A new toy

I got a new toy.....

Can you guess what it is?????

 

Yep, that's right, a new lens for my camera (a Happy Birthday from Jed)! And not just any 'ole lens, a 35mm with a fstop of 1.8. LOVE IT! I love how these pictures have some depth now. I couldn't figure out how all the pros got pictures like that - now I know.
I had some fun playing this afternoon with it. I have it cranked all the way down, and I assume all the professionals out there would say, "uh, duh... you don't leave it on 1.8 all the time" but I'm a newbie, so I'm gonna (at least until I figure it out some more).
But the best part is that I can take pics of the kids in not the brightest light, and while they're moving around (do they ever hold still?), and I can still get a decent shot. These aren't even Photoshopped. Awesome!

Anyway, so as you can tell we have pajama day around here pretty much everyday. Kate actually had preschool this morning and wore non-pajama clothes, came home and changed back into her jammies. Like mother like daughter I guess. Paige is enjoying sitting up for a bit and playing with toys, and Kate had to have a tea party on our new-old table (I just re-finished it). Paige also loves the bouncer, she jumps about a foot in it - crazy girl.

Paige 6 Months

Paige at 6 months

15 lbs 10 oz

Learning to sit

Got her first tooth

 Loves to scream

Loves to jump in the jumper

Adores her sister

Paige at 5 months

Winter Fun

Jed took Kate out to build a snowman several weeks ago. She had insisted on a carrot nose and button eyes (Jed convinced her rocks would work). She would check on it everyday out the back door until it melted :(.

Paige 5 months (almost)

Loves her silky blanket
Has the cutest giggle
Loves his sister - always looking around for her
Eating rice cereal
Reaching for toys
Still has no hair! 


And as a comparison...

Air Force Museum Field Trip

I was able to go on Kate's field trip this week. It was fun to hear her and Zoie chatting in the back of the car about the most random things, but sounding like they were having an adult conversation, and interacting with their teachers and classmates. We went to the air force museum and it made me think of my dad. He went on the last field trip to the pumpkin patch and we had so much fun. I knew he would have loved this trip and telling Kate all about the airplanes. You may not know this, but he actually had his pilot license at one time. In fact some of the first dates he took my mom on, they went flying. He had a few friends that would take him on trips in all sorts of airplanes and let him fly - he absolutely loved it.

Dave's Headstone

My Dad's headstone is finished and in. The Jeep on the back is actually engraved from a photo of his CJ-6 on one of the trails a few years ago. He sure loved that Jeep and going on the trails with us. I think the trip this year will be pretty hard without him, we're still missing him every day.