Rain Rain Go Away – March 17th, 2009

I am so tired of this rain. We’re supposed to be in the midst of Spring Break. I guess it really means a break from Spring because we had one or two sunny days and now we’re back to…well…blah!

And about that umbrella. We bought it because it is yellow but I didn’t really consider how fabulous it is to have a child’s umbrella with see-through panels. It’s genius. Not only is it safer, but it’s perfect for photos thanks to the elimination of dark shadows on the face.

Of course next time I will buy one of those adorable multi-coloured umbrellas that look fabulous in photos, but I am a glass is half full kinda girl.

The Many Faces of Samuel – March 16th, 2009

This kid is so incredibly happy. I have been spending a lot of time with him this week during spring break while I try and juggle time off from daycare with work. Thomas has been alternating between houses for a series of playdates that we organized with other daycare families.

I take for granted the fact that I had so much alone time with Thomas. It is so nice to have some time to spend with my baby – not that he’s much of a baby anymore. How did he become 10 months old overnight?

A few things I have come to appreciate about Samuel this week:

He is just so happy – one look at him and he starts laughing.
He can play by himself for short periods of time
He will NOT sit down
The kid can eat. I don’t know if it’s a growth spurt or his regular daily schedule, but I should really be sending him to daycare with more food. Today he ate a bowl of pasta, two handfuls (adult size) of frozen vegetables (thawed) and an entire banana. And that was just a snack!
He loves to wave. As soon as he hears the words goodbye or goodnight, his arms start moving like he wants to take off.
His favourite word is not a word – it’s a very loud grunt.
He’s the cutest kid in the world. 🙂

Check out the teeth…

Retro – March 14th, 2009

More Sharing – March 13th, 2009

Apparently they also share a love of lying on the couch and drinking milk. This has been a habit for Thomas practically from birth – cuddling up on the couch with a bottle/sippy cup and me/George. And it has to be a certain part of the couch. My oldest child is definitely a creature of habit. I blame the Virgo in him.

It seems Samuel is coming to enjoy this little tradition in his own right. I have to say though that sometimes it gets a little crowded when Thomas is cuddling up on the couch with me and Samuel starts getting a little jealous and wants to join. Don’t get me wrong, I love this snuggle time but in a couple of years it’s not going to be very comfortable anymore (in fact it could be a couple of weeks, given how fast they’re both growing).

Fun with Glow Sticks – March 9th, 2009

Slow shutter speed, a dark room and a little tweak in Photoshop.

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.

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.

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.