Crazy Mama!

As I reflect over the past five years, I realized as a parent I have let my children do some crazy, over the top things.  The funny thing is, I never really even notice it until someone else sees a picture and asks "Did you really let them do that?".  It has made me stop and think, am I a bad parent?  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized, I never noticed how crazy we are getting because we are busy having so much fun and living in the moment!  While I don't think that qualifies me as a bad parent, I do think it means I have to be careful as a mother to make sure I am not confusing my kids between the difference of having fun and being safe.  Below are a few crazy things we have done together...do you have any to share?

Indoor Swimming.  Yes, this is a swimming pool in our living room!  At the time, we had a large wasp nest in our backyard and it just seemed like the safer option....and I got my tile floors cleaned at the same time!

Eat an entire cake.  In our defense, it was her birthday and she had been waiting for a Brobee Yo Gabba Gabba cake the whole year.

Where a swim suit the whole day...in the middle of winter.  My kids love being active, but swimming is one of their favorites.  Letting her wear the swim suit was a compromise to not filling the bath tub up with water so she could practice her diving skills!

What crazy moments have you shared with your kids?

Portraits on the Cheap

Hiring a professional photographer or visiting a portrait studio can be expensive, especially for those of us who live on a tight budget.  Here are some easy tips for taking your own family portraits and still getting that professional look:

1.  Pick a good location.  Luckily for me, we have several parks and nature centers nearby so there are plenty of places to pick from.  Try and find a place that will provide a unique but colorful background.

2.  When you are planning the photo shoot, don't forget about the sun.  It has the ability to make or break your pictures.  I always go first thing in the morning, usually around 8-9 a.m.  If you plan anything after 10 a.m., plan for shadows, squinting faces, and sweat!  Or, if your not a morning person, try something around 6-7 p.m., right before the sun goes down.

3.  Make sure your kids and anyone else that will be in the picture wear solid colors or colors that coordinate well with each other.  Doing this is just another step you can take to ensure a successful photo shoot.

4.  Make sure you bring your tripod!  The last thing you want is a family portrait without you in it!  I was able to capture our family picture (below) by using the timer on my camera and a tripod.  It was that easy!

BONUS TIP:  Another little secret I will share is the quality of your printed images will depend greatly on where you choose to have them developed.  A few top online professional developers I would recommend are:

www.millerslab.com

www.whcc.com

www.mpix.com

Babies and Baskets

Baby Mesha

It's extremely important for me as a parent to capture images of my children while they are so young because as every parent knows, these moments will fly by in the blink of an eye.  The secret to capturing innocent moments like this include a few easy steps:

1. Get them while their sleeping!  If your kids are anything like mine, they are light sleepers and will wake up at the slightest noise or movement.  So for me to pull this off, I had to wait until she was long over due for a nap and had fallen into a deep sleep.  Once she reached this state, it didn't matter how many times I moved her or re-positioned her, there was no way she was going to wake up.
2. Start early!  This image was captured during her first six weeks of life.  The reason I recommend this age is because they usually sleep the most during this time frame and not mention they are so little!

Baby Mayanha

1. Use props!  For this shot, I used an old wicker basket and a baby blanket my grandmother made for her.  This not only adds different textures to the image but it also makes the picture even more sentimental.
2. Have fun and enjoy yourself!  Like I said before, we only get to experience these moments once in life so make sure you make the most of it!

                                

          Baby Mariah

The Grandkids

I love the way this picture shows each grandkid's own personality.   Before I took the picture I was trying to get all the kids to look at me and smile but when that didn't work I gave up.  It wasn't until after the photo shoot when I was reviewing the photos that I realized how beautiful this image really was.  Not to mention how calm and relaxed grandma is, even with all those wild grandchildren!

Selfies

My oldest daughter has discovered the art of selfies and has become rather addicted to the concept.  A day doesn't go by without me finding a whole new group of freshly taken selfies on my phone but with a smile like this who can be mad?

God has blessed me with three beautiful girls and I couldn't be more thankful.

First there was one...

Then there was two...

Then there was three...

Each so wonderful and perfectly hand crafted by our maker.