The Kids – Fall Edition

The kids have been up to some pretty interesting things lately. They are growing up so fast. Here is a set of photos that we put together that show their fun personalities.

After looking through the photos we realized that Nate seems to have a shortage of clothes. Rest assured that Nate has all the clothes he needs; he just doesn’t want to wear them! Nate usually strips down to his skivvies within 30 seconds of coming in the door. He is just comfortable in his own skin I guess. Madeleine isn't very dressed either because it inhibits her crawling and she gets frustrated.

Some other details about them these days:

Nathan:

• He completely body slams his sister, pulls her down, drags her around, wrestles, etc. Most of the time she just takes it and laughs.


• His favorite saying is "Whatchu do, daddy/mommy?" He asks us this constantly.


• He loves, loves, loves to read books. We probably read six of them at a time six times a day.


• Repeating prayers is getting much better. For months he would just say ad ad ad ad adda. ad ad ad ad adda. aaaahhh (amen). Now he actually says real words.


• He has to sleep with no less than five blankets. Every time one gets dirty, I'd put it in the wash and if i didn't get it through in time, I'd pull a new one out of the closet. Then he never lets me put any of them away. Each week I try to sneak one, wash it, and put it away but he always finds it before I get it back to the closet.


• When he knows it's bedtime, he tells me "No sleep" and then puts his hands next to his head and snores, and says "No sleep" again just so I don't misunderstand him.


• He has such a spunky personality. He makes his dad and I laugh all the time. We see his imagination starting to kick in and we love it.

Madeleine:

• She is so determined. Especially when it comes to crawling over, under, and through anything to get to something she wants.


• She sucks up mandarin oranges like a vacuum.


• She's adopted a bedtime bear. This thing isn't very old but already looks like a maimed mess. She sucks on its limbs, cuddles her arms around him, and lays her head on his chest. She won't sleep without him.


• Her absolute favorite thing to do is to hold onto my fingers and walk around. She's getting really fast and she steers me to different rooms with ease.


• She observes how people do things and tries to do them herself. She tries to put the lids back on her snacks, fit her shapes into her bucket, color, put money in the piggy bank, etc. This girl is smart.


• She is a very happy little girl. If she isn't tired or hungry, she doesn't have a care in the world. So playful and satisfied.

These kids are great. We love them so much!!

Foto Friday - Variations on a Drip

I took these shots in Zion National Park on the Lower Emerald Pool Trail. I pushed the stroller (when Nate didn't want to walk) up the mountain and Rob had Madeleine in the backpack. He and everyone else on the trail were snapping tons of photos but I wasn't really in the mood to take my own...I wasn't feeling inspired to do so for some reason.

As I was sitting there waiting for Rob to be done and keeping an eye on Nate, I noticed a specific drip coming from high above me and hitting a very small puddle. I was amazed at the perfect little bubble the splash created! How cool! All of a sudden I was inspired.

I positioned myself and put the camera on action mode so the camera would automatically take four consecutive shots. This way I was sure to catch some good shots. It was still harder than I thought it would be because the splash occurred and dissipated so fast. I ended up taking about 40 shots to get these six.

They're not the highest quality, but still really cool. I encourage you to look at the large version in order to see the detail in the bubbles and ripples.

Cute Robby!

How adorable was he?!?!

Foto Friday - Corners

 Taken with Nikon D40 at Snow Canyon State Park outside St. George, Utah on October 11, 2008. Manual Exposure Mode, Nikon Raw Format. Edited in Lightroom 2.

We visited Snow Canyon the weekend of the big snowstorm in Salt Lake City (glad I wasn’t there).  It was fairly chilly but still had a good time.  I wanted to stay for hours more but the kids and girls with getting cold.  The overcast skies provided very interesting backgrounds for our photographs.  Stay tuned for a whole bunch of family pictures from our stay in St. George. 

I took this shot near the top of a very large petrified sand dune.  I just loved seeing where the plant life has developed on the petrified dunes.  The folds and curves in the rocks are a surprising contrast with other rock fragments that are just strewn about.

In Lightroom I did the black and white conversion, added a sepia treatment in the split-toning panel (give a color to the highlights and darks), adjusted the contrast, made the light spot in the corner show up more and adjusted the darkness of the shadows a little using curves.

Now a question for you.  I’ve been debating on whether or not the bush on the rock line is distracting.  I’m considering removing the bush and the other small areas of grass that creep into the scene at the rock line.  I think they take away from the rock/sky transition.  Let me know what you think.  Hope you enjoy this image and remember to enjoy yourself behind the lens!

Fort Buenaventura

For Labor Day (I know, this post is 2 1/2 months old) we went to Fort Buenaventura in Ogden. We were supposed to be there for the big Mountain Man Rendezvous, but it didn't end up starting until the next day. Oh, well. It was kind of nice being there without too many people.

I'd say the best part was renting a canoe for $3.00 and watching the testosterone leak out of Rob's ears. He had a blast paddling around the little lake and feeling like a burly man.

The fort has a few fun events that happen year-round and we're excited to venture there again when actual stuff is going on.

1 Year Since

I'm sick, so this is going to be short. But I wanted to write a little because today marks one year since my brother passed away from intraocular (eye) melanoma. My family went to Leatherby's, his favorite ice cream spot, to commemorate but I was too sick to attend.

It's still hard to believe that it happened. It's been a pretty emotional year for the whole family. I'm in the process of writing down every memory I have of him so that I can remember him as much as possible. It's sad, but I find it therapeutic.

We really miss you, Brian, and think about you all the time. How about being an angel on the field for the BYU vs. Utah game again?? You did it last year!

Julie's Tag on Rob

1-Where did you meet your husband?
In a Salt Lake Community College student ward. My first Sunday there I spotted him from a distance and thought him an interesting prospect. Later that day I heard that the ward choir had plenty of men but no women, so I went and he was there. I introduced myself.

2-How long did you date?
We were friends for a couple of months until he realized the girl he was dating wasn't worth his time. Then we dated on and off for a couple of months, then seriously for 4 months before we got engaged. We married 3 months later for a total of 1 year from when we met.

3-How long have you been married?
6 fabulous years in December.

4-What does he do that surprises you?
Not much. I know him pretty well. But he did surprise me with an amazing birthday this year including a surprise party and a song he learned to sing and play on the guitar.

5-What is your favorite feature of his?
His broad shoulders and his legs. He has very muscular soccer legs.

6-What is his best quality?
He's really good at making other people feel important and at ease. Even when he has just met them. He is also the most amazing dad ever.

7-Does he have a nickname for me?
Julianna, which is weird because when I first introduced myself to him as Julianna, he immediately asked if he could call me Julie.

8-What is his favorite food?
Pizza and Jamba Juice.

9-What is his favorite sport?
Soccer.

10-When and where did you first kiss?
It was after our first "official" date to the zoo. We were in his driveway and he kissed me. I'm telling you, it was a storybook kiss.

11-What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?
Talk and talk and talk. Anywhere about anything.

12-Does he have any hidden talents?
He's a really good teacher and very good at math. His high level engineering classes had math problems that were tens of pages long.

13-How old is he?
Going on 29. Ouch!

14-Who said "I love you" first?
He did, twice. The first time we were driving down to St. George together to spend a weekend with his grandparents. Right before we got to their house he pulled over to the side of the road and told me "I think I'm falling in love with you. I'm not there yet, but it's coming." Two weeks later on my birthday he told me that he had indeed fallen.

15-His favorite music?
Can I list his top 25? He's a music fanatic with over 2800 songs in his i-tunes library.

16-What do I admire most about him?
There are a lot of things, but his patience, his positive attitude, and his outoing nature are a few.

Foto Friday - In The Eyes

So how cool is this elephant? When the circus came to town I took Nate and Madeleine to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey parade down the street in the middle of Gateway Mall. It was short, but so much fun! We were really close to the big elephants and Nathan just loved it.

These shots are kind of bizarre. I wanted to play with different settings and tried to get really creative results. It was really fun! There are a couple of shots that are pretty wild (Rob would say creepy) but that's on purpose. Seeing that they're circus people and all...

With this shot, I turned the exposure all the way up and masked out some background noise. Then I turned up the clarity to bring out the texture in this elephant's skin.

Every time I look at this picture I'm drawn to her (or his) eye. Is she smiling? Does she enjoy making all the little children happy? I'd like to think so.

A Little Party in the Park

Near the end of August, my cousin Nicole was making her way north to attend BYU Idaho (please don’t judge her too harshly).  Nicole and her mom Roberta stopped in Salt Lake to visit the family on the way to Rexburg, ID.  We had a little get-together at the park and had a really fun time visiting together.  We didn’t take too many pictures but please enjoy the few that we took here.

Things I Could Be Doing Instead of Blogging

A MILLION THINGS!!!!

So why am I sitting here instead of doing one of those million things??? Because I do stuff all day long and there's ALWAYS more to do. So sue me for wanting to chill.

There's so much on my mind that I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep tonight; which is one of the most frustrating things ever. So I was going to write a bunch of my thoughts down with hopes of getting it all out of my brain before bed. But there's just too much. It would take me hours.

So instead, I guess I'll go finish cleaning the kitchen. That way it's ready to get dirty again tomorrow at 7am. At least this way I won't feel like I've wasted a spare moment. That would be tragic.

I'll hope for the best with bedtime.

Foto Friday – Colors on the Wall

 Taken with Nikon D40 in the Gallivan Center in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah on October 25, 2008. Aperture Priority Mode, ISO 200, Nikon Raw Format. Edited in Lightroom 2.1. 

This is my (I think Julie has more coming – Yay!)  last hold-out from the photowalk we did a few weeks ago.  See more photos from that day by the whole group here.  While wandering around the Gallivan Center wondering what I could shoot, I wandered into a recessed grassy area next to a bridge (this was actually a bridge over nothing – weird).  On the side of the bridge were large stripes of various colors!  I was really excited about finding this wall!  The theme of the photowalk was “contrast” and I thought this would work perfectly. 

Not much to say on post processing.  Added a little contrast then put them together in Lightroom.  Easy.

We (people) are extremely similar in some ways and extremely divergent in others.  We all feel the same emotions, yet our expression of these emotions is as varied as the colors on the wall.  The 2008 elections are finally over and whether we feel discouraged, elated, or indifferent about the many choices that we (the people) made on Tuesday, we need to remember that we are all People, all Americans, and all Children of God.  Remember our common nature and revel in our differences.  They’re fun after all aren’t they?  :)

Wouldn’t this wall be boring if it were just painted white?  How does the bridge over nothing play in here?  Weird.

Invaluable Learnings

I've had the thought come to me quite frequently lately that Rob and I aren't posting enough "personal history" because we're always posting about our latest pictures. We have such a backlog that I get caught up in catching up instead of writing about more important things.

One thing I've been meaning to write about is some of the invaluable lessons I've learned from each of my parents. They've always tried their hardest to be great examples to their seven kids and I want them to know that I appreciate it.



From my dad I've learned:

• To find something, anything, that I love to do. He always wanted each of the kids to find a niche and explore our talents. Two of mine just happen to be two of his! Reading and photography. There were many nights growing up when I saw him reading in the living room. The room was dark except for one lamp on next to him. I don't know why, but that always gave me a good, peaceful feeling. My dad had a really old (by my standards) camera that I was fascinated with and always wanted to learn how to use, which I never did. He frequently gave tips on how to compose a nice shot and think about lighting.

• That it's okay to let someone get away with something (Translation: You don't always have to tell it like it is). There have been many times when I've asked him either out loud or to myself, "Why is he letting him/her get away with that?" or "Doesn't he know better than to believe him/her?" It's taken me a long time to understand that he is letting that person work things out on their own. It's not always our place to correct. Sometimes lectures don't work. Sometimes you just need to show love.

• To enjoy traveling and exploring new things, including different people and cultures. He was in the Navy and was stationed in Southeast Asia and I always liked hearing him talk about the funny people and his experiences. He has always had the urge to get up and move somewhere new. I have that same urge. He also got me my first job in travel when I was 13. When I was 16 he took me on a tour of the Travel Department at Church Headquarters and introduced me to people he knew. I ended up getting a job there two years later.

• To value the Priesthood. My dad was such a good example of a worthy Priesthood holder. Along with giving us a name and a blessing and baptizing us, he gave father's blessings whenever any of us felt we needed one. Without him, how would I know what to look for in an eternal companion? How can I ever thank him for that?

From my mom I've learned:

• That cooking for and eating dinner with your family is a really good thing. I was one of those really fortunate kids whose mom took the time to prepare good, healthy meals almost every night. Of course, I didn't fully appreciate this at the time, especially on Minestrone Soup night, but I've learned how valuable this is. When I got married I didn't know how to cook hardly at all. But the desire was there and I realized how much I wanted to provide that meal and time for my own husband and children to eat and talk together.

• How to keep good finances. She helped me open a checking account when I got my first job and taught me how to balance my checkbook. This skill has proven absolutely vital! I have no idea how people get along without knowing where and when the money goes. Money matters are still stressful, but mom's example: Priceless.

• That it's okay to not have a "Lightning Bolt" experience in order to have a strong testimony. She always told us "I don't know how I knew, but I just knew." If I hadn't known that, I may have gotten discouraged for never having a "born-again" moment when it all came together and my testimony was formed. Instead, I feel good that I always just knew.

• To be charitable with time and means. My mom has always done so much for her kids, grandkids, and parents. She spends so much of her time serving them! She's had several kids and parents move in and out of her home. She's always running errands for them, loaning or gifting money when needed, offering advice, praying for, and planning fun get-togethers. Whenever one of her kids asks how they can repay her for whatever she's done, she just says, "Show the same kindness to your kids when they need help." What a great example!

Thanks for sticking with me through this long post. I just felt it was very important to express my love and gratitude for my parents. They have gone through so many things that would have broken any novice in no time flat. But they are pros. They've seen and been through it all, with much more to come, I'm sure.

Mom and dad, keep up the amazing job that you're doing! I promise, it's not thankless!

I love you!!

New Wallpapers

I know it's been a while since we added anything to our "Free Desktop Wallpaper" set, but today your wait is finally over! Go ahead and browse our new backgrounds.

Some have had questions regarding exactly HOW to download a wallpaper. Flickr isn't always very intuitive, so here are the instructions:

1-Click on our "Free Desktop Wallpaper" link at the top of our webpage.
2-Click on the picture of choice.
3-Click on the "All Sizes" link above the photo.
4-Click "Original" above the photo.
5-Click the "Download Original Size" link above the photo.
6-Choose either "Open".
7-Right-click on the picture and choose "Set as Desktop Background".

There you go!

An Hour in the Afternoon and a Walk in the Dark

I find it interesting that children seem to have very specific needs from each parent on a one-on-one basis at such a young age.  I spent some fun time with each of my kids today and I just wanted to write it down and share. 

This afternoon while Julie was at a meeting for scouts and Nate was sleeping (the poor guy was pretty sleepy) I spent an incredibly rewarding hour with Madeleine.  After feeding Mad a bottle she wanted to play with my face for a while (this was really fun).  Then I helped her stand up (she really loves standing up these days) to face me and we engaged in a laughing and giggling competition.  Then we both got down on the floor to crawl around, push books around, put things in our mouths (this was mostly Mad), laughing, giggling, smiling, and just goofing off.  We had a fabulous time.  I think she really enjoyed spending time with her dad without competing with her brother.  Madeleine has been mobile for a couple of weeks now and she has already moved past the crawling stage and started pulling herself up on things and is most happy when we are helping her walk.  What a cute and ambitions little girl.

After playing with Madeleine we (Mad and I) went upstairs to wake up Nate from his afternoon nap.  Nate was groggy and just wanted us to go outside and play.  Well, it was pretty cold and wet outside and I didn’t really want to take Mad out either.  I explained to Nate that Mom would be home soon, that we would make and eat dinner, it would get dark, then he and I would take a walk outside in the dark with a flashlight!  He thought that was a pretty cool idea and was excited about it for the rest of the afternoon/evening.  Finally dinner was over and it was time to go out.  Nate wore miss-matched shoes, I wore socks with sandals (terrible I know), we both wore long sleeve shirts and sweaters, and we were armed with one maglight. 

We walked slowly around our area, examining leaves, dead bugs, trees (Nate really liked illuminating the (pokey) trees and declaring their existence to me), water, storm-water grates, the sidewalk, and occasional basket ball hoops.  The world looks very different in the dark and Nate had a blast discovering anything and everything from that point of view.  We got cold after a while so we came home to sit on the couch under a blanket to get warm and watched the rest of a dinosaur movie to relax.  Nate is so creative and interested in everything around him.  At one point he identified a bush as a tree and we went back and forth a few times trying to decide if it was really a tree or a bush.  LOL, I really love that kid.

I have two great kids and I love them both so much.