Crazy Long Weekend

It has been a great three day weekend!
I don’t want to go back to work tomorrow! Boohoo!

Connor has had a CRAZY growth spurt all weekend…it’s like he has a bottomless pit for a stomach or something. I think this kid has probably gained a pound in just two days! He’s also been sleeping a lot more. I have been very strict on his diet. I had a lot of trouble in the beginning getting him to breastfeed so I have been strictly pumping since we got home from the hospital. It is rough, but I am proud I have been able to stick with it. It’s a LOT of dishes and takes a lot of discipline to get up and make myself pump all the time, a couple cases of mastitis, and pumping in the car a LOT! LOL! It’s definitely had it’s challenges, but my husband has been my biggest supporter and I’m so glad that even though I wasn’t able to breastfeed I didn’t give up and continued to give my baby breast milk. It’s a very personal decision for everyone, and I’m not saying it’s bad at all if you didn’t breastfeed…I am just saying I have worked hard and had several breakdowns to get to his point….it’s definitely harder than I ever thought!

Okay- and with that said I worry about what and when to feed him. Well, not really worrying because I know he is being fed plenty. I don’t want to give him cereal or baby food because American Pediatric Guidelines recommend only breast milk for the first six months. I’m sure that every baby is different and they will be just fine regardless. When did you start baby foods and why?

Proof that he has a bottomless stomach right now….he sprayed my ENTIRE wall here and got pee all over himself (his shirt is soaked!) and all over the changing table. He was like a continuous fountain! Terence tried to cover it up but it kept going and going and going…..

Do you ever wonder what your baby would look like with hair? Here’s Connor toupee…aka…Momma’s hair!
Today we went grocery shopping, to Babies R Us, and we grilled out again for dinner. Of course we had our coffee fix too 🙂 We also had to go to Lowe’s to get a new mailbox because somebody blew up our mailbox yesterday with a firework! Crazy people!!!! Who does that???
We are off to bed and back to work tomorrow 🙁
Hope you all had a good weekend!

Happy 4th of July & 4 Months

“Yo yo yo I’m 4 months today!”
And it also happens to be 4th of July!
What a better way to celebrate?
Today I went to church and they always love me in the nursery because I am such a good boy!
Mommy and Daddy saw the African refugee choir and told me it was really cool 🙂
Then we came home and I took a nap and Daddy grilled lunch
I love chewing on my spit right now…..

Here’s Daddy’s food – it’s BBQ with spices
The spices looked a little burned but it did taste good!

Now Momma wants to go find some sparklers somewhere???
Does anyone know where a fireworks stand is in the DFW area?
Happy 4th of July everyone!!!!
xoxo – Connor
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR MILITARY FOR FIGHTING FOR OUR COUNTRY SO WE HAVE THE FREEDOM WE DO! INCLUDING MY DADDY!

In Loving Memory of baby Cohen

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26

Megan and Brent we are praying for you today. My heart is heavy and sad thinking of baby Cohen and his short time on this earth with his Mommy & Daddy.

This world is only a glimpse of what is waiting for us in Heaven when we will all be together again. One day you will see your sweet precious angel waiting for you at Heaven’s gates. Oh what a glorious day that will be!!!

In loving remembrance – xoxo

Photography – Lesson 1

In these photos we used this lens. It’s a Nikon 50 mm f/1.4 lens. Regardless of which lens you use, these principles hold true. In fact, many point-and-shoot cameras can do similar effects as long as you have a “manual” mode.
Aspect 1 – f-Values

I’m not a professional photographer so anything I say is simply from my own experiments. Think of f-Values as the amount of things you want to be in focus. The lower the value (for example 1.4 as in our lens), the more it will focus on one object and blur objects before and after that object. The below picture is shot at f-1.4 (shutter speed 1/15 second) and is focused on silver berry-looking thing. Notice how everything behind it is blurred out.

In this picture, we move up to f-5 (shutter speed ¾ second). We are still focused on the berries but notice how you can start to make out the objects behind it.

In this picture, we move to f-16 (shutter speed 8 seconds). Notice how you can make out the chairs in the background AND how the counter in front of the berries is more detailed.

With F-values, you have to understand that when F-values are lower (1.4) the camera requires less light. The lens acts like your eye. If your eye was f-1.4, they would be VERY dilated, letting in lots of light. However, during high f-values (16), the camera requires much more light.

Aspect 2 – Shutter Speed

The below 3 pictures are all shot in f-4. In the first picture, we are focused on a candle holder. The shutter speed is balanced with the f-value to create a clear picture. (f-4, shutter speed 1/3 second)

In this picture, the shutter speed was open too long, allowing too much light to enter the camera. (f-4, shutter speed 3 seconds)


And in this picture, the shutter speed wasn’t opened long enough, making the appear darker. (f-4, shutter speed 1/13 second)

As stated earlier, the higher your f-value, the longer your shutter must remain open. (Look at “Aspect 1” again and how f-values relate to shutter speed). The longer your shutter is open, the easier it becomes to have blurry pictures (without a tripod). So, when in lower light where a slower shutter speed is required, how do I keep my pictures from being blurry by trying to hold the camera still for 2, 3, or 8 seconds? For starters, try a tripod. If not, there is one more aspect we can discuss.

Aspect 3 – ISO
ISO is like the old time film speeds. Basically, the way I see it is that the lower the ISO (100), the more detailed a picture is but requires slower shutter speeds. It basically allows the camera to “capture” as much detail as possible. The below image is shot at an f-4, with a shutter speed of 1/2 second, and an ISO of 100. Notice how clear, detailed, and smooth it is.

This next image is shot at f-4 with a shutter speed of 1/25 second, and an ISO of 800. Notice how it’s maybe not quite as smooth and detailed. See how we actually had a faster shutter speed here than the previous picture with the same f-value?

This last image is shot at f-4 with a shutter speed of 1/100 second. This is a much faster shutter speed than both the previous pictures; however, notice it’s grainier and definitely not as smooth. Basically, Higher ISO = faster shutter speed = decreased chances of blurry pictures due to movement in darker rooms, but = less detail in the picture.

In most of our pictures, I use a low f-value (1.4, 2.8, 3, or 4). I then set the ISO normally to 100 (the lowest setting for the most detail). Then, our camera helps us know which shutter speed to pick based on those 2 setting. If the shutter speed is too slow to use by hand, I adjust the ISO up and the f-value up until the camera says it is all in balance and the shutter speed is fast enough that I can take a picture without it being blurry.

I hope this helps all you bloggy friends out there. Many of you have asked how I take my pictures…the best way is to get out there and practice! Feel free to ask me any questions and I’ll do my best to answer! A great resource that I found was Ken Rockwell’s site and more specifically his pages on “Taking Better Pictures”.

You are the Sunshine of my Life

We headed to the park this weekend. It’s been SO hot here in Texas! Daddy took some pictures of us. I find myself wanting to capture every moment these days!
Someday I hope Momma’s sugars don’t embarrass him 😛

He’s such an angel boy

Here is the lake in the neighborhood – very pretty

Here is Daddy and his mini-me
I’VE HAD A LOT OF YOU ASK WHAT KIND OF CAMERA I USE & HOW I MAKE MY PICTURES LOOK THE WAY I DO. I PLAN ON DOING A POST ABOUT THAT SOON! IF YOU HAVE ANY CAMERA/PHOTO QUESTIONS LEAVE A COMMENT AND I’LL DO MY BEST TO ANSWER!

A New Friend

Yesterday I met up with the beautiful Angie. We met through blogging awhile ago and both discovered we didn’t live too far from each other so we decided to finally meet up! We met at the mall and ate lunch, had some chocolate, and Hayden explored all the trash cans 🙂

Here is her cutie pie Hayden….he has the most beautiful eyelashes!
Angie enjoying her white chocolate 🙂

She said she needed a picture in the Godiva store so people would know FOR SURE that she was with me! LOL!!! That cracked me up!

She also took a picture of me with Edward, Bella, and Jacob
I had to explain that Twilight was the ONLY reason why I would show my face in Hot Topic…

I had so much fun and can’t wait to get together soon for an ADULT dinner!!! Our anniversaries are close together so hopefully we can plan something soon! Thanks Angie for a great time – XOXO Becky

It’s F.R.I.D.A.Y!!!

IT’S FRIDAY!!!!
Woohoo!
I love to bling bling everything! Here is my pot o’ bling at work and every now and then I will decide to *bling* something and jazz it up a little bit!


Like my stapler 🙂 I’ve also blinged my tape dispenser
It’s also “Friday I am in Love” over at Summer’s Blog
I just wanted to talk about TWO things that really have helped me since having Connor. If you are breastfeeding or pumping then use PLAIN VASELINE! That was the best tip someone gave me because that lanolin lotion does NOT lubricate and this works so much better!

I also LOVE the NoseFrida Snot Sucker. I know what you are thinking…snot sucker? It is amazing and so much better than those bulb snot suckers. There is absolutely NO way you will get a booger in your mouth I promise! You suck at one end and it gets all those boogies out instantly!

And over at Kelly’s blog it’s “Show me your Life” activities for kids
We don’t do many activities yet because Connor is still a little bitty boy but we do tickle him a lot and read to him. He loves having a blankie in his hands and sucking on anything he can get his hands on!
He may have been just a little tired last night…..

And here’s my lunch today we ordered in because it’s our last time to all be together, we are closing this location and moving to another one at work…

I made cake balls to bring to work today 🙂

I really need to quit my crack…ahem I mean Starbucks habit…it’s naughty!

Happy Friday sweet friends!