Walk With Me

Edit Me Challenge #8

2012-02-22T16:17:00.000-08:00

I'm being a slacker. We're picking up the keys tonight to our new place and then the movers arrive on Saturday. I have a few boxes ready, but I still have sooo much more to do. But instead of packing, I'm participating in an Edit Me challenge. Yeah, I have my priorities straight. :)

So this week's photo is from Bree of His Honey & Her Mommy. Honestly, I probably didn't need to do much to this picture. It was great even in SOOC format. However, lately I have been getting my edits in a few days late and then when I go back and look at other people's edits, I realize there are a couple that are real similar to mine. So this time, I wanted to do something different.

Here is the original. Isn't she darling? Blond curls and all...

And here is my edit:

Like I said, I really could have just adjusted the white balance, duplicated the layer and changed the blending mode to soft layer for a bit of pop and it would have been perfect. But what fun is that when 20 different people are all editing the same photo? Instead I wanted to bring the focus to the little girl. I wanted the crop to accentuate her delicate little features like those eyes and the curl. I desaturated the image and then added a warming filter set at a very low opacity. Next, I added the quote to spice it up. Then I added the border and ran a high pass filter to sharpen just once more.

And that's it! Such a pretty little girl.

Thanks for stopping by!

Color Inspiration

2012-02-20T11:37:00.000-08:00

When the weather was warmer (lasts about 8 weeks in Seattle), I was taking photos that really sparked my creativity. The colors were beautiful and vibrant and I wasn't freezing my buns off while getting the shot. While I am anxiously awaiting the return of the warmer weather, I've been digging through my archives and making color palettes out some of my favorite photos.

What's even cooler is that while editing Leavesnbloom's photo for the Edit Me challenge, I realized she hosted a weekly linkup for these types of palettes. Pretty awesome.

This photo was taken at Lake Shannon, which is about an hour from Seattle. The blues and greens of the lake combined with the reds and pinks of this weed made it one of my favorite photos from the summer (that don't include my sons or husband).

Sunday Scavenger Hunt

2012-02-19T11:14:00.000-08:00

Another week has come and gone. The second month of 2012 is almost over. Wasn't it just New Year's Eve? This week is going to be pretty busy for us because we are moving. I'll be packing all week and trying to find places to put the boxes where it won't be a safety hazard for the boys and then on Saturday it'll be my job to keep the boys out of the movers' way. Fun times ahead.

Ok, onto the hunt. I have to admit that I pulled from the archives for these shots. #NotPrepared

Love:

Love these boys. Sometimes I'm resistant to give up the camera and let my husband take some pictures, but when I look back at the pictures, I am always happy to have them. You can read that post here.

Duplicated:

I duplicated this picture of my coffee cup to show the differences between various aperture settings.

Trending:

When I saw this prompt, my initial thought was also to head to Twitter...just like Ashley. I guess great minds think alike. Are you following me on Twitter? I'd love to follow you back! Just shoot me a tweet and let me know.

Paper:

This is one of my favorite collages of Nate coloring. Doesn't he look so focused?

Plastic:

Lance's exersaucer is a life saver. I can put him in it when I'm straightening up the house or making Nate's breakfast. It keeps him entertained (usually) and safe. I won this particular exersaucer by participating in a giveaway. How cool is that!?!

Thanks for stopping by!

Edit Me Challenge #7

2012-02-17T11:57:00.000-08:00

*Join the 'Edit Me' Challenge by going HERE.

I love this week's photo. From the castle to the sheep to the colors in the sky...everything is simply perfect. It was captured by the talented Leavesnbloom Studio.

Here is the original:

Magical even in SOOC form.

Here is my edit:

To achieve his edit, I opened in ACR and adjusted the white balance slightly and increased the blacks just a tad. Then I opened it in PSE9 and duplicated the layer and changed the blending mode to Soft Light (my go-to first step on most images to add a little pop). When I did this, I thought it made the castle too dark, so I created a layer mask and used a soft black brush to remove the duplicated layer from the castle. Then I cropped the image to employ the rule of thirds. Finally, I applied one of Kim Klassen's textures (Autumn Texture), which added a slight vignette and warmed up the image.

Thanks for stopping by!

I Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way

2012-02-16T01:06:00.000-08:00

Please. Can he just stay this size for a while? Cute. Squishy. And happy (except for when he wakes up the moment I lay him down but I think he's getting better). Knock on wood.

At 6.5 months old, he's rolling everywhere and I do mean everywhere. He'll roll off of the changing table, the edge of the bed, the rug, the couch, or wherever else he happens to be (don't worry...he hasn't hit the ground). He has 5 teeth and one other just poking through. And yes. He bites. And no. It's not ok. It doesn't feel good. But I deal with it. And I try not to complain too much (crap, I'm complaining now).

A mother's love transcends all pain...childbirth and nipple biting included.

Anyway...onto less painful subjects.

This guy.

He's fun. I laugh every day just watching him. He's silly and sweet but bossy at the same time. The other day, we caught him starting to boss a 6-year old around. I'm hoping that these characteristics just mean that he's a leader in the making.

He talks up a storm. I remember waiting in line to catch a ferry when Ryan struck up a conversation with a man parked in front of us. The man was telling us about his grandkids and asking if Nate talked yet. We told him that he says a few words here and there (I think he was barely a year old at that point). The man said, "You spend the first two years of their life teaching them how to talk and then you spend the rest of their life teaching them to shut up."

Don't get me wrong. I cherish Nate's chatter. The way he uses complete sentences, identifies the colors of everything he touches, counts to three, says "on your mark, go yet, GO!" It's all so cute. But when we're driving and he's talking a mile a minute, I remember what that man said and it makes me laugh.

He's also potty trained now. I feel like we deserve an award or something. It was a lot of work! But I guess it's something that every parent has to do at some point. And even though he's pretty much got it down, it's still a lot of work. As soon as I sit down, I hear, "Nate going pee pee!" and I have to jump up and rush him to the bathroom. But it's worth it. I'm so proud of us him.

I say all of that just to say that they are fun. It's amazing to watch these boys growing up. These precious, handsome boys that didn't even exist just a short time ago, are growing, developing their own personalities, learning, and getting me wrapped around their little fingers with every smile.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Edit Me Challenge #6

2012-02-09T21:01:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! I've been a little MIA from the Edit Me challenges lately, but I'm back in the game with this gorgeous wedding image taken by Selena.

Here is the original:

And here is my edit:

I opened the picture in ACR and desaturated the image, increased the blacks, the exposure, and the brightness. Then I opened it in Photoshop and duplicated the layer and set the blending mode to soft light. I then cropped the photo to employ the rule of thirds.

And that's it! Not much needs to be done to an already awesome photo!

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Stop Making Excuses and Give Your Husband the Camera

2012-02-07T10:16:00.000-08:00

We spend all day long taking pictures of our kids. Every big moment, every new tooth, each first bite, and even each first poop in the potty. It's all documented and stored away in folders on our computers.

We have pictures of our kids with our husbands all snuggled up on the couch, walking hand in hand, changing diapers, feeding first bites, and all of the other moments in between.

But when hubby says, "Hey babe, let me have the camera," we freeze up. We make excuses.

"It's ok. I just got out of the shower."
"Nah...I'm the photographer here."
"No, my hair looks terrible."
"I'm fat...you are not going to take any pictures of me today!"
"I'm not even wearing cute clothes."
"I'll just keep taking pictures of you loving on the kids."

But we were there too. We loved on our kids. We made them meals, fed them their first bites too, bathed them, held their hands, snuggled with them in bed, read them stories, kissed their owies. We do it all too.

And we deserve to have those folders on our computer, those scrapbooks, photo albums, whatever, filled with pictures of us loving and taking care of our kids.

So teach your husband how to adjust the ISO, shutter speed, and aperture or get it all set up for him. Or get your trusty point-n-shoot out. And don't wait for him to ask. Hand him the camera and say "snap some pictures."

Because time goes too fast to wait for a moment when we've run out of excuses.

(Ryan, for the record, you are allowed to remind me of this post the next time you ask to have the camera and I try and talk you out of it).

” Linking up withThe Paper Mama for her Self Photo Challenge!

Sunday Scavenger Hunt

2012-02-05T11:31:00.000-08:00

Today was a beautiful day in Seattle, so we took advantage of it and spent the day roadtripping. It was nice.

Ok, on to this week's hunt.

Strike a pose:

Getting both of them to pose at the same time is nearly impossible.

Footwear:

Lance is stylin' in his striped socks.

Hobby:

Nate digs reading his dad's Sports Illustrated mags.

Shiny:

From Seattle's recent snowfall.

Color Me Green:

Bit of a stretch, but there is a green frog next to Lance's face. This photo was actually taken about a month ago. Since then, he now has 3 teeth on the top. Ouch.

Enjoy your week!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday and Puddlegear

2012-01-29T23:25:00.000-08:00

Oh goodness, where has the time gone? 2 weeks without blogging? I must be going crazy. Or really busy. Or distracted. The other night, my husband let me know that last January I blogged 20 times. This January I have only blogged 5 times. I guess I'm a slacker. :)

But if you're interested in what I've been up to, check out my Etsy site.

Ok, so on to this week's scavenger hunt.

Recently we had a lot of snow. Like out-of-the-ordinary type of weather for Seattle. But it has since rained a lot and all of the snow is gone.

However, while the snow was here, I took advantage of testing out a product that was sent to me called Puddlegear. It's a suit intended for rainy weather, but I found that it also worked perfectly in the snow. I put some warm clothes on Nate and then put the Puddlegear suit over his clothes and he remained completely dry and warm.

Smile:

Check out that cute outfit that Nate is sporting. Those gloves kept his hands toasty the entire time.

Stand Alone:

Look at my little guy treking through the snow.

Rusty or Something Old:

Let's just pretend those bleachers behind me are old and rusty.

Artificial:

That snow definitely wasn't artificial, which led Nate to get a little obsessed with eating it. Don't worry...we told him not to eat the yellow snow. :)

Repeating Pattern:

Attacking each other with snow quickly became a pattern. Even after rolling in the snow and dumping it on each other's heads, Nate's hands were warm (the gloves are fleece-lined), he stayed dry, and he never once complained about being cold.

The owner of Puddlegear has this to say about her products:

"Puddlegear rainwear is soft and flexible, breathable, wind and water proof, safe with specific designs to keep your kids safe on the playground and in nature, very durable, flexible in all 4 seasons, and best of all it absolutely adorable and very cool! We have styles to fit every kind of player, onepiece raingear, bib rainpants, fireman rainjackets, and mitts! Great sailing raingear! Kids teachers and parents agree that when kids need to be dry -Puddlegear raingear is fantastic!"

Alrighty, thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your week!

Sunday Scavenger Hunt

2012-01-15T00:30:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! How was your week? Was it good? I hope so.

Have you ever been planning for a big weekend or an extra special vacation and knew that you were going to be shooting lots of amazing photos? Maybe you are going to photograph a wedding or take family portraits. However, you just don't have that special lens or that special camera that would be perfect for the occasion. And you definitely aren't going to drop a bunch of money on a new lens right now. Recently, on Twitter, I found the coolest company. ATS Rentals loans out camera bodies, lenses, and other accessories for very reasonable prices.

I had the pleasure of renting a Canon 5d Mark II and a 100-400mm lens. The plan was that we were going to return to the Skagit River and photograph more eagles. We did make the trip, but unfortunately when we returned the eagles were just not as visible and my pictures aren't really blog worthy. Bummer. Isn't that the way life goes? It's like when you go to the store without extra spending money. Don't you always find things to buy? And then when you return with some cash to burn, nothing is very appealing.

Anyway, I highly recommend ATS Rentals. They were very personable, prompt, and professional (how's that for 3 P's). I was in constant communication with the company in regards to the rental dates, arrival dates, and equipment. I also was not prepared with the correct memory card for the 5d and they even shipped me one. It arrived in less than two days.

So the next time you are coveting that special lens or way-too-expensive camera, treat yourself and check out ATS Rentals. You just might be inspired to shoot some extra amazing photos.

Check out these pictures for this week's scavenger hunt shot with the 5dmarkII and the 100-400.

Stacked Up:

These gorillas were chasing each other up and down the trees. It was pretty cute. You can't tell because I am using the super awesome 100-400mm, but I was actually standing behind a whole crowd of people.

Winter Wonderland:

Guess what we woke up to today? Snow! These pictures were also taken with the rental gear through my living room window. How awesome is that?

Sweet:

Is my little guy not the sweetest thing ever? We bundled him up last weekend and took him and Nate to the zoo. I couldn't get over how cute he was.

Hole:

This guy was huddled under a blanket to stay warm. Poor thing.

Frozen:

And the wolves were beautiful. Absolutely stunning.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you'll check out ATS Rentals the next time you want to try out a special lens or camera (or other gear like tripods, flashes, projectors, etc).

Enjoy your week!

Edit Me Challenge #2

2012-01-11T16:12:00.000-08:00

Week #2 of the Edit Me Challenge is here. Since I always love a good design challenge, I had fun with this one. The baby is just entirely too precious.

Anyway, the photo was submitted by Tara from Wild Ginger Photography.

Here is the original:

And here is my edit:

Judging by the bear included in the photo, it is pretty safe to say that the family of this precious little boy are Boston Celtics fans. So after doing my initial edit, I whipped up a baby announcement centered around the Celtics. Now I'm kicking myself for not including Notre Dame in Nate or Lance's baby announcements. I had no idea when this baby was born, so I just used very generic stats.

For the initial edit, I opened the photo in ACR, adjusted the white balance, desaturated the image, increased the brightness, and increased the blacks. Then I opened it in PSE, duplicated the layer, and adjusted the levels to get a pure white blanket. On the duplicated layer, I used a layer mask to remove any unwanted changes from the baby's skin. Then I just made the announcement and that's it. :) I realized that it looks a little weird on my blog to not have a green border all the way around the photo, but I think it would look super cute when printed.

In the New Year

2012-01-11T14:56:00.000-08:00

This new year has me immersed in new goals ranging from cliche weight loss resolutions to better house keeping and nutrition goals. And it just seems that there aren't enough hours in the day to do what I want to do, take care of my boys, and blog, but I'll figure it all out. As I type this, Lance has been napping for two hours straight, which is awesome.

I do have some fun things to share here in the next few weeks though including some reviews, a giveaway, and lots of pictures...maybe even a few design freebies.

In other news...

Lance is almost six months old. Isn't that crazy? He rolls all over the floor, has two bottom teeth and a few emerging through the top, and is so cute that you'd just want to squeeze him if you held him. He loves Nate and will laugh anytime he's around. Nate thinks that "baby is too little" and doesn't want him touching some of his toys, but we're working on that.

Are you busy with any New Year's Resolutions?

Edit Me Challenge #1

2012-01-05T11:34:00.000-08:00

The Edit Me Challenge is back in full swing. Is anyone else excited about that besides me?

This week's challenge was submitted by Sarah from Naptime Momtog. Here's the original:

And here is my edit:

I chose to leave the sun flare, but increased the blacks a tad, decreased the saturation, and increased the fill light so that I didn't loose too much detail from the dog's face. Then I duplicated the layer and changed the blending mode to soft light at about 50% opacity and then duplicated that layer and set the blending mode to screen at 30%. Then I just added the canvas extension with the quote for fun. I liked the contrast of the sun with the warmer winter clothes and thought the quote worked perfectly.

Enjoy your day!

Memories, Dreams, and Reflections 2011

2012-01-01T17:53:00.000-08:00

Ashley, from Ramblings and Photos, is hosting another linkup which has had me busy scouring my photos. What a busy year it has been. Nate turned two, Lance was born, and my interest in photography was sparked. Thanks to my wonderful husband for supporting this ~~obsession~~ interest.

Alrighty...here we go.

Me:

There are definitely more flattering pictures that I could have posted, but this picture has a special place in my heart. I'm totally glad that Ryan took a second to capture this.

I Love You:

What can I say? I love this guy with every thing in me. He makes me laugh, tells me I'm pretty, calls me out on my crap, and is the coolest guy I know. He's the best father I could have ever imagined that my boys would have. What a lucky girl I am.

Still Laughing:

This little guy is always laughing (unless he's wanting to eat-if that's the case, watch out!).

Winter Wonderland:

This was taken on our way to see the Skagit River Bald Eagles.

Birthday:

This was taken on Lance's birthday and the day that Nate became a big brother.

Friends:

My hope is that as they grow, they aren't just brothers, but friends as well.

I was Inspired:

I was inspired by the many different sunsets I saw during Seattle's short summer.

Spring Fever:

After being cooped up all winter, we were ready to get outside and play once the weather got warmer.

Travel/Vacation:

We went on a lot of little roadtrips, but one of the more notable trips was my first visit out of the country. Ok, we were less than 100 miles from my house..but still! This is downtown Vancouver, Canada.

Summer Days:

Summer in Seattle came and went very quickly, but while the sun was shining, Seattlites were definitely taking advantage of the sun.

A Day in my Life:

A day in my life entails taking care of these little guys and everything else that goes with it. That means stinky diapers, reading books, lots of Elmo, nursing, picking up toys, laundry, meals, and much more. But it's fun!

All Smiles:

Nate loved climbing on this tractor at Craven Farms.

Autumn Harvest:

This year we took Nate and Lance to a pumpkin patch. It was definitely a fun day for us. If you can believe it, I had 3-month old Lance strapped to my chest in his carrier and I was using my long lens to take pictures. That was a juggling act for sure.

Family or Home:

This year, we surprised our family (who live 1,000 miles away) with a Christmas visit. All of the grandparents were thrilled to see Nate and Lance and it was nice to see all of the cousins (who are growing up so quickly!). My siblings were all home for the holidays, which was nice as well.

Celebrate:

Nate turned two and ate a big slice of chocolate cake to celebrate.

Let's Do It Again:

I got a little weird right after Lance was born and thought I didn't want anymore babies. I was tired and getting used to waking up in the middle of the night again was hard. But now that a few months has passed and after looking at pictures like this, I know we need to have another one. Let's do it again, honey! (but not for a while...).

I miss you:

I miss the summer. I miss watching Nate play in the water, taking pictures of the sunset (which didn't set until after 9:30 PM), and flip flops.

Beautiful:

Beautiful.

Dress Up:

I loved Nate's Halloween costume this year.

Macro:

We'll pretend this is a macro shot. :)

Holidays:

Christmas morning. :)

My Favorite:

If you asked Nate, playing with the rocks along the beach was probably his favorite activity of the year.

Don't Ever Change:

These little guys have already changed so much in the months just since I took these pictures. Can't they just stay little forever?

Just Because...So There!

I love this picture. It may be my favorite picture of the year that isn't related to my boys.

Hopes and Dreams:

All of my hopes and dreams are wrapped up in these three guys. While there are things that I am striving for, I wouldn't want any of it if it meant that I had to sacrifice my family. They are my world and I only want the best for them. If they are happy, then 2012 will be a success.

Thanks for hosting this fun challenge, Ashley. I can't wait to see where 2012 takes us. I know it will be over before we know it!

Happy New Year!

Some Holiday Cheer

2011-12-18T19:38:00.000-08:00

It may seem that my blog is dominated by photos of Lance these days, but he is just so much easier to photograph than Nate right now. He smiles, doesn't move too fast, and will look when I call him.

I hope this holiday week is full of family time and lots of yummy desserts for you! :)

Sunday Scavenger Hunt

2011-12-18T16:47:00.000-08:00

Oh goodness, I cannot believe that Christmas is just about here! Don't you remember being a kid and waiting for what seemed like an eternity before the big day finally arrived? Christmas Eve seemed like the longest day ever. But now, Christmas comes and goes so quickly.

Ok, here are my interpretations for this week.

What is it?
Hello, my name is Shondra and I am addicted to coffee.

Sleeping baby:

An oldie but goodie. :)

Joy:

Love this picture and this little guy.

Window:

I took this picture on our recent trip to the Cascade Mountains to see the Bald Eagles. It was taken through a window. :)

Half:

This was also taken on our trip to the Cascade Mountains. Ryan was only halfway in this picture. :)

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your week!

Count Your Many Blessings

2011-12-16T11:58:00.000-08:00

I have many blessings in my life. But today I am super grateful for this little guy. He's almost 5-months old and is the most happy, sweetest little guy.

During his 4th month, his first tooth popped through. He drools so much that I often have to put a bib on him just to keep his clothes dry. He smiles at his older brother and everyone else that he comes into contact with. He loves taking baths with Nate and doesn't seem to mind when he gets splashed on. His newest fascination is grabbing at his toes. Often times, he is in a completely different spot in his crib when I go to get him. He got his first haircut. He's been rolling over for a while now, but his skills are definitely improving.

He is a sweet boy and I couldn't be happier that he is a part of our family.

Weight: 17 pounds, 4 ounces
Height: 26 inches

Skagit River Bald Eagles

2011-12-12T20:27:00.000-08:00

Ryan woke me up a little before 5am on Saturday morning. Although I was hesitant to get out of bed, shower, and get the boys bundled up, the reward was more than worth it. I grabbed my coffee and we headed out the door in search of some eagles.

Each year, the Skagit River (just over an hour drive) is host to the largest gathering of Bald Eagles in the lower 48 states. We made it to the river just as the sun was rising and just in time to see dozens of eagles enjoying their morning catches.

We estimate that we saw 40 bald eagles. When we return in January, we are guessing that we will see many more than that.

Even though it was a bit foggy and overcast, I think the pictures turned out beautifully.

It was definitely worth waking up early to see.

I am already dreaming about our next trip. I've heard that there are river guides who will take you down the river in a raft. Imagine the pictures I could get of the birds from the river!

Gosh, I can't get over how gorgeous they are.

Can you see all of the eagles in that tree? There are even a few in the trees over on the right.

Hoping to make it back soon!

Sunday Scavenger Hunt

2011-12-03T17:14:00.000-08:00

Gosh, where do the days go? It seems like I was just writing last week's Sunday Scavenger Hunt post, but here we are again.

Portrait:

You might be wondering why I took this picture. It's a little awkward, a little grainy, and a little different. Well, the portrait in the frame is of Nate when he was 6 months old. Ryan is holding up Lance who is 4 months old and is wearing the same outfit. Don't they look so similar? Ever since Lance was born, I have been amazed at how much Lance resembles Nate when he was a baby. Of course I always expected them to look similar. They're brothers. But I bet I could trick a few family members if I held up various pictures of the boys at different stages and asked them which boy it is. :)

Nostalgic:

I love Christmas and am totally excited to share it with my boys again this year.
Time:

He's probably going to hate me for posting this, but, "Time to get up, Daddy!"

Full of Light:

Some Christmas tree bokeh for you.

Motion:
Such a good big brother. :)

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your week!

Baby Haircut

2011-12-02T11:15:00.000-08:00

Lance turned four months old last Sunday and, just like his older brother, it was definitely time for a haircut. He had bald patches on the side and on the back and just looked a little silly. Even though I was sad to see his little mohawk leave, I knew it needed to be done.

Here's a before shot...see how little hair he had on the sides?

Halfway through the haircut and Lance is happy, but is looking at me with eyes that are saying, "Why Mom?"

And here are a few after shots. His little face looks so cute. And, in case you can't tell, he's at that perfectly perfect chubby stage. Every time I hold him, I just want to squeeze him a little bit and poke his belly and pinch those legs. He weighs 17 pounds and is 26 inches long. In the four months since he was born, he's grown 5 inches. Isn't it amazing how quickly they grow?

Lance loves to laugh and we love to make him laugh. I think he is going to be our little jokester.

Did any of you cut your baby's hair when they were still so little? I've heard of people not cutting it until they were over 2, but I like cutting it early. I think the hair is able to grow in evenly.

Sunday Scavenger Hunt

2011-11-26T17:05:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! This has been a rather interesting week. I have been learning to use Adobe Illustrator CS5. That program is no joke! I've seen what it is capable of, but there is definitely a steeper learning curve associated with it in comparison with Photoshop. So I've been watching tons of tutorials and I think I'm slowly getting a grasp on it, but I can totally see why people go to school to learn this program.

Ok, on to Scavenger Hunt Sunday.

These pictures were all taken this week, which is a pretty big accomplishment. Usually I wind up searching the archives.

Waiting:

Foilage:

Candid:

Knife, Fork, Spoon:

Rule of Thirds:

This little boy melts my heart. He's getting too big.

Enjoy your week!

Moments Like These...

2011-11-22T09:59:00.000-08:00

Whenever Nate and Lance are sitting together, I immediately have to grab my camera. If I don't, I feel like I'm missing out on capturing something really special. On this particular evening, things started out well. Nate was enjoying sitting by his brother and watching the movie, Cars. We had just gotten home from somewhere and Lance was definitely ready to nurse. Letting him sit next to Nate was entertaining him for a bit, but before long, Lance got a little clingy and Nate wound up moving to the end of the couch. I love the look on Lance's face..."Hey! Come back brother!"

I'm Done!

2011-11-21T23:02:00.000-08:00

Today marks the last day of my last class for my Master's degree and I couldn't be happier to have it done. I still have student teaching to do, but I'm just thrilled to have the classes behind me. I feel like I've been in school For.Ev.Er. I'm looking forward to not having deadlines or nightly discussion questions to answer. As much as I loved school when I was younger, I'm ready to be done for a while.

In other news...

This weekend, we took another drive into the Cascade Mountains. The mountains are dusted with snow and the trees are frosty. Even though it's cold, its beautiful. This area is known for having one of the largest concentrations of Bald Eagles in the winter so we were hoping to see some that were close enough for me to photograph, but the ones we saw were soaring far above our heads. In another month or so we expect to return and find a lot more. They feed on the salmon that have travelled up the Skagit River to spawn.

Do you ever just head out for a drive with your family? Where do you find yourself driving?

Edit Me: Week 26

2011-11-16T10:08:00.000-08:00

This week's Edit Me photo was supplied by Alita. Honestly, I fell in love with this photo while editing it. I wish I had taken it. It is so pretty and crisp. With that being said, I did have some fun with this and took it in a fun direction.

Here is the SOOC:

And here is my edit:

Here's what I did:

I opened the image in ACR and increased the blacks a bit. That's really all I needed to do in ACR since the white balance was spot on. Oh...I did increase the recovery silder a little because the clouds were blown out, but I don't really mind that too much. In PSE9, I ran MCP's Mini Fusion action, which I rarely use because I like figuring out how to achieve the desired result without actions, but I still don't know all the steps that go into creating the Mini Fusion action. I turned on the blue layer to help the image retain that crisp, winter feel. I then placed the image in this template from Skinned Knees because I could easily imagine this photo as a piece of wall art in an office. How cool would it be to separate it onto different canvases like this? After that, I just resized it for my blog and sharpened.

Enjoy your week!

Style Me Sweet Designs: Sponsor Highlight

2011-11-14T16:03:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to have Mandy from Style Me Sweet Designs as a sponsor. She designs and sells one-of-a-kind logos as well as premade logos. I promise you that there is something awesome for every brand and every budget.

Her designs are sophisticated and cute at the same time-perfect for a photography business, etsy site, or small business.

Mandy says, "Graphic Design and Illustration are my PASSION..besides my family its what i live for each day, i draw inspiration from everyday life, the things around me...as you can probably tell, i love nature and cute things:)."

Style Me Sweet Designs features one-of-a-kind logos, which will never be resold. These logos include a vector file, PSD, PNG, JPG, and ABR-Photoshop brush.

She also sells adorable premade logos, which will be resold, but are quite a steal.

And if she doesn't have exactly what you are looking for, she also takes custom orders.

Here is just a sampling of what you'll find in her shop:

Be sure to check out Style Me Sweet Designs for your graphic design needs.

And check out her Pinterest account. She pins some seriously awesome stuff.

Sunday Scavenger Hunt and a Freebie!

2011-11-12T19:37:00.000-08:00

Happy weekend everyone! I've been toying around with the idea of making digital scrapbooks for my boys and have been practicing making embellishments and digital papers, so I thought I'd start sharing what I make.

Today's Freebie:

There is no way I'd ever be able to put these cute buttons into a scrapbook for my boys, but they would look awesome in a girl's scrapbook. I even like the idea of decorating photo collages with them or you can add them to a blog header (I have buttons in mine). :)

There are 3 .png files and have a transparent background and can be dropped onto any scrapbook page, picture, or header or design (you are free to use these for any personal uses, just please do not repackage them and sell them as your own).

Click HERE to download the freebie.

Ok...so onto this week's Scavenger Hunt:

Before and After:

Rita, from the Coffeeshop Blog, just released a new action called Boost It. Here is my first attempt with it. What do you think?

Opposing Lines:

Custom Bokeh:

I read the tutorial on creating custom bokeh, but never had time during daylight hours to practice, so you're just going to have to settle with this bokeh shot. :)

Which pair of shoes should I wear?

I just adore little boy shoes. Aren't they adorable!?!

Little Features:

Facebook

2011-11-09T16:08:00.000-08:00

My sister made a word cloud this morning that was made up of words from her Facebook statuses. This left me inspired to do the same (you can go here to make your own).

Just admit it. Facebook is a pretty big part of most of our lives. Sure we could function without it. Lots of people do. But what do most of us do when we have a few spare moments? Check facebook. When we want to make an announcement, how do we go about it? We update our status. I am guilty of mostly posting pictures. I'm not huge on updating everyone with every little second of my day, but I do post occasionally.

The word cloud that was generated from my statuses makes me laugh because that is so my life. The names of my boys show up most often and that is to be expected. But there are also words like potty, poop, coffee, caffeine, and sleeping, which are pretty big parts of my day.

And then there are also words like fun, adventure, awesome, cool, and great. If you asked me to describe my life, I would probably use those same words.

That's all I have to say today. But here's a picture just because. He's totally rocking vertical photography with his wooden camera.

Edit Me: Week 25

2011-11-09T09:36:00.001-08:00

This week's photo is from Misty.

Here is the Sooc:

And here is my edit:

Editing steps:
Opened in ACR and tweaked the exposure a bit to warm it up. Next, I took the photo to PSE9 and lightened it and sharpened it. I messed with the saturation a bit and cropped it a bit tighter. I also cloned out the toy laying on the ground. Then I used one of Rita's storyboards with a built in texture to give it that aged look.

Enjoy your week!

Real Life

2011-11-08T12:46:00.000-08:00

I suppose that there are a million different ways I could portray myself on this blog. Happy. Perfect. Supermom. Frazzled. Frustrated. Annoyed. Lazy. Relaxed. Burned out. Poised. And on any given day, I might be any one of those.

But isn't that the way that parenthood, or adulthood for that matter, works? Different emotions plague us on various days. Nobody is perfect and no one has it together every single day of the week.

You might hop over here to read a post of mine and see a super cute picture of my boys. They might be smiling and I will probably write some cute remark about how great it is to be a mom of boys (it really is great!).

But believe me. I could have also shown you a picture of my boys crying. Or of Nate throwing a fit because I won't let him watch Elmo. Again. Or of me being attitudey (yes, that is a word in my household) to my husband. Or frustrated because after changing diapers, brushing teeth, tucking in, nursing, and getting both boys to sleep, one of them wakes up right as I'm about to work on an assignment (working on my final class of my Master's, btw!), and I wind up having to spend an extra half hour getting that sweet baby back to sleep. I might even have to type while holding a baby in my arms, which while I am grateful to have moments like this, sometimes I just wish they were more conveniently timed.

As young mothers, we have a wonderful resource that our parents did not have. At any given moment, we can turn on our computers and peek into the lives of moms around the world who choose to share their daily adventures with us, but we just need to remember that just because they seem to have it all together, they still have less than desirable moments, just like the rest of us. No one is immune to those.

Most likely, I will always choose to share that one image out of 50 where both boys are smiling. And that isn't because it's what I want everyone to think my life is like, but because it is what I want to remember next year, or five years from now, or in twenty years when my boys are out of the house and living their own lives and moments like these are just a memory.

Here are a series of images I took the other night. They are real. No forced smiles. Just a night in our life.

Enjoy your day!

Baby #2

2011-11-04T12:07:00.000-07:00

I've been doing a lot of thinking about the way that parents love their children. It really is an interesting dynamic. In my experience, it's impossible to fully grasp what that feels like until actually having a child. From the day Nate was born, I have experienced what it feel like to love a child so entirely. So unconditionally.

(Lance at 3 months)

When I became pregnant with Lance, I would think about how a new baby was about to enter this world and how I was going to love this baby exactly how I loved Nate. It was going to be that raw, deep love that comes from inside. It isn't based on the good things they do or don't do. It isn't founded in how cute they are. It isn't about their skills or talents. And it certainly isn't about any sort of love that they have for us.

It is because they are our children. They are part of us. And that fact creates a love that is unique and simply can not be experienced in any other type of relationship.

But even though I knew all of this, I still questioned. I wondered what it would feel like to love another baby. Would it be the same? Would it be as deep as the love I had for my first child.? How will the love that I have for one child let me love another child so completely?

Such silly questions.

Because on July 27th, I gave birth to my second child, Lance, and have had the same love for him. Of course, I do. Loving our children is such a natural act and our hearts always have room to love more.

Halloween Photo Challenge

2011-11-03T12:06:00.000-07:00

I've already shared other pictures of my little "biker" but this picture is specifically for The Paper Mama's Photo Challenge and I Heart Faces "Black" challenge.

Just a few reminders...

2011-11-02T13:27:00.000-07:00

I don't typically talk about my faith very much here. Usually I focus on our kids, adventures, and photography. But today I just feel like sharing a little more.

Sometimes life seems less than perfect. The days are long and it's as if we are always walking against the wind, instead of having it at our backs. But there is nothing like a rainbow to remind us of God's promise to be faithful.

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Genesis 9:12-13

And even if the world feels as if it is crumbling around us, as if we are caught in a snow storm with no way out, there will always be beauty to behold. Sometimes we just need to take a step back and look at the big picture.

Even if we feel like we're driving in the dark, lacking direction or guidance, just remember to look up. There might be more light on our path than we realize.

Edit Me: Week 24

2011-11-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

This week's photo is from Branson who blogs at My Reflection of Something.

Here is the original:

And here is my edited version:

I was having so much fun editing this picture that I kind of forgot all the steps I took to get the end result. I do know that I used a storyboard from Rita at The CoffeeShop Blog. I slightly desaturated the photo, used a slight fading action, and sharpened it. But like I said, there were other things that I did, but I lost track.

My goal was to make this photo feel timeless. The vintage camera really set the stage for the photo and I liked the overall composition. I thought the trees in the background really helped add interest to it.

What do you think?

Halloween: Biker Style

2011-11-01T00:10:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce you to my son. He's a biker. And not just any biker. He's a Harley Davidson biker, complete with tatted sleeves.

Isn't he adorable!?!

Alright, alright. I'm biased.

To be completely honest with you, when it comes to buying Halloween costumes, I am so not motivated. Halloween just isn't a big deal to me. It never was as a child so even though I know it's coming up, I tend to just browse costumes at the store without being decisive and buying something.

But right before the big day, I stumbled upon this costume. I knew he had shoes that would be perfect and Ryan suggested that he wear his beanie and bam! Perfect Halloween costume.

It was functional, he was able to wear it comfortably in the house, and I may have him wear that tatted sleeve shirt every weekend just because I think it's too cute.

I love when things work out that way.

Don't you love how half of my pictures of him are of his back? He is always on the run and is perfectly ok with ignoring me when I try to get him to turn around and look at me.

I used my 70-300mm lens so that I could get some creamy bokeh on the portrait shots and also be able to zoom in a bit when he was running away from me.

I hope you had a great Halloween and if you blogged about it, feel free to share a link to it in the comments. I'd love to check it out.

Enjoy your day!

Sunday Scavenger Hunt: A little bit of this and a little bit of that

2011-10-30T10:22:00.000-07:00

I'm all over the place today. My pictures have no continuity or cohesiveness in terms of their content or editing, but here I go anyway. :)

If you haven't entered this giveaway yet, make sure to head over...if you like to edit and showcase your photos creatively, you aren't going to want to miss this.

Macro/close up:

Found Texture:

Home:

Cover:

Tree:

Alrighty, well there you have it. Now I'm off to check out everyone else's interpretations.

Enjoy your week!

Word Template for Photo Blogs

2011-10-28T11:23:00.001-07:00

Hello! It's almost the weekend...woohoo!

Have you entered the giveaway for one of Sarah Dobbin's gorgeous templates? Go here to enter.

A few days ago, Ashley Sisk, from Ramblings and Photos, had a guest blogger who shared how to make collages that incorporate words. I already had a template with the word flower in it, but I never knew how to make my own.

Here's an example of the flower template:

By the way, you can go here and get the template for free.

Armed with the knowledge of how to create my own, I made this last night...

I think it's a totally fun and creative way to show off pictures on blogs. Have you tried this yet? If not, I recommend reading through the tutorial on Ashley's page. It's really well-written and easy to follow. If you make your own, leave a link to it here. I'd love to check it out.

a

Sarah Dobbins: Template Giveaway!

2011-10-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to have the fabulous Sarah Dobbins sharing some of her gorgeous templates with us today. And because she's so generous, she is even giving a template to one of you, as well as a 20% discount to her shop.
Thanks, Sarah!
******************************************************************************************************

A little about me :

I'm an editorial photographer who shoots private child and baby sessions for families across Tennessee. One of my clients' favorite things to purchase from me are custom albums filled with images from their photo sessions. As I set out to design some of my clients' albums, I knew that I wanted these things :

a simple design that wouldn't compete with my images

a timeless, elegant look that wouldn't look dated as my clients' tastes changed

a template that I could use and re-use, and easily alter to fit my sessions--cutting WAY down on my album-design time

I designed a handful of different templates that fit my requirements, and it occurred to me that there might be other photographers like me who could use them too... so I put them on etsy! (http://www.etsy.com/shop/sarahdobbins).

I love taking "requests"--in fact, my rounded-corner album was a suggestion from a repeat etsy-er, and I ended up LOVING it!

(And, by the way... if you're not a professional photographer, these are still great for family photos! I use them for our family albums every year!)

I'd love to give one of Shondra's readers one of my templates--just leave a comment on the blog about which template you'd like, and she'll select a lucky winner to receive that template for free! And don't forget to add my shop or my items to your favorites on etsy!

Also, all readers can get a discount on templates for a limited time--just use the code WALKWITHME20 to get 20% off your purchase!

You can check out my shop here : http://www.etsy.com/shop/sarahdobbins
And you can see my photography website here : http://www.sarahdobbins.com

There are 3 ways to enter:

-Visit Sarah's shop and pick out your favorite template. Then leave a comment letting us know which is your favorite.

-Follow this blog via GFC and then leave a comment letting us know you did.

-Tweet, FB, or blog about this giveaway and then leave a comment letting us know where you shared it.

Good luck!

Edit Me: Week 23

2011-10-26T01:42:00.000-07:00

This week's Edit Me challenge is from Wendy Wright. It was a super fun picture to edit. It kinda made me want to take my boys to Disneyland...but when they're older.

Here is the SOOC:

When editing this, I envisioned it as a page in a scrapbook. Both of the boys have such adorable expressions on their face...it's definitely a moment to remember.

The first thing I did was make some adjustments in ACR. I increased the blacks, desaturated the image, slid the recovery tool all the way up, and tweaked with a few other settings. Then I brought the photo into PSE9 and cropped the photo. I sharpened it, ran an Urban action, and then created the scrapbook page.

Enjoy your week!

Brothers

2011-10-25T17:18:00.000-07:00

When Nate was only about 8 months old, I started dreaming of baby #2. I had visions of two little babies that were mine who laughed together, shared toys, told stories, with the occasional fight mixed in (when they're older, of course).

This picture reminds me so much of those hopes I had for my boys. Lance is a day away from being 3 months old and is beginning to direct his smiles toward his big brother. I catch him following Nate around the room with his eyes, smiling at him during dinner, and being perfectly content when he holds him.

I see the beginnings of a bond forming and it makes me excited for what's to come, whether it's friendship, tattle-telling, pranks, late-night talks, or hopefully a little of each.

But I don't want them too grow up to quickly. I like them little. :)

Sunday Scavenger Hunt: Autumn Edition

2011-10-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

It is certainly Autumn in Seattle. We went for a little drive today before the Notre Dame football game. This is what we found.

Words:

Under:

Orange:

Fly:

Always Look on the Bright Side:

Other Seattle Autumn posts: Shades of Autumn: OrangeJust A Little ConfessionYou Know It's Officially Fall When...
Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your week.
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Shades of Autumn: Orange

2011-10-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

I love Autumn. Sometimes when it's Summer or Winter and someone asks me what my favorite season is, I have a hard time deciding between Spring and Fall. But when it is actually Fall, I have no problem saying that it's my favorite .

Going to pumpkin patches...

And picking the very best pumpkin to take home...

And displaying those pumpkins around the house...

And snapping a few pictures, of course...

And little boy hands invading the shot, but in the end, it's your favorite photo...

And then looking outside and noticing the leaves changing...

And stopping to capture that beauty...

Because it's only a matter of time before the tree is empty of all its leaves.

Just a little confession...

2011-10-19T16:02:00.000-07:00

I've only owned photoshop elements and an SLR for about 7 months. But ever since I started taking pictures and being more serious about it, I almost have to take at least one picture every day. When I don't get a chance, I literally start to feel a little anxious about it. And it can't just be any old picture. It needs to be a photo that I'm proud of-a photo that I enjoy editing.

What is that? Am I addicted?

The weather is changing and the sun is setting super early now here in Seattle. During the week, I rarely get a chance to get outside before the sun sets, so my picture-taking has been drastically reduced. Yesterday, the sun was pouring through my living room windows and I knew I just had to take some pictures. I grabbed my camera, threw on my 70-300mm lens and took these shots through my living room window.

Knowing that I had these pictures (and even more) on my camera to edit later made me happy.

By the way, all images include Kim Klassen's texture-Serious Magic.

Edit Me: Week 22

2011-10-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

Time for another Edit Me challenge. This picture is from Kristi from Live and Love Out Loud. I absolutely loved editing this photo. First of all, Alyssa is gorgeous. Secondly, since I have 2 boys, I rarely get to edit photos of girls, so this was a treat.

Here is the original:

And here is my edit:

My steps: She's gorgeous enough, but I really wanted to glam it up a bit. I didn't do too much to it in ACR since it was so well-exposed. I did increase the blacks a tad though. Then I opened it in PSE9 and duplicated the layer and set the blending mode to soft light at about 30%. I smoothed her skin slightly. Then I ran Palm Springs and Utah actions from Amanda at Everyday Elements. I totally love these actions because they are so customizable. On each action, I adjusted the contrast and increased the lighting to really play up her eyes. Then I ran Mini-Fusion from MCP and turned on the sweet light layer.

Then I added the border and sharpened just a tad.

Enjoy your week!

Boys

2011-10-18T18:14:00.000-07:00

Before having kids of my own, I never really knew whether I wanted boys or girls. Maybe I wanted both. Or maybe just girls.

Bows and ruffles? Barbies and ponies?

Or football and g.i. joes?

But now that I'm a mom, I can't picture myself being a mom to anyone other than these two little boys. If I try to imagine myself with 2 girls right now, instead of the 2 boys, it just doesn't seem right. Envisioning our living room covered in barbies, My Little Ponies, and baby dolls instead of cars, g.i. joes, and racetracks is impossible.

Nate makes me laugh every day. And now Lance makes me laugh to with his smiles and little giggles.

I may not have known which sex I preferred before becoming a mom, but I most certainly know that having two boys is perfect for me right now.

Maybe I'll have a girl someday. And then that will be perfect then.

But for now, boys are fun.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-10-15T18:41:00.000-07:00

I missed last week because I had a pretty big project due for my Master's program and I refused to upload any pictures because I knew I'd get distracted. But the project is done, I got an A, and now I'm back. :)

By the way, I'm a total Pinterest junkie, so if you have an account (specifically an account with photography-related boards), follow me so I can start following yours. And if you need an invite, I can hook you up with one of those too.

Abstract:

Circle:

Fire:

Faces in unexpected places:

Stars:

So...I don't know what this last photo has to do with stars, but I like it. :)

Flowers on Saturday

2011-10-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

To see more flower photos from this series, check out my "You Know It's Officially Fall When..." post.

Enjoy your weekend!

You Know It's Officially Fall When...

2011-10-12T10:40:00.000-07:00

...you spend the day at a pumpkin farm. On Sunday afternoon, we happened to stumble upon an awesome pumpkin farm in Snohomish, called Craven Farm.

Here is a list of things to do at Craven Farm:

Pick pumpkins (duh)
Check out baby farm animals (I didn't get to do this because I was nursing Lance in the car, but Ryan and Nate checked them out and said it was pretty cool.
Make your way through the 15-acre corn-maze.
Pumpkin slinger
Weekday Storytime Tour
Tractor rides
Pumpkin head scenes (pretty funny)
Espresso bar
Make your own scarecrow
Browse the harvest market

There were over 20 acres of pumpkin fields. The best part was that they had these adorable red wagons to pull through the fields.

These little pumpkins were my favorite. So tiny. We bought a few to put around our house.

In addition to the corn maze, tractor rides, and espresso bar, they also had adorable props set up that the kids could play on and parents could get pictures. This is definitely my favorite picture of the day.

Isn't Nate getting so big?! Every day he does something to make me realize that he is less of a baby and more of a little boy.

My favorite part of Craven Farm were the awesome fields of flowers. Seriously, it was gorgeous.

I could have stayed there all day taking pictures.

If you are in the Seattle area and thinking about visiting a pumpkin farm, I highly recommend Craven Farms. They really go out of their way to make it a memorable experience.

I Heart Faces: Hands

2011-10-10T09:27:00.000-07:00

I've shared this photo before...I even made it part of my header, but I absolutely love this shot. Lance was only 11 days old (he's almost 11 weeks old now) and I was just focused on capturing every part of his new, little body.

For more great entries, hop over to I Heart Faces

Too Sweet

2011-10-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

Last night I had one of those moments. One of those moments that was so sweet, I couldn't believe it was actually happening.

Nate was sitting in his Dad's recliner and watching a movie when he asked to hold Lance. He's so good with his baby brother and I don't usually worry too much about something happening.

Here is what eventually happened last night...

This is one of those moments that I want to remember when they are older just in case they aren't quite so sweet with each other. :)

Fall in Seattle

2011-10-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

Fall is officially here and I'm lovin' it so far. Even though our summer was short here in Seattle, I love grabbing a hoodie on my way out the door, holding a warm cup of coffee, and taking in the fall scenery.

I shot these pictures yesterday right outside of my door.

All pictures have at least one of Kim Klassen's textures on them.

Edit Me: Week 21

2011-10-05T00:09:00.000-07:00

Time for another Edit Me Challenge. :)

My edit last week was chosen as the winner (Thanks Kala!) by the way. I was super surprised since there were so many awesome edits.

Ok...so on to this week's edit. The SOOC is by Artistically Amy.

Lovely photo.

And here is my edit.

Recipe:
-Opened in ACR (I always do this). Adjusted the blacks, contrast, and warmed the photo up just a tad.
-Opened in PSE. Added Kim Klassen's cinnamon texture. This added a nice vignette and just the right amount of texture.
-Added a border and quote.

Enjoy your week!

The Power of a Smile

2011-10-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

The first few weeks of having a newborn are a little rough. Especially when you have a two-year old to take care of as well. Sure they are tiny and sweet and so cuddly. But in some ways, it's hard too. Every time they wake up, they want to eat immediately. They just want to be held and getting things done is so hard. And with a two-year old, there are lots of things that need to be done every day.

But at around week 6, that wrinkly little baby loses that newborn blank stare and they start to pay attention to the world around them. They begin making eye contact and then all of a sudden...it happens.

They smile.

When Lance smiled at me for the first time, it absolutely melted my heart. My eyes watered just a bit. It was probably the happiest moment I had since he was born.

After that point, things changed. I started goo-ing and gah-ing and laughing and talking ridiculous baby talk just to see that elusive baby smile. And somehow he knew not to smile when I was holding a camera. That would just be too much work.

But as each week passes, the smiles increase and the interaction grows.

It makes every 3am feeding totally worth it. Every poopy diaper is less of a chore and the day just seems to be a little bit better.

Tomorrow, he will be 10 weeks old.

I love these pictures of Lance smiling at his dad. Such precious moments.

Sunday Scavenger Hunt

2011-10-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

Inspired by a book or movie:

"Look Who's Talking"

Brown:

This is Lance at 9 weeks. I used a brown fill layer during the processing. :)

Hazy:

Hazy...grainy...didn't take this picture under the best lighting conditions, but I thought it was pretty cute that Nate was walking around the house taking pictures. :)

Coffee:

Ryan was sitting on the couch by me while I was editing this picture. Originally, the computer had an image of Google Reader with a Jasmine Star article on it. Ryan looked over and said how cool it would be if the image on the computer screen was the same as the image I was working on...That go my wheels spinning and this is the finished result. But I love coffee. I really have to have it every day or I tend to get a little grouchy. Bad..I know.

Linger:

Richmond Beach...a definite place to linger.

Enjoy your week!

Edit Me: Week 20

2011-09-28T00:15:00.000-07:00

This week's Edit Me Challenge was right up my alley since I've been taking lots of pictures of my newborn these last two months.

The picture was taken by Kala at The Wishful Lamb.

Here is the SOOC:

And here is my edit:

Process:

-Adjusted in ACR (blacks, yellows, and luminance).

-Opened in PSE9.

-Adjusted levels.

-Duplicated Layer and set blending mode to Soft Light (70% opacity).

-Added a warm gradient-layer mask to remove from skin.

-Defined eyes and smoothed the skin just a tad.

-Moved picture to a baby announcement template (totally can't remember where I got it from).

-Added text.

-Resized and sharpened.

Enjoy your week! :)

Quarterly Top 5

2011-09-27T23:58:00.000-07:00

Courtney at Click It Up a Notch hosts a quarterly challenge where she asks us to link up our 5 favorite shots taken during the last quarter. There were a lot of changes in my life this last quarter-new camera, new lens, new BABY!! Most of these pictures have sentimental value to me. The last shot of the eagles was taken with my new 70-200mm. I was thrilled to be able to get such a good shot even though they were high in a tree and across the street.

Friends

2011-09-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

Being able to stay home with my boys is a wonderful gift. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Taking care of Brody during the days for the last year and a half has allowed me to enjoy that gift. Not only that, but having him here teaches my son a lot of lessons.

Like sharing. And being nice. And that sometimes someone else gets my attention first.

I believe that all of these lessons have helped Nate adjust quickly to being a big brother.

At the early age of 8 months old, Nate met Brody, his first friend, and I'm grateful to have him in our lives.

I Heart Faces Challenge

2011-09-25T22:04:00.000-07:00

My Favorite Faces

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-09-24T22:44:00.000-07:00

Where has this week gone? It seems that each week goes by quicker than the last. And the weekends? Don't even get me started on those. They fly by in the blink of an eye.

Anyway...onto this week's hunt.

Low Key:

Lance at 8 weeks old.

Monochromatic:

Every time we go to a restaurant that gives us crayons for Nate, Ryan always reminds me to put them in my purse and take them home. Now he have quite the collection of crayons with various restaurant names on them.

Circle:

I'm sure every kid loves bubbles. Nate is no exception.

Scarf:

This is my collection of scarves. My mother-in-law made most of them. Aren't they awesome!? I'm excited for the weather to get cooler so I can start wearing them again.

Phone:

Umm...how old does my little boy look here? I asked him if he was talking to his girlfriend and he said, "Alice." :)

8 Weeks

2011-09-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

Eight weeks ago, Ryan and I were sitting in a hospital room and waiting for our second precious baby boy to enter the world. I was on pitocin and we were just waiting. We passed the time by playing checkers on the iPad, watching some TV, and listening to Lance's heartbeat.

I was so anxious to meet him. I thought I was ready for anything that this labor might send my way.

We knew we were getting close.

A few hours later, I started experiencing contractions that rocked my world. After that, everything happened pretty quickly.

Fast forward to today and I can't imagine my life without him. Sometimes it's hard, but these little smiles make everything worthwhile.

You can read my birth stories here and here.

Life is good with boys.

Edit Me: Week 19

2011-09-20T23:15:00.000-07:00

Time for more editing fun. Nate is in bed but talking to himself and Lance is sleeping in my arms. Lucky for me, I have a laptop and can still edit while sitting on the couch.

This picture was taken by Deb Duty. It' s a perfect picture to get us in the mood for fall.

Here is the before:

And here is my edit:

Details:

I opened the SOOC in ACR, adjusted the yellow slider to give it a warmer feel, adjusted the blacks and the fill light. Then I opened it in PSE9, duplicated the layer and set it to soft light (opacity 50%) to give the image more depth. Then I ran Pioneer Woman's action Boost. After the action, I added two Kim Klassen textures: Scratched Magic and Serious Magic. One of the textures was set to soft light at an opacity of 30% and the other was set to the Screen Blending Mode.

Enjoy your week!

Sunday Scavenger Hunt

2011-09-17T16:45:00.000-07:00

Street Photography:

I want to be like Oprah when I grow up. Except with a husband and kids and not doing a talk show but something else. #justsayin

From a Distance:

Mount Rainier.

Sunday:

Who doesn't like to take a nap on Sunday?

Liquid:

On top of a waterfall.

Behind:

Sit your behind down little man. :)

Flowers on Saturday

2011-09-17T15:49:00.000-07:00

The weather is getting cooler and we are finding less and less time to venture outside so I don't have a new photo to share today.

However, I found this awesome template and thought that today would be the perfect time to share it.

Here's the link to the template. Be sure to look around this site, because there are lots of free templates available. :)

He's Getting So Big!

2011-09-16T22:46:00.000-07:00

He's waking up out of that newborn stage where all he does is have a blank stare on his face when he's not sleeping. Now, he's looking around, making eye contact, and, my favorite, smiling.

He likes his baths, loves to be held and snuggled, and look at the pictures of Nate on the wall. And with only a little over a week until he is two months old, I am amazed at how quickly time flies.

My mantra: The days are long but the years are short.

Edit Me: Week 18

2011-09-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

I never got around to joining in last week's challenge, but I'm back now. This picture was taken by Kathryn of a Ferris Wheel in Chicago. Ryan and I have always talked about visiting the city. Hopefully soon we can make our way there for a little vacation.

Anyway, here is the original image:

I loved the blue sky and the composition, but I decided to change it up a bit.

Here is my edited version:

I've really been enjoying looking at single images that are broken up onto multiple canvases. So I did that with this image.

But first, here are the steps that I took to achieve this look:

I opened the picture in ACR and adjusted the color sliders. I pushed the top slider toward yellow and the bottom slider toward green to achieve the turquoise background. I bumped up the contrast and the blacks and then increased the saturation just a tad.

Then I opened the picture in PSE9 and ran Everyday Elements action for curves. I increased the blacks even further to get more contrast. Then I ran two actions-Boost and Lovely and Ethereal from the Pioneer Woman.

Once I was satisfied with the color, I added a texture from Kim Klassen-Scripted Autumn. I changed it to Hard Light Blending mode and selectively removed parts of the texture from the ferris wheel and sign using a soft brush at 30% opacity. I then reduced the overall opacity of the texture to 40%.

And last but not least, Courtney from Click it Up a Notch, shared some places to get free storyboards last night. I can never resist a free storyboard, so I checked them out. I found the one above from Skinned Knees and love it. Adding the picture onto the multiple layers is a one-step process, which is awesome! Make sure to check out these storyboards.

Enjoy your week!

Mount Rainier National Park

2011-09-13T22:22:00.000-07:00

This is where I was this weekend. This beautiful waterfall, Christine Falls, is located in Mount Rainier National Park and was just begging to have its picture taken.

It's amazing that this mountain can be seen from hundreds of miles away.

We can't see Mt. Rainier from Seattle every day. Often the sky is just too dark or overcast to get a glimpse of it. But there are days when the mountain is extremely visible and towers over the city. On those days, I always reach for my camera to take a picture of it. Here is a picture of Mt. Rainier from Lake Washington in Seattle.

Anyway...back to our trip...

There is a road that winds its way deeper into the park. Around every turn is an even better view of Mount Rainier.

And of course we had to get out and stretch our legs for a bit.

I love the warmer weather of Seattle. It's warm without being so hot that I feel suffocated. But the rainy days are just around the corner, so I'm starting to feel the need to get out as much as possible before the temperature drops.

Scripture & a Snapshot: Mt. Rainier

2011-09-11T23:25:00.000-07:00

For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,

"Be removed and be cast into the sea,"

and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done,

he will have whatever he says.

Therefore I say to you,

whatever things you ask when you pray,

believe that you will receive them, and you will have them.

Mark 11:23-24

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-09-10T23:29:00.000-07:00

Bokeh:

It just so happens that I wrote a tutorial on how to get that blurriness or bokeh using your dslr. Check it out here if you're interested. :)

Process of Elimination:

Have you ever seen a two-year old look so comfortable with his 6 week old brother? I took a whole series of shots while they were sitting there and decided that the close cropped-in image was the best.

Remember:

I hope to always remember these two like this. Nate thinks his dad is the coolest guy in the world (which he is). He always wants to play with him, jump on him, wrestle with him, go to the store with him... the list could go on for days. I love it.

Statues:

So this isn't a statue, but it is the truck that Bella from Twilight drove. :) Cool, right?

Flying Higher:

The Blue Angels putting on a show in Seattle.

Enjoy your week!

Flowers on Saturday

2011-09-10T17:18:00.000-07:00

Before texture was added:

And after texture was added:

I like 'em both. :)

On the Table: Week 2

2011-09-09T17:12:00.000-07:00

Have you been taking shots of what you ate this week? I hope so because it's time to show it off.

(click here to read about the link up)

I only have one picture this week.

Nate eats Life cereal at least 3 mornings a week. He loves it. I think it's funny because his dad also loved Life cereal as a kid...I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

And one more...just for fun.

We celebrated Nate's 2nd birthday yesterday with some chocolate cake. He was pretty excited to be able to eat a whole piece of cake.

Ok...your turn. Show me what ya got!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Happy Birthday, Nate!

2011-09-08T00:50:00.000-07:00

Does a parent really ever come to terms with the aging of their child? Because I am certainly in denial that I have a two-year old. How is it possible that two years have come and gone since he was born? I'm sure I'll repeat these words every year on his birthday. Time passes so quickly.

Even though he's two, I wouldn't say we've entered the dreaded terrible twos. I think I'll call them the testy twos. Because he definitely tests us at times.

Now excuse me for a moment while I brag about him. I'm feeling a tad sentimental right now.

Despite those challenging moments, he still charms us with his sweetness and empathy. It may be strange to talk about a toddler's empathy, but he really is incredibly empathetic. If something sad happens in a movie (like the scene where Shrek makes the donkey stay outside overnight), it really worries Nate. He becomes concerned and won't drop the issue until he realizes that everything is ok.

He talks so much. He will repeat virtually every word we ask him to say. And not only does he say "please" and "thank you" all the time, he actually understands when to use them. He pronounces "thank you" as "nee no" but nevertheless, he is saying "thank you" without being told. I love it.

By no means is this a post to say he's perfect but only that he is such a good boy. During these last two years, he has made me laugh and smile every day.

Besides marrying my husband, becoming a mom is the best thing that has happened to me.

Life is good with boys. Especially such handsome boys.

Photo Tutorial: Aperture or F/Stop

2011-09-05T16:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day! I hope you are enjoying your day off and if you didn't get the day off, I hope you find some time to relax.

I wrote a post a while back all about how to get that sweet, blurry background in photos (check out that post for more information on blurriness/bokeh/aperture). That blurriness is called bokeh. It's a pretty easy trick. Just keep your aperture or f/stop number really low.

I took a few quick pictures this morning to demonstrate how that works. I have a 50mm/f1.8 lens (I highly recommend it if you are on a budget but still want a quality lens). What this means is that the lens has a fixed focal point of 50mm and that the aperture can open all the way to f/1.8 If you are lucky enough to have a 50mm/1.2, then your aperture opens all the way up to 1.2, which is awesome!

Credit

You can see in the first two pictures that the background is nicely blurred. You eye isn't drawn to the background, but rather to the subject. I was able to keep my ISO relatively low (400 is pretty low for inside the house). The second number-the fraction-represents the shutter speed I used. The first picture is 1/30th of a second, which is fast enough, although ideally I'd like to keep it above 100.

As I increased the aperture number (which is actually decreasing the amount that the aperture opens when the picture is taken), the background becomes more and more in focus. You begin to see the details in the couch, the brown pillow, the lines from the window, and even the individual leaves on the bushes outside.

If you are really wanting your subject to be the star of the photograph, then f/22 is too high of an aperture number to use.

Also notice that the higher aperture number used, the higher I had to set the ISO. I was barely able to take a picture with an aperture of f/22 because even with the ISO set to 6400, the shutter speed was only 1/6th of a second, which is really too slow to use without a tripod.

Example, please?

In the picture below, I used a low aperture number, which kept the flower in focus but blurred the background and got rid of all distractions. This makes for a much more visually pleasing image than if I had kept the entire picture in focus.

Will I ever need to use a high aperture number?

Yep! There are plenty of times when you will want a high aperture number.

In this landscape picture, I wanted the entire scene to be in focus. I did not want an ounce of blurriness.

I set the aperture to f/22, which also helped create that sun flare.

What happens if you mess up?

In the picture below, I had the aperture still set to a low number. I believe it was set to 2.2. I focused on the moon in this shot. See how the top of the picture is in focus, but the ferry is slightly blurry? That wouldn't have happened if I would have set the aperture to a higher number.

When shooting in manual mode, you get to control whether the entire picture is in focus or if just one part of the picture is in focus.

Just remember this:

Low number = blurry background (bokeh)
High number = clear, crisp picture

Scripture & a Snapshot

2011-09-04T14:30:00.000-07:00

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-09-03T22:18:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone...before we get to Scavenger Hunt Sunday, I want to make you aware of a new photo challenge/link up that I am hosting.

It's called On The Table and it's all about food photography. I don't know about you, but I love looking at the stylized food shoots in magazines like Better Homes and Gardens and I'd love to practice. So... in an effort to motivate myself, I'm hosting a link-up where we can all practice together. You can choose to shoot a fancy dinner scene, step by step shots of a recipe, or just iPhone pictures of your dinner at the restaurant. It's your choice.

If you want to read more or link up, go here. :)

Ok...now onto the Scavenger Hunt.

Stairs:

I always think that people who choose to stand around and feed the birds are a little odd.

Macro:

He's almost 6 weeks old already.

Clouds:

Bellingham, WA.

Abstract:

Props to whoever can guess what this picture is...

Smile:

I smile when I see this picture.

Enjoy your week!

Flowers on Saturday

2011-09-03T17:44:00.000-07:00

Just living is not enough... one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower. -Hans Christian Anderson

Link Up: On the Table (and a recipe!)

2011-09-02T19:24:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe a few weeks ago and have been dying to share it. It is so simple and so tasty and only 5 ingredients that I'm sure you have right now. Intrigued? Ok, here goes.

1 cup of Peanut Butter

1 cup of sugar (or a sugar substitute like Splenda)

1 egg

1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

-Preheat the overn to 350 degrees. Grab a large baking sheet, cover it in tin foil and then spray some non-stick cooking spray on the foil. Mix all of the ingredients together. Roll small balls of the dough (which will be very sticky) in some sugar or sugar substitute. Place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Because I think that peanut butter and chocolate is a heavenly combination, I add a square of dark chocolate to the top. Bake them for 12 minutes and then let them cool before removing them from the pan.

These are seriously delicious and super simple. Just don't be like me and get addicted. :)

Alright, time for an announcement. I've had this idea for a while now and am just now launching it. I love most types of photography. For most of these different types, there seems to be someone who hosts a challenge to get us shooting those types of pictures. The Paper Mama has challenges geared specifically to help us take better photos of our kids. Ashley from Ramblings and Photos hosts Scavenger Hunt Sunday to get us taking pictures every week. Branson hosts an editing challenge that I love. Ewa hosts Flowers on Saturday so we can show off our best flower images. And I'm leaving out lots of challenges that I really enjoy.

But what about food photography? Have you seen Penny de los Santo's work? It's gorgeous. And we can't forget The Pioneer Woman's food pictures.

So let's channel some of those skills and start sharing some pictures.

You can use your dslr, point-n-shoot, or cell phone. I don't care. Share one picture or share ten. Share a recipe or give us a photo tutorial. Whatever you feel like doing...it's completely up to you. You can share a dessert (my personal fave), a dinner, lunch, breakfast, takeout...it doesn't matter. Just link up your pictures of something you ate during the week.

Each week, I'll share some of my favorite photos that were submitted on my blog with a link back to your post.

Sound fun? Ok, let's do this. :) Feel free to add the button to your post

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

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Peace

2011-09-01T12:28:00.000-07:00

If peace was simply being in a quiet and undisturbed environment, we wouldn't be a very peaceful household. With an {almost} two-year old and a newborn, there are moments where peace seems elusive.

But peace is more than that.

It's knowing that I will survive getting spit up on nearly every time I'm in public or immediately following a shower.
It's knowing that even though both of the boys are crying, they can't cry forever.
It's knowing that I have a partner who helps me every single day.
It's knowing that I have a family to love and a family that loves me back.

And that's really all the peace I need.

Edit Me: Week 16

2011-08-31T10:07:00.000-07:00

I'm practicing my editing skills again and participating in the Edit Me Challenge. Today's picture was taken by Stephanie from Behind the Camera and Dreaming. It is such a sweet picture. I just love her curls!

Here is my finished product:

I opened this picture in ACR and did a basic edit (increased the contrast, lowered the exposure just a tad, and increased the blacks). Then I opened it in PSE9 and ran a high pass filter at 1.0 just to sharpen it up a bit. I knew that I wanted to change this to black and white, but I didn't want it to be boring, so I added a brown layer at 25% opacity. Next, I ran the CoffeeShop Powder Room 2 action and softened her skin with a brush set to 10% opacity and used the "define eyes" layer to define her hair and the edges of her dress to separate it from the sand. Finally, I cropped the image and added a frame.

The End! :)

Here is the original:

Our Weekend

2011-08-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

By the looks of some of these pictures, you might be tempted to think that we spent the weekend in California soaking up the sun. But you'd be wrong. We were right here in Washington and enjoying the 80 degree weather. It may be the only 80 degree weekend we get.

Our son is fearless when it comes to water. He'll walk over pointy rocks to get to the water and dip his toes in like it is a warm bathtub.

And since he's still a little guy, wherever Nate goes, Dad also has to go.

On Sunday, we drove to Bellingham and experienced the Chuckanut Drive for the very first time. If you are ever in the Bellingham area, you simply must take this drive. It's gorgeous and the views are nothing short of breathtaking.

At the end of the drive is a park with a spray park. Nate had never been to anything like this before. Remember when I said he isn't afraid of water? Yep. No fear here. He loved it.

Even though our days are sometimes chaotic, we have a blast. There was a point yesterday where Ryan looked at me while driving and pointed out that not only did we have two little boys who were crying, but we were also listening to the Hokey Pokey. Sounds fun, right?

But nothing makes the following quote more true than when you have kids.

The days are long but the years are short.

I better enjoy them.

Scripture & a Snapshot

2011-08-28T12:13:00.000-07:00

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-08-27T23:27:00.000-07:00

Old and New:

Ryan took this picture, so I can't take credit for it, but it fits the prompt. I'm old and they are new. :)

Night Photography:

With an {almost} two-year old and a newborn, we don't spend a ton of time outside after the sun goes down. The closest night shot I got this week is this picture taken just after the sun went down. The weather was gorgeous so people were still hanging out on the beach. I love this weather, but I know it's going to end soon. We have to take advantage of it while it lasts.

Music:

Alright. I admit it. This is a lame attempt at "music." I had plans to take a picture of my guitar with some sheets of music, but I never got around to it. However, I love this picture. Ryan took Nate kayaking for the second time (Nate isn't even two yet!) so of course I had to document this momentous (and adorable) occasion. While I was taking pictures, a guy not too far from me was playing his guitar and singing and he was pretty good. So there. Music.

Cheesy:

I was starting to fall asleep with Lance on the couch and Ryan thought it was definitely a picture-moment. Even though I wasn't really asleep, I pretended to be. How cheesy is that?

Sun:

Seattle loves the sun.

I only took 3 out of the 5 pictures this week. Oops.

Enjoy your weekend!

Flowers on Saturday

2011-08-27T14:05:00.000-07:00

Two pictures of the same daisies edited very differently. I like them both and can't decide between them.

What do you think? Color or Black and White?

Pink and Bokeh

2011-08-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

This picture reminds me of my mom because it's just so pink (her favorite color).

Have you noticed I've been in more of a visual mood lately? It's a combination of a couple of things that have happened recently.

1. I'm obsessed with my camera and taking pictures.

2. I have an almost-2 year old and a one-month old so I really don't have a lot of time to write.

I plan on changing that soon and getting back into a writing mood, since it is such a very important part of who I am. It's a part of me that has been neglected recently in pursuit of other things, like being a mom.

But until then, I hope you enjoy the pictures. And thank you for the comments. They really do make my day. :)

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Rock The Shot: Silhouette

2011-08-24T18:09:00.000-07:00

There's never a shortage of fishermen in the Puget Sound. I watched this particular fisherman chat with a friend on the shores before heading into the water right as the sun went down.

Photo for Silhouette Challenge: www.rocktheshotforum.com

Edit Me-Week 15

2011-08-24T15:49:00.000-07:00

Here is my edit for Branson's "Edit Me" challenge. The SOOC, by Jamie from Mommy's Camera, really didn't need much done to it. It was so bright and colorful, as well as properly exposed. It probably could have been left alone. However, since this is an editing challenge, here is what I did.

-Opened in ACR.

-Increased the blacks and desaturated the image just a tad.

-Opened in PSE9 and increased the contrast and selectively saturated the dress, socks, shoes, and grass.

-Warmed the photo up to give it a summer-like feel to it. I love Pioneer Woman's action "warmer."

And that's it! Not much to it this week. :)

Here is the original:

Trash or Treasure?

2011-08-22T23:20:00.000-07:00

Do you ever come across something and leave wondering "what in the world is the story behind that?" Well, that happened this weekend. Ryan found a cool park at the North end of Lake Washington that had a set of docks. There were fishermen fishing, kids swimming, and jet skiers spinning donuts on the water. It was a pretty neat place to check out.

At the end of the dock, there was this old rusted bike. It looked like it hadn't been touched in ages. What is the story behind that bike? Why has everyone left it alone instead of taking it to the trash at some point?

On another section of the dock, there is a collection of old glass bottles. Just like the rusted bike, they have obviously been sitting there in the Seattle rain and sun for a very long time. Why? What some would consider trash, do others consider art? Or are people just too lazy to clean up after themselves?

I doubt I'll ever know the answer. While I'm a bit baffled by the "trash," it does make for some pretty interesting pictures. :)

Trash or treasure?

By the way, Darcy is giving away a seat in one of Kent Weakley's photography courses (which I would love to win!). Go here to learn how to enter. :)

Our New "Pet"

2011-08-21T22:37:00.000-07:00

This little spider has conveniently taken up residence on the outside of our son's playroom window. Nate has been running to it and saying, "Spidey!" So for now, he'll just be our little pet until we decide the time is right to get a dog or until it rains and washes the web away. Since we live in Seattle, I'm guessing that won't be too long from now. :)