More Family Black and Whites

I have taken countless pictures since we have been traveling, but I am not uploading any of them to my computer. Unfortunately, I have completely filled my computer with music and photos...and am having a hard time getting the files backed up. So, the only recent pics that are actually on my computer are those I am using for projects.

These are some of the pics I took for a Christmas present I did for my parents. And to answer your questions, Angie, I use natural light and place them by a window with indirect light. I usually place the velvet (I think it's two and a half yards long) on a wall at a ninety degree angle from the window...and just try to get it to stay up however I can. This time I attached one corner with the binder clip to the top of some blinds and stuck the other corner into my parents' wall with one of those corn on the cob holders. Yay for improvisation.

I really have no idea what I am doing. I am just figuring it out as I go along. But I did want to answer you. :-)


MIKE (my brother who is two years younger than me) and his girlfriend of two years, MELISSA

He is a lawyer in Colorado Springs and loves hiking and photography. So, he's always fun to talk to. Melissa I met for the first time this week, and she is such a sweetheart. She fits so well in our family, and I hope to get to see lots more of her over the years.



PATRICK (my brother who is 4 years younger than me) and his wife, HANNAH

They have been married for almost four years now and live in Indianapolis. After many years in the army including service as a medic in Iraq, he is in school at IUPUI and is beginning his studies to be a doctor. He got all A's and a B, and I am so proud of him. Hannah is wonderful and an amazing wife for him. She is a property manager, so they get their housing for free. Pretty sweet deal.



BRANDON and ME

I think that, if you are reading this, you know who we are. :-)



JEFFREY (my brother six years younger than me) and CALEB

Caleb loves Jeff, so I thought that I could coax Jeff into getting his picture taken by having Caleb pose with him. But, Jeffrey is purely nocturnal and never seemed to wake up until Caleb was down for his nap. And by the time our little man was up, it was dark outside and I could no longer get the picture I wanted. So, in the end, we used a bounced flash, a bribe of chocolate and some Colts jerseys. :-)

Cousins

We are spending lots of time with family as we travel...and it has been so great. We were sad to leave the Carbaughs. It is always such good quality time with Christine and Tony, and Caleb loved playing with his cousins: Makkedah, Seth, Courtney and Emily. We would love to live closer to them. This morning, we took these pics of the kids before we left.

And Sarah, to answer your question, I bought a piece of black velvet at Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon (love those!). I just hang it in the background with binder clips. So easy and it makes backgrounds so simple and undistracting.

Oh Baby!

We are currently in the middle of our month of traveling...and enjoying every minute of it. I wish I could say the same about the negative 6 degree temperature outside. The day before we left, I took some maternity pics for a friend who is one of the cutest pregnant women I have ever seen. So, Kristen, here are a few of them and the rest will hopefully be in the mail tomorrow. :-) Thanks so much for letting me practice on you! It was lots of fun.

Our Christmas Card

Happy December! I thought I would post our Christmas card on here because we never seem to order enough...as was the case again this year. :-)

We have been super busy these last few weeks. After finishing the semester up and looking forward to a break, we all got sick. I hadn't planned on that, so I didn't get anything done this week that I had planned. But, I got to spend some good quality time with my sick family all week. :-) We are hoping to go to the doctor...Caleb for the second time...in Kansas on Tuesday.

Our yearly travels begin tomorrow morning. We are going to Kansas, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana. We are looking forward to seeing family and friends, and, as of now, I am looking forward to the trip. We are driving, and it will definitely be an adventure. Please pray for us.

I am right now procrastinating packing, and so I had better stop and go get that finished. Hope you're all enjoying the Christmas season. I love this time of year.

What we've been up to...

A Summary of November:

** Brandon's mom, Hope, came to visit us. We had a great time with her. We always enjoy being around her, and we look forward to seeing both her and Barry, Brandon's dad, in a few weeks.

** We raked leaves for the first time since leaving the midwest. Our trees are yellow and lovely, and Caleb got to experience the joy of leaf piles for the first time today. More pictures to come.

** Brandon's hernia surgery went well, and he is recovering well. He feels lots better, and he has had no more blood clots. Even with his inability to pick up Caleb, we are managing really well. Caleb is becoming really independent and can do everything except get into grocery carts by himself.

** Caleb's sleeping has been up and down all month, but we are getting more creative in our parenting. I think we are all learning together how to help that little boy get the rest we know he needs.

** Donnie and Renee Begay reported to NMSU to officially join us on campus as Cru staff. They are a Native American couple who went to school here and have begun the first ministry within CCC to Natives. We are SO excited that they are here! We got to spend the week with them while they stayed with us as they were moving in to their new home. They have moved just a few blocks from us, and we love our new neighbors. They have a one-year-old, Natalia, with whom Caleb has quickly fallen in love.

** Caleb has developed a habit of taking every single book off his shelves (and because I was an elementary ed major, he has a lot). He pulls them all down, and sits right in the middle of them and reads forever. It is the cutest thing. Though the cuteness factor is quickly wearing off the more time I spend cleaning them up.

** I am sure there is more, but that is all I can think of right now...seeing as how it is pretty late. Hope you all had a wonderful November...and are enjoying the start of the Christmas season.











** Oh...one more thing...Caleb seems to have learned to smile for the camera. I am sure it is temporary, but I will enjoy it while it lasts. :-) I so enjoy that smile.