Linked 52: Light Experienmentation

Oh how I need practice, but I give myself an E for effort on this post.


I am trying to learn how take take photos with as little light as possible. For those bloggers/photographers who nail this regularly, HELP ME!







There is just something I love about capturing them while they sleep. I took this photo with just the hall light beaming into his room.

Settings are ISO 800 f/1.2

It's my first week as a owner of this new addition to the camera bag... This one was a rental, but it only took one client session to convince me, this next step forward in the business. My new lens arrived yesterday :) I am in love.

Here are a couple more of more attempts...

With 90 degree temperatures all week, we spent A LOT of time outside in the water. With no attempt to capture light, I am loving the light in these shots. I like when that happens.

ISO 250, f/2.0

To check out some fabulous Light Experienmentation posts follow these links! 

Stacey, Michelle, Heather, Tracey, Jenn, Jessica, Amanda, Kristin, Sara, Tracy, Lesli, Janet, Naomi, Rhonda, Rose, Carla, Heidi, Veronica, Amy, Liza, Heather, Jean & Kristi

Thank God for Miracles

Sometimes life puts events up in front of you and you don't know what to say or how to respond. Right now I have plenty to say, but can't say it. Life is feeling pretty hectic to be butually honest. Looking at the big picture and realistically it could be worse, a lot worse. At this point I don't know if I want to punch someone, throw something, scream, cry or throw up. I wish it was possible to do all of them at once and maybe I would feel a little more human and a little less numb.

I hope to blog more about what's really going on, once that gets completely figured out. No worries about baby Bee, he is kicking away in there...his mommy is just trying to do the best to hold it together for him and for us.

Thanks to everyone who has been lending an ear, thank you to my wonderful husband and my amazing Harrison who can put a smile on my face no matter what. This morning I said to him, "Momma sad." He looked up at me, put his hand on his head and said, "Yeah owie." Thank God for miracles.

Bee Report: Weeks 16-20

20 weeks is here!

HALF BAKED!

size of baby: 16 weeks: avocado, 17 weeks: onion, 18 weeks: sweet potato, 19 weeks: mango, 20 weeks: banana

cravings: Fugi apples have been a favorite as of lately. It's funny to have the same tastes that I had during my pregnancy with Harrison. I also pile on mayo on my sandwiches, peanut butter, jelly and ketchup. I call it a condiment love.

what I love: Knowing we are having a boy, planning the room, picking out tiny newborn outfits, researching consumer reports for the best products.

what I am looking forward to the most: Getting paint up on the walls in his nursery, shopping, shopping, shopping, spending as much time with Harrison and watching his excitement grow as we prepare for his little brother's arrival.

worries: I still get a lot of lower pressure, but it's been less painful, but mostly still feeling it on a daily basis. My hip pain/lower back pain is increasing if I sit on the bare ground or low chairs for any amount of time. I feel for anyone who has ever had or needed a hip replacement. What I have read about this is that this pain is common, mostly in the second pregnancy as the muscles loosen. I am pretty sure at this point some of them aren't connected anymore, it's like bone on bone, not kidding.

what's different this time around: Wanting to buy some maternity pants, maybe not full fledged but at least bigger pants. Most of my bottoms still fit, but Miles is lying right where the pants fasten, so bending over I am feeling like I am squishing him and when he kicks I feel as though he is tapping my belly asking for more room.

symptoms: What bee report would be complete without saying bigger bras? Emotionally I feel more stable, not worrying as much.

maternity clothes: Hand full of shirts, zero bottoms. I live in sweats/shorts ad tees at home. I am looking forward to a trip to Mall of America and Albertville Outlet Mall on Friday. A friend of mine is expecting in early January, should be a fun trip us. On my list...bottoms, bras and newborn gear. Watch out GAP MATERNITY---these girls are going to shop until we drop!

sleep: Overall my night-marish dreams have mostly taken a back seat...in place? Frequent trips to the bathroom...

belly: Haven't noticed a huge change in the last month, but it's gotten a lot more firm to the touch. The latest ultra sound concluded Miles is a good size baby measuring in the 65 percentile. I feel like I am about the same size as I was carrying Harrison at 20 weeks.

movement: ALL THE TIME. Last week I felt him do two complete summer saults, I had forgot that feeling. I am still waiting for Doug and Harrison to feel his first kicks. You can see movement from the outside, but neither boy is patient enough to wait for him to move.

boy/girl: Baby boy, but Harrison still swears it's a girl.

milestones: Half baked! 20 weeks through pregnancy! Ultra sound revealed Baby Bee is a BOY! Ordered the crib bedding and picked out the paint color for the nursery.

comments of the general public: "Let me see that bump!" "Your so cute pregnant." "You hardly look pregnant." "Oh yeah, I see that bump!"

best moment of the month(s): Feeling Bee flutters turn into kicks, ordering some cute boy hats (I couldn't resist) especially for his newborn sessions. My amazing husband for purchasing me a new lens for the camera and trust me, you don't want to know the dollar amount of it.

not so good moment of the month: Being told I will have a cut in my FTE status at work for the next several months (hopefully not any longer) due to some changes at work. Working for a non-profit isn't rainbows and sunshine when the state legislative decides your fate. This is not a good thing to hear when preparing financially for baby number two. It's a mess, I sure hope things get figured out, Bee and I certainly don't need the stress in the middle of a high risk pregnancy.

Here are a couple of quick BUMP UPDATE photos. I took a bunch actually at 19 weeks, but haven't had time to edit them with a number of client photo sessions in full swing. I hope to get to them some day! Or I can add it to my growing maternity leave TO DO list. I also need to change the time of day when I take these bump photos---the window light from behind really affects the quality of the photos.

Harrison didn't want much to do with photos, but I convinced him to "hide" for one photo.

Baby Bee is making progress!

3...2...1... BLAST OFF!

Doug and Harrison have been working on building a rocket all week. Yesterday when I got home from a photo session, Harrison took my hand and led me to the basement to show me, "his rocket." They launched their first rocket last weekend but were unable find it after the firing.

I wish I would have got some construction photos, but I did get some shots from today's launch, actually two successful launches.


I am totally in love with these images, one of my favorite father/son moments.

Linked 52: Swinging

 The wooden swing.

I have wanted to get Harrison on this swing for months now. I only wished we could have made there just a bit sooner tonight for lighting purposes. We were busy with "Night on the Farm" event (I'll post photos from that in a later post) and it's been a rainy muggy week here in Minnesota. These photos were taken just after 8:15pm.  I had to have the ISO at 800, which ultimately made for grainier photos, but none the less a few real keepers.

Check out some more SWINGING this week from these talented photographers:

Stacey, Michelle, Heather, Tracey, Jenn, Jessica, Amanda, Kristin, Sara, Tracy, Lesli, Janet, Naomi, Rhonda, Rose, Carla, Heidi, Veronica, Amy, Liza, Heather, Jean & Kristi

Blueberries!

I am much more of a baker than a cooker. I can't say that I can't cook, I am just more motivated to make it if it consists of sugar or chocolate, or even better yet? The two combined.

The pantry was kind of empty last night, so we opted to make blueberry muffins from the box rather than from scratch....we have Betty Crocker to thank for our mini muffins.

Look who cracked his first egg tonight!

I have to admit, he did better than I thought...the first egg was a flop so I had little hope for his second attempt, but look at the bowl below...one tiny shell!

I love his excitement of helping me. The whole time he was mixing the muffins he was saying, "I hungry." The word, "hungry" has become a favorite of his as of lately. I am pretty sure he could out eat a teenage boy with all seriousness.



Rain Drops

I don't know where he gets his love of water from...but you can bet, if it's raining he will be puddle jumping.

I can't get enough of his fire chief rain gear, he's adorable.



Love & Marriage

Love at first sight...you can call it cliche, call it whatever you want.

Doug and I met June 17, 2002 and we instantly fell in love. If anyone would have told me when I was a kid that I would meet and fall in love with my husband at 18 years old, I wouldn't have believed them.

Three months into our relationship I remember saying to myself, "I am going to marry this guy some day." 14 months into our relationship Doug nervously got down on one knee and proposed to me. The excitement and happiness for the next step in to our future in one word would be "powerful." We couldn't wait to share the news with our family and friends.

We received so much love and support as our lives were shifting to move forward. However to this day I remember the response a person gave to us when we announced our engagement. Instead of a blessing or sharing happiness this was said, "I hope you wait a while." How to respond to that? It's been nearly 9 years since then and to this day I honestly don't know if there is any right way to respond to that.

One thing I am very certain is that we have love that only grows stronger with each year. Marriage isn't an easy thing and if anyone tells you it is they aren't living in reality. In the last 10 years of our relationship and 7 years of marriage we have been through a lot of ups and downs. Some things in life make it hard to think you will get past something and that there are brighter days a head. Sometimes life events cause stress on a marriage, been there done that. Our marriage was tested with our son's two month battle in the NICU that was anything but rainbows and sunshine. Instead of growing apart, it brought us together. We hold tight, hoping and praying for a safe arrival our second son in November.

It takes two people to make a relationship work, even sometimes it takes two people fighting with all their might to hold the pieces together. Every marriage is different and I can't speak for any other, I am speaking from our own marriage our own relationship.

You know what I love about our marriage and relationship? Everything. The good, bad, ugly, and the sunshine that follows. That's life, unpredictable...filled with happiness, sorrow, love, forgiveness, excitement. That unpredictability fuels our marriage and keeps us wondering where life will take us and our family.

Monday evening we celebrated our 7 year marriage with simplicity. We ate dinner at the first restaurant Doug ever took me too in our little town. We then walked some trails in one of the most beautiful areas in town.

With a tripod and timer, we managed to capture of few "date night" anniversary photo keepers. 



Doug captured this image of Baby Bee and I, the best anniversary gift ever.

The Parade

A parade without candy? How can that be?

OK. I am not a kid anymore, but even I was disappointed at the Steam Boat Days Parade this year. It wasn't just the candy...it lacked a whole lot everything.

The weather was perfect...It started off HOT and sunny followed by clouds and a breeze and just as the last float went by the sprinkles started to fall.

My brother, mom and some good friends stopped by for the parade, so at least the company was great. All 30 month, 18 month and 17 month toddlers behaved well and somehow beautiful 1 month old baby Danica (whom I photographed her birth recently) slept contently throughout the 3 hour parade without a fuss. Our home happens to be located a half a block off the parade route, so perfect for parking, bathroom breaks, food, and just plain cooling off.

Between lots of talking (I'm good at that) I did snap a very few shots.

 And look....I am even in a shot courtesy of my brother.

And Happy Father's Day to all you father's out there!

Baseball, Air Show, Carnival

Pause... Where is the pause button?


Here we are in the middle of June already. Where has time gone? I've taken some time off of photography to spend as much time with the two men in my life and our families.

Last weekend we took a trip to Mankato, MN to visit my brother and sister-in-law. My brother, his wife, two boys and my parents all made the trip as well. I don't think we spend nearly enough time together, but with four different family lives finding time can seem impossible.

Friday night we went to a Mankato Moon Dog baseball game. My brother Ben helps behind the scenes coordinating sound/music. Harrison was a little crabby and left just after the 7th inning stretch. It had been a long day of driving and it was already past his bed time.

Moments of the game, moments of family...



We had great seats!

Play ball!

My boys.

My brother and nephews stayed after to run bases.

Saturday we went to the Mankato Air Show. If I had to put the day into one word that word would be AMAZING.

I've been to a few small air shows, but nothing like this. The weather was a steaming 90+ under direct sun. HOT, HOT, HOT! The bonus? I got a great tan.



Check out our views from the ground!

The red smoke in the middle is a sky diver.



Here is the sky diver again---very cool.

I was obsessed with the light, love this photo.

 FIREWORKS!

 The "Blue Angels" were there and performed. Doug was as happy a kid in a candy store.

This weekend the carnival is in town. Here is Harrison on his first ride by himself tonight. We were behind the fence, he did so great.

Sunday is the carnival parade and we happen to live a block from the route. We have invited some playmates over for the parade. Harrison had a blast last year, I can't wait to see his reaction this year. Candy, big trucks, horses, clowns, and music---a perfect 2 year old combination.

Next week I kick back into photography mode followed by another brief vacation from photography as we kick off the 4th of July with an parade and fun in my co-workers small town and the 5th we leave for a trip to Duluth. 

Wow, that puts us nearly half through July. August we are planning a trip to Wisconsin Dells to spend a couple of days at the water parks.

I don't know how we plan to fit in all of our other "wants" before summer is through yet.

I am missing photography/clients like crazy, but I am enjoying this time I have been taking off. Soon our little family will be a family of 4.

Have you noticed I've gone blog crazy in the last few days? Every since Doug/Harrison printed the first year of the blog for me for Mother's Day, it's been like reading our life story and I am even more focused on not missing any of the parts of it because re-reading it, is so powerful. The ups and downs we have ,the happy and the sad, it's all in there.

So from bath time, to messy meal time, owies and smiles be prepared to blogged out. Sometimes it's those moments that you aren't saying cheese right in front of the camera, sometimes it's moments like this.