And some more...

I think someone needs to pry this computer out of my hands...it's 2:15 in the afternoon and I've been on this thing since 7:00 this morning!!! (I did stop to use the bathroom a couple of times, eat lunch, talk on the phone for a bit, and take a shower and put on some clean clothes, but I have done NOTHING else today).

This is the picture of Avery from yesterday. She was lying in my lap (that's my knee behind her head) and I had the long lens (or glass, as they call it in my book) on my camera, so the picture isn't tack sharp (how's that for some jargon?!) and the shadow on her face isn't very flattering, but I thought it was cute nonetheless.

This is the picture of Avery after touching it up... which would have been soooo much better if I had better focus on her face...



And these are the pictures of Avery after playing around.

(this version being my favorite, I think. It kind of has that dreamy look)

And to show that I am not just obsessed with someone else's kid, here are some pictures of the girls playing in the water part of the park:

Original:

A little bit of editing:

Running an action:

For my kids, this picture is my favorite (tied between the second and the third one) because they all look so happy and they look like they are having so much fun. However, yesterday made me wish I had been into photography more when my kiddos were little kiddos...I would have waaayyy more cute pictures of them. It's not as easy to catch them being as cute as Mya or Aaron or Avery. They give cheesy smiles and seem unnatural in front of the camera. Even yesterday, while quietly following them around the little water park, I had trouble catching them unaware. And then, even when they didn't know I was watching, I wish I hadn't been watching. Like this time; guess what they were talking about when I took these pictures:

(no editing on any of these pictures, by the way. They are SOOC (more jargon!)--straight-out-of-camera)

If you guessed, "acting like they were peeing," you would be the million dollar winner. In fact, Emily is only seconds away from saying, "Hey! Look how big my pee is!"

Nothing like the innocent water play (all pictures also SOOC ;-))

and boy-chasing

of sweet, little Mya!

I think if I knew back then what I know now of taking pictures, I would have dressed them up in all kinds of outfits and taken them to all kinds of places with all kinds of props and had at it! But then again, I wouldn't have the "free time" to spend learning the way I do now with the kids I have now. Catch-22, I guess. Perhaps I should start borrowing other people's kids before they start sitting on spouting water and acting like they are peeing!