Click It Up a Notch - June

{Baby E} 

My very favorite photo taken in June.

I had a session with a family of seven who had recently

adopted this beautiful toddler from Ethiopia.

She was peacefully resting in her Daddy's arms.

26/52 - buds

{Being 6} 

They didn't start out as friends when they first met almost 4 years ago.
In fact they butted heads frequently and it wasn't pretty.
Thankfully that phase is over and these two can't seem to get enough time together.
When they play, Will is Batman and Cruz is Green Lantern.
They have boundless energy combined with zero attention span.
They're fun to photograph because they laugh a lot and make sound effects.
It's all six year old boy stuff!
Adorable.

Sunday Snapshot - new friends

{Ferris Wheel - Navy Pier, Chicago}

 

Last Fall I was asked by Stefanie (the lovely Stefanie who hosts Sunday Snapshot),
if I'd consider being a photo editor for An Orphans Wish.
It sure didn't take me long to say yes!
Last week I got to meet two people who I work with as a volunteer for this incredible organization.
We previously had 'talked' only in emails and on the phone (me with Heidi).


They were going to be in Chicago at a workshop and I made the trip to my favorite city to meet.

(Heidi on the left and Lee Ann on the right).

By the time I'd gotten there they had already gotten familiar with North Michigan Ave.
so we took a little walk around Navy Pier.
These were a few images that I captured.
I loved the color and lines of both
the Ferris Wheel and the Swing Ride.
By the way, we didn't go on either...
we were too busy laughing and getting acquainted.
Between the three of us we have 16 children, 8 of them
adopted from China!

I'm hoping this will be a yearly get together thing.  :)

The Ferris Wheel image was taken with my Nikon d700

35 mm 1.4 lens
F - 4.5
1/5000 sec.
ISO - 200

Post processed with Florabella's Classic Workflow action,
Classic Film.
Composed in camera, my focus was on the center of the ferris wheel.

25/52 - June 14 - 18th

{A few from the past week and weekend}

It's hard to wrap my brain around the fact that 2012 is almost halfway over. 

It's week 25.
Instagram seems to be my way of taking photos once a day. 

From the top left: 1. Grace and her friend Julia in the Justice store. Grace is now in the Chicago area spending a week with her lifelong friend. 2. Chicago downtown street. I met two lovely ladies there on Friday that I work for/with at An Orphans Wish. 3. Father's Day 2012, spent the afternoon with my parents. My Dad is in is early 80's and is healthy and happy, he's one lucky man. 4. Three nine year old girls playing in a box and being silly!

Our Summer has been awesome so far.

24/52 and Favorite Photo Friday - road trip

{Summer in Wisconsin}

No Wisconsin road trip would be complete without seeing canoes (so many lakes here)

and wildflowers, as we drove to our destination.

One of my goals for the Summer with my kids
is to have them try or experience some new things.

They're experienced travelers. 

Both have traveled with us quite a bit and their passports have gotten a fair bit of use

for people their age.

They've been pumpkin and apple picking, but no strawberry picking.

My last strawberry picking experience was in Northern California many years

ago when my oldest was a little guy.

Thankfully it was pretty cool for this time of the year (in the 70's)

and we didn't have full sun beating down.

Both kids hung in there and were troopers.

Grace was totally into it and she was a bit competitive.

I helped Will get his berries.

 I had to explain to him that we only pick the red ones (he was gathering any and all, 

even the green ones at first). 

They were all fair game.  ;)

Will found a heart shaped strawberry and was showing it to his sister.

(These small berries are so sweet, no sugar needed).

You can tell our little adventure was a big success...
I'm thinking blueberries in July when they come into season?

Favorite Photo Friday - first and last day

{School's out!} 

"School's out forever

 School's out for Summer 

School's out with fever 

School's out completely." 

~ Alice Cooper 

(The top image was taken the first day of school and the lower one, this morning.

 They're growing up aren't they?

Miss Grace is growing her bangs out and looks like she's 12 here to me instead of nearly 10).

I can't believe how quickly this school year has flown by.

There have been challenges for our family and we've come through them, things are looking up

and that feels great.

When they arrive home today at 12:10 pm Grace will officially be a 4th grader and mr. Will a First grader.

Bittersweet. 

I couldn't be more proud of these two!

Welcome Summer!

23/52 - my life

{Instagram pics from the last week} 

Starting in the upper left hand side: 1. Will on his class field trip to the zoo. 2. Me right after getting my hair cut. 

3. Grace and a friend playing in the evening (having a sleepover). 4. Yellow flower in my backyard 5. Grace

drawing a flamingo on the Smart Board for her class talent show. 

6. Will with his cute feet in a new pair of flip flops (Superman).

We love Summer! - Sunday Snapshot

{Will with his first snow cone of the season}

It many not be Summer officially on the calendar but it's here where we live.
Our Memorial Day weekend consisted of warm temps, snow cones, playing in the sandbox and backyard and getting together with good friends.

Our school is out for the Summer on Friday and Grace and Will are awfully happy about that.

Grace and her new bike. It's a little big for her and it's taken some time getting used to riding.
She paid for half of it, we matched her on the other half.

Summer in the Midwest is about kids running through the sprinkler.

 Brings back so many memories for me!

My own clean edits (to personal taste) using Curves and Levels in photoshop.

 Settings on the top image of Will:

 Nikon d700 

85mm 1.4 lens 

f/1.6

 1/1250 sec. 

ISO 200