Thursday, July 28, 2011

trial run

So, being a photographer means that I can take nice pictures of my friends and their families, but I'm embarrassed to say that we haven't had any decent family pictures of our own taken for a couple of years. I just can't stand the thought of paying another photographer to take pictures and not have them turn out well, when I "could do it myself for free." I put that in quotes because obviously that's easier said than done. It's hard to be on both sides of the camera at the same time. So, last month I loaded up my camera and tripod to get an idea of how it would work to take pictures with the camera's timer function. So, without thinking about what we were wearing, or the location, or the lighting, or whether anyone had done their hair, we did a trial run of family pictures. Here's what we got:












Let me just say that it's a lot easier to get nice pictures of a group when I can take a bunch of pictures before we change poses, and when I can double check that no one is going to get their arm (or head) cropped off. Five year-olds don't stay still very well and when they have to keep sitting still while I run back and forth from the camera, they get cranky quick. But, it may work to get a decent picture for now, and then after the baby comes maybe we can hire a real photographer.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

24 weeks!

I hadn't really taken any baby bump pictures up to this point, so I decided I should have Bart take some of me at 24 weeks. Some days I still can't believe this is real! But then I look down, or I get kicked and I figure it must be real!





Saturday, July 16, 2011

summer time fun!

Here are a bunch of pictures from some of the fun things we've been doing this summer! One Friday night while my mom was here visiting, we went to a baseball game. It was such nice weather, the game was exciting, and there were fireworks after! After the fireworks were over, the kids got to run once around the bases. Such a simple concept, but so exciting for 5 year-old boys!


The next day was a Family Fun Run put on by our church. They do a 5k, and a kids run. Kade and Ky took their race so seriously, and Bart and I have both challenged each other to run the 5k next year! This is a huge deal because I HATE running. I would rather do twice as much of any other cardio activity than run. But, I'm going to want some motivation to work hard after the baby comes, and it might be nice to have a goal and accomplish something as horrifying as a 5k! (I know all you runners out there are laughing at me, but seriously, in my mind, running=torture.)





And they're off!! Both of the boys ran the entire 1/2 mile without stopping, or slowing down. They did not get their running skills from me! All the kids ran together, but they divided up the winners by age and gender and the winner of the 5 year-old boys category...


Kade Miller! Ky was only about 4 seconds behind, a nice 2nd place finish. After it was over I thought they should have held hands as they crossed the finish line so they could tie, but I guess they are going to have to deal with one or the other being better at some things their entire life, but it was hard to watch Ky be disappointed when Kade's name was on the poster, when his name was called, and when he got his medal. All because of 4 seconds.



The next weekend, Bart volunteered to work the first-aid booth at the nearby Native American Pow-wow. So, the boys and I tagged along for a while to see what it was all about. It was fascinating to see all the amazing costumes and to hear the music and see the dancing. What a rich culture!



Isn't this little guy so cute all dressed up! I love it!


Another fun outing the boys and Bart took was fishing with Grandpa Zen. They had a good time, and came home with a fun story about how Kade almost caught a fish, only to have it get off the line as they were pulling it up in the air. Oh well!



We are having a fun summer, and we are trying to soak up every ounce of warm weather we can! We are also trying to enjoy the freedom that comes with no school, less routine, and enjoying this last summer we have as a family of four!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

happy 4th of july!


We had a great 4th of July weekend this year! We started by dropping a small fortune on fireworks. We lit some of them off on Saturday night, and some on Sunday night. On Monday morning we met up with two of my cousins and their families that I have not seen very much of the past several years. It was fun to see them and their kids and watch a parade. In my opinion, it's not a proper 4th of July without a good parade! Then we did some shopping (where I bought some really cute baby clothes, that I definitely don't need), took a lovely 4th of July nap, had a BBQ and ended the night watching the big fireworks downtown.


Saturday, July 2, 2011

it's a(nother) boy!

That's right, Kade and Ky are getting a little brother! We had our ultrasound a few weeks ago, and found out that we are expecting boy #3! The boys are both super excited about having a little brother, and for all the things they are going to teach him about, like football, golf, Star Wars, Transformers, etc. I'm excited to watch all three of my boys interact, and to go through all the many boxes of Kade and Ky's old baby clothes to get ready for this little one's arrival. Plus, I just saved a small fortune by having another little boy rather than a little girl that I would have to buy a whole new wardrobe for. So, what to do with all the money I'm saving...