The Wheelers: Baker Pond Log Works

Our good friends, and log home dealers, Cliff and Chris Wheeler, were in town for our annual open house last weekend. (It's not that our home is fancy-schmancy. Our home is opened up as an example of a "they built it themselves" home, so other aspiring do-it-yourselfers can check it out and ask us questions.) We always love meeting new people and talking about log home building, but the best part is spending the day with Cliff and Chris. (If you're interested in log homes, you should check out Chris' blog: http://bakerpond-chris.blogspot.com/ --it's super fun!) They are wonderful, wonderful people, and have bigger hearts than just about anyone I can think of! I got to take some pictures of them for their website, so we had fun staging our house to get some "action" shots. ;0) We also did some plain 'ol couples pics while we were at it!

Claire: 6 Months

My friend Kate (of Saturday Market fame) came over with her two sis-in-laws this morning, and I had the pleasure of snapping some 6 month pics for Claire's Mom, Kim. What fun! Kate watched my kids while I got to play with my camera and a super, super cute little sweetie. It was a great way to start the day! Thanks for such a fun morning, girls! Here are a few of my favs:

Bethany Christian Services

Corey and I had the honor of speaking at Bethany Christian Services' fundraising banquet and auction last night. It was a neat mix of people--some adults who were adopted through Bethany when they were babies, adoptive parents, adoption workers, and plenty of people who simply care about the ministry of adoption. We had a great time talking to people and chasing Micah around--he was really working the crowd! (Kendra got to play at her cousins' while we were at the function.) We were able to sit with our friend and former adoption worker, Roxanne, who held our hand through our first adoption and helped tons in getting Micah home, too, so that was an extra special blessing. She is one of the most amazing women of God I know. It was a great night! If you are looking to adopt, or know someone who is, or are looking for a fantastic, reputable agency to support, please contact Bethany! We can't sing their praises enough!! (There's a reason they're the largest national adoption and family services agency in the U.S.) Their website is: http://www.bethany.org/

Saturday Market

The kids and I met up with my friend Kate and her girls at the Saturday Market last weekend, and had a blast! We often go on Tuesdays to the Farmer's Market, but it hasn't worked out yet this year--mostly due to the rain, so we decided to get out of the house on Saturday and let Corey work on house projects some more! Here's a little slice of our downtown on a Saturday:

My eye also caught a gorgeous old brick wall lining a long alley, and Kate's oldest, Hayley, was game enough to let me snap her pick against it! Here's the funny part: Just as I was folding myself into a completely unflattering lump on the concrete to get the perspective I wanted, along comes a pro photographer--the gear he was toting left no question about it! I flamed red, and said, "It looks like YOU should be taking the pictures here." He laughed and said, "It's a nice setting," which made me feel like just a bit less of an idiot. He passed on his merry way, and I proceeded to take Hayley's pic. As I began to unfold myself and put distance between my face and the concrete, Kate starts laughing, hard, as if she'd been holding a church giggle for many moons... then I hear a male voice laughing in unison, behind me, and I turn around to realize that the pro had totally been taking pics of me taking pics of Hayley!? Ha ha haaa! I'm sure I'm going to end up in some photography book as a "what not to do" example or something! How hilarious. And embarrassing. Here are a few of my Hayley shots:

Happy Mother's Day!

I now get to post some of the pics Ashley and I took for her Mother's Day projects! Here they are:


One of my motherly delights this week was a conversation with Kendra, which transpired as we were walking over some pebbles:

Kendra: Do we throw stones at people?
Me: No. Never.
Kendra: Never?
Me: Never.
Kendra: Never? Not at anyone?
Me: Right. Never. Not at anyone.
Kendra: What about Goliath?

Ha ha haaaa! I'm going to need to rent a smarter brain to make it through the next 15 or so years, I think. ;0) Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

Our Neighborhood Park--From Micah's Perspective

The kids and I went to our little neighborhood park this morning so Corey could get some projects done in preparation for our upcoming Open House. Here's what I usually see when we go to the park:
Following some advice from a GREAT book I just finished reading (Learning to See Creatively, by Bryan Peterson), I decided to "see" the park from a new perspective: Micah's. So, here's what he sees, brought to you by my knees and back. ;0)

MUCH more interesting and fun than how I normally see it, huh?

I recommend this book to everyone, not just those who have a "photography hobby on steroids" like me. (Or, as my Mom told me, "...more like a hobby on meth"... not exactly sure what she meant by that!?)

The practical exercises lined out in the book have already helped me to start seeing and enjoying God's creation more fully. It's not a Christian book, but I believe it can be a great tool for helping people see, enjoy, and ponder the Master Artist.

Plus, it helps you consider some very interesting details about how God created you--specifically, how He wired you to "see" creation. For example, there's a section on the 6 basic elements of design. The author suggests rounding up several of your favorite photos, and then examining them closely to see which elements you tend to be drawn to. It was immediately obvious to me that I'm drawn to form and color. I rarely "see" lines or shapes. So part of my goal this morning as we headed to the park was to try to "see" lines and shapes. Flowers and toes shots notwithstanding, I'm pretty happy with the results! ;0) I could totally see parents using this book, and some of the exercises in it, to help expand their kids' creativity--I certainly intend to! (FYI, I was able to borrow this book from my library--but it's definitely on my "wish to own" list!)

I plan to try many more of the exercises he suggests, like taking photos around a theme, such as "loneliness" or "joy". So for all of you who are rolling your eyes at this dive into the world of artsy fartsy, prepare yourselves! There's more to come!! ;0)

Elisabeth, Caleb, Noah, & Philip

The kids and I had a great time exploring a couple fun spots with Annee and her kids yesterday, and we even managed to get some pics at the same time! I think it was my greatest photographic challenge yet: Trying to capture some fun images of four kids under the age of 8, while trying to corral two of my own at the same time, and working in some substantial conversation with Annee... all while walking and chewing gum at the same time! ;0) We also met up at places I'd never been before, which was a challenge for me in that I'm not very spontaneous creatively--it was a good exercise in "seeing" compositions on the spot! (I usually try to check out a place ahead of time, but Annee lives an hour + away, so that wasn't possible.) Anyway, here are a few of my favs:

Elisabeth has a good eye for color! She suggested these azaleas as a backdrop. ;0)

Caleb was in the tree before I could blink! ;0)

Poor Noah. He was one of the least interested in the whole photo thing, but I probably took more pics of him than anyone else because his shirt was such a great color for many of the spots we ran into! I guess I owe him now. ;0)

I seriously think it would be possible for someone to drown in Philip's eyes.

Here's the amazing Annee, with her gorgeous blue eyes!!

This was my creative attempt for the day. As the kids were lining up in the window, I noticed Bob (the Dad--he works nearby, and was able to join us for a bit) and Annee's reflection in the window, so I decided to try and capture it. I didn't notice at the time that the old glass was quite warped, resulting in Bob's head looking like he's wearing one of those Russian fur caps or something!? Ha ha!

...some reality shots of the boys. ;0) (Chris, and whoever else is interested: my photo genius cousin, Kim, told me these kinds of photo collages--like the side by side of a person with a close-up of a flower I posted previously--are called storyboards. All you have to do is change the canvas size in your editing program to accommodate the # and shapes of the pics you want to include!)

Thanks for a super fun morning, guys! ...and by the way, that "Burger Basket" drive thru on the way out of town is AWESOME!! ;0)