3 Year Photos

I took Cameron to the park yesterday to try and get some 3 year photos of him. This kid wouldn't sit still for nothing! He was far more interested in doing what he wanted to do. I was only able to coax some smiles out of him when I put a pinecone on my head. Nothing better than mom making a fool of herself! I am going to try and get some indoor studio shots, too. I have a lot more control over things when I am indoors. You can see more photos from this photo shoot by visiting my Photography blog.

My Dæmon

If any of you have ever read the Golden Compass, then you will know that it is a great book. In that story, a person's soul is on the outside of their body in the form of an animal. It is known as a dæmon. I took a little quiz to see what my dæmon would be. Do you think it is a good fit for me? Please let me know!

On Being a Mom

AMEN!

Yay for Sheila!

When we first moved down here to Nevada, our tarantula, Sheila, Had a little accident and broke two of her legs. She limped around for a while until she molted. At that point the front leg was then missing entirely, and the one behind had only grown half way. We were sad:-(

But she just recently molted again (they do this about once a year), and we are happy to announce that her limbs have been restored! Well, they're not perfect. They still have some growing to do. But we have hopes that within time she will fully regrow both limbs.

So here are the latest of Shelia, our beloved Chilean Rose tarantula!

Isn't she gorgeous!
The shell. If you look closely int he red spot you can see the fangs. Yup, they shed those, too!Here is a good look at her regrown limbs. The red arrow points to the limb that was previously missing entirely, the white arrow to the half-limb.

Harry Potter Party!

We had Cameron's birthday party last Friday, with a Harry Potter theme. Cameron LOVES Harry Potter! We had a great turn-out this year. In fact, it was pretty crowded in our teeny little apartment. But everyone had lots of fun, and that's what counts.

I had this spectacular vision of a Hogwarts castle cake in my mind. It was going to be truly amazing. However, I had to work the day before, and I was really busy the other days of the week. So I only had the day of the party to prepare, and although I was up early in the morning to prepare, it just didn't come together as planned. But the kids loved it anyway.


Cameron's favorite part was playing with the balloons. His favorite color is orange (yes, 3 year olds have favorite colors!), so he loved the orange balloons.
He got lots of gifts, but his favorite is his new Harry Potter magic wand. His favorite spell: Obliviate!

And just because I am insane, here's a pic with all 8 party kids. They were all surprisingly good, except for one. Any guesses who that one might be? Hint: he's sitting on my husband's lap!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Cameron!!!!!

I can hardly believe my baby turned 3 today! Time has just flown by! And now I am having a serious old people moment, LOL. We spent this morning watching Cameron's home video, starting with his U/S's. Seems so long ago, I almost can't remember even being pregnant. And he looked so tiny! Well, in comparison to how big he is now, anyway. He was never REALLY tiny. A regular chunky monkey:-)

Let's take a walk down memory lane:

Just hours old

Less than a week old with his daddy
Blessing Day, 3 weeks old
Learning to crawl, 4 1/2 monthsHis first Easter. See the cute puffy tail?

6 months old. Ridiculously cute smile:-)

First Camping trip, 8 months old
First Birthday! Computer geek. You should see what he can do now! July 2007. Babies and Nature: God's two greatest creations.
Second Birthday!
Christmas 2006. One of my favorite pics of him!
May 2007. His first horseback ride
Look at this face! Makes me want to cry every time he does it;-(
July 2007

And finally, a few from today, showing off his new Mario t-shirt:

Bedtime

Ever wonder what it's like to have kids? This guy tells it. . .er, sings it. . .like it is! Every thing he sings about in this song has happened to Craig and I, often on a regular basis.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uISuvTiTYJA

Brought to you by the Number 8!

8 Things I'm passionate about:
1. My husband
2. My son
3. Photography. Some might say I border on obssessed with this one:-)
4. Music. I LOVE music! I'll sing it, play it, dance to it. Without music my life would be an endless void.
5. My Religion. I'm full-blooded Mormon and proud of it!
6. Gilmore Girls. The greateset show EVER. Until the final season which was totally lame. But the rest was AWESOME. Our first daughter will be named Lorelei.
7. Brownies. I just can't pass them up.
8. True Friends. The kind you would do anything for and would do anything for you.

8 Things I want to do before I die:
1. Learn to speak Spanish fluently
2. Have more kiddies:-)
3. See my kids grow up and have kids of their own
4. Visit as many temples around the world as I possibly can.
5. Learn to be more organized. Or at least be less messy.
6. Have a successful photography business.
7. Learn to be more patient and less sarcastic
8. Hang glide. I want to see what the birds see, how they see it.

8 Thins I say often:
1. "I hate my job."
2. "I REALLY hate my job"
3. "Cameron, stop!"
4. "I love you."
5. "Dude. . ."
6. "Woohoo!"
7. "No more chocolate milk!"
8. "Yo!"

8 Books I've recently read:
1. The Divide by Nicholas Evans
2. The Smoke Jumper by Nicholas Evans
3. The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans
4. The Loop by Nicholas Evans
5. All the Harry Potter books
6. Pastwatch by Orson Scott Card
7. The Princess Bride by S. Morgenstern by William Goldman (The first name is part of the title. There is no S. Morgenstern)
8. Thud! by Terry Pratchett

8 Songs I could listen to over and over:
1. Anything by William Joseph
2. Anything by Celtic Woman
3. Anything by Jon Schmidt
4. Anything by Bryan Stiles (that kid never ceases to amaze me with his talent!)
5. "Honey, I'm Home" by Shania Twain
6. "Everything I Do, I Do for You" by Bryan Adams
7. "I Stand all Amazed", any version. It will always bring me to tears
8. "Ascension to Cosmo Canyon" by Reuben Kee (from a FF game)
I realize that is technically a lot more than 8 songs, but I DID mention that I am passionate about music:-)

8 Things that Attract Me to My Best Friends:
1. Being able to put up with my sarcastic and too often negative attitude.
2. Personality. I don't have boring friends
3. Sticking up for me when the going gets rough
4. Being an ear to vent to and a shoulder to cry on
5. Supporting me in my many ventures in life
6. Understanding that I hate to clean, and not caring that my house is not perfectly spotless.
7. A really cute butt (okay, this only applies to ONE best friend, but he's my VERY best friend, and he does have a cute butt!)
8. They love me for just being me.


8 things I've learned in the last year:
1. Kids really do grow way to fast.
2. I hate deserts!
3. I HATE living in Vegas!
4. Moving the light closer to your subject will create a much softer glow, whereas moving the light farther away will create more contrast. A bigger light will also create softer glow, and will far more cost effective than a smaller light.
5. Beware the crocodiles. They lie in wait, then slaughter you as soon as you start to feel comfortable.
6. Food is waaaaay to expensive.
7. I'm a gamer!
8. Just because the Lord does not answer a prayer right away, does not mean he is not listening. Sometimes we have to learn patience and trust that He knows what is best for us.

8 People that I think should do "8
Anyone that wants to! No pressure!

Busy, busy, busy!

I am not purposefully neglecting my blog, it's just that I have been sooo busy lately. Things at work have become extremely chaotic. Stress levels are through the roof! But it has not been all bad. I've had the opportunity to do some really amazing weddings.
One of the weddings was that of my own Cousin-in-law, Naomi. She as married in the Albuquerque temple. It was a beautiful day, perfect for a wedding. And it was a lot of fun, too. I was a little nervous at first becuase I have never been there, so I really didn't know what to expect. But I have become pretty good at learning on the fly. Naomi was beautiful in her gown, until it got covered in cake, LOL. I don't think I will ever understand that tradition of smashing cake in each other's faces. Messy, messy!

If you would like to see images from all my recent weddings, hop over to my photography blog and check them out!

A kid and a cat

I was trying my very hardest to take pictures of my cat, Ender the other day. Normally he is very cooperative and a real ham in front of the camera, but I guess he was in a lazy mood that day. No sooner had I sat him on the towel I was using as a prop, than he promptly rolled over and went to sleep! Crazy animal. I did get him to wake up and do a few descent shots.



Well, of course Cameron came in, and wanted his picture taken, too. It's been a while since I have taken pictures of him against a backdrop, so I thought it would be a good idea. Cameron really is a ham in front of the camera. I had to do some silly things to get him to laugh, like put TP on my head and make a lot of silly noises, but he loves it. I hope he always does.


If you would like to see more images from this session, please visit my photography blog!

Independance Day fun!!

Even though i had to work yesterday day ( I know! How annoying to have to work on a holiday!), I was still able to have some fun. As soon as I was able, I headed over to Craig's grandparent's house where they were having a big b-b-que with all the family. I love those big get-togethers. Lots of people, lots of fun!

As soon as it was dark enough we brought out the little fireworks. I had LOTS of sparklers. I think they are my favorite becuase everyone can enjoy them, even the little ones (thought very carefully supervised, of course!). Since I have my nice camera, I used it with a tripod and a remote to get some great sparkler art.

We weren't able to go see any big shows, unfortunately, but I was able to go up a hill nearby and take pics of some of the illegal fireworks that were being set off. I liked how they looked with the city down below.