this weeks photo challenge at iheartfaces is “excited”. i think that is the perfect word to describe anya on this ride. it was at the san ramon kite and wind festival and they had little kiddie rides set up. it was the first time she’d ever been on a ride by herself (that wasn’t a merry-go-round.) this was her expression as this little airplane started going up in the air.
be sure to click on the link above to head on over to i heart faces to see all the other great photos!
this is kind of a late post, but i was playing with photoshop today and working on some pictures i took at the fair back in early september (i know, i said it was late!)
so, just for kicks, i thought i’d post a little before and after of one of my favorite photos of the day. i thought this ride was beautiful! the colors were gorgeous against the blue sky. of course, i figured we could make things pop a bit more with minimal work.
here’s the before:
and here’s the after:
here’s a breakdown of what i did:
- adjust levels
- select color in sky
- adjust hue/saturation
- increase saturation
- decrease light
- add more blue hue
- layer overlay with opacity at 53%
and there you have it! the pop of color i was looking for! enjoy and leave a comment to tell me what you think!
this weeks theme at iheartfaces is “blue”. i liked this one at the beach. nice pop of color with the blue bucket.
click the link above to go check out all the other blue entries!
it’s a new challenge at iheartfaces this week. the theme is “contemplative”. i just love this photo for a couple reasons.
it was a total mistake that it came out. i had the ISO set to 1600 for some indoor photos i was taking, and forgot to check the settings on the camera before snapping away at the park the next day. i wanted to cry when i realized what i had done (the kids were really cooperating and letting me take loads of photos.) this was the only photo i was able to salvage. a little work in photoshop on the levels and this is what i ended up with. i couldn’t be happier. i just love stella’s expression. she looks like she’s in deep thought. in my humble opinion, it’s a beautiful mistake!
i heard these phrases so many times…
“they grow up so fast!”
“cherish this time because before you know it, they’re all grown up!”
“it goes by too fast!”
wasn’t she just this little a few months ago?
has it really been 2 years?!
and here i am all melancholy about my little baby turning two years old on saturday.
she did grow up so fast. yet she’s still such a little peanut. it’s hard for me to believe she’s two.
happy birthday, sweet stella grace!
this week at iheartfaces, the challenge is all about bubbles.
anya quickly realized what happens when you try to blow bubbles on a very windy day at the beach.
be sure to click on the iheartfaces button up there to see all the other fabulous entries this week!
we went to in-n-out burger yesterday.
i can’t help myself.
really, does it get any better?
i took some new photos for john’s badmouth article on in-n-out.
two words: animal style.
if you aren’t familar with those two words, go check out the badmouth article about the in-n-out secret menu.
holy french fries. no really, they are.
amen.
it’s that time again for another photo submission to iheartfaces. this weeks theme is “crazy, silly , funny face!”
this is from a series of photos i took on mother’s day. i love this one. my kids weren’t exactly cooperating, but sometimes that gives you the best result. at this point, anya was mugging for me and not much else. you just have to go with it, no matter what because in the end, you could end up with some great shots.
here’s this weeks post for iheartfaces. the theme is “my story in photos - summer edition.” be sure to click on the button above to check out all the other great entries!
for relief from the heat, i try to take my kids to the sprayground at least a few times during the really hot summer days. it’s a favorite for us, and the best part is that it’s completely free! how can you beat that?!
we pack lots of snacks and drinks and splash for hours. warning: if you bring your sandwich into the sprayers, it gets a bit soggy.
we bring water toys and buckets to fill.
it makes for a great day. and very tired kids when all is said and done.
my idea of a perfect activity for a hot summer day.
for those of you that know my little talker, this story will come as no surprise to you.
for those of you that have not had the priviledge of meeting my little stella, well…you’ll just have to take my word for it. she talks. she talks a lot. she speaks in full sentences. did i mention she’s not 2 years old yet? yea. it’s pretty insane. and to top it all off, she’s small for her age. it’s like talking to a 4 year old in an 18 month old body.
yesterday she came into the kitchen and said this:
“mommy! i so mad!” (she was also crying a little bit.)
“oh no…why are you mad, stella?”
” mommy, i have boogs in my nose!” (pointing to her gross snotty nose.)
“what should we do about that?”
“i don’t wike it, mommy! i want to hode you!” (i love that kids say “hold you” - it’s the cutest thing ever.)
we had an entire conversation about her nose and why she was mad.
i sometimes have to step back and remind myself that i’m not talking to my 4 year old. i’m talking like this with my nearly 2 year old.
i love that i can just ask her what is wrong and she will tell me - in a full sentence. i can ask her what she wants and she will tell me - in a full sentence.
on the flip side, i have a feeling i might be in trouble in a few years.
but let’s just focus on the now.
