1.16.2011

 Brian and I went out tonight for some "quiet" us time.  Since tomorrow is MLK Day and we all have the day off, it was nice to go out.  We went to Crave at MOA and we were going to try and find Bianca a bday present after, but the mall was closed!  Darn Sunday nights!  So, we got home at 9!  We are awesome.  Here is a silly shot of us upon returning.  Good times!

And me and my Neeks.  Yep, the kids were still up at 9pm, thanks Auntie Erin!

These were all taken with our point and shoot camera.

1.15.2011

I just love how kids look after they wake up. If you are a mom or a dad, you know that look, it's so innocent and sweet with those sleepy eyes. My favorite.

Oh, and for some reason this kid thinks he gets a popsicle for taking a good nap.

1.14.2011

Bianca was upset with me because I wouldn't take her outside.  Sorry lady but I hate winter, daddy can take you out tomorrow!

For some reason this is how Bennett was enjoying his snack today.  I had to snap a shot, weirdo.

And another attempt at the window light challenge.  This might be my favorite, she's so pretty!

1.13.2011

I attempted the Creative Mama challenge again today. This is my "assignment" this week and I'm going to continue to step outside my comfort zone. 

This first shot is my fave of the bunch.  Can you tell I love me some feet?

1.12.2011

The Creative Mama posted a challenge utilizing window light so I thought I would play along.  I almost always choose to shoot with the window to my back, meaning I use direct light on my subject's face.  I thought the challenge would be wonderful for me to step outside of my box and shoot with some backlighting.  Backlighting is tough when you want to get the right exposure.  See, you can get some very underexposed skin tones if you don't do it right.  But, I had some fun with this challenge and I would say that it pushed me past my comfort zone.  

Bennett being a grump because I was taking pictures of Bianca too.  I actually like the coloring in this shot.  It's partially side lit and back lit and I like how his face is illuminated. 

It was a very sunny day and the sun comes into our back windows like nobody's business so I thought it would be a great opportunity for some flare.  Ok, so it's a lot of flare, but it's a dramatic picture.  Not my favorite, but hey, I tried!  Oh, and the flare totally looks like an eye!

I do like this one though, it's very soft and pretty.  And if you didn't know I set up this shot, it would look as if Bianca was staring out the window dreaming of summer :)

1.11.2011

Annika lost her first tooth last night and now she has a silly toothless smile. Just like old days I guess! She is still pretty cute if you ask me.

I was doing a challenge from a forum I belong to, it involved cranking my ISO up all the way, which obviously resulted in some noise, but I like the noise and I added a vintage feel to the processing.  It works for this shot, she's so cute in my furry hat!

And this was all her idea.  What a nut.  She plays the part well with that hole in her mouth!

1.10.2011

I know that this is called "picture of the day" but I just can't help when I get more than one a day that I like!

Bennett loves the fireplace. If it's on, you can bet that he'll be just inches of it staying warm and cozy. That's why this shot makes me happy, the fireplace blazing in the background of my little dude=perfection.

Bianca is such a beautiful little lady when she's not making funny faces and even then she's adorable as can be.  She's got beautiful porcelain skin, big blue eyes and ruby red lips.  Can you tell I'm jealous?

And then Annika, I died my hair to mimic hers.  Nuff said, green with envy here!

And since you can't really tell what's going on here and I wanted to remember, this is Bennett telling on Bianca.  This is a common occurrence in our house and while it drives me nuts, it's who we are right now.  Gotta remember the small things, right?

And Bennett playing peek a boo.  I am so grateful that my little guy still enjoys this game.  I will be sad when it's no fun anymore!