Photoshoot

A Photoshoot is NOT as easy as it sounds!  It probably would have been easier to photograph actual monkeys doing what I asked of them.  But how can you resist these two boys!  Since they were in my care for a few days, I wanted to try and get a good picture of the three cousins together and a few individuals.  Here they are!  After viewing them, I know my lighting was off, and I still need to iron the backdrop!  

Joshua Reuben

Benjamin Keith

My favorite picture of the three of them!!  Love...Love...Love!

Bloopers...and I have plenty of them!  

All he wanted to do the whole time was lay down...when I let him, he was ecstatic!



Doing what a good cousin does, and helping Hadley keep her head straight  :)

Doing what a good uncle/daddy does and pries his hands off of Hadley's head  :)

I think I have lost them...

And completely gone...

We really did have fun at our photoshoot....as crazy as it was!  Love my boys! 

Christmas Eve

We decided to try something new this year on Christmas Eve.  Since we didn't have any "real" snow, we decided to go downtown to the Chesapeake Sledding area at the ballpark.  It was crazy fun!  I think a new tradition has been started!



it's quite sad...

My time is literally not my own.  It's not an excuse as much as it is a reality.  There are so many factors that go into planning for the day...eating...naps...diaper changes...working out...childcare room at the gym closing at noon...errands that need to be done...which doesn't necessarily sound like much, but it can be.  Hadley and I have always had a schedule, and it changes as she does.  Trying to squeeze things into our schedules can be work sometimes.  I'm so happy that she loves going to the gym as much as I do.  It is important to me, so we have done a good job at adjusting our schedule accordingly.  Plus they have lots of great toys and riding things, and most importantly, a table and chairs just her size that she loves! 

Now to the sad part:

We left the gym, now on our way to Target to pick up a few things, and I'm stopped at a red light.  I find myself staring (for at least 1 minute) at the 60 year old man in the car next to me, eating his sonic cheeseburger.  That's it.  Sad, I know. 

I am proud of myself though.  Change for me is slow.  I am making better decisions with my diet, which is key for getting the results I want.  Salads for lunch, drinking lots and lots of water, eating protein and vegetables for dinner.  I can't eliminate everything all at once, because I know I wont stick to it.  For example, Ranch Dressing!  I love Ranch.  I could eat it on everything, literally.  A trick of the trade:  I put a spoonful of ranch in a side bowl instead of on my salad.  I dip my fork in the ranch (BEFORE I get the lettuce) and therefore eat 1/4 of the ranch I normally would have.  It's really helped! 

Saying all that to say this: I am making better choices with my food: however, I don't beat myself up if I eat something "not diet approved"...and the sonic burger (with NO cheese I might add) was pretty darn tasty when we got one for dinner tonight.  :)   

Snapshops Practice Photos

I am working through my "Snapshops" class, and trying to put what I'm learning into practice.  The thing I have learned or benefited the most from, is having my camera charged, space available on my card, no strap, and sitting on the console table in my living room.  I used to keep it in my camera bag in the office, and by the time I went in the room, pulled it out of the bag, got it ready, the moment had passed.  This way, I can catch Hadley in our day to day tasks, that she takes from mundane to extraordinary! 

These were all shot in manual, with no flash, and are straight out of my camera.  As I look through them, I see things that I did totally wrong, but you have to start somewhere!   

I think this one is actually my favorite.  She loves her "nak" (snack)...I will get her out of her highchair immediately after eating breakfast...she turns to me and says, "nak?...nak?"

I am having a little issue with focusing.  She is pretty hard to catch sitting completely still  :)

I really love this one as well.  She looked totally cute today, and I loved her in her converse.  Her shoes are what I wanted to focus on.  

Not perfect, but getting a little smoother at working my camera...and I'm loving it!