Yeah....

Last Days of September

My family spends quite a bit of time together.

Birthdays, holidays, football...you name it, we like to celebrate it.

So, it's no surprise that I would want to attempt to capture some memories.

You'll usually find me, camera in hand, trying to be inconspicuous so I can get some candids.

Or

maybe you'll find me trying to get one of the many kids (adults, too) to pose for a picture of two for me.

Vivienne and her dad.

Mikel and Gabbi

Cardinals fans

Grace

We've also been spending Saturday mornings at the playground in our neighborhood.

It's still way too hot.

Hopefully (Arizona) Fall weather is on it's way.

Leksi will always pose for a picture for me.

I had to bribe Jayci...

Sick

I'm back.

After a couple of weeks with bronchitis, I'm happy to say that I'm alive.

Lungs (hopefully) unharmed.

That means that after 2 weeks off, I'm back to blogging.

:)

Experimenting

I felt that I was in need of a watermark.

I had no clue how to go about making one, but I did know how to make a brush in Photoshop.

Here are a few pics with the watermark:

What do you think?

Not that bad, eh?

Chase was Frustrated

I don't get it.

How do photographers get toddlers and preschoolers to stay still long enough to take a picture? I try to get both Roxy and Chase looking at the camera at the same time,

but this is the best that I got:

Maybe I need a new technique.

Some sort of game that I can play with them to get them to look at the camera for 30 seconds.

I do realize that 30 seconds can be a lot to ask of such young kids, but one can hope, no?

I guess that it doesn't help that my 50mm lens doesn't auto focus with my camera.

Focusing takes up some time.

------------------------------------

Over the holiday weekend I talked Ian into taking me to a Val Vista Lakes to take some pictures in front of the beautiful waterfall at the clubhouse.

I was also informed that there was a tunnel that ran underneath the street.

It was pretty awesome.

I think I got some neat shots, but, of course, they could be better.

The kids didn't want to cooperate, but that's not out of the norm for them.

Chase later told me that he was "frustrated" and that he would "be happy next time" I take pictures.

What a kid. I swear, that child can be the most hyper thing, but he melts my heart.

Roxy was grumpy.

I think she was miffed at me because I wouldn't let her run around.

Chase was mad at me, or frustrated, I guess when I made him sit on a rock all by his lonesome.
I think he got nervous being close to the water, which is understandable.

If looks could kill:



The next minute though, there's that smile.



Roxy wouldn't sit without Ian, but I got a nice shot out of it.

Once again, she wouldn't look at the camera.

Once we got into the tunnel, Chase wanted to do nothing more than run up and down.
He did stop for a hot second, thankfully.

I got a great silhouette shot of Roxy and then one of Ian and the kids.

They're my favorites, I think.

In the end, it was way too hot to get a good amount of shots, but I got a few.

I can't wait until (Arizona) Autumn.

Trains

Chase loves trains. Actually, he loves anything that goes, but trains are one of his favorites.

Since her big brother likes trains, so does Roxy.

Some mornings and afternoons are spent putting tracks together and sending the trains down.

Lately, though, Chase has gotten more elaborate with his train track creations.

He puts lego-esque blocks underneath the tracks and connects those to a covered bridge and creates a slide out of the tracks.

Then they send the train (in this case, it's Percy) down the tracks, through the bridge and down to the end.

Not only does Chase enjoy playing with the trains, but Roxy has a ball, too.

I love when my kids get along.

Reading is Fundamental

Roxy loves to read.

Well, she can't read, so she loves to be read to.

When she's ready to read, she'll sit down on her pillow and wait.

Sometimes patiently.

Sometimes not so patiently.



However, once you do as she asks, she's a happy camper.

All smiles and love.

Waiting for Daddy

Usually when Roxy wakes up from nap, she's happy as a clam.

All smiles.

And then she asks for Daddy

So we play

And read

Then we play more. So engrossed in our fun, time passes quickly.

Before we know it, Daddy comes home.

And off into the sunset we go.

Summer Days Pt. 1

Personally, I loathe Arizona summers.

They're hot. So hot that they become boring and cabin fever usually ensues.

Luckily, we have a kiddie pool for Chase and Roxy to splash around in.

The upside is that fun is sure to be had and smiles are sure to be abundant.

The downside is the heat gets to you quickly some days.





Sunglasses are needed for style and safety.

When it's time to get out, the crying begins.

Soon, though, comes the realization that there's no harm in being inside.

And there are more smiles

And more smiles.

I'm Such a Slacker

I'm a horrible blogger.

Really, I'm bad.

I'm going to update this badboy, though.

Pictures pt. deux

Joselyn's graduation/birthday cake
Joselyn's graduation. Manda also got her GED (finally :P)

My siblings: Daniel, Manda, and Marissa
Daniel and my Dad

Jayci
Graci

Nathan
Mikel
Gabbi Leksi and Jayci. Aren't sister sweet?

My dad, niece Bria, and stepmommy Kareen with the kids in UtahIan and his grandmother, Jude.
Chase and Daddy
Here are a couple pics of my seester Camille and her hubs Mike. I love these two.

I had the opportunity to take pictures of my cousin Joselyn for graduation. She's so gorgeous, so I really enjoyed shooting her.

If you made it this far and looked at all of the pics, I applaud you! :P