Me blogging

Muffin's Birth Story, 03/18/2009

2011-03-18T05:07:00.002-05:00

Happy 2nd Birthday to my littlest guy! Well, littlest guy right now. :) Baby brother will swipe that title sometime in the coming weeks.

My sweet baby turns two years old today! I truly cannot believe how the time has flown by! I can still vividly remember all of the prodromal labor, the real labor, and his most amazing entrance into this world. And so, to commemorate my sweet Muffin's birthday, I have written out his birth story, with photos! I had intended to write his birth story ever since his birth, but have been so occupied that I never got around to completing it! So, without further ado, The birth story of Nathanael (a.k.a. "Muffin") James:

The talker in me wants to elaborate on so any things, haha, but I will start Muffin's birth story from Monday, March 16th, 2009. I was past all of my other due dates (I had so many, since we were not sure of the date of our dates, so we relied on sonograms, but each one gave us a different due date), and two days away from my last given due date, which was March 18th.
That Monday (16th) morning I had a midwife appointment, which were on a weekly basis by that time. For some reason, Lucas and both of the older kids tagged along. My wonderful midwife Holly did my prenatal that day, and asked if I wanted to be checked again. I had been walking around 3 cm dilated for a couple of weeks already, with several random days of prodromal labor, that always ended in nothing.
Well, she checked me, and I was still a 3-4, and my "bag was bulging". She asked if I wanted her to strip my membranes, and I hastily agreed, even knowing it would be somewhat painful and may or may not help me progress into labor. Yes, it hurt.
Holly was sure I'd be calling in either that evening or that night, ready to have a baby! Needless to say, I started having regular contractions, and I even made a 2am call to the Midwife on call (Robin, <3) one night, because contractions were getting closer together (< 5 mins) and much stronger, and I thought it could indeed be time. Needless to say, her sweet advice was for me to try to go back to sleep and call her when things intensified. I worked hard to actually fall asleep, and was finally able to. When I awoke on Tuesday the 17th, the contractions were gone. I was in tears.

I felt so physically drained and weary from all of the "false alarms" I had been experiencing, and I spend most of the morning resting in bed. I got calls from family and wonderful friends, asking if there was any "news", and even one friend said she wondered if I forgot or changed my mind about having her at my birth, since she didn't get a call that night. I think I must have cried on the phone with at least 5 callers just that morning, haha! Oh the beautiful emotions of a hugely ripe and pregnant woman. :)

I'm not sure why, but I called the birth center around noon-ish, maybe just for sulking purposes? Haha, I don't remember my reasoning, but I'm glad I called. I spoke with yet another of their wonderful team of midwives, this time it was Sam (Samantha), and she listened to me cry, and she consoled me, and she gave me some fun advice. Her advice was to go to Olive Garden and have an Eggplant Parmigiana, and enjoy every bite of it!

I didn't get my olive garden, and I actually vaguely remember what else happened for a few hours of that day. But around 3:30pm, I felt the contractions return, once again, and with a vengeance. I "knew" it was just another false alarm, so I didn't give them any credit, or mention them to anyone, thinking I would just disappoint everyone yet again with another false alarm.

Well, that evening as I tried to cook a late dinner for the family, and continued on with life as usual, I found myself having to focus just a little bit more with each contraction. I still wasn't convinced that this would be "it", and was preparing myself for yet another disappointment. Sometime that evening, my best friend Michelle called to check in, and ask if she could visit. I am EVER so grateful for her call and her visit, as it helped to keep me calm and relaxed through what was early labor (even though I wasn't convinced at the time). She arrived just after we had put the kids into bed, and even took me to run a quick errand, which, embarrassingly, was to pick up an enema kit from Walgreens, haha, which I never did end up using. I remember the cashier at said Walgreens being quite concerned to learn that I was probably in labor while standing in her store, hehe.

Just before leaving Walgreens, Michelle suggested we pick up a movie to watch, to distract us in case I wasn't in labor, or if I was, it would help pass the time. There was a RedBox right outside the store, so we picked out one there, and I had a few contractions just while picking out the movie. :)

After we arrived home, around 11pm or so, believe it or not, I still wasn't convinced that it was "time", and kept wondering, at least inwardly, if the contractions would soon cease altogether, as they had so many times before. Michelle and I continued to talk and laugh, and I can never thank her enough for being there, because if she hadn't, I probably wouldn't have dealt with each contraction so calmly.

I don't know what Lucas was doing through all of this time, but at around midnight-ish, I began realizing this was probably the real deal, FINALLY! It was late when he made a quick trip to Walmart to pick up some last minute supplies and snacks, to get us through the labor and birth. Well, my hilarious husband decided to be funny, and pick up some scuba gear for our waterbirth. When he returned and showed me, I was not laughing, haha! I found it completely annoying. Said scuba gear was never used, and was returned, un-opened, a few weeks later. :)

I called my parents just before 1am or so, and my mom and sister arrived to stay with the kids around 1:45am. We made the real call to the on-call midwife, Sam, right around 2am, when I was finally completely convinced that these contractions were not going away. Sam later told me she couldn't asses me very well over the phone because I was so sweet and cordial. I even apologized for calling so late and waking her, hahaha! She couldn't imagine I was very far into labor, as most women would be in a much less "nice" state. I think I must have just been exhausted and delirious, rather than just "nice", :)

The drive to the birth center was, to put it lightly, the worst car ride ever imaginable! Not having the freedom to move around and change positions as I needed to was horrific! I also realized for the first time ever, that our vehicle did NOT have grip handles! I had never noticed before, but right then I needed something to grip during contractions (which inevitably got stronger and harder to manage on the car to the birth center), and there was NOTHING! I was livid about that fact, hehe.

We arrived and met Sam at the birth center around 2:45am. I was at 7cm and was able to get ready to get right into the birth tub! I was so afraid of arriving, only to find I was till at 4cm or something! I was so happy to know all of those contractions were making some progress! :D
Michelle followed us there in her car, and my wonderful Sister-in-Law, Yocasta met us there.

Let me just say, that having the birth tub there, was pure bliss! Although I do feel as though it didn't "fit" me very well (as in I could have definitely used something to grip onto, and push against the edge with my feet at times, but I was, and still am, haha, too short), the water itself was the most amazing, relaxing sensation! I had always wished to labor in water with my first two (which were hospital births), but that was never an option. Now I truly know how wonderful it really feels!

And here begin the photos! Disclaimer, hehe: I dislike and even loathe photos of me, no matter what! So some if these are obviously very unflattering, and also obviously, capture some of my most vulnerable moments. I consider myself to be a very modest person, and do not ever show the amount of skin that is about to be seen in these photos. But I love and am passionate about birth and natural birth, and am willing to open up, be vulnerable, and share with the world. There is NOTHING too graphic, and nothing even rated PG. It is all safe for all audiences, I assure you. I (obviously, since I am in them) did not take these photos. They were taken either by Lucas, Michelle, Yocasta, and maybe even one of the midwives? But I couldn't tell you who took what or when, as I was in "Labor Land". I only called out a few settings here and there, so many of them are poorly exposed, unfocused, etc. But who cares?! They may not be to professional standards, but I love them and cherish them, and go through them every few months, to remind myself of the wonderful, beautiful and amazing entrance that my son was able to make into this world. The end. :)

As you can see, even in active labor, the mood is light and we all had several moments of laughter and jokes. Having an amazing team of support really does prove to be helpful.

One of my amazing midwives, Holly!

My two bestest friends and "sisters", Michelle and Yocasta. Their love, words of encouragement and support were exactly what I needed to help me get through everything.

From left to right: Two of the 3 present midwives, Holly, Sam, and Michelle.

After a while (I had no sense of time whatsoever), Lucas got into the tub and proved to be helpful for the gripping that I felt like I needed to do during contractions. I loved just being able to melt into his chest and (try!) to relax as well.

Holly checking baby's heart rate. He sounded perfect during the entire labor and birth! :)

One of the moments of said joking and laughter! :)

My wonderful in-laws came to be at the birthm but only waited in the lounge/waiting area ooutside of the birthing room. After I hit transition though, my moaning/coping noises became louder, and my father-in-law had to step out and continued to wait in his van. My sweet mother-in-law said she stayed and cried and prayed in the waiting area.

As I began to hot transition, I did become nauseous, but never vomited. I was so afraid of puking though, so I stubbornly refused to really eat or drink anything, which then resulted in pure exhaustion. I've learned my lesson for next time.

In this timeline of photos, you can pretty much visibly see the change in my demeanor as I hit transition. I was finding it harder and harder to relax through my contractions. My awesome team had to remind me EVERY single time to relax! I even got a good laugh at how I needed that reminder and encouragement with every contraction.

I had wanted some gum to chew on, and Yocasta handed out gum to anyone who wanted some.

The midwife checking baby's heart tones this time is Jennifer! She was wonderful, and was still a student/apprentice at the time I believe! I'm sure she can answer that if she reads this. She has since graduated! Congratulations Jennifer!

I don't remember why I had to get out of the tub at this point, but I do remember not being too happy about it, haha! The water feels so amazing, and is a wonderful help in relaxation. I remember that once I did get out, and sat on the bed through several intense contractions, I didn't want to move!

I was completely unaware through all of these photos that there were even photos being taken of me. I will attribute that to being in "labor land" too. Despite the fact that these photos show the very imperfections I would love to hide, I love them for being the last photos I have of being pregnant with Muffin.

And to think I had no idea there was an 8+ lb. baby in that belly! :)

Another wave of intense contractions hit. By this point I was about complete at 10 cm.

I can not thank my "birth team" enough for the support like this! <3 Knowing that my best friend and sister-in-law saw me at my most vulnerable state (where I had absolutely nothing to hide), and at what is probably near my very worst, and they STILL love me, means the world to me.

It was here on the bed when I began feeling that primal urge to push. It wasn't so strong that I couldn't hold back yet, but I could feel it coming.

As I started feeling those urges, I was checked again, and Holly agreed I was complete and should start pushing as I felt the urge. Since our original plan was for a waterbirth, I jumped (more like made my way super slowly, haha) back into the tub and began pushing.

Little did I know, this would be a "complicated" and long pushing phase. As Holly and Sam realized he wasn't descending like he should when I was pushing, we had to resort to something other than the water. I was surprisingly not as disappointed as I would have thought. At that point, getting him out was the priority, not just birthing in the water,

From the birthing tub they suggested I try pushing while on the birth stool. I hated every second of it. For one, I was much too short for such a stool, and my stubby legs couldn't reach the ground! I really felt like I needed that leverage while I pushed, and it wasn't there. Second, it is essentially just steel pipes, with a foam padding on the top to sit on. My legs kept falling asleep, and I was so uncomfortable. As if the contractions and descending baby putting pressure on my body wasn't "uncomfortable" enough! If I ever have to use a birth stool in the future, I will not let it be that one, and I will ask for something to prop my feet up onto for the leverage that I need. Another lesson learned.
Well, after who knows how long pushing on the birth stool (again, my sense of time was completely non-existent), he still wasn't descending like he should, and I was pushing with everything I had. I could sense that the midwives were sensing something was up. I tried not to worry and focus on opening up and getting my baby out. But worry just came. I had never pushed this long before, even with an epidural.

From the stool, I moved onto the bed, and continued to push with all of my might. Because I was pushing without abandon, I was so worried about having a bowel movement, and kept asking if I had gone! I hadn't, but I was pushing so hard I was sure I had, hahaha! During prenatal visits, all of the midwives assured me that I wouldn't worry or care about that when it came time to birth, but I was! Thankfully, there was no poop to report, hahaha! Okay sorry, tmi?

After pushing on my back for a few contractions, the super exhaustion set in. By that point I had been pushing for over two hours, and my body was physically exhausted, as well as mentally. I felt like giving up. I hit the wall. The wall I had read and heard about. I felt like I could not go any more. Like I could not give one more push. Although the words never came out of my mouth, I thought to myself "that's it, I tried, I can't do it anymore. I just need to go to the hospital and let them do a c-section." I was that exhausted, and obviously not thinking completely clearly either. My wonderful midwives believed in me, believed in my body, and believed I could do it. They never doubted me, they never made any sort of inclination that I might have to be transferred to the hospital, nothing. They were consistently encouraging and wonderful. Exhaustion had just taken over, and I felt like giving up.

Finally, they moved me to my left side, and THAT is what Muffin needed! That is what it took, and he descended like he was supposed to, and I was able to push him out! His head had been cocked to one side, as well as he had his hands up by his head/face. When I pushed and he wasn't engaged correctly, of course he couldn't descend! We could obviously see that one side of his head was swollen due to that fact, :(

And this is the moment that I was able to pull him out! After all of that pushing, I heard one of my midwives say "Okay! Reach down and get your baby!" And so I did. So with my own hands, I pulled my baby up to my chest! Not a doctors hands, not even my midwives hands. I was the first one to touch and hold and kiss my baby! Straight from my womb to my chest! It was the most amazing and powerful feeling!

I felt so relieved, but SO exhausted! I think my exhaustion comes through pretty well in the following photos! Despite my elation, my relief and utter exhaustion seem to take over my facial expressions, :)

I have not finished editing the text portion of the blog, but I am posting it for anyone who wants to see the photos and read what is up so far. To Be continued when it is not 5am. :)

Because I know you'd prefer pictures over whatever I'd have to say...

2011-02-12T01:52:00.003-06:00

I know, I know... everyone just sits and WAITS for me to blog, and can hardly wait to read my thoughts written out. Well, I'm sorry to have to disappoint you, but this post will be mostly photos. Just because. Because I want to publish some kind of updated post here and there. AND because I have so much I want to say, but can't ever seem to be satisfied with a final edit of my drafts (which in turn means I don't publish them until I've spent WAY too much time on them, ha!). So, here is a picture blog! With a few little tidbits (because I can't just NOT talk! I always have too much to say!), and with some geeky photography stuff thrown in for good measure. :)

Looky at the little monkey I found jumping on his big brothers bed this morning! :)

As I was working with Izzy on some of his school work, I heard (through the baby monitor) the unmistakable sound of a bed being rustled and jumped on. I of course grabbed my camera and headed straight to catch the suspect in action. I only got one shot of his actual jumping, and it is blurred (with his movement, see how the rest of the photo is clear and crisp?), due to (get ready, here comes the fun geekiness...) pretty low light in that bedroom, so I needed a relatively slow shutter speed (1/125), even wide open (2.8 on that lens), and at ISO 1250. But I still love it. He was caught red handed! :)

BTW, that is a canteen he has around his neck, but seeing that his Mama is a photog herself, wouldn't you know that he pretends it is his big camera? I love it.

Here are a few more shots of the accused bed jumper. Just because I think he's pretty cute.

No more jumping I guess...

It sure looks like he had something really important to say, I just wish I could remember what it was.

Probably double checking his camera settings...

I missed the focus just a tad on this one (I always focus on the eyes, or eye closest to me), probably due to his constant, rapid movement, haha, but I still love it, because I love the expression on his face.

The end. :)

What should I do with my hands?

2011-01-20T01:29:00.003-06:00

I recently read an article with tips for "Mommy Bloggers", and one of the tips was to always use a catchy, "must open and read NOW" title. Is that ^^^^^ a catchy title? :) Okay, so it can determined that I am not very creative, ha!

Here are my Belly Shots/Self Portraits for pregnancy week 25! Taken in front of one of the walls in our very colorful school room! (It's actually the "dining room", but since the kids do school work in there, we decided to make it a bright and colorful learning environment!) I do have some regrets about our color choices, but colorful walls do make for nice photo backgrounds, and that's not the point of this blog anyway... :)

So here we go: 25 weeks

(Geeky photog talk here: All photos shot at ISO 1250, F 1.6, SS 1/160 and 1/125, self timer of course)

Now about the posts title...
I never know what to do with my hands! Doesn't everyone have that problem? I have people (that are in front of MY camera) ask me the very same question ALL the time, and I seem to always have an answer for them. But when it's just me and my tripod (or makeshift tripod, or chair, or table, or floor...), things can get a little awkward!

Side story: K (my oldest daughter) saw me and asked why I was taking pictures of myself! I wonder if my kids think I am just vain? I answered that I really wanted to remember having a pregnant belly, and am going to try to take pictures as often as I can. And that answer satisfied her just fine. And it's true!

Back to the hands... so then I tried this:

No, too high, it looks a little weird/awkward, right? Hm, try lower:

Aw man! Now I look like I have a tummy ache! Agh!

Anyway, haha, the whole pregnant belly thing is a toughie. You want to come across loving, but sometimes a gentle caress against the belly looks funny enough and awkward in front of the camera, and of course I am extra picky about how my hands look (i.e.: "Is my thumb sticking out?" or "My fingers look too fat in this one!" or "Hm, crooked finger angle...", yeah, I already know I'm weird.)

But does keeping my arms straight down seem cold and uncaring? Or do I just look stiff?

I am finding it harder and harder each time, and don't want to have too many of the same photo where my hands and arms are doing the same thing. Anyone want to offer some suggestions? Remember, I am not the creative type here, so I welcome any and all suggestions. I may not try them all, but welcome them with open arms, and hands, ;) indeed.

ETA: All photos were processed just a tad differently. Just because I can. :)

Pregnancy Experience, Fourth Edition

2011-01-18T02:25:00.010-06:00

So after my initial "pregnancy" blog post (with the belly shot at 20 weeks), several people mentioned they wanted to know exactly what was so different, and for more details, as I had so briefly and vaguely mentioned. :)

I am all about sharing and being open and transparent, but wondered if a post with such personal information (and that isn't on a mommy forum like mothering.com or diaperswappers.com) might be crossing the line of a little bit TMI? :) But I thought, why not oblige and transcribe my thoughts and feelings onto, well, not paper, but digital paper? For all the world to see? Well alrighty then, why not?! Here goes! :D

BUT, this post is not very "man friendly", so I figure with fair warning to any male readers (although I doubt there are many, if any at all), I will go ahead and open up a little about "Pregnancy Experience, Fourth Edition", ha!

So HERE is your warning! Men, and/or easily grossed out, squeamish people, you might want to close this blog and/or browser window, and not read any further! You have been fairly warned! :)

For a little background, here is a brief history:
My first two babies were complete and unplanned surprises. Blessings, but definitely surprises! The second two, we were blessed to have planned. I was 19 with my first baby, 20 with the second, 23 with my third, and am now 25 (but will be 26 when he is born) with baby #4.

With the first two, I was super young and in such great shape! I was a dancer my entire childhood and teenage life. After the birth of my first baby, when she was 2 months old, I took up martial arts and LOVED it, sticking with it even through my second pregnancy and halfway into my third. I started to miss classes here and there, and then stopped altogether. The reason being a busy schedule and lack of baby sitters, not by my own choice. :(

I did gain slightly more weight during my third pregnancy, than I did with my first two. Coincidence? I don't know. My third was also my biggest baby, weighing in at just over 8 lbs. (Pretty huge for my small 4' 11" body). But I still dropped all of the weight and got back into shape quickly (thank you BREASTFEEDING! :D Hahaha!), so who knows.

Which brings me to my current state of 25 weeks pregnant with baby #4!

I feel so blessed and privileged to be expecting yet another baby. I realize there are many families who are hoping and praying to be pregnant and for a healthy baby, and have not had that opportunity yet. One of those families being my best friend, so I do not take pregnancy for granted in the least. And I am thankful for having that to keep me accountable, and remember to be thankful for everything we have been blessed with.
And I have always loved being pregnant, despite all of the discomforts.

That being said, this time around has truly been the hardest (and at times the most painful) pregnancy yet, even though I am barely over the halfway point. And with my history, I'll probably go a couple of weeks past my due date anyway, so I've still got another 4 months to cook! :)

The reality of it is I think this pregnancy is really taking it's toll on my little body, which is barely 4'11", and about 105-110 lbs. normal weight, so small framed.

One symptom I have experienced without fail, all four times, is severe morning (all day) sickness. However, it did seem so much worse this time. Maybe I blocked the old memories of it out, or maybe just the daunting reality of caring for a (very high maintenance) toddler and homeschooling two kids while trying NOT to puke on the floor in front of them took its toll on my weakened, exhausted body? I don't know, but I felt like this time was so different.
I lost weight with each pregnancy, thankfully this time it was only about 8-9 lbs., because I worked diligently to stay nourished and hydrated, which is way easier said than done, as any other "throw-upper" pregnant mama can attest to!
And of course, I have thankfully gained it all back, and then some, thanks in part to Christmas tamales. :)

I experienced some varicose veins behind one knee with my third pregnancy. They showed up well into things that time, around 25-30 weeks or so. Pretty mild, nothing I worried about, and they disappeared shortly after I gave birth.
This time around, they showed up at 9, yes, 9 weeks! I was still in losing weight, super sick mode! I know, weird huh? It's only in one leg (my right), which I find kind of funny, but I've come to find out that is normal for varicosities during pregnancy. They were incredibly painful, but my wonderful and amazing midwives have me on a great homeopathic regimen of White Oak Bark and Hamamelis Virginiana, which is essentially witch hazel taken internally. In just over one week of taking them, the pain has been relieved almost completely, and they are decreasing in size, purpleness, and "bulge", haha, but are still incredibly ugly. I can't stand them. I pray that these too, will go away after the birth, or I vow to never wear shorts again. Ever. Booo!

See? Not very "men" friendly, so if you are a man and still reading, I recommend you close this browser now. :)

Okay, moving on...
My butt hurts. :P

No really, my pelvis and tailbone hurt! Like, seriously aching, sometimes hard to walk, sometimes piercing pain, hurts. This is a first for me, unless it is one of those blocked out memories I didn't want to remember. :)

Did you ever fall hard on your bottom while playing (for example, skating?) as a kid, and then have a sore tush for a few days afterwards? Well that's about what I can best relate it to! :) This is a recent development, right around 21-22ish weeks, so it is due to the wonderful hormone called Relaxin, which loosens up the ligaments to prepare for birth, as well as from the increasing weight of the uterus and baby, lying upon my coccyx. Very sore hip flexors are right there with the sore tailbone.

In addition to the above, I am feeling that very familiar sharp, shooting, numbing, tingling pain, a.k.a, pregnancy induced sciatica. Yet again, a literal pain in my butt, and legs too. :)
I did experience a taste of it with my first two pregnancies, and a good sample with my third, but of course, this time it is much more severe. This is also directly due to the weight of the uterus and baby pushing on/pinching my sciatic nerve. Lucas sometimes calls it my "Psychotic nerve", hahaha! Thanks for the sympathy babe! :P

On top of those, my lower back is beginning to feel the strain. I have not had back "issues" in any of my other pregnancies! At least nothing severe enough that I could remember. The pain and aches I am experiencing make me feel just about out of commission.

BUT, any other mama of 3 (or more!) will tell you being out of commission is NOT an option! :) And mama doesn't get any sick days or days off, so you just suck it up. :)

Alright, enough of my "complaining" and venting. In all honesty, pregnancy and birth really truly is, I believe, one of the most wonderful experiences a woman can endure, and a God given "right of passage". Also, I find it totally neat and interesting to find that 1 Timothy 2:15 says:
^"15 But women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty." (New Living Translation)

I am not claiming or even going to pretend to be a biblical scholar (or any kind of scholar for that matter, haha!), but taking that scripture for it's face value, I think we, as women, truly have a great calling, and I think it's pretty awesome!

Yes, pregnancy is hard,
puking is never fun,
backaches and pelvic pain are a (literal) pain in the butt,
and getting through the days that seem to drag on forever is tough.

But once I feel those first flutters, and then the big kicks, and then the somersaults, and yes, even then when it looks like an alien is trying to escape from my stretched out, seemingly paper thin skin, I am in LOVE! I love my baby, I love that my body can grow a baby, and I love that God felt we are fit enough parents to even deserve another one! Because even I sometimes totally doubt I am mama material, haha! But I know I am blessed, I say I am blessed, and I believe I am blessed.

Psalms 127:3 Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!

And, that is all. For now. :)

Just because we think he's cute...

2011-01-06T23:08:00.003-06:00

VID00001, originally uploaded by MonicaYB.

And so will his grandparents and aunties (and maybe even uncles too)... :)

Here is Mr. Muffin (21 months) greeting a Woody doll hung in the boys room. When he says it it sounds like "woo-wie" or even "weewee", hehehe! After prompting from Daddy, Muffin asked Woodie if he would like some lemonade (sounds like "luma-numana").

It's probably just us, as his doting parents, hehe, but we can't get enough of this guy. :)

It's so funny because he is by far the farthest behind in his verbal skills (I have vids of Izzy speaking in full sentences at 19 months...), but Muffin sure seems to be in no rush. He also has made up much of his own language, both verbally and signing! Seriously! He is one interesting guy! :D
We have learned that he is incredibly stubborn, and somewhat lazy when it comes to speaking. :) I have also learned that you cannot rush things such as this, and to just soak it all in and enjoy the cuteness. AND to take lots of video because they don't sound like this for long! :)

Broken window glass...

2011-01-04T21:30:00.002-06:00

Late this afternoon, I heard a ball being thrown around, which is against our house rules (due to the dangers of things possibly being broken or someone getting hurt). Not but 2 seconds after I reminded the kids about said rule, I heard the bang and the resulting break.

(Just a silly side note... I guess I never really realized how old and ugly our windows are until after taking these pics. I also realized I don't clean them often enough! Haha!)

The little infant/toddler toy that did the damage:

Sheesh. It's taped up for now, but we will, of course, have to replace it soon, since it could very well shatter with just one other hit. It's right next to our back door too, and that gets a lot of use, and slammed pretty often too. Good excuse to purchase new, beautiful, energy efficient windows maybe???

20 weeks (halfway!) Belly Shot

2011-01-03T22:42:00.004-06:00

WM RS 20 weeks-6186 ED, originally uploaded by MonicaYB.

So... I am pretty late in posting this, since I am now 23 weeks, hehe, but if you know anything about me, you know that I tend to be late for all kinds of things, and you'd also know that I take so many photos, and then they stay forever on my hard drive, never to be seen or heard from again, :(

Here is week 20 belly shot (from 12/15/2010), shot in my "famous" yellow/orange kitchen (my kitchen has the best light in the house, so there will be many more photos in the yellow orange-ness!), with my fav buttery lens, 50 1.4, shot at (get ready, here comes geeky photography talk...) not quite all the way open, at F 1.6. (ISO 400, SS 1/250, for anyone who cares).

I shot it at a horrible time of the day, late in the afternoon, so the shadows are harsh, and I didn't spend much time processing it, but you get the idea, and it's "dramatic-y", :)

The jeans I was wearing, as you can see, still button all the way and in fact are still pretty loose everywhere but the waist. :) I'm still at that "awkward" point where my regular clothes are fitting a little tight, some uncomfortably so, but maternity clothes seem to swallow me up, and just make me feel frumpy.

This pregnancy (#4) in general is so different in so many ways! I am still savoring and enjoying it as much as I can, knowing there is a good chance that it may be (but hopefully not) the last time I am pregnant. :(
I have always enjoyed being pregnant, despite my severe sickness (which is just starting to end now at 23 weeks!), and aches and pains associated with it. There is just something wonderful and magical about carrying a precious life inside of you! But even this one has thrown me a couple of unexpected "curve balls", and things I had never experienced even the other three times!

Regardless, I don't forget how blessed I am, and I feel privileged to know God chose us to be parents one more time!

A kind "stranger" lady randomly said to me the other day, something along the lines of "I love seeing pregnant women! That's how we know God has not given up on mankind!". I never thought of it quite like that, but I love it, and realized it is true!

New year, new blog...

2011-01-03T17:05:00.001-06:00

It's amazing what can change over the course of only two years! I decided to go ahead and keep my old blog and blog url, but am pretty embarrassed to see my previous entries and photos! Sheesh! I am surprised at all of the things I've learned over the last two years, and the changes that have taken place in our lives.

Please do me a favor and DON'T scroll down to any previous entries. But, IF you do, be forewarned that I do not take any responsibility for the horrible photos, or what I wrote, simply because I do not remember. ;)

Here's an update (about two years past due...) of our lives and some things you might expect to read if you so choose to "Follow" me...

I am a stay/work-at-home Mommy; I homeschool our kiddos, and I have my own (very small!) lifestyle photography business, specializing in babies, children and families. My husband of 7.5 years is the associate pastor of our church, which is totally home away from home, and we are blessed beyond measure!
In my last post (in 11/2008, Oh. My. Goodness!), we were still a family of 4, but we are now a family of 5, and soon to be 6! We added our third baby and second son into the world on March 18th of 2009, at the San Antonio Birth Center. That was one of the most amazing and best experiences of my life, but that needs it's own blog post, haha! We are now expecting our 4th child (3rd son!) sometime in May 2011! Our EDD is May 5th (Cinco de Mayo!), but I have a tendency to go late, so I am thinking more like mid May. And this baby will be our first homebirth, with the hands and help of our wonderful, amazing midwife! I suppose I'll have to ask her permission before I post her name, hehehe.

Some things that I am passionate about, and that you will probably read about on my blog, if you don't get bored too soon, are, in no particular order:
My family,
Photography,
Babywearing,
Babies in general, :)
Natural birth,
Natural parenting,
Attachment parenting,
Organic/healthy eating and lifestyle,
"Green" living,
Cloth diapering and E.C. (Elimination communication, a.k.a. infant potty learning),
Homeschooling,
Midwifery,

And that's all that came to mind in these last few seconds. :)

I can not and will not make any promises to post every day, every week, or even several times a month. Just as often as I can! I'd love it if you would follow me, but also know that I will totally be posting links to new blog posts (on Facebook) as I publish them.
Be blessed and happy new year!

Meet Cocoa!

2008-11-20T02:28:00.006-06:00

Since I never formally introduced the newest addition of our family (on blogger), I'll take the time to do it now...

Everyone, meet Cocoa! Cocoa (or "Coco") is our 8 month old Chocolate Lab. We got her as a puppy when she was about 8 weeks old. Well, let me re-phrase that. Lucas (my husband) brought her home when she was about 8 weeks old. As a surprise. A big surprise. Oh, what a surprise.

She knows how to wave "Hi"! Isn't she smart?

Ok, so she's not really waving, she doesn't know how to wave, but she does know how to "say hi", by shaking hands, and that is what she's doing in the photo above, and I was lucky enough to catch it just right so that it kinda looks like she is waving hi. :)

Well hello there!

Cocoa is hard to photograph. One, because she is so dark, so exposing for her is really fun, and two, she is ALWAYS on the move. Always.

Dark colored dog+constant movement = High ISO, Large Aperture, Fast SS, and AI Servo Focus.

She is super well trained, and this is my favorite 'trick' of hers. I can put just about any item (be it food, a puppy treat, or a toy) in front of her nose and tell her to "leave it", and she will sit or lie there, just as below, waiting for my command to "ok, go ahead" so she can get her treat.

This must be her way of asking me "Can you please tell me to get it already?"

And what would a post be without a photo from my yellow/orange kitchen?

Cocoa, meet the blogging world!

Patiently Waiting

2008-11-12T00:47:00.003-06:00

Since Izzy was somewhat MIA in the last post, here is his turn to be "posted". And in keeping with the kitchen theme (the last shots were all taken in my yellow/orange kitchen, blech), here is Izzybear in an apron, patiently waiting by the oven, for the pumpkin pie (that he helped to make) to be ready (Little did he know that it would take almost an hour to be done...).

Enjoy!

Do you think he was getting bored?

He's pretending to be something/someone here, don't ask me who because I'm not sure. but he's on a Tarzan kick, so that just may be it. :)

(^^^ On the above 2 photos I used Courtney_s Ocean Breeze Action, just because.)

And here is the finished product. it was yummy, but there was still something to be desired, I'm not sure what. Back to more fun experimentation in the kitchen for me!
I forgot to shoot some photos of it before everyone dove into it, sorry. :)

ETA: Ok, my 'landscape' oriented photos are still being chopped, I can't seem to fix that problem, I'm sorry!

So, after 8 months...

2008-11-08T01:26:00.013-06:00

Hello world! After 8 months of inactivity (on my blog, not in real life, haha!), I'm going to make a concious effort to update my blogspot more often! No promises though! :)

So, to kick off my re-blogging, here are a few recent pics of the kids, and Coco. They had been waiting so patiently at our kitchen table for me to finish making lunch, I decided to make them wait even longer so I could snap their photos!

Do they look bored?

Ah, Lani giving her brother "the look". It doesn't faze Izzy much anymore these days though...

The following are just a couple of the MANY faces of Lani. Where does she get all of those dramatic expressions from?

(^^^I can take out that vent, but I'm not going to spend the time doing that now. So please excuse the ugly white vent. Thank you. )

And finally, I bribed Coco into sitting at the kitchen table to snap some pictures with Lani. What happened to Izzy you ask? Well, he got into trouble and had to go to his room. I hope I can get him to cooperate soon, because I need some photos of him too!

Kaylani has the bribe in her hand, a Doggy Biscuit. Can you tell Coco wants it? She doesn't take her eyes off of it!

Yes, Lani LOVES Coco!

EDIT: For some reason, my photos are being chopped off! I'm trying to fix that, but have yet to figure out what the problem is!

Wow, I haven't updated in so long!

2008-03-26T02:34:00.003-05:00

So sorry everyone! I've been SUPER busy lately, but I wanted to share these beautiful pics of my seester! I did a mini shoot with her yesterday (I've been begging her to do it forever!), and here are just a few of my results.

POTW 3/9/08 Princess Kaylani with curls!

2008-03-12T01:02:00.008-05:00

Haha! Yes, today Kaylani saw my hot rollors (which haven't seen the light of day since, well, NEVER!) and asked what they were. After I had explained, she excitedly asked me to put them in her hair! So I excitedly agreed! These shots show you the results, which, weren't that great, and didn't last very long (since her hair is pretty much identical to mine, and doesn't hold a curl very well), but she was happy, and I'm glad I caught them for these few moments anyway, :)

Our fun day with Chalk! POTW 3/2/08

2008-03-07T04:04:00.011-06:00

This past Tuesday, we took full advantage of the beautiful warm weather we had, and we played outside most of the day, knowing that the next couple of days would be too cold to have outdoor adventures. We had an 80 degree high on Tuesday, and Wednesday the highs dropped into the low 40's! How crazy is Texas weather! Haha!

Anyway, here is a glimpse of the 'fun' the kids had (while Mommy wasn't looking!), heehee!

(I know this ^^^ is a technically terrible shot, but I love how you can see the chalkiness all over his face!)

And I've been pet-sitting our friends kitties this week, so I suppose I will throw in a few of the funny shots I've shot of them, simply because I was using an (borrowed) external flash with these following shots, and I think I am in LOVE! I was bouncing it off the ceiling (The flash rotates 90 degrees), Oh My Goodness! I can use an ISO at 100, and a SS of over 1/125 (with an F1.8 that is) and still have a good exposure?!?! Without using a direct harsh flash?! I WANT ONE! I WANT ONE! I WANT ONE! :D Now I know what I am going to ask for for my birthday! haha! Ok, enough geek talk, (That was for you Norma, heehee), and Thank you Laura for letting me play with it, I have loved it, and I am seriously going to invest in one! You are the best! :) Anyway, the kitties names are Pinky and Brownie, and they are so camera friendly, and they make for really cute subjects!

POTW 2/24/08

2008-02-28T14:45:00.010-06:00

Here are some shots I got from a recent "shoot" with the kids. I LOVE my new 50mm F1.8 Lens!!!!!

^^^I don't know why, but I really love this one ^^^

She was singing...

I love how you can see Izzybears enthusiasm! :)

POTW 2/17/08

2008-02-23T17:30:00.012-06:00

So, here are just a few of my fav's from this past week. I've been extremely busy developing pics for clients, and working on business details and such, so that's why I haven't been blogging much, but I am itching to share my new "magic lens" photos! lol! But note that they have all been resized for web viewing, which takes away quite a bit of that quality that we all love!

The above was taken with a much less vivid saturation than the rest below. Totally different look, but I like them both for their own reasons.

She was just writing/drawing away...

Now these below are all from outside on our new swing set, which is a very red/orange wood set, which affected the white balance, giving me the extremely warm, orange tinted pics. Can they be fixed in lightroom you ask? Quite possibly, but I actually like them like this, :)

Notice the extremely shallow depth of field. That comes from the F1.8. I LOVE that effect!

Remember that F1.8 I mentioned earlier? Here it is in all of it's glory! Take a look at that bokeh!!!!! See those circles behind Izzybear? Super shallow DOF, and a perfect looking circle is from great quality aperture blades!!! On a bokeh photo with poor quality aperture blades, you would see more of a polygonal shaped bokeh, due to less or poor quality aperture blades. Ok, I feel like such a nerd, and I don't even know why i bothered explaining all of that! haha! But I find it interesting, and I am just super excited about my lens! :) But, ok, you've had enough geek talk, I will stop now. hehe.

Is it magic???

2008-02-23T17:18:00.004-06:00

So, my most wonderfullest husband ordered me the greatest Valentines Day gift ever!!! I am not much into flowers, or candy, or little trinkets and such, and he knows me too well. :) He ordered me a Canon 50mm F1.8 lens!!! I had been wanting it, since I'd heard alot of good things about it, not to mention it's one of Canons least expensive lenses. So I received it in the mail on Tuesday, and I LOVE IT!!!! I have been able to "play" with it a little, since the weather has been great, and it is exponentially better than my Sigma! Which actually comes as a sigh of releif to me, since I have been very disappointed in the sharpness quality of my photos, but now that I have something to compare them to, I know that it was the lens after all!

Many people/photogs had told me it must be the Sigma lens (including the photog workshop instructor), since I seemed to be doing everything correctly. Now I have proof! It was the sigma that lacked in quality. I am so HAPPY! It IS a magic lens! It IS!

POTW 2/3, Trying to get...

2008-02-08T02:22:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to get some decently cute shots of the kids all week! haha! They are so funny. It's as if they know when I'm desperate for pics, and they refuse to cooperate! They are constantly making funny faces, and doing silly things JUST so that i won't get a good shot in! Ha! Oh well, I guess that's what I get for always having the camera in their faces...

Anyway, here is a sneak peek at some valentines shots I've been trying to shoot...

I have been doing alot of Black and white conversions lately for two reasons... 1. I am learning the right way to convert and edit, and 2. Lucas has demanded that I adorn his new office with ONLY b&w shots... :)

Those are Izzy's "poochie patas". Kaylani refused to let me shoot her feet. So I will try to bribe her tomorrow for her "pata" shot, :)

Baby Zeke

2008-01-30T21:54:00.000-06:00

My first "Newborn" shoot! I was so excited to be doing my newest Nephew, Elliot Zeke, for my first newborn shoot! We ran into a few obstacles (some things are to be expected from a naked newborn...), and I have learned some very important lessons (like always carry a lint roller! haha!), but overall I think it was a success, and I am happy with my results. More importantly though, I sure hope my "clients" are happy with their results!

So, here are only a few (there are several more) of the shots so far...

Something Funny...

2008-01-30T21:51:00.000-06:00

Just something funny that Lani said today...
She informed me that she was pretending that Izzy was her husband (which she often does that), so I said "Oh, ok, so what do husbands do?" shes replies "Husbands, they kiss girls and they play Wii."

Grandmama

2008-01-24T03:52:00.000-06:00

This is Grandmama, Lucas' grandmother.

I took the shot at Lucas' graduation ceremony, and it is now one of my most favorite photos. Here is a glimpse of true beauty, wisdom, love, and understanding.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention...

2008-01-24T03:35:00.001-06:00

I forgot to explain why my watermark appears to read "MY photography". It actually says "M.Y. Photography", since my initials happen to be M and Y. Clever isn't it? Haha, yes, I know, I am a genius... :)

That is tentatively going to be the name of my photog business. Any other suggestions?

Hernandez Family Photoshoot

2008-01-24T03:04:00.000-06:00

I recently did a shoot for some wonderful friends of ours. It was the entire family (His parents, 3 sisters, 2 brothers-in-law, 2 nieces and 3 nephews, besides him and his family), so, it was my first large family shoot, and it was a challenge! I brought my assistant, Jonsal, along with me, and he was a huge help! We did individual family shots, kid shots, couple shots, and several big family shots! The kids and the whole family proved to be the most challenging, but I really did enjoy myself! And I am very pleased with the results! Here is just one of the families, our great friends, Manuel and Mari, and their precious sons.

And btw, I will be "watermarking" my pics from now on, by the advisement of several photogs I have met, as well as the instructor of the workshop I have been a part of...

The photoshoot took place at the missions, in case anyone was wondering, or recognized it...

It's been WWWAAAYYY too long!

2008-01-24T02:50:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone!
I apologize for there being such a HUGE gap in time since I've blogged, or put up a POTD! I'm sure everyone has missed it dearly! :)
So here is a quick update, in case you needed to hear an excuse as to why I've been "out" for awhile...
First of all, we have moved! Yay! We are finally in our house! Praise God! We moved right before Christmas (Dec 22), so the days were extremely hectic for us! We were trying to move, get Christmas presents, settle the kids in, and so much more in such a crammed amount of time! Not to mention, that we hosted Christmas at our house! So everything had to be clean! Haha!

Oh, and, it took awhile to get our internet service back up again, but that's a long story... a whole other blog, haha!

Anywho, we are finally settled in, and I have done a few shoots in these past few weeks, and I have a few more tentative ones coming up soon! And it has proven to be quite a task to "develop" the photos! Who knew! It takes me so long since I don't have large chunks of free time just sitting around, so i work a little bit at a time (15 minutes here, 20 there...), but it does get done! More posts with pics to come... and that is a promise! :) I am no longer promising a POTD (photo of the day), but I will do my best to put up at least one, if not several, photos per WEEK! That sounds much more do-able for me! :D

Ok, well, if you made it through all of this, *phew*! thank you for caring enough to read! haha!

POTD 12/13/07

2007-12-14T02:05:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I didn't technically shoot any photos today, but I did do alot of editing, so these are the same photos from yesturday, only "enhanced" (er, at least I hope I enhanced them! haha!)

Can you see the difference between these two? Please tell me which you like better! More yellow? Less yellow? I happen to like the less yellow look, because I think it makes the color of their clothes "pop" alot more.

This one has too much of a yellow tint. I need to go back and fix that.

And I think this one has too much of the "vignette" thing going one, haha! I think I need to tone it down just a little!

And I threw in a new one of Lani just for kicks, heehee! :)

Oh, and for anyone that cares, I used both Photoshop and Lightroom for the editing process.

POTD 12/12/07

2007-12-12T16:18:00.003-06:00

So I was planning on doing a shoot today for some friends, but for several reasons it dodn't end up working out. So I figured, why not take another opportunity to play around with my new camera, right? haha! So I set up my "studio", and I went ahead and got the kids all dressed up, since I needed some Christmas pics of them anyway, and I went a shottin' away! Here are just some of my results...

Yes, this one was an accident, but I think it is my favorite one of all now!

Kaylani is a hard sybject to photograph! She is constantly moving, and her facial expressions are ALWAYS changing! AND they are so dramatic, LOL!

Izzy didn't want me to take his picture right then and there, so it took some bribing...

to get a shot like this! :)

POTD 12/9/07

2007-12-10T00:55:00.001-06:00

Ok, so here are some test shots I took today for Lucas' Graduation pics. These were taken with my XTi, NOT the Easyshare, so I'm still learning about this new world of DSLR's!

So, these are probably not the final shots, but I got to play around a bit, and here is what I got...

I think my "photographers eye" must have been missing or something, because after viewing them much closer, I could have kicked myself for not fixing the tassel! In all of the pics, you cannot see the "07"!!! Oh well, like I said, I doubt that these will be my final shots, so I'll have to remember that for the nest shoot!

POTD 12/8/07

2007-12-10T00:54:00.011-06:00

Today I went to the AOK State Championship Tournament in Austin Texas with the SSFC Karate Club! Our team took home 21 Medals! Woohoo! :D

And, to top it all off, our intructor, Sensei James, recieved the Intructor of the Year Award! Too cool! What a blessing the Karate Ministry is, to me, and so many others!

I only placed 2nd in Kata :( , and I didn't even place in sparring, but that's a whole other blog! LOL! Yeah, I got robbed!

So anyway, it was about 5pm when I got home, and since I only had about a half hour of decent daylight left, I thought I'd go outside and play with my new camera, :)

And here are some of the results of my playing:

POTD 12/1/07

2007-12-01T23:20:00.007-06:00

Check out this pic I took today!!!!!!! I know, I know, it's not even a pretty insect, but Izzy found it, and I love using my macro lens, so off I went shootin' away! And I LOVE how this one came out with such a Bokeh effect! The Bokeh is not photoshop induced, it came from my camera that way! too cool, huh? haha! I know, I am such a nerd...

And yes, I know, I skipped a whole bunch of days, but I'll be up to date soon, I promise! I was just so super excited about this pic, I wanted to post it already! LOL!

P'sOTD 11/22/07 (Lots!)

2007-11-26T23:45:00.005-06:00

Ok, so of course I took tons of pics on Thanksgiving! So many photo opportunities! :) Therefore, I have narrowed it down to just a (whole bunch!) few, heehee!

When Lani and Izzybear woke up, I let them eat breakfast in the living room! *gasp!* So that they could watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, of course!

Then we headed off to Aunt Becky's House!

Lani doing her "cheese" face with her Grandpa

Izzy doing his "cheese" face with Jonsal! LOL! Sheesh, why can't they just smile! haha!

Then we headed home to get the kids down for a nap (all 3 kids, :) )

And then it was off to Nana's and Papa's house! We brought the Wii with us, and amazingly, we got everyone to join in the fun! EVEN MY MOM!

My mom bowling... And my Uncle Grape (really Greg, but the kids call him Uncle Grape, so that's his name! :) )! Here he is bowling.My Mom and Dad playing Tennis against each other...
My Dad and Uncle Grape playing Baseball against each other...
And even Lani and Izzy got in on the action! Here they are boxing each other. They love that, I wonder why? Maybe because they can virtually hit each other without getting in trouble? lol!

Everyone had alot of fun. We even made Mii's for my parents, and Uncle Grape! Lucas, myself, Marcos and Angie already had one of their own.

Can you guess who's who? Leave your answers as comments, and let's see who gets them all right! :)

POTD 11/21/07

2007-11-26T23:45:00.003-06:00

Early in the day, it was still so nice and warm, in the mid 80's! So, we took full advantage, knowing that later that evening, things were going to cool down, BIG TIME!

Lucas and the kids played some basketball in the breezway, and had tons of fun! For a few minutes that is... and then the bugs, rocks, and dirt start calling their name, and they can't resist the urge to get down and dirty! :)

So, here are some (clean) pics of them playing b-ball together...

I HATE action shots in poor lighting! They force me to use a slower shutter speed just to get a better exposure, but in return I get blurry pictures! GRRRR!

In the middle of their game, Izzy stopped and pointed out to us that there was a Cheerio in the basketball, and pointed to this, haha!

On a side note...

2007-11-26T23:45:00.001-06:00

I just want to declare just how blessed we are! After writing that my Grandparents (my Dad's parents) have been married for 60 years, I also want to point out that my other Grandparents (my mom's parents) have been married for 54 years! AND, my In-laws have been married for 28, and my parents for 25! Yup, we are so blessed to be surrounded my these individuals! In so many ways!

Thank you Mom, Dad, Sara, Sal, Lita, Lito, Grandma and Grandpa, for being such wonderful examples of what marriage is, and giving us something to strive for! THANK YOU!!!

POTD 11/20/07

2007-11-21T00:53:00.000-06:00

This blog is dedicated to my wonderful grandparents! We went to dinner with them tonight, as well as my Dad, Angie, Marcos, and my Aunt Belinda and Uncle Felipe. It was in celebration of Thanksgiving, since we won't be seeing my Grandparents or Aunt and Uncle for the Holiday.

My Grandparents are such an inspiration to me, and I know I am not alone on that one! This Year they celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary! They are a blessing to so many, and I am so blessed and privileged to have them as my Grandparents!

So, here is a pic from tonight, as well as some of my personal favorites...

They are so photo-genic aren't they? :)

POTD 11/19/07

2007-11-19T22:44:00.001-06:00

My newest Nephew is finaly here!!! YAY! Happy Birthday Baby!

He was born today at 4:05pm, and weighed in at 7lbs., 6oz., and was 19" long!

So, if you haven't already guessed, he is the star of today's P'sOTD! :)

Trying to open his eyes...

So precious!

Family Photo!

First time meeting their new brother!

His nickname is...

FUDDLE! :) His Daddy and Grandpa gave him that nickname today!

Wow! Look at the paparazzi he has to deal with already! :D

POTD 11/18/07

2007-11-19T00:25:00.001-06:00

I just started shooting away after church today, and these are my picks for the day:

Isn't he just so handsome?!?! Yeah, can you tell I'm a proud mommy?

I just love this one of Kaylani, I don't know why! There is so much wrong with the picture itself (like the background for instance...), but I just love her expression!

And Kaylani can FLY!!!

Heehee! I love Izzybears face! :)

POTD 11/17/07

2007-11-19T00:19:00.001-06:00

Today was Yocasta's Baby Shower! Yay!

My attempt at an original artistic macro, haha!

Is this not just the cutest giraffe you have ever seen?!?! It's a storage box too! I LOVE IT!

Beautiful Yocasta and the Shower Cake!

POTD 11/16/07

2007-11-16T17:58:00.000-06:00

I did a "photoshoot" with Lucas today! And, I am actually pretty pleased with my results (for a change, haha!)! He needed to send in some shots for a Youth Conference he'll be leading Praise and Worship for this coming March (Congreso), and he needed to send them in ASAP! Like last week! haha! So, I just dropped by the church, and I of course brought my (dad's) trusty tripod, a makeshift reflector, and my camera! :)

We found a good spot, with great lighting and a calm background, and shot away! Take a peek at some of my favs:

There are a few more, that I just haven't gotten around to editing yet, so stay tuned! haha! :D

POTD 11/15/07

2007-11-15T16:14:00.001-06:00

I took the kids outside, and decided to do a spur of the moment "photoshoot" with them. :)

Here are a few of my favs...

I love the way she looks, despite the fact that her hair is in her face...

He looks like he could be in deep thought or something... I only wish it was a little sharper, :(

Typical Kaylani face... haha!

"Jets!" he said! He heard some airplanes in the sky...

P'sOTD's 11/ 12-14 /07 Family Update

2007-11-15T01:18:00.001-06:00

Ok, so here's the deal (family update, haha)...

My camera hasn't seen much daylight these past few days, :(

It all started on Monday morning, when I received "The Call"! It was from Yocasta (my wonderful VERY pregnant Sister-in-law), saying that labor was immanent! So I immediately jumped (literally, haha) into action! Needles to say, stubborn Baby Barrientes #3 has yet to make an appearance! haha! Well, the craziness continued through Tuesday, as we went to go see a few more houses, and then made an offer on our favorite house! yeah! Not to mention that I have had Karate class both evenings (we are preparing for state), and I am in full force Potty Training with Izzybear! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, he has been wearing UNDERWEAR! ***Everyone cheers***! Well, on Wednesday afternoon, we received a call from our most wonderful Realtor, Sylvia, that the sellers accepted our offer! YAY! YAY! YAY!

So, to sum it all up (after having said, er, typed way too much, yes I tend to blab) I have been so distracted, that my poor camera has suffered much unintended neglect!

Aha! But here is the cool part! I am still posting for your enjoyment, some old favorites of mine! I hope you love them as much as I do! Oh, and, by the way, they are in no particular order. :)

POTD 11/11/07

2007-11-15T01:17:00.000-06:00

Have you noticed there have been alot of Wii related pics lately? Hmmm... I wonder why?! :)

Well, here are some more to add to the collection...

POTD 11/10/07

2007-11-10T18:32:00.009-06:00

I was just playing with my manual settings (aperture, shutter speed, ISO, exposure compensation, etc.), all the while using my (er, my dad's) tripod. Wow, can we say major difference?!?! The stability of the tripod allowed me to adjust my settings so much more, to get a nice, crisp, sharp image, even with SO little light! So detailed, too, just look at how dirty my keyboard is, and I never noticed that with just plain old eyesight! Haha!

The first one is completely untouched and unedited (not even resized).

Ah, it looks much more 'artistic' in black and white, heehee! Not to mention, it brings out the dust so much better! haha!

P and V! OTD 11/9/07

2007-11-10T18:32:00.007-06:00

So, we had a little Wii party I guess! haha! It just happened that way! Our cousin Jordan was coming to spend the night (because his sister was having a sleepover with lots of girls, and he needed to escape!), and he was going to bring some of his Wii games and an extra remote or two, so we invited my brother to come by and play, and Jonsal was supposed to come by also. Well, Jonsal couldn't make it, but Angie joined in the fun!, so it just turned into a cool Wii Party! :D

So, here is a shot of Angie and Marcos fighting each other in the Wii Sports Boxing game:

They were getting so into it, I decided to shoot some video as well:

The Mii's are actually of Lucas and myself! haha! I know, it's a little long, but it's funny! Look how Marcos is so into it! His competitiveness is really coming out! Aha!

POTD 11/8/07

2007-11-10T18:32:00.005-06:00

Ok, so I haven't had my camera out that much, I guess we've been pretty busy and such. So, I haven't been "shooting" much either, bummer! But here is a pic of the cutest little guy ever! Well, maybe not, but it's the only pic I shot on 11/8, so here we go! :) I love my macro lens, but I love macro shots much better in natural daylight, so this is the best I got at 3am...

POTD 11/7/07

2007-11-10T18:32:00.003-06:00

Check out how Izzybear propped up his microphone on his piano, so he could "play piano like Daddy"! You know, how Lucas has his mic on a stand while he plays at church? Anyway, it was just too cute, I HAD to share!

And also in the pic above, he has his feet on the pedals, "just like Daddy does"!

P'sOTD 11/6/07, LOTS of pics

2007-11-10T18:32:00.001-06:00

Today, I decided to take the kids to the Witte Museum! Tuesdays from 3-8pm are FREE! SO I took full advantage, and we went on an exciting (and sometimes scary!)excursion! The current exhibit is Dinosaurs! The kids were excited, but admittedly scared to enter the "dark door" (entrance to the Dino exhibit). Kaylani wanted nothing to do with it for a while, but she warmed up to after just a few minutes, :)

Very excited and happy to be at the Museum! The elephants name is Cinnamon Kandy! Really!

Oh my!

Yeah, he was only a little scared, but manly enough to barely show it! :)

Kaylani on the other hand, had no problem showing that she was afraid, and didn't want to get very close to any of the Dinosaurs!

Yeah, can you see the hesitation in their faces? Heehee!

Finaly! Realizing that the scary moving lifelike Dinosaurs AREN'T real, Kaylani begins to relax and have ALOT of fun!

And so does Izzybear! He loved to "read" everything!

After the Dinosaurs exhibit, we continued to explore the rest of the Museum (that hasn't really changed much, even after 15 years!)

Checking out some cool birds!

Gasp! "Mommy! What is that thing?!" It was a Havelina! Haha!

They LOVED to point out all of the animals they knew! I was amazed by everything that they know!

Still pointing out the familiar...

Interestingly enough, this was Kaylanis most memorable display. She was so upset at the Mountail Lion for hurting that poor Deer! She brought it up repeatedly thoughout the week...

"Never touch smakes! They bite, and they have poison! Then you have to go to the hospital, and they have to give you some shots..." -Kaylani

Two Precious Little Heads!

The last exhibit area we saw was the bugs! Take a look at that centipede! Yikes!

POTD 11/5/07

2007-11-10T18:31:00.006-06:00

We had gone house hunting again today, and instead of taking lots of pics of the houses, guess what I was snapping away at? Well, here is your answer, haha!

I think the guy (or gal, for all I know) below has an "old man with a moustache" looking face (if you even call it a face, heehee!)

And this gal (or guy, for all I know, hahaha!) was pretty big, say about 1.5" across.

Ok, I'm sure many of you are wanting to see more pics of the kiddos, and not just my weird snap happy pics, so I promise to take more pics of my babies, and post them as POTD's! :D

POTD 11/4/07

2007-11-10T18:31:00.005-06:00

Does this really need a caption?

POTD 11/3/07

2007-11-10T18:31:00.003-06:00

Check out the visitor we had today!!!

He was a pretty big guy by my standards! His body was about 4" long, and he was not very friendly! He flew around like crazy, not knowing that I only wanted to help him get back outside. Surprisingly enough, the kids were not scared of him (or her really, for all I know, haha!), thankfully, or we would have had alot of tears probably!

POTD 11/2/07

2007-11-10T18:31:00.001-06:00

Can you tell what this is?

It's this

But from a different perspective! :D We were setting up the Dwight Middle School Gym for our first ever "The Gathering. One Church, Worshipping One God" at our church. We have four Sunday morning services, but on Sunday, November 4th, we combines all of the services into one! We made SSFC History!

I'm really working on another one too, so keep checking back for the final results...
:)

POTD 11/1/07

2007-11-10T18:30:00.000-06:00

Izzybear, doing what he loves... wearing only his new cars underwear.

(15 years from now, if he knew I had posted this, do you think he'd be embarrassed? ;) )

POTD's 10/31/07

2007-11-05T01:44:00.000-06:00

Today was our Harvest Fest Block Party 2007 at our church! We had a blast, despite the fact that mommy was so busy singing and all. :)

Kaylani was some sort of Princess Ballerina Fairy (she wore a hand me down costume), and Izzy was a makeshift Football Player (He just wore a Jersey, another hand me down! Although, it was so cold, that you can't even see it in the pics!). Kaylani had so much fun hanging out with Grandma, and Izzybear mostly stuck around with me.

The kids hangin' with Grandma

Izzy and Jonsal

Getting ready to leave, saying bye to daddy.

They all counted to 3, then set the ballons free! (I know, environmentally hazardess, not my idea, I couldn't stop it, don't lecture me, haha!)

Looking at the balloons go up, up, UP!

This is where we stopped by to pick up some food after a long night...

They were cracking themselves up while waiting in the drive through, it was hilarious! Probably a mix of delirious tiredness, and hyperness from the block party!

POTD 10/30/07

2007-11-05T01:19:00.000-06:00

Another loner. I have a strange obsession with izzybears feet, :). it's not a good picture by any means (not a very good focus, grainy, bad background image, etc.), but I still love his patitas! :D

POTD 10/29/07

2007-11-05T01:08:00.000-06:00

A loner today! :) We went house hunting, came home for a quick lunch, then off to church for a long night of practice, so our day was a busy one! But I got this shot right before the craziness began!

Even though the wii remote isn't hooked up, Izzy thinks it's just the greatest thing to play wii with daddy! It's just too cute! Lani loves it too, but she could take it or leave it. Izzybear on the other hand, is 100% boy, and he repeats every single thing that daddy says! So, some of his new favorite phrases are "aw man!" "yeah baby!" "bOOm!" and "turkey!" (as in bowling), haha!

POTD 10/28/07

2007-11-04T23:41:00.000-06:00

Ok, so, I'm really tired, and a week behind! EEEEKKKKK! I have the pics I know I want for POTD, and whenever I take pics, I always think to myself "Oh! this would be a great POTD!" haha! But this week I just haven't had time to actually get on and upload my pics.

The are candids, and completely raw and untouched! Except for resizing, because I'm running out of space on here.

Lucas' New Toy!!!

Lucas and Jonsal Playing Wii Sports

I love Lucas' face! So serious! Yeah, he's just a little competitive! :)

POTD 10/27/06

2007-10-29T01:30:00.000-05:00

Another attempted photoshoot with the kiddos. And again, i am disappointed with my technical results. :( I guess I just need a DSLR! :) heehee!

I thought I'd try out my black bg with the kids... BAD IDEA! lol! The black soaks up so much light that I have to slow down the shutter a whole bunch, and slow shutter=blurry kids! They just move too much! So, I went back to my good ol' white bg! But I still didn't get what I wanted. The grainy-ness bugs me to no end! ugh! and grainy makes for terrible photoshop editing! yuck!

The Lani ones came out a little better than the Izzy ones (clarity wise). But anyway, you be the judge:

Ok, I'm literally falling asleep waiting for these photos to upload, so this one will have to be continued...

POTD 10/26/07

2007-10-29T01:06:00.000-05:00

Lani's and Izzy's best friend Kryssa came over today! They had a blast! They get along so well, it's unreal! We went outside to play in our ricebox again today, since it is just too much fun! :)

Izzy just couldn't stand the mess I guess, because he insisted on sweeping the mess everyone (including himself) was making, haha!

Happy Birthday Lucas!!!

2007-10-29T00:37:00.000-05:00

10/26/07 - Lucas' 27th Birthday!!!

Well, as most of you probably know, I wanted to get Lucas a Nintendo Wii for his birthday this year, and so many wonderful family and friends chipped in! Thank you everyone!!! The only problem was...

I couldn't get my hands on one!!! I looked and called everywhere I could think of (Wal-mart, Target, Best Buy, Toys'R'Us, Circut City, etc.), but no one had them in stock!

So, our BFF's ( ;) ), Chris and Mishelly, lent me their Wii box, so I gave Lucas an empty Wii box (look at his excitement! too bad it wasn't really in there!)

BUT, it had a note inside:

(The note read something like:

"Happy birthday my love!

But wait...

This is not your gift...

Just an emty box, with stuff inside to make it feel heavy to you.

But...

Yours is on it's way!!!

..."

And, as it turned out, the next day, our Aunt Becky just happened to be shopping at one of the Targets that I didn't call, and they had several Wii's in stock! So, she called me right away to let me know, I then called Lucas, and he picked up his Wii that day!!! :D

Thank you to all of our wonderful friends and family for making Lucas birthday so special! We love you all!

POTD 10/25/07

2007-10-28T23:31:00.000-05:00

Sorry everyone! I'm late on all of my POTD's! It's been an EXTREMELY busy weekend, and it's not about to let up anytime soon! But i promise, I will catch up! :)

I did not have my camera on 10/25, so these are old (from a few weeks ago) pics of the kids playing in their "sandbox". They played in it on this day, so I thought it would be appropiate. Oh, and the box is filled with rice and oatmeal, BTW (plus all of their toy bugs, snakes, frogs, dinosaurs, kitchen utencils, etc.). They could play in there all day if I let them!

Same ricebox, different day...

POTD 10/24/07

2007-10-24T23:19:00.000-05:00

Here is my absolute fave of the day! The effect is called Bokeh, and it's where one small area of the picture is in focus, and the rest is out of focus, or blurry. It is done with the camera lens, but can be done artificially in a paint program. And, yes, I did it on purpose! I did it with my camera lens! :) Sometimes it happens by accident, but this one took me a few tries to get just right!

Kaylani's "flower" (a.k.a. a weed)

POTD 10/23/07

2007-10-23T15:52:00.001-05:00

We went outside to play today, after about 3 weeks of not playing outside, due to a stray dog that's been hanging around, that the kids (esp. Izzy) are super afraid of. But he is gone now, don't know what happened to him, :(

Anyway, it was BEAUTIFUL weather! I love it! Not too cold, but not too hot either! :) Enjoy!

I couldn't decide between B&W and color, so take a look at both...

Izzybear pointing out a plane in the sky (sorry it's not very clear)...

Izzybears Converse Shoes...

POTD 10/22/07

2007-10-23T00:32:00.000-05:00

First of all, check out this creepy crawler that turned up in my kitchen late last night/early this morning! It is an Earwig, and so nasty! They do not have venom, but can give a nasty pinch, so I've read. I squished it (all the while screaming and grossing out), and flushed it down the toilet.

And, something a little different this time around! They are candids, but edited to B&W. :) Lucas made a car out of cardboard boxes for the kiddos today, since it was too cold to play outside. They LOVED it! He eventually added a string so that they could pull each other around! The bummer part is that only one can fit into the car at one time! oh, and yes, they are in their PJ's (it was right before bedtime), and Lani's PJ's are WAY too big, in case you can see that from the pic, haha!

Jonsal's itouch Portraits

2007-10-22T13:35:00.000-05:00

I wanted to test out my new black backdrop (er, sheet), and Jonsal happily obliged, as long as he could bring his new itouch. he said he wanted it to look like the commercials? I don't think I've seen them, but anyway, here they are:

POTD 10/21/07

2007-10-21T23:20:00.001-05:00

Today's POTD is a candid. Jonsal and the kids playing before bed. They love him so much! He often spends the day (and nights) with us!

Oh, and here is my "portrait studio"

2007-10-20T19:22:00.000-05:00

In case anyone was wondering, haha! The white foam posterboard is my reflector, propped up by the kids chair. and I used 100% natural lighting! The best lighting out there! :)

POTD 10/20/07

2007-10-20T18:50:00.000-05:00

Ok, I did our first "Fall Photoshoot" of the kiddos! I was a little disappointed of the technical results (some grainy-ness, not as sharp as I like them, etc.), but was very pleased with the kids, as they were very cooperative (once bribed with fruit snacks, that is, haha!).

So, here are some P'sOTD! Sorry so many, but I couldn't choose just a few, and I'm sure you don't mind seeing these gorgeous kiddos! :D

The "backdrops" (aka sheets, haha!) are new, so that's why they are really wrinkley, but with some editing, I can fix that. it'll just take me awhile.

POTD 10/19/07

2007-10-19T16:26:00.001-05:00

Who knew that pumkins could be so exciting! We visited H.E.B. Plus today, and I let the each of the kids pick out a pumkin to take some Fall portraits with, and it was so cute to see them so excited, about pumkins!

These are pretty small btw, I know there is nothing to compare them to in the above pic, but they are about the size of a large grapefruit.

EDIT: And here is Lani, so in love with her pumkin, that she wanted to take a nap with it!!! :)

So there. First POTD's! Keep an eye out for plenty more pics to come, you will definately see these pumkins again! :)

And if you are reading, would you mind commenting? Just to let me know, since I have no way of knowing. Thanks!

POTD!!!!

2007-10-19T03:12:00.000-05:00

Ok, here we go!

I am vowing to take at least one picture, every single day, and post it on here, as my Photo Of The Day (POTD)! So, here is my attempt at keeping in touch with everyone, and keeping you all updated! So, if I have not been posting, PLEASE! Hold me accountable to my word, and encourage me to post, for all of your enjoyment, haha!

Oh, and uh, I guess I'll be starting tomorrow, since I didn't take any pics today, haha!

So, we'll see ya tomorrow!

My first blog, I guess.

2007-09-28T16:01:00.000-05:00

Well, here I go, into the world of blogging. I Have several friends that blog, and I love to read (and see the pics of) what they've shared! So here goes. Yet another spectacular way to keep family and friends updated on what's going on in our exciting (or not) lives! :D