Oh, Zooey

I have a girl-crush on Zooey Deschanel. I know, who doesn't? She's smart, beautiful, an amazing actress, and now I find out she writes music. ??? Today I'm feeling really inspired by her.



Check out this hauntingly lovely piece she wrote for one of her movies.

Also, I really want to see her new one with the kid from 3rd Rock from the Sun.

Also II, when Simon saw her, he said, "oh, she looks a little like Aunt Esther." Go, Esther!

Hi.

Simon's prayer tonight: "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you that we got to go to Costco tonight. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

And that's pretty much been my life lately. Well, and this stuff:

• I've been dealing with some medical issues the last while. Still working on them. Reeeeally sick of them.
• Dan had another surgery & is still home recovering.
• Simon got out of school for the summer and is now in karate. (incidentally, I met my first "mean, competitive mom" at karate today. Now that is a scary, scary creature.)
• Wedding season. Lots of road trips (blech!)
• And I'm just generally overwhelmed. I've been spending a lot of time in my cave lately. My girl-cave.

So anyway, I'm learning patience and stuff. 'Night.

Baby Evelyn

So stinkin' cute! This was such a fun shoot.

I looooved her mother's choices of outfits. I think I need a strand of pearls in my photo kit from now on.


Seriously! The pearls!


And the Anne Geddes baby boobs.


And rolls! Look at those rolls!



Of course, I always have to get one shot of the meltdown, too. It's such a cute meltdown, don't you think?

Mommy & I made Evelyn's tutu for this shoot. I think a tutu will go in my kit, too. And angel wings, once I find some.

The cool thing about tutus is that the more Baby messes with them, the better they look.

I love (LOVE!) her beautiful coloring.

And her smile...

And her eyes...

My favorite photo of the day turned out to be the family shot. I love how Mommy looks like an air sprite, while Daddy is so earthy. And, of course, Baby is a perfect mix of the two.

I love my job! Anyone wanna book me? I'm dirt cheap & have mad skills with the babies!

Welcome, Welcome, Sabbath Morning

Thank you for all of your kind comments on the last two posts. They absolutely made my day!

On Sunday morning, I woke up refreshed and full of energy for the first time in I-don't-know-how-long. The boys were all still asleep, and the air smelled wonderful, so I decided to take my camera outside for a little bit.

Our daylilies were so pretty.

And our roses...

And our neighbor's roses...

I was also loving the wonderful weathering on our garden Apollo.

It was such a peaceful, restful, welcome Sabbath morning.

55-250mm Zoom Lens

And this is the lens I was saving up for. I looooove this lens! It zooms in sooo far! Of course, I've found that I have to stand back a bit further in order for it to focus, but I'm actually liking that (as I'm getting used to it) because it gives me more freedom in what I capture.

Candid portraits--check.

Flowers--check.

Cute picture of my kid from 40 feet away--check.

I love this picture. Claude the Albino Alligator's habitat is really not made for picture-taking. He's below you & pretty far away. I love that I was able to capture his posture & grace.

Can you see how papery-thin this little fellow's wings are? Oh, man, I love technology!

I love frogs. They are instant happiness. Even the poisonous ones.

More butterflies. If you look closely, you can see that their eyes are spotted. Spotted! How cool...

Except the Morpho Butterfly's eyes, which are striped. Wow.

And this little guy was my favorite of the day. I am in awe of how beautiful this little bird is.

50mm f1.8

I'm posting old photos lately. Okay, not that old. But I was too busy to post them at the time...

So, I've been saving for a year, and a few weeks ago, I was finally able to buy the lens I've been wanting. Even better, the price had gone down by $150, so I was also able to buy another lens and several accessories for my camera.

So here are some shots from my "bonus" lens. These were taken at Briones Regional Park during the break between General Conference sessions. I used my 50mm f1.8 lens, and I LOVE it. It's definitely harder to get your shot in focus than my old zoom lens (that's right--no zoom on this one), but when you get it, boy do you get it! Love.

It's calfing season. I have a deep and abiding love for calfing season. Dunno why.

This little guy visited us at the labyrinth. He stuck around for quite a while, too, so we got to have a little "science & nature moment."

Yep, I think I'll keep it.

Oakland Zoo with Lolo

We went to the Zoo a couple of weeks ago with Lori. The kids decided to give her a nickname: Lolo. Totally fits. Today we are missing Lolo & can't wait for her to come home.

I have a picture of Simon at this age, in this outfit, in this spot. Took me back!

Gabriel

This is Gabriel. We love Gabriel.


Aunt Kate loves Gabriel, too. A lot. And Gabriel loves Aunt Kate right back. A whole lot.


Welcome to the family, Gabriel. You'll fit right in.

(Did I mention that I don't ask permission to post embarrassing pictures? I don't. At least I didn't post the other one. You know the one I mean!)

Another Spring, Another Feeble Attempt at Gardening

Before I was born, the Prophet said we should all plant a garden. We should be self-sufficient and provide for our own tables. I believe this. I believe that I should do everything I can to provide for my own.

I have childhood memories of my parents' & grandparents' gardens. Eating sweet peas, asparagus and strawberries straight out of the ground.

And I have a dream of rows and rows of fruit and veggies and flowers. Unfortunately, I SUCK at gardening. It really is abyssmal. Every year, we spend $70 on plants, seeds and dirt, and we get approximately $1 worth of food out of it. Last time, we were doing really well, and then I got pregnant with Quinn, and we got one lonely tomato out of the whole garden. And nobody ate it. Really, it's so pathetic it's hilarious.

So this year, we're trying something new. I saw a commercial for that Topsy Turvy Tomato planter, and I thought, hey, that's right, tomatoes are vines! So this year, we're trying something new. We're not going to fight the ground and our schedules. It's all hanging planters & pots on wheels. So far we have baby strawberries, fertilized tomato flowers, and lots of yummy herbs. Wish us luck.

Ooh, also, we bought tomatoes named after Oregon and San Francisco. Dan & I have put them in competition & are rooting for our hometown plants to see which will produce more, and yummier tomatoes. Mine have oregano in the pot. We're going to kick Oregon's trash. Oh, and uh, the Mama Mia Roma tomatoes are outperforming them both.

Cutie Q

(this is what he does when he sees the camera!)

Beautiful. Enough said.

Pensive Simon

He does have his calm moments. You just miss them if you blink.

Coming Soon...Victoire Lorrainezzzbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb

...aaand this is what happens when you leave the computer for a second and your 4-year old finishes the post for you.

The real post will be up later.

Academy of Sciences

Are you looking for a fun activity? We went to the newly refurbished California Academy of Sciences a couple of weeks ago and it was almost the same price to get our group in and to buy a membership. So...I can get myself, my children, one other adult, and unlimited children under 6 into the museum for free. Anyone up for a day trip?

The butterflies let you get soooo close! I actually had to step back to get my camera to focus on this little guy.

And on his friend.

I love the legs & eyes on this one. Click on it for a better view.

I fell in love with this little bird.

Okay, yes, I know, it's a cockroach. But look at her wings! They're amazing!

And even though this is a ridiculously blurred photo, I love it. This is a sea dragon. This is an animal you must see in person at least once in your life. They are gorgeous, delicate, and ethereal. They are also very sensitive to light (no flash) and never hold still, not even for a second. Hence the blurry photo. I like the colors & lines in it, though. Pretty, pretty thing.

Quinn Watching Baby Einstein

We have a new TV. It is (literally) four times bigger than our old one. Okay, our old one was smaller than our computer monitor, but still...

This is Quinn "concentrating" on Baby Einstein. Love it! My kids get really into their shows.