lots to do!

I am posting my post for tomorrow, tonight. I have a lot to do and get ready for.

See... this little, goofy kid of mine has a birthday party this saturday. He is turning two in exactly a week from now and this year I am making it super special. This poor kid kind of has a birthday in the bad timing department. Last year, we celebrated in Tennessee in a parking lot of hotel waiting for his dad to finish up a bass tournament. Chase didn't really mind, he loved eating hot dogs and cookies that night. And being that we don't live near family, we kind of just threw together a small little party when we got back with a cupcake and some cookies.

This year, we will be traveling out to Kansas City to look for new homes and places to live. And next weekend is the only available weekend for us to go before we actually have to be out there.

So this weekend, I am going all out. We invited all of our closest friends, our adopted grandparents and aunts and uncles and we are celebrating this little guy. I have lots of cupcakes to make, treats and food to prepare and decorations to finalize. Tomorrow I will spend every available minute making it perfect for him. And even though he is only two and could probably care less... at least I will feel a little better and a little less guilty.

Hope you all have a wonderful friday and a fabulous weekend!!

xoxo, Kristin

before and after

After our morning bath we decided to play in the morning sun. I snapped this picture of her looking at me and I just loved it. I just felt like it needed a little lighting and warmth to it.

I opened this image first in ACR and adjusted the white balance. Then I slightly sharpened the layer and ran baby powder room from the Coffee Shop. Then I sharpened the eyes at 70% and added a warmth layer at 15% and a contrast layer at 45% and I felt like this brighten the image to where I liked it. I also added a soft pink gradient layer at 8% to soften and add a sun kissed look to the image.

I love the color shot, but I love black and white captures. So I added a black and white layer and adjusted the curves to my liking. Making it soft but adding a little more black to add some depth. Then I added a milky gradient layer at 8% to add some tone to the image and I finished it off with a vignette of 8%.

So what do you think? Color or black and white?

Check out more before and afters at Pixel Perfect!

wordless(ish) wednesday

Yesterday I got to spend the afternoon with just my little buddy. It was just the two of us. (well, it was with his school on a feildtrip.) But we got the opportunity to explore and discover on our own.

He loved every minute at the discovery gateway museum. There were things to spin, balls to throw, and so many areas to run and play. I love discovering with him. I love watching him grow. He is doing amazing things!

day 55 - discovering toes

I am so loving that Miss Bre has discovered her little toes. I love that she wraps her tiny little fingers around them and swings them back and forth. Laughing and cooing while she does it. It's so fun to just watch her grow and discover new things. She is growing up way too fast these days.

While I was taking some easter pictures of her and the boys, she wouldn't stop playing with her feet. It was too cute and I just had to capture this moment of her. I love this stage of her right now!!

packing up

It looks like we are heading to the mid-west! Kansas City to be exact!

Wayne was offered a wonderful position in his corporate office, and after much deliberation and discussion and prayers, we felt like this was a great opportunity for Wayne and our family. So we are frantically cleaning and packing and just getting ready for our big move.

We are hoping to be there by the end of Spring!

Needless to say I am excited and nervous and looking forward to watching my family grow in a new and wonderful place!

day 53

It's a quiet, lazy Sunday around here. We are just watching the snow continue to fall and just enjoying the sweet moments we have.

As you can see, he loves this rocker!



Hope you have a wonderful Sunday!

the paper mama photo challenge :: black and white

This week's theme over at the Paper Mama is black and white. I absolutely love black and white pictures and I am still learning on the right black and white processing for my photos, but I always believe that black and white can really make a photo even more beautiful and capture a story.

It was hard for me to pick a photo for this contest, because I just have so many but I really like this one of miss bre. I took it by our window in the morning light and I just love the shadows and catch lights on this photo.

To check out more amazing and beautiful black and white photos head on over to the Paper Mama!

day 51 - we're rockin'

One of the sweetest old lady in our neighborhood stopped by one day asking if we would like an old rocking chair. Of course I  said "yes! that would be wonderful!" And the moment that rocking chair made a place in our home, it hasn't had an empty seat.

It's Fisher's favorite place to sit and just look out our front window. It's the first place he runs to in the morning and we finish there with night time stories in daddy's lap.

We are so grateful for this rocking chair.

day 50 - new things

We are getting ready for new and exciting things around here! I can't wait till I can share with you all, but it will be a big change for all of us. We have a lot to do and a lot to get ready for. (and don't worry, it's not another baby...phew!)

So today I share with you pictures of my little one who just so happens to be the most content and happiest baby I have ever had.

Don't you just love that smile?!

Happy Thursday Everyone!

wordless(ish) wednesday

These long days of no naps are starting to catch up to him.

This is how I found him right before dinner, passed out on the couch.