And now he is 8.

I am so disappointed in Bentley's birthday photos (not to mention a nice shot of hubby in the background in the one above...sheesh). I fiddled around with my camera settings because as you know, I don't like a flash. I do believe that has changed. I'm just going to have to let it go & use a flash at nightime in our home. Unless I want this quality of photos. And I don't. I upped the ISO to accomodate no flash/inadequate lighting & the photos are too grainy. Some people like grainy because they think it adds character to certain photos. Not me. :) Nonetheless, I edited them the best I could & I admit, they're still cute. Or should I say, he's still cute.

Finally, below, his true smile. Which I don't see often because typically he is giving me some crazy face smile & I don't like it. It's just not him. His smile is beautiful, with all his mismatched teeth & all - it's just really tricky to get him to loosen up & smile naturally. And look at the camera. He doesn't like to do that either. ☺

He is such an advanced reader - I bought him some books in the 9 - 12 year age group. He read one of them in one day. LOL I have no idea what to do with him & his books!

Not looking at the camera - see, I tell no lies. ☺



He got 3 Nintendo DS games. One from us & two from my mother-in-law. The two below are from her & I have no idea if they are decent or age appropriate games.



Bents got his report card the other day & again, he made straight A's as he has all year. Two 95's, one 97, & one 100. We are now in the last 9 weeks of the school year (Yay!). I challenged him & told him if he brought those grades up (not the 100, of course) that I would hand him $20. ☺ I don't expect his grades to come, as I'm very content with with his grades, obviously. I just thought I'd give him something to strive for. If he comes home with grades lower than the above, I'll take a $20 out of his savings. Bahahaha! Just kidding! ☺



I am so proud of this boy. He is more than I ever could have dreamed of. He is amazing & so stinkin' smart. He has a huge heart & is so loving, caring & giving. When I think about him -I smile. He's just a wonderful boy.

I hate that he is growing so fast. I say that, but on the other hand, I can't wait to see where God takes this child. I'm curious. And I'm excited, thrilled & blessed to be a part of his journey. ☺

Happy Birthday Bentley! Mom loves you more than you will ever know! ♥

There's one in every crowd.

15 months old.

On her brother's 8th birthday. ☺



She is such a precious baby. Fiercely independent. And I hate that. Refuses to talk. She can talk, but she won't talk. She can say many words, & she'll say them for a while, & then we never hear them again. Today her word is 'doggie'. A week or so ago it was 'pwetty'. Sometimes I think she's just too much on the go to care about verbalizing.

Who knew she looked so beautiful in navy? Wow! I say this about her sister but I think it's only fair to make the statement about her now too - she takes my breath away.



I have many photos of her in her highchair because she can't escape. Ha. If I try to photo her on the floor - well - forget it. She runs off & I end up saying some naughty words. ;o)



I have found a location in what I consider beautiful scenery & I can't wait to let the kids run loose & see what I can capture in photography. Needs to warm up, & green up, a little more though.

Now excuse the blurriness in the below photo. She happened to move. As she was screaming at me. If memory serves me correctly she was yelling "stop with the stinkin' photos, woman!" ☺



I wish I could give her a pill to make her stay this age for eternity. ♥

I captured a cute kid.

My cute kid turns 8 tomorrow. ☺

I was playing w/ my new camera & lens. And aperature. :)

Exposure Level meter.

I discovered this a.m. that I have never used this great feature! Sometimes I really am an airhead. ;o)

Basically the function of this feature is to let you know if you have proper exposure in your photo (according to what the camera thinks). It lets you know if your photo is underexposed (not enough light) or overexposed (too much light). You can adjust your camera settings accordingly until the meter reads -0-, which basically means your photo then has proper lighting. Sigh.

For almost a year now, even though my old camera has this feature as well as my new one, I have been winging it. Teehee. (Which honestly, probaby is/was a good thing & helped me learn more regarding lighting.) I've been going off my eye which is fine, but it would have been nice to have used that meter to help me out a bit! The great thing is you don't have to use the 'proper lighting' that the camera suggests, but it's there if you need/want it, as a guide. And of course since everyone is looking for something different in photos, especially exposure-wise (so many now-a-days overexpose & they love their photos that way), I assume many choose to ignore the meter suggestions. Obviously for the past year, I've been included in the 'many'. :)

Nonetheless, as a beginner, it would have come in sooooo handy in choosing SS & Aperature. Good Lord have mercy. I really should read manuals. ☺

I'll begin to play around with it now! Especially since I learned & understand all the camera settings. I know exactly what they are for & how they work. I'm curious as to how many pros actually use (or, use it as a guide) the Exposure Level. Maybe none, maybe many! I found it quite humorous that the feature has been there all along & because I'm, well, me, I never paid a bit of attention. Better late than never!

Happy Friday!

Almost 15 months ago.

Myself & my baby. Such a sweet photo. She has her tiny fingers wrapped around my finger. But because hubby took the photo, he cut the majority of that part off. Ha! ;o)

I was reminiscing as I was editing a bunch photos the other night.

Where does the time go?

Photos. One of God's most amazing gifts. Ü

Ped Egg - my review.

Awesome! Totally worth the $10. And I consider myself a tough critic, because my feet can get in horrible, dry condition due to me going barefoot (and/or in flip flops) 90% of the time. Even in winter. ☺

Being I have a foot fetish, I try to keep my feet in as pretty & immaculate as I can. I am a lady, afterall, & having feminie, pretty feet make me feel good. (Speaking of 'feminine', I can't tell you how disgusted (!!!) I am seeing so many woman walk around looking like men! It's appalling! But that's another post. ;o) I have purchased every gadget on the market to keep my feet smooth. I must say, the Ped Egg beats all other products, & I've only used it one time! One time.

The only 'issue' I discovered is that it's impossible for the egg to catch all the shavings at all times. Maybe it's just me ☺, but I can't bend like I used to. :) That being said, when I prop my foot across my other leg, in order to file the top part of the heel of my foot, the shavings fall on the floor (nice image) because the Ped Egg is basically upside-down. I hope that makes sense - I don't know any other way to describe it.

So Yay or Nay?

YAY!

Now go buy yours & pretty up your feetsies! ☺