a McKinney morning

Lens Baby: Dallas Arboretum

Yesterday my Lens Baby meetup group met at the Dallas Arboretum. Our goal was to learn how to get heart shaped bokeh like this...

The image on the left was a practice shot. (You can kind of see the hearts!) If you look closely at the image on the right, you'll see those little hearts of light in the background. That's heart bokeh!

Here's how we did it. It was the coolest thing ever!

You make a black construction paper circle with a heart cut-out and hold it up (or tape it as in this photo) to your lens and shoot with the widest aperture possible on your camera. I can do this with my new lens, but the standard lens that came with my camera wouldn't have achieved the same effect.

Here's the Flickr set for a few more pics from yesterday. I used the black construction paper thingy on some of them, but not on others.

Lens Baby: Teddy Bear Picnic

Last Friday was National Teddy Bear Day. To celebrate, Kate and I got together with some Lens Baby friends for a Teddy Bear Picnic photo shoot.

If you go down to the woods today,

You're in for a big surprise.

If you go down to the woods today,

You'll never believe your eyes.

For every bear that ever there was,

Is gathered there for certain because,

Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic.

Here's the full photo set on Flickr:

Kate is 8 months old

Dear Kate,

It was exactly 8 months ago that our lives changed forever in the best way possible: you arrived on the scene! You've transformed from helpless infant to busy, squirmy baby over the months, and we're always excited to see what you'll do next. Here's what you've been up to over the past month...

* You want so badly to be on the move! You can kind of scoot backwards and roll to your desired destinations, but you're not crawling yet. You get so frustrated! Also, you don't like to be laid down flat because you can't get to a sitting position on your own. We'll have to work on those sit ups!

* All you want to do is stand. As we play on the floor, you like to reach over for my hands to pull up with. We give you minimal support, and you're still quite wobbly. We finally got you one of those Leap Frog tables so you have something to entertain you as you practice using your legs.

* We've recently been trying to wean you from your Miracle Blanket swaddling. It's about time! You're doing okay at night, but sometimes you roll to your tummy (which you don't like one bit), and you're too groggy to get yourself turned back over. You like laying on your side the best. No swaddling has been really hard at naptimes, though. It takes you much longer to settle down and finally fall asleep even though you're tired. It's funny to watch your contortions on the baby monitor. Sometimes I cave in and swaddle you so you can get on with your nap and we can get on with our day!

* You still use your paci to sleep. We don't use it real often during the day, but it's always close by, just in case.

* Blowing raspberries is one of your favorite pasttimes. It's funny to hear you go on and on in the car; it makes me giggle! You'll also "respond" to Daddy with raspberries. He'll blow one at you, and you'll echo. You'll do it for him every time! So sweet.

* We've been going on lots of playdates. We're active in the Lens Baby meetup group, and I love taking your picture. You're just such a cute subject! Also, we have joined a new Bible study group, and we've done a couple of playgroups with them, too. There are lots of babies just around your age.

* We left you for the first time overnight with Gram and Granddaddy while Daddy and I went on a vacation. It was so hard to leave you, even though I knew you'd be just fine. And you were!

I love to see your sweet, smiling face greet me every morning. You're our happy girl who's (usually) easy to please. I can't wait to see what the next month has in store for you, little chickadee!

Love you lots,

Mama and Daddy

Clothes: 6-12 month sizes, 12 month PJs
Weight: 20ish pounds
Length: 28ish inches
Diaper size: 3
Sleep: 7:30 pm - 7 am (We sometimes come help you flip back over once in the night.)

Naps: 9 am - 10/10:30 am, 1-2:30, and sometimes a catnap from 5pm - 6 pm. I'm trying to reschedule, but it's not an easy task! A short morning nap and a long afternoon nap sounds good, but we'll see what you can do.
Food: 4 bottles per day, totaling anywhere from 20 to 30 ounces. (Sometimes you're hungry, sometimes you're not.) You also get two stage 2 baby foods per day. You get a great variety, and you like almost everything. You don't like thick textures; they make you gag. We'll keep trying!

This month's elephant pic:

Compared to months 3 through 7:

Los Cabos and the story of "The Great Collapse"

Nick took me on a trip to Los Cabos, Mexico, and it happened to fall on my birthday! It was only for 3 nights (I couldn't bear to leave Kate for longer than that), but we made the most of our time! Scroll all the way down for the Flickr link to all our Cabo pics.

One funny story (funny to you, embarrassing to me)...

The night before my bday, we went to one of the restaurants there at the Hilton. As you can see, I had gotten a lot of sun that day.

The restaurant was mostly empty, as was the resort on the whole. We ordered a fun appetizer...

...and that's where the photos stop. As soon as they set my beautiful main course in front of me (salmon with almond something or other and risotto), I started feeling, well, not so good. I turned to Nick and calmly said, "Just so you know, I feel like I'm going to puke, and I feel light headed." Nick gave me a quizzical look and dismissed my warnings. Seconds later I said, "I need to go to the bathroom now." I stood up and told Nick he needed to go with me. He thought I was nuts. I stood up and immediately went down. No kidding. Right there in the restaurant, I was on the floor with black spots swimming around me and only static in my ears.

And then...

I was surrounded by all the waiters... "Senora, Senora!" (and to Nick) "Is she pregnant?" (NO, I'm not pregnant! And why do men always jump to that conclusion??) After un momento, there was an attempt to get up, followed by a second fall to the floor. No lie. By this time, a couple of security guards added themselves to my entourage. They leaned me back. Ahhh... much better. Blood was getting to my brain now. Deep breaths... yes, all was good. I tried to tell them.

And then...

One of the security guards had an oxygen tank. Yes, my friends, an oxygen mask was applied to my face. I really was feeling almost my usual self, yet I was forced to breathe nice and slow into the mask. For real. The sweet Mexican men kept proclaiming, "El doctor! We need to get her to the doctor." "No, I'm fine... really." I must not have been convincing.

And then...

They brought a wheelchair. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not. They lift me into the wheelchair and have to hoist the thing (with me in it) down a few steps. (Insert some grunty lifting noises here). They now were wheeling me to el doctor on the premises. We get to the "doctor's office..."

And then...

No doctor is there. Nick asks how long el doctor will be. "Only 30 minutos, Senor." Yes. El doctor had to DRIVE IN from where ever it is he lives. You need to know that by now I'm seriously fine, and feeling almost perfect. We wait for el doctor. What else can we do? I'm on the patient bed thingy....

And then...

One of the security guards gets the aloe. He puts on gloves and starts rubbing it all over my scorched back. The security guards all keep saying, "Mas aloe (pronounced all-o-ay), mas aloe! Es muy fresca!" over and over and over again. I think he put like 5 layers of aloe on my back. Disgusting.

And then...

El doctor arrives. He's 26 years old. Seriously. He says my blood pressure probably dropped. (No, really???) I had to sit up slowly, stand slowly, and take a few steps to prove I was not going to drop again.

And then...

We paid el doctor 100 US dolores for his services.

Not how I would have liked to spend that money.

Please don't make fun of me. No one believed me when I tried to tell them I was fine.

The rest of the trip photos:

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

With birthday money I was able to buy...

This lens (35mm, f/1.8). It is a fixed focal length (I can't zoom), and it gives nice bokeh in the background (fuzzy background). I've been having so much fun with it!

Lens Self-Portrait

Lens-Play

AND... I also bought Aperture photo editing software for my MacBook Pro.

An example before/after shot with the use of the software:

Before...

   After...

Lastly, I purchased a blog design revamp... I'm very excited for the big reveal!

And from Nick, I got this beautiful Kelly Moore camera bag...

Thanks so much to those who contributed to these photography items, and thereby the success of birthday 2010. I am having a blast!

"funnest" day of summer, part III

A couple of weekends ago, Nick, Kate, and I drove to College Station to have a roommates' reunion day. While Nick and Kate hung out with Matt, Shay, and the cousins, I was off having the time of my life!

McKinney in the rearview...

Kate in her jammies, tucked in for a long car ride

Nick and Kate dropped me off to meet the girls of 1610A.

First stop: Madden's in downtown Bryan for brunch
Creme Brulee French Toast. Yum.
The roomies left to right: Mere, Beth, Katrina, Liz, Suzanne (and I'm behind the camera!)
Next stop: Nail Spa for pedicures and pampering

Stop #3: The Huffmans' house (Mere's in-laws) for pool and chat time

Next: La Bodega for dinner

Well known for their fish tacos. Hold the spice, please! :)
Then a jaunt across the street to Cafe Eccell for...
Wait for it...
one of the best desserts ever (strawberry tart).
Perfect end to a perfect day. It was so much fun to catch up with sweet friends. It felt like we hadn't skipped a beat; there was never a lull in the conversation! We decided we need to make our reunions a more regular event. I whole-heartedly concur!

Kate is 7 months old

Dear Kate,

I cannot believe you are seven months old now! It seems so much closer to that one year mark than I care to admit. You're losing your "little baby-ness," but you're gaining more and more personality, and that is fun to see! Here are some things you've been doing over the last month...

* You're starting to notice Kirby more. You're interested in her, and you reach out to grab her if she's close enough. She doesn't appreciate being grabbed, though. We'll work on gentle pats.

* Speaking of grabbing, anything and everything that's within your reach is yours. Or so you think. We have to clear a path before we set you down somewhere. I know it's only a glimpse of the child-proofing that is to come, but it has been an eye-opener for sure to see you grabbing for things you shouldn't have. Oh, and by the way, you like to throw little tantrums when we take things away from you. Like Mommy's grocery list.

* Over the last couple of days, you've started to roll from back to tummy every chance you get. Once you're on your tummy, you work hard to get your tush way up with your legs under you. I'm pretty sure you want to crawl! You can scoot a little, but you haven't figured out how to push up on your arms. From what I hear, it's best that you stay immobile as long as possible, so no rush on the crawling thing!

* You have 2 teeth. We can only barely see them, but they're there! Your hair is thickening, too. Your days of being bald and toothless are numbered.

* You sit really well now. You only fall over when you throw yourself down because you want to try to crawl.

* At least twice a day you're eating solid foods. You like almost everything, but foods with more texture make you gag. You enjoy tasting new flavors; anything is better than your yucky "tofu milk," as Daddy calls it.

* When you're fussy in the evenings, you can be easily calmed by just walking outside. You love that! It's just too bad it's so hot out, or we'd take you out more.

* Your Daddy and I are such push-overs. We still swaddle you (arms only) to get you to sleep. I know, I know, we said we'd stop by now, and we have tried! But if you aren't swaddled, you'll just roll around and play and play and play, no matter how tired you seemed at the start. After 40 minutes of this, I cave and come swaddle you. You immediately fall asleep. I'm not sure how to rid you of this sleep-crutch except for letting you cry, but I know that's going to make for a few rough days that I'm just not ready for.

* You also still get your paci. Yes, I know. This is also something we said would be gone by now. I still have hopes to wean you from it soon, but it's harder than it looks.

Kate, you're such an easy-going girl most of the time. You're a joy all of the time. What a blessing you are to us! We are so thankful for our sweet little Munchkin.

Love you,

Mama (and Daddy, too)

Clothes: 6-9 and 6-12 month sizes

Weight: 19 pounds, give or take

Length: almost 28 inches

Diaper size: 3

Sleep: 7:30 pm - 7 am (sometimes with one night wakening where I run up and replace your paci)

Naps: 8:30-10:00, 12:30-2:00, & 4:30-5:30 (on a "normal" day, but you've been inconsistent lately)

Food: 4 bottles per day totaling about 24 ounces and two feedings of solid food

Monthly comparison shots (3 to 7 months)

Our girl is getting squirmier and squirmier - photo outtakes

Lens Baby

Today Kate & I met up with a playgroup... our "Lens Baby" group! This is a Meetup group for moms who enjoy photography. It's perfect for me! Some members are professional photographers, so it's a great learning experience. Some meetups are in peoples' homes as casual play dates, while others (like an upcoming Deep Ellum walkabout) are excursions for great photo scenery. I'm especially excited about "Bokeh in the Garden" coming up. We'll go to the Dallas Arboretum, and one of the professional moms is going to teach us about how to do "bokeh" in our photographs. (It's the technique where you get neat out-of-focus light blobbies in the background. That's the technical definition, I'm sure you can tell.) How cool is that?

I finally pulled out my camera's manual, and I've been reading lots online also. I'm a bit rusty on my camera lingo ("f stop," "aperture," "shutter speed," etc.) since it was high school when I took my only photo class, so I've been brushing up. It's been nearly two years since I've had my digital SLR camera, and it's about time the dial was turned from auto to manual.

Today we met at a park here in McKinney for a "Bubbles and Pinwheels" meetup. The wind wasn't real cooperative with the bubbles part, but the pinwheels were super cute. In these 2 photos I chose to focus on the pinwheel, leaving Kate blurry in the background. I think they turned out neat.

Shooting on manual is trial and error. More error than success right now. Many of my shots came out over-exposed. Too bad, too, because that was when Kate was being her sunniest self.

Big woops...

Can you tell I'm really excited about this? Too bad it's such an expensive hobby... now I need a new camera bag, a new lens, PhotoShop... good thing I have a birthday coming up!

Arbor? Pergola?

Whatever you want to call it, ours is done! Nick's dad and brothers were here mid-May to help him build it. (Thank you!) It took Nick another weekend to put the 2x2s across the top and stain the whole thing. I love the results! We planted three star jasmine vines to grow up the posts and fill in the top, too. That'll take some time, though, so I'll have to be patient for the complete look, I guess.