BrownJELO

A few more of Ally.

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:34:00 +0000

Ally was here today..and she had a super cute outfit on (from what I hear was her dad's doing)...so I couldn't help but snap a few pictures of her. It helps that Ally loves to play on the stools with Owen and is a pretty easy 'subject' to photograph:)

Meep!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:18:00 +0000

For the last several months, Ethan has decided that his favorite word is "meep". He uses it whenever he see's fit. If I ask him a question, his answer is often "meep". He randomly using "meep" in conversation..just to be silly. He tells people to call him "meep". It has come to my knowledge that some of his friends call him "the meeper".

Funny. I thought it was funny. I asked him where he came up with this word and he didn't really know..in fact, he likely answered me by saying "meep". He's a funny kid..he loves to make people laugh with his silliness, so this "meeping" seemed completely normal coming from Ethan. I actually thought it was pretty cute:)

It wasn't until a day or so ago that I learned of the fact that this word "meep" is actually much more widely used! A school in Mass has actually banned the word and is threatening suspensions for anyone who uses it. Its not that "meep" means anything bad, in fact..that is what is so great about the word, it can mean anything you want it to mean. Apparently students were using it to be very disruptive and just plain annoying their teachers with it.

"Meep" is getting some pretty crazy national attention and is being described as "being spread like a virus". You can read about it HERE and if you google the word you will find much more discussion about it...including many articles about Beaker from the Muppets.

"Meep" also has a place in the urban dictionary . According to this definition, Ethan has been using the word perfectly..although, I suppose according to this definition, you can't really use the word wrong.

For the last month or so I thought it was just an 'Ethan thing'...who knew?

Red Sky

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:38:00 +0000

I have an informant. A few weeks ago, my informant called to notify me of an absolutely beautiful full moon and tonight, my informant called to let me know of a beautiful bright red sky. I missed the opportunity for pictures of the full moon, and knew that I would kick myself for missing another great photo opportunity....so this time I immediately yelled to the kids in the other room to get in the car. They were a little concerned...I think they thought the house was on fire or something as I was "shooing" them out the door without their shoes on. You see..I knew I only had moments before the sun would be gone and I knew I needed to drive to Waukewan to get the best view of this sky.

As I was driving there the entire sky was lit up in this shade of red, but by the time I had pulled over and got my camera settings where I wanted them it had already started to disappear. Still a beautiful scene though!

ISO 200
f10
SS 0.125 (1/8)
focal length 35mm (would have been wider but I only had my 35mm lens with me!)

ISO 400
f10
focal length 35mm

PS..my "informant" goes by the alias "Uncle Paulie".

Haskins

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0000

It was a challenge for me today, that's for sure. What started out as a nice sunny day turned into somewhat of a dreary cloudy and chilly afternoon...but we did our best. Not only was the light not at an advantage for us but photographing any kids that are ages 5, 3 and almost 6 months will prove to be difficult! Mom did her best to get the kids attention to make them look towards the camera and smile. Not only did they smile but she got some great laughs out of all of them! We had a good time trying anyway:)

Its what happens when you ask me to babysit:)

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:23:00 +0000

Its inevitable. Its the price you pay. I will most likely take pictures of your children. You see...I love taking pictures of my own kids, and as you all know I have no shortage of pics of my kids. But. It sure is fun to get pictures of other kids too!
Ally is fun. She loves to try on hats. Of course, she doesn't leave them on long before wanting to try the next hat, but we managed to get a few cute pics:) I think I need to invest in some more costumes though!

Ally's second birthday is just around the corner!

I fished what I wanted!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:56:00 +0000

Because of the timing of how the birthdays fall in our family, it seems to be the trend for me to not get my gift from Josh until a little bit later...usually by the 31st of October:) Last year, on Oct. 31, Josh (and Nana!) bought my Nikon D40. That was one of the best purchases...ever! I can't think of something that I use more often than my camera. It most definitely worth every penny.

This year, Josh bought me a new lens for my D40. After a suggestion made to me by my cousin, Adam (who is an incredible artist and also knows his stuff about photography..you can go to his blog HERE)...I did some research and found that I would find myself very happy with the Nikkor 35mm f1.8 lens. I shared this with my husband who "put it in his moleskin" (a little Peasant Princess for ya) and somehow, and he won't tell me how, he got his hands on one! I say 'somehow' because this particular lens is generally hard to find. If you google it, you will often find it to be sold out...because its just THAT awesome:) He gave me this gift today..which happens to be Oct. 31st again! I also got a new candle and bag of Lindt chocolate...because my husband is amazing.

So of course, I couldn't wait to pop the new lens on and give it a try. In just a few test fires I found a significant difference. The crispness and clarity are far better than my 13-55mm and the fact that I can get as low as f1.8 makes for far better low light photos. It does sense the light completely differently and it focuses a little different as well. I need some practice for sure.

Can you tell the difference? The ones of me were taken by Josh..who happens to be quite savvy with the camera as well:)

(ahhh...f1.8 bokeh is the best!)

My poor kids have been pretty sick. Jessalyn dealing with a high grade fever last night but is ok today..and then Owen who today is dealing with the fever thing himself. Here is my sicky boy..laying on the couch in a pretty dark living room.

And the next two are for comparison...again, a sicky Owen laying on the couch. I had to bump the ISO a bit for these inside dark room pictures (800).

f1.8
ISO 800
SS 1/25

Same location with the 18-55mm lens...
f5.3 (the lowest this lens would let me go)
ISO 800
SS 1/5 (which is way too slow...so with this lens I would have had to bump it to a 1600 ISO to compensate)

Five year old kisses.

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:27:00 +0000

Last night, Luke went to bed reminded that it was his last day as a four year old. He was giggling over this thought and we talked about all the things that he will no longer do as a four year old...the list included many things (pretty much anything that he does during a day), and then he added that he was giving me his last four year old kiss. We geared up for it as I explained that since it was the last four year old kiss that it better be a GOOD one! I puckered..and he giggled like crazy. It was cute. As I left the room I made him promise that I would be the one to recieve his very first five year old kiss.

He remembered that promise today so we staged the first five year old kiss with the camera.

Its hard to believe that Luke is 5 already! We celebrated with a small party..just Josh and I and the siblings. Luke got just what he wanted, a transformable bumblebee. We will celebrate again on Sunday at a pool party with family and friends.

Balance and Moderation

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:19:00 +0000

I am relieved to have both parent/teacher conferences over with for this fall. I mean, I don't really 'dread' them, in fact up until this year I absolutely looked forward to them! I guess what I'm trying to say, is that Jessalyn and Ethan are two very different kids! We have had it easy with Jessalyn as far as her schooling goes. Anyone who knows Jessalyn knows that, since birth, she has been a very driven and independent girl. When she has her mind set one something, she will get it done (sometimes to a fault).

Ethan, on the other hand, will avoid having to work at anything if he possibly can! Don't get me wrong, Ethan is a great kid...he's funny, he's smart, he's cute :) but he tends to have trouble focusing especially when it is something that doesn't come completely natural to him (like video games!). I admit that I was a tad bit nervous about his conference at school.

As it turns out, his conference (last week) turned out GREAT. His teacher thinks he's a great kid too and is ahead of schedule on the reading end and seems to be doing well overall. He, of course, does tend to need re-focusing quite often..but I think this is normal for his age (or any age!). I walked out of that conference very proud of Ethan! He has new goals of getting to higher and higher reading levels and working on his writing too. He seems willing to work towards these goals.

Today was Jessalyn's conference. I was not surprised by her conference. Every year (or really, ever DAY) she gives us more and more reason to be proud of her. We are fully aware of her and her potential but it is nice to see it confirmed by her teachers (I say 'teachers' because she has three in a co-teach classroom). She is, as usual, thriving in school. I am trying to eat it up now and prepare for the day when this starts to change...while at the same time praying that we can continue to encourage her in the direction that she is moving now. She is described as a leader and fun and competitive (not sure where that comes from..tee hee)..and also described as being a "kid" as well.

I guess that is where the whole "balance and moderation" part comes in. I find this a challenge in parenting my four kids. In Jessalyn's case, we know what she is capable of and we know what she expects from herself as well. We try to encourage her and 'push' her to work hard both in academics and character. She tends to be naturally responsible which could potentially lead us to lean on that responsibility more than we should. At the very same time, because she shows her trustworthiness in responsibility we feel like we should give her practice with that and continue to develop it as well. Its a total balancing act. We want her to be a 9 year old... we certainly DON'T want her to be a teenager YET!

All the while, we have Ethan. It is hard not to compare one sibling to the next. Things that come easy for Jessalyn don't tend to come as easily to Ethan, but at the same time, sometimes we question whether its just a mindset for Ethan. The more and more we see Ethan mature (and I use the word "mature" lightly) we are learning that he is proving to be equally as capable as Jessalyn...he just has less of a desire to work at things. This, I suppose, is totally normal. We don't expect Ethan to be Jessalyn because he's Ethan! We are slowing learning that we probably should expect more out of Ethan...for our sake AND his. We are seeing a change in him as he realizes what he's capable of and he does seem to enjoy it.

With four kids this balancing act of moderation is key..I think. It could be really easy for us as parents to become "off balance" in trying to balance and moderate for our kids. Does that even make any sense? What I'm trying to say is that, in the whole act of trying to help encourage but not exasperate our kids WE as parents need to keep that idea in balance as well. In other words, ultimately, I try not to stress about it! We try to encourage and model the idea of working hard to our kids without become extreme about it..and that itself is hard!

"Let your reasonableness be known to everyone" ~ Phil 4:5
"Fathers, do not provoke you children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" ~ Ephesians 6:4
"Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." ~ Phil 4:8

An example of Jessalyn doing what she does best...

She gets up and decides that she will start making pancakes..I didn't supervise her measuring or recipe (the mix that requires milk, oil, eggs...) following at all. I, of course, supervised and assisted in the pouring and flipping though.

Then helping her littlest brother get in on the fun...

And the best part is when she cleaned up after her efforts!

I think she's pretty cool!

Photo shoot with Mark.

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:37:00 +0000

He was a good sport about getting these pictures done.

I think we both had more fun shooting the next group of pictures though. This is the "Mark" I know:)

The rest of the pictures are on smugmug.

I thought this was a great quote..

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:04:00 +0000

"Once you have the skill to elicit great photos from one camera, you can get them from any camera. It's like pianos: a 9-foot Bösendorfer may be better piano than the upright at the local bar, but if you can't play the piano, you won't get good music out of any of them. Anyone can bang on a piano and anyone can shoot a camera, but it takes an artist to get decent results from either one. The sad part is how many well-meaning people think photography is as simple as buying a camera.

Getting great pictures comes from knowing how to "play" your camera's settings and paying attention to the lighting. If you know what you're doing, you can do it on the D40."
-Ken Rockwell www.kenrockwell.com

So true. SO true!

Fall photo shoot with my kids.

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:40:00 +0000

Having pictures taken when they are required to be "normal" (rather than the crazy kids that they are), is like pure torture for my kids. Before starting out, I had to get myself into the right frame of mind by doing deep breathing exercises and counting to ten before we even started. I also prepared the kids by letting them know right off the bat that they would get a special treat if they cooperate for as long as I want them to.

This combination actually seemed to work. Everyone besides Owen was cooperative. They seemed to enjoy themselves actually. Owen, on the other hand, was as silly as possible and would NOT sit still for a picture or look at the camera without sticking his tongue out or something.

I was frustrated at first after realizing that the first string of pics I took were taken on a 1600 ISO. I must have used the camera in a very low light situation the last time and didn't think to change it. Frustrating. I think if you are aware of "noise" it will be obvious which pictures were taken with the high ISO. I fixed the problem in the middle and made the kids stay for twice as long as they would have needed to had I not made that mistake.

Photography is frustrating. Along side of the ISO problem, I am a bit frustrated with the focusing of many of these shots. To me, it seems that the focus landed more on the bricks, rather than the person. Ahhh...but these are certainly moments to learn from.

So with all of that said, I have about 30 that I ended up relatively happy with. Here are a few of my faves of those 30. (The rest are on smugmug)

After the pictures, the kids were treated to shakes or mcflurries at McD's, a long game of tag with me (one of their favorite things to do) and pizza for dinner!

Saying goodbye to peak season.

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:32:00 +0000

Sad to say it, but I think the peak foliage season (in the Lakes Region) is officially over. It still looks beautiful out there, but its nothing like it was just a few days ago. The leaves are still colorful, except that they are now laying all over the ground leaving the trees bare:(

Nothing better than an October wedding!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:35:00 +0000

I have been a bridesmaid in two weddings this summer. One thing that I found difficult was the fact that, in a way, I was wishing that I wasn't actually in the pictures and that I was the one taking them! In both weddings, the locations were beautiful and it was hard for me to not take advantage of it with my own camera. I don't really know if there is specific 'etiquette' for these situations, but I certainly didn't feel right about standing behind the professional photographers with my camera taking pics of the scenes and locations that they are setting up. As painful as it was (both times) I made sure that my pictures were all from an off center perspective....which to some degree makes me not want to take the pictures at all!

Of course, I didn't let every single photo op pass by without at least a few clicks from my camera!! Here are a few from the day. It certainly was a beautiful wedding!

Taking an opportunity with the bride and groom in between poses (with father of the groom sneaking...just snapshots so I didn't feel like cropping him out).

This water pitcher was Josh, Shara and Kirsten's moms. Shara also used it filled with her bouquet at the head table of her wedding back in June.

The Brown/Jameson party.

An interesting fall day.

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 03:36:00 +0000

A day full of rain and sunshine and wind and more rain and more sunshine...and some rain and sunshine at the same time. We did manage to have a soccer game during a less rainy part of the day. Today's game was in Sandwich. There were many points along the drive when I wanted to pull over to take pictures, but Jessalyn was stressing that we would be late so I restrained myself from stopping EVERYwhere that I wanted. I did pull over at one point because I just couldn't waste the entire drive through this beautiful town without stopping for atleast a couple photos!

This last picture was actually the 'backdrop' of the field that the kids played on. Jessalyn's team won the game and Jessalyn played very well!

October in NH

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:36:00 +0000

October is most definitely my favorite month of the year. I've loved October....well...since I was born, I suppose:) My love for October grew even bigger after Jessalyn was born in October...and then even more when Luke was born in October! It sure makes for one exciting month...almost like I get THREE birthdays! (It seems as though their birthday's are 'almost' as exciting as my own)

Besides all of the birthday celebrations, it is also the best time of the year to randomly grab my camera and go for a drive. I find myself pulled over in the craziest places doing my very best "leaf peeper" impersonations clicking away at the shutter of my camera. Its hard not to be happy with the results of the pictures. God's creation is amazing and I feel blessed that I get to enjoy it!

"Dude! What are you doing??!!"

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:39:00 +0000

This morning, after dropping Jessalyn and Ethan at school, I figured I would head straight to the eye doctor to pick up the contacts that have been sitting there waiting for me since August (or was it July?). On my way back, I was driving on Church Street (in Laconia) headed towards the lights in town while talking to Karen on the phone.

Fortunately, I am a defensive driver.

I'm in the right lane because I am turning right at the lights. As I'm driving towards the lights, I see a sweet looking black car pulling out of (I think) the library. The driveway that the car was pulling out of was a bit of an incline. I'm still chatting with Karen and keeping an eye on the car. As I got closer, it appeared like the car was not going to stop, although I was clearly in the right of way....but the car was NOT stopping. So...I believe I said (maybe Karen can confirm this?)..."Dude! What are you doing!!". So, I stopped in the road..and this car continued to pull out RIGHT in front of me...and I mean, like literal inches in front of me.

So I'm looking at the car, thinking about pulling out a little road rage (kidding. really.) and as I'm about to give the driver a look of "what the heck??!!" I realize that there is NOBODY driving the car!!! Oh my goodness. It was totally creepy..and funny..and scary at the same time. I'm still on the phone with Karen..trying to describe (in shock) what is happening to me while laughing hysterically (ok, maybe not hysterically..but I was laughing).

Here I am, stopped dead in the middle of the road while a car with no driver sort of settles itself right in front of me. The driverless car came to a stop. Cars in the lane to the left of me continue on..fortunately, that driverless car didn't go any further or it would have been an accident for sure.

For a brief moment, I am wondering what the heck I should do. I kinda scoped out what was going on around me and noticed a man in a suit across the street doing a double take...and then I witness the jaw dropping expression on his face followed by him sprinting across the street to hop back in HIS car and back it up the driveway! He looked at me like with a look of complete confusion and then I drove away.

I am kicking myself because I had the camera sitting right there in the passenger seat of my van and I didn't think to take any pictures!! What is wrong with me??!! Nothing would have made this post better than actual pictures of the car sitting in front of me with no driver. I guess I'll have to let you imagine the scenerio instead.

As I drove away (this whole time, on the phone with Karen) I realize how blessed I was by the timing of this little incident. Really. How annoying and inconvenient would it have been if I had been 2 seconds ahead and have this car ram into the side of my van. It was creeping out in front of me rather slowly, so it wouldn't have been a major issue, but surely would have caused a dent and probably a call to the insurance, not to mention police documentation and all of the hassle that goes along with that.

I did take the scenic route home to fullfill my duty as leaf peeper (its ok, you can hate me). Since I can't leave you with a picture of the creepy headless car, I will leave you with another picture that I took today!

Its a beautiful day!!

Two years.

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:10:00 +0000

Yesterday marked the 2 year date of when we moved into the Parsonage. In one way I can't believe that we have been here for two years already and in another way it seems like it has been much longer. All in all, it has been an awesome two years. I can't really imagine my life any different. I was looking back through my old blog (live journal) and had fun reading and looking at the pics from when we first moved here. It was a very new chapter of our lives. We were moving into the house, Josh was starting in the roll as an elder of the Church and we were taking on the youth group! Owen was little. He didn't have any teeth and did lots and lots of drooling. Before we moved into the house we did quite a bit of re-painting, Butch had refinished the hardwood floors and everything looked so clean and new (as new as a very old house could possibly look!).

The house itself doesn't look much different then two years ago as far as furniture placement and things. Minus a crib that is now a bed and an extra bed in the extra room..mostly everything has stayed the same. It is clear though, that the house has been "weathered" over the last two years. The pictures from then showed a nice new paint job, pictures hung nice and straight on the walls...and brand new couches. Today, the paint on the walls has become scratched in places (or even drawn on!), the floors are scuffed and not nearly as shiny as they were then. One might think, by looking at the pictures on the wall, that a freight train drives by the house on a daily basis (which doesn't happen, although, you might consider my four kids a freight train!). The furniture...well, it has held up quite well, fortunately!

This house has seen a lot of commotion. Our family alone gives the house a run for its money, but then add in the weekly youth meetings, Sunday School in the living room and basement (most of the time) and all of the other gatherings that happen here on a regular basis. This is what the Parsonage should be like! (don't get me wrong, the parsonage dwellers before us saw just as much action...I'm not at all implying that this all started when WE moved in!!)

We love living here and feel blessed every single day that we GET to live here! We try hard to allow the Parsonage to live up to its potential:)

But ya know that "two year itch" phrase? I am in NO way itchy to leave anything, but it is not typical for us to do anything for more than 2 years without a major change. It doesn't necessarily mean a change of living arrangements, although..looking back, it does seem to be the pattern. Its just that there is usually something big that changes for us every 2 years or so..whether it be a move, a new responsibility, a new baby....something. It just feels weird to not have some major change happening in our lives right about now.

So what is it that I want to change? I have NO idea. We are not planning on baby #5, I know for sure that we don't want to leave Meredith, or the Church or the parsonage even. I can't even think of what I 'want' to change. I tried talking Josh into a dog.....but that is a pretty clear "No", in fact I've even heard the words "I'd rather have another baby than a dog!".

So for now, I pray for contentment. The thing is, overall, I feel very content. There is just something about that two year mark. Does this happen to anyone else, or is it just me?? What kind of changes do you make when you get the urge for some sort of change?

In the meantime, while I was reading in my old live journal blog I encouraged myself (can you do that?) to start writing in my blog more often. I had gotten to a point where I felt like if the pictures weren't good enough, or the story wasn't cool enough that I shouldn't bother posting...but looking through the old blog was fun. It was fun to see the silly randomness of my life and remember little tiny things that happened. I am going to try to be more diligent about posting...even if its just for myself to look back on 2 years later and laugh about how drooly Owen was or what Jessalyn looked like on her first day of 3rd grade. That was why I started this blog in the first place!!

So relaxed today.

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:20:00 +0000

This is a cool story. True story:)

Early this afternoon, I was standing in the kitchen while Luke, Owen and Elijah were busy playing. I had this overwhelming feeling of peace. I was standing there noticing how relaxed and chilled out I was feeling. I was literally standing there thinking about how happy I am and where my life is right now. I honestly had this feeling almost like I was on some sort of sedative or something. I thought about posting a status message about feeling so happy and chilled out...but couldn't really think of a way to put it without it sounding complete mushy. I stood there trying to figure out what it was about this day that was making me feel so calm...I thought it could be the weather, it could be E and J in school, it could be the smoothie I had for breakfast. I seriously stood there thinking of all of the possible reasons that I could be feeling so good. I even went from there thinking (in my typical negative side)...could this be the 'calm before the storm' and should I be preparing myself for something bad to happen any second? I didn't post anything but continued on with my afternoon at home with the boys...really just enjoying them.

Just a few minutes ago, I received a phone call from Dona Lynn who had some questions for me...but the first thing she said was "Did you see us outside your house today?". I said "No, who was outside my house?" She continued to tell me that on their weekly prayer walk, her and Papa and Mark had walked up to the Parsonage and stopped outside of the house to pray for us and our family and the ministry that happens here in this house. They stood outside my house and prayed for us for about 20 minutes.

In discussing the timing of their walk, and my drug like feeling :) ..it was clear that it was the same time. Actually, we didn't even really have to figure out the timing because even without doing that it was clear as to why I had an overwhelming feeling of peacefulness this afternoon!

Not that this type of thing is a surprise to me, because I am certain that these things are happening constantly and most of the time we don't even notice...but it sure is nice to have such clear reminders as to what prayer can do!

....so from now on, I think I should recommend a daily prayer walk around the Parsonage!!!

This is it...the last days of our summer vacation.

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:04:00 +0000

I can't quite believe how quickly this vacation has gone by. It seems like just a few days ago when we were saying good by to second grade and kindergarten....and here we are, prepping ourselves for the next step of third and first grade! We have one last weekday of fun..and one more weekend before the daily grind of school starts next week. We plan to make the most of it though..with our annual (and at the buzzer!) trip to Story Land tomorrow. This will be Owen's first time at Story Land because we left him behind last year. I am sure he will just love it!

Starting next week I will begin taking care of a 10 month old (almost 11 month old) little boy..and he is the cutest little guy! We are excited. I will have him most weekdays throughout the school year. This will be a little bit of an adjustment for us...but overall, I think it will be great.

Our days after school and on Saturdays will be consumed with Soccer this fall. Ethan will be playing on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Jessalyn has moved up to the next level of soccer and will be playing 4 days a week with Saturday games. She is pretty motivated to work hard and is constantly asking me to take her to the field to practice her skills. I will happily do this with her, since it is just as much fun for me as it is for her!

Today is a beautiful day, so we headed down there and played for quite a long time...all until she pulled a muscle! We will have to remember to stretch better before we play next time!

I had some fun taking a few pics of her while she played. I just can't believe the she is almost 9 years old! Crazy to think that Josh and I met when we were both still 13!

A "how to" on the sparkler fun..

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:59:00 +0000

First of all, even though it was getting pretty dark outside, I set the ISO on a low setting (my camera only goes to 200)...because I knew that the light from the sparkler itself would be very bright.

The second thing I did was put the Aperture at about 5 or so...so that the background would be more blurry, knowing that the person doing the 'writing' would be moving and that the slow shutter speed would make the nothing but a mess.

Then I brought my camera into "bulb" mode..which is found when you start heading into really slow shutter speeds. I wanted the camera to catch the movement of the light and slow shutter speeds is how you do that. "Bulb" mode allows you to control exactly how long the shutter stays open. You hold the button as long as you want..and when you let go, it closes.

So then we would get ready, spark up the sparkler, get into position and I would say "GO!" then hold my breath (trying to avoid camera shake) and the shutter button while the person did the writing..and hope for the best! You should have seen me when I realized that it worked! I was so excited:) Then when I started showing everyone the kinds of pics I was getting we had lots of ideas flying around about what to do....and then we ran out of sparklers!

I think it would look better in the complete dark..although, I kinda like being able to see the person in the background as well.

And then, like I said in the other post, with Lacy's name I had to flip it in an editing program because she wasn't confident that she would be able to spell it backwards. With the heart it didn't matter.

So yeah...go to the store and by some sparklers and have some fun!

Sparkler fun.

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:03:00 +0000

Of course, as soon as I started 'perfecting' this type of picture, we ran out of sparklers. We were starting to have so much fun with this idea....so we will undoubtedly be purchasing more so that I can have even more fun!!!

This was when I started figuring it out..

Kirsten's heart..

So then we moved onto bigger and better things:) (haha)
Lacy wrote her name the regular way from her perspective, so of course, it was backwards when I took the picture. I just did a little flippety flip in Paint to make it read the correct way.

I think next time we will wait till it's totally dark outside.
Need. to. go. get. more. sparklers.
tee hee

Sunsets

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 03:15:00 +0000

It amazes me how quickly the "perfect" picture of a sunset disappears. Josh and I were driving back from Tilton (through Laconia) tonight and noticed that the sun was peaking through the clouds over the lake 'just right'. I happened to have my camera with me in the van, so he pulled over as quickly as he could so that I could jump out and get a picture (he's such a good guy!). By the time I got out and crossed the street to get in a good position to get a picture, the 'just right' scene had come and gone. The pictures I did manage to get still show the beauty of the evening, but I promise...30 seconds before this was taken it looked even better!

..and since I had put in the effort to get out of the van and cross the road to take a picture, I figured I would try to get a bit creative while I was there (which was all of, maybe, one minute). This was just about all of the creativity I could muster at that moment...hahaha. A close-up silhouette'ish shot of these half dead flowers on the side of the railroad tracks:)

Phew!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:51:00 +0000

We have had an interesting few weeks here in our family. It started with Jake and Shara's wedding (and all the preparation leading up to it), followed by all kinds of 'end of year' celebrations at school between Jessalyn and Ethan's classes, moved along to an amazing funeral (yes, I just said those two words in one sentence) and ended with a Bar Mitzvah. Add in the usual things in between and you will understand why my blogging has not been up to par lately!

The wedding was beautiful. Shara and Jake did a wonderful job planning and executing this special day. It was a blessing to all of us who were involved and everyone who was able to attend as well.

The funeral was for a dear friend who battled cancer for the last six years. He and his wife (who also happens to be my cousin) were a MAJOR influence on Josh and I as we developed our relationship in our high school/college days and the exact couple that modeled the type of marriage that we strive for. The funeral was an great celebration of his life and an amazing testimony at the very same time. Although very saddened by this loss, everyone went away with a feeling of hope, and even left feeling encouraged.

The Bar Mitzvah was for the two boys that Kirsten has helped care for over the last 10 years. Our families have developed quite a relationship over the years. We are invited to their home several times throughout the year...with our annual Lupine walks and our yearly invitation to celebrate a day of Hannukah with them. Both of these are highlights for us and especially our kids! They have enjoyed learning the different traditions held by a Jewish family and have now come to know what to expect! Latkas, Dreidals...even some of the blessings in Hebrew are familiar to my kids. They boys love to play with Jack and Aden. They love to put on concerts with with all of their musical instruments. Our trip to this household is not complete without some trampoline jumping, bike riding and basketball playing that happens in the barn....oh, and I can't forget about the dancing!

This was our first experience at a Bar Mitzvah though. Jack and Aden did an awesome job and it was a pleasure to watch them both participate in this special occasion. I wasn't able to stay for the whole service becuase my kids weren't able to sit quitely for quite long enough...although, they did a pretty good job in my opinion:) We were also asked to not take and photos during the actual ceremony, so I don't have any shots of this.

The reception was another story! I have to say, that I won't ever turn down an opportunity to attend a Bar Mitzvah (if another opportunity arrises!). This was a FUN party! Lots of yummy food and GREAT band and dancing, dancing, dancing. Oh. And did I mention that there was dancing?

At this point I most definitely got out my camera to take some pics and quickly found myself pirched up on the side of the trampoline, holding onto the pole that holds the saftey netting up. I was hanging on precariously while the kids (including Jessalyn) were busy bouncing away on the inside. It turned out to be a great place to get some decent pictures...although, I found myself having to time my shutter clicks just right as I could feel that the jumpers were in mid air. If I timed it wrong I ended up being bounced and got funny looking pictures!

I posted many (many) of them on my smugmug site...but I will post a few (or probably more than a few) of my favorites on here as well.

Have I mentioned lately how much Ethan has taken to any sort of dance party? The boys has some moves and suddenly is NOT afraid to jump in and share them with everyone. Notice that he is the only little kid in the circle of dancers. The rest of the kids were busy jumping on the trampoline while Ethan was one of the first to jump out on the dance floor. He didn't miss one single dance. Anyone who "knows" Ethan will tell you that he will hide behind my legs if you try to have a conversation with him...but give him some music and a dance floor (that is "big enough", according to him) and he is not shy AT ALL:)

Memorial Day

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Tue, 26 May 2009 19:36:00 +0000

An entire day with family. A nice relaxing day.

And a GINORMOUS "THANK YOU!!" to Grampa Bill and all those who have served or are serving our Country.

So little time...so little posts!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Fri, 15 May 2009 17:23:00 +0000

You would think that drumming was my job this month!! Out of 15 days straight, I have been out drumming for one event or another 12 of them. Josh likes to say "mommy by day, rock star by night". Haha. I would have to say that I'm far from "rock star" status..but I sure am having fun!!

I haven't really had much time for my camera...but I do have a couple of pictures to share.

Ethan was in the upstairs hallway in his spiderman costume (or more specifically "venom" costume) and I noticed that the lighting was good at that moment so I grabbed my camera. He has no trouble posing for the camera when he is doing something like being spiderman. Ignore the old ripped up wallpaper in the background...we haven't gotten to that room yet:) And..since I have exhausted all of my free photoshop trials, I am without a photo editing program to fix them. Its hard..because now that I tried the trials of the really really good programs, it is hard for me to settle for a $100 to $200 program. I'm just gonna have to save my pennies:)

Until then, all pictures are "sooc" (straight out of the camera).

Also....I have a new place to host my photos that I am VERY excited about!! I have finally made the jump to smugmug which is an amazing photo hosting site. They have the most quality uploads and a really cool set up for navigation and things. You can also order prints from here as well. I have UNLIMITED space here....YEAH!!!!

So..bookmark this site....
http://brownjelo.smugmug.com/