Barbeque and Melissa's House

This was my first oppurtunity to use my new Nikon. I am still adjusting. I have had the same camera for years and so now I am trying to adjust to the different features and functions. I like it as far as low-light situations it seems to do well. It focuses on subjects much faster then my last camera, but as far as picture quality I haven't noticed a substantial difference yet. But just the fact that I can use my camera without a flash in more situations is so nice! I hate using my flash unless I have too.

We went to my sisters house for a BBQ on Friday. I watched the girls play outside for hours on the swing. They had so much fun! Barbeques are the best... especially when all you have to do is show up with a bag of chips and a smile on your face! No cooking, no cleaning... just fun company and lots of food!

I have had a few ask me what I think of the Nikon. I am going to do a photo shoot of my girlfriends little baby girl this week. I think that will be the real test for me. I will let you know then.

This is my niece McKynlee! Look at her hair... she has devil horns!
This little boy was the cutest thing ever! His name was Jamarcus. His daddy asked me to get a picture of the two of them.
Here is Madison enjoying the slide.

Here is McKynlee again with her devil horns.

I have been so busy these last couple of days Ihave had no time for anything. Hopefully after school gets out I will have more time to get stuff done during the days! My boys will be starting soccer on Tuesday... I am hoping they will wear those two out! :D

OH HAPPY DAY!

Just got my Nikon D60 in the mail. Can't wait to use it! I will let everyone know what I think of it! I'm sure I will love it! It sure was beautiful when I pulled it out of it's box!

Fix-It Friday #15 - Hands-On Photo Editing!

It's fix it friday! To see more fix it's visit here at http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/ This photo was fun to work with! She sure is a cute little girl!

Here is my edit in color. I enhanced the eyes, did a skin softener, and also a glamour glow. I also did a few other things but those were the main edits.
I took the upper photo and turned it to black and white. Then I brought out the color in her shirt, hair piece and eyes.

This is a copy of the original photo.

I am camera less!

I finally made the leap to a new camera. I had thousands of dollars invested in Olympus but always wanted to invest into Canon or Nikon. When I decided I wanted a new lens I figured it was time to quit putting more money into Olympus and finally get the camera I want!

The Olympus E-500 was my starter camera before I ever realized how much fun photography would be. So over a 4 year period I aquired 4 lenses, two cameras, flashes, filters, tripods... extra batteries etc. Now I am completely starting over.

My husband says I'm crazy... I say he doesn't understand. I also ask him if he REALLY needs 4 drills in the garage, 3 ladders, and a leaf blower that he just purchased because he is too lazy to sweep up the leaves... LOL! So that quited him up! He then asked me if this would finally make me happy with my camera and quit having the urge to upgrade! I said..ummm no! I will always want the newest thing, I am always going to want the newest lens! I tried to explain to him that a camera is like a computer... after a few years it becomes a dinosaur and by digital "law" you are required to upgrade! :D He just doesn't understand! I am probably going to let him keep my starter camera and teach him how to use it. Maybe then he will appreciate photography...

So for now I dream about getting this camera in the mail. It shipped out yesterday... until then... I have no camera... and nothing to do in my spare time!

Meet Beth and Justin

http://adoptanewbeginning.org/adoptive-parent-profiles.htm

These two are my inspiration in life and why I decided to carry a baby for a family who couldn't have a baby of their own. I wished to have carried for them but due to medical reasons they were unable to go through with the process.

They are an incredibly loving family and would be great and wonderful parents. After researching infertility in women I found that 1 out of 10 women suffer infertility in America. I was shocked at the facts. Beth went through multiple surgeries to have a child of their own and after several miscarriages and loss they decided adoption would be there best option. It was a hard decision for them to make because everyone has the dream of having a baby of their own.

I know that adoption is not for everyone. It takes a very special person to take a baby in as their own and love it just the same. But Beth and Justin have so much love to give. They own a little yorkie named Newman... and for now that dog is their baby... and they love him unconditionally... how much more would they love a child of their own.

Please pray for this deserving family. There is no greater joy in life then raising a child and watching them grow. I know God has something special planned for them and they need prayers right now so that their dream can come true. She is my inspiration because all though her suffering was great during this long process, she endured every minute of it with Hope, Love, and Faith. I know God will reward them for all of their patience in life and I can't wait to throw her the most wonderful baby shower she could ever wish for! I love you Beth and Justin!


Here is Beth and I having dinner at Whitewater Pizza and Pasta.
Here are the deserving couple meeting Wade and Jody's baby Alex.
Here is a picture from their wedding. (P.S. Josh and I are on the ends... my husband is so hot in this picture!)

One of my all time favorite memories of Beth. She had to use the bathroom right before her wedding after she was all dolled up in her wedding dress. it took three people standing on the toilet to keep that dress off the ground. It was one of my favorite memories!

Welcome home Adda!

We have a new addition to our family. She is a chocolate lab and red collie mix. She is 7 weeks old and absolutely beautiful! She has blue eyes, redish brown fur and a patch of white on her chest!

My boys just love her and can't get enough of her. Jacob picked out her name off of the movie Bug's Life. The future queen ants name was Princess Adda. So that's what he wanted to call her. He came up with it completley on his own. I wanted to name her Molly but everyone else wanted Adda.

She has kept me from blogging... I have been so busy with the new puppy that I can't seem to find time to blog!

Week 20 - Photo Challenge “Silhouettes”

This week's theme was silhouettes.
To see more great entries click here at http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/.

This picture was taken in Bandon Oregon with my son Jacob and his Uncle Wade. The boys and I took a vacation to visit them a few years ago on the caost. It was so much fun!

Our week in a nutshell

On Sunday the family and I went to Ann Morrison Park and rode bikes. It has kind of become our tradition on Sunday's to go walk the Greenbelt. It was so hot today it was almost miserable. I think we stopped every 20 minutes so I could rest and take a break!

Here is Ryan peeking through the tubes


Here is little bo bratty in her stroller


Here are some ducks that we passed by....


Here is my handsome little man!


This can be found along the greenbelt



On Monday we pulled out the swimming pool. I think we spent the entire day in this little thing. The kids had so much fun. Here is Ryan shooting me with his rake. He didn't want me to take his picture.


Here is Madison licking the water off her hands.


Ryan kept diving into the pool...


The classic tantrum...

On Friday my sister and I took the kids to Eagle Island and played in the lake. Here is Ryan swimming around.

Ryan made himself a little moat.

Olivia shyed away from the water but she liked to put her toes in it.

Here is McKynlee enjoying the sun with her big red hat! You couldn't miss her out there in the water!

Kylie had more fun putting sand all over her body.

Fix-It Friday #14 - Hands-On Photo Editing!

Today is Fix it Friday at http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/. This picture was submitted by Rambunctious Joy (click here to see her site and her beautiful daughter Alexandra.

I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with this picture but after playing for a little bit this is what I came up with.

I hope mom doesn't care that I changed her eye color. She had these beautiful brown eyes but after turning the photo to black and white I really wanted them to pop. So I guess her mom will finally get to see what her already adorable child will look like with green eyes!
Thanks for looking!


AFTER



BEFORE

Okay here is my "Shark" review

My first impression wasn't a good one on the mop. For a mop that costs $100.00 the quality of the product isn't any better then my $20.00 swiffer. So a little dissapointed on the quality. The handle felt flimsy and cheap and so did everything else on the mop. For a hundred dollar mop shouldn't I get a gold handle? LOL!

The first time I used the product it took so much more effort to mop my floors. It almost didn't seem worth it because you have to wait for the shark to heat up before use and then try and mop around an awkward cord that seemed to always get in the way. It took me 3 times as long to mop my floors with the product and so that was a little dissapointing. But AFTER I was finished and I stepped back and looked at the end result... my disspointments seemed to change. It is worth it to me to have a product do a better job and take longer then to just sweep over the dirt but still have it there.

I think it took longer and more effort because it was actually working and not just gliding over the surface! But I think now that my floors are clean I will only have to pull out the shark occasionally because I don't need to deep clean every time I mop my floors.

I have white vinyl flooring that used to look off white with speckles of brown... Now I have bleach white flooring that is sparkling clean. I was hoping the shark would replace my old mop... but it won't. The shark seems best for deep cleaning... I mop frequently and so using the shark on a regular basis wouldn't make sense. But using it once a month to get dirt out of my floor does. I will use my swiffer for everyday cleaning and quick cleaning bu the Shark for deep cleaning.

Here is my list of pros and cons

PROS:

- No chemicals or expensive mopping pads

- actually gets my floors clean!

- mopping pads are reuseable and washable

- no batteries to mess with like the swiffer!

- Floors are dry immediately! Which means no footprints from your children left behind after you mop or heads that hit the floor because they slip!

CONS:

- Doesn't clean my grout on my tile in front of the door (But cleans the tile nicely)

- Takes a lot more effort to clean

- the cord... so annoying

- have to wait before use for the water to heat up

- doesn't hold much water in the tank

- expensive and not quality made

- NO SWIVELL ABILITY! That is the worst!

Would I recommend buying this? Well if money isn't an issue then yes because it does clean my floors. But a good ol fashioned hand scrubbing can do the same thing. It ill probably do best on hardwood floors and pergo because of the smooth finish and it would be easy to glide over the surface. If you ever look at their advertisements they are always being used over wood flooring (Not handscraped or texturted flooring). I don't have wood flooring so I don't know how it would work.

There is an additional attachment where it can supposedly clean carpets... I will not buy it because if it can't get the grout clean on my tile... how will it get into the carpet? So that is my review. Would I buy again? Absolutely because who can put a price on clean non toxic floors!

Week 19 - “Blurb Photo Book” Contest

This contest is so hard! I have so many photos I want to enter... I love faces and expressions and I just couldn't decide... I can't believe they expect you to only choose one photo! It just isn't fair! LOL!

To see more gorgeous shots visit here http://www.iheartfaces.com/. AND THANKS FOR ALL THE COMMENTS AHEAD OF TIME! \

I was absolutely torn between three photos (AND THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO HELPED ME DECIDE!).

I have also taken a leap of faith and decided to enter into the professional category. I felt I was somewhere in the middle but if I can get some great insight from other professionals then this was a winner in my book!


I love this photo... I always have. It is blown up in a 8x10 on my wall! As usual here is ANOTHER photo of my sweet little girl! I know you all can't get enough of her! :D






I am submitting this photo into the http://www.iheartfaces.com/ Blurb Book photo contest. I am granting I ♥ Faces permission to use my photo in a printed version of a book for commercial use and possibly advertising of a photo book on both the Blurb and I ♥ Faces web sites.

P.S. For all those who have seen my old blog I am going to phase out my old blog (I think)... it is to hard to keep two updated and only use this one. I usually enter my contests on my other blog but this week I am goig to enter it here! One day when I can actually do photography as a career.... and not a hobby I will use it again

Our Saturday so far...

The weather is beautiful here today and the kids and I played outside for a short while. I got some pictures of Madison and Olivia playing in the grass! They are so precious!

This morning Josh made us french toast for breakfast. These last couple of Saturdays Josh has been making us breakfast.

This is short and sweet but I hear the girls fighting in the living room so I better tend to them before they pull each other's hair out! :D

Here is Olivia and her super adorable cowboy hat her mommy had her in today.
Just roaming around
She is sooooo photogenic! Every picture she takes is incredible! Her eyes are the most beautiful things in the world.

Madison and her new baby giraffe she got from the zoo the other day.

My little monkey climbing in the tree

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I will try and blog later this week. I have been so busy this week.

My new cleaning toys!

I was suckered into one of these Shark Steam mops on an "if" commercial! I don't usually buy into these things but anything has to be better then my swiffer! The chemicals are expensive and the pads are too! I hate having to worry about the batteries... I know I am a big baby... because 10 years ago people were using mops and buckets but convenient cleaning is the best with three kids.

I have boys and they frequently miss the toilet... I always wondered how much yuckies were on my floor. Iwas one of those moms that used to put a rug around my toilet until TLC said it was a discusting no no and that if anyone has one in there house it is just a bacteria holder... Made sense so I rid of my rug around the toilet.

This is supposed to be a miracle cleaner. I will let you know after I joyfully go clean my old white vinyl floors. I am so excited to try this out!

While I was at Fred Meyer they had steam cleaners on clearance 50% off. I got this Hoover Steam Cleaner for 90 dollars. It was a incredible deal! I am so excited... I just can't wait to clean my couches and my dining room chairs and my mattresses and pillows! I know it's lame but it is still exciting. I must be pregnant... I always want to clean my house when I am pregnant... I don't know why. I am off to clean now and I am going to do it with a smile on my face!

Field Trip at the Zoo

Today was a busy day! I chaperoned Kindergartners at the Boise Zoo. I got to meet some of Jacob's friends. I also got to meet the little boy (and I won't say names) who likes to pick on my son. I was extra nice to him :D I don't normally say mean things about people but after meeting his mom at an kindergartner event I realize where is personality comes from. They are just not the nicest family! But regardless of my momma "drama" we had so much fun!

I think that naturally I just want to have a little talk with him and tell him to be nice, but I am not going to be one of those kind of moms and I will let my son stick up for himself...
My two sisters joined us with their kids. The zoo opened a new exhibit this last year and now we have lions and giraffes (please don't laugh) I know that it is pretty lame but we were excited here in lil ol' Boise!

My shot of the day... This tiger was inches from me! I just wanted to snuggle with him... Considering this was taken through glass... I think this turned out amazing! He is so beautiful.


The whole clan....


Here is McKynlee chasing after the geese
Jenny always ready to strike a pose for the camera.
Taking time for a carousel ride with the kids.

She could totally be a mommy of twins! Look at her handling both babies!

My handsome little man! He had so much fun today.

These penguins were hard to capture through glass but this one turned out kind of neat.

Another one that I like. They are so neat to watch.

Here is Jaedon staring off in the distance. He reminds me so much of his dad here.

This shot was so hard to get! These giraffes were inside and we had to look at them through glass. They were pretty far off in the distance... so thankful I had my telephoto lens! The reason it is in black and white... is because it wasn't a very good picture. The giraffe on the left is licking the wooden wall!?!?

I love this tortoise! He has been a part of the Boise Zoo for so long now!

Jacob and his friend Jaedon

Here is my niece Mckynlee.

to see more pics at the zoo click on my website.

http://roper-studios.smugmug.com/gallery/8203658_KEZBb/1/536036593_AK9wj#536036593_AK9wj