3 little bugs

I was going to make costumes this year, haha that didn't happen!  And I am glad I didn't stress out over it!  Instead, we have our "3 little bugs"

 

Happy Halloween!

Thanks to Erin Bradley for the cute digital design

The most Commonly asked question

So out of all of the questions that I thought might be asked on this blog, the one I get the most I really never expected.  The most common question I get is:

What kind of camera do you have?  and how do you take such great photos?

Ok you must first know, I am NOT a photographer, more like a momtographer.  I am just one of those moms who wants take better photos of my kids and learn more, plus I really enjoy it.

My Camera

I have a Nikon D3100, it is a DSLR camera (meaning a little more fancy than a point and shot)  It is like a "starter" nicer camera.

And I would say, "yes" it helps me take better photos, but with a huge BUT, because I have really had to learn how to start using it in order to take better photos, not just put it in AUTO.

So 5 things that have really helped me to take better photos
(I learned all of these things from other people/bloggers)

1) I stopped using the Flash.  Natural lighting is soo much better, and learning about to use your camera can really help you learn how to take photos using the light around you, rather than the camera flash.

believe it or not since this photo was half in the shade so in Auto my camera wanted to flash, but I decided to use the sunlight behind me instead

2) I changed my perspective, literally.   Get on the ground to take a photo, stand on a table, get at the level of the person you are take the photo of.  It makes a world of difference!  This you can do with ANY camera, even your iphone, just try a different angle

I stood on a chair for this photo, taken by my iphone

I set the camera on the counter at starbucks to get the girls perspective

I squatted under the bubble as she was blowing it

 3) I have read a lot  and practiced A LOT!   and am still reading...... boring huh?  I really wish I would have had someone who could have just showed me one on one how to use my camera better, but that has been hard to find. My brother in law Jacob gave me a few pointers and  my friend Celine, has really encouraged me and directed me toward some websites, so I read those when I get the chance.  Weird as it may seem I like learning something, and challenging my brain a bit.

And for the One good photo you see on my blog, it look like 50 to get that one.  

 

4) Sometimes the best photos are just moments, and dirty faces

I just love this photo, Sarah's cheeks, her hair in her face like it usually is, the beach...

I love this photo of Maya, I love that she has a dirty face but is still beautiful,  bc that is what they day was like dirty yet completely beautiful

5) I have learned to shoot in the big "M" Manual, yikes scarey, and I am still learning.   This just takes time and practice.

The "Move to Manual"tutuorial on this website was by far the best in helping me, thank you Courtney Kirkland Blog
I also read this blog a lot, which give great photo tips

----------------------------------------------------------------
I hope that helps some of you.  I would love more input and advice if any of you have it.  I also don't mind more questions, just remember I am NOT a professional photographer.

And don't forget to jump in a photo every now and again too!

Is that Norah? At the Pumpkin Patch

If you can imagine everything possible that is fun, fallish, and beautiful that describes our trip to California.  So delightful!  The weather was awesome, we at lots of apples, fuji apples, apple donuts, apple fritters, apple pie, apple cider, apple papple (that's not really anything it just sounded fun to say!).   Can you smell our trip yet, because that was one of the best parts!

So, now I am going to revert to the pumpkin portion of our journey right after talking about apples.  One of our stops in California was a GREAT pumpkin patch, Bishops Pumpkin Farm.  It is so great, a real pumpkin patch (sorry Colorado, a random field with a few pumpkins and a slide is not a real pumpkin patch). Bishops is made especially for the fall time for the year, it is like a fall/farm amusement park of sorts, but it is free to get it, and you just have to pay for a few of the activities.  We LOVED it, especially since we went with our good friends the Hornaceks

While there I took a few family photos of the Hornaceks (will post at a later time), while doing that Brett went to the petting zoo with the girls.  Once we met back up, Brett told me a girl he did not know came up to him and said, "Is that Norah?"

He was like...... "uh yeah"  She then proceeded to tell Brett she knew Carrisa.  How random, weird and funny.  Brett doesn't remember what her name was, so if you were at the bishops and saw my girls and Brett tell me who you are!

Ready for some fun photos?!

Go!

My BFF!

cool girl on a cool bus

Love

the train ride was the best part!
you like that sarah's diaper and belly are showing?  I am a real classy mom

They all loved it!

GET ME OUT!

haha, they had the joking chickens, I think the kids were confused

Norah could have done this ALL day, she was in heaven!

Sissy's

Friends, "Hi Kyri"

to life long friends

Cute, ey?

Hi Norah

the wooden train was also a huge hit!

Best friends, really, Kevin makes any Sarah look cute!

Family of 5, sometimes still hard to believe

What our family would look like with a little boy, ha

 

strike a pose

nothing like a days end at the pumpkin patch

Oh my, the kids were soooo dirty, we had to get them naked and bathed as soon as we got home. Grabbed this photo of these 2 cuties playing :O)

Life in a Trunk and flowers in your hair

We went through my dad's trunk when I went home to California

It was hard

really hard

and overwhelming

I am human, and I love the Lord, and it is ok to have human responses, to not always put up a front.  And when I went through the trunk and read, read about the new paper articles about by father, read page after page of High school students saying how special my father was, read about how great of a marine he was, that he was highest in his class, that he was loved by so many, that he was indeed a GREAT man........

all I could think was, "how unfair"

how unfair that I only got a tiny glimpse of my father

how unfair that everyone else knew what a great man he was and I only saw a small glimpse
how unfair that my girls will never know him
how unfair that I just found out he had a degree in aeronautical engineering

how unfair that my 25 year old sister sitting right next to me was only 4 when he died

how unfair that his teaching credential came in the mail a month after he died

how unfair that this great man could be gone, he could have changed the world, he wasn't done yet...

we needed him, when my brother died, and when my sister died, we needed him in life

and yet life is not fair

I could go on and on about how so much in my life has been "unfair"

and I think it is ok to have  these thoughts,

 to grieve and acknowledge that it really isn't fair

but then to stop and not dwell on them, to move forward

as unfair as that seems

because what would that serve? to dwell and mope in pity forever?

it certainly wouldn't honor my father

and it certainly is not what the Lord has planned for me

He has plans for a great future, to prosper

one that has hope and joy even in the midst of hard times

I can be sad and shed tears for them and that's ok

but I have an eternal hope that won't ever go away

When I listen to the song "after the storm" it reminds me of that hope. That when I get over this hill, after the storm, I will be able to look up and see hope, with joy in my heart...and there won't anymore tears