Tuesday, November 24, 2009

I am going to try my hand at....

...photography!
I have always loved it and I think I could actually do it...plus I think my kids are so cute and LOVE to have good pictures of them! So I guess I'll just do it my self!
I am going to enroll in a class to hone my skills and learn to master photo-shop.
My aim is to take great pictures not edit crappy pictures to look good--which is what SO many of the photographers I have found in these parts do!! So to start practicing I borrowed a friends nice camera for the weekend (note...I need a good camera

Anyway enjoy some of my first attempts!
Please keep in mind that these are straight fro the camera no edits...and it's my first try....
**I must say I am a little shy to actually put these up for some reason- it seems personal in a weird way...??

Day one trying to figure out bokea (it's the effect of have the subject clear and crisp with the background nice and blurry...) through messing with the aperture (a note almost all of these are close

(PS I shot these all in RAW but had to downsize them for posting here...so if you click them they may look a bit less clear...)


Day two a real try at portraits...of course my kids were the guinnea pigs and they all earned Dollar store prizes for being so good!






I upped my ISO for these ...I love the really light effect...maybe not quite so light next time but a version of this appeals to me!



Gordon was beginning to lose his patience with me!





















All in all I am pretty excited for my first attempt...I think with just some minor tweaking on some of them in photo shop and they'd be perfect!
Now I just need to get my own camera and photoshop!!
I'll keep you posted with what comes from my newest hobby!

Monday, November 23, 2009

8 is Great!

To quote my husband in a darling email

"It has been a great eight years!
Eight years, four kids, three homes, two (real) jobs,
lots of memories, few arguments (but way to many),
innumerable blessings!"


In short I have a wonderful life with a wonderful man!!
Here's to the last 8 years!!

















Really Truly a great 8 Years!!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!!


We had lots of Halloween fun this year! We enjoyed some unseasonably warm weather which is always appreciated!! Here are some of the fun things we did!! * a note...we did bargain costumes this year! We have so many dress ups because our kids LOVE to dress up so I just decided we were going to be what we had (although G did borrow his red night costume-thanks Maddens). It was so fun because they were able to be something different for each event...I am just sad that I didn't have my camera to record some of the more creative choices!!
Carving Pumpkins for FHE


Downtown Trick or Treat
Our cute little town does a big down town trick or treating for all the little kids on the Friday before Halloween...we went this year and loved it!

we have a train track that runs through part of the downtown strip...Oscar LOVES trains but does not love the NOISE!


School Parties & Ward Trunk or Treat
(both of which I forgot cameras for! Oops)Can I just say, in reference to the school parties... holy moly some parents wonder why their kids are terrible...look at what they let them dress up as! I, an adult, thought that some of the costumes were scary...Oscar nearly climbed up my leg trying to get away from some of the kids in the school costume parade! Please people get some brains!!

The Big Night!



her costume was as cute if not cuter from behind...her little tail wagged just right! I love this costume!!

This is my favorite house...I love the big web and spiders....so cute....really I only like cute halloween decorations...some of the houses were too scary and Eleanor & Oscar wouldn't go up!

the cutest puma on the planet!!
The photographer...just to prove I did participate!


Don't you just love Halloween clothes?? I do...in fact I love all holiday clothes...


Steve and I did not dress up this year but if I had I was going to be a referee and Steve a banker since those are our main roles these days! Here's what the kids came up with...
Gordon:
A red night, a blue power ranger, a military person, and himself
Oscar: a green dragon knight (see Gordon's last year photos), a white power ranger,& a dragon
Eleanor: a pinkie princess, a fairy princess, a dragon, & a skunk
Maggie:
a baby & a puma

We hope your Halloween was Happy & Safe!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Let's be honest...

...who can resist a baby in a bedazzled sweatsuit??



Not me!!

Friday, October 23, 2009

October 23rd!

Just a little fun...
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Thursday, October 22, 2009

California here we come/came!! VOl. 2

What a Fantastic Trip we have had....
We have been so excited for our trip to California. It was one of the major FHE announcements for a solid month.We are now home and enjoying all of these wonderful memories!!

Riding on an Airplane our kids LOVE to ride on airplanes! Steve on the other hand does not love to ride on airplanes with our kids! He is spoiled by all the travel he does alone for work. While it felt like heaven to have 2 extra hands to help out at the airport and on the flight, Steve was a bit stressed out...can you tell??


Hanging out at Grandma & Papa's house

Riding in the Tractor
...who cares that one of the tires was totally flat and that the back of the trailer was totally jerry rigged.....it was a big hit!! Uncle Donnie usually followed close by incase anyone was bucked off!


Spending time with Grandma
...while all the kids LOVE their Papa....Grandma is an absolute Celebrity! Maggie is learning quickly that Grandma Ward is full-time fun!


The Swings
...this set that our crafty Grandma Ward concocted are the kind I live for....they have loooong chains so you can get going SO high! Although I cannot stomach it for quite as long as I used to-it was still great fun. However I will say I am much more intimidated by jumping off in mid swing! It's good to know that the next generation is loving the swings just like their mom!

Eleanor is especially a fan of the swings!

She loves to go really high and I don't even worry about her because she has been a swinger since she was a year old. She holds on better than the boys and is WAY more daring...she loves to go high and lean all the way back! She even knows how to pump now!

Hide & Seek in the dark
...Grandma provided glow sticks and a little supervision for a mean game of H & S. It was so fun to see all these little cousins playing so well together. Maya was especially good at hiding that she made it through a few different seekers before she was found!

Taylor & Eleanor are SO sneaky!
Why is Oscar so happy??

GLOW STICKS!!


Seeing Steve...it was WONDERFUL to have his undivided (well semi-undivided...there were many boys activities for the wedding!) attention!


Finding old treasures...Grandma & Grandpa Ward are moving so they were cleaning out attics and old boxes. In all those secret places there was treasure hidden. All of the kids came home with various keepsakes from those old boxes...the boys LOVED these boxing gloves and Maya was a shoe-in for this old cub scout shirt--it fit her like a glove and had some really cool patches on it!


Visiting Coloma for the Mormon Battalion Event!...this is where Gold was first discovered in California!! Every year they have a series of reenactments and a weekend long festival about the Mormon Battalion--It was great fun!


Visiting the Sacramento Temple...

We scoped out where Grandma Ward had planted some of her Dad's (Great Grandpa Oscar Larson) plants and told Oscar a little about his namesake! It was a good time!

The trip to Monterrey...


Oscar was REALLY tired!!

I drove down Friday afternoon the 3+ hours from Sacramento with the kids--Steve went up Thurs morning for the bachelor's weekend full of golf & games! On the way down I was able to stop off and see one of my best friends, Sydney Rose Davies . It was so fun to catch up with her!! (PS thanks for letting me borrow your glasses Candy--they had remarkable coverage!!)

Here it is..this is the view from where Matt & Sara will be married...

SO BEAUTIFUL!!
I swear these are some of the same rocks that I was nearly swept away into the ocean from as a little girl. Many years ago on our trip to California all of the kids were out looking at the little tide pools when all of a sudden what seemed like a tsunami came and almost dragged us into the cold water! Luckily we all clung to the rocks and walked away soaking wet!

We love these kids!

Our FAVORITE Aussies...Elise (due in Feb) a sad Taylor (3) and Annabelle (1.5)


Gordon loved holding onto his cold ears! he's just like his uncle Daniel who can't resist a cold ear!
Princess Pants


I love these plants that grew all over they're little greenery things that change colors with the fall!

Oscar's little BFF Garrett Madsen


As the adults were going through the plans for the wedding and arragements and positions for the kids were all playing on some rocks by the bike path and I start to hear Gordon yelling, "Help, HELP" I look around and don't see him anywhere...obviously I start to panic thinking that someone has grabbed him (we were a bit distracted with the planning of seating etc. and all the men were out for the bachelor's day so the moms were totally outnumbered) but as he continues to scream louder and more panicked he isn't getting quieter like he's being taken...interesting...I am calling his name and the others realize that I can't find him so they start looking and calling...then the laughing begins...and he yells..." hey I 'm up here" still we're looking...looking...he's still laughing...then a tree...a very small tree mind you starts shaking like crazy as he's yelling "Up here! Up here"... and there he was perched at the very top of this tiny tree! It's a good thing he's so small...Jenny broke a few of the tiny branches just trying to get him out!

Thanks for saving him Jenny!!


I can't get enough of her!

...or her for that matter!
Gordon was a great mountain goat...jumping from rock to rock

Ellie enjoyed climbing...or attempting to climb and "babysitting Annabelle"


Oscar loved "climbing and throwing rocks"...I don't think that the bikers loved his rock throwing since they all landed on the bike path...luckily I got most of them!

There were lots of new cool bugs (a black crickety thing) and some old favorites (roly polys) to be found under all the boulders...it entertained the boys quite well!

We had a little time for relaxing at the hotel

The wedding...more to come here!


We just had a great Family trip to California to Celebrate Uncle Matt's Wedding!! We didn't get many pictures of the wedding since Steve was in it and I had 4 kids to juggle...I'll post more of those later but here is what we have!

I just want to welcome our newest sister into the Ward Family....Welcome to the Craziness! It was a long time in the making but we are so happy to finally have you!
We Love you Sara!!

My Baby Lately!!

Here are a collection of pictures from the last few days of the cutest baby in town!!

Enjoy!!









Wednesday, October 21, 2009

1 girl, 1 tutu & 1 scary snake!

Ellie kept calling me saying "Mommy hurry there a very bad snake here"...of course I came running to find her "wrestling this bad bad snake"...she was so darling as she squealed and fake cried every time that "bad snake bited her"


She is such a little beauty!!!

Sibling Rivalry...?

I think that sibling rivalry with a new baby is a myth!! My kids LOVE LOVE LOVE their baby sister!! It's all I can do to keep her to myself!




..though sometimes she lets me know she's done making the rounds!!

I just want to say as well that my big boys Gordon & Oscar are such GREAT helpers! They are always so cheerful when asked to do anything for her! It has been a treat! Ellie is helpful but only when she's in the mood she is easily distracted...she is 2 after all!!

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Chicagoland round 2


Thanks to my wonderful and generous Mother who came to watch our oldest 3 kids (and Healthcare REIT) I got to go with Steve to Chicago for 6 days & 5 nights!! It was wonderful!

Some of the sights


The bean...

The Lego Store

The moving water Scuplture in Grant Park...the kids would have LOVED this!

It was so fun just having Maggie...I got to catch up on some picture time!
I just wish I had a better camera!!

We also tried to get in a little tummy time
(we don't do much of that at home since there is a likely chance she'll be bothered!!)

As you can see she got a little worn out towards the end!

On Friday we got to go out and take a look around the city a little...a very little...we only made it up Michigan Avenue and then we were excited to go meet up with friends!
This is us in front of the Tribune Building!


Steve was worn out....from his long week so Maggie & he took a quick nap before we hit the road!

We went down to the lakeshore and had a little Marshmallow Roast with our dear friends the Dowdles!

coaxing a fire out of some wood...doesn't Steve look like a little kid


...it started to rain so we had to make a hasty departure...but not before I clicked a quick shot....PS...we got SOAKED! but the hotdogs and marshmallows were delicious!!
Thanks to the Dowdles for the cozy accomodations and good times!