Catching up

My kids are an hour past their bedtime (yes, I am one of those losers who refuses to get on board with the time change) and they're yelling for me in the tub, but here are some pictures from my son's birthday weekend.  We took him to a fair for the first time.  I couldn't have planned a better day had I tried.

Hiya...

We went to this gorgeous park yesterday named Matheson Hammock Park.  Just the ride over there is incredible because it is nestled between a few of Miami's most elite neighborhoods and the streets are aligned with Banyan trees and ginormous Spanish-style mansions.  Really breathtaking. 

My idea was to spend a nice day with the family, while hopefully being able to take some nice pictures of the boys.  BUT, the boys had clearly unionized and these two little teamsters decided to make Saturday their first official boycott.  

 

  

 

  

"Mami, estoy bravo.  Dejame."  Translation:  Mom, I'm mad.  Leave me alone.  And yes, he literally said that.  So much for picture taking.

  

  

  

  

  Ew.  Bird tracks.  Just like the ones on Go, Diego, Go!

  

  

  

This was the closest I was getting to a smile.

 

Those cheeeeks!

  

I don't know why, exactly, but I love this shot of Bry.

Great News! (I think...)

So I took Sheella's  and Jode's advice and I called Canon and they were freaking amazing and told me some things I could do to troubleshoot.  The numbering issue and folder stuff is because of my operating system and not my camera.  Phew!!!!  And he said the error message was maybe because the flash was wanting to come up, but it didn't, which he said the camera would need to go to the factory for repair for that, but I'm not too worried about it anyway.  I mostly take day pics anyway and it is still working.  He also said something about cleaning the contacts, blah blah blah...  I have never ever taken the lens off my camera.  I was soooooooo nervous!

Anyway, I'm hoping we got it fixed-- if not forever, then forever until I get past birthday season! :-D

Ok, now to pics.  So I am planning on taking my friend's daughters' pictures, which I am both nervous and excited about.  You know, I'm not your portrait-y picture taker, so I have told her a gazillion times that the shots would be more natural.  Obviously, I'll have to expand and take the risk and try portrait-y pics, but for now, I'm good just following the kids around and annoying the shit out of them with a camera in their face. 

I took Jonathan to the park on Sunday to meet my friend (her daughter is one of Jonny's classmates).  Bry didn't want to go, and I was so happy to have some one on one time with him.  It's been so long.  I'm not really a fan of the "one on one" time concept, because his reality is that he is no longer an only child, but I do like it when it isn't forced.  

On to the pics!

 

My gorgeous boy.  Enough said. 

 

He fell.  And wasn't happy about it.  

 

From what I know, this is Alyssa's favorite person in the world, and you can tell. <3

 

Amanda.  Yes, you can eat her cheeks.  As if you could resist.  

Heeelllllpppppp!!!!!

Ugh!  Agh!  No!!!!!!!!!!!

My camera is fucked up.  It's not under warranty anymore and the only thing I know how to do with it is turn it on and charge the battery.  Seriously. 

This is the second time (out of 3 times) that it is randomly opening a folder for just ONE picture.  So, when I plug it into the computer to get the pics off it, the computer will prompt me and open files 100-180, for instance.  Now, before, because of number sequencing, it would just start up on the next available number.  So if I'd already opened up 100-140, the next time I downloaded pics, it would open up with folder 141.  Am I making any sense??  Ok, so in files 100-180, there is ONE picture.  I went to the park Sunday and took about 70 pics and I have to open SEVENTY files to remove each ONE pic from the file and move to another permanent file.  On top of that, I only got to folder 140-something because it had given some pics the same name.  So from pic 700-730, we were ok.  But then it started with new pics, same name, and the computer only gave me the option to cancel or save over.  Double Ugh.

And last week, while taking pics, it kept giving me error messages, so I'd have to turn off the camera and turn back on.

Something's up.  Jonathan's birthday is less than 3 weeks away.  I CANNOT be without a camera.  I'm going to cry!

Help?  Anyone?  Any suggestions?  Did I inadvertently press something that has lead to this numbering mess?  Should I go to a local repair shop or cross my fingers and ship it to Canon, which is in Georgia?!?!??!


Noooooooooooooooooooo!

A little sooner than July...

I have been so scattered lately.  I keep saying "busy", but I don't think that's it.  I think scattered is a better word.  Last week, I thought I was having a total emotional breakdown and I don't know why.  It wasn't hormonal, so there must be something in the planets.  Anyway, I just took some pictures out of my camera today after going to the park.  Do you know what it did?  The freaking camera opened up a new folder for each and every picture.  One picture in each folder.  All 69 of them.  WTF?  Did I press something?  Ugh.

 

Man, I love the way his hair looks when the sun hits it.  

 

Would you believe the sky was just that blue?  It looks like a painted wall or something.  Ah, Miami in the winter.  It is a little cold today - high of 66 - and that was enough to send Bryan's hair into a static frenzy.  

 

Oh, I don't know what Mr. Grumpy Pants was so upset about.  His mood swings are worse than a PMSing teenager's, I swear.  

  

  

  

This beautiful girl was swinging next to Jonathan and she just seemed so free.  

 

What I love most about this picture is all the chains.

So yeah.  I'm not purposefully taking any more pics than I normally do because life is too crazy right now.  But I still want to post.  So you're stuck with me.

Christmas in Miami

I still haven't figured out the editing thing.  I think picnik is working out for me, but I don't know any of the terminology and stuff.  I'm sure I can just look stuff up, but have so many ginormous projects going on right now that as much as I want to, I can't dedicate the time I need to get better at this.  So I'll just continue to do the little I've been doing.

I wanted a telephoto lens for my birthday in May but I don't know if I should ask for it if I can't properly work my camera yet.

I wasn't able to sign up for the class right away and figured I'd do it this week...turns out the class is now booked.  Which originally supersucked and I was totally bummed about it (especially since a good friend of mine and I were going to sign up together and she *did* sign up on time and LOVES the class), but I always forget that there's a method to the Universe's madness.  Turns out that from now til July, I will be focusing on something more important on Saturdays and wouldn't have been able to make it to the class anyway.  I'm still kind of bummed, even though I'm excited for my Saturdays. 

Anyway, on to my original intent for this post...

Usually, I take the boys to a lady who does portrait style pics for my Christmas cards, but this year, I felt more in tune with my roots so to speak and wanted to portray a real Miami Christmas.  These are not the ones that made it on the Christmas card, but part of the same shoot.

 

Of course, since I have the cutest kids ever (hahaha), I am able to take nice pictures of them...I am trying to find guinea pigs to see if I can take good pictures of other people's kids, too.    I may be disappointed in my results. :-/

We went to the park today...

but I didn't take my Rebel.  I hate taking my purse to the park and didn't want to hold on to too much stuff so I shoved my Elph into my pocket.  Bad mistake. 

I really, really played with editing today, but I still have nooooooo idea what I'm doing.  I wasn't able to download picasa for some crazy reason and my husband came home talking about cropping and feathering and he could have been speaking Mandarin for all I understood. I mean, stop yer' yappin' and download Photoshop already! And throw in a tutorial!

Anyway, these are my favorite.  They came out blurry because of the camera.   Maybe it adds to the allure.

"But I don't wanna play"

 

"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" (Ames, I believe you have a similar shot, so for sure this was subconsciously inspired by you)

 

"I see nothing special about this shot" (haha- that's what my husband said when he saw this one)
"Well, I do!" (although I'm not sure what...maybe it just looked better in my head.  I don't think I captured what I was going for.)