Computer Woes

Just to quick note to explain why I have not been posting. My hard drive decided it was time to crash even though it was less than 2 years old. I had backed up a lot of my work, but it is still take time transferring programs and other items onto my new hard drive. I also have to find all the correct drivers to ensure my computer works, and this is not the easiest task. Did I mention I have to do all of this between taking care of my 3 daughters, doing housework, homeschooling, taking pictures (yes, two of my neighbors asked me to do family portraits), spending time with my husband, getting ready for Christmas, and doing my part-time job that actually makes me a little money. Man, life is tough. I miss posting pictures, and I hope to have Photoshop up and running again soon.

A blessing

I have so much to catch up on, but just a short post for now. 

God has blessed me with amazing neighbors!  While I was never enthusiastic about moving to where we currently live, God helped me with the adjustment by sending me somewhere with amazing people.  Truly God gave me the help I needed in my neighbors. 

One family, in particular, has been very kind, and it's awesome that they have so many children that get along with my girls.  How could I not take pictures of this amazing family?







I am SO blessed to call this woman my friend!

More Fun with Shallow Depth of Field

Just a quick post with some pictures.  Must get some sleep.

A New Lens

When I'm not busy taking care of the baby or homeschooling my 5 year old, I'm out playing with my new 35mm lens!  Yes, as an early birthday present to me, my youngest brother's in-laws and my parents gave me the gift of a new lens, a UV filter, and a polarizing filter.  I am THRILLED; I just wish I was able to put the baby down long enough to spend some time taking pictures. 

Last weekend my family escaped to the mountains for some hiking, and my husband was awesome enough to carry the baby so I could actually take pictures.  The cool mountain air and escape from the house were rejuvenating and exhilarating.  We even saw a bear, but he was too quick for me to take his picture. 

Here are two pictures I took with my new lens.



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Pet Faces

The latest photo challenge at I Heart Faces is the theme "Pet Faces."  Although we are all animal lovers, we do not have a pet.  We attempted owning a dog, but that didn't last very long.  The sweet dog we adopted did not like our cramped yard, and she became seriously overprotective while I was pregnant (really, a two year walking along the sidewalk did not pose a threat to me).  Thankfully, she found a good home at my parents' house.

Since we are pet lovers and need a "furry face fix" quite frequently, we are on first-name basis with dogs from our neighborhood, we explore the woods in search of birds, squirrels, bugs, frogs, turtles, worms, deer, and foxes, and we go to the local farm.

Peanut was nervous around the very large horses at the farm, but when she was finally feeling brave, I was able to snap this picture.

Enjoying Life

I've decided to enter a photo contest.  I haven't entered one since I was taking photography classes while in college.  I Heart Faces hosts many photography contests, as well as offers tutorials, inspiration, and interviews of other photographers.  Their theme for this contest, "enjoying life," seemed just right for me to get my "contest feet" wet again.  Here's my entry.

Click on the picture to see it larger.

The girls had been swinging in the backyard, but Popper suddenly decided she wanted to build a sandcastle.  With her messy hair and serious look, I couldn't resist snapping a picture.

Germs

It looks like Peanut has picked up a nasty virus somewhere.  My poor dear has had a fever for the past two days.  It's sad to see my sprite so limp.  Hopefully the baby will not catch this, and it would be pretty swell if I'm able to avoid it as well. 

I managed to snap a quick picture of Popper looking out the window. 

Need to take a breath

I wouldn't mind if life wanted to slow down a little and give me a chance to breathe.  Besides the fact that my precious, little bundle of joy is just as needy as her oldest sister (translation:  I can't put her down unless I want to listen to her scream like a banshee), I had attended two major family functions.  One was a funeral and one was my baby's baptism.  The funeral was for one of my husband's brothers, who died quiet suddenly from a heart attack.  This was 3 weeks after Little One was born. 

Little One's baptism took place last weekend, and all my siblings, their spouses, their children, my parents, a set of in-laws, and my grandfather all came out.  My youngest brother and his wife (you can see their pregnancy in a previous post) are the Godparents of Little One, and they had their baby baptized the same day, and I was the Godmother for their little girl.  It was pretty awesome.  My family rocks!

We had an amazing cake made by the valedictorian of my class from college.  http://blueridgebuttercream.wordpress.com/ is her website.  Not only was the cake delicious, but it was BEAUTIFUL!

Thankfully, this past Saturday gave us an opportunity to enjoy nature and have fun as a family.  On June 9th, all National Parks waived their entrance fees, so we made use of this and had a family picnic.  Little One didn't cry too much, and the older two had a great time running around.  It was very rejuvenating.


I think it looks like the cousins are doing some fancy, synchronized footwork here.


Our picnic

Been Busy

I haven't been able to do much photography, let alone type a blog or post anything on Facebook. Why? Let me show you:



My sweet little girl finally made her arrival, 11 days past her due date. Also, I just had to show you, we got to see the space shuttle from our neighborhood. Very cool. My daughters were thrilled that they got to see a "spaceship."
 


I'll post again when I get to type with both hands. Who know when that will happen.

Bluebell Hunting

The girls and I went bluebell hunting with a neighbor last week. The girls had a great time picking bluebells. Too bad the flowers got crushed in the wagon on the way home. We'll have to take a container with water next time, that way the flowers might actually last at least until we get home.

I really like Peanut's pose in this picture, but the lighting was a bit harsh. I had to really play with this image and give it a vintage feel in order to make her stand out from the background.

Look, I'm posting a new picture!

Ah, I've been so exhausted lately, and the warm weather has finally hit. What does that mean? Flowers are blooming, birds are singing, my children are wearing fun dresses, and my feet have swollen. Eww. I will be 37 weeks pregnant on Friday!! So exciting!

Here is Popper enjoying the amazing spring weather. The basket is so she can collect "treasures." These treasures usually consist of flowers, rocks, and sticks. Just the other day I found three rocks in the washing machine and another four in the dryer. See, it isn't just boys. :)

Posing for Pictures

Clearly, Popper does NOT like being asked to pose for a picture.

And baby makes three: part 2

Just a few more of my brother and his wife.

I really like this one in black and white, but the color one looks nice too. Guess it depends on my what my brother and his wife like.





I know this one is probably an "outtake" picture, but I love the large smiles and real laugh that they were sharing.

And baby makes three

Want to know what's amazing? My brother, his wife, and the little girl, my Goddaughter, that they are going to have in March. I also think it's pretty swell that their baby is due a month before mine, and I'm the Godmother to their daughter and they will be the Godparents to my little girl. I love my family!

They were kind enough to ask me to take some maternity type pictures of them, so here are a few.