August Monthly Challenge- Motion Blur

Capturing motion blur from carnival rides at night has been on my "to photograph" bucket list for quite some time, so I was really excited that this month's challenge coincided with the Minnesota State Fair. Unfortunately, I forgot my tripod (a key component when using slow shutter speeds). Woops!! Thankfully, there were several recycling containers scattered throughout the midway that were about the right height... My photo session ended abruptly when it started to pour. Even though the thunderstorm cut my session short, the ominous clouds provided a perfect backdrop for the bright lights.

Thanks for looking! Next, head over to Angie's page. Then check out the other ladies in our circle: Caristy, Gina, Megan, Sarah, and Ana.

Calling All My Girls!

Last Wednesday night I had the pleasure of attending the Calling All My Girls Tour, hosted by Bethenny Frankel, to kick-off her talk show (which premieres September 9). A few weeks prior to that, I received an e-mail from Bethenny's social media specialist. She had somehow come across my blog and said that they loved it and thought that the Bethenny audience would as well. I'll admit I was a little skeptical because I assume that my mother is the only one who actually reads my blog. After a little google research, however, I realized that this was a legitimate event. I was so excited (I have been a Bethenny fan since her days on the Real Housewives of New York). I immediately returned the e-mail and was told that I would be on the VIP list for this exclusive event.

I could hardly wait for the big night. My friend Jen and I, who was my guest, exchanged several texts in the days leading up to the event in regards to wardrobe choices and what we were going to say when we got the chance to meet Bethenny. We could hardly contain our excitement as we sipped champagne and got ready for the event.

Jen and Jackson had a dance part in the backseat on the way downtown. (My hubby was nice enough to give us a ride).

The event was held at Union, a 3 story restaurant with an amazing rooftop. It was the perfect location. When we entered we were given wristbands and "blogger passes" along with a little card that allowed us to meet Bethenny when our phrase was called. Then, we were handed glasses of Skinny Girl Moscato and were ushered to the pink carpet.

Afterwards, we ran into the lovely woman, Meghan, who invited me to the event. She made us feel so welcome and let us know that the rooftop was where all the action was going to be so we headed up there.

We were greeted by waiters passing around delicious appetizers and various Skinny Girl cocktails. The weather was perfect and we found a nice little sitting area to relax and enjoy our drinks and apps. I was officially in heaven!

We also met, Melanie, another blogger at Beautifully Nutty. We immediately clicked and spent most of the evening laughing with her.

 Soon, it was time for Bethenny herself to come join the party...

Do Jen and I look a little excited, or what? (Hey, we're moms that don't get out that much. Can you blame us?) Bethenny was exactly like I expected. Sassy, smart, and hilarious! For example, she said that saying "Twin Cities" reminded her of Twin Titties, so she gave away several pairs of nipple tassels... (Unfortunately, I was not one of the lucky winners).

After telling some stories, promoting her new talk show, and introducing the crowd to the bachelors it was time for the meet and greet. While we waited for our turn, we sipped some delicious Skinnygirl Cucumber Refreshers (That's What She Said). I highly recommend trying out this recipe:

Then it was time! After all the planning what to say, my nerves got the best of me, and I think I just blurted out "I love you!" Awkward... She was super sweet, though!

The night was a whirlwind! Before we knew it we were headed out the door with our swag bags.

I was quickly jolted back to reality several hours later when I was awoken by a sick dog at 2am, 3:30am, and 5am... I'll spare you the details, but it was not pretty... Hey, living the glam life was nice for the few hours it lasted! I can't wait to watch her show when it starts in a few weeks! Bethenny will air weekdays at 3pm on channel 9.

July Monthly Challenge- Mobile Phone Photography

I take lots of pictures with my iphone, but I took even more than usual this month because my "go to" lens was off in Texas getting fixed. (I won't get in to the major separation anxiety this caused). Mobile phone photography is great for capturing those everyday moments when you don't have your "big girl" camera with you (for whatever reason). Let's be honest, there are many times that I just don't feel like lugging it with me or am afraid for my precious camera's safety.

Like when I'm at a splash pad with water squirting everywhere,

or at the park with a bunch of toddlers...

or at a concert...

It also offers an opportunity to get snapshots of ME with my little guy.

Mobile phone photography is also awesome for its ability to quickly share shots (of your toddler's festive 4th of July accessories) with family and friends.

As you can see, these are definitely not works of art or even close to being technically perfect, but that's the beauty of iphonography. I can take snapshots of my everyday life without worrying about things like proper white balance, exposure, and composition. Moments that wouldn't otherwise be captured.

Thanks for looking! Next, head over to Angie's page to see what she has in store for us. Then check out the other ladies in our circle: Caristy, Gina, Megan, Rebecca, and Ana.

June Monthly Challenge- Shallow Depth of Field

This month's challenge wasn't too much of a stretch for me because I often shoot with a shallow depth of field. (Which is sometimes to my detriment because I tend to err on the side of too shallow, which can leave important details fuzzy). However, I just love the softness and pretty bokeh that's created when shooting this way. Here are some of my recent favorites!

f/2.2

f/2.8

f/3.2

f/3.5

Thanks for looking! Next, head over to Angie's page to see her interpretation of the theme. Then check out the other ladies in our circle: Caristy, Angela, Gina, Anne-Lise, Courtney, Megan, Rebecca, Muriel, Sarah, and Ana.

2.25

 Weight: 30.5 pounds

Height: 37 inches

My dear boy, I know I said no more monthly posts, but I think I'm going to give quarterly posts a try... The time just slips away, otherwise. So many little things have happened over the past few months and I've only posted about Easter and the "lovely" May snow fall we had a month ago. You have grown up so much recently and I'm afraid I'm going to forget about this fleeting little stage of toddler-hood.

You are talking like crazy now! A few of your favorite phrases include: me, mine, no mommy help, Jaxy did, etc... You are constantly surprising Daddy and I with the things that come out of your mouth. You had a bit of a cough the other day and daddy asked you, "where did that cough come from?" Without missing a beat, you said "mouth!" (Duh, Daddy)! Last week, Daddy told me he was going to jump in the shower. You came running and said "no jump in shower, fall down!" One day, before your nap, I told you we were going to play at your friend Gigi's house that afternoon. You gave me a thumbs-up and said "awesome!" You sounded like a little surfer dude- I have absolutely no idea where you picked that up, but it's hilarious!

You are also extremely independent. I love that you are so confident, but it can be extremely frustrating at times (for me and for you). One of the main areas that your independence and persistence is causing difficulty is surrounding nap time and bed time. A few weeks ago you re-discovered your ability to climb out of your crib and perfected this art (even while wearing a sleep-sack). Daddy and I decided that we might as well convert your crib to a toddler bed. Well, this proved to be a disaster. You would stay in you bed for about 2 seconds before running out of your room to find daddy or I and say "all done sleep" with a big smile on your face. We thought this was funny the first few times it happened, but three hours later we were no longer smiling. At this point we decided to put a knob cover on the inside of your door so you couldn't get out of your room. Ha! That hardly even slowed you down. You were back out of your room in no time. This is when the rail went back up. I don't know if you feel more secure with it on or if you just couldn't control the impulse to get up when it was so easy to get out of bed, but obviously it wasn't working. Once we put it back up you went right to sleep (granted it was 10:30 at this point). For the next week, you would get out of bed several times before settling in for your nap or for the night. Several nights, you even came in to visit daddy and I at all hours of the night. You would also come waltzing out of your room, after 30 minutes, announcing that you were "all done nap." After weeks of not enough sleep, I was willing to try anything. The only reason I didn't buy the over-the-crib "net" was because I figured you'd be able to dismantle it. Then, I had a brilliant plan. Papa got you a new drum that you absolutely love. I told you that if you didn't stay in your bed that papa would come and take your drum away. This did the trick! For about a week, all I had to do when you were fighting sleep was pretend to call Papa. (Thanks, Dad!) Unfortunately, that isn't working anymore and we're back to square one. Today, it took me two hours to get you down for your nap! I know you need more sleep because almost anytime we're in the car, for more than a few minutes, you conk out.

Another big milestone that we've been working on is potty training. Shortly after you turned 2, you started putting your enormous bear on the potty. I soon realized that you were doing this every time you had to go! I was super impressed and excited because we had hardly talked about using the potty. I wasn't in a rush because I heard that boys are usually closer to 2.5 or 3 before they're ready. I figured we might as well give it a go, though, since you seemed interested. We had a quick conversation about it and I told you to let me know when you had to go. (Meanwhile, I made a huge deal whenever bear used the potty). Without going into too much detail, you're a fairly regular kid. The next day when it was about that time, I asked if you wanted to try the big boy potty. You excitedly agreed and peed almost immediately. You and I were both pretty thrilled! You sat on the potty another 20 minutes or so trying for #2. (You would get up every couple minutes to look in the potty to see if anything had happened). I was in the need of more coffee at this point, so I ran to the kitchen for a refill. When I came back into the bathroom you had pooped....on the floor right next to the toilet! I cleaned it up while explaining to you that we poop IN the toilet and never on the floor (I guess it was my mistake for not making this clear). I figured we were getting closer, at least... The next day, you told me when you had to poop and you pooped in the potty right away! I don't know who was more excited, me or you...

For the next couple of weeks, I hardly had to change any poopy diapers. I thought potty training was going to be a breeze! Then, I guess the novelty wore off because you started pooping in your diaper again. You use the potty intermittently these days, which is fine. We're out and about a lot of the time, which makes things more difficult. At least I know you can use the potty. I've heard that it's best to avoid power struggles surrounding potty training, so (for now) I'm taking your lead.

We wrapped up music class and ECFE about a month ago and are now into our summer schedule which consists of "school" on Monday and Wednesday mornings, through June and July (we'll have the whole month of August off). You have the same teacher you had for the second half of the school year. She plans a different theme each week, along with all kinds of activities and art projects. I think your favorite, so far, was smashing watermelon pieces with a hammer in a plastic bag and then drinking the juice. She is amazing and absolutely adores you. The first day of summer session she told me that you were helping all the new kids learn the class rules. I'm afraid one of the kids didn't like this, though, because the next time you went to school someone bit you! When I picked you up that day, you were under a table. I thought this was a little strange, but you like hiding, so I figured that's all you were doing. Your teacher said you had a great day, but I thought you were still acting a little off. When we got in the car I asked you how your day was (like usual) and you told me "kid bite arm." I asked if someone bit you and you said yes. Then I asked what you did when that happened and you said "hide." I felt so bad! When we got home I had you show me where it was and sure enough you had a bright red bite mark on your forearm. I sent your teacher an e-mail to let her know. She had no idea that had happened. I'm pretty sure the incident happened just before I picked you up and, you are such a tough guy, I'm sure you didn't cry. It just breaks my heart, though, thinking of you hiding under the table from the biter. Thankfully, you seemed to forget about it right away and still love going to school!

Despite the less than desirable weather this Spring, we've had a fun few months. In May, you had a blast at your friend's birthday party. They had a petting zoo, bouncy house, face painting, balloon animals, and pony rides! (Thankfully the snow from the day before had melted)!

You loved feeding the animals and even tried talking to them in their own language. You bent right down in the sheep's face and said "baaaa." The pony rides were also a big hit- I think you went on about 12 rides...

A few weeks ago, Daddy's cousin and her two little girls came to stay with us for the weekend. You may have had a little difficulty sharing your toys, but overall you enjoyed having playmates around. We packed in two park visits, a trolley ride, and a picnic with Grandma Hacker and her sister.

It has finally started to feel like summer. You love being outside running around and exploring nature. You love smelling (and sometimes ripping out) the flowers in our garden. I tried to teach you how to blow the seeds off of a dandelion, but you had other ideas...

I don't think you'll try that again... You have perpetually skinned knees- as soon as one heals (or even before) you fall down and get another one.

You have also discovered the world of bugs- you love watching spiders, ants, and all species of creepy crawlies. You've even figured out that if you flip the stones around our garden over that you're likely to find water bugs and worms.

You found an enormous bug (I think it was a June bug) at the park the other day and picked it up. I almost screamed! I made you put it on a stick to hold, just in case it could bite... I've never seen you sit still for so long as when you were looking at that bug.

We have kept busy with park play-dates and trips to various beaches and pools. You love the water this year and would stay in your pool (or at the beach) all day if you could. You even tried to convince me to let you take a nap in your pool...

Best of all, we FINALLY fenced in our backyard!! Daddy and I had been thinking about doing it ever since we bought our house. We realized it was an absolute necessity this year. It was finished just in time for Memorial Day weekend. We absolutely love it- I'm not sure who is enjoying it the most: you, daddy, me, or KG.

Unfortunately, just 3 weeks later a huge branch broke off our tree and fell onto the fence. The night it happened there was loud thunder and lightening throughout the night. You came running into our room at 2am. You were so scared, but you cuddled into me and fell right back to sleep. I tried to put you back in your bed a couple of times, but at the next thunder you'd run right back in. Daddy and I were exhausted in the morning and initially ignored your shouts of "Tree happen? Tree happen?" from the window. Daddy finally looked out and saw the enormous branch dangling from the power lines onto our fence.

Upon closer inspection we realized it had knocked one of the panels from the post and bent the top rail. We couldn't believe it! We're still waiting for the energy company to come remove it and then we'll be able to fix it. There are trees down everywhere from the storm, though, so I'm not sure how soon that's going to happen...

Finally, over the past few months, we've had several fun celebrations: Papa's 60th Birthday, Mother's Day, and Father's Day (which was the same day has Grammy & Papa's 35th wedding anniversary).

We're so lucky to have so many reasons to celebrate! We have a lot to look forward to this summer- a trip to Duluth this weekend and a week long trip to a resort up north in August for starters. One thing is for sure, I am going to savor these long sunny days spent outside with you.

Love you, peanut!
Mom

I Spoke Too Soon!!

Apparently, Spring hasn't sprung. I guess we're packing our bags...

April Monthly Challenge- Shooting Through Glass

This month, our challenge was to shoot through glass. I had fun playing around with this theme! These are my two favorite images. I'll never tire of seeing this sweet little face in my rear-view mirror...

...or of those brief moments when my very active toddler stops in for a hug or kiss.

Thanks for looking! Next, see what the very talented, Angie, shot this month. Then check out the other ladies in our circle: Caristy, Angela, Gina, Anne-Lise, Courtney, Megan, Muriel, Sarah, Ana, and Pam.