The News I Can Finally Share

Remember how I said I had big plans for 2010? Well, for most people this would probably be a very simple thing, but I put my all into everything I do, so I'm taking it very seriously and expect to do a LOT more with it as the year progresses; I finally opened an etsy shop.

In hind sight I could definitely have come up with a better name (no offense, Buddy; you really helped me out a lot!), but I had to work with available user names and whatnot, so I'm just going to have to make "The Indigo Sheep" into something fabulous somehow!

I've listed a few items to start but have even bigger plans to come. I have a couple of ideas that I think are incredibly fantastic, but of course time is not exactly on my side right now, so we'll see. As it is my goal of opening my shop was to do it some time in January, and as you can see I BARELY hit that one.

Anyway, it's not nearly done. I'm still working on a logo and plan to do so much more. (I'll divulge details later.) BUT. Here it is:

Indigo Sheep

And now, I sleep. (Or at least I would if I didn't have a newborn - whom I love to BITS.) ;o)

My little monkey is 2!

He's still every bit as much a little monkey as he was at two months, only... bigger.

He had so much fun at his party and again for his actual birthday (the day after). He definitely knew it was all about him.

I will say again that I still think he's 2 going on 8, or so he must think, following his idol Tommy around everywhere.

Yesterday he cried when Tommy's friend went home. Ah, how I remember being the younger one (well, the youngest in my case).

He recovered.

One of my favorite memories from the party:
Gabe had the most fantastic expression on his face when we sang the birthday song. It was filled with so much excitement and glee. After he and Brookie blew out the candle together he leaned back and grabbed his new cup. In one fell swoop he flipped it upside down and set it right on top of the cake.

Apparently he also stuck his hand in the cake but was then not so happy when he realized that his hand was covered in frosting.

I felt bad today when he had his two year check-up and I made him get his lead levels checked. Happy Birthday Kiddo, now let's get four people to hold you down to the table while we poke you with needles... in both arms. Poor guy. Logan had three shots too, so it was one very dramatic five minute chunk of the day. I'm glad that's over!

Maybe I'll take all three out to tae kwon do again tonight. Gabe LOVES that... maybe even more than Tommy does???

Here go.

Build? Tower?

That's what Gabe was saying anyway. I grabbed the camera in hopes of capturing a few photos of the chickadees outside his bedroom window. That didn't work out so well, so I chased Gabe around instead. Aren't I terrible? He knew it too and wanted nothing to do with the pictures. Rest assured. I did also help him build some pretty incredible cardboard brick towers. (At least we thought so.)

He and Logan kept me very busy as always, but I did snag two quick pictures of a cardinal before gathering up the boys for lunch. Some day I will get a good angle and better shot from outside. Today, I'll settle for this highly edited, not-so-great version.


I love cardinals.

Before I know it, he'll be ten.

Happy two month birthday, Little Guy. *Mwah.*

A few special memories to hold on to:

• I don't know which is bigger: his eyes or his smile.
• Animal Crackers in my Soup (the song) brings a happy face every time.
• Want to calm him down? Change his diaper (whether or not he needs a new one).
• He totally laughs in his sleep.
• He slept in his crib for a short time at night twice this week. (To most the opposite might be worth mentioning, I know, but I never could get away with that before, even and especially with Tommy & Gabe.)

SO much love. SO much. My little sweetie pie. *Sigh.*

Bokeh, bokeh, bokeh!

I certainly couldn't have done this with our old camera. That's mostly why I did it... Hey, I like to play. I don't really know why other people like to take pictures of just bokeh. Of course I love what it adds to a background. Anyway, here's some for you.

Just bokeh.

Hard to Believe

He'll be two months old tomorrow! My little sweetie.

A Quiet Day

I seem to have caught Gabe's cold, and with the terrible wind last night I couldn't seem to catch a wink, so today I'm laying low.

I took some time this morning to play with the camera again. Brian seems to think I'm crazy for photographing so many seemingly random objects. He's mostly right, but I'm okay with that because I love it! It gives me a chance to attempt something artistic again, and hey, those of you who know me well will remember the days of my makeshift studio over the garage and utter obsession for all things artsy. I still don't know exactly what steered me away from my artistic college and career plans... I guess I probably needed a break from the usual. Anyway, I still see everyday life through the same eyes, and I'm happy to have found a fun way to bring all that back. The best part, though, might be the people I meet who think the same way. I love that so many photographers, whether they be amateurs or professionals, use the Internet as a tool to share, explore, teach, and draw from one another. I also love the diversity. So far, I'm loving it!

What I'm not loving, on the other hand, is this wind. It has been really fierce lately. Our house has 58-year old windows and old insulation, neither of which help the situation one bit. I've been warm; that's not the issue. In fact, the newly renovated second floor is insulated so well that Brian often has to turn off the upstairs radiator so that we don't roast to death at night. (The whole house is on one thermostat, and while the upstairs is very 2010 (okay, 2009), the downstairs is much more 1952. Yeah.) Last night we kept hearing very loud banging. Brian wasn't entirely sure what it was. It could have been the flashing coming untucked from the back roof. (Yes, he had to fix that today.) Maybe it had something to do with the windows. We have three HUGE windows downstairs (plus four normal ones), none of which has a tight seal. In fact, each one has its own cracked pane, and at least one of them doesn't close all the way. They sweat often. Yesterday we were wiping condensation off of the shades. (Um, at least they're clean now?!) Brian even noticed our curtains swaying from the breeze! Yikes! Anyway, I guess the storm windows aren't an entirely perfect fit, so the wind may have been pushing them around. Whatever it was, I just couldn't sleep through it, and I really hope tonight goes better!

Hey, at least the glassy ice made for some funky patterns on our front window this morning.


If I had more two-handed time I would have gone in for some better shots, but at least you get the idea.

I'm in a rush to bed now, so I'll have to cut tonight's post a little short. Before I go, though, remember those aging bananas? They made for a great breakfast.

I think I'll start tomorrow the same way.

Goodnight.

One Short Year

It's my new blog. I've been wanting to start it for a very long time. My goal is to take at least one (semi) post-worthy photo each day for one year. I can't promise to always post on time, but I don't think I'll have too much trouble actually taking the pictures on schedule. Getting the shot I want, on the other hand, has already been a challenge. Hopefully I'll learn some good things.

Even if they aren't beautiful photos, I hope they'll showcase my 2010 story as it unfolds.

Yesterday gave me a taste of how difficult this might be with two under two, but this is my treat to myself, so I'll keep trying.

Here are a few of yesterday's shots. The first one ended up getting my pick. I wish I could have done better with the last one, as I felt it was fitting for the first day. The second photo was intended to be a precursor for what I hope will be another project for today.

Of course I won't normally double-post like this, but I'm sure there will be some overlap, especially since all words are to remain here.

I hope you'll follow me on my photo journey but if not, I still think (hope) it will be worth it.