Ziggy & Zubber...

Say that fast 10 times! Ha!

Sarah & Eric got Avyree Zubber for her 3rd birthday. I'd never heard of it but Haylee knew exactly what it was and was so excited to play with it to! What is Zubber you ask? You know the little rubber bracelets for cancer awareness, DARE etc...well it's a kit to make them! As a parent I can say....Zubber's not so much fun! But the girls loved it and I guess that's all that matters.

So here are some shots from our day of fun with Zubber...well the girls day of fun with Zubber...


Look at me when I'm pointing my camera at you child!



Okay...that's much better. She knows better this one! Don't anger the beast with the big camera!







So after breakfast we get started...


Haylee closely inspecting the box! I think she was more excited than Avyree!



Zubber is like playdough until it starts to harden. Since Avyree is well...Avyree, this is about all she did with Zubber. Rolled it around like playdough!



And of course Haylee trying to be the ring leader boss trying to tell Avyree pretty much everything she is doing wrong. I'm an only child, but from what I hear this is normal of the older sibling. I've always been thankful I was an only child! Ha!



Don't ask cause I gave up long ago trying to figure out that face! But I know I like to take pictures of it cause it makes me laugh! Haylee over there taking this VERY seriously because well...that's Haylee! Always trying to hard to be perfect and so hard on herself. Gee...wonder where she gets that. **oops**


Up close and personal. Avyree's Zubber ball!



Oh geeze all the little pieces. It's enough to make any mother go insane!


My little beauty. Well, not so little anymore. She comes up almost to my chin. No...she's tall...I'm NOT short!


And it's moments like the center photo that keep me going. When she takes a break of trying too hard and being too serious to be a goof! LOVE that kid!




Love this shot. Love the lighting!



And these are from another day but I took these for a photography challenge on learning to find the light in your house. I've been doing this for months, so I took these shots and some shots in bad light with pull back shots to help others try to find the light in their house. I think these are just darling of my little Nugget, so I had to add them.


So thanks for looking at the Ziggy day of Zubber. Next on my list is to finish Tanya's bridal shower pics and get those up.

Hope this post finds you well! Oh...I forgot to resize some of the collages and am too tired to go back and fix them. Ooops...

Then and NOW.....

As embarrassing as this is to post...it's my journey and I wanted to share it on the blog!

On the photography message board I CL, I posted a Then & NOW challange. To give the girls the opportunity to see how far they've come with their skills. To show them what is possible with the right determination and practice! And also to get them thinking about what they've learned and how/why it's effecting their shots!

So here are mine...eeekkk! Ha!

ALL shots were taken in Manual mode. Editing on my then UNcalibrated laptop with PSP9 because I didn't have PS yet!

I think it's safe to say that I have come pretty far in a year with both photography and editing. The THEN images were taken July 10, 2009 and I got my XSi (my very first DSLR) on June 31, 2008! Hard work, drive, passion and determination can pay off...

Excuse the small size. They are sized for the board I posted them on...






So whatever you love, whatever your passion is...work hard, enjoy the ride and it will pay off!

Hope everyone has a WONDERFUL weekend! :O)

Thankful Thursday...Sept 17, 2009!

On the photography message board I CL, the other CL posted a GREAT challange! Shoot was you are thankful for TODAY! It will be every Thursday, so I'm hoping to be able to do it every week!

So TODAY...I'm exhausted! My nerve issues in my left arm are acting up again, so I did not get much sleep last night. I really need to go see a doctor or Wanda...the wonderful massage lady! So THIS is what I'm thankful for today...

Gorgeous legs, shoes & a tattoo...the bride to be!

Tanya is beautiful! There are no two ways about it! **is that how the saying goes?*** But she is also fun and artistic! So I jumped at the chance to take these shots when I saw her legs, shoes & tattoo. Add an awesome tile floor to the mix and there is a great photo op! I think these could have turned out a bit better if we'd had more time for better comp, but I still love them! What I'd give for legs like this...

A gorgeous girl and a fat dog...The Details!

Did I grab your attention?! Ha! I had the honor and wonderful opportunity to shoot a gorgeous girl and a fat dog...well kind of!

My dear friend Amanda and fellow photog asked me if I would take some pictures at her best friend Tanya's bridal shower. Of course I jumped at the opportunity. And I got to see some friends I hadn't seen in a while which was a lot of fun!

I took 437 pictures, so going through them is taking a bit! I also tried a new set of Blog It actions that I just bought hoping to speed up my blogging work flow and get more images in one post. I still have some kinks (on my end) to work out in using them. I have some distortion on some and need to figure out the best size for different templates, but am getting the hang of them.

Since I have so many images, I decided to break them up into 2 posts...The Details and The People!

So here are The Details of the beautiful day! The Details is my FAVORITE thing to shoot and edit!

The bridal shower took place at The Fat Dog...now you get it huh? Lol! What a cool little bar The Fat Dog is. If you are in the area I highly suggest you stop by for a drink and a bite to eat. I LOVE the style of this bar!

The food....oh the YUMMY food! The girls did such a GREAT job making delicious food and displayed it so beautifully. Sorry in advance there are so many. The selection process is not one of my strong points!









The flowers...WOW were they GORGEOUS!








The gifts...

The gorgeous girl and her handsome hub to be...photos in the frame were taken by the beautiful and talented Amanda Ward!



Wendy, Amanda's cousin and Tanya's best friend. They missed her so much and had beautiful pictures of her up and did a toast/shot to her and had a moment in her honor. It was touching, beautiful and sad at the same time! Beautiful Wendy...



The ummm....potty rooms! That's the Fat Dog...SO cute...



The bar...






And that's it for the details. Next to start The People! I hope everyone is doing great and thanks for looking!

And a special Thank You to my dear friend Amanda. Thank you for always having confidence in me, my vision and allowing me the honor of being apart of the special day and being able to capture it as I see it! I love you!

And another special Thank You to Tanya! What a beautiful woman you are, inside and out. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your special day and allowing me to capture your special day! I wish you two the very best for a loving FUN life together! It was such a pleasure seeing the girls again too!

OXXO

First day of THIRD grade...

WOW...when the HECK did that happen? Like every mother, we see our lives and our children's lives FLASH before our eyes! Man does it go FAST! Before I know it Middle school will be here. The first three years of school have FLOWN, so I know the next three will do the same. And to make it hurt even more...Avyree was 12 DAYS old when Haylee started Kindergarten! And this also means that I just keep getting older! Man, I hate when that happens! Ha!

So the first day of school is always a scary one for my dear shy Haylee. She's always riddled with nerves...bad! She can barely talk, looks like she's about to cry and throw up at the same time. Then by the time I pick her up, she's happy, excited and chatting with her little girlfriends. This year was no different!

We are ECSTATIC with the teacher Haylee got this year. We have been SO lucky with the teachers she's had every year. The school she goes to doesn't have bad teachers by any means. But basically, she's gotten the exact teacher I was hoping she'd get...every year! I LOVE her school!

So here she is trying to force a smile that is half excited half terrified on the way to school. I shot this quickly at a red light...well it had just turned green but don't tell the cops...

Hey wait, I'm actually IN this picture...



Once we arrive, she's too embarrassed to wear her sunglasses AT school. Her eyes are VERY sensitive to the sun, so squinty was all I was gettin!

So now the sun is behind me and she just won't look at me. Plus I think she was trying to keep her breakfast down...



But wait...maybe she'll at me. Just maybe! Okay, I had to let her put her back to the sun and deal with lens flare and haze. Darn kid...doesn't she understand photography! Ha!



And then she was done! And please do not get me started on the outfit! HA! I just grin and bare it. She's trying to find her independence and style. I think this girl will need some help soon tho! Teehee!

And of course, Nugget gets a spot light. She LOVES being at Sissy's school! Like her drink? Lol!



This year they did things a bit different. The kids lined up in their old line from last year and went to their old class. Unfortunately Haylee's 2nd grade teacher was out today so they didn't get to say goodbye.

So here she is in her old class waiting to find out her fate... (out of respect, I blurred the faces of the other kids)



Time is getting close and the poor girl looks like she's gonna lose it...



Then we heard the news we were hoping and things were a little better. The whole class with the exception of ONE (the boy to Haylee's left) went into the same class. I felt so bad for him. The whole class was lined up to go to their new class...together. And there he sat by himself watching all his friends leave together and waiting to go to his new class alone. But he did just fine. He's a tough guy!

And of course, when I picked her up...ALL smiles. She said that she LOVES her new teacher. That is what every mom wants to hear. To know she'll be happy this year and will have an easier time in class in general.

This was all the pictures I got because it was just too crowded and the new teacher didn't let us in the class once they got there!

So all in all, today, the first day of 3rd grade...was a GREAT day! And boy oh boy did I enjoy the COMPLETE silence when Avyree napped! Ha!

Hope everyone is doing well and that all your kids are just as happy with their new classes as Haylee! :O)