeh. Love it!

Things I need to work on with macro: steady hand, focus, composition, lighting

Stormy weather

2011-07-09T20:09:00.001-07:00

It has been a very wet summer. I love how hot it gets during the day and then the stormy weather rolls in either late afternoon or in the evening to cool things off. I have missed thunderstorms!

We noticed it was raining so hard that we had sheets of water coming off our front porch. I didn’t have enough time to put the right lens on or to grab the tripod to truly capture the motion of the water using a low shutter speed. By the time I got everything set, the rain had slowed a little and the porch didn’t look like a wall of water. I do like how you can see the sideways rain.

Fire Fighter Museum

2011-07-09T18:51:00.001-07:00

Taken: June 13, 2011

My mother-in-law, or Gigi according to Charlotte and Cooper came with us to the Fire Fighter Museum. It’s a really small museum, just the right size for keeping track of two toddlers. The only tough part is there are a lot of things they CAN’T climb on so it’s tough to constant redirect them. Charlotte was a little more afraid of things, while Cooper loved everything.

I wish I had taken the photo from straight on, but it was on a busy street and I was too stressed with the kids to care at the time.

When we first walked in Charlotte loved the 911 station, while Cooper saw the fire truck and just wanted to get on it.

I had to convince him that we couldn’t get on the old fashioned fire truck.

They liked the peep through life size fireman. I like these because it shows the height difference between the two of them. Poor little Charlotte can barely peek through!

Charlotte really liked the big ‘doll’ house that helps the firemen learn what the structure of a house looks like.

Then we finally got to play dress up. Cooper LOVED it, and Charlotte took some time to warm up to it.

Charlotte liked the fireman pole as long as Gigi was with her.

He didn’t want to get out of the fire truck!

While Charlotte wanted nothing to do with it at first. Then she was ready to try it and enjoyed it.

Very fun hour and then we had lunch downtown afterwards. Charlotte and Cooper kept saying ‘We’re in da city!’

Bouncy Balls

2011-07-05T15:01:00.001-07:00

Taken: June 9, 2011

They got new bouncy balls so I moved all the furniture in the living room so they could have a ‘race track’. They had so much fun and were full of giggles. I was attempting to capture both frozen motion and blurred motion, but really struggled. I had my 50mm on, which also wasn’t quite wide enough to get everything I wanted in frame. I probably should have put my 35mm on my camera.

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-04T10:51:00.001-07:00

Taken: July 4, 2011

I’m doing some of this out of order since I’m excited about these photos. I got a new lens, the 105mm f/2.8 VRII Macro, which also makes an amazing portrait lens. I love how these turned out!

Chalk Arts Festival

2011-07-03T18:27:00.001-07:00

Taken: June 4, 2011

We went to the Denver Chalk Arts Festival this year. We went on Day 1 in the morning and it was so HOT. Plus we didn’t get to see many finished pieces since the artists only started at 8 am and we arrived at 10 am. I recommend going on Day 2.

Charlotte and Cooper mostly complained and I have no idea how to take photos of chalk art without a wide angle. I also don’t know how to get the full effect without being directly above the artwork (not possible with all the people there). At any rate, here are the pictures!

Locked in a box

2011-07-03T09:40:00.001-07:00

Taken: June 1, 2011

I bought two new globe pendants from West Elm for above the stairs (but I haven’t put them up yet since we need an electrician to come in) and they came in a giant box. From now on they are getting boxes for Christmas since it seemed to provide so much entertainment!

Feeding the baby

2011-07-03T09:33:00.001-07:00

Taken: May 22, 2011

I had a playdate at my house to show off the new playroom. My sister brought my nephew, Alexander, over because Cooper just LOVES him. Cooper always wants to hold him, rock him, give him his pacifier. This time we let him give him a bottle and he was in heaven! I love seeing how adorable he is with babies.

New Elmo Stage

2011-07-03T09:28:00.001-07:00

Taken: May 21, 2011

I bought a new bedside table for the guest bedroom. I had to leave downstairs in the living room while I was re-painting. The kids decided that Elmo and friends needed a new stage and moved all their toys on to it. Then they cried when I had to put them back and move the bedside table upstairs. (Oh and that painting above them—that’s original artwork by me! I am very proud of that painting, despite how stressful the Canvas and Cocktails session was to paint it!)

Easter Egg Hunt (on Mother’s Day)

2011-06-28T18:02:00.001-07:00

Taken: May 8, 2011 (okay camera says May 7, but I know for a FACT that it was on Mother’s Day)

We had my mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law over for Mother’s Day lunch. We also never got around to the Easter Egg Hunt, so we did it that day to have GiGi and ‘Great GreatGramma’ enjoy seeing the kids hunt for eggs. (By the way, Great Grandma is only one great, but Charlotte has added a second great, so we go with it. I like to think she’s just saying that’s my really awesome great grandma.)

These were also taken with my 85mm, but on aperture priority. I figured the kids would be moving really fast (I was right) and I didn’t want to fiddle with my settings as they moved from shade to sun. What I forgot to do was change my metering mode to matrix, instead of using spot so that my camera would pick a more reasonable setting for the entire scene. The other thing I need to learn on my camera is own to do exposure lock which would help when using aperture mode.

Easter Photos!

2011-06-28T17:50:00.001-07:00

Taken: May 7, 2011

Here are last years (and the year before is in the same post). I really, really struggled with these this year. The kids were uncooperative (of course I was shooting with my 85mm so it required me to be pretty far away from them, which could have been some of the problem), the lighting wasn’t great, and I am really out of practice. I miss photography being easy for me and wish I could find more time to take photos.

I want to branch out in my editing so I’m trying some different things. Not sure I love these, or even like the editing style, but they were fun to play with.

They are both running a ton these days and Cooper always wants to put on his ‘racing shoes’ to go run. Don’t you love his ornery face?!?

And this is so them right now. Either smiles or being goofy.

I seriously love Charlotte’s reckless abandonment, just throwing her head back and laughing. And this is the face Cooper makes a lot—half fake smile and half ornery.

So silly.

I REALLY wish I had been directly in front of them for this.

Easter Baskets!

2011-06-28T17:33:00.001-07:00

Taken: April 23, 2011 (This doesn’t seem right, because we would have done their baskets the morning of Easter. I need to check the date on my camera I think.)

We usually do books, a big toy, and some candy for their baskets. Charlotte LOVED the books, while Cooper LOVED their bubble mowers. They call them lawn motors and ‘mow da lawn like daddy!’. It’s adorable. (I covered their underwear with color blocks because the internet can be a crazy place. Not sure why they decided to strip in the first place.)

Cooper begging to have it opened.

While Charlotte was content reading the books.

Easter Egg Dying

2011-06-28T17:27:00.001-07:00

Taken April 24, 2011.

We aren’t religious, but we celebrate Easter more as a celebration of spring and we do all the pagan traditions (easter egg hunts, egg dying, easter baskets). This year I tried a new process of dying eggs. I used zip log bags in hopes of avoiding a mess. Last year and the year before can be seen here and those two methods are have much less mess! Cooper decided to smash one of the eggs inside the ziplock bag so I had to make a new color. And this year I was in the middle of doing some home decorating, so I nearly forgot all about Easter—in fact these were taken the day of Easter! I didn’t ask for help, which spelled disaster for supervision and attempting to take photos at the same time.

They loved smelling the eggs.

Cooper’s 3rd Birthday: Dragon Party

2011-06-25T20:14:00.001-07:00

Taken: April 17, 2011

I am so behind it’s ridiculous! At any rate, here are some photos from Cooper’s party. We did a dragon theme (his request) and I think everyone had a great time! Most of these were taken by a friend using my camera.

Here is his invite. I designed them in photoshop and had them printed on 5 x 7 photo paper. I love how they turned out!

All the kids enjoyed playing outside for awhile.

The girls did hoolahoop and Cooper helped Ryan put on her party viking hat. So cute!

Had a bite to eat.

Decorated shields.

Or in Cooper’s case, just put the stickers on himself.

Scary dragon masks.

Some chose to stay inside and enjoy the movie.

Cooper loved playing with his older cousin, Lane.

Charlotte is just too cute!

Sparring match with Maile.

We attempted a ribbon pinata because it’s safer, but we glued the trap door with extra strong glue apparently because it didn’t work and we ended up doing a traditional pinata anyhow.

I love this one. Cooper eyes are closed and it cracks me up.

Cooper gave the dragon head some lovin’.

I made the dragon cake, which was a lot of work, but I love how he turned out. I did a practice run a few days before and then took the cake to work. I started the cake a couple days before, which was great because I ended up having to bake a 2nd cake since the first one was too moist.

I also made viking hat cupcakes with peanut butter frosting and fondant horns. They were DELICIOUS! Cooper was so cute trying to blow out his candles while we were still singing to him.

And the little blowing lips I can’t get enough of.

He enjoyed his cake and his presents too! Thank you to everyone who came over to celebrate with us!

Cooper’s Birthday Present!

2011-06-03T19:15:00.001-07:00

Taken: April 13, 2011

We bought a big gift for Cooper (and Charlotte) this year for his birthday. Cooper is 3, but the size of a 5 year old (38 lbs, and 42 in tall). My husband and I never got to enjoy these motorized cars because we were both too big by the time they came out with them. We wanted Cooper to be able to enjoy them while he is still small enough to ride them and since it is rarely a good idea to buy only one of something, Charlotte got to enjoy one too!

He was so surprised when he realized they move with the touch of a pedal. Charlotte took longer to figure it out, but she had fun anyhow! Now they are little pros at them.

Too bad I chopped the vehicle on both of these—they move faster than I expected!!

Make-up Artists

2011-06-03T19:06:00.001-07:00

Taken: April 11, 2011

My mischievous munchkins managed to get my make-up out and complete destroy an entire brand new tube of lipstick. In about 2 minutes. Right before bedtime. I was very mad, then I took a picture and I just laughed.

And I think Cooper may have drawn on Charlotte now that I take a second look.

Playroom reveal

2011-05-22T16:59:00.001-07:00

I have been busy doing some decorating in our new house. I haven’t taken any staged photos of the other rooms yet, but I’ll get around to that. I just finished the playroom (technically the formal dining room, but we aren’t so formal) and I LOVE it!

So here’s my inspiration (thanks Southern Living):

Here’s what I started with (sellers photo since I FORGOT to take a before photo):

Except they had new carpet installed and we changed the light fixture. Here is after I removed the curtains before I started painting.

And the after photos!

I painted stripes on the walls in a similar pattern to the inspiration photo. I used Behr Ultra: Refreshing Pool (darker blue), Shallow Sea (light blue), Asparagus (green), and Tropical Smoothie (pink), with the trim done in Frost. We bought 1/4” plywood and used chalkboard paint to make the chalkboard (we have textured walls). My husband installed the 7-1/4” baseboards. We plan to install a magazine rack on the left directly onto the chalkboard to help ‘even out’ the seams.

I used Frog Tape and chalk lines to get the stripes done. You can see where I ‘sealed’ the tape with the base color (light blue) then the stripes are perfectly straight. I still need to go back and touch up the doorways with the living room color (Behr Porpoise).

The toy fabric bins are from Target.

I really want to figure out a different solution for the toys in the larger bins, maybe a bench or something. We also plan to install a floating shelf above the TV. We will be doing home automation this summer so the wires will go away too.

The curtains are from Bed, Bath & Beyond and I got them on clearance for $10 a panel (I hyperlinked to the ones that are the most similar). The kids play table and chairs are from IKEA and we painted it the same white as the trim. The end table is an old wood table my husband had from college days that we also painted the trim color. I made the green/white and pink pillows from fabric I purchased at Joanne’s. The fuzzy blue pillow is from Walmart.

I plan to replace the couch (it’s from a sectional that we purchased after we first moved to CA), but for now it works fine.

Light fixture from Lamps Plus.

I bought these little benches from Target on clearance a while ago. They came with navy blue bins and navy blue cushions (see Charlotte from her birthday party). I bought fabric at Joanne’s and new bins at Target to make it fit the room a bit better. I just put them back to back to make an ottoman. The kids chairs were made by their grandpa (my husband’s father).

Vinyl trees from Etsy seller studiojk. I’m thinking about getting some birds to sit on the tree or in flight. Maybe some wooden letters above the trees too.

I just love how the room turned out!

Cinemagraphs

2011-05-18T22:26:00.001-07:00

Amazing. Awesome. And creepy all at the same time.

http://www.cocacolla.it/arts/jamie-beck-e-kevin-burg-cinemagraphs/

Baby gear makes for endless entertainment

2011-05-17T21:43:00.001-07:00

I brought up the swing from the basement when my friend’s baby, Reese, and also my nephew came to visit. Apparently toddlers find them completely fascinating. Cooper rocked his ‘baby’ while Charlotte was loving being adored by her brother rather than tormented.

I’ve been trying to work on exposure and getting it right in camera. I have struggled with taking photos in my new house because the light is so different than what I’m used to. We get a lot of natural light, but two of the windows just have the sky since they are so high. This means a lot of my photos turn out really cool. I think I need to set my white balance to cloudy to compensate. In the mean time I’m sort of throwing out worrying about everything and refocusing on individual parts of photography. The first is exposure in hopes of being happier with my photos and thus more motivated to take photos.

This is straight off the camera with nothing but a crop and watermark.

New cousin

2011-05-17T21:26:00.001-07:00

Cooper has always loved his baby dolls and now he thinks his new cousin, Alexander, is his new baby. He wants to hold him and rock him. He wants to carry him around and any little grunt or peep Alexander makes Cooper asks for his pacifier to put in his mouth. I absolutely adore watching him with his little cousin!

Charlotte doesn’t seem to be so interested. She’ll hold him, giggle and then move away from him. Of course she’s always been way more interested in her trains than in any doll. I think she needs time to warm up to him and once he can play trains with her, she’ll love him.

We will definitely be taking more photos with cousin Alexander! (Don’t mind the white balance on these…just trying to get things posted so I can post more about the current things in our life!)

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

2011-05-17T18:26:00.001-07:00

Taken: March 26, 2011

I took these late and I am posting very late. They were incredibly uncooperative and I didn’t have the patience. So I didn’t really bother editing or cropping properly. There are so many funny outtakes, so this is an outtake post. Check out Charlotte’s crazy expressions!

Sleeping in a snack bowl

2011-05-13T18:33:00.001-07:00

Taken: March 25, 2011

Haha, she fell asleep in her snack bowl!

Sick Charlotte

2011-05-13T18:29:00.001-07:00

Taken: March 15, 2011

Poor Charlotte got sick and she just looked drugged. I don’t love how this picture turned out since the white balance was off, she’s not quite in focus, the composition is too centered for my tastes and she has a light switch growing out of her head. It captures the moment but I’m noticing my skills decreasing just a bit when it comes to candid photos—a combination of not trying and not practicing I imagine.

Life has been busy

2011-05-13T18:24:00.001-07:00

Taken: March 5, 2011

My father was hospitalized February 20 for complications from end-stage liver disease. Only a couple weeks later we nearly lost him. I chose to take the kids up to the hospital to take photos with him as a ‘just in case’. Fortunately he has recovered very well, given his diagnosis and he his home with my sister. I’m only sharing a couple of these photos that do not identify my dad, since these are intensely personal.

The kids were very worried about their ‘bampa’ and now you understand why I have been SO behind in blogging.

Waiting for momma on Tuesdays

2011-05-13T18:13:00.001-07:00

Taken: March 1, 2011

On Tuesdays, Maile comes over for a few hours until her momma comes to pick her up. The kids look forward to Tuesdays. Maile knows that when I get home her momma will be home very soon. On this day she missed her momma very much and sat looking out the window waiting for her to come home. It was so sweet.

The new nap

2011-05-13T18:08:00.001-07:00

Taken: Feb 27, 2011

About 6 months ago we cut out formal naps because the kids were becoming very difficult to get to bed at 8. Now if they are tired they lay on the couch and pass out for 30-45 min. It’s so cute to see them sleep like this! It almost makes me miss the baby days.

Cooper with his blankey and Dr. Mater and Mater the Greater.

And Charlotte loving her blankey with her thumb in position to go back in her mouth at any moment.

Tug o’ war

2011-05-13T18:00:00.001-07:00

Taken: February 21, 2011

The kids play tug of war with blankets all the time. Their twist? They use their teeth instead of hands. (And don’t mind Charlotte being incredibly dangerous with the train ON the ottoman…of course I grab my camera first!)

Baby Alexander Scott

2011-04-11T18:55:00.001-07:00

My baby sister had her first baby, a boy named Alexander Scott. He is so adorable and was a doll for photos. These were taken at 11 days old I love how most of them turned out, especially for only being my second newborn!

I wish I hadn’t chopped his knee!

I crocheted this little hat for him (my newest hobby!) and he wasn’t having it. He HATES being warm/hot…just like his mommy!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

First print on canvas!

2011-03-23T19:32:00.001-07:00

I LOVE my Canvas on Demand (COD) prints! These are the first photos I’ve blown up to hang in my house and I think I need to print more of my photos! I am so proud at how far I’ve come and I am so excited to hang these on my wall! These are 16x20 and a good size for these photos, but I’m excited to try bigger and smaller too. I used a groupon for these (purchased groupon for $45 which gave me $126 credit at COD), which you can find quite often for COD.

More Silly Valentines

2011-03-22T20:38:00.001-07:00

Taken February 5, 2011

Continuation from this last post. They are ridiculously cute and Cooper was a little ham that day.

Forehead kisses…this is the way my husband kisses me in front of the kids.

And Charlotte’s reaction was too cute.

Now for Cooper’s turn.

He’s such a boy!

And more with the suckers! They were hilarious.

I switched to a pink background because I was tired of the hearts. Cooper makes the funniest faces.

And this one just tugs at my heart strings.

Little snow bunnies and the first snowman

2011-03-21T19:49:00.001-07:00

Taken February 3, 2001. (Just a little behind in blogging…)

It has been so fun to be back in Colorado and experience seasons again. The kids just make it all magical all over again. I just can’t get enough of them in their snowsuits. It reminds me of the move ‘A Christmas Story’.

The snow was finally wet enough to build a snowman (or no-man as the kids call him). Charlotte was a great cheerleader and exclaimed ‘You did it! You make a no-man! Gate job mommy!’, over and over. Cooper just wanted to check him out and then destroy him, while Charlotte pretended to be chased.

And then they were just being goofballs.

Before and After

2011-02-19T17:04:00.001-08:00

Photo date: Jan 28

I haven’t shown a before and after for awhile. These were taken at the park around 2 in the afternoon, so not the best time to take photos. It was a semi-cloudy day and I was testing my 85mm. I loved the look on Charlotte’s face and the side/backlighting in her hair. However the photo seemed really cool to me. I also didn’t like the super washed out look.

I fixed the white balance, using levels and the white dropper and increased blacks slightly in levels. I upped the exposure just a bit using curves. I cropped so that it had a better composition.

I wanted it to feel sunnier and softer so I ran some actions, but modified them to my liking. I first ran Nelly Nero Spicy October and adjusted all of the layers that added color, plus the desat layer. I also masked out her skin and shirt on the desat layer. Then I ran Pioneer Woman’s sunshine, but reduced the opacity of the layers quite a bit and again masked her skin from the warmth. I then did a slight sharpen for web.

Baby Sister’s Maternity Photos

2011-02-13T10:42:00.001-08:00

My baby sister is pregnant with her first baby and she asked me if I would take some maternity photos. I have no idea how to pose people, give them direction, and I’ve never taken photos of a pregnant women, but I figured it would be great practice for me. I LOVE how all the photos turned out. I had a hard time choosing which ones to edit! Adults who follow direction and sit still are SO much easier than toddlers. And notice that ALL of the photos are in portrait, instead of my usual landscape? I guess that’s what felt natural for these!

And how beautiful is my sister? I love her and I am so excited to meet my nephew!

Winter day?

2011-02-07T21:46:00.001-08:00

Photo date: Jan 28

One of the reasons I love Colorado is the weather, more specifically the changes in weather. It was snowing the week before and then warm enough for shorts and t-shirts, then bitter cold. So amazing after living in 74 degree weather for 8 years!

This was taken with my 85mm and I was surprised at how much I could get in frame…I should have taken a wider angle with me. The kids were actually enthralled with the construction going on and the big crane. I was trying to balance exposing the sky and my subjects they way I wanted. Not quite what I imagined, but close.

You can see the differences in editing here. I increased blacks and contrast and then corrected white balance using the white cloud. I love how pretty the mountains are!

This one I warmed up quite a bit and lost the saturation of the sky/mountains in order to properly expose my subjects. I may work on editing this some more to bring back some blue in the sky, but I can’t figure out how to make it look natural. I love taking photos of them from behind because I can really see the height differences between them…I don’t think I’ll ever stop being amazed at how much bigger Cooper is. People don’t really ask if they are twins anymore and assume Cooper is a couple years older because of his size.