Sunny Days...

It's rare for us to get a serious dose of sunshine here in the NW in January, so today was a special treat.  When I came home from work, the boys and I headed out to the park to get some fresh air, vitamin D and beautiful sunshine.  So refreshing!

I love these boys!

Boys...

are fun!

Portrait Attempt

Our photography class assignment this week was to shoot a portrait.  Because I couldn't decide who, I thought I'd try to take photos of all 3 boys at once.  Why not?  I also wanted to take them inside, and without a flash.  I learned that they move... fast... and I only got one "usable" photo, however some of the others are pretty funny.  Left to right we have, need a diaper change and can't stop coughing boy, pink eye boy, and ear ache extraordinaire boy.  It was an awesome experience, I tell you.

My three sons

100% cooperation here, obviously

Finley thinks his knees are the most interesting thing in the room

Hudson is demonstrating his "Billy Idol" sneer here

Hudson really does have arms  (and is that a foot in the air?)

Yep, they move fast.

Photography Class - Week Two

This week in photography we were to take photos with emphasis on Aperture and photos with emphasis on Shutter Speed.   And then bring a sample of each to class.  I am learning so much more about my camera in this class.  It has been so worth it and so much fun.  

Aperture:  I love this photo because the main focus is on Finley playing with his fingers, with Grannie looking on, slightly blurred.  

Shutter Speed:  I don't know how many times I had Hudson run up and down the sidewalk to get this shot.  He was hysterical smiling at me the whole time he ran.  

Photography Class - Week One

Last week, I started an awesome photography class here in town.  I was super excited to take it because it was being taught by one of my favorite photographers, Joel Bock.  He has a great website and blog that showcase his amazing work.   His friend Bryan Rupp is also teaching the class and also has an amazing website and blog that showcases his work.  If you are in need of a wedding, portrait or anything photographer... you truly can't go wrong with either of these guys.

Our week One assignment was "still life."  I love taking photos of my kiddos... and still they are not.  So I set out into my front yard to see what I could find to take a photo of instead.  I couldn't resist taking photos of the last few changing leaves that linger on the trees and set out to do so.  Of course Daisy noticed where my attention was pointed and quickly scampered up that tree.  We are going to have serious issues with our Christmas tree this year, for sure!  As I snapped away, before I knew it, Finley was at my feet.  He loves it when I show him photos on my digital camera as I take them.  His little high pitched voice said, "I see too, Mama? I see too?"  So I happily obliged and snapped away. 

Next weeks assignment is "aperture" and "shutter speed."  This is going to be fun!

Summertime, summertime sum sum a summatime!

Wow... could it REALLY be half way through August already? How can this be? A quick summary to get us to July 6th. Wow... I've got some catching up to do!

we played in the sand...

practiced saying "cheese"...

f

found joy...

and felt the water trickle between our toes.

We found ourselves back in the sand again...

smiled nice for Mommy...

felt the sunshine on our shoulders...

and ate doughnuts at the park.

We always put safety first...

and Mommy tried not to forget the sunscreen for little white bellies.

My Two Year Old

When we were at my cousin Aaron's house this past weekend, Finley was being cute. So I took pictures, since that's what I enjoy doing. He's wearing Spencer's dress up Sherif hat from when he was a toddler as well as his old cowboy boots. He's also wearing my Mom's leather vest from when she was a little girl. So fun to capture his cuteness. Love that boy!

Celebration!

Yesterday marked Kent's and my 8 year anniversary! How time has flown? We decided yesterday that the perfect way to celebrate would be to take a "staycation" to our old stomping grounds with the kids. Which meant keeping Spencer home from school. We went hiking at Tryon Creek, had lunch at Chez Jose (hello Squash Enchiladas... oh how I've missed you) and wandered through our old local supermarket. Funny that all these things were within walking distance of our old house. Oh how I miss that! We also drove by our old house and saw that a new garage had been added on and the house is now yellow! I do miss the charm of that old house... all 808 square feet of it. From there we drove across the river so Kent could check out a local brewery called Hopworks (I stayed in the car with Finley and Hudson who had fallen asleep while he and Spencer looked around). Then we decided to go and check out Voodoo Doughnut. What a crazy place! Kent had a Maple Bar with Bacon on it (ewwww) and Hudson chose one with M n M's completely covering the top. Spencer and I went more traditional and Finley got lots of bites. The kids loved it! Here are a few photos of our fun day in the great outdoors!

Our family

Spencer praying for a dead mouse we saw on the trail

my three sons

Our little independent hiker. He didn't want to hold anyone's hand, be carried or be guided in any way. Didn't he JUST turn 2???

So proud!

Hudson

Toothless grins make mommy happy!

Exploring Nature

Taking time to check out the little things

Beauty

Love the difference in size

Finley demonstrating our Ergo carrier

A boy and his cat

We have a kitty named Scrabble. While Spencer and Scrabble have always been buddies, I would say that over the last 6 months they've become almost inseparable. It's not uncommon for me to see Spencer carrying Scrabble through the house or swaddling him with blankets. He also loves to curl up on the couch with him and pet him for increasingly long amounts of time, all the while telling what a good kitty he is. It's pure sweetness at it's best and it makes my heart smile for sure. It almost makes me want to get a dog. Almost.

15 month old Spencer out for a walk with Scrabble

Lounging time

"Mom can you take my picture with my best buddy Scrabble and then get it out of the camera?"

Scrabble