Through the Lens - What I'm Thankful For

I am thankful for so many obvious things, like my family, my friends, my health, and my kiddos, but this year I'm also thankful for "firsts".  We've had a lot of "firsts" around here lately and with the kids growing up and getting older that doesn't happen as often as it used to! 

My oldest son, Garrison, went to his first school dance last weekend (and yes, I did cry a little).  Before he left for the dance I just had to do a "first dance mini photo shoot" with him before he left.  No way was I going to wait until we got to the very dimly lit auditorium and rely on my camera phone only to take a few grainy photos.  When he got dressed up and looked about three years older than he really is I said, "get outside before all the good light is gone!"  Ha! 

I'm so thankful for this guy because he was my first baby and he taught me how to be a mommy...we've been through a lot together.

I used my Canon Rebel T3i with my new 50mm 1.4 lens and I edited these photos using some Totally Rad Actions.

My youngest son, Jubal, lost his first tooth just a few nights ago...

It's been almost five years since we've had a "first tooth" experience!  He was pretty freaked out, but was cool with it once the tooth fairy rewarded his efforts, lol!  I'm thankful I get to be the tooth fairy.  I love that parenting perk!

My daughter, Avery, got her hair cut for the first time!  (She's almost four, so this was a BIG deal!).  

I did it myself, just a blunt cut across the back...can you believe it was all the way down to her waist!  She loved it and asks me all the time when we can do it again.

She also went on her first school field trip the other day...

It was a trip to our local university to see their new football stadium and upgraded basketball arena...don't let this pic fool you, she was pretty grouchy the entire time!  I'm thankful I get to spend these moments with her because I don't work outside of the home.  I'm thankful for my husband because he works so hard so I am able to stay at home with my kids.

Another big first around here was my niece's first birthday party...

It was such a special day and I'm so thankful I got to be a part of it.  It's such a special milestone!

I'm also thankful for all of you who take time out of your busy day/lives to read my blog.  I truly enjoy sending out inspiration to you and receiving feedback and comments...they really do make my day :)  I'm also thankful for the connections and friendships I've made through this little blogging journey of mine...I truly cherish each and every one of them!  

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who is celebrating today!  I hope your day is filled with lots of great food, family, & friends!  TFL!!!

Through the Lens - My 1st Photo Shoot

Happy Thursday, everyone!  My kiddos went back to school yesterday after a long break and I've been trying to "catch up" on chores, calendar planning, and laundry (of course!).  We actually got through the break pretty smoothly and did lots of fun things together :)  This, to me, is a sign that they're growing up and can get along with each other longer than five minutes!  We've come a long way around here, let me tell ya!

I've been super inspired by our beautiful fall weather, the changing colors, and the 1000 Words: Capture More photography class I'm taking right now over at Studio Calico so I decided I would do a little "photo shoot" with my kids...first one ever with me behind the camera...

Now let me tell you that I am NOT (obviously!) by any way a professional photographer.  I just purchased my first DSLR back in April and I knew when I bought it that I wanted to really learn how to use it to it's full extent (no auto-mode for this girl) and I wanted to capture great photos of my kids.  I have NEVER, ever, taken a photography class before this one and I know I have A LOT to learn!  With that being said, please be gentle...I'm really proud of myself and I believe these photos really captured my three children wonderfully...even if all the technical stuff is a little insufficient!  The shoot itself is it's own little story that will be documented.  I will never forget the great day we had when "mommy made us walk all over the field in our good clothes and smile till our faces hurt"!

I took 146 photos in two hours using my Canon Rebel T3i with the lens it came with, an 18-55mm.  Using my little ol' iPhoto program on my computer, I edited them down to around 60 keepers.  I have PSE but I'm not very savvy in it yet, so I opted out of three miserable weeks of editing and just did it in two days :)

We started our photo adventure around 2:00 p.m., not the optimum time for lighting purposes, but I knew if I waited any longer they would have been worn out and not as cooperative in the evening.
So here we go on our little photo journey...

This is probably my most favorite shot of the day...I love the way they're positioned and it's what I had envisioned in my mind :)

My oldest son came up with the idea for this shot...he was so proud when it made the final cut!

I love this shot because it really captures the way my oldest son and my daughter interact.  It was totally a candid shot and somehow I got an awesome light leak at the bottom right!

A portrait shot of my oldest son, Garrison.

My daughter, Avery.

My youngest son, Jubal.

I love this shot even though it's not quite in focus...the tug o'war thing was another idea I had envisioned in my mind that I actually got to achieve.  It kind of symbolizes a lot of interaction between them :)

They thought this was so fun and didn't want to stop!  Bonus:  No one got hurt!  

After the tug o' war, I gave them some rope licorice to snack on and it turned out to be the perfect opportunity for some candid shots.

This is so.totally.them.

I like this shot because Jubal (the middle child) is in focus, but the other two aren't.  This was kind of his time to shine :)

I love this shot because of all the colors that came through...the blue sky, the green and yellow leaves, and the brown and red lighting at the bottom.

 This shot happened on accident, but I love it!

I edited these photos so that the colors would be bold.  I know the trend tends to be softer, more subdued hues, but I really wanted a bolder, brighter look.  Call me crazy!

I love this shot because of their positioning and the light leaks...I'll probably end up cropping this down a bit, either from the left or right.

Well, there you have it!  I learned a LOT from doing this.  It was a total body workout and I don't know how real photographers do this on a daily basis!  Wow, is all I can say about that!  The kids and I had a blast and I felt I really captured what I wanted to, although there were things I would've changed or tweaked a bit.  Next item on the list....scrapping them!  Can't.Wait.

Have a great day and thanks for looking!

through the lens - Father's Day Weekend

I've kind of started something with this "through the lens" series on my blog.  I've been taking so many pictures lately and I love to share them so I'm thinking this will be a weekly thing.  Right now it's easier for me to share my creativity through my photos than with scrapbook supplies, so I'm going with the flow.  I'm aching to get into my craft room and scrap, but it's been way harder than I ever imagined since the kids got out of school for summer break.

We did a lot of celebrating this weekend.  My Dad's birthday was Friday and (of course) Father's Day was Sunday.  Here are some of my favorite shots from the weekend...

 Hamming it up at dinner with Grandpa on Friday night.

 Not the best pic, but I love the kids' faces in this one!

 Grandpa and Maria :)

Hangin' at the Lodge in Giant City on Saturday.

 My hard workin' hubby :)

 Swimming on Saturday night.

 Love this pic!

One day I hope to have a family picture where everyone is looking at the camera :0)

 Can't go fishing without her pearls!

 Boys on a boat.

 Bessie

 I caught a fish for him for Father's Day :)

Blackberries we found growing in the field.  

We've really become weekend warriors lately...it's finally getting easier to do more things since the kids are getting older...finally!

I used my iphone for all of these photos and I posted most of them on Instagram.  You can follow me on there @adriennealvis.  

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend and a fabulous Father's Day!  TFL!

through the lens - Sunday

I've been estranged from my DSLR recently, so I decided a fishing trip with the hubs and the kiddos would be a perfect time to get to know each other again.

Here's a few of my favorite pics from yesterday...

 Our froggy friend

 Jubal's truck

Love these colors!

 The "dino egg" we found...only it was just a perfectly round

 rock that the kids rolled down the hill all afternoon.

He's always digging something up.

 It was pure luck that I caught this pose :)

 Sissy's "fuf-fly"

 We didn't have a lot of luck fishing yesterday.

He may be holding it, but I caught it!!!  This was definitely 

the biggest fish I've ever caught and then I caught another one!

Hope you had a great weekend!  Happy Monday!