It's official...Reid is 4 years old

The celebration for Reid's 4th birthday started early this year with a small party on Thursday afternoon at PawPaw and Mimi's house.  Everyone needs to enjoy the miracle of their birth.  Aren't we glad that we are wonderfully made by our Lord!  We are certainly glad for Reid because he makes wonderful things happen  in our soul and spirit when he is around.  Grandchildren are truly a blessing from the Lord and gifts from above.

The Cake Mimi made

Early celebration at PawPaw & Mimi's 

The "Toy Story"  theme graced cakes, packages, table settings, centerpieces, and presents.  I think everyone got the message that Reid really likes Toy Story.  It is all Mrs. Markl's fault.  Apparently when she was keeping Erynn and Reid one time, they watched the video, "Toy Story" and it has been his favorite (only second to his Blue blanket and Pooh Bear) ever since.

The cake and presents!

One Happy birthday boy!

Blowing out the candles.

Yum!  Great cake and ice cream too.

Happy Birthday Reid.  One special little boy.

This year Nana and YaYa were able to join in all the festivities making it (as Tigger would say) "the bestest and fiestiviest time of all.  Hoohoo!"  In all that celebrating, we cannot forget Father's day.  Happy Father's day to the two most awesome and wonderful fathers.

Ian posing for the Family photo.  You know we have to have one.

PawPaw and Ian (Father and son)  Happy Father's day!

My 58th Birthday

I cannot believe the month of June is almost over or that it is my birthday!  Time has a way of going way too fast.  So do I feel older?  Well I don't feel much different than I did yesterday, but my body sure knows it has aged--more wrinkles even though I spend a lot on all those creams that are supposed to "plump" or "fill-in" those wrinkles, they do not seem to be working for me.  I have cellulite that is creeping down my legs, so there is no way I would ever consider putting on another pair of shorts;  it is capris for me!  My arms wave when I do and I am trying my best to fight off the middle age bulge that seems to settle in quite nicely around the middle.  It is just horrible growing old.  The only good thing is that no one is immune.

All in all, I like birthdays and feeling special for a day...well, actually my awesome husband has a way of making me feel special most days.  He has done a great job giving me little presents throughout the weekend and we will finish our celebrating after I teach my Pilates class tonight.  My boys and their family's have all done their part in making the day special as well.  I am so blessed.  Thank you, Lord, for my great family.

Happy birthday to me!

    

Just finished my 1st week assignment

I just finished my week 1 assignment for my online photo class with Karen Russell... http://www.snapshotsofagoodlife.com.  The assignment was on viewpoint and composition.   For our viewpoint, we were to have a subject sit on the ground, read a book, color, or some activity where they could remain fairly still.  Then we were to walk all around them with no camera, studying each view...
front, sides, back, ground and eye level, and from above.  Next we took pictures from each viewpoint.  We submitted our best and worse explaining why.  We looked at rule of thirds, things merging with the body, leading lines, horizon, and framing.

This was my worse...the fence & railing merge with his body, and the shed is distracting.
It was taken at ground level.

I liked this one the best...I was on a ladder.  His eyes fall in the top third of the picture, and the background is better.

Our composition was to be a shoot at a place of our choosing.  We were to walk around observing, then get our camera and take pictures of our subjects, but we could not give any directions to them.  We had to make the composition work.  I chose to take pictures of our photography club field trip to the Iris farm in the Hondo Valley. (http://hondoirisfarm.com).  It is an incredible spot...almost a little piece of heaven here on earth.   Again, we submitted our best and worse, giving explanations of why.  It was a very good and difficult exercise.  I am not sure I got it right on anything, but I sure had fun.  And I got some fun shots of flowers and humming birds as well.

My worse.  Overexposed, and not sharp.

My favorite. Taken on an angle.

Irises from the Iris Farm

They have lots of humming birds too.  I managed to catch this one.

Photography class

I have signed up for two more photography classes...one is at the Museum, and the other is Karen Russell's online class.  The Museum class has been interesting.  We have gone to Ruidoso to shoot a kite festival, to the Iris Farm in the Hondo Valley, to Bitterlakes where we had to battle thousands of mosquitos, to our Old Timer's Balloon Rally, and to White Sands.  Whew!  What we do to take pictures.

Apache Plume from Bitterlakes

Me inside a huge kite

My lunch in Ruidoso...it was a great burger

My artistic side trying to come out.  I liked the mix of colors and texture.

This hummingbird seems to be giving the other one a "back off" look.

Finally, I got a good hummingbird picture.  

The owner of the Iris Farm.  I loved her look.

I got a ride in this balloon.  It was so peaceful up there.  

White Sands...we were hoping for an awesome sunset.

I think the sand looks like snow.  

The sunset is about to happen.

My online class is going to be challenging.  We have interesting assignments which I will post later as they happen.

I had a great Mother's day.  We had lunch at Ian and Laurie's.  Warren and Ian did the cooking and cleaning while we enjoyed relaxing with the kids.  They used paper plates so there was not much of a clean up.   Right after we arrived, Erynn whispered in my ear, "Mimi could I talk with you in private for just a minute?"  I thought that was so funny, because she sounded like a grown-up.  Her private conversation was to ask if she and Reid could come over after we ate.  And who could turn down a request like that.  Besides we always have a grand time with them.  

I received some great Mother's day gifts...thank you all.  I will put them to good use.  

Mother's day fun with the grandkids.

Entirely too long

It has been entirely too long since I have posted anything online, so rather than writing, I am going to post pictures since a picture is worth a thousand words.

We all got together for fun and food at Ian's.

Luke calls Jordan 

Father and son at the table.  They did not want a picture taken.  I took it anyway.

Luke being silly.  His "YO" comment.

Luke going to hunt birds or squirrels.

The men are cooking tonight...Allen Brother Steaks.  Yum!

Luke came to Roswell the first week in April to visit his wonderful parents, but mostly to follow up on some of his clients.

I kept the grandkids while Laurie attended a homeschool conference.  Here are some things we did.

Decorated an Easter tree.  They decorated it all by themselves with a little instruction from me.

Erynn by the tree

Erynn with the dead squirrel

close up now

Notice the face

Disposal

We made bread and ate most of it.  One loaf went home with them.

Reid and his Mimi

My Easter card

Sunset at Bitterlakes.  My photography class went as a group to do this assignment.

Warren and me Easter morning

Little Miss Erynn

She is 6 years old!

Annie looking regal

Reid

Such a handsome lad!

Contentment

I have really enjoyed the blooming of spring this year.  Maybe it is because I am looking for it to capture it with my camera...looking for that picture that takes your breath away.  Believe me, I have not captured it yet, on paper, but it is out there and I will get it one day.  Spring is one of the mysteries of God's universe--how does the plant kingdom know when to wake up and put out its new growth?  Spring brings Luke to visit-- he is doing some follow up work with his clients.  This provides us great opportunity for  the whole family to get together.  Yesterday, Ian's family joined us for lunch--Reid's suggestion.  He wanted to eat lunch at Pawpaw and Mimi's so he could see Luke because he is so "punny" (funny).  It was a grand idea.  I am glad Reid mentioned it and Ian pursued it.  Nothing makes life better than family.  Family is the spice of life.  Believe me, with Luke around there is a lot of spice to life.  He is being true to his boyhood fiddling ways and has taken great joy in using the remote to our new bed to raise the feet to its highest level and trying out all the speeds of massage.  Along with the bed fiddling,  there was great discussion and antics about the proper fit for bike wear.  Luke likes his to fit baggy, while Warren likes his to fit--quoting Luke, "like a sausage." What followed was a fashion show while both tried on various bike shirts.  Warren was going to give Luke one of his shirts, but Luke declined the sausage wear and said maybe later.
Needless to say, I am working on another project, and yes, it involves pictures.  I am glad my grandkids let me take countless pictures of them.  I found a picture that seemed to scream contentment and decided to see what I could do with it since I am learning about "clean and fresh" photo editing.  I thought this picture would be a perfect practice picture.

Paul says in Philippians 4:11-12, "For I have learned to be content in whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether living in plenty or in want."  Doesn't Reid look content?

McKelvy photo album 2010

I have finally completed the 2010 photo album.  It was so much fun putting it together, but hard to limit the photos to the few I have included here.  The book would be forever long if I included all the photos I wanted.  Oh the restraint.  Enjoy.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Gigi's graduation photobook

Here is the completed photobook of Gigi.  All the pictures and page designs were done by me.  I thought it turned out great.

Click here to view this photo book larger