Photo Contest - I Heart Faces

I Heart Faces is having their weekly photo contest.

Can you guess what the theme is? Excited!

I think this photo captures it perfectly!

Lydia loves that darn Elmo swimsuit. It certainly is not my favorite. I literally bought it now 2 summers ago as it was the only one left at the store in her size at the time! Turns out this summer it fit her AGAIN and it is her favorite one! We do not even watch Sesame Street/Elmo - my kids have no interest and I find them incredibly annoying...my appologies to any fans.

Anywhoo, check out I Heart Faces for some more fab photos!
And if anyone out there can tell me why when I post my pictures, they are NOT NEARLY as sharp as when I see them just from my computer! Is it something blogger does?

Halloween Spirits

Meet our pirate friend... Our hand-made, milk jug, Ghost Pirate! Also to greet you near our front door...

Our 3 'lil ghosts!

You too could also have your very own skeleton this halloween. Just save your milk jugs - I saved a ton because I was not sure if I would "mess up"... and I did, but mostly I just improvised when I did - cutting the plastic got a bit old!

As for the ghosts, well my sweet husband makes those!

Happy Birthday Evan

Hard to believe this little guy

is now this kiddo!

Happy 5th Birthday Evan!
WE LOVE YOU!

Dirty Feet & Apple Jack Days!

Why...Why? Where does this kid walk?

We recently went to Apple Jack Days in Nebraska city. I was not camera happy that day - but now I am bummed I did not get much for photos.

We did enjoy fresh apple cider - although this is cherry cider.

More Cherry cider in Lied Lodge. Why did I not snap them drinking apple cider...since this was Apple Jack Days and all...

Do you know what holiday J. Sterling Morton started?

Why yes, Arbor Day, which is actually in April! But hey fall is also tree planting time. I actually ordered some trees from the Arbor Day Foundation here. The trees I think come fairly small, but you cannot beat the price and you get 10 FREE trees with a $10 membership. I know the free trees will be, well sticks, but I am going to try to nurse them into treehood!!!

I love ebay - I hate ebay!

I have a love/hate attitude with ebay. Of course I am thankful for ebay as my dear husband provides for our family through ebay! He is a full-fledged coin dealer - a bit odd we know! I am proud to say he is one of the most reputable and honest sellers and goes out of his way (sometimes I think too much) to make his customers happy. Needless to say we are blessed with his hard, honest work ethic and with ebay's "help".

On the flip side ebay drives me crazy! It blows my mind what some people pay for certain things. Like say a little girls witch costume. I have been on the hunt. Our Lydia has a heart for princesses but is currently quite intrigued with being a witch!


Anyway, I have been annoyed with "used" witch costume prices! Why would you pay for a "used" costume more then what the store sold it for last Halloween? But people keep bidding it up! I guess I do not "hate" ebay. More, it boggles my mind what the "general public" does! And have you ever seen what some people try and sell? Oh my, oh my - that could be an entirely different subject!

Well, for now, our little princess is happy to be spinning in her Dorothy dress - She has NO idea that that is what it is. Although we do have a Wizard of Oz short storybook, she has never made the connection. She just loves it as her "Princess" dress!

And as you can see

Spinning

is required
to be

a princess!

Slip N Slide

Despite some unseasonably cooler temps

(for August)

some of us do not mind

&

are still diving into summer fun!

Splashing

Is most definately

One of
This kiddo's

Favorite Favorite things!

Park Days

This was at the beginning of the summer. Someday a neighborhood park will not be exciting. But for now - it is still a thrill!
It is hitting me this is our last year of being home with all three. Next year Evan is off to kindergarten. He is excited for another year of preschool though!

And this little man, well I get to have him around for awhile!

Tamron

Over at I heart faces they are having a give away - a new Tamron Lense- which is so very nice of them, if I do say so myself!

Speaking of that phrase makes me think of this phrase that this 3 yr old said (did ya get that?)
Anyway, Lydia picked up this saying "I don't mind if I do" helping herself to the candy dish of m&m's for my bunco gals! Isn't that a grown up thing to say! ahhh.



Anyway, what a fun, fancy, and practical lense to have! Come home 'lil Tamron lense!

I cannot get enough Gaussian Blur...

I have been staying up way too late playing in Photoshop Elements. I took this picture of Lydia while we were waiting for our dinner at a restaurant in Grand Haven, MI. Look what I can do now!!! This is actually a bit sloppy as it is getting late and I am tired, but none the less you can see the difference!

This is SOOTC (straight out of the camera)

Then some recomposition, color adjustments, and my new favorite thing - Gaussian Blur, along with layers and masks (stuff I still do not get, but I follow direction well) and some eye popping tricks and you have...

A very dreamy and creamy photograph!!!

Beach Theme

Ok, I know I just posted this particular pic! However, I thought it was worthy enough for iHeartfaces weekly blog contest, which happens to be a beach theme this week.

This is currently one of my favorite, favorites! Of course you put a baby on a beach and it does not get much better!

Family Summer Vacation

We recently got back from Michigan's westcoast beach towns. I know I am biased, but I love this photo. I thought my favorite picture was the one I posted yesterday, but I maybe leaning towards this one!
One of the coolest things was the sand dunes in the Silver Lake area. This is a stop on the ride with Mac Wood's Dune rides.

Evan hanging out on a sand dune. You can climb some of the little ones that are found on some of the area's beaches. You actually get quite a leg work out, especially if you have to tote a baby!

This would be the baby I am referring to. The one who would not share the chocolate milk shake!

Our family for a kodak moment- of course someone has to not look!

And what would a family vacation be without posing in one of these things!?

This is Little Sable Point Lighthouse. This ended up being one of our favorite beaches.

There was some serious play going on. I could not capture this girls eyes when we were on the beach...just way to busy to look up at me with the camera I guess.

I think this was day one actually. Running sand through the hands...I am such I mean mom to not let these kiddos have a sand box in the backyard. But that just makes the sand experience so much more, rather than have access daily, right?...

Those pesky tourists in my background! I still have not figured out how to "rid" them in PS Elements...

They scooped and unscooped and dumped and filled with water and dumped water for a long time!

Our favorite beach had a mini lake that was kind of cool where the kids liked to hang out as well.

Of course, this is still lake water, and does gross me out as all lake water does... but it sure makes for fun.

This photo I photoshopped, I do not really like the results, I saturated the color too much. But here they are...It is near impossible to get a decent shot with all three, this is the best I got!

I will end with this little guy. He was fun to take pictures of. I think this one is just from my point and shoot camera. It took some great pics and that is all you have to do with it, point and shoot! You do not have to think of picture style and settings and light metering and white balance and shutter speed. I know all those fancy buttons can do things for me, but hey, sometimes I just want to point and shoot! And look, I think I got a good one!

The Beach

We just got back from Michigan's west coast beach towns. This is my favorite picture. I know, no face, but it just says so much. I have to say my all time favorite photographs are of little ones at the beach, it just does not get much better!
I am forever trying to figure out what my D-SLR camera all does and trying to mess with buttons and capture FOCUSED little ones was quite difficult. But this guy does not move too fast yet!

This one may be frame worthy! In fact, I think I will make it my facebook profile pic! I am sorry I hate to come off as egotistical, but I am so proud of myself right now!! And it was not really touched up in photoshop either. Honestly, I "auoto sharpened" in elements (but I could not tell what it did?) and my "picture style" in my camera was set to landscape so I think it saturates the blues and greens, but otherwise it is SOOC! I think that is how the pro's say straight out of the camera!

Fishing

We went fishing some days ago...

This is one of Dad's favorite hobbies


Lydia super amazed

and super proud!

This guy just liked hang'in out!