I love the way my niece’s fine hair is in focus on this shot, and I love the baby-round shape of her cheeks…and those beautiful eyelashes. You know, sometimes I feel guilty for not taking as many shots of J when we’re out with family.

Sunday afternoon was like most of our get-togethers. I was busy trying to get some nice shots while the kids were playing outside in very different places. They’re still young enough to not really play together much. J and his older cousin, E, did dance together a bit, and there were a few other moments that were photographable, but I was busy socializing and didn’t have the camera near (and I’m not upset about it at all–I can’t miss out on life just because I’m the family photographer).

Later, when they went outside and I got out the camera, they went in three different directions and J was doing what he does best. Testing boundaries, far away from the rest of the group. I made myself busy getting shots of the girls and keeping an eye on him, but letting him explore.

I don’t know. I should probably make sure I spend an equal amount of time on each of them, but since I have opportunities at home with J, I’ve been concentrating on the others when we’re all together. I hope he doesn’t look back on the huge photo archive I’ll have by the time he’s 18 and wonder why there are so few shots of him when they’re all at Grandpa and Grandma’s. It’s not that I think he’s any less cute…but I’m worried he’ll think so.

I actually think he’s The Cutest Thing Ever. (Yeah, I said it. Your cuties can be the cutest ever, too. It’s a shared title.)  In fact, so shared that I’m offering the full-sized PNG file for the little badge on the above photo for your use…who knows, maybe you like to scrapbook or add even more personality to your photos!  Right click on the link and select “Download Linked File” to get the big version for your own personal, not commercial, use.

Head on over to Tracey’s to see all the other Cutest Things Ever for Best Shot Monday. You won’t regret it!

See the other Best Shot Monday posts at Tracey’s!

I thought I’d have a great photo op on Saturday when I took J to his grandparent’s house to see a 6-day-old calf, but I thought wrong.  I’ve obviously done a poor job toughening him up because when we walked into the barn and he heard the mama cow mooing, he immediately went stiff as a board and started screaming.  Red, his cousin, also started screaming.  So, instead of getting some adorable pictures of him hugging a slightly dirty calf, I abandoned the camera on a bale of straw and cuddle the little man until he calmed down a little.

Instead, I’ve got a shot of J checking out his dirty hand, not pointing at me like a gun.  Really.  I swear.  My dad hasn’t gotten him THAT corrupted–of course, if he were a little older, I wouldn’t have put it past him.  Grandpa helped train his three-year-old granddaughter to mention that the large fiberglass orange moose she passes on the way to Grandpa’s house has balls.  Yeah, you heard right.  She now says, “The orange moose has balls, Grandma!”

The orange mouse is NOT anatomically correct.  I do not know where they get this stuff.  It does kind of make a person giggle though, doesn’t it ;)

I’m still relying on the shots from last week to get me through this week because my whole 365 project fell apart about two months ago. Oh, well. I’m unmotivated by the too-plain and too-small interior landscape of my house to take any more shots in here and don’t really feel like managing the outdoors. See, now that the snow is receding, it seems that thousands of piles of dog land mines have been uncovered. Since I’m more of a fan of using mechanical means to get rid of them, I’m leaving that to my husband.

Besides, J is fascinated with them and since when I go out, he goes out, it’s not an easy thing to pick up the yard without many shouts of “Yucky, yucky!” followed by a falling-down fit when he doesn’t get his way.

Anyway, the shot above is of J’s cousin doing an adult-like thing and watching out for any gatecrashers at the birthday/Easter dinner last weekend. She was an excellent look-out. Her dress was adorable, too. I realized once I got there that really, J should have had some Easter finery but, people, he’s a boy. Since I’ve been trying to save on gas, I haven’t been many places to shop aside from the local Wal-Mart. They aren’t exactly the kind of place I like to look for dress clothes at, even for my son. Bleeeech.

Anyway, I’ll quit the rambling and go get my son out of bed. Have a great day, everyone!

J is getting to be a big(ger) boy lately.  As the shot for today gives evidence, his highchair has been taken out of the spot its graced for over a year now and a small booster seat has taken its place.  There’s a potty chair in the bathroom and even a stool J carries around to use to see out those higher windows.

He’s even taken to deciding when it’s “na-night” time and walking to the door of his bedroom, waiting to be tucked in.  Last night, that was at a sensible 6:30 p.m.  Tonight he missed his afternoon nap, so it was an even more sensible 5:15 p.m.

No lie.  I’m completely serious.

Anyway, he’s becoming quite the little man.  THAT’s why this is the best shot of the week–my little man is growing up just a little.  Now, if we could actually get him to use that potty.

I love today’s best shot. He’s sitting in his highchair next to the north-facing patio door and I love how the light highlights his perfectly-shaped lips. And those eyelashes. Wow. Perfection. I’ve got a few more up at Flicker, like this or this or this or this .  I love, love, love Sundays with light.

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We were SUPPOSED to head to Minneapolis this weekend for the quarterly visit to J’s elder grandparents, but for what seems the like the billionth time since we postponed our Christmas visit due to snow we canceled, yet again.

J’s coughing and sniffly and, gasp, spent all but about four hours sleeping yesterday. He was up and running today, though, so all seems to be better, aside from the hack that’s worsened during crib time. I’m thanking whoever invented the humidifier right now since it’s moistened up the air enough after a few hours that he’s finally stopped coughing and actually fallen asleep.

I am a terrible mom, though, as I encouraged him to cough a little extra when T got on the phone to tell his mom we weren’t going to be dropping by. I certainly didn’t want her thinking we were avoiding them ;)

Poor, Neglected Bunny

I’m missing my boy. He stayed overnight at my parents last night so that they could babysit today while my sitter is unavailable, and while I thought I might be as joyous as the parents who keep telling me that T and I need time alone, I SO DO NOT. I love T, that’s for sure, but we really LIKE our time with J…together.

See other, most likely happier, Best Shot Mondays at Mother, May I!

Isn’t she a doll? Seriously, this kid is not only a sweetheart, but that hair-all-askew thing works for her. Who’d have thought? As my niece, she qualifies for complimentary sittings while I annoy the hell out of her since she’d rather be playing with my son.

Actually, for some god-awful reason, my little sis decided she’d rather not pay a studio photographer for portraits and instead wanted me to do her 1-year shots.  Then, she dragged the little honey over to my house–the smallest house on earth and never really all that easy to get shots in–while everyone else is getting or thinking of getting 80mm and 100mm lenses, I’m going the other way and looking for something in the 25-35 mm range just so that I have some room to shoot in.

Sigh.

Oh, may I mention that I’m thinking we’re having a late start or cancellation for school again tomorrow?  Yeah.

See more BSM-goodness at Mother May I…