Merry Christmas~

Trip to Mansfield, Ohio

Mark is under there somewhere-ha! So...today we were SOOOOO excited to get out of this house. After being in it for 5+ days with Mark being sick...we were all stir crazy! We drove up to spend the morning in Mansfield. We really tried to walk the grounds at the State Park and Kingwood Mansion, but at 21 degrees it proved a bit much. So after being outside a whole 5 minutes, we packed up and left. We didn't even mind- it just felt good to be outside- even in our van. We cannot wait to go back there and explore more when it is a bit warmer!!!!!! Mark would love it!

Daddy and Mark....

Old Photos Revisited...

Will add pictures throughout the remainder of December.......

Happy Birthday......

My favorite from our creative session- post processed in a variety of techniques.....

To Miss Tess, who turned 8 on December 14th..... Another favorite....Tess reminds me of a young Carolyn Bessette Kennedy......so pretty! You might recognize this cutie from a creative session back in July. I was thrilled to take some Winter photos of Miss Tess who turned 8 this past weekend! Wow~ They grow up so fast! The weather cooperated with us and just started raining at the tail end of our session. So thank you Mother Nature...we already had to reschedule once because of weather~ ugh! Miss Tess looked so pretty in her black coat and long blonde hair. Even the 'mud blocks' on her shoes were pretty with her in them! I had so much fun photographing this one and will be working on them throughout this week and adding more as I go. My only complaint is, I did not get to talk to you all more before it decided to start raining. Stay tuned!!!

The sun decided to pop out briefly here :-)
Now done with my 'color fade' technique... Burr....It is cold (and about to rain)......
Cutie-pie Tess
Using warm texture to the picture....for a sunset glow look.....

Snow in December

Using my 'vintage b/w technique' with 'texture'... Will add more.......working on them this week! Check back later- thanks!

Using 'texture' again...fun, fun~ Passed out in the car seat! So cute and look at those lashes- could they be any longer?????? Lucky boy!

Mark the 'Twitcher' at HighBanks

'Twitcher' means one who travels a long distance to see a rare bird. Well, for Mark traveling 8 miles is a long way ;-) An observer would have thought Mark waited his whole 19 months of life to watch these birds outside- he LOVED it!!!! It was soooo funny watching him use the binoculars which he just learned to do on his own observing the other 'twitchers'. There were some serious bird watchers there. We talked to a lady that just moved back here from Georgia and she was on the lookout for some rare bird so she could get that off her 'twitcher' list. Wow- I had no clue birdwatching was so intense. I guess one could judge my love of photography is on the borderline of obsessive (wink, wink)... so to each their own!!!

Back to Mark, he would hug the glass to hug the birds- too precious! These pictures were taken last week when we were out and about. I have some pictures from this week with snow that I will be posting later. I hope everyone is enjoying the week!

Mark hugging the birds (thru the window). He is a very loving child and when he likes something he hugs it...so precious!!!!

Dreaming........about the birds!

Concentrating and studying the birds....... Scientist Mark.......
Really serious now...... Ummmmm........so cute! Turning around to make sure we KNEW he was watching the birds...... Using my 'vintage color fade' with texture.... These were all taken inside at HighBanks- a new concept for me and something I plan to work on all Winter to improve (indoor shots with no flash).... I did not use my flash and shot in manual mode adjusting my ISO.......It is harder (for me) to judge indoor ISO, shutter speed etc...than outdoor...so I will have lots of practice this Winter to improve.........Hands Down- natural lighting is best for photographs~hint, why I only shoot outdoors with occassional indoor sessions. :-)