January 31, 2013

Kissed by the sun

January 30, 2013

My Tiny Sous Chef

 

January 29, 2013

 

Aiden built his first Pinewood Derby car for Scouts this year. He and his father worked together for weeks to get this car just right, and their efforts paid off: Aiden won third place among all Bear scouts and placed sixth overall among all the scouts. I took this pic to document his car--I don't think it will look like this much longer, as much as Aiden likes to play with the car he and his daddy built.

January 28, 2013

January 27, 2013

 

Aunt Cathy and Uncle Wayne came to visit. These three always have a blast together--I was so happy to snap this pic of all three of them smiling.

January 26, 2013

 

Dr. Aubrey

 

Last week, Aubrey accompanied Freckles and me to the vet, where Freckles had a complete exam, including having her temperature taken. So, when Aubrey was playing veterinarian with her puppy the other day, she had to give her puppy a completely accurate exam. She lifted the tail, popped the toy syringe in the stuffed puppy's butt, and I swear that stuffed dog whined just a little.  

Where did they go?

A week with a sick kid. Visitors from Texas. Bad news at the doctor. Three looming application deadlines for private schools. Pinewood Derby. Basketball games. Endless appointments to get our family ready for the move OCONUS (outside the continental United States). An eye abrasion that makes everything blurry, just when I get some time to upload and edit pics. All of this combined means I have been sorely neglecting the blog lately. The good news--I've been taking lots of shots and have great pics to share. The bad news--they are all mostly in my camera still. Hoping to tackle the photos this weekend (eye health permitting). See you soon!

January 25, 2013

R&R

 

With Aubrey sick this last week and the weather awful, there weren't many opportunities for snapping photographs. But I did manage to catch this one of my sweet girl snuggled into her old pre-K nap mat, which is where she spent most of her time, watching cartoons. Poor gal, so glad she is feeling well again.

January 24, 2013

January 23, 2013

Falling behind...

Poor Aubrey is SICK this week, which means I haven't had many opportunities for pictures (or upoading them) this week. More coming in the next couple of days, I promise!

January 22, 2013

 

Nap time. Look at those gorgous eyelashes!

January 21, 2013

 

"I'm a big girl, too; just like you, Mama."

 

January 20, 2013

 

Contemplation

 

 

 

Petit Critique

 

 

Today we headed to the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, a small gem of a museum filled with lovely pieces. The bright colors and variety of textures--from crystal chandeliers that resemble a thousand tears to a wooden globe that you stepped inside--kept the kids attention and allowed Mom and Dad a bit of cultured fun for the afternoon. I captured these two pics today--I love them both, so you get a bonus today. (Maybe it will make up for my absymal posting record this week.)

January 19, 2013

 

My handsome man. He hates to have his picture taken and is forever dodging the end of my lens--he groans and sighs every time I whip out my camera. Maybe by the end of this project, I'll be able to capture a pic of my man that doesn't look so pained.

January 18, 2013

 

That sweet smile. Those lovely blue eyes. Love my guy.

January 17, 2013

 

Siblings

 

I was happy to catch this sweet moment between Aiden and Aubrey--the next two frames were of the two of them trying to wrestle the other off the bench. Those two are a mess! 

January 16, 2013

 

Happy Birthday, Aiden!

 

The big EIGHT! My guy is growing up so fast. He's starting to notice girls, wearing deodorant and cologne and dressing up to impress a certain special classmate. He's even approached me about getting said girl a special Valentine's gift. He's grown into a young man with a silly sense of humor, an eye for kindness towards others, and a servant's heart. Don't get me wrong--he's still an eight-year-old boy, obsessed with potty humor, armpit farts, and the relative powers of imaginary weaponry from various video games. But I am so proud of the young man my sweet son is becoming.

January 15, 2013

 

Grumpy Bear

 

This lovely face is what greets me most days after Aubrey's nap. Such a moody little one--she can light up a room with her smiles...and clear a room with her frowns. Technically, this isn't the greatest pic--her face is in shadow and yet her right ear is overexposed--but I love that I captured this grumpy face from my little diva.

 

 

January 14, 2013

 

 

Crossed toes

 

Aubrey always sits like this at the table--on a hard wooden bench, legs tucked beneath her, her big toes crossed. I wanted to capture this cute little quirk of hers before she outgrows it and we all forget.

January 13, 2013

January 12, 2013

 

For Aiden's birthday, he wanted to forgo a big party (which, in this town, would not have been too exciting--not many indoor party options here) and, instead, enjoy a day of fun with his best bud, Andon. So, Brad and I sent Aubrey to spend the day with her bestie, loaded up the boys, and took them to Great Wolf Lidge in Kansas City to play MagiQuest for the afternoon. MagiQuest is one of Aiden's favorite things to do--it is basically a giant scavenger hunt through the resort that involves dueling dragons and casting spells and fighting goblins. Brad and I parked ourselves in a central spot in the lobby and watched as the boys raced from quest to quest. They had a blast! After a few intense hours, they completed the entire adventure and earned their coveted "Master Magi" buttons.

 

Afterwards, we headed back to the house, scooping Aubrey up along the way, where we enjoyed a delicious 'Angry Birds' themed cake before the boys headed back out with Brad for the big surprise of the night: tickets to Nuclear Cowboyz. Nuclear Cowboyz is motocross/X-games-like show with fireworks and lasers and babes in cheerleading-like get-ups. In other words, the boys were in HEAVEN. They laughed, snickered at the girls, and uttered a bajillion "WOW!  Cool!"s before heading back home for a sleepover in the basement. As Aiden put it, "Mom, that was the best birthday EVER!" I'm glad it was such a success!

 

 

January 11, 2013

 

New kicks

 

January 10, 2012

Anticipation

 

We pulled out the Easy Bake oven for the first time tonight. Aubrey had a blast, stirring and pouring, sliding the little pans in and out, and peeking through the slot, anxiously awaiting her homemade treat. Afterwards Aubrey frosted the cake and decorated with sprinkles and then shared her dessert with her brother. Delicious fun on an otherwise yucky winter night.

 

The final product:

 

 

January 9, 2013

Best friends

January 8, 2013

Today's photo challenge was an "unconventional self-portrait." So, I pulled out the tripod, set my timer, and produced this. I was trying to capture how I'm feeling lately--like my personal goals and dreams for my life have been trampled on by the Army. I wouldn't trade my life for anything, but...it would be nice if just once, I could set a goal and work toward it without Army life jacking it all up. Ah well, maybe when he retires....

"These boots are made for walking...and they'll walk all over you." -Nancy Sinatra

January 7, 2013

Hiding out.

 

This was one of my Shooting 101 photog class assignments--to shoot a subject in low light. Aiden had crawled under a blanket fort to play on the computer--which made for the perfect shot. The class has already taught me a lot--yesterday I would not have been able to make that shot without motion blur--I'm finally beginning to understand metering and exposure. YAY! So excited about this class!

January 6, 2013

Ready. Aim. Fire.

 

Aiden got his first BB gun for Christmas and because of the cruddy weather (we STILL have snow on the ground here, but it is finally beginning to melt), he's been unable to do much shooting. Today we took it out back for some practice shots. I love the intensity of his concentration, he is so serious about improving his skills!

January 5, 2013

"You can't catch me. Na-na-na-na-na-nah!" 

January 4, 2013

 

Peeking into her world through the window of her dollhouse.

 

PS--I am really not happy with Picasa Web Albums, which is who Blogger uses for images. They compress images you upload, which makes this photo WAY grainy, and the original isn't. I put them side-by-side on my screen, HUGE difference. Grrrr. Have to find a different option.

 

January 3, 2013

 

This is a common sight in my house--Aiden poring over a good book. He currently is reading 4 different books: Garfield, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Treasure Island, and a book on military weaponry. I love my little reader.

January 2, 2013

 

Aiden's first day snowboarding.

January 1, 2013

Mmmmm...snow.

365 Days

I've decided to embark upon a new journey this year. I've decided to take a photo each day that chronicles the daily life of our family, with the goal of recording this precious time for prosperity, but also with the added selfish benefit of improving my photography skills. I start an online photography course next week, determined to finally learn the ins and outs of the digital camera I got last year, and I'm hoping to see true growth in my photography skills over the course of the next year.

Now, I can PROMISE you that on some days, the photo of the day will come from my phone's camera, snapped on instagram on the go. I can also promise you that I won't always post the photo the day it is taken, since time is limited, I'm a mama on the go, and pics have a tendency to stay on the memory card a while. Bear with my stop-and-go style, will 'ya, and just enjoy the journey with me.