'Yo, yo...

I am Ma-cho!'

So after my last post, I got a little grief from Tim saying that Jace is going to hate me for those pictures when he grows up. Apparently they were a little on the fruity side (for heavens sake, I even titled that storyboard 'citrus'). No, seriously, Tim is not being critical of my picture taking, in fact he really loves that I do this! But, well, let's face it- I do tend to go overboard with the props- if I get that green umbrella out one more time I am afraid Jace will turn into Mary Poppins! So the other day, I decided to turn him into GI Joe instead!

Can I just say how much I love Gap Kids? Seriously, my all time favorite store- I could buy everything in that store! There is nothing I love more than a baby or little boy dressed up like a trendy little man! So cute! So last week, we were in Gap Kids and I found this awesome Jacket for $3.97! Another thing I love about that store- once and a while you find clearance 'treasures'. And I am such a bargain shopper- I can't resist telling people when I find a great deal. It gives me such a rush- I bet I get it from my mom (and all my sisters no doubt!) So the next day I had to test out the jacket! I had to laugh- he really looked like a little ARMY man! But I love the shots I got. When I opened some of these up and started editing them, they made my heart skip a beat. I love that I caught so many classic Jace expressions! BTW, the black and white will soon grace my mantel, I think. I just love that shot- I know the head/ear chop is not everyone's cup of tea, but I love it!

Jace is seriously such a character! He drives me CRAZY much of the time, but gosh he is funny! When I was taking these, I had Jace sit under a tree where the light was good and he was totally bored and not into taking pictures. And I am running out of tricks (the 'booger-monster-on-my-camera' bit doesn't work anymore). So I started making faces at Jace to get him to look at me, and what does he do? He makes faces back! I was dieing over some of the faces he was giving me- click on the storyboard to see them closer! Check out his cross eyes- cracks me up! And gotta love the Goldfish stuck in his teeth! Then we went over to another tree, and I got that shot of his one eye peeking up under his hat. I knew I loved it when I took it and wanted to get him to look at me like that again, so I said "Hey Jace, peek up at me from under your hat with one eye". And that is exactly what he did- only differently than I envisioned! Made me laugh though, because he was concentrating so hard to do what I said.

There is one of Ethan for you too- check out those eyes! It is amazing how blue they can get in certain light! I swear I didn't do anything to them other than my standard photoshoping. They almost look freaky though. Maybe I should desaturate them? I have really been neglecting Ethan lately when it comes to pictures! He is just too fast for me now- as soon as he sees my camera, he tries to grab my lens. The last time I tried to take him outside for pictures, I had him on a blanket out on our lovely mulch and as soon as I set him down, he lunged forward and ate a bunch of bark! Maybe tomorrow I will try taking some of him on our driveway (after I sweep the acorns off so he won't eat those).

Also, how does the color on these look? I bought Jinky's Itty Bitty Actions a few weeks ago, and I am really learning to love them. At first, I wasn't sure if I liked them, but I am starting to learn how to use them and I love the pop they give. I am trying to really step out of my comfort zone and try different editing styles. I am really loving the Jinky-type style lately- BTW, anyone who hasn't seen her website, you must see it! It is THE CUTEST website I have ever seen- seriously worth the time to check it out. Copy paste jinkyart.com and go see it. It's funny though because when I was editing these pics in PS, I was thinking the colors were so bright and wild, but looking at them now, they seem kind of dull. I hate how that happens, when you think something looks great then you come back to it and it is just blah. I do that all the time!

Anyways, I will spare you all and stop talking! I really need to give a 'family' update soon- all I ever seem to talk about is pictures (gosh, I'm OBSESSED!)! But I will do that next time!

Take care everyone!

~Mandy