Picture Perfect ... Almost!

If you know my family and kids, you'll know they LOVE the water.  That doesn't mean they are master swimmers ... D even has a fear of water over her head.  But nothing makes them happier than playing in the water.  It doesn't matter what kind or where - puddles, bathtub, pool, ocean, bird bath, etc.  So today we got out the baby pool for the first time this season and I let them "swim."  I had two ecstatic kids for an hour and a half.  Plus, they're still asleep (it's 7:30 am). I even got to try taking some shots of them moving around.  Overall I'm very pleased with the pictures I took.  I can see where I should have changed where I was standing to avoid too much light but a week ago I wouldn't have known what to do.  Most importantly I caught some happy kids making memories together! I should have moved for this one to avoid the sun spot

S is 15 months (and 3 days) old.  I can't believe my baby boy is on the way to being a year and a half.  We had his check-up today and here are his stats :) Weight - 23 pounds  Height - 31 inches Sleeps - bed at 8, up between 6:45 and 7:30; 2 naps just because of D's school Eats - just about anything!  Loves potatoes, fruit, and whatever is on somebody else's plate What he's doing - trying to run, climbing, sliding, working on using a spoon, bugging D for her toys, begging to go outside Loves - potatoes, baths, D, outside Dislikes - lunch meat, watching people outside, being confined Says - Mama, Dada, hi, hello, all done He is an absolute joy!

I have the best mom!  She loves my kids, my husband, and me unconditionally!  I also have the best mother-in-law.  To celebrate these wonderful women who mean so much to me, we had a picnic at my parents' house.  There was food, fun, smiles, and so much love to go around!   D and S got to play on their new play set that Grandpa put together between rainy days last week.  I got to take lots of pictures!  I even got to be in a few.  I found out the light was not the greatest in many areas and I have lots of work to do in that area.  I also discovered many of the pictures containing movement (which means most of them) are blurry.  Hopefully after this week I can fix that somewhat since that's the focus of my class. Hope you had a great Mother's Day too!

My first week of the photography class I'm taking (and LOVING) ends tomorrow.  It has been a great start to what will be an awesome 6 week journey.  This week I have focused on finding (and using) good natural light, taking pictures with intention, and playing during photos.  I'll admit at times it has been overwhelming and frustrating.  I am very much a beginner at photography.  My camera stays in auto and I just figured out how to turn the flash off.  Reading of the comments and seeing some of the photos from others has been great, but at the same time made my lack of knowledge apparent.  The teacher of the class seemed to read my (and other novices) mind and reminded us that it's a journey with different end points.  It's about improving ourselves and our own ability ... not ending at the same place.   I think the most important thing I've learned is that it doesn't take a perfect picture to capture the memory ... and for me right now ca...

After D got done with school today we headed outside to play with the sand and water table.  It's the first time this year we've had water in it.  It's also the first time S has really played with it.  As the pictures showed everyone had a blast.  I can count on the sun making my kids happy! I hope you have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day!

This week for my photography class we looked at finding good natural light and incorporating non-technical elements into our pictures.  Since today was sunny the kids and I took advantage by playing outside.  The side of our house gets AWESOME natural light so we headed over there to blow bubbles and play with the flowers.  I worked hard to use the light without casting weird shadows or super light areas.  Overall I think it went well.  Here are some of the better photos - at least I think they are :)