The Cast is off

 Today we went to the orthopedic office to take off the cast and get an x-ray. Finn is usually a shy guy but he has gotten comfortable in this office. He marched right in and sat up on the exam table and put on his hearing protection. He was fascinated to watch the saw and did a great job holding still. After the cast was off we went for the x-ray. Finn knew exactly how to place his arm under the red dot. He's so cute when he wants to be! The two pics showed that the bones in his arm are healing nicely and we would not need another cast. We were excited to go home and give Finn a nice long tubby.

Finn with Nicole the PA

Pony Party

Today was the big day. Kenzie has been asking everyday for weeks how more days until my pony party, and it was finally here. The weather has been beautiful for days, but unfortunately today rain was in the forecast. Luckily they had a covered arena so we were able to bring everything in there and set up. Mackenzie arrived and was all smiles! I think her favorite part were the two ponies just waiting for her to ride. Then her friends started arriving and she was so excited to see everyone. The first hour of the party was pony rides and decorating a pony. Mackenzie had a great time riding on pumpkin and roses and to our surprise Finn was also happy to take a pony ride. He walked right up and asked to be put on the pony and had the best expression on his face as he rode away.  

After the pony rides we headed over to the petting farm. The rain was coming down now, but this didn't stop the kids. They were eager to get in and pet the bunnies and chase the pigs around. They were some very understanding animals.

Once we were done visiting the animals we headed back to the arena for a little cake and pinata time. Jim was very brave and held the pinata out for the kids to wack at. Luckily they weren't blindfolded and no one missed the pinata. After a lot swinging and little help from the grownups the pinata finally broke and everyone gathered up the candy and toys. It was time to head home and let the birthday girl open up her gifts.  It was a very special day for our very special girl.

Marc and Jim with Lindsey and Emersyn

Stephanie and Kai

Kenzie & Maya with Pumpkin and Roses

Kenzie with Anne & Levi

pony cake

present time

Capturing the Light

Last night in photography class our teacher showed us some examples of capturing the last light. Her pictures were beautiful and very inspiring, so I couldn't wait to try this technique out. Today was a foggy day and I didn't think there would be any photo ops, but then just before dark the sun came out from behind the clouds. It was so beautiful I stopped folding my mountain of laundry and asked Kenzie to be my model. She gladly accepted the task.

Fun with toys

Emersyn has recently discovered toys. She loves to grab on to them and try to get them up to her mouth. She's getting really close!

Assignment 2 - Shutter priority

This weeks assignment was to shoot using the S mode. The focus is on photographing moving objects using different shutter speeds. I had fun making the kids run around in front of the house while I took pictures. I even got Jim to play along for a few shots.

 

I found my Feet!

Emersyn is getting better coordination every day. She has become very aware of her surroundings and very grabby. Today she worked on getting a hold of her feet, one of my favorite baby tricks!

Star Student

This week Mackenzie was the student of the week. She was so excited to bring in her pictures and have them put up on a poster for the class to see. Some fun facts about Mackenzie:

• Favorite color - pink
• Favorite food - peanut butter & jelly
• Favorite place to go - Disney World
• Favorite book - Goldilicious
• What do you want to be when you grow up? A doctors that works with animals

4 month photo shoot

4 months old

Today we went for Emersyn's 4 month appointment. She is meeting all her milestones and was very happy to show them off to the nurse practitioner Sonny. She weighed in at 16lb 10oz and 25 inches long. She is in the 95th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height. She can now roll from front to back, grasp objects, lift her head up while laying down and stand up while holding hands. She also does a lot of talking and smiling for anyone that will pay attention to her. She has started drooling quite a bit, so we're thinking teeth are on their way. 

grasping

standing assisted

Portraits of Angus

I've been trying to work on the concepts that we learned in photography class this week, however my children were much to busy to sit for portraits. So I decided to practice with Angus the furry feline. He was happy to oblige as long as he was being pet. Amazing to think that we found a 1lb little fur ball under our porch. He has definitely grown into his ear furnishings!

More Marin Headlands Photos

Fun at the playground

It has been a week of great weather, so we've been trying to take advantage of it and get outdoors as much as possible. This afternoon we went to one of our local playgrounds and took in the sunshine.

Assignment 1 - Aperture priority

I started taking a photography class, which I am very excited about! It is a 4 week class through the parks and rec department, just enough to give me a break from the kids and work on improving something I love. Our first assignment was take the camera off auto and shoot in aperture priority. This was more challenging than I thought it would be, but after about 250 photos and two days of shooting I finally got four pics that I was satisfied with. We took the scenic drive through the Marin headlands and down to Fort Baker. This area is different every time and always beautiful. There is so much to look at and so many great photo spots. I may have to drag the kids back for some more practice.

landscape

macro

portrait

texture