Josh & Kati

Beautiful Baby Lilie!

2011-10-09T19:27:00.003-06:00

I am so excited that the last nine months have really flown by! I am a very impatient person and so I was very eager to have my little girl and was super excited when she decided to come early. Not too early, but just early enough to be totally healthy and perfect :)

Luckily our experience with my labor was a little less stressful then with Reese. At my doctor's appointment we were dilated to a 4 and I had been so sick all night that my doctor had us head over to the hospital to be monitored. After a few hours of nothing really happening except them getting some fluids and anti-nausea medicine in me, they sent us home. Josh was terrified to leave me to go to work cause no one was going to be home that night so it was just me and Reese and it just felt like something was going to be happening. Right before he headed into work, I started bleeding and my doctor told us to go back into the hospital. So we packed everything up and headed back in.

They hooked me up to the monitors and checked me again. A 4.5 now, but that was it and they cannot admit you and help along the labor till you are dilated to a 5. I was not having any contractions and the charge nurse wanted to send us home again. My nurse and doctor did not want to send me home so they sent us on a walk. Not just any walk... she wanted me to swing my hips around and get moving so that we could encourage her to nestle down in the hips just enough to dilate me to a 5. Then the doctor could break my water and we could have a baby!

So we walked for almost an hour...

At the end of the walk, my contractions were about 3 minutes apart. When they came in to check on me when we got back I was dilated to a 5 and they called the doctor to come in to break my water! But little Lilie was eager to come and by the time the doctor got there, I was dilated to an 8 and having some really intense contractions.

The labor and delivery only took us about 2 1/2 hours. From the time we got back from our walk around 6:45 to the time she was in my arms at 9:17 my body was totally ready to have a baby. I am so glad we listened to the very subtle hints my body was giving us so that we could be safely checked in to the hospital and prepared to have a baby instead of the crazy, stressful rushing that we did with Reese.

And we are so happy to have Lilie in our family. She is too perfect! Except she does have my temper :( She is totally chill and happy, unless she is hungry or you lay her on her back, then she gets all red and screams at you until you give her what she wants. But still, we love her too much.

Here is her birth announcement and a sneak peak of the photo shoot that daddy did on Day 6. He will be posting more pics soon, I promise!

Kati

It's a GIRL!

2011-06-03T19:07:00.005-06:00

Can you believe we are already half way done with this pregnancy? I am having a hard time believing it myself. We had our ultrasound and everything looks great... and we found out we are having a GIRL.

I was in shock for most of the day. I was totally prepared and eager for another little boy, but I never seem to get what I want :) The ultrasound tech was pretty certain we have a little girl cause we got many, many good views proving 'she' was not a 'he'.

After a couple days of complete shock and worry, I have finally decided I am happy and excited for this new adventure (and I am sure this will be the adventure that tests my patience cause Reese is pretty much the perfect child and super easy). But can you believe I still haven't bought anything for baby girl? No pink, no ruffles, no girly things... yet.

Here are the pics from the ultrasound. It is pretty awesome seeing how fabulous this little girl will be. If you can't figure out what you are looking at, there are labels on the bottom right of each screen shot.

Only 20 or so weeks to go till we have completed our family! I couldn't be more excited.

The kid is almost 2....

2011-04-18T11:34:00.003-06:00

Kati and I collaborated on this shoot. Usually she is the brain child behind the ideas and I just click the camera. She first told me about the outfit and I have been eying the backdrop for a little while. Unfortunately the "talent" was not in the mood to cooperate. We of course got some good stuff but was a bit of a struggle. We will still keep him :)

This would be his "cute face" sometimes it looks like the little yellow school bus face.

He is actually smiling in this one.

This little guy is soo dang cute. Its pretty much unfair for the ladies..

This was my favorite shot, in regards to the lighting.

He did find some interesting stuff in the bumpers. And a "circle"

This truck apparently has been sitting in the same spot for 20 years. Trudi tried convincing Shaun/Shaun's dad to buy it. If you are interested he will probably let it go for a good deal.

On Saturday we did a mini shoot with Reese, Wesley, and Alexia at the school. Sun was harsh, so I have some editing to do. I will post some of those later this week.

Reese got a hair cut.

2011-03-19T16:42:00.002-06:00

We were hoping to go outside to shoot the photos today, but alas dear mother nature was not cooperating. I haven't taken any for a while though so we did it in his room. He is getting so big, its amazing how fast its all happening.

Some current stats for the little guy.

-He still loves Mickey mouse, now is talking along with it more. Calls out "Toodles" and will say the other characters names.

-More and more he is getting Independent. Now for the first time he is refusing foods. Not a consistent food, just food in general.

-He can get into the top drawers so we need to get the next stage of baby proofing.

-The moon is a favorite topic. If he can't see it, he says over and over, the moon is sleeping.

-He will call out things like, bike, dog, moon as he sees them from the car.

-And my favorite thing he is doing is he is reading/talking to himself. I still don't understand most of what he says but boy is it cute.

Get ready for the next action hero. I love the determination in his step and the look in his eyes. AWESOME!

Mommy coloring with him. I like this one too.

He is showing how big he is here. What a doll.

Some Fun Reese Videos

2011-02-04T22:18:00.011-07:00

So I have been having a lot more fun with my video camera now that Reese is active and actually does stuff. I was going through videos and thought I should share some.

These first videos are from our trip to Cali this last October. We were able to go to Disneyland and California Adventures, spend some time on the beach, and also had a fun day at Sea World.

Here is Reese's first meeting with Buzz Lightyear (who he now loves, but was just starting to care about Toy Story when we went on our trip). Needless to say... he didn't like him too much.

That is the only video we got at Disneyland of Reese, but I think it is priceless. I know... I am a mean mommy.

We went to Sea World and Reese LOVED it. He is a big fan of aquariums and fish.

He also loved the starfish... or he just loved to play in the water of the starfish exhibit. You decide.

Okay, this last one at Sea World is of Reese watching the Polar Bear. He is showing off his wolf sound very well. This is definitely my favorite. It really shows how funny this kid really is.

Next is the beach! That is by far my favorite place to be so I was very worried that Reese would hate it and therefore limit me from taking tons of trips to the ocean. Luckily, he loved it! He loved it so much his daddy was nervous and had to keep a hold of him so he didn't run too far in.

And of course he also loved the sand... a lot.

It is so much fun looking back on these videos. It was only 4 months ago, but he had grown so much. He now looks like a little man and not a baby. I swear he has grown 4 inches taller in the last week alone.

This last video was taken just a couple days ago (see how much bigger he is). We got him the play mat and some trains for Christmas and he loves to run the little trains across the track. He hasn't quite figured out how magnets work and gets pretty frustrated when the trains won't stick together like they are suppose to. I keep telling him he needs to turn it around to make it work, someday he will get it. This video also shows how good Reese is to just sit and play by himself. He can do it for about an hour, then he wants to get your involvement or to just pester you till you put the computer/book/project down. Oh well, at least I get some time.

I know that is a lot of videos, but they are so fun for me to watch and laugh at. Hopefully I will get better at posting more frequently... but I don't promise anything :)

Reese update

2011-02-04T07:48:00.002-07:00

I say it all the time, "I can't believe how fast time is going." When we first found out we were going to be parents time was marked in weeks and trimesters. From that point it has just flown. In just three months my little guy will be two and that is just crazy to me.

So here are somethings he is into right now.

Still loves Mickey Mouse Club house. I love/hate it....

He knows his head, shoulders knees and toes. Eyes ears mouth and nose. Usually though he skips shoulders.

He is doing better with two word conjunctions. He talks all the time, and I still only understand about 1%.

Last week we moved up from 12 month to 18 month pants.

He finds it fun to jump from an upturned laundry basket on to his chair.

He is on a boot kick. His mom and Grandma Sheri got him some galoshes in Arizona. His Grandma Wendy got him Lightning McQueen snow boots, which he requests wearing now.

Every day with the little guy is an adventure and I love every minute of it.

And Pop Corn he can say, no mistaking it, clear as day. He likes that too :)

Christmas Day

2011-01-08T15:38:00.003-07:00

This was my first Christmas morning at home in at least 9 years. We usually spend Christmas day at the Winona's. With Reese though, we decided to stay home this year. It was a good choice for me. Getting to see him enjoy his new toys and just keeping it low key was a very pleasant change.

This one is of Reese helping Kati open her gift. He was kind of getting it at this point.

He does like Toy Story at the moment and above he has Buzz, below we opened Woody. And of course Woody has to wear his hat.

Here he sees his "bike" right away and is very excited. We could have stopped the whole thing right here and he would have been happy I think.

Unfortunately he is not quite big enough to ride it himself. We are hoping by the time its warm outside he will be.

This one was shot with my Christmas present, a 50mm 1.8 lens (Thanks babe) I will have fun using this gift all year.

Being a new year I am going to make a better effort in updating the blog. I have been taking some photos but one of my two resolutions is to take more pictures this year.

I plan on making 2011 a good year and it being quite the learning experience. Best wishes to all of you.

Reese's First Santa Visit

2010-12-14T20:17:00.005-07:00

I was so excited to take Reese to see Santa this year. I have to admit that I was a little worried because of the bad reaction he had to the characters at Disneyland a couple months ago (I think he traumatized Buzz Lightyear with his scream of terror). But regardless, I wanted him to meet Santa.

Sunday night was Josh's work Christmas party, and Santa made an appearance. There was no screaming, no crying, no running scared to momma! I was so proud of him. I am guessing watching Mickey Mouse clubhouse Saves Santa almost daily for the last month has helped.

Santa gave Reese a candy cane, which he thought was totally awesome. Until he tripped and it broke. Then he was devastated until I was able to get a piece of it into his mouth. Once he learned it was candy, he was even happier about the whole thing. My baby has a serious sweet tooth!

I hope you are all having a very Happy Holidays!

Guess, who's back..

2010-12-09T21:36:00.003-07:00

I know it has been some time since I have posted any pictures of Reese. And the truth is I haven't taken any. Between me being in California for training, the few other gigs I took and just not having a good concept we have gone almost 9 months with out a photo shoot with my favorite model. *please note, adorableness is to follow. Gasping, awing, and maybe passing out possible. Continue at your own risk.......

If this doesn't scream I shouldn't be doing what I am doing I don't know what does.

This is one of my absolute favorites of the bunch.

I have to thank Kati for another brilliant concept. Of course Reese did great as well. I hope this is the first of a more consistent bunch of shoots. Also Kati will be creating a fabulous Christmas card soon, so keep you eyes out for that.

Slacker

2010-11-19T10:14:00.003-07:00

Well it has been a while since I have posted anything at all. I haven't done any formal shoots of Reese since he turned 1. I need to change that up...

I was inspired by a cousins post(s) that she does about her little one. And thought it would be a good idea to take a little slice out of time and describe Reese as he is now.

So at 18 months,

Reese has moved on from cars to watch Toy Story. He also likes Mickey Mouse club house.

Each morning he wakes up around 7:00-7:30 and walks into our room to crawl in bed with us. He needs someone to get his chocolate milk.
He is not a morning person.

He has a lot of words he can say. "Milk" "Mamma" "Daddy" a bunch of animals and sounds for them. My favorite is Wolf, he throws his head back and howl. Its way cute.

He has started to climb on all kinds of stuff. He can climb onto the bar stool and then onto the island. Yikes is right.

He still enjoys coloring and stays mostly on paper items. (go washable crayons)

He wants to help us do what ever task we are doing, dinner, laundry, brushing teeth, flossing.

He gives great hugs now, we call them big squeezes, it just melts me when he does it.

When he is watching one of his shows you have to pause it to get him to pay attention to anything else. (kinda like his dad)

He can throw a ball pretty descent and started using his right hand a bit more lately.

I love him so much and excited to see him grow into an independent person. I also can't believe how big he is.

The Shields

2010-06-29T21:29:00.004-06:00

I finally got little Lindsey in front of my camera for an official shoot. And since Jenni and Nate were there we got the whole family. As usual it was a pleasure to hang out with these guys. I was pretty happy with the results.

I think this one is my favorite overall family shot.

Did I mention her eyes? They are amazing.

Lyndsee is quite the diva, but it made for some good laughs.

Ahh how cute huh?

So I thought this was great session. And anytime we need to do it again, just call me.

We went "urban" for his 1 year shoot

2010-05-17T10:38:00.003-06:00

We went a little country last month with his photos. This week we went to the city. He enjoyed it a ton. He was laughing moving around and of course even fell and bonked the noggin'. Each day he does stuff to amaze me, and I am so grateful to have him in my life. Now that he is walking and getting more independent, my patience is going to be tested, as well as my heart filling up with joy.

The chair Kati made for him. That woman's talent is truly endless! So I had the idea to take it to an alley way to do a shoot. I liked how it turned out.

Of the chair set up this was my favorite. The look is one we do see often and it shows how he really doesn't sit still for long.

I need to come up with something else creative for next month. All ideas are welcome :)

Happy 1st Birthday Reese

2010-05-09T22:59:00.004-06:00

We had a wonderful party for the little guy, and of course Kati went all out to make his stuff special. Her talent seems endless to me. And not only were they pretty, they were delicious!

We, and by we I mean Kati, went for a Safari animal theme. All the designs and animals she created herself.

Here is Reese digging in. He ate the penguine. He loves blueberries and Kati made a blueberry layer in the giant cake.

And I had to throw in a couple of photos of the two best mothers in my life.

Sunday at the park

2010-04-28T09:58:00.005-06:00

This last Sunday, Jessica and Andy invited to the park. It was a very nice day so we agreed. We were pleasantly surprised that they also invited Benjam and Chelsea as well as Ben and Thao. he So all the kids got to play together. It was a little windy but all in all a very nice day. Thank you Jess and Andy for initiating such a fun time. I think we can all agree it will be happening again.

Here Reese demonstrates the proper way of not getting your knees in the bark while crawling.

There was a play ground with two slides monkey bars and a climbing wall. Reese found me through the hole. He thought it was pretty funny. (so did we)

He is getting better with his balance every day. He has even taken steps on a couple of different occasions. He still likes holding your hands though.

Alyssa was quite mobile as well. The grass kind of threw her off at first. And at one point Reese ended up with the hat. He was reluctant to give it back, but he did.

Someone left behind chalk, so the kids did some drawing. And eating of said chalk.

Here is my babe soaking p the sun.

Would you believe it. Benjam snagged the camera and got a shot of me and the boy. I am glad he did.

It was only two hours, but we got in Frisbee, and a contest Benjam won. I should have guessed a physics major would figure out the best way to make a complete revolution on a kid toy. I really had fun and am looking forward to next time.

Little Ian Welker

2010-04-19T12:44:00.003-06:00

Last night we went and took some photos of the little 5 day old Ian. He was a brave guy. Squirmed a bit but in the end we got the job done. And some great images I must say.

This one made us all laugh, he kinda looked Golem like.

This one is my current favorite. I love the scale and the look in his eyes.

2010-04-12T12:54:00.002-06:00

Last night we went over to Wheeler Farm to do some outdoor photos of Reese. It wasn't a bad night if the wind wasn't blowing. He did have a lot of fun looking at the animals and just being outside I think. Although by the time we were done he was ready for bed. Thank you of course to the beautiful wife of mine, and Missy and Trudi for helping out.

What a Sunday!

2010-03-22T10:35:00.005-06:00

As some of you may know I am seriously considering hiring out my photography services. This is mainly due to the fact I need some way to support my habit. The good stuff is kind of expensive and I want, I want, I need I need.

So, yesterday I lined up some willing parents, and some unwilling children to come over for pictures. It started at 9:30 with little miss Skye. It took her a little bit to warm up, but we got it done and she played with Reese for a while too.

Angie, a good friend and awesome potter, brought some pieces over to be documented. She was kind and patient enough to fill the down time between kids.

At 11:30 a gal I work with brought her very cute 2 month old over. He was awake, and mellow. We even went al'natural. No accidents even.

At 12:30 Anna brought their lovely daughter Mikaela over. She was a fun energetic little girl. Lesson one learned. (always have extra batteries) We have rechargeable for most things but not the CR123a batteries for one flash. The awesome wife ran and got me some and the shoot went on.

After she was done it was a quick lunch break and back to finishing up the pottery. I rapped up shooting around 3:30 and wanted to get right into editing. We did have dinner plans though so I had to hold back just a bit.

Just two of the amazing works of Angie. The girls got skills what can I say.

Dinner was another awesome event. We ate at my cousins Tim and Jenny with there kids and stayed till 10 talking and playing games. They have a truly wonderful house made excellent food. And even though we warned Reese about all the pretty girls being related to him, it couldn't be stopped. He did like Ryan too. Thanks again Smith's for your hospitality and overall good time. I think we should schedule sometime soon for the next one.

After we got home I put in some work on editing and got a few done that I've shared here. Now time to finish the rest.

I say mission success at this time.

-Josh

Only 2 months left on fastest year ever.

2010-03-08T10:06:00.003-07:00

This weekend I went to Ben's house to use his beautiful north facing bay window again. This baby just proves life isn't fair. Ladies you have no chance against his natural charm and awesomeness. I apologize in advance.

Thank you again Ben for hosting us. We will certainly do it again some time.

Time to get fit

2010-03-05T23:02:00.002-07:00

It happened the first of the year. I had to buy pants in a bigger size. Not the first time I bought 38's. Didn't make it any better though. Also skiing with my dad and brother was well not as awesome as it could have been. Luckily I am not the only one wanting to get fit. Quite a few of my inlaws and of course Kati have entered a little contest. It started the first of Feburary and goes until April.

I started out doing Wii active. It was a fun start, got me soar but didn't really get me into it. Kati is still going strong with it and has my vote for the win. She is one determined cookie. So I basically slacked off Feb only loosing 2 pounds.

Then I got a hold of P90x. Stop laughing its awesome. I have now done it for 6 days and man is my butt getting kicked. Also we as a household have really started to eat healthier again. (Thanks babe!) She keeps coming up with new recipes for us to try. And when she buys less snack foods I eat less snack foods. Weird how that works. My weigh in is on Monday so we shall see how this week worked for me.

Good news is I am pumped. Depending on the final results I might be brave enough to post some before and afters. We shall see.

Reese is 8 months old

2010-01-17T20:13:00.003-07:00

We are well into the mobile stage for Reese. He is now getting up on his hands and knees, but falls on his face when he moves forward. Instead he does an army crawl jump to move forward. Still he is amazing and adorable. His hair is getting longer now too. And his first photos in the tub.

One more for this year...

2009-12-31T19:56:00.004-07:00

This has been a life changing year for my family. Of course I mean Reese. We truly are a blessed couple. The kid is just plain adorable. Even though as his dad I am a bit biased, we hear it all the time. For those of you who did not get a Christmas card, here it is. Along with the larger images. Dang the kid is just CUTE!

This is one of those photos that everything came together just perfect. It and him are keepers!

My handsome man

2009-12-06T00:13:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple of the little guy. And no you can't have him. He's mine!

The Carltons

2009-12-03T15:26:00.003-07:00

The Carltons joined us for Thanksgiving, which was a nice and cozy event. Fortunately for us they stayed to help out with Reese. No other baby sitting options. So since they were hear we did a family session. The most successful so far. Thank you again for the help guys.

You may notice she has one of Kati's high heals on. At least it matches. And my favorite of the set.

I can't resist at least one black and white.

has it been 6 months already?

2009-11-08T23:05:00.004-07:00

Our little guy is now six months old. Boy does time fly. Although we didn't get any photos he does have two teeth. He is getting cuter by the day and is such a joy in our lives.

Halloween

2009-11-02T21:14:00.002-07:00

We were the Incredibles. Kati made all the costumes cuz she is awesome. And it was her idea too. We had a ton of fun!

Now he's 5 months old

2009-10-13T21:50:00.002-06:00

Here are just a couple of the pictures we got on Sunday. My little guy is almost sitting by himself. I do have a lot of photos with Kati's arm in them. She was close by and no accidents happened.

This last one is dark because the flash didn't fire, so its grainy but man is it cute.

He Has His First Tooth!!!

2009-10-11T12:33:00.002-06:00

Reese's first tooth finally broke through yesterday. He now is consistently running his tongue over it. He uses his tongue a lot more now to test out things near his mouth before biting them. Today we are doing his 5 month old pictures so maybe Josh will get a pic of his new tooth to post. Maybe if everyone keeps bugging him maybe he will post new pics soon!

Reese Discovered the Dogs Today

2009-10-09T21:53:00.004-06:00

This is the first time Reese has really noticed the dogs. He has decided they are pretty amusing. We all think he is amusing. I do love his laugh... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLV8U93sC7I

Last weeks wedding

2009-09-11T22:29:00.003-06:00

Last Friday my dear sister in law was married. It was an awesome and FULL day. The ceremony was at 11ish luncheon at 1ish and reception at 6. I was not the official photographer nor did I want to be so most of what I have are snapshotish photos. There have been a couple of my sister inlaws posting so I figured I would jump on the bandwagon.

This is Nate hiding in the shade with most of the little ones. It was hot and bright for beeing 11 in the morning.

One of my favorite moments was just after the ceremony and the best mans look of total defeat. Also he had no idea I was taking his picture.

Here is the official photographer (Kimmie, who is an older sister) The funny thing is she is crying here.

This is Gretchen, who was an amazing help! Lance also did a bunch, not pictured but connected to Gretchen. The reason I like this one so much is the two little ones are watching each other. How cute is that?

Little miss Chloe and Haylee. Haylee saw I had the camera and moved in close to Chloe, she didn't know what was going on and got up and changed seats. Cute photo, funnier to see in person.

Thanks for all those who helped and made it memorable, congratulations Shaun and Trudi. I hope you enjoyed your honey moon. Can't wait till your home. (the trash needs to be emptied :)

tomorrow he is 4 months old

2009-09-07T10:44:00.004-06:00

This weekend Trudi got hitched, and while I had some free time and the wife and grandma around I decided to take some photos of our little guy. Amazing how I can still remember quite clearly hoping to get to November which was the start of the second trimester. Now he is rolling to his belly and being more and more interactive. I love this little guy!

at last

2009-08-25T21:52:00.002-06:00

Sorry for the delay, here are some shots of our little guy taken at about 3.5 months old.

Baby picture update

2009-07-27T12:46:00.003-06:00

I know it has been a little while since I have posted pictures of my handsome lil guy. What can I say, life got busy. I must also admit that its hard to take pictures of Reese for me. Often I am afraid I won't capture the beauty I see in him. Also my trusty camera phone is filling up quickly with photos because its the camera I have out when he is being so darn cute. The bullet has been bitten and I am rather pleased at the results so I expect more to come much more frequently.

My favorite of this round. Its a bit grainy but I like that effect. (it wasn't on purpose, the flash didn't fire) Still I love it. Computer backround here I come!

Wide eyed and wondering here. Most of the shots this time were of his head, so here is one of the few with some body. He is not starving I can tell you that.

This is the face I see most mornings when he wakes up. Its dangerous to have something that can melt a heart so quickly. I think I will take the risk.

The tongue gets a cameo here. He has learned a new sense, taste. If it gets near his mouth its fair game. You have been warned :)

Even though everyone tells you how much your life is going to change, you prepared yourself as best you can, its indescribable the actual change. As a friend told me, I am now forever connected to Kati through Reese. He slept in his own room the first time two nights ago. The urge to get up and check on him was intense but I kept it at bay. Last night no such will power. I had to go in and make sure he was okay. Of course he was and oh so beautiful. I am delighted to see the boy he becomes, and to have the time with him now. Love you Reese.

The next month

2009-07-08T10:15:00.003-06:00

Its another month we've had with Reese. I am still as happy as ever. His smiles are coming more frequent, and in general he is such a good baby. Over the 4th of July we went to San Pete to have some fun in the sun. Reese got his first taste of swimming.

Here you can see he is not enjoying it.

His mom thought it was funny, Reese on the other hand, still not having fun. I must admit the water was a little chilly, and after a few more times he was fine in the water. He didn't stay long though, again it was kinda cold.

And some more photos because I have been slacking.....

Can you believe how big he is getting. We have the two month check up tomorrow and we will get the official stats. By our calculations he is 24" and between 11 and 12 pounds.

We love you Reese!

I should have backed up.....

2009-06-24T00:11:00.002-06:00

I was in the process of updating my phone when I got an error. It made it so my phone would not work at all. They gave me a new phone with no questions, but alas no more contact list. Lame I know. So for all of you that read the blog, please email me your info, Number, address and the like. Off to find a power cord for the old phone.

The little guy is 3 weeks old.

2009-06-01T12:30:00.003-06:00

Reese is now three weeks old. He is doing well, growing tall, and even had a little belly. Today we had a mini shoot in the kitchen after his bath. This guy is adorable.

I have to get a shot of his feet, I LOVE them.

I call him my "Handsome Boy" I think its obvious why.

You can see his eyelashes now.

This is the face we see all the time.

We are still excited and learning new things everyday. All is well, his jaundice is almost unnoticeable. Grandma Winona thinks his eyes will be brown. We will see.

A day at the Zoo

2009-05-30T23:02:00.004-06:00

On Thursday the wife and kid and I went to the zoo. Jenni and Lyndsee joined us, well truthfully they encouraged the trip in the first place. It was HOT. We had a good time.

Kati and Lyndsee in the kid area. Lyndsee was having quite a bit of fun.

Some pelicans chillin' in the shade

Giraffes, this guy was just pacing back and forth inside. Maybe he didn't want to be in the sun.

The girls just outside the Giraffe area.

"What are you looking at?"

Its like I am on a Safari.

If you eat your vegetables you can grow up big and strong like this guy.

I took lots more pictures but not realistic to post them all here. It will be even more fun my boy is old enough to have fun like Lyndsee did. And I think the snake slide was her favorite.

Nacho Night

2009-05-17T19:00:00.003-06:00

We were surprised by Andy with a phone call. He wanted nachos, and so did we. Next thing you know we are eating nachos chasing Wes around my house and having a good old time. Being the old folks we are every one left at like 7, except the McKelvies. So we went to the park around the corner and played for a bit.

This is Wes on the top of the BIG slide.

What a happy fun loving family.

4 days old now

2009-05-12T16:50:00.003-06:00

So I have been hearing it from a couple of people to hurry and get some photos of Reese up. Here are a few more. This were taken mostly by Sheri, and if I am not in them, it was me.

Proof I have changed a diaper. And my IQ drops when my handsome boy is near.

How can you not love this one. Look at those itty bitty feeties.

One of the few I left in color. He is a bit yellow in color, both mom and I had Jaundice. His isn't severe but alas he has some weird coloring.

A simple one but effective, I think.

..... Need I say more.

And I know what your thinking, where is the mom? Those of you ladies who have had kids probably know how much you want to be photographed 4 days later. And for those who don't well, it may be a while before I get a couple of her posted. If we are being honest, you just want to see Reese.

The Baby's

2009-05-08T19:14:00.003-06:00

He is amazing in every way. I am sooo excited to start this chapter of my life. Here is a sample of what is to I am sure going to be a plethora of photos.

Came across these

2009-04-29T19:34:00.003-06:00

I was looking through my pictures today and came across these, they were taken back in November.

See no, speak no, hear no......

Awe Trudi and Shawn.

What can I say, I am a mamas boy..

This is Sam and my Mom. Both lovely ladies.

Its getting closer

2009-04-29T10:59:00.003-06:00

So here are some photos of the construction we've been doing.

You can see here the sliding door and the old closet.

Here the new door is in. The closet is framed in and the old closet is going to be a bathroom someday.

Here we have the sheet rock up.

Ahh the wood floors are in and it looks good.

This the hallway before and after.

We have pain in the master and the base boards and casings are done. I put the crib together yesturday (talk about making the obvious hit home) I hope to have the closet organizer done tonight, who knows we may actually be back in the bedroom before we have the baby.

what did I get myself into?

2009-04-22T23:02:00.002-06:00

First off let me start by suggesting not doing major renovations six weeks before you first child, or any child for that matter, is born. With a lot of work, we have just the home stretch to go. Today we got our flooring in. It looks amazing. So we have finish work such as baseboards and casing to do, then we get to move back into our room!

I will try to post some photos soon of the transformation.

Pictures from Disney on Ice

2009-03-16T23:32:00.004-06:00

So here are a few photos from the night.

This first one of Chloe is cool because the effect was done with the camera. I had a long exposure but the flash stopped her motion some what.

You can tell here that she was enjoying herself.

I didn't edit many of Lyndsee but I have a quite a few of her. She was closer to me and less people in between us. What a cutie huh?

Rafiki. Nuff said.

Da' seaweed is always greener.... Why do I have that song stuck in my head?

Can't be Disney with out this guy.

These two were some crazy skilled skaters! There was a spin they did I thought she was going to splatter brains on the ice or something. I was impressed to say the least.

Pumba its a family show..... "Hakuna mata, what a wonderful phrase"

Every time Goofey cam out he fell. And got loads of laughs for it. Was I so mean as a child to laugh at the plite of a poor soul on the ground? When in rome.....

We had a great time and I enjoyed the first half far better than the second half. I also got nausiated when I saw a lady in front of me drop 40 bucks on 2 cotton candies and 2 snow cones.

What did you do this weekend?

2009-03-16T08:28:00.003-06:00

I went to Disney on Ice with the in-laws, we had a good time as usual. We road trax downtown and walked around the Gateway after wards. What a nice relaxing and different evening. I am glad we could get together.

The best part of the weekend I didn't have to do. The wife and mother in-law are very talented an this is what happened while I was at work on Friday.

Great job ladies. Soooo close, yet sooooooooooooooooo far.

The nursery in stages

2009-03-10T11:03:00.002-06:00

So I have some more stages of the nursery's progress. We hope to have all the painting done this weekend. Then we just have to get the floors and closets done.

This was last Sunday, we got started at 8am

This was around lunch time here, we have the door up and the trim over the bead board.

This was 8:30 Pm. It was a really long day but we finally got the crown molding up.

New camera angle, so you can see the floor, or lack there of better. We have the blue all finished but need to add the clouds. Also its just primer on the lower half so we will be painting white on there.

Nothing gets the anxiety meter running like getting a room ready for a permanent change in your life. I am fortunate to have many friends and family around to help with advice and hand me downs. At the moment there are two parts to my personality, one that is ready to be dad and can wait for the baby. The other can wait, still likes the lack of responsibility and his wife's belly!

2009-02-26T19:18:00.002-07:00

It's that time of year again. My dad came to visit us from Texas. As usual we tore it up on the slopes. Monday and Tuesday were skiing. The weekend we went and saw my grandparents in Rosevelt. Its always nice to see them. We played in a foose ball tournament and had a blast.

Here is the man himself at the top of the hiss getting ready to tear it up.

Jesse showing off again. Man that boy can get some air.

This is the view off of the top of Sugarloaf lift. The second day was nice and sunny but the snow was rough.

This was Monday. The snow was better but cloudy and not to good of visbility.

Already looking forward to next year. Who knows maybe Kati will actually get to come. :)

The Canyons with my brother

2009-02-12T14:43:00.003-07:00

It was a good day on the mountain. My bro Jesse came with me as well as a friend from work.

Here is us on the lift heading up.This is Jesse and my work buddy on the lift heading up to the jump run.

Air Jesse. This boy is crazy but a nice subject to shoot.
It doesn't always end well. He didn't get hurt but he didn't land them all.
And a pretty shot.

The nursery

2009-02-01T20:04:00.003-07:00

So I thought I put up some of the progress of the nursery.

This is the closets reworking. We turned an inefficient single door closet into a double closet. You can also see on of the four lights we put in.

This is the closet with sheet rock and its first coat of mud. We also got all the carpet out today. Next is the bead board.

This is what pregnant ladies should be doing. Unless they are barefoot in the kitchen. :)

We are excited to be moving forward on this project. The plan is to have it all done by the end of this month. A bit ambitious to some, but we don't think so. I will keep things posted as more progress is made.

Why I love Utah in the Winter

2009-01-30T09:14:00.004-07:00

Carrie gave me some inspiration on a subject to write about. I love the snow, when its fresh and beautiful. I love how it clings to tree branches, sits on the roof tops, and makes good projectiles. I really love it to ski though. This year I was fortunate enough to befriend an employee of the Canyons Sky Resort. Do to this friendship a season pass made its way to my ski gear pile. Last year I got skis, boots and poles, so I get to ski this year for gas money only. And I do plan on taking advantage of that.

I have been up only twice with the camera. It makes me nervous to ski with it on the back. So the first time I barely took it out. The day was cloudy, so not so good of pictures. Yesterday though it was awesome! Cold, but the sun was out. Fresh snow everywhere. All I can say is, don't hate the playa' hate the game.

At the Canyons there is like a town up there. So you ski under bridges that cars drive on. I think its cool. Plus all the brown stuff you see is wood sticks. I will get a better shot of it next time.

This was a nerve racking self portrait on the lift. Turned out nice I think, but man all I was thinking, don't drop it, don't drop it, don't drop it!

And a scenery shot I converted.

zagledati vi v pred enim letom približno

2009-01-18T07:49:00.000-07:00

For those of us who can't read it says "See you in a year or so" in Slovenien.

I spent the better almost all my free time Thursday and Friday helping get the finishing touches on the packing and cleaning with Benjam and Chelsea. Sometimes that was lugging boxes other times it was just watching Skye. The whole time was kinda surreal. I have known Benjam 14+ years. Unlike most of the people I meet we stay pretty close. Through marriage and most recently kids we spend less overall time together but we stay in touch. Thanks to the internet we will still get to see and talk to each other, but no more random lunch dates. Or spontanious game nights or no more photo sessions with the cutest member of the Welker household. (you know who you are)

What was interesting to come to understand over the years is how much Benjam and Kati are alike. As well as how much Chelsea and I are a like. In the personality department not so much the physical department. It makes me wonder how we are attracted to different people, those with skills and attitudes we need to balance our own out. You guys make a really good team! I know you will do well on your adventure. I am excited for you and nervous at the same time.

You will be missed here. Every time I watch tv, play the Wii or watch a movie at my place I will thnk about you. If you extend your stay past a year there is a good chance we will come see you in Europe. I hope you get to take advantage of your position to explore. I know how much you both like to learn. (dictionary in the bathroom, nuff said) Take tons of pictures. Update the blog like you used to. Finaly once you get settled lets set up a Skype night.

I truly love you like family and miss you already!

Hug them if you love them.

2009-01-10T06:34:00.002-07:00

Yesterday about 2 in the morning a friend of mines husband died. To be more direct my best friend Benjam's sister in laws husband died. I don't know all the details but he is from Argentina and was doing guide work there since Christmas. Something happend on this last one and he didn't make it. I felt helpless. There is never something you can really say to that. Even sorry sounds cheep. I was home kinda stewing wishing there was something I could do. Finally I just took over some movies and popcorn. I gave her a hug and was just there. She has a rough road a head, as well as those close to her. I hope she knows I will do anything I can to help.

The strangest part for me is just two years ago this would not have had such an impact on me. This is because before Kati's accident, death was an inevitability, non emotional, just something that happenes. I find myself much more empathetic. I am glad to understand much better that death is very emotional, so I can be supportive to those who need it.

So as the title says, be greatful for those loved ones you still get to hug, and take advantage of that. A hug says all you want with out having to utter a word.

Its a boy!

2008-12-28T11:14:00.003-07:00

Aptly named for the profile shot. Just below the "O" is the nose. Then to the right is mouth and chin.

This one you can see the left eye below the "AC" and the right one below that. Below the chin is the an arm. The white dot below the arm is an elbow.

Well it has been some time since I posted. Things got busy for me this holiday. I am very proud and excited to say we are having a boy. We had the ultrasound on Friday. The boy is a mover already. (as if there was doubt we would have an active child) We saw many different angles of him. The spine was crazy, looked like a dinosaur. Kati didn't cry, she is just as excited as I am. Whew now I really have to get started on the nursery.

Skye-7months

2008-11-20T00:30:00.002-07:00

What a darling, now if she would only look at the camera sometimes.
Look out mom, that look seems mischievous to me...
Had to get a full body shot
Gotta have a matching scarf and hat in Utah
Yes she is a normal baby, and v2.5 they don't cry as much (at least that was in the release notes)

I was able to snap a bunch more of this lil 7 month old. I am getting nervous she may not like me though. As soon as she sees me she starts to cry. I just can't help it though, when ever this cute little girl is near I just gotta take photos.

Insperation

2008-11-07T22:27:00.003-07:00

After checking out Dana's blog I looked at my 4th file and 4th picture. Turns out it was one of my favorites from the big schwin dig this summer.

Winter wonderland pt 2

2008-11-06T12:22:00.003-07:00

This is one of my favorite shots to date.

Another favorite from this trip. I have tried getting birds before, not so easy.

Well you can only post 5 pics with blogger so here are the 5 I liked best from Jordan Park way. Scroll down to see the 5 from Wheeler farm I liked.

Winter wonderland

2008-11-06T12:16:00.003-07:00

Ice is nifty, even when its melting
This leaf was under some ice and I thought it needed to be photographed.
Its the ever elusive 2 meter gringo, who did not expect to see snow this year. I am glad he called me to take some photos this morning. I had a lot of fun.
I am lucky to have such a spectacular back drop!

My dad gave me a call and asked if I wanted to take some pics today. Light was great, how could I say no. On went the snow pants and the beenie and off we went. First to the Jordan Parkway in Murry, then off to Wheeler farm. All of these were taken at wheeler farm.

When the weather outside is frightful.....

2008-11-05T19:46:00.002-07:00

Had to go out and get some shots of the snow today. Here is just a couple but man I am excited.
And my new favorite new model ham it up with a sled.

the party 08

2008-11-02T21:53:00.003-07:00

The hostest with the mostest, swampthing. She quite literaly scares you off your feet.
What a remarkable stroke of luck for us. Spare Nipple had a gig in town, good ol' Chester the front man stopped by to show us how the monster of rock pays the bills.
The bride of Frankenstein and her escort.

We had a blast this year at Ben and Thao's party. I know Jessica got tons more photos than I did. I actually got more caught up in the fun than the photos for once. Thank you guys for hosting, and I don't envy the clean up.

reflection

2008-11-02T21:33:00.002-07:00

I have pretty much wasted away yet another Sunday, although we did have an extra hour. I got up this morning, walked through the kitchen and noticed a... fragrance we will call it. A month or so ago I would have continued to the basement to be lazy and that would be that. Today however I thought, will this make Kati throw up?

Normally I get up first on our day off. Normally I do not stay out till 2 in the morning having a groovy time at the best Halloween party around. So as I got up walking through the kitchen contemplating fragrances I was also curious as to the level of hunger my lovely wife had. Sure enough as I went downstairs she let me know it would be nice to have some Einsteins.

I brushed my teeth put on enough cloths to be accepted in public, filled the car with gas and got her breakfast. While she ate I cleaned the kitchen and the bathroom. (She also mentioned she wanted a bath.) As she prepared her bath, I prepared myself for a TiVo clearing marathon.

During my TV rampage I thought how much has changed since were expecting. I feel terrible that Kati is so sick all the time. Now I look at things I can do to ease that for her. Keeping her up late last night did not do her any good, although I know she had fun. It's amazing to me how immediate our lives have changed with a baby coming. I get more excited every day. I read others stories of precious moments and am jealous. I see moms making their son take back a toy he tried to sneak out of the store and am terrified.

I know I am going to be a great dad just as sure as I know I am going to mess up. If I really think deep about it, it overwhelms me. How did my parents do it? How did my mom do it alone with two boys for even a couple of years?

Ramblings over, I just wanted to clear some thoughts before bed.

I have been tagged

2008-10-27T22:55:00.002-06:00

9 T.V. Shows I watch:
1-Burn Notice
2-Extreme Makeover Home edition
3-ANTM
4-Heros
5-CSI Las Vegas
6-LA Ink
7-Miami Ink
8-Ugly Betty
9-Las Vegas

9 Favorite Restaurants:
1-Texas Roadhouse
2-Red Robin
3-Macaroni Grill
4-Cheesecake Factory
5-Apollo Burger
6-Dell Taco
7-Rumbi Island Grill
8-Pei Wei
9-Ice Burgs

9 Things that happened yesterday:
1-Saw baby Makina
2-Ate dinner with Carrie, Cris, Chloe, Missy and the wifey
3-Laundry
4-Took photos of biting dogs
5-Had Benjam, Chelsea, and Skye-berry come visit
6-took photos of Chloe and Skye
7-went grocery shopping
8-took a nap
9-played mario cart

9 things that I am looking forward too:
1-Being a dad
2-Getting the house remodled
3-Seeing all the photos Sheri takes on vaccation
4-Photo field trip with my cousin Tim
5-The second trimester (here's to hoping it will get better)
6-Snow, I love to ski
7-Having my dad come visit in February
8-Nursery finished
9-getting a new camera

9 things on my wish list:
1-Nikon d90
2-70-200 af vr 2.8 lens
3-another mexico vacation
4-trip to Brazil
5-hd tv/projection tv
6-loosing another 20 pounds
7-xbox 360
8-sb 800 times 2
9- external hard drive

5 People to Tag:
1-Tiffany
2-Benjam
3-Jessica
4-Chelsea
5-Jim

A night out with the Prodnuk's

2008-10-20T19:21:00.004-06:00

Issac is not camera shy, and likes to throw things.
This is Kira, and she has thee cutest growl ever!

Kati and I went to my buddy Tee Jay's house and hung out with the fam. It was delicious enchiladas, funny kids, an arm pinch and scattagories.

An outing with Tim

2008-10-11T06:35:00.004-06:00

He looks mean and she looks scared. I think she was trying to smile and he was looking tough :)
America's Next Top Model look out. Look at that pose, and note the completely serious face.
The reason for the trip, I like how it turned out.

My cousin Tim and I descided last week we wanted to go take some pictures, we set a date and time, which happened t be on Wednesday. He grabbed the two kids he could, I got my sister and we headed out to Saltaire to capture the sunset. It was fun, and dark. I didn't get very many photos but had a great time experimenting with off camera flash with Tim and the two little ones. He got a bunch though. We are going to try heading out again soon, a bit earlier this time to get more light. Here is a couple I took.

Wow, 6 months already...

2008-10-01T21:49:00.002-06:00

So little miss Skye is now 6 months old. What a cutie. I must admit the first time I shot was a bit better in the keeper department. We had fun though. And I may try again on Friday night. We will see.

A pregnancy milestone...

2008-09-25T09:17:00.001-06:00

Today Kati took her morning sickness to the next level and threw up. I know not awesome at all. If this thing lasts too long we may be having an only child.

Trudi's B Day

2008-09-23T06:26:00.002-06:00

Its that time of year again, when Trudi gets older, we make fun of here. Well I guess we don't wait a whole year to make fun of her, but she is a joy to have around. Never a dull moment, and lots of extra smiles. Thanks for coming up to visit us.

A dose of the mornings:(

2008-09-18T06:36:00.002-06:00

If we are lucky it was a one time deal, but Kati was sick yesterday morning. ugh. Her mom had it bad with some of the kids, and truth be told she is tougher than I am so she can deal with it better than I could, I think.

Guess whats cooking at my house?

2008-09-15T09:14:00.002-06:00

Party at Scott

2008-09-14T14:56:00.003-06:00

It quite literally has been years since I have seen most of this group. We had a BBQ/ kid fest. The highlights included chedder stuffed, bacon wrapped broughtties, and rootbeer floats.

My flkr account.

2008-09-12T22:58:00.002-06:00

So I also set up a flkr account to host some of my photos online. I recently bought "The Adobe photoshop CS3 book for digital photographers" which is helping me in some post processing. So I am going to edit some more photos before adding more to my stream.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27302857@N03/

Tiffany - I just may take you up on that offer sooner rather than later :)

I have joined the club

2008-09-11T06:36:00.001-06:00

I find myself adding more and more blogs to the places I check online so I thought, why not start my own. I have.