Welcome to the World, Luke

It has been way WAY too long since I last blogged, so I better make up for it with a super cute baby, right? Well, okay, you talked me into it!

Meet Luke. This little eight-day old was just teeny tiny and had the nicest skin and feathery light hair. There was a serious precious factor going on. Throw some bunny ears on him and the sweetness level goes through the roof. There are more of Luke over on the KSP Facebook Page, too!

p.s. Luke, let your Mama get some sleep!

Tuesday's Top 5

Sorry, no Tuesday's Top 5 this week as my little guy is sick and I'm feeling tired. But here's a picture full of color to brighten your Tuesday. Don't you just love colorful things?

Fireworks & Such

I tried my hand at some fireworks photos while we were at the Magic Kingdom. Here are my two favorites. I think the first one looks like pixie dust being sprinkled on the castle.

For photogs, my camera was tripod-mounted using a 2-second timer (use a remote if you've got it, though) and my settings were ss 3, f/10, ISO 200





Also thought I'd share some snaps from the Festival of the Lion King show at Animal Kingdom. We had great seats so I was able to get up close & personal with just my 28-75mm. Settings were ss 1/320, f/2.8, ISO 2500.

Up, Up and Away

Sorry for the lack of blog posts but we have been away. By means of a 737 (and not a bunch of balloons) we flew to Florida to celebrate my son's third birthday at the happiest place on earth. What a blast! I won't bore you with the family snapshots (although, if you're interested I'll post them on Maxaroni (and Cheese)) later today, but while we were there I took the boy out to Disney's Boardwalk to toy with an idea for his birthday pictures.

As these things tend to go, my idea did not work out exactly as I had planned, but I am still IN LOVE with this first picture, and my back up plan saved the day for the rest. I am having dreams of a canvas wall over my fireplace now....

And in case you're wondering how I got so lucky to have the Boardwalk all to myself, the truth is, I didn't. That is one of the kinks that got thrown in my grand plan. There were a lot of people there! I'm not sure why this didn't occur to me before. In my head, Max and I were leisurely taking pictures on an empty Boardwalk filled with late afternoon sun, with blue sky stretching out beyond him. In reality, the Boardwalk is curved, so the blue sky was hidden behind buildings, and there were people everywhere.

Here's a secret. The first picture is doctored. I used three different pictures to make it appear that there was no one else around. Check out the original below (you can also see what it looks like straight out of the camera without the vintage processing), and the final edit again. Pretty cool, right?

I'm not saying photoshop should fix everything. Ideally, you can get the shot without having to doctor it later, but in this case, I'm glad I was able to save this one with a little digital magic!

I'll be back soon with a few more disney shots. Fireworks! Oooh! Aaaah!

Tuesday's Top 5

I love music. Not in the "I know every album of every band who was ever worth knowing" kind of way. More just in the sense that I love what music does. It stirs memories, creates smiles. For me, it makes me want to dance.

When Max was a baby and I was staying home with him I discovered this whole genre of children's music that is so funky and out of the box. Let's just say it's not your typical "itsy bitsy spider" stuff. Children's music these days is funny and creative and happy and I love it. Some Saturdays I will just throw on an itunes play list and Max and I will dance around the living room like Fraggles for a half an hour. Truly, it is good for the soul.

MY TOP 5 FAVORITE CHILDREN'S SONGS

5. Jump Up (It's a Good Day) by Brady Rymer. I dare you not to literally want to jump up and dance when you hear this song. Seriously, pull up itunes right now and try it. I dare you.

4. Pop Fly by Justin Roberts. This song makes me laugh thinking about what a terrible little right fielder I was once upon a time. I can't wait to see Max out there looking at the cotton candy clouds rather than looking for the ball.

3. I Like Yaks! by Roger Day. It's a song about yaks. What's not to love?

2. My Best Day by Trout Fishing in America. This is another one that just makes me happy. Wouldn't you just love to have your BEST day? When anything can happen? Oh and it's your birthday, too! Sweet.

1. The Song of Life by Scribblemonster. For all of you who like to throwback to your childhood, this song's for you. It's a reminiscence and a love song all at the same time. I love you and I love Life!

What kind of music gets your toes tapping?

p.s. In case you're looking for some more great kid's music, check out Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, Robbie Schaefer, Meredith Brooks, Frances England, Billy Jonas, The Sippy Cups, Imagination Movers, SteveSongs and so many more!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope everyone has a lovely day filled with lots of hugs, kisses, and chocolate. I like to do a cute card for Max each year to give to his friends at school and to send to family. This year Max was very excited to "be my helper" for the pictures. His excitement wained a bit when he found out he was going to have to wear a tie, but thanks to some m&ms and the idea of standing on a pile of books (he thought this was the coolest), we were able to work it out. I used the first two images for his card. I love the third one too much not to post it and the last two are some outtakes so you can see what he's really like!

Tuesday's Top 5

Valentine's Day is just around the corner (speaking of which, have you voted in the Share The Love contest yet? Get on over to the KSP Fanpage and cast your vote!). I am not really a big one for Valentine's Day. I don't dislike the holiday. I'm just not one of those "you better get me a dozen roses and a box of chocolates and take me out to dinner and name a star after me" kinda girls.

Nonetheless, the holiday has its charm, and there are some things about Valentine's Day that are just classic. Take candy hearts for example. Don't you remember sorting through these in elementary school to make sure you got just the right message for just the right person. Can't be giving Mr. I Have A Secret Crush On You the heart that says "Be Mine," now can you? These days candy hearts are a lot more creative than they used to be.

MY TOP 5 FAVORITE CANDY HEART MESSAGES

5. Sunshine. This one's sweet and happy. Plus, I love sunshine, so it gets two thumbs up from me!

4. Book Club. Really? This is a candy heart message? According to infoplease.com, this was one of the sayings for the year 2003. I probably wouldn't give this one to Mr. Crush, either, but I guess it's good to know it's out there.

3. IM ME. Okay, I think this means "instant message me," but isn't it nice to think that it means "I'm Me"? As in, "I'm me and this is what you get. Take it or leave it."

2. Mi Amore. I accidentally bought a bag of Spanish hearts last year. Fine, except I speak like ten words of Spanish. They're still in my cabinet. Who knows? They might be useful sometime.

1. Friend Me. This one is for real. I can personally attest that it was in the box of hearts I purchased to make the picture below. Truly, nothing says "love" like a facebook notification, right?

What is the best candy heart message you ever saw?