Favorite Photo Tuesday #28

Thanksgiving morning we ventured out to a park of Maben's choosing.  Well, that was a bust because it was completely covered in mud.  I had to come up with a suggestion and quick, good thing I could see another park down the road.  So, we hit up a brand new park and the kids loved it.  The park had the old school merry-go-round play thing.  The kids had a blast with it and I had fun playing with shutter speed.  (I am really loving playing with shutter speed, it's so fun)

Look at Mr. GQ striking a pose for the camera.  What a wonderful morning we had as a family.

Favorite Photo Tuesday #27

I have been trying (almost desperately) to get a good shot of the kids together for a Christmas card.  I have been trying and trying and Colton has been very defiant.  He will look at the camera and just yell no.  So, when I finally caught a moment between the two boys, I knew that was going to be as good as it gets.

I wish that the skies had not been so overcast and blah looking, I also wish it hadn't been 80 degrees at 9:30 in the morning.  I feel kinda bad putting the kids in long sleeves and pants (for 20 minutes) so I could take the picture.  It worked out and I changed them back into cooler clothing so they could run laps around the giant Christmas tree before getting some cookies and heading home.

Well, I hope you stop by and check out a big announcement that I have lined up for tomorrow!  It is some exciting stuff, at least to me anyways.

Favorite Photo Tuesday #26

This week's favorite photo was captured in my own backyard.  I was out back to check and see if some paint was dry,

saw this beauty,

ran back inside,

grabbed my camera,

ran back outside,

watched him fly away,

come back,

get bit by mosquitoes,

finally...get the shot!

This is a Red Admiral, vanessa atalanta.  They are found all over the world.  I was not successful capturing one of these guys while in Vermont this summer, which is why I was so happy to get him this time around. 

The most redeeming thing about Texas in the fall...the great butterfly migration.  Texas may not have beautiful changing leaves, it may not have more than 2 seasons, but in the fall....we get butterflies and lots of them.  Maben and I have been counting Monarchs on the way to school.  Our record is 14 Monarchs in less than a 1/4 mile.

Favorite Photo Tuesday #25

Today I want to show you a beautiful sculpture that I took a photo of.  This sculpture is "Monument Au Fantome," by sculptor Jean DeBuffet.  It's located in Discovery Green Park, just across the street from the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.  I was there this past weekend for the International Quilt Show (which I will be sharing photos of tomorrow). 

I love how the sky looks behind the sculpture.  It was a fairly overcast day and when I was taking photos, the cloud cover broke momentarily and this was the result.  I love how sometimes you are just in the right place at the right time. 

FYI - The building in the background is the Hilton Americas Hotel.

Favorite Photo(s) Tuesday: Halloween Edition

I took a lot of great photos yesterday to capture all the fun that surrounds Halloween.  I couldn't narrow it down to my single favorite photo, so I turned Favorite Photo Tuesday into a Holiday edition that will show off all my favorites.

Because I love pumpkins, we had to carve one up.  The problem down here in Texas, they rot if you don't carve them the day of or the day before.  My helpers weren't too eager to pull out the guts, until I pulled out a spoon.  Neither one of them wanted to be "gooey."

While we were getting the pumpkins ready, Colton decided to attempt and take advantage of my being distracted.  This is his up to no good face.

And there he goes...

Maben picked out the design to carve onto our pumpkin.  He came home from school today with a pumpkin he made and asked if I could carve our pumpkin like that.  Of course I can!

My little robot cowboy is showing off the uncanny resemblance the two pumpkins have.  I think I made Maben proud.

Maben was so excited about dressing up and going trick-or-treating he pretended to be many things today.  The one he kept going back to was a cowboy.  I have a very cute little cowboy!

Once daddy got home, we ate quickly and all got dressed into our costumes.  Colton ended up being a firefighter because he got Charlie Brown super dirty yesterday when we went to lunch.  We were taking advantage of kids eating free that came in costume. 

Maben chose the Angry Bird shirt for Matt.  The firefighter costume is a pajama costume from Carter's.  They use to carry quite a few when Maben was that age and I bought up a bunch of them because they are fun.  Maben ended up going as just a robot and I donned my owl.

The boys really enjoyed trick-or-treating.  Colton was a riot to watch.  He had no fear of strangers...he even walked into one of my neighbors houses when they opened the door.

Colton did catch on quickly to how this whole thing works.  I walk up, they give me candy and I say, "Dank Oooo."  Well, that wasn't good enough for this little guy.  Towards the end of our trick-or-treating, Maben would yell, "Trick-or-treat," both boys would collect their candy.  Maben would say, "thank you," and Colton would look all sad and say, "I have more?"  Of course he would get more candy and his face would light up and he would say, "Dank Oooo." 

What a little manipulator!  It is hard to say NO to that cute little monster.

I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween!

Favorite Photo Tuesday #24

Last Thursday I was having a bad morning. 

The kids did not he want to cooperate to get out the door.  Once I finally got them out the door and into the car, I was halfway to preschool when I realized I forgot the stroller for Colton and had to come back home.  I was stressed and in a terrible mood.  It wasn't until I was almost back home that I spotted this beautiful hot air balloon floating over my neighborhood and suddenly I was calm.

It forced me to stop and look.  I pulled over on the side of the road and grabbed my camera.  I pointed the balloon out to the kids and it calmed them too!  We were all caught up in the moment.  It was something that was needed to force me to slow down and realize, we were already late.  My terrible mood and rushing wasn't going to get us there any faster or happier.  Once I let go of the stress, the kids and I had a wonderful day.

Last Thursday, I was having a bad morning, but it turned out to be a great day!

Favorite Photo Tuesday #23

The photo this week is a blast from the past.  Dealing with everyday life and two kids in the past week both catching croup and one needing an Emergency Room visit, photography was not at the fore front of my mind.

This photo is one that I took 3 years ago back in my hometown of Denver.  Actually, I was standing on a hill in Highlands Ranch (suburb) looking out at the Rockies.

This is a view that I really miss.  I miss four seasons and the occasional snowfall.  I also really miss concerts at Red Rocks.  Red Rocks Amphitheater can be seen in the bottom right hand corner of this photo. 

Even though I miss living in Colorado, I wouldn't trade it for what I have right here and now.  I have a great husband, two awesome boys and two lovable dogs in a good house that we own.  Houston has a lot to offer and with it being such a large city, we definitely have not explored it enough.  I think I need to make a Houston bucket list.  Hmm....

Favorite Photo Tuesday #22

Last week I was at an awesome nursery called Enchanted Gardens.  It's where I buy almost all of my plants.  Seriously, the best nursery ever.  The placement their plants, gardens and decor is very well thought out and they have several landscaped gardens to show off some of the plants they sell as well as showcase their landscaping business. 

Well, this photo is in one of those gardens with me laying on the ground and my boys not wanting their picture taken while sitting in a garden cart.  They went from super happy to very mad when I stopped pulling them. 

Who says a great photo has to have the kid smiling? 

I love the look I am getting from Colton and how I am getting shunned from Maben.  I think it's important to capture a range of looks/emotions, other than the, "say cheese," look.  I also think that the angle of the photo definitely highlights their distaste for my wanting to stop and take their picture. 

Oh, how I love this photo!

Favorite Photo Tuesday #24

I don't do product photography very well.  I have been working on it, especially since starting a blog.  I am learning the importance of angle, lighting, background, etc.  Some of my favorite blogs also have the best product photography.  For me, it's easy to capture a look, a moment, an action.  All of those have warmth, because they have life.  Taking a photo of an inanimate object, you really have to create the moment.

This week I am showing off the absolutely evil (and I mean evil) brownie cheesecake that was requested of me to make.  Hubby, I love you, and this proves it.  My personal trainer is going to kill me this week.

In order to make my brownie cheesecake, I followed the Better Homes and Gardens Cheesecake Supreme recipe, but folded in half a package of broken up brownies right before adding the cheesecake mixture to the pan.  This actually made two small cheesecakes.  It was so tasty.  It is pure evil.  I will be pawning off one of those cheesecakes on someone. 

Does this photo make you hungry?  I have brownie cheesecake if anyone wants to come over and help me eat it?

Favorite Photo Tuesday #23

While in the Cleveland Airport a while ago, Maben saw a ping pong ball run.  He loved it, he has dreams about it, and he occasionally asks to fly on an airplane so we can go watch it again.  While, I love to travel, I don't want to travel for the soul purpose of hanging out in an airport watching balls bounce, roll and weave through a maze of obstacles.  This got me thinking about a marble run that was given to me when Maben was far too young to use it.  Colton is old enough to hopefully not put the marbles in his mouth, so I felt it safe to bring it down out of the closet, dust it off and set it up.

Both boys are in LOVE with it.  I have set it up at least once a day since bringing it out of the closet and they never get tired of it.  They are mesmerized by the marbles traversing through the run.  Seriously, one of the best toys ever.  An oldie but definitely a goodie!

Favorite Photo Tuesday #22

I am not a super fan of the self photo, but I had to.  My husband and I were all dressed up for a wedding reception Saturday night and didn't get an opportunity to have anyone take a photo of us looking our best together.  So, after we got home, the self photo was necessary. 

I love you hunny!  I also love that you let me dress you, because I love the color of that shirt on you.  It makes your eyes sparkle!

Favorite Photo Tuesday #21

I am finally starting to get my head back on.  My computer is up and running now, all my photos and programs have been loaded.  I am finally getting a handle on Maben being back in school and the new schedule that creates for all of us.  Maben, however, has not quite gotten use to it all just yet.  He has barely taken a nap all summer, but this last Friday when out to dinner, he just couldn't hold his eyes open any longer.

He laid down on the booth seat and lights out!  He slept all through dinner.  He slept through the talking, the giggling, his brother screeching.  School has this poor boy worn out!  I am hoping he gets a handle on his new schedule soon.  In the mean time, bedtime has definitely been moved up!

Favorite Photo Tuesday #20...on Wednesday

Yeah, I totally flaked.  I had every intention of putting up a photo yesterday and it just didn't happen.  I have been so super busy and just trying to find my grove with the massive shift in my schedule because of school starting back up.  I am hoping that I will find it quickly.

So, I am sure many of you out there have heard about the massive drought here in Texas.  Well, tonight we had a good thunderstorm roll through that brought with it LOTS of lightening.  Well, I captured lightning in a photo!!!  I have always wanted to do that.  Now I have!!!  It makes me so giddy.  With my house being totally surrounded by trees I wasn't able to get a clear shot of the lightening, but I will take what I can get.

I used my tripod and set up on my front porch, which is covered (otherwise I would have gotten soaked).  I used a very slow shutter speed in order to make sure I could even have a chance at catching some lightening and it worked.  It took about 75 shots in order to get it, but that's what makes digital so awesome!  If you look carefully, you can even see bolts of lightening behind the trees too!

Favorite Photo Tuesday #19

Are you all sick of butterflies yet?  I hope not.  I may not have been a princess girl growing up, but I loved butterflies and still do.  It's one of the few things that is truly girly about me.  To combine flowers and butterflies is a match made in Heaven.  I was super excited when I managed to capture this lovely combo.

Butterfly: Viceroy (not a Monarch)

Flower: Queen Anne's Lace

Favorite Photo Tuesday #18

Vermont has been treating us well.  So well that the boys have taken to the dirt very quickly and they want to play in the dirt piles EVERYDAY!  Living in suburbia doesn't give the kids much in the way of dirt to play with.  So, while we are here, the boys are more than welcome to be boys and get dirty.

Colton was a little mad at me for interrupting his dirt playtime, but I just had to get a photo of that precious, dirty face.

Favorite Photo Tuesday #17

Colton is my Daredevil!

He is my child that will run into a wall, because he thinks it is funny to bounce off of it and fall down.

He likes to spin in circles because it makes him dizzy and fall over.

He is my child that has scaled anything he puts his mind to without thought of how to get down.

I was fairly convinced he was fearless...that was until I put him on a carousel horse and it started moving.

This is a rare capture.  I have never seen him this scared or upset before.  He is typically the kid that just needs a hug and a quick kiss and it will remedy any injury that he sustains.

The carousel took lots of snuggles to get over.  And since I couldn't stop the carousel, unbuckle and remove him, I took his picture instead.

Favorite Photo Tuesday: A Recap

I realized this week that I have been really good about posting my favorite photo every week, for the past 16 weeks!  I hope you have enjoyed it.  It lets you into my life and has definitely expanded and helped me achieve better photography results with my new camera.  This week, with all it's craziness hasn't lent for any great photos, so I am doing this recap.  I know, and I just was talking about how good I was doing!  Oops! 

The thing I have learned most about doing this every week, capture the moments that make you smile.  Each and every one of these photos brings a smile to my face.  I know why I chose each and every one of these photos to showcase for you.  Whether it is my fascination with a full moon or letting my kids be kids.  They are all special to me.

Favorite Photo Tuesday #16

This summer, I have really been about capturing memories.  The kids have experienced a lot of fun things.  This past weekend, my hubby and I took the kids up to Zube Park where the Houston Area Live Steamers gives free rides on miniature trains.  If anyone who reads this is in the Houston area...it's something to definitely check out. 

While we were there, we bought our boys some conductor hats.  Colton was so proud to have his hat on.  His ears tucked over were adorable.  Both of the boys had a blast riding the trains and Colton's face lets you know just how much fun he had that day.

Favorite Photo(s) Tuesday #15

This past week I had more than one favorite photo, I had three.  Maben decided that we had to eat outside on the patio and after dinner, the result was letting the kids have control of the water hose.  It was a lot of fun and there was a lot of mud.

I have such fond memories as a kid of playing in mud puddles.  Even all the times I got in trouble for it.

Don't forget to enter my birthday giveaway here.

Favorite Photo Tuesday #14

Happy Independence Day everyone!!!

This week's photo came from watching the fireworks last night.  I had family in town and the silhouettes of the two kids are that of my son Maben and my nephew Jonah.  It was a great fireworks show and both of my kids loved it!  I hope you all enjoyed celebrating our nation's birthday!  Now I have to say goodbye to my family and get back on our normal schedule.