The **** Bag – February 28th, 2009

I thought the obsession with Toy Story would have been over by now, but it’s clearly not. In fact it seems to have taken on new life in the last few weeks, culminating in a new Zurg toy – one with a gun. It’s a toy gun and in the movie it shoots rubber balls but, stil,l I am a little tired of hearing Thomas yell “I’m going to shoot you”.

The toy is one of Thomas’ potty rewards. In a desperate effort to have him poop in the potty (as opposed to the pull up or worse, his underwear) we have been rewarding Thomas with magnets everytime he uses the toilet for um…number two. When he earns enough magnets he gets a toy of his choice. We also have a small incentive bag with cheap little toys that we use on occassion, which I call the potty bag and which Thomas called his “poop bag” at the top of his voice while we were choosing $1 reward items at target. It was one of my finer moments as a parent.

This little adventure is likely going to end up costing us a little more money and probably a few more embarrasing moments but we are going to get there if it kills me. I know people have opinions about using rewards but frankly it’s working for Thomas and I am hopeful that it will continue long after the rewards run out.

…and then I’ll start the adventure all over again with Samuel.

Self Portrait – February 27th, 2009

Sporting the new shorter haircut.

1923 – February 26th, 2009

When we began our renovation project last year, we made it clear to our contractor that we were working on a renovation, not a restoration.

Our house was built in 1923 and, while I appreciate the classic touches like these cabinet pulls, I dream of a house that is classic on the outside but modern on the inside.

Oh, and the paint on the cabinet pulls needs to go. The people who lived here before us didn’t consider removing hardward when they painted so we have a layer of paint on almost every knob and hinge in our downstairs rooms. I know replacing the hardware would freshen up the space and it seems like a small thing, but we have so much we need to do that I’ll just add it to our list. Ahh the joys pof buying an old house…

Enough! – February 25th, 2009

It seems all we do is talk about the weather in Portland at this time of the year – mainly because it is sunny and “warm” one day and the next day we receive snow showers. It was melted by lunchtime but I could do without the chilly start to the day.

Daylight saving starts tonight and the weatherman is predicting more snow. I’m officially ready for winter to end.

High Five – February 24th, 2009

More Photos from My Very First Shoot

I am so pleased with how these turned out. It was such a nice change photographing some new people and it just seemed so easy and natural. Here are some of my favourites. I had about 50 favourites total so it was difficult to narrow it down but I’ll do my best.

Thanks to my friend Meaghen and her gorgeous family for being my very first customers.

SIDE BY SIDE – FEBRUARY 23RD, 2009

This is just way too cute – the two brothers playing side by side. It’s so funny to see how tall Samuel is already when compared with Thomas.

I only wish playtime was always this peaceful. These days I’m more likely to hear “Samuel – don’t touch my toys!” “Mu-u-um – make Samuel go away.” “No Samuel!” . Sigh! It’s starting already.

SELF SUFFICIENT – FEBRUARY 22ND, 2009

I still feel terrible about the fact that I no longer nurse my baby. I miss the cuddles, the quiet time between the two of us, the convenience of having a food source attached to me wherever I go and the fact that nursing is much much cheaper than formula.

… but I do appreciate the fact that Samuel can now hold his own bottle. It comes in very handy during car rides, grocery store outings and other times where I need two hands and where it would not be deemed appropriate to whip out a boob.

Work in Progress: Lyrebird Images

My very first photo shoot went wonderfully. It helped that my first clients were an incredibly photogenic family and so easy to shoot. In fact my friend Meaghen had so many great ideas for props and locations that I barely felt like I was working. In fact how could this be called work? It was so much fun.

Here’s a tiny little sneak peek.

I’ve also started up a gallery and account over at Smugmug. It’s a work in process but I’m excited about the possibilities. I can lock down customer galleries with passwords, provide them with permission to download and they can even order prints directly from the site.

Kei and I are going to work on the design and customization to make it pretty. At the moment I am limited to a photo of myself and a brief explanation of the business name. You’ll also notice that my gallery is filled images of very familiar subjects while I work on building out my portfolio with non-family members.

http://lyrebirdimages.smugmug.com

Of course now the cogs are turning with so many ideas for logos and designs for promotional materials and other paraphenalia but I need to remind myself that I am starting slowly. No need to stress myself while I get the ball rolling. I mean who knows how far this will actually go? I had some interest from another couple of friends over the next couple of months, but it may not go any further. I’m hoping it will but I’m not going to actively promote right now, just rely on word of mouth. I do still have a day job after all…

And here is some amazing footage of a Lyrebird and how it mimics its surroundings. It’s definitely worth watching if you have a spare three minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjE0Kdfos4Y

ZOO – FEBRUARY 21ST, 2009

The Zoo is a regular family excursion for the Ishidas. Generally we wait for the first day where the temperature is bearable and it’s not raining and we take the opportunity. This time we shook things up a little and walked in the reverse direction of our normal path. I know – we live on the edge.