THE BUNKHOUSE

Snowman

2012-01-24T16:05:00.000-08:00

This is really the first snow we've had this year. These two ran outside as soon as they got home from school so they could build a snowman. They named their snow man: Snow Flake.

Hanukkah

2011-12-20T12:44:00.000-08:00

Braxton and Jennica was watching a special on PBS about Hanukkah. They let me know that we needed to light a Menorah. Anyways, I had a couple of candle holders so this is as close as we could get.

Back to School

2011-08-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

I can't believe summer is over. . . . I really can't. It went so fast this year. Does it always go this fast? It sure doesn't seem to. Anyways, my twins started first grade today. They will be gone for so long today. It's been years since I've had the house to myself and it just doesn't feel right. I hear I will get used to it so I might - but, I can tell it will be a little difficult for awhile. I hope their happy today and that their day is going well. . . . Miss Baylee had a few butterflies in her tummy this morning. It seemed she was more nervous than the twins. I can't wait till I pick them up and hear all about their day.

Summer time = Rodeo time

2011-08-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

My kid's love orange leaf

2011-07-19T12:18:00.000-07:00

This has been a favorite destination this summer. My kids ask for it or a snow cone everyday. I'm trying to keep it down to once a week. . . . . .

Around our house. . . . .

2011-07-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor's daughter bought the coolest carriage and she has been so kind to give my kids a ride. They love it.

Grandpa and his snake

2011-06-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

My Dad is so awesome. He caught a little blow snake and took the time to bring it over to our home to show my kids. Unfortunately, Baylee was gone but Dad brought her cousin Brooke to take her place for the morning. The kids loved it. Problem is Braxton now want's a pet snake and Baylee is concerned for her baby bunnies.

A beautiful Lion Head Neutered Male for Sale

2011-05-01T20:24:00.001-07:00

Baylee with her bunny tonight

2011-05-01T20:07:00.001-07:00

Jennica's really close

2011-05-01T16:19:00.000-07:00

Were almost there. . . . . She can balance really well and she is almost there. She doesn't dare ride a bigger bike but I swear it would help her. Soon, very soon.

Easter

2011-04-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

Did you do a little bit of this today? Happy Easter!

My newest nephew

2011-04-20T21:57:00.000-07:00

Little did I know when I was taking these pictures that this sweet little baby boy had a disease that I had never even heard of before. Last Thursday evening (not yet a week ago) my brother and sister-in-law's pediatrician knocked on their door late in the evening. He delivered the devastating news that their newborn had tested positive for Cystic Fibrosis. He had an appointment for them up at Primary Children's Hospital the next day. Life will never be the same for them anymore. It is crazy that life can change in a moment like that. To stay updated on their journey you can follow their blog that my sister Cori set up for them. It is called taylorpack.blogspot.com.

The Doctors wanted to test all of Shawn and Jill's other children. McKenna their 2 1/2 year old tested as a maybe on her sweat test. She will have DNA testing this week to either confirm or deny that she has CF. We are praying that she does not have the disease.

The babies

2011-04-18T21:47:00.000-07:00

Jennica and Braxton turned six

2011-04-15T00:25:00.000-07:00

The twins birthday was over spring break this year. Since I threw them such big parties last year I thought we would just do a simple celebration with the family. I did let them invite the neighbor kids to eat cake and blow out the candles. It was fun to just relax and watch them have fun.

What the kid's did this weekend

2011-04-02T19:11:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor's the Zolman's have sheep and I've been wanting to take their picture for some time now. Well, I didn't have any luck getting a picture of a sweet sheep with a kid hugging it. Instead I got pictures of some worn out sheep that outran a pack of neighborhood kids. Kind of funny.

Look how tired the sheep were getting. At the end all of their tongues were hanging out of their mouths. The kid's out chased the sheep. They hardly wanted to stop.

Sick Day

2011-03-29T19:21:00.000-07:00

Baylee woke up too sick to go to school today. She complained of a headache and a stomach ache. I put her in my bed and gave her an ibuprofen. An hour later she woke up and said she was feeling much much better. But, as the day progressed I began to wonder if she was sick at all? You decide?

Baylee's Bunnies

2011-03-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

Baby Animals at our house

2011-03-26T19:57:00.000-07:00

Certainly can tell it's spring at our house. Lots of baby animals running around lately.

bunnies

2011-03-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

Quote For the Week

2011-03-22T08:56:00.000-07:00

I love to be inspired. . . .so I've decided to find a quote that I want to incorporate into my life at least once a week.

"People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It never was between you and them anyway."

Mother Teresa

color correcting pictures

2011-03-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

I finished an online mentoring class with Jodie at MCP actions. I found the class very helpful. It was the first time I had ever taken an online class with several other participants. I was a little worried something might go wrong and I would miss the class or not be able to participate. Everything was good. It was a color correcting class. I'm obsessed about getting the skin to have the exact measurements its supposed to so I loved it. I found the best way to correct skin is with color curves. Who knew? I was always adjusting my color balance which I found out is definitely not the best way. I love learning new things in photoshop so it was great.

Cori this is for you.

2011-03-11T09:58:00.001-08:00

My sister Cori has spring break next week. Since her husband is so busy with school she will be home with her kids without a whole lot to do. Anyways, I love this little kid craft blog so here is the link. Check it HERE. And this one too - check HERE.

The many faces of Braxton

2011-03-07T00:32:00.000-08:00

Braxton is such a ham. He is an amazingly sweet boy. I grew up in a family of seven kids - 5 girls and 2 boys. My Mom claims (and I believe her because I was there) that her two boys were harder than her 5 girls put together. With that said, I was afraid to have a boy. I thought it would be so hard. Braxton has made me totally change my mind about that. He is so easy going and he is also a great politician. He knows how to make each person in the family feel like they are the most special to him. Just love this little guy.

Okay the above picture is the bug eye look. He tends to squint for the camera so I say, "Open your eyes", and this is what I get. Kinda funny.

Switching from Canon to Nikon

2011-03-06T21:04:00.000-08:00

Many people jump into photography every day and wonder what they should buy Nikon or Canon.

First thing to know is that I have no clue how to use a Canon in manual. I purchased a Nikon and read the manual and taught myself from reading online how to use the camera in manual. I practiced, practiced, practiced. With that said I often get asked if I can help someone use their canon in manual. I can't. I've kind of looked into it and it seemed complicated to me. Nikon's just seem easier. That's my opinion and probably not a fair one at that. But, with that said I have noticed a few professional photographers that have switched from Canon to Nikon. I have never seen any professional photographer go from Nikon to Canon.

Check out THIS and THIS. On Pinkletoes blog (the last THIS) make sure you read the comments on her posts.

Now, I also want to add that there are some amazing photographers that use canon. This post is really just my opinion. I think Nikon is a little more user friendly.

Finally, I have many friends/neighbors that have asked me to teach them how to take a picture like I do. I feel the need to share whats in my camera bag so a person can understand that having the right equipment is what makes a professional photographers picture better than someone who owns a start up SLR. Knowledge on how to use that equipment is key - most definitely - but still equipment is important.

Here's whats in my bag:
Nikon D700
70-200 2.8 Nikor lens
50 mm 1.4 Nikor lens
105 mm 2.8 Nikor lens
SB 600 Speedlight

There is also several memory cards, gray cards, props, soft boxes etc etc. . . . .

Monkey's

2011-03-06T13:09:00.001-08:00

What We've Been up to

2011-03-04T15:37:00.000-08:00

I decided to let my kids make a little indoor garden. They've had a fun time planting peas. Hopefully it will warm up soon so we can plant them outside.

Also, I finally purchased a Bosch Mixer. I've never owned a mixer at all so I'm really excited about this. I'll have to post my sister's Bread recipe that she claims not even I can mess up . . . so we'll see how I do. I'm planning on making bread this weekend. I'm even planning on grinding my own wheat for the bread. Wow, I'm feeling domestic.

A swollen mouth

2011-03-02T16:03:00.000-08:00

Poor Baylee's cheek started to swell up last night right before bedtime. We gave her Ibuprofen and then promptly took her into the orthodontist this morning. Evidently the wires that were due to be cut on the back of her mouth had cut into her cheek and was causing major irritation. Hopefully, it will go away before she has to go on antibodies. Darn it.

Jennica's B-day party last year.

2011-02-27T22:16:00.000-08:00

Last year I threw a fancy smanshy birthday party for Jennica. I did it partly because I follow too many party blogs and partly to see how well I could photograph an event.

After it was all said and done it cost me more time and money than I care to admit. This year I have decided that simple is better. I'm thinking that rollerskating kinda sounds like a good idea. Problem is Jennica now thinks that her birthdays need to be elaborate. She has been planning her six year old party for over a year now.

She wants to have a princess Ball. She wants Braxton to invite all of his friends to dance with all the girls. She wants a glass glitter ball to hang from the ceiling. Her cake, well she want's a wedding cake. White on white with flowers and edible balls. I'm not kidding. Where did she come up with this? I've really been talking the rollerskating thing up. Braxton is so easy, he is fine with whatever. . . .hmmm maybe boys really are easier than girls.

Anyway, another party blog asked if they could feature Jennica's party. The party has actually been featured in many party blogs. Click HERE for the link.

Building Towers with blocks

2011-02-23T15:00:00.000-08:00

These three kid's built this today. They were so excited that they wanted me to take a picture and put it on our blog. So funny. I love that they asked me to document it for them. Their friend Morgan was here to help them.

Shooting in low light - cranking up your ISO

2011-02-21T17:24:00.000-08:00

I saw the shadows on my kids faces as they were sitting at counter in my kitchen this evening. I thought it looked beautiful so I ran to get my camera which happened to have my 105 mm lens on it. By the time I got the camera back to the kitchen the sun had already set and I lost the light. Bummer. But, I still liked the shadows so I snapped a few pics of Jennica. The close up picture my ISO was 3500 way too high. . . .but it was exposed perfectly. I then lost more light so I told her to run to the window and I took the last shot of her which my ISO was up to 6400. When I loaded them in photoshop I reduced the noise and then ran a skin softner over her face. That helped the grain a little bit. I then did a pop the color on the full body pic and on both pictures I ran a defog. Then I resized them for the web which reduced the noise even further. Anyway, my point is that you should still take the shots and crank your ISO if you need to. At least you have the images. No these shouldn't be blown up big but their great snap shots.

I stepped on Braxton's army guy

2011-02-20T16:47:00.000-08:00

Yes, Braxton was a little beyond sad that I ruined his army guy. Last night when I went in to check on him before I went to bed I felt a crunch under my shoe. After a little further investigation I found that I totally scrunched his army man. I really didn't think he would care all that much. I happened to have my camera in my hand as he came in to show me the tragedy.

Okay, on the last picture I was just playing with my macro lens. I have a love hate relationship with it. It is the 105mm Nikor lens. I love it because it is awesome to get those really close detailed shots. I hate it because it needs so much light to focus properly when you are getting those really close shots. As I move in close to my target I block the light and it seems to struggle. Anyhow, I'm still practicing with it.

Someone else lost a tooth

2011-02-18T13:09:00.000-08:00

Another tooth is gone. Jennica was so excited to put her tooth under her pillow last night. We talked about what the toothfairy would leave her. . . then I went off to get things done. This morning when I went into her room I saw the look on her face as she grabbed the tooth out from under her pillow. Nothing from the toothfairy was there. I quickly ran and found the money the toothfairy had left by our front door. She must have decided that Jennica would be too sad to have her little tooth disappear. Whew, Jennica was thrilled. She got her tooth and two dollars. Wish the tooth fairy would get it together sometime soon.

Braxton lost another tooth as well. I'm wondering if his really should have came out. . . I think it may be too exciting for these two twiners to lose teeth. It was Braxton that pulled out Jennica's tooth. Her's sure did bleed for a long time. It has been about two weeks and there is no sign of a new tooth yet.

Jennica getting ready to play outside

2011-02-13T21:45:00.000-08:00

Did you enjoy the 40 degree weather this weekend? We sure did. It was so nice to get out and feel the sun on our faces. We played outside a lot this weekend. We did have a little bit of a tragedy though. . . Baylee's bunny that we bred a month ago had her babies. They all died. I thought that we should put fleece in their cage to keep them warm. I guess they got caught in the fleece and they died. Baylee was so sad. There were four of them. We dug a little grave today and had a little cry. They would have been ready for Easter so Baylee is especially distraught. We'll try again real quick and see if we can do better.

Braxton and Jennica's school valentine party

2011-02-11T13:18:00.000-08:00

I went in and helped with their kindergarten Valentine Party today. Braxton said this was the best day ever. I love that they are so easy to please at this age.

Braxton and Jennica's 100 Days of school

2011-02-10T13:08:00.000-08:00

Braxton and Jennica celebrated their 100th day of school today. I loved their little glasses and the necklace they made with 100 fruit loops on them.

I usually get one shot and then they are so done. (the picture below)

"Stop" No more pictures.

Baylee and Sasha

2011-02-06T15:05:00.000-08:00

Sasha has really impacted our lives since we got her for Christmas. A dog was all that Baylee ever wanted for Christmas. Now she get's to take her out for potty breaks 6 times a day (okay I do at least 2 of those . . sometimes more). She gets to play with her and teach her tricks. It's been quite a ride. Sasha is not a dog that want's to just lay around. Unfortunately she has energy enough for all five of us. I think she will be a good jogging partner when things warm up just a little bit.

Lost his first Tooth

2011-02-04T16:36:00.000-08:00

Baylee's Valentine Card

2011-01-29T19:35:00.000-08:00

She will be holding a sucker that I'll put in her hand.

After Jennica fell and hurt her leg

2011-01-23T15:42:00.000-08:00

Jennica fell and hurt her leg in our garage. Braxton decided he would do some down time with her.

Okay, I think it's time we clip some toe nails.

More everyday pictures at home

2011-01-23T13:53:00.000-08:00

What can I say. We haven't had a lot of interesting things happening around here. I had a goal to take more pictures of my kid's doing things they do everyday. Holding the "outside" kitty while they watch Winn Dixie is one of those winter activities that happen around here.

Braxton being quite the artist lately

2011-01-22T10:05:00.000-08:00

Braxton has been loving to draw these days. He will spend hours drawing little designs. His latest creation: An alien space ship.

Jennica and some of her favorite toys.

2011-01-16T13:45:00.000-08:00

Surprisingly, the most expensive toys they got for Christmas hasn't been their favorite. Jennica loves horse, barbie's and dolls.

Braxton playing with his Christmas toys.

2011-01-15T10:19:00.001-08:00

Braxton won't wear the new pajamas I bought him for Christmas. So he hangs out in his four year old clothes that are way too small for him. But, I thought it was pretty cute how he was giving his animals a ride in his jeep.

Our Family Christmas Eve Party

2010-12-30T16:36:00.000-08:00

We made Ginger Bread Houses first

We ate and then we had the kid's act out the nativity

Then we had a talent show

All of the Bunker kid's were supposed to sing a song. Jennica refused to come up and you can see how much Braxton was helping.

Who has the best Russian?

Look to the Light - Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T11:17:00.000-08:00

Baylee getting her ears pierced

2010-12-21T00:35:00.000-08:00

Since Baylee is turning 10 this week she got to decide if she wanted her ears pierced or not. We were at the mall visiting Santa when she decided to be brave and get it done. We had them pierced at the same time just to quickly get it done with. She didn't cry or fuss. . . . she was just really excited about it. I can't believe she will be turning 10 on Wednesday. Geesh, double digits.

Long winter nights can get a little bit crazy around here.

2010-12-09T23:40:00.000-08:00

Christmas Card - I'm not sending.

2010-12-09T08:55:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately I don't think I will be getting these babies out this year. I'm just running out of time darn it. Next year I will be way more on top of things. I hope. Merry Christmas!

My Kid's Christmas Photoshoot

2010-11-29T01:11:00.000-08:00

I have been so busy this fall. I actually took on a few more photo shoots than I was capable. I only have two more sessions left that are not complete. Yay. When I'm done I will totally start going to bed at 11:00 PM. I can't wait. Me and 2:00 AM are too acquainted lately.

I took my kids out for a photo shoot a couple of weeks ago but am just barely getting around to edit and look at them. This one is not as crisp and noise free as I like. . . but I love the way they were hugging each other. I think they were like this for a 1/2 of a second before one of them pushed away. Our photo shoot only lasted around 20 minutes because it was soooo cold.

Tonight's sunset

2010-11-18T16:40:00.000-08:00

I couldn't help but take a picture of tonight's sunset. It wasn't quite as exquisite as yesterday's sunset but it was still amazing.

Kid's Halloween Parade

2010-10-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

I think the kids partied all day long at school yesterday. I went to two costume parades and then helped in the twins class for their Halloween party. So fun. Some people think that it's a waste to spend so much time in school having parties. Not me. I love it. Great memories for them. . . and they need something to make school fun.
As I dropped them off in the morning.

Jennica wore her wedding dress

Braxton was a cowboy.

Baylee

Gardner Village

2010-10-23T23:27:00.001-07:00

We took our annual trip to Gardner Village. My Mom and sister's all came. We had a great time and the weather was perfect.

Doll Shopping

2010-10-23T23:19:00.000-07:00

Jennica loves dolls. Mostly Barbie Dolls but really she loves any kind of dolls. The other day when we went to go see the witches up at Gardner Village she found this little shop and I had to drag her out of it. It gave me some fun Christmas Present ideas.

Kid's photoshoot.

2010-10-10T22:47:00.000-07:00

I took the kids out for a photoshoot on Friday night. You can check out more of their pictures on my photography blog. I thought this pose would be cute - but Braxton started to cry right as their lips touched his cheeks. So this is as good as it get's. Gotta love that sisterly affection. . . .not (if your Braxton).

Plus, I just found a whole lot of comments on this blog I didn't know I had. Usually I get an email that I have a comment to approve. For some reason those emails just haven't been getting to me. I have moderated the comments on my family blog because of all the spam comments I have been getting lately. So wierd.

Horse Lesson's

2010-10-03T23:58:00.001-07:00

I took my camera and captured Baylee at her horse lesson's the other day. Yes, I shouldn't have let her wear capri's with her cowboy boots. Especially since I took my camera with me. But, my camera was just sitting on the counter and I decided to grab it as I ran out the door. She was almost late (seems like that's how we roll around here). So there she is in her not so put together cowboy outfit.

I really am proud of her though. She was so fearful of horses (since she got bucked off one at age five) that we thought she wouldn't ever ride again. She has overcame her fears and is doing so well.

The horse wouldn't move away from the wall so she could tighten the cinch. She got in there and started pushing him.

Jennica dressing up - as usual

2010-10-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

Here is Jennica in her bride Halloween costume. She added the jacket and the pink bow. She has already ripped the shoulder of the dress. It literally gets worn every day. I hid it and she was so sad I finally got it back out for her. I decided that I might as well get my money's worth out of the costume and if it gives her that much happiness . . . why not?

This was her earlier yesterday at the splash park.

So cool it's nerdy

2010-09-30T18:11:00.000-07:00

Just another white boy trying to be too cool.

Or if you don't want to be cool you could roar like a dinosaur.

Or you could re injure an old wound and pretend that is new so that all your friends would think you were tough and brave.

Twins Umbrella Hut

2010-09-27T17:30:00.001-07:00

Before church on Sunday I couldn't find the twins. David found them on our front sidewalk with a umbrella. They thought they had made the coolest hut. Both of them were mad at me by invading their privacy with my camera. I was seriously 25 feet away from them - but they still didn't like it.

I know the whitebalance is off and it's not a perfect photo but it does capture what these two do every morning. They love to play make believe with their stuffed animals. Notice that Braxton has his brief case again. If you look at the picture of him in Baylee's class room he's got his brief case with him there too. Such a funny little man. He carries around all of his treasures (aka=junk).

Helping in Baylee's class

2010-09-22T00:25:00.000-07:00

I helped with the Pumpkin walk and with Math today. Seems like her class is huge with 35 students in there. Really, her teacher needs someone in there all the time everyday. But, that's just me.

Baylee's teacher. This is her first year teaching.

Afternooner's working on pumpkins.

Braxton came and he did so good. He sat in his own little corner coloring the entire time. I was wishing he had somewhere to go but was pleased with his behavior so it turned out great.

Finished Pumpkins.

Baylee's friend Anson who was making her giggle the entire time.

Homework Already

2010-09-07T18:21:00.000-07:00

Just getting back into the routine of it all.

Twins First Day of Kindergarten

2010-09-01T22:04:00.000-07:00

We made it through the day. Last night we laid out what they were going to wear. We talked about how we would do their hair and brush their teeth and why a good breakfast was important. They seemed to agree the night before. But, the day of Jennica (after I did her hair) decided she didn't like the braid in the front and took it out and put in her pink head band. She also decided she didn't like the pants we chose for her and she put on her old worn leggings. They were more comfortable. Anyway, I was taking a picture of Braxton when she came in with her new hair do. I think she thought I would be mad. I kinda was - but there was no time to argue so she went to school and had a great time. Braxton was so easy going. He just got ready and thought he looked wonderful. The difference between boys and girls I guess.

I have been loving these. . . . . .

2010-08-27T20:27:00.000-07:00

We got the cutest little chicks this spring. And now we get a lot of this. . .

Braxton helped me set up the shot. We had to get his "cool" glasses in this. Also, notice the one huge egg at the end. I have no idea why the chicken laid this enormous egg. Ouch, poor chicken.

The kid's found a little gardner snake today. They put it in my favorite tupperware bowl that I use for left overs (you know the one - the only one you can still find a lid to). They then put the tupperware in the garage. Later when I asked about the snake the kids informed me it got away. Yikes!

Mud is still the best form of entertainment at our house. And yes Jennica is wearing her school clothes and no she hasn't started school yet.

Got a get a picture of Braxton in here somewhere.

I love my flowers in my front yard. I never plant any flowers. I just collect the seeds of the snap dragons and spread them around in the Fall and Spring. The other yellowish/orangish flower just spreads everywhere.

Water Pipe

2010-08-27T18:55:00.000-07:00

So our culinary water usage went from about 3000 gallons per month to 85,000 gallons per month this summer. David found standing water in our field so he dug it out and found that the copper lateral coming into the house and barn had little pin holes throughout the entire pipe. It needs to be replaced. So today David and a friend dug it up. . . . . accidentily took out the phone line (no I don't have a phone today maybe not tomorrow either) and the power line for the barn. . . . and of course there is no water.

Unfortunately the water line goes under our driveway so we'll see what we can do about that. Sometimes things just happen I guess. . .

The driveway that the water pipe goes under.

Braxton loves the red rocks that blue stakes made when they sprayed for the utility lines.

Baylee's first day of school

2010-08-27T17:33:00.001-07:00

She did not want me to take a picture of her because she was so anxious to go and pick up her friend. She has so many girls in our neighborhood in her class this year and she is loving it. It sounds like one big party this week.

Note: the concerned look was because she did not want her picture taken - not that she was nervous for school.

Zions

2010-08-11T22:51:00.000-07:00

We spent some time down in Zions the last week of July. David's family rented a very nice home for a few days. And no I didn't lug my heavy SLR camera on this trip. Just used the rebel on automatic and let everyone take turns being behind the camera.

On a hike (I forgot our hiking shoes) Hiking in flip flops and sandals can cause blisters - we all found that out.

It was so pretty that it was worth it. Except that it was like 100 degrees or something.

This rock was leaking water. So cool.

These little guys were totally not afraid of us. So funny - until we saw that sign that said "Do Not feed the Squirls" They could bite you.

Jennica with David's oldest brother Dirk from Washington.

Swimming

2010-08-03T16:11:00.000-07:00

My kid's took swimming lessons a few times this year. I even thought about signing them up one more time. . . . but I think I'm done. They've come so far with their swimming abilities. For some reason all three of my kid's came hating water. When it was time for Baylee to be baptized we wondered if she would let her Dad dunk her under the water. But, luckily they are all coming along really well.

Baylee Get's a Hair Cut

2010-08-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

Baylee was so excited to cut off 5" of hair yesterday. Her Dad was out of town and I told him I would post pictures of her today. She helped me feed the horses so I thought I would let her Dad know that too.

She was so excited that she actually wanted me to do her hair today and I found her sneaking into my lipstick. She's never cared before. . . wierd what a hair cut can do. She has been wanting to chop her hair off for a long time now - so five inches was our compromise.
Baylee with her bunny

Yes Dad she did help feed the horses when you were away.

Really cool (wierd) light under the hay barn this evening.

She can still wear her hair in a pony tail.

Long time no post

2010-07-22T13:40:00.000-07:00

Haven't updated for awhile. Kinda fell off the blogging thing lately. I've just been playing with my kids lately. We went to Lagoon, lots of swimming, family parties on my side, family reunions on David's side. And I've left my camera at home for most of these events. Maybe it's because it is so huge, heavy, and expensive that I don't want to bring it. I do understand that there is definitely a place for a small point and shoot camera. I did manage to take a point and shoot camera on David's family reunion to Zions so I'll post those later.

But, here's Jennica trying really hard to master a two wheel bike. Hasn't happened yet.

Baylee making yet another bunny home out of a card board box.

The tramp gets used every day. I love our rectangle trampoline. I love them so much more than the round ones. Even though I know the round ones are a lot cheaper.

Just practicing my back lighting skills on this photo.

Look who's riding a Bike!

2010-07-06T22:12:00.001-07:00

Braxton came in the house the other day so excited. He had taught himself how to ride a bike. I was so surprised and a little alarmed. I'm not really ready for him to be able to be so mobile. Our driveway is a blind driveway with tons of bushes on both sides - so if he doesn't stop and look both ways at the end of the driveway it could be trouble. The other day I was standing on my driveway when he got on his bike and started towards the road. At the same time I saw a big black diesel truck pulling a trailer come barrelling down the road. It seemed that it was going so fast. I yelled at Braxton to stop but he has had double ear infections and cannot hear very well right now. They both met each other at the same time. Luckily Braxton stopped when he should. It just scared me to death.

I've put an old bike in the middle of our street when he asks to ride his bike. That way cars have to go really slow around the bike. I'm sure my neighbors are probably wondering what it's doing out there. But, hopefully it will keep Braxton safe.

Yes he wanted to look tough on this one. . .

He's such a goof. It is hard to get a picture of him looking at the camera and smiling.

We do get it every once in awhile

Okay, this is a little forced - but I'll take it.

It's been awhile

2010-06-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted for awhile so I thought I would share this image of Jennica that I took yesterday in my kitchen. Her pony tails were falling out and I had to try to photoshop the food off her face. But, I just love her big brown eyes. She has been kinda a stinker since she got sick last week. . . but she is still such a sweetheart.

What we've been doing today.

2010-06-07T13:52:00.001-07:00

This started around 3:00 am last night. Hope it's a 24 hour thing.

Twins Preschool graduation

2010-05-26T23:52:00.000-07:00

Today was Braxton and Jennica's last day of school. Their program was adorable. We have just loved the preschool at Legacy elementary this year. Miss Cheri is wonderful!

It was so good to see both of them sing their solo parts and not be afraid. Were a little shy in front of a crowd around here so it was nice to see them do it.

Braxton got to lead the group in. . . . which he absolutely loves. He is really in to being the leader.

A little dance that the parents got to participate in.

Jennica singing her solo part.

Braxton and Miss Cheri

This is Kevin. He was in my twins preschool class. He taught them both so much. They always talked about him. He has no legs or arms but he is just the happiest kid and was adorable at the graduation.

Afterwards Dad took them out to lunch and I took them to the park until we had to go and get Baylee at 3:30.

Braxton got a little nervous.

What's with the weather?

2010-05-24T08:16:00.000-07:00

Is this really May 24th? I heard its going to be in the high 70's and sunny tomorrow. Wow.

This tree never hangs down in our sidewalk like this. Hopefully it doesn't break.

What we've been up to today.

2010-05-23T17:10:00.000-07:00

It was raining when we got home from church so this is what the kid's did to entertain themselves. They made a hospital/house/doggy house. Each kid kinda had their own idea of what it was. It ended up having three seperate rooms and included most of my kitchen chairs. I wonder who gets to clean it up. . . . . . .

Kitties

2010-05-14T00:13:00.000-07:00

We've got three baby kitties that need a good home. We used to have five but two are gone already.

Lilly's Bunnies

2010-05-01T19:16:00.001-07:00

So a month ago Baylee and her friend took Lilly to visit a cute boy bunny. This is the result.

Baylee is such a little budding photographer. She took all these pictures herself with a cannon rebel.

The Mom

Lens and orchards

2010-04-27T23:12:00.000-07:00

We went to the orchard after school today. The apple blossoms won't be in full bloom until next week. So we'll see. . . .

I had a lot of questions about the lens that I posted. So I'm going to give my advice again (take it for what it's worth . . believe me I still have lots to learn).

(1) If your short on cash - upgrade your lens before your camera. Lenses are so important.

(2) If your deciding between the 50 mm 1.8 or the 50 mm 1.4 go with the 1.4. I know it's like $300 more. But, I bought both. I thought I could live with the 1.8 ($150) and I couldn't. I love how much sharper my images are with the 1.4. It's not that the f-stop makes that much of a difference - it's just the quality of the lens. I promise you your images will be sharper.

(3) If you are going to buy a full frame camera or if you have a full frame camera skip the 50 mm all together and just buy the 85 mm. With a full frame camera you can shoot families with a 85 mm. You can also shoot portraits. You cannot shoot portraits very well with the 50 mm and a full frame camera. It will be like shooting with a wide angle lens. Great for groups and landscapes - bad for close ups.

(4) Because I already had the 50 mm 1.4 I just bought the 105 mm so I can do better portraits. Because I use a full frame camera I can still get more than one person in the picture. I just took pictures of my kids in an orchard and posted them on my photo blog. You can see that I got a few pictures with all three of them in there together. I did have to back up quite a ways - but not too bad.

Here's one I took today with the 105 mm lens. You can see more of the images that I took with the 105 mm lens on my photo blog. I just posted it today.

Photography Tip

2010-04-27T12:36:00.001-07:00

I'm so excited to get this lens today. I've known I've needed it for awhile now. My oh my how equipment adds up fast.

This lens was around $900ish + at picturline. When I upgraded from my Nikon D200 to My Nikon D700 I purchased a 50 mm 1.4 lens ($450ish). Previously I had been using a 50 mm 1.8 ($150ish) Things changed a lot with that 50 mm lens. The Nikon D200 was not a full framed camera - meaning it didn't capture as much space (sorry I'm bad with words). Using the D700 with the same lens almost (50 mm) seemed like I was using a wide angled lens. I needed a lens that pulled the subject closer to me. So this is it. These are things I really would have loved to understand when I was purchasing some of my first equipment so that's why I'm sharing that information here.

Anyway, this lens allows me to stand farther away from my subjects which can actually make them more flattering. If you stand too close to your subject their nose can appear larger and their ears disappear. This is a great portrait lens which sharpness should exceed the 50 mm that I've previously been using. This lens is supposed to make beautiful bokehs when used at a low aperture (bokeh = means blurred backgrounds with amazing color). So fun, I can't wait to get out and shoot with it.

One more tip. Why not just purchase a lens that can scoot in and out depending if you want wider or shorter? Well, that type of lens is simply not as sharp as a solid lens. There is definitely a need and a place for them. I always borrow my sister's 70 mm to 200 mm for horse shows. It's like a spoting scope and will bring my subject close to me when I'm up in the stands. Love it. Need it. But, because it is a zoom lens I may loose just a little sharpness from the solid lenses.

Photography Tip

2010-04-25T20:43:00.000-07:00

Textures. I actually love playing with textures in photoshop. It can dramatically change your photo. Here are a few examples. I simply plopped the texture on top of the photo and stretched it until it covered everything. Then I changed my texture layer to overlay and I'm done. I will sometimes erase the texture off of the skin or clothing at about 30% opacity.

Here are some examples.

Here is the texture I used on all of the pictures.

It's 60 degrees!

2010-04-24T15:46:00.000-07:00

My kids think that the biggest heat wave they have ever felt has hit today. They are sooooo hot. They begged to run through the sprinklers. Instead I told them they could play with the hose. Lots of the neighborhood kids came over to help them with the hose.

Spring

2010-04-19T17:35:00.000-07:00

My kids are loving it. We've had 70 degree weather lately and it has been wonderful. I heard a cold front is moving in tomorrow so were trying to enjoy the sun while we have it.

So this picture is definitely blown out. I took it in the shade with bright morning sunlight right behind Baylee. I wanted to blow out the background and expose Baylee correctly. I didn't quite land it. But, I still like the photo - because it is Baylee. It's interesting how much detail you loose when you overexpose. In reality there is a trampoline, trees, grass, bushes that are in the background.

Without a SLR camera the camera would have exposed the background correctly and Baylee would have been a dark shadow without much detail. One of the good reasons to be able to use your camera in manual is so you can expose your subject correctly and not the background.

Also, you can't pay attention to the metering line for exposure either. It's very important to check the back of your camera screen and make your own judgement - because sometimes your camera just doesn't know.

Volcano

2010-04-17T23:22:00.000-07:00

My kids were so excited that they made their very own volcano. I had to take a quick snap shot of it. They thought they were so cool. It made me laugh.

Spring Break

2010-04-12T19:45:00.000-07:00

Spring Break was so cold here in Utah. At least the first half of the week. I took the kids to see "How to train your Dragon". The kids loved it. I highly recommend it. I started getting the stomach flu during the movie - and I still liked it.

Baylee and I had the stomach flu for a couple of days. On Thursday we felt better and I squeezed in a photoshoot in the morning and then we headed out to St. George for a horse show. We stayed at a hotel but spent a lot of time with David's sister Shareen and her family. My kids loved playing out at their sod farm where there was a ton of grass to run on. But, mostly we enjoyed the warm weather.

Horse Show - watching Bucks N Moore win a heading class. Chris Hanks was roping on him. I posted a lot more pictures on my photography site. Check it out HERE.

Racing at the sod farm - Jennica had fallen asleep.

Jennica being hit by a dust devil. It was so wierd.

Playing at the pond at the sod farm.

Taken before we knew not to throw rocks in the pond. Oops.

David's sister has the cutest dog.

David's sister's back yard was so green - and my kid's loved her outdoor jetted tub in the gazebo.

Braxton's Batman photos

2010-04-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

He is so excited for his batman party.

Braxton's Birthday Party

2010-04-07T19:55:00.001-07:00

So I'm kinda recovered from Jennica's party. Now it's time for her twin brother's party. It's going to be a batman party and he's really excited.

I totally got the inspiration for this party from Jess Bishop. She is a photographer in Pleasant Grove.

She told me that you could google the batman font and download it for free. So awesome. Anyway, here we go again. Anyone want to help me cut out black bats for next week?

Happy Easter

2010-04-05T22:29:00.001-07:00

I had a great time listening to the apostles and prophets at general conference. I love Easter and the beautiful message of hope that comes with it. Enjoy!

Jennica's Party

2010-04-05T00:41:00.001-07:00

I traded my friend Megan Grover photography for party planning. Megan has done a few event's and would like to do more. She is amazing. The party turned out so great. To see more of Megan's creations check out my photography blog.

I also want to thank Cori, my sister, for helping me with the camera. Half of these pictures were taken by her and half by me. Both my Mom and Cori were a great help to me during the party.

Some of the guests. We had a few guests that were camera shy and we didn't get their pictures. Partly though I was distracted because of our horses. Jennica's party started at 4:00 PM all of our yearlings (ten of them) got out and were running down our street at 4:30 PM. Luckily, Dave Price, our neighbor got them back onto our property and contained them. My Dad also came and helped. David was out of town and I have been feeding for him. I think I didn't secure their gate right. So it was my fault. There is never a dull moment around here with all of the animals we have.

We made heart shaped purses. I got the inspiration for these purses from "One Charming Party".

Megan's cute little girl, Jane.

Cori's little girl Brielle and Sierra. Sierra fell down the stairs and ended up with a really bad swollen nose and black eye. The crazy thing is that last week our cousin Camiah had a party at Kangaroo Zoo and Brielle got a black eye there. So it looks like Cori's a kid beater. She just moved into a new home and when the neighbors meet her kids I'm sure they will be wondering. Well, maybe not. Maybe they will believe her that her kids both just happened to get hurt at their cousins birthday parties.

Photoshop helped Brielle's eye.

This is Sierra before the accident.

All of the little girls wanted Jennica to open their present first. It was such a frenzie. Jennica loved it though.

Now, I need to start on Braxton's party. Well, I've already got it going. I need to cut out about 20 bats this week. He's having a batman party. I was going to have his party this Friday but David just informed me tonight that our stallion Bucks N Moore has a show to go to in St. George and he wants to take all of us. I'm all for some warmer weather so I'm definitely outta here. We'll have Braxton's party the week after. I need the break anyway. He's such a patient cute little guy.

Jennica

2010-03-31T23:21:00.001-07:00

This week has been all about Jennica. Her birthday party is on Friday and we are so excited. I've been making cookies and cake balls and having a great time planning this. Okay, maybe I've gone a little over board on it as well. I just follow too many party blogs.

Anyways, I just wanted to share a few more of her birthday pictures. There will be so many more too. Like I said, I'm kinda going over board on it.

And this little guy is next.

Twins turning 5

2010-03-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that my twins will be turning 5 in two weeks. I've decided to let them have seperate parties this year since their interests are completely different from each other. The hard part about this is keeping their guests down to about 5 to 6 kids a piece and include cousins, friends, and neighbors. Probably won't happen. But, I think if there are too many guests it kind of ruins the party and instead of fun it is chaos. So I hope I don't offend anyone but I really wanted to post thier invitations and their party pictures - since this is kinda our online journal.

Jennica is having her party first. She is so excited. Were doing a princess party. Braxton will not be attending. He doesn't want anything to do with that stuff now.

Sunday Pictures

2010-03-15T01:48:00.000-07:00

Today I didn't get any pictures of my kids before church. They kinda looked like gypsies anyway. Jennica insisted on wearing bright purple polka dot tights with a bright pink and brown dress. Luckily I talked her out of it right before we left. I had Braxton all dressed up ready to go when at the last minute he changed into his salmon colored cowboy shirt which clashed with his khaki dress pants. Baylee was the only one that looked good. Anyway, I didn't bother taking their pictures. But, after church we went with David down to the "Farm" where he has to feed his 30 horses every day. We all had fun getting out in the balmy 40 degree weather and catching some sunshine.

Here's some of the pictures.

Yes, she is walking in horse poop. Luckily it was cold.

They started having foot races and you can see who always won and who always came in last. Finally, Jennica refused to participate. So Braxton and Baylee decided to let her win. They were running pretty slow so that she could be the one and clear winner. Kinda funny. She loved it though.

Sunday Pictures

2010-03-07T21:56:00.001-08:00

Okay, this is the second week in a row that I've taken my kid's pictures right before church started. Since church isn't until 1:00 PM I have a little time to play with my camera. Although, today I was a little late - so I guess I need to get them ready earlier. I can't believe how fast the time goes in the morning.

Here's the good the bad and the ugly. The ones I really liked went on my photography blog. Go check it out HERE.

I always get the most pictures of Braxton because he is my most willing child. In fact sometimes it's hard to get the girls because he is always jumping in front of the camera.

Baylee orchastrated a full on fashion photoshoot. It wasn't really what I was going for but she was into it.

Sunday Pictures

2010-02-28T22:26:00.000-08:00

Every sunday for this year I'm going to take a couple of pictures of my kids. Today I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful light that I had in my bedroom. I had the kids sitting on the edge of the bed looking at the window. Then David came home and started teasing and scaring them. That was way more fun than Mom's photoshoot. So I didn't get many. But, thats okay. I love capturing them enjoying themselves.

For the joy of photography

2010-02-26T15:52:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've kind of been taking too many pictures lately. I'm bugging my kids to death. But, I really do enjoy it. In fact I love it. Otherwise I wouldn't be doing it. March is quickly coming and that is the month which I took the plunge and was mentored by someone who I thought was one of the best photographer's I knew of at the time. I learned tons from her. How to master manual settings, lighting, composition, photoshop. Since then I've done other workshops and have put countless hours into shooting and editing.

It has been an amazing journey. Sometimes, especially in the beginning I would get so discouraged that I wish I had never started. I even resigned to give up a few times. But, I guess I just love it to much. I think you have to. Unfortunately it hasn't been a profitable venture because I am always buying better equipment. Geesh, who knew that you needed lenses that could cost as much as a great camera. That was kind of a disappointing discovery. But, you might be able to make enough money to pay for your next lens that you discovered you absolutely had to have.

Anyway, to anyone trying to improve your photography skills keep working on it. It will pay off and it is rewarding in many ways.

Here's a few more of my poor kids doing their every day thing with a camera in their face. . .again. It will take some serious bribing to get them to do a real photoshoot with me. I'll save that for our yearly family photoshoot.

And to all of you blog stalkers out there - visit my photography site: laurabunker.com. For some reason blogger has really been putting this blog out in cyberspace and I've been getting tons of hits here. In fact I put a counter on three days ago and I've already had over 490 hits. So I really need to steer people towards my "real" photography blog. Please go HERE.

Also, if enough people are interested I might post a "helpful" photography tip on this blog about once a week. I get asked so many questions about how, why, or where to buy. Drop me an email or leave a comment if that would interest you.

Baylee and Braxton Jumping

2010-02-24T23:53:00.000-08:00

Here is a few pictures of Baylee and Braxton playing with me in the studio last sunday afternoon. They were already dressed up for church so after they ate dinner we went down and jumped around. Well, Braxton and Baylee jumped - Jennica twirled. She didn't get a lot of air.

Jennica

2010-02-23T13:17:00.000-08:00

After church on Sunday Jennica wanted to put on a pettiskirt and dance, twirl, and jump in the studio. Of course she had to decide what she was going to wear. I'll probably never print them so I thought I would share them here.

I just love the pink string around her neck. I tried to get her to take it off but she said it was her doggie leash and she needed it on.

Noodle Necklace

2010-02-21T23:55:00.000-08:00

Braxton made this little necklace in pre-school last week. He has hardly taken it off. This is him in his primary class today. I'm his teacher and I brought my camera for a little project were doing. I think it's so cute how he gets attached to things.

It'll be a sad day when this little necklace get's lost or broken. It's not if it's when. . . . . . . . .

Happy Valentines

2010-02-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

I love this picture that I got of Jennica this morning. It is so truly her. She and Braxton usually makes the craziest faces when I have my camera in my hand. So I loved this.

This is what I usually get. . . .

Motivating clip

2010-02-11T15:26:00.001-08:00

My Dad was having a hard time getting this to work on my blog so I reposted it for my parents. I just love this little clip. My sister watches it about 3 times a day for inspiration and motivation.

Enjoy!

Candid Shots

2010-02-08T11:13:00.001-08:00

I wanted to post more candid pictures of my kids. It seems like I do to many planned photoshoots and they just don't work for them. It's so much easier taking pictures of other peoples kids than my own. So I decided I would just catch them doing their every day things like taking a bath, playing with their toys or even eating dinner. It's my goal to take weekly pictures of them.

Here's to the tub. . . . hours of entertainment on long winter nights.

I knew that bucket wasn't a good idea.

I liked how this picture captured Braxton trying to make her feel better.

Prayers for Bronson

2010-02-06T22:02:00.000-08:00

The Staker family had an accident a week ago Saturday. Their 18 month old son Bronson is in need of some prayers. His life is hanging in the balance. Their story has touched me deeply and is good for every one read. You will definitely hold your kids a little tighter and things will be put into perspective for you.

You can read their story HERE.

Meanwhile I will be praying for Bronson.