2012- what do you have in store for me...

New Years Eve, 2011 was spent with awesome friends, their kids and our kids. It was great! So, I am hoping that the rest of the year is equally as great!
Kieran is in his second half of Kindergarten, Mikey is into EVERYTHING and ANYTHING! He is all over the place and giving me a run for my money. Mike is in the midst of busy season and that means long hours and hard work!
January started with me realizing, that I really was ready to dump this weight and get healthy. We had an awesome vacation in December and I had an aha moment of sorts. So, on Jan. 17, 2012 I started a bootcamp class with Xceed Fitness and it really jumpstarted me to get back to weight watchers and working out. In the first month that I was back to working out and eating right, I lost 10 pounds and 10 inches. It was enough for me to realize that this is working and I am actually really enjoying working out. I even get up at 530am and go to class at 6! That is not something I ever thought I would do! I like that the classes are always different and always challenging. I have also been doing DVDs at home and just trying to move more and more each day. I am getting there, it is still not easy and not sure it ever will get easy, but it is working and I am getting there.
February was an average month, and here we are leap day and about to head into March. Winter has been mild and I will not complain. Mike is not happy since we bought a new snow blower and haven't had much snow to use it with.
Life is good, we are happy and healthy and just chugging along!
Now, here are some new pictures of my cuties!

I am a HORRIBLE blogger-

The title says it all- I am not sure why- lol! But it is Leap Day and I am back. Stay tuned for a more active blogger- I have so many great ideas and can't wait to share them all with you!

2 peas week 3-

finally week 3- since it is a yucky morning and our zoo plans are no longer, I am catching up- so week 3 was about white balance- I think I am getting a handle on it, but really I don't get it, lol!
So, I took the following pictures with my 50mm lens, SS was 1/160, f1.6 iso 1000(crappy weather and bad lighting in the house)
here we go-
Auto white balance-

tungsten white balance-

custom white balance(which I had to google to learn how to set, lol)

I can totally tell the difference and I may actually go an get those little card things to use this white balance thing more! Not a hard week, and now I am onto week four!

Not to much going on in this household. Kieran is done with preschool forever and I can't believe it. He will be 5 in a month and I just want him to stay little forever. At the end of the year show they sang I won't grow up from Peter Pan and it was too cute! The whole show was cute, I will miss the little school, but the I hope and pray the big school will be just as good to my little boy.  Mikey is sporting a new set of ear tubes and while it has been two days and no difference in his sleeping, I am hoping that they will help him! Oh and he may also be sporting a tooth soon! However, I may keep that secret until someone else sees it, cause in my family you see the first tooth, you buy the first shoes, lol! So, all in all the summer is about to begin and I hope it is a good one!

Finally- 2 peas Week 2-

yeah yeah yeah- I am like 4 weeks behind- but sick kids got in the way! So here it is week 2- we were to study ISO and shutter speed- 2 things I am getting a better handle on- First test- clean sink, another reason it took a while every time I had a clean sink I forgot to do the exercise. Now, we were to take an object to obstruct the flow of water and take a photo of it first with a slow shutter speed and then second with a fast one- not worring about aperture at this point.
Take one-SS-1/80, ISO 640 50mm lens

second picture- SS 1/1250 ISO 800 50mm lens

Then for step 3 we had to take a picture of an inanamate object and use the meter to help with exposure while using the camera in manual- this I am not really that good at and have to keep practicing, but here it is-

ss-1/200, iso-640 f 1.4 

Now onto week 3- 

Nothing much going on in this household- still trying to get back into a workout routine and into weight watchers again, but between Mikey's appointments and appointments etc I just haven't. Then this week was to be the week and Kieran came down with the stomach virus and then coxsackievirus, so another week down the tubes. I have been watching what I have been eating more- so it is a start. I am determined to drop 20 pounds by my 8th anniversary on August 16th. So, next week will hopefully be able to get back on track! 

And here are 2 pics of my cuties- gotta love them!

 

Such a bad blogger!

My favorites bar was all screwy the last couple of weeks and just been crazy running around that I have not been a good blogger. Well, this post will be short and sweet, but I am back and plan on doing a lot of posting in the next few days, so be on the look out!
Things are about to be a changin!
Peace-
Me

so far behind- 2 peas

I am so far behind on my course- I have to catch up tomorrow on 3 weeks of the 2 peas course, update on life and lots of other stuff.
For a quick update- Mikey is now officially on ear infection #4 and well on his way to a pretty set of ear tubes. He is still such a happy baby and I love every minute of watching him grow and develop!
Kieran is almost in Kindergarten and I can't believe it! He just went on his first real class trip and he had so much fun! He is going for his belt test on Friday for Tae Kwon Do and he is so excited! Can't wait to see him do it!
Mike is finally not traveling for the time being and it is nice having him home again! We are getting a new car to replace our heap of crap.
I have totally lost motivation on my weight loss journey and I am in a complete sabotage mode. I MUST BREAK OUT NOW!!!!
Ok- now to plan my day to catch up on my 2 peas course!

Two Peas 12 weeks to better photos- Lauren, Kristen and Christina rock it!

LESSON ONE: Aperture basic training

So, back in February I took Christie Adams Photography and Alicia Gould Photography's Camera Basics Class and it was GREAT! Really opened my eyes to many things! I would love for them to hold another class, so I can take part again! That said, I have really been trying to master my camera for fun and as a hobby. I make no assertions that I will ever be a photographer, but I want to be able to capture my family and friends! 

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, Lauren and I kicked around the idea that we should do the two peas course together and blog about it! Then came Christina, who also wanted to get better with her camera, so here we are! I think out of all of us, Lauren is probably the best, as she takes awesome photos of food for her food blog, but Christina and I can hang, lol! 

Ok, back to lesson one- aperature- I have a basic knowledge of it, again mainly thanks to the camera basics class, but here goes nothing- 

F1.8, iso 800, 50mm lens- 

F8.0

f20.0

Yes, I used Mikey's Sophie and Kieran's various figurines that were handy. I couldn't get outside since, well lets be honest, I just didn't feel like getting my shoes on and going outside, lol!

I will try tomorrow to go out and do it that way too-

You can see in my first picture focus is on sophie, then in the second the figurines become more apparent  and finally you can really see that in Lotso that it is much more in focus and clearer. 

Hope I did it right(besides the being inside part)! 

YEAH, week one done only 11 more to better photos, or so I hope, lol!

and just because they are cute- 

Kieran and Mikey-