Photography

I just want to begin by saying that I am NO professional photographer and don't pretend to be.  I am just a woman with a hobby.  A hobby of taking pictures and capturing the special moments, especially of my children.  Photography along with blogging of course.  It's what I do for fun.

This is the camera I use most of the time.  It is a Canon Rebel XTi.  It's quality doesn't even compare to a point and shoot camera.  I tried this one and will never go back if I can help it.  

I have 2 lenses, the one that came with it and one additional one I got for my birthday last year.  The lens that came with it is an 18-55 mm and it zooms.  It just a basic lens but works most of the time.  I got the smaller one on the right last year and it is a 50 mm.  It doesn't zoom but it is great for portraits because it focuses really sharp on the subject and makes the background really blurry.  It makes the photographer look more experienced than they are (me for example!).

It is not a secret that I use my camera every day and carry it with me wherever I go!  My children will NEVER lack for pics of themselves growing up.  However today Jay says to me before leaving, "Hey will you get that work camera out and play with it for me?"  OMG...do pigs love slop?!?!  "OF COURSE I WILL HONEY...I mean, for you, of course.   Let's just say he didn't have to twist my arm!!!

He has this camera for work....and I think it is a step up from mine.  He uses it for all kinds of things including the association newsletter he is responsible for every month.  

My fav part about it was that it came with a zoom lens 75-300 mm.  It zooms WAY close and mine doesn't zoom much so this was so much fun playing around with.

I also love the bag that it came with because it has room on the sides for the extra lens. I want one like this...I'll put it on my wish list!

I took all of these below pics from the room next door.  Like I was in the kitchen when I took this pic of her foot and she was at the far end of the other room.  Sorry about the gunk on the bottom of her shoe...ignore that part ha!  They were all taken from a room away.

...even this one!

I look forward to "helping" my husband and taking some outside when it warms up a bit!

A wink and a smile...

This morning I was thankful we had a beautiful dose of snow outside yet still weren't out of school. It sure did look pretty but it started to melt quickly when the sun came out!  I am thankful today for the sunshine.

The kids were "coloring" on my phone this morning before K left for school.  

Axton and Lucy were playing with this baby this morning and they looked like a little momma and daddy "oohing" and "aahing" over their baby.

This week everyone around here has had yucky snotty noses.  Today I caught Lucy wiping Axton's nose NUMEROUS times.  I think she followed him around with a wipe most of the morning.  And he is so used to blowing his nose, he would just blow and then run off.  It was funny!  She is such a little momma!

Look at those baby blues!

Axton-21 months, Lucy-20 months, and Landon-23 months

Love Brayden's shirt...mom got it at a yard sale.  It says,

"Classifieds:  Little romantic seeking someone that enjoys dinosaurs, lollypops, quiet evenings at home with a good bed time story and a fine glass of grape juice.  Are you the one for me?" haha

How could you resist those baby blues and sweet smile???

He sure does take care of his sisters too!

Ax was sporting his polo today...

I took these pics after the sun had been out a while. We didn't get alot but enough to cover the ground.  It was pretty!

Sweet Trey

Brayden's giving you a wink and a smile.  :)

Snow again?!

 Currently we are getting more snow! I don't want it to snow hard because I don't want to get out of school, however it is soooo pretty...some of the biggest flakes I have ever seen!  I truly am amazed at how miraculous snow is and how God could make each one so different.  I love them because they seem so pure and unblemished until they hit the ground.  Our God is so good!

Today when I went to get one of the kids from their nap (I won't mention his name haha), he had taken his shoe, sock, pants, DIRTY diaper and the sheet and then sat and rolled all in it!  I walked in and was speechless and he said, "Uhoh...shoes?!"  Haha he took off a little more than his shoes!  :)

Tonight we had roast for dinner and seriously it was the best roast I have ever had....it was soooo yummy!  My whole family loved it and we all went back for seconds, and maybe 3rds....I won't say for sure.  And it was super easy.  I got the recipe from Laurie's Life and here is the recipe...

Get a tender chuck pot roast and place it in a crock pot on low.
Add one packet of Hidden Valley Ranch mix. Sprinkle it over the roast.
Add one packet of McCormick Aux jus gravy mix or she said brown gravy mix will do. Sprinkle that packet over the roast as well.
Then, place a stick of butter on top of the roast.
Put 4 or 5 peperoncini peppers on top of the roast. These are the peppers that you see on salad bars. They come in a jar. Let the roast cook at least 8 hours. I usually cook it over night. Do not add water!!!

Here is what it looked like prior to cooking...

I didnt' get an after pic but it was sooo tender and yummy!  Seriously try this one!

I love Tuesday nights because it is the one night that we are usually all home.  I try to have an early dinner, finish baths and then we can all relax a little.  Tonight was also a hair cutting night for B and Lulu too so glad to have that out of the way!  I love that they all love to take baths together.  I know this time is so limited.

Then B and Lulu climbed up in my bed to watch Spongebob while K and daddy worked on a book Karis is making.

She is writing a book about the 100th day of school and got Jay's help with the drawings. 

This pic didn't capture it good but the snowflakes tonight were HUGE...so pretty!

Now me and the hubs are about to drink some coffee and curl up on the couch to finish 24 season 1.  We  only have a few more episodes...it's getting good!   NIGHT! :)

Sunday

It was a fun (but long) weekend, not only because of us being snowed/iced in, but because Jay has been out of town all weekend.  He flew out Thursday night to go to Orlando to be with his grandmother after her husband passed away/preach the funeral.  He will be home late tonight (Sunday) and I am soooo excited to see him!  I really missed him this time.  Things went smoothly with the kiddos but I just missed my best friend!

We normally go to the 9:00 service because I love long Sunday afternoons but since I was a single parent that morning, I asked the kids if they wanted to go to the second service.  They were excited and we spent most of the morning in my bed watching cartoons, drinking coffee, playing and laughing.  I had all my little chickens in a wad and it was so relaxing and fun.  Here are some pics before church... 

The ones with me in it are fuzzy because I had sweet children taking them! :)

After church Karis had MM over before Splash that night.  They had a ball and I almost didn't even see them.  They played upstairs so quietly.  They did come down one time and they looked like this....interesting?!?!?

And Brayden came down like this.  I guess they put him in jail!  Hey not a bad idea!!!

All the while, Lucy REALLY enjoyed a piece of chocolate!  Haha

Tonight the kids had Splash and Lucy and I went to small group.  I just want to say that I LOVE my small group.  For those that don't do small groups, instead of a "Sunday school" class, we meet in homes one night a week and eat (that part is really important to our group haha) and have a Bible study class.  It is a time just to "do life" together.  Somehow when you get outside of the church walls, people tend to get more open, honest, and vulnerable.  They are more willing to share their struggles, concerns, prayer requests and victories.  People are REAL when they might not be elsewhere.  People have shared some real struggles and we can rally around those people and pray for them and encourage them throughout the week.  It is one of my fav times of the week and I wouldn't want to go through life without this type of accountability.  If you haven't join on a small group, do so NOW!  Isn't this what the "church" is for anyway?!  We dont' have to do life on our own!