Our front lawn, before:





And our front lawn(or lack thereof), after:






The road department is repaving our road. Apparently this includes cutting down all our trees and digging out our flower bed and ripping away half of our very small front lawn. I'm trying not to complain too much but I feel like our living room now sits in the middle of the road.

There will be some definite replanting of trees in our very near future. Unfortunately, they won't really help anything for another twenty years or so.

Lesson #1

Okay, Ladies and Gents, let the advice flow freely.

I took these in my living room at around 5:00 in the evening. The light was coming from the right of the picture, not Adam.

I was shooting in AV.

My ISO was set at 400.

My Aperature was at 5.6. (It wouldn't go lower.)

I'm not sure what else to tell you as it chooses the shutter speed itself.

These were all take from the same distance.









The last two look alright to me but some of the others are blurry. Do I need to change settings when I zoom in with my lens? Could this be why closeups are blurrier?

Let me know.

Stinker

This little guy has been such a booger the past couple of days. I hesitate to say this, but I think he may be even more stubborn than Taiter. (Knock on wood) The kid can really put up a fight. I can't help but wonder if he senses things are going to change very drastically in his little world.

I'm sure we'll all need loads of prayer. Especially the baby. Please pray for her survival! *smile*



This was one of his sweet moments a couple weeks ago.

A Desperate Plea for Help

I hate my new camera. Sorry Lyle and Terah but it's true.

I can't get a clear picture no matter what. I have been reading my manual like crazy and taking pictures of random things and I get the same result no matter how much I change the settings. BLURRY Even on the auto setting I'm having trouble.

I have been frantically trying all different shudder speeds and aperature. Terah said she keeps her shudder speed at 150 or above while photographing people. *check*

So how do I get a clear picture? Anyone? Is it just that I need a new lens for taking pics of the kids? Is it that I just really don't get the whole settings aspect of things? Please help me!

Visitor

Last weekend we had a little visitor.

No. No. It's not the baby.

It was our nephew Justin who we haven't seen in over a year. He was in Spokane with his nana and we confiscated him for a day.

The boys had a great time playing outside. Of course the gravedigger got much use.




And like all males from my husband's side of the family, they had to check out what was under the hood.




Thanks for the visit little man.

Four Years

I just remembered that I had this picture of Adam when he was six months old.



And four years later...

My Oldest

There really was no purpose in taking these pictures last week other than to mess with settings on my camera. Although I am still learning and these aren't necessarily portrait quality, I'm in love with them anyway.

This boy is growing up before my very eyes. There are so many different sides to him and many of them show in these pictures. I marvel at how his coloring is exactly like mine but he looks so much like his daddy. He is most definitely a mix of his parents in looks and personality. As he grows and gets older and smarter I often times forget that he is still a small child of four and has a lot of learning to go through before alduthood and even more beyond that. Here are some of the things that remind me he is a child (and some of them remind me he is a boy).

#1) A couple of weeks ago I was measuring myself to see what size of shirt I should be ordering. Adam walked in and asked what I was doing.
"Well, I need to measure so I can make sure to order the right size of clothes."
He stood there watching me for a couple of seconds and then asked, "You're doing that to see how many miles you are?" Not inches, not even feet, MILES!
I just said, "Yes. Yes, I am."

#2) I made Shepherds Pie for dinner a while back and there was quite a lot of it. A few nights later we had small group to go to and I decided it would be much easier and faster to eat leftovers. I dished it up and called the boys to dinner. When Adam saw what we were having he sighs and in a whiney voice exclaims, "I don't wanna eat leopard pie for dinner again!"

#3) He calls the lanes on the highway hallways. And he almost always notices when there are two hallways on each side.

#4) A couple of months ago Adam began to get quite curious as to just how this baby was going to come out of my belly. I don't feel right lying to him about it but I am well aware that he is not ready to hear the details so I simply told him that God and the doctor will help me to get her out. I should have known better.

"But how will they get her out?"

"Adam, you don't need to worry about it. God knows just what to do."

"Will you choke on her?"

"No, I won't choke on her, I promise."

"Does she come out your mouth?"

"No."

"Where does she come out then?"

"Adam, don't worry about it."

"Does God make a special hole for her to come out?"

*sigh* "Yes, He does."

"Where-"

"Adam, don't talk about it anymore today."

"Okay."

#5) The kid notices everyone's tires and wheels on their vehicles. If they change them he will point it out almost immediately.

#6) I took him to one of my doctor appointments and we waited for a long time in the waiting room. After we finally got called back I had to leave a sample and Adam needed to go too. I had him go first and told him to zip and button his pants hoping it would occupy him long enough to leave my sample. Well, he happened to see me set the cup on the counter and with an absolutely horrified expression asked me, "Is that juice?"

I told him what it was and he was even more disgusted. "Why did you do that to that cup, Mommy?"

I explained all about germ-buggies that could make the baby sick and he felt a little better but made sure to tell my mom all about it when we got back.

#7) He likes to loudly proclaim all of the differences between boys and girls in every public restroom I take him into. Oddly enough, he never does this to his dad.




He wasn't real thrilled with the prospect of taking pictures. He was much more interested in playing with his backhoe and dump truck.















In these next few, he really looks like his daddy did as a little boy. The biggest difference is their coloring.







I love you little man.

The Gravedigger

My hubby bought a new toy and it's for the kids! I know, I was shocked too.

Anyway, a guy that Jay works with had this and his boys have outgrown it. Jay decided to buy it. Adam has been obsessively talking about it for two days. Unfortunately, Jay needs to fix some wires in it. I guess the curse of non-working toys has been passed down to the next generation.

My frustration: I don't know what on Earth I am doing with this new camera and can't seem to get an in focus shot if my life were to depend on it. Ugh!

Convictions

I have been feeling quite convicted lately of many things. I feel convicted about my family's diet. I mean we do better than a lot of people but I know we could be eating a whole lot healthier. Just talk to my dad and you'll feel like you've been injecting your children with poison!

I feel convicted about discipline in regards to my children. I have been cranky and hollering and threatening but never following through. And it shows. I keep thinking that the worst thing to me is being yelled at. It alwas makes me feel worthless and very angry. Yet, it is all I seem to do. I yell and snap and complain.

I feel convicted about prayer. I honestly don't remember how long it's been since I have sat down and prayed instead of sending up thoughtless, frustrated demands.

I feel convicted about spending time with my kiddos. When was the last time I so much as read them a story?

I feel convicted about spending time in the Word. Does anyone know where I put my Bible?

I feel convicted and out of sorts for feeling convicted. Do I feel convicted because I fear that I will not get into Heaven without doing these things or do I feel convicted because of the Holy Spirit? And if I'm feeling so convicted then why am I not changing any of it? Why do I keep trudging along this way?

Lance's post about feeling sick sort of hit home for me. Only I don't feel as sick as I should. Please pray that God will change my heart.

Hmmm

If you notice my babystrology countdown says that I have two-thousand-three-hundred-fifty-seven days left to go in my pregnancy. I think it must be reflecting the way I feel.

Need a Giggle?

Don't even ask.