zorro + snow = fun day

remember this post? well this is what i was talking about. about 6 weeks ago, after locating a breeder we liked, we adopted a welsh corgi. we named him zorro, the spanish word for 'fox'. he is still with his brothers and sisters but will be coming home to us on april 2nd a we are so excited. we visited him yesterday.


since the breeder is in colfax and we were so close to the snow, we drove up the mountain a little and played in the snow for a bit.

it was a great day.

vintage

i know i am late to the party on this one, but just got around to finding the photoshop action for turning photographs into 'vintage polaroids'. too cool.

get your's here.

fun with photoshop

You might remember this photo of Owen from last year--eating his first ice cream. I am trying to take better photos which is really hard with the crappy point and shoot I have. In an effort to help make some of the pictures I have already taken look better, I've been playing around with Photoshop. Although I have been a graphic designer for what feels like centuries now, I have never been very good at Photoshop (although I did teach a beginning class in it...shhh...don't tell everyone I am a fraud).

Click on the image to enlarge.

Anyway, with a little experience and some awesome help from others on the internet (like this lovely lady) I've been experimenting. I went a little overboard with this before and after, but I am pretty proud of it. What do you think?

What I did in a nutsell:

1. Warmed the overall colors with a warming filter

2. Intensified his eyes by using the dodge tool to bring out more of the color and the brush tool by painting in a little more white in the whites of his eyes.

3. I selected only the boy and the ice cream cup and blurred the background so those two images "popped" out a bit.

Pretty as a picture and suitable for framing...with the exception of the messy face...

favorite moment | salad

One thing I have been trying to do is involve my kids in the daily cooking and making salad is a great way to introduce them to the process. Owen really enjoyed tearing up lettuce—a great task for little hands—and, now that he is old and skilled enough, Jackson loves to use the knives.

Oh, cooperation. I love it.

favorite moment | peace

favorite moment | playing hooky

Sometimes you just need to play hooky from work and take your boys to the beach. On the spur of the moment, Matt and I took the day off and the boys out of school and drove to my favorite place on earth--Pt. Reyes National Seashore. This is Limantour Beach, the perfect beach for long, long walks or just sitting in the sand and soaking up the sun.

There's something about chubby ankles peeking out from underneath rolled up jeans that warms my heart. And the way number one son looks like he is on a mission to do some diggin', with the little one trailing behind trying not to miss out on any important discoveries.

It was the perfect day.

a happy halloween

Prepping for the big day--tombstone making.

O was particularly into it.

And I actually finished a project. I have to say that I am pretty excited about my Happy Halloween banner!

But Halloween is all about the costumes. This photo was taken after the crazy pre-candy begging party festivities ended, so the makeup was a little worn. But he was spooky just the same.

favorite moment | disneyland

click on the image to enlarge

Okay, so some moments are as simple and everyday as a remark made in the car or an expression on someone's face and others are the moments that make memories that will last forever. We took our boys to Disneyland for the first time last week and it was truly magical. I am not the schmaltzy type. I usually don't like things that most people like. I admit it. I am a snob. But there truly is something otherworldly about Disneyland. It is like a right of passage for little kids--and parents too, apparently. I think the pictures speak for themselves.

very own ice cream...yum!

After a Sunday evening picnic, we took the kids for ice cream. Owen got his own this time. He liked it, as you can see. Ooof...

happy wednesday!

fun day

The four of us spent the afternoon at Fairytale Town and had a great time. Jackson took this picture of Owen coming down one of the slides and I just love it. Really sums up our day.