Photoshoot

I did a quick photoshoot at church.  My boy is almost 3 years old!  I also made a photography logo in case I ever want to pursue that option in the future.  I usually only take pictures of family and friends and don't charge.  It would be nice to make some money taking photos, so that I can put some money toward a new lens or equipment.

I'm going to be 3!

Monitor Calibration and Photography

My husband got me the Spyder 4 monitor calibrator for Christmas.  I must not have done it correctly the first time I calibrated because there wasn't much change.  I knew from editing and printing pictures that my monitor was too cool.  I just calibrated it tonight and it's a huge difference.  I feel like I need to go back and re-edit a bunch of pictures.  I'm not sure why I didn't do this sooner.

Here are a couple pictures of my youngest sister.  Her Senior Recital is coming up.  :)

This one is my favorite.

Family Picture holding Letters - Great gift

This is the best gift ever!

Okay so it's a little selfish to call this the best gift ever when I'm the one that gave it, but it is awesome. I found the idea on Pinterest from this blog.

We have a very large blended family and I thought this would be perfect for my Mom and Step-Dad. It's something everyone can do no matter how far away you live. My brother and his family live in Germany (military) so we don't get to see them often.

Here is our project.



It's 12X24. Mpix.com will print 12x24, but I ran out of time.  I printed it at Sams as a 20x24 and cut off the excess.  I needed something to fill in the top two squares, so we added the Japanese symbols to match their house decor. I printed some smaller ones too. I need to print more because everyone wants their own. I even kept one 5x7 for myself.

They both love it!! Now if we could just get everyone together in person.

Busy, Busy

April has been a very busy month for us.  We have events every weekend and not just one event.  We are double and triple booked most of the time.  We've had to decide what to attend and what to miss.  Yesterday my little sister got married.  I have TONS of pictures to edit.  Here is one of my little girl.

The wedding turned out great.  I still can't believe my little sister is married.  I don't think she's old enough yet.  She's still too little, yet she's 22.

Two month old rocker!

This little girl is a rocker!  She was two months old when I took these pictures of her.  She's such a cutie.

Tantrums...

My husband needed a picture of himself for an article that is being written about him.  He was named the Air Force Association teacher of the year for our County.  I figured if he needed a picture then I may as well set everything up and to go ahead and try to get Easter pictures of my kids.  I like taking pictures, but I think I need to not take pictures of my own kids.  This is what happens just about every sing time...

This is just one of the tantrums!

Yep.  Even she has tantrums.  What age do these stop??  Do they ever?

Pictures

I've been taking lots of pictures lately.  It seems like it is becoming a part time job, but one that actually pays a lot less than teaching considering I haven't ever taken money for them.  I love doing it and I've only taken pictures of family and friends, so I don't mind. :)  It just takes a lot of time for editing.  I wish I had more time for photography.  I'd love to take a class and actually learn "real" photography.

I think, from now on, I'll just set out a donation box for any future photoshoots.  I really don't want to get paid, I just want to buy better lenses and equipment. :P

Here is a picture of one of my little sisters that I took today.  She has a big year ahead of her. :)

Wholesale Halloween Costumes - Review

I have many great childhood memories of Halloween. Halloween was such a fun tradition for our family.  My Mom and Step-Dad planned out costumes months and months ahead of time.  They almost always made their own costumes.  I remember watching them make costumes that included the Simpsons, Star Trek, Old Lady in a Shoe (complete with a huge shoe with wheels that Mom could stand in and push around with all of our pictures on the outside "looking" out of the windows), Flintstones, and even California Raisins.  Our costumes were always great too!  Unfortunately, I didn't exactly inherit the creativeness and sewing abilities from my Mom.  

Thankfully, there places like Wholesale Halloween Costumes where I can search through tons of different costumes available while sitting at home.  Plus I can find what I need year round.  As a Music teacher, I sometimes need costumes for programs and plays throughout the year and not just for Halloween. 

My all time favorite costume for Halloween was the Goldilocks costume my daughter wore.  She was two years old.

Her all time favorite costume (so far) was her pink Supergirl costume.  It was actually perfect that she picked this because Bubby hates anything on his head (hats, towels, jacket hoods, etc) and he was Superman/boy.

I was looking through some infant/toddler costumes and I found this adorable Wiggle Worm Bunting Infant Costume.  

Forget waiting for Halloween!  This is great for a photoshoot.  My friend's little girl was the perfect model.  She might have gotten a little too comfy because she fell asleep not long after we put it on her.  She's 2 months old and the costume is 3-6mos.  

She looks like she should be in a Dr. Seuss book!

If you are in the market for baby and toddler costumes, check out Wholesale Halloween Costumes.  They have costumes for everyone in the family young and..."advanced" and for every occasion or Holiday.  They have a great selection.  You could spend hours (I already did) looking through all of their costumes.  Wholesale prices, flat rate shipping, and only $1 to upgrade to expedited shipping.  This is my kind of store. :) 

  
Follow them on twitter: Wholesale Halloween Costumes' Twitter 

Don't pay full retail on these costumes or this may be you in the Fall.

I still think she's a cutie even when mad or sad.

I was not compensated for this review.  I did receive the Wiggle Worm Bunting Costume to review.  All other costumes were previously purchased by me.  All opinions are my own.

Sweet Girl Photoshoot

My friend had a sweet little girl in January. She was in the NICU for awhile and I was supposed to photograph her as soon as she got home. She finally made it home and our house was hit with the stomach bug. Bubby got it first and then everyone seemed fine the next day. I'm glad I went with my gut and waited another day before deciding to go because everyone got sick. It was awful. So...I can't take credit for these photos. I sent my camera over with my friend, Jennifer (yep...another one) and she took these for baby and Mama. I edited them.

She is such a sweet baby!

Toes

My friend was finally able to take her beautiful baby home on Valentine's day after over 3 weeks in the NICU.  I was supposed to go over and take pictures this weekend, but my family got the stomach flu.  I handed off my camera to another good friend and she took them.  I'm editing.  I just had to post this.  I LOVE baby toes. :)

Photos

I realize I haven't been putting up my photos lately (or much at all).  These were taken in September/October.  I was mostly trying to get pictures of my daughter for her 4th Birthday.  She LOVED that I braided her hair.  She kept saying they were tangled.  It took me a little while to realize that she was saying they were like Rapunzel's in Tangled.

My kids just keep growing SO fast.  I take lots of pictures, but then feel like I should take more! 

Christmas Photos

These were some of the shots we got from our home photoshoot the other day.  We had some issues getting the lighting to work out, but I don't have great equipment.  I think it works better for me if we do pictures outside on the porch and use natural light. 

Family Photoshoot...attempt

I'm attempting a family photoshoot today.  I'm hoping to save $100's on studio pictures bydoing my own.  Wish me luck since I am pretty clueless on sudio lighting and such.  Here is a picture of Sissy help me practice a little this morning.  If all goes well, I'll post some more pictures later.

Oral-B Pajama Party

Oral care is very important and I know a lot of children don't receive regular dental care.  I work at a low income (Title one) school and I know many of my students don't get the care they need.  I was so glad last week when I saw a Dentist was on the schedule for our Great American teach in to teach children about dental hygiene.  So imagine my excitement when I found out I had an opportunity to host an Oral-B party.  We decided to have a pajama party and my daughter was SO excited.  All the kids received a movie ticket invite which they brought as their admission ticket and they came in their favorite PJ's.  I had a fun snack waiting for them when they arrived.

Is that peanut butter stuck in the teeth?  Good thing we have Oral-B toothbrushes. lol

 

The little ones couldn't wait to sneak a snack!

After their snack, they all got their popcorn (or Chester's Cheese flavored puffcorn for any too young for popcorn) from the "concession stand" and settled in for a showing of Disney's Winnie the Pooh Movie!  As soon as the movie started one of the kids yelled out "I love this movie!"  It's already a favorite in many homes.  They were so excited!

Even the little ones were interested in the movie and sat still for quite awhile!

We had a little intermission right after Pooh thought he was eating honey when he was really eating mud.  We had our version of Winnie the pooh Worms and Dirt Dessert Cups...or "dirt/mud" like Pooh ate in the movie.

 Then back to the movie. 

 We even had some Winnie the Pooh reading going on when an attention span didn't quite last long enough for the whole movie.

 When the movie was over each child received his/her own gift bag of Oral-B supplies.  They got an Oral-B stage I or II brush (depending on their age), Oral-B Stages toothpaste (Disney Princess, Toy Story, or Cars), Disney Lavender Hair & Body Wash, and lots of coupons and information about Oral-B. 

They loved their gifts and I know the Moms love it too.  It's not just something the kids love because they have their favorite characters are on them, but something they actually need.

We had the chance to try out our new toothbrushes a couple days before the party and my kids love them.  The stage I toothbrushes are for 4months - 24mos.  I like that the head of the brush is bigger than some other brands and the bristles are soft.  This is very important right now because Bubby is teething...really bad.  I don't think he's ever had one tooth come in at a time.  For him, it's at least 3 or more.  He has at least 5 teeth coming in right now and has not been happy.  His gums are so swollen and sore.  He does not like me brushing his teeth for obvious reasons.  At least with the Oral-B stage I brush the bristles are soft and I get get more brushed in one swipe with the the bigger head.  

He likes to "brush" on his own after Mommy does it first.

The stage II (ages 2-4) brush for Sissy has the bristles marked to show a pea sized amount for the fluoride toothpaste.  We don't usually let her use fluoride toothpaste because we worry about her swallowing it (I know probably irrational considering the amount, but that's normal...right?).  I know it sounds silly, but I really like the guide.  Obviously, I know what pea size is even though I hate peas, but I'm so used to putting toothpaste across all the bristles that the marks are a good reminder to how little she needs.  She will be using fluoride toothpaste from now on.  Check out Oral-B on Facebook.

A couple guest comments about Disney's Winnie the Pooh Movie

What was your favorite part of the movie?

• "When Winnie the Pooh went to eat honey and fell in the hole."  Conner, 5
• "Pink!  (Me: Piglet because he's pink??) Yes, I like Pink."  Makenna, 2
• "My favorite part was when Owl flew out of the hole and everyone looks at him astonished and not because he could fly in and out." A Mommy
• When Piglet flew into the letters and knocked them all down.  He giggled during this part and pointed.  Bubby, 18 mos
• When Christopher Robbins showed up at the end with the red balloon.  Laz, 2  (smiled and got excited during this part...maybe it's the bright red balloon).
• "It was funny when Pooh thought he was eating honey and it was really mud" Riley, 6

And a video from our household expert...Sissy.

This party was sponsored by Oral-B Stages I & II.