Happy Birthday Ethan!

It's a little belated, but last Saturday was cousin Ethan's birthday and party. I tried to get some pictures of him but he does not really like to sit in one spot. This was about as still as I could get him. He is only a few months younger than Lincoln so they are the best of buddies.


Since it was the day before Easter, the party activity was easter egg coloring. There were 170 hard boiled eggs for 9 kids, 2 of which (the little ones) only dyed about 4 each. I think Pa was just making sure that each one had enough to do. There were so many eggs that the adults had their own dyeing party after all the kids gave up.


Lincoln was interested for about 10 minutes. He was more interested in playing with train track as always.

After all the egg fun was over, Lincoln enjoyed some Mickey Mouse cake and ice cream.

Lincoln had a really good time playing with all his cousins. The best part for me was the fun of dyeing eggs without all the mess at my own house!

My 1st Practice Session with Lincoln

I borrowed my boss's beautifully landscaped backyard to practice taking some pictures of Lincoln. He had a wonderful time climbing up and down the rocks and chasing a bunny around the yard. I was a little disappointed because I realized about halfway through that my white balance was set for flourescent lighting and causing all my pictures to have a blue hue. I took Ashley's tip and just turned them into black and white or sepia. Here are a few of my favorites.

Lincoln heading down into the bottom part of the yard.

He was looking for a bunny rabbit that was hopping through the garden.

I think this one is my favorite. He looks like a little model with such a serious face. It makes me a little sad because he for sure does not look like a 2 year old.

This was also another one of my favorites but the color was ruined on it. It was so pretty because the tulips were bright red in the background. Oh well, lesson learned.

I'm sure that I will have more practice sessions to post later. Until then, I just keep on clicking away!

Snap Shop with Ashley Ann Photography

A few Saturdays ago, I was fortunate enough to get to attend one of Ashley's Snap Shops while Lincoln and Ryan were out fishing. I really learned a ton and would recommend it to anyone who has a DSLR and doesn't really know how to use it. You have to be on the lookout for the announcement of dates because the spots go quick. We used her kiddos as subjects and a friend's daughter joined in the modeling fun. You can see some of the practice shots on her blog. I put up just a few of my practice shots without faces for privacy sake.

I will admit that shooting on manual mode can be frustrating especially if you are trying to capture something "in the moment". It's all worth it though when you get that perfect picture.

Lincoln's 1st Fishing Trip

Last Saturday, Lincoln got to take his first fishing trip with Ryan and his Pa. I was sad that I had to miss out but I was spending the day at a SnapShop. I made sure that I sent the camera with Ryan and stressed the importance that he get me some good pictures. He didn't do too bad.

The night before he went, we ventured out to the Bass Pro Shop to get him a fishing pole. He picked out a Spiderman pole that came with a cute backpack, tackle box, and sunglasses. Saturday morning I asked him what he was going to do that day to see if he remembered. He replied, "play track, play trains, cars, watch thomas." It was pretty cute to hear what a 2-year old has planned for his day.

Lincoln enjoying some chips and dip on the dock. I asked him if he took it in black and white on purpose. Not on purpose, but I thought it was pretty cool.

He apparently is a very serious fisherman. Ryan said that he would actually keep his pole in the water and keep "casting" it back in. I was worried we were going to lose the new pole but he never dropped it once.

Looking cute in his new Spiderman sunglasses that came with his new fishing pole.

Lincoln and Pa driving the boat.

The only 2 fish that these fishermen caught were a small crappie and a catfish. Pa has the only picture of Lincoln with a fish, so when I get them from him I will be sure to put them up.

He loves to dance!

We didn't really venture out much the weekend that the March blizzard rolled in so Lincoln was finding things to amuse himself indoors. He watched Madagascar 2 a few too many times and decided he would learn the dance that they do when Alex and his dad are about to be caught. I had to share this video (watch the TV if you can because he does a good job of mimicking the moves).