That Time of Year Again...

Trash to Treasure Book Fair Think I can get them organized and priced before John comes home and sees the mess I've made?

Pre-Teen Trauma

Cayden had four basketball games on Saturday and by Game number four Branson had spent enough time in the gym. We headed out to the hallway where he spotted the rows of High School Lockers. He fiddled with the combination lock...
And when his right hand didn't make it open he tried using the left.


When neither tactic produced results he did what every teenager does when they can't get their locker open...
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He cried.

Winner And A Show

Anderson won his first wrestling match yesterday! This is his first year and he is really improving (and actually starting to like it.) After the match Anderson and I went on a "date" to an amazing performance by the Pasco High School 10th Avenue Singers. Anderson enjoys singing and has a great voice. I like that he had the opportunity to see other cool, masculine, young men sing and dance up on the stage.
Anderson was a bit embarrassed when I had someone take our picture at the show. Maybe I'm not as "cool" a mom as I thought I was.

Dibble, Dabble, Learn

So I attended the photography class in Seattle. I have read and reread my notes. I know what I am supposed to do but I still get flustered when the lighting is low and my subject is moving. But the more and more I use the manual setting I am seeing less and less of photos like the one below.I am thrilled to be able to shoot inside a gym with horrific lighting and no flash and get decent results.
I am still fine tuning things but I was pleased with how these pictures of Branson turned out. It was about 5:00 in the evening and the sun was setting fast. I know some of them are a bit over or under exposed and I would normally fix that in photoshop before putting them on my blog but then that would defeat the purpose of this particular post.
Branson checking out the teenage girls who were acting like...well, giggly teenage girls.

I was still using manual focus and I'm going to give that up for a while. His hand is more in focus than his eyes. And the eyes should always be in focus.I have learned to appreciate the non smiling photos. They tell so much!

Now if only I could spend hours and hours behind my camera instead of doing laundry, running errands and getting things done for Cub Scout Day Camp.

Things That Make You Go "Hmmmm?"

What is so magical about mom and dad's shower that causes all the kids to fight over who gets to use it?



How come every toddler has a normal, everyday word that comes out sounding like the worst possible swear word. Branson's is "frog." Although Anderson's was more of a phrase. Whenever we would drive past a gas station he would get excited thinking we were headed to "go get some gas." But in his toddler voice he simply stated, "get gas" but it sounding more like he was wanting to "kick" something.



Why do the dirty clothes get dropped or thrown onto the floor only to land inches away from the laundry basket...repeatedly?



Really? Does she really think that cute tan boots, slick basketball sweats and a nice flowery shirt match? Yes...yes she does.



At church on Sunday, why does everyone (including John) think that Branson's snacks are a free for all. Come on guys it is not a movie with concessions!



What on earth is Branson's thing with garbage cans!? He loves to push them over and then body slam them on the ground. This is just peachy when the can is full of potato peelings and raw chicken.

Why do we love our pets so much? The dog is untrained, fat, lazy and she smells . Our cat is completely bipolar...I am sure of it.

What is it about Fishy Crackers? Between the older kid's school lunches and Branson's snacks I am pretty sure we could keep that company in business.

Why is it that all of a sudden things just start falling apart around the house. The kitchen faucet starts dripping, one of the toilets starts running all the time, the garage door won't shut, and the bathroom fan sounds like it's going to explode!




Why did Sydney choose the topic of "Not Bullying" for her Family Home Evening lesson this week? And why did she continue to look at her older brothers the entire time she was giving it?


(I completely stole this one from my cousin Noelle...)
Why does motherhood often feel like you are stuck in the movie Groundhog Day?

How Do You Get To School?

Sydney and Grandpa Cazier

Why I am Soooo Excited!

Why am I so dang excited? Because ALL the photos on this post are my very first photos taken MANUALLY! All by myself...shutter speed, aperture, and focus! Up until Saturday I was taking all my pictures on auto. The only thing I have done to these photos is size them down and change them to JPG to fit on my blog. I didn't retouch any of them. I know they aren't perfect but hey...it's a start!So I discovered that when you are super pumped to do a photo shoot and the lighting is perfect, an over-active toddler is NOT your best subject. But what do you do...he was the only one home.
I went to Seattle on Saturday to attend an amazing crash course taught by Nicole Gerulat
It was worth every penny. I took a picture of my class notes in an incredibly dark room.

She even brought in a model for us to teach us about proper lighting. (And yes she has clothes on :) She was wearing a strapless dress.)

Danyelle was the one who told me about the class and talked me into taking it. She even posed for me so I could practice.

So I am thrilled! I feel like I can take my photography to a whole new level and I can't wait!

I am saving up for my dream lens (one that can capture shots during basketball games) and I have made a bit of extra money taking family photos for friends.

Need your picture taken?

I only charge $75 for a 1-2 hour family photo shoot and $50 for a photo shoot of a single person, child, or baby. This pays me for my time at the shoot and for the hours I spend editing and retouching your photos. When the pictures are ready you get a CD full of every photo taken at the shoot and another CD with the retouched photos.

Give me a call if you're interested!