Long time gone...

So, I'm back. Or trying to be. It's kind of funny that I haven't been posting on here now that I am constantly taking classes on photography and taking more pictures than ever. 

 My goal is to add a picture every day for a year. A 365. It's gonna be tough, and I am sure some of my photos will not be great, but it a neat way to try and document our lives, using my pictures to tell the story, rather than my feeble attempts at using words. Definitely not a strong point of mine. Here are my Monday and Tuesday, (even though they're from October and November is my "official" start date.)

October 29, 2012

October 30, 2012

An Obsession

I got my new camera in August, and I had been having fun with it, trying to figure everything out. I have been trying to use it in Manual mode since November, and I was gradually learning a little at a time. But ever since I was able to take the wedding photos for Jack and Zuly, I have been obsessed. I'm reading every bit of information I can find on it. I could read photography forums all day long if the kids would let me. If I'm not doing that, all I want to do is be out shooting something, trying new things that I have read about.

I am having such a blast, and really loving some of the pictures I have taken, that I'm sure I will just have random posts of pictures of my pretty babies. I am so excited to have found such a fun, interesting hobby. It's fun to be stretching and growing and learning again. I missed that, although I hadn't even realized until now.

I know the format of some of these is the same, but the layout was free and I don't want to spend the money yet on fancier ones right now. All I need now is to get Sienna to be willing to just go out and let me take a bunch of pictures of her too!

Lucy's 1st Birthday

I said that I wasn't going to make a big deal about Lucy's 1st birthday, unlike most people here in Hawaii. But as the day got closer and closer, I changed my mind. It was going to be my last 1st birthday to celebrate for one of my own babies. I decided to do a cupcake theme, with a cake like a huge cupcake, 3 kinds of cupcakes and even a little cupcake that I sewed onto a shirt for her. We had most of our friends here to celebrate with us. It was a great day and because I had been planning for a month, I wasn't even stressed out. Things couldn't have gone more smoothly.

Her cake was pink velvet with cream cheese frosting, the three cupcakes were: carrot with cream cheese, chocolate with chocolate, and lemonade with real strawberry frosting. We also made bite sized brownies, coconut macaroons, and my favorite soft chocolate chip cookies. For the drink we put a bunch of mixed frozen berries and sliced limes in Gingerale. I also made a darling pink petticoat for her to wear, before she dug in to the cupcakes, of course. She went for chocolate first (definitely my daughter!), but loved the lemonade too.

We just had so much fun celebrating Lucy's first year and the many more to come. Our children have all brought such joy to our lives and are such a blessing. We love our little family!

I can't get enough of sweet, sleeping babies (and Papas!)!

Lucy has definitely been our worst sleeper. She has had such a difficult time falling asleep and staying asleep. It has only been recently that she has started to get better and develop some form of a schedule. It is unheard of for her to play and then fall asleep (which the other kids did all the time), so it was adorable to see her crashed on our floor, in a crazy little position. Leg tucked under the other, with that squishy bum in the air. I love it!

 She has also started falling asleep in her highchair occasionally. She will be eating away and then suddenly asleep. Sweet, precious baby face!

 My parents were here January 9th-19th. We had such a wonderful time with them. We wore my Dad out though, and he feel asleep in a crazy position too!

My little girls...and a tree

I received a new lens for my camera the day before Christmas Eve. It was a Christmas present, but Spencer wanted me to be able to play around with it before I used it to take my shots of the Christmas Eve pajamas. I still have a lot to learn, especially about lighting, but it is really fun to play around with everything and see how it changes the pictures!

This little bug has been obsessed with the tree. She just won't leave it alone, as I am sure you can tell with all the ornaments up at the top! It's so fun to see the wonder in her eyes while watching it. Lucy and Madelyn had such a blast constantly playing in front of the tree.

Lucy Cruising

Lucy loves her little walker-type toy and is starting to go all over the place!

Please excuse my annoying voice!

Lucy pulling up

This crazy little baby is so strong and so proud of her ability to pull herself up to almost anything she would like. Let the craziness begin!

I love this last picture with her mischievous little face! She's such a stinker!

Chase and Lucy

Chase and Lucy were so cute together! They were chasing each other all over the place. Chase kept giving Lucy kisses; it was so sweet. She then tried to "kiss" him, but it looked more like she was going to attack him! We love those babies!

Little Creeper

Lucy has become a little creeper and is even starting to climb up on stuff lately.

 She got herself trapped here, one arm up and couldn't get it down. She's such a joy!

(Please don't judge me for having her be naked! It's so hot and muggy some days that I can't bring myself to dress her and make her hotter and sweatier than her little eczema  skin needs to be!)

Lucy's Toes

One of the very first things I noticed about Lucy when she was born was she got her Daddy's toes. They are  very long. It's fun to see how she is using them right now as she is almost crawling, and how she pushes off of those long, strong toes and uses them to help her get around. I love seeing these amazing little people as they grow and develop right in front of my eyes. It is such a miracle and I am so blessed to have the privilege of watching them.