HOT Summer Days . . .

What do you do on a HOT summer day?

You jump on your Mom and Dad's bed of course!

Sophie kept saying "Check out my moves mommy!" They looked like they were having so much fun. I wished that I could join in with them. If my ceiling was taller, I just might have. That would have been a moment to capture . . . if my bed didn't break first!

Just Playing . . .

So I got a new lens for my camera and I am LOVING it! It takes great pictures with much more of the bokeh effect that I really like. I have been having a lot of fun just playing with it!

I really like this picture of Collin because his facial expression is so natural and his big eyes just speak to me. I also love it for the bokeh (blur) around him.

Collin is so proud that he has finally figured out how to show 3 fingers. He just barely figured out 2 about a month before he turned 3! All day he shows me his 3 finger pose and says that's how old I am! What a cute boy.

When I first opened up my lens Collin kept going up to the flowers in our yard and requesting that I take a picture of his smelling them. Okay . . . my kids are getting so sick of me taking their pictures so I of course jumped at the opportunity.

LOOOOVE this shot! Sophie was so good to let me do a photo shoot with her. I did a series of aperture shots. This one is shot at f1.8. She was such a good sport and sat in that position through a series of 7 shots . . . thats a lot to ask of my little 4 year old.

And . . .

one of my first shots taken completely in manual mode. I am finally getting it! After taking a class, reading books, manuals, and tutorials . . . it is coming to me. Yay! I kept telling Logan it is above my head and he kept telling me that I graduated from college with honors, I could understand how to shoot a camera in manual mode. Thanks babe! I really appreciate his encouragement and support of my new passion and hobby.

i ♥ faces - at the beach!

This week at i ♥ faces the theme is at the beach. I had to dig deep to find a picture that was taken at the beach. My kids have only been to the beach twice. They loved it both times. I can't wait to take them again this fall.

Celebrating Summer: Watermelon

It wouldn't be summer without watermelon . . . or melonwater as Collin calls it! So juicy, yummy, and sweet. The perfect treat on a hot summer day. I love it. We have been having our fare share of it, but this week I decided to try some "watermelon pie!"

SooOOo yummy! And still a perfect treat on a hot summer day (unless you are Logan . . . for some reason he doesn't like sherbet. Silly!)

To make your own "watermelon pie" go here!

Zoo Day

Sophie has been begging for days to go to the zoo, and I kept putting it off. It sounded HOT! Hot and sweaty. Literally after days of non stop begging, I gave in and the zoo we went. It was hot, but it was fun. I am not sure if it was the day Sophie was hoping for because we didn't get the ice cream or the stuffed animal that she wanted . . . but hopefully she had a good time. I think she may have finally forgotten about the stuffed animal. She is distracted by her upcoming birthday. Man can she get obsessive. I am tempted to celebrate her birthday next week just so that I can stop hearing about it . . . but really, I am glad that she is soOOoo excited.

Some pics of our day . . .

i ♥ faces - feet!

I ran across this photography blog called i ♥ faces that has a photo challenge each week and I thought it would be so fun to enter. This weeks challenge is on feet! I love feet; little feet, big feet, and there is nothing cuter than baby feet. I have some great shots of newborn feet, but I wanted to try something different. I came up with 2 great photos of Collin's little piggies. I had a hard time deciding which one I liked best, but this is the one that I chose to enter.

Early Pioneer Day Celebration

We had an early Pioneer Day Celebration with our ward on Saturday. And let me just say that our ward ROCKS!! It was such a blast! We started out the evening with a children's parade complete with a police escort. Ya folks, it was official! Sophie and Collin loved decorating their bikes and riding in the parade. It was really the first time that Sophie has wanted to ride her bike and she was definitely the leader of the pack. Way to go Soph! After the parade everyone met at a local park for a yummy BBQ and games. The kids just loved running wild getting cotton candy, playing in the fish pond, collecting treats at the candy cannon, getting their face painted, and getting wet on the giant slip-n-slide. Wow! What a night. It was so much fun. Good company, great food, and games for the kids. What more could you ask for?

Bubbles

Kids LOVE bubbles. Mine are no exception. There is always a good time to be had when bubbles are around.

A Comparison

People are always asking me if Ruby looks like Sophie or Collin did when they were that age.

We always say she looks just like Sophie did, but I am seeing some resemblances to Collin as well.

What do you think?

I would say aside for hair color, amount of hair, and eyebrows, they look pretty similar. They definitely have the same cubby cheeks and super cute button nose. They also both have the crease lines under their eyes. They even share the wet spot on their shirt just under their chin. I find this funny because Ruby never drools yet hers is considerably larger!

Collin has that same cute nose as well. He also has the chub in his cheeks, but not quite as much. And of course his hair is darker and curly (lucky boy!) I would say that all three of my kids look pretty similar in a lot of ways.

Jessica Sprague Photo Editing: Frame-Ups and Special Effects

I am taking this online photo editing class taught by Jessica Sprague and am loving it. I am learning so much about different ways to edit my photos and really make them pop. I thought I would post some of the ones that I have been working on. Just for fun!!

.png frames and word art

brushes

who knew they were so cool or could be so much fun. They are just like a rubber stamp except for digital.

clipping mask

vintage hand tint

texture and frame

ttv

(through the viewfinder)

making your photo look like it was takes through an old fashioned camera.

I also did the pictures in my previous post using type and texture.

Now wasn't that fun?!?! What do you think?

Farmington Festival Days

After Collin's birthday celebration and some much needed rest, we all headed out to the Farmington Festival Days. We kind of got there just as everyone was closing up shop, but we still had a good time.

The kids got to sit in a fire engine.

I thought this was so cute of Sophie, especially since she always says she wants to be a fire fighter when she grows up.

They also got to ride on a little train.

And Sophie talked us into letting her climb on the climbing wall. She struggled going up, but sure enjoyed going down. Maybe she would like repelling better!

Where The Wilds Thing Are Birthday!

We had a great party today! Collin had a great time. Really, he enjoyed every second of his party. We invited 3 of Collin's little friends to celebrate with us along with Grandma and Grandpa Sheep and Grandma Polar Bear.

I really had a great time preparing for this party and was happy with how it turned out. Here are some pics of the details:

wild thing : cupcake tower

a close up pic of the yummy cupcake with the best frosting ever

So yummy!

the scene

the adorable, happy, birthday boy

First we read the book . . .

the kids were so cute roaring their terrible roars on their bellies

then we played PIN THE TAIL ON MAX . . .

we had trouble finding a blindfold that would stay on their little heads, so i finally resorted to using ruby's sleep mask

the kids were a little wary about not being able to see. i think every one of them peeked.

After that we played Max, Max, Wild Thing (Duck, Duck, Goose) and had a WiLd RuMpUs!

for the wild rumpus the kids sprayed silly string all over each other and us.

And finally we opened presents and had cake and ice cream. MMmm good!

collin looking a little shocked that one of his friends blew out his candles before he did. too bad the picture of him blowing them out turned out blurry.

Happy Birthday Collin!

Thanks for coming to celebrate Collin's birthday with us. It wouldn't have been the same without you guys.

For Collin

I can't believe that today you turn 3! You have grown up so fast from a little guy (6 lbs 10 oz) with big hands and feet to the big boy that you are today. You are literally changing right before my very eyes and I couldn't be more proud of the boy you are becoming.

You have such a big heart. You are so caring and considerate and love deeply. I am constantly amazed at your thoughtfulness.

You are an amazing brother. You are always thinking of your sisters and what will make them happy.

You are such a good helper. I can always count on you!

You are such a special boy and I LOVE you like crazy. I love the way you say "One more time" every night when I sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to you before bed.

I love the way you will randomly tell me "I love you mommy!" It melts my heart every time.

I love how you negotiate with me to somehow get what you want (usually candy - you have an incredible love for sugar) "Maybe I could hold it for a long, long time and then I could eat it!"

I love the way you shake your seat.

I love the way you LOVE to jump and seem to never stop. I think you have been jumping since the day you were born, maybe even before.

I love that you share my curly hair - tangles and all!

I love that you talk big but really are so timid.

I love your hugs and kisses.

I just love you so much Collin. Thanks for being my boy. Happy Birthday Buddy! 3 years old. You are getting soOOoo big.

Love, Mommy

Anticipating This...

I think that I am more excited about Collin's birthday than he is. I am loving the theme of his party and have had so much fun planning for it. I can't wait! And I can't believe my little boy will be 3 years old!

Happy 4th!

We had a great 4th this year. The kids and I had an uneventful day full of house cleaning, laundry, and playing while Logan worked. In the evening we got together with our friends, The

Miller's and had a great time. We ate pizza and had our own firework show - in the daylight:) ! The kids enjoyed sidewalk chalk and running around and climbing all over Logan and Matt. Good Times! I am so grateful for this country we live in and the freedoms that we have.

Here are Collin and Sophie enjoying the fireworks. Collin wasn't too thrilled about the experience. He hated the loud noises and stood with his hands over his ears most of the time when he wasn't shouting "NO MORE!" He much preferred the snaps.

And so did Ruby . . .

Sparklers were a hit too . . . except for with Sophie.

She wouldn't go near one.

Cute Hallie was up for anything. She couldn't get close enough to the fireworks and was the first to step up for a sparkler. She had no fear and was more brave than my kids for sure.

And this girl has a great love for Lightning McQueen. So cute!

Look at that cute face!! What a sweet guy. Baby David hung out on a blanket through it all and and totally amazed me with his bottle holding skills!

Thanks for celebrating with us Matt and Cindy. It is so wonderful to have such great friends to hang out with. And your great to always get together on such short notice. We love being with you guys and your cute family!