becoming a better photographer

So one of my goals for this years is to become a better photographer.

To try new things,

To have fun,

Take more pictures of my kids

and

To put the art back into my pictures.

Luck for me last week while looking at one of my fav. blogs The Idea Room (link in my side bar) there was a photographer who is telling it all when it comes to photographer.

The photographer Kristen Duke challenged the reader to go all manual.

So I did it and I turned out great!

These are the picture I came out with. I have not done any photoshop to the pictures and look at the color I love it! It will still take some time getting the hang of working with my camera but I'm up for the challenge to get great color like this.

My boys are so cute!

Brandon 9 months Adam 3 1/2 years.
Boys are so fun!

Brandon 8 months old

January, February and now March have come and gone and too much has happened to get you caught up so I will start with what is going on this week. The kids and I have been enjoying the great warm weather spending time outdoors playing. I took this pictures yesterday of the kids.

Brandon and his little mommies.

So I'm putting it out there so all of you have your fare warning. If any one messes with Brandon you will have two big sisters to deal with. Addie and Emma love this little guy so much. They can't get a enough of him. They both start off the day fighting over who getts to hold him first and who has held him the longest. They fight over who gets to feed him or bath with him. They both want to make sure they are the best big sister. It is really cute.
Brandon is now 8 months old and has been getting into everything in the house he can crawl super fast and opens cupboards. He walks along the couch and will climb over anything or any one in his way of something that he wants. He is really into smiling with his mouth open right now and it is so cute! It makes me smile every time I see it.

Let Snow !!!

We love the snow! Last weekend we had lots of fun thanks to our good friends Dodd and Amy. Amy planed a trip to the snow for Dodd's birthday and asked us to go with them. Chad had to work so with the help of Amy and Dodd I went with out Chad. The kids had so much fun and the smiles on their faces tell it all.

Adam had the time of his life. He really loves the snow. On the way home he ask at least 5 times if he could have his next birthday at the snow like Dodd. Too bad his birthday is in August and he will probably never get snow for his birthday.

This is the great house Amy found for us to stay in.

Brandon is 6 months old

My little love is growing up. Brandon is 6 months old and doing all kinds of new fun things. Eating is one of Brandon's favorite new things he does and he looks so cute doing it.

Just another day in Paradise

This is just one of the many reasons why I love Ventura.

It is January and as many people bundle up to walk outside, I get to grab a sweatshirt and take a walk at the beach as I watch the sunset. Ventura really is Paradise.
2010 has started and like many of you, I'm excited for the new year and all the opportunities this new year holds for me and my family. Chad is really big on new year resolutions, and I guess after 10 years of marriage he has rubbed off on me. I have made a whole list of goals for the new year and so far things are going great. My biggest goal this year is to get rid of my baby fat- you know that extra weight that comes with having babies. I'm not having any more babies, so I can work hard to get it off and keep it off. I started eating healthier the day after Christmas and I joined a gym this week, hence the workouts have started. I have great hope that by this summer I will be a healthier mommy with more energy for my kids and I will be fitting better my swimsuit. Along with my list, the kids have made resolutions. Addie 7 years old wants to become a better reader and read every day. Emma 6 years old wants to ride bikes more and learn more at school. Adam 3 years old wants to hit a golf ball into the bucket at the range which is about 60 yards out. Brandon 5 months can't tell me yet what he wants to do this year but I'm sure learning to crawl and walk is what he plans on doing.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all you blog readers.

It has been a long time from my last family update and I have now come to the understanding that blogging and many other things are on the back burner for now. All the work that comes with have four kids really leaves me with very little free time and I'm too tried most nights to turn on the computer. The work of being a mom is really hard and so so great at the same time. I really believe that the hardest things in life are the greatest things. I feel very blessed this year with the birth of our baby Brandon, he really completes our family. He is the happiest baby and makes are whole family happy. He is such a happy baby that in the middle of the night when he wakes up to eat he wakes me up by cooing and laughing. It is so cute that I look ward to waking up in the middle of the night to feed him. I really love this little guy.

I hope this week you will all have joy and peace as we celebrate the birth of the Savior , Jesus Christ.

Brandon 2 months old

I would have to say that one of the best things in the whole world is a smile from a baby and Brandon is so good at them. Every morring he wakes up smiling and then he gives them all day long to our family. We are so luck to have this happy little boy as part of our family.

Lots of fun in August

It is time for an update on the Anderson family. We have had a month full of many firsts for our family. We took our first family photo with Brandon. Brandon is now 7 weeks old and loves his family.

Our happy little one...

Addie & Emma started soccer.

Addie doesn't like wearing socks... As demonstrated in this photo, it's always a fight

But once she gets her socks on, she sure can play...

....and do cartwheels

Emma was awesome in her first game. She stole the ball a few times, broke away from the pack, and scored 2 goals. She also had 2 shots on goal, but they didn't go in. Her coaches were very impressed and wanted to make sure they are documented as her first coaches for when she goes pro.

Emma's first goal...

Showing that she scored 2 goals.

Brandon didn't care about all the hype of soccer...it put him to sleep. But if they were golfing, you can be sure he would have been awake rooting on his sisters...

Chad doesn't waste any time brainwashing his children into playing golf...

He was actually giving Brandon putting tips as he was putting. Watch out Tiger!

Adam enjoys playing with his new set of clubs he got for his 3rd birthday. He looks so cute walking with his clubs. He actually hit the ball to the bottom of the hill on this Par 3.Adam attempts to make his birdie putt....

It went in...yeah! He has Tiger's fist pump down pat.

The 17 at Ojai Valley Inn. Do you think he can carry it 125 yards over the hazard?

No, of course not. He's only 3... Give him another year. Tiger couldn't do it until he was 5!

First Day of school

Brandon's blessing day- August 23, 2009

A couple of baldies. They look like twins, just 32 years apart.

The circle of love...

Power to the little people

Brandon had his 1st trip to Disneyland on August 24th.

Adam had his Pirate Party to celebrate his 3rd birthday.

Mom made Adam's cake from scratch. It's a pirate ship.

The pinata was bigger than Adam.