A couple more pictures of Kaylee

Kaylee felt jipped that she didn't get more pictures taken the other day so we headed back out to the park for some more pictures of her today as well. Here are some of the best ones. There were too many great ones, it was hard to choose which ones to use. So you get to see a bunch.

Ryan and his Photo Shoot

After having his eyes dilated on Monday, Ryan's pupils were finally back to normal on Tuesday afternoon, so we decided it was his turn for some pictures. We headed out to the park and this is what we got. He got tired of having his picture taken and didn't last even as long as Kyle did. But we got some good shots.

Kyle, a haircut and some pictures

Kyle has been fighting getting a haircut for several weeks now. Not wanting to fight with him, I have just let it go. I noticed just how long his hair was getting when I took his first day of school pictures which are posted here. Kyles hair doesn't really lay flat. The way it grows makes it look a bit bushy. I can't imagine where he gets it from...Here is a picture of his dad (and Pete)when he was about 3 years old. Mike is the one on the right.

The combination of having tons of thick hair that sticks out all over doesn't go very well with long hair. Of course long is a relative term here. I have to remind myself that to a lot of people, Kyle's hair wouldn't even be considered long. But when you are accustomed to buzz cuts on your own boys(including your husband), his hair seems so long.

Today, I practically had to tie Kyle to the chair so I could give him a haircut. He didn't like it. He even cried a bit, but I got it done. I think his biggest complaint is the itchiness of the cut hairs as they fall over him, however no matter what I do to protect against this, it is never enough. Well here is the result of the haircut and a few pictures from Kyle's photo shoot in the park today.

At first Kyle was grumpy about getting his picture taken. (very unusual for him) So I told him the tickle monster would have to get him and then he was all smiles.

That is unless he was making funny faces for the camera. He was pretty cute.

Even when he made funny faces, he was usually smiling. That is until he started covering up his smile so I couldn't see it.

Who wouldn't love that super cute face?!

Ryan's COOL Eye

Today I took Ryan for a visit to the Opthamologist at the request of our pediatrician. Many people know and have commented on Ryan's super cool eye. His left eye is about 1/3 brown and 2/3 blue. (it is called heterochromia) You can kind of see it in this picture on the inside of his left eye.

It has been that way since he was very little. I think he was about 18 months old when I first noticed the change. I never thought anything of it other than my little joke, "It is the only part of me that could squeak through the Sims obviously dominant genes." I have always just thought he had a cool colored eye and never thought there would be any kind of reason for concern. That is until...

In August, we went in for the kids annual physicals. The doctor asked me about his eye. How long has it been like that? Have I noticed any changes in it at all over the years? My answers were simple, since he was a toddler, and I hadn't noticed any changes. She said she wanted me to take him in and have it checked by a specialist. Here is the kicker that got me nervous, she recently had a little girl in her office with a similar color variation in her eye. Upon further examination she was found to have a mole in her eye that ended up being cancerous and she lost her eye completely. Okay, so that scared me enough to get him in to the eye doctor at the first available appointment I could get.

The doctor tells me that Ryan's brown spot is in fact a mole, but that he sees no reason at this time for concern. He said the word MOLE and it scared me to death but he told me to watch for any changes and he will check him out once a year and that I shouldn't worry about. So I am going to try not to worry about it...but really who wouldn't worry after hearing that story about the little girl?

A little hobby I want to grow

So I very much enjoy taking pictures. My favorite subjects of course are my children. I have taken their portraits for the last 6 years or so and I think I have done a pretty good job of it.

I lack however the training and equipment to take the quality of pictures I would like to be able to take. For the past 6 years I have simply set up my own little backdrop in my living room, using a simple sheet, or taken the kids out to the park to use nature as a backdrop to do their annual pictures. I personally prefer the outdoors and the vibrant colors these pictures always have in the background.

You can see some evidence of what I am taking about in the posts further down about here and here. I would love to be able to take even better pictures than what my simple but wonderful point and shoot camera can take. Don't get me wrong, I love my little Canon Powershot SD870. It is a great camera and takes really crisp beautiful pictures, I just want more. (What else is new)

I love the pictures I have seen taken by others where the background is softened or even blurred while the subject of the picture is crisp and clear. I don't know how to go about getting these kinds of results or even where to start when I am looking at what equipment to invest in for this "hobby". I am sure it is a good ways down the road before I will even make such a purchase, but if anyone out there has any ideas or suggestions, I would love to read them so I can file them away for when I am ready.

My Tiffany

Yesterday, I took the chance to take Tiffany out in the park to take some pictures of her. We got some great shots. I thought I would post those and also give a little tribute to my second child.

Tiffany is growing and maturing so quickly right now. With Mike traveling so much lately, a lot of responsibility has fallen on Tiffany to help me out more than she used to. Now that Kaylee is 12 years old and also involved in the young women program it leaves Tiffany with the responsibility of helping to watch the boys while we are gone every week for our activities. Since I am a leader, I really have to be there. She has done a great job of babysitting and the boys love her to tend them. Luckily the church is only about 2 blocks from our house so I am close by if there are any emergencies. I am very grateful for her willingness to serve our family this way.

She is very excited to be back in school and seeing her friends daily. Tiffany is a social butterfly and has friends everywhere she goes. I am happy to watch her include others that might ordinarily be left out. She is a great friend. She is doing well in school and working hard to improve herself all the time.

I amazed as I watch her grow at what a beautiful young lady she is turning into. I hope she knows that I am proud of her and that I love her very much. Here are some of the pictures I took of her yesterday.

Kyle's First Day of School

Tear, Tear...Today was Kyle's first day of his last year of preschool. I can't believe it. He was so excited and so big, he didn't even want to take the time to tell me goodbye. That made me sad, but it also made me happy. Last year he had a hard time saying goodbye at preschool and I left him there crying many many times. This was easier, but it still made me sad. Well, here are a couple of pictures.
No I just have to figure out what I am going to do with myself 3 mornings a week.