practice makes perfect

Today was just one of those days.  I really didn't get very much accomplished and the things I did accomplish didn't work out how I expected them to.  Travis and I wanted to go down by the pier after he got off work to take a few pictures.   When we were about to leave, I realized I didn't charge the camera battery.  So, we charged it for about 15 minutes hoping to get enough of a charge to last.  By the time we got to the pier we only had about 15 minutes of good lighting.   

We still got a few good shots, but I was trying to work on a few things before my first photo shoot that is coming up in a couple of weeks.  I am really excited to be taking a few pictures of some of our friends from church.  However, I feel like I need to nail down a few things before I actually get someone (besides my family) in front of my camera.  I would hate to have them get ready for pictures, meet me somewhere, and then have nothing to show for it.  So, although we are practicing, we are definitely not perfect.  Here is what I have to show for today.

These are a few of the pictures Travis took.

Travis and Hudson

I took these pictures of Travis and Hudson while we were in Big Bear this last weekend.  Looking at these reminds me of how every good and perfect gift comes from the Lord.

Oktoberfest 2009

This weekend we went to Big Bear to join in the fun at the Oktoberfest 2009.  Our college friends Josh and Brianna's family puts on a tradition German Oktoberfest every year.  We had so much fun seeing all the different German costumes several people wore and competing in the games.  All in all it was a great time just celebrating with friends as we welcomed in the beginning of the fall season.

Fun facts about the couples in the picture below:

1. We all met our spouses at Cal Baptist while going to school

2. We were all friends in college

3. We were all involved in some sort of leadership while at CBU

4. We all have sons for our first born (well, Logan isn't born yet, but he should be here within the next 4 weeks!)

The day included a "log sawing" competition... the winners completed the task in 29 seconds

The official time keeper (isn't she cute):

A "tug of war" competition:

A "how long can you hold this cup full of water competition"...

Looks like it wasn't hard for Scott:

The girls didn't last long in this competition...

And a "how far can you carry as many glasses filled with water" competition

... the winner was Bri's sister with 17 glasses!

the girls and our boys:

Hudson watching the games:

Josh, Brianna and Kingston in their amazing outfits:

I brought our camera to practice a little and these are 2 of my favorite pictures of the day:

These boys are known as "the three amigos".  They were all born within 9 days of each other:

When dad gets home...

Travis and Hudson have a special relationship. Hudson thinks Travis is the funniest person in the world. This is typical what happens when Trav comes home from work.

Good Friends

Since we have been in San Clemente, some our best friends have been the Hartanov family.  We absolutely love spending time with them.  They are the kind of friends who you can call last minute just to hang out for a barbeque.  They have 4 beautiful daughters and we really respect and admire their parenting.  On Sunday after church, we went to their house to swim, eat dinner and watch the Dallas football game.  We had so much fun and as usual our time with them was very refreshing.

This past year has been a special time in our friendship because both Jessica and I were pregnant at the same time.  Their youngest daughter, Olivia was born just a month before Hudson.  We took pictures of them together back in June and it is crazy to see how much they have grown.

Jason showing his love for Romo and hoping for Olivia to catch on:

We had dinner over looking this amazing view from their house (which actually a camera couldn't even capture how far we could see from the left and right). God's creation truly is stunning.

by popular demand...

This was a funny video we sent to Travis' parents in Ohio to show them how Hudson talks now.  It is a pretty funny video and by the end he is both chewing on his tongue and "talking"... I just wonder what he is saying.

Go Angels!

Yesterday was a fun family day for us.  We had a relaxing morning drinking coffee and then decided to head out for a run. On the way back to the house, "we" stopped to work out on the bars.  Travis was doing pull ups and all sorts of exercises on the bars.  

Hudson, Gunner and I watched...

Then I decided to give it a try... and well... I couldn't even do ONE pull up.  Seriously, I tried... I couldn't even pull myself up more than an inch.  So, I cheated and used my legs to push up on the side handles;)

Hudson's hair was blowing in the wind... showing off his newly acquired fohawk:

Then we came home and the boys took a nap while I deep cleaned our house.  Travis normally does so much around the house, so it was nice to be able to bless him by cleaning while he was sleeping.  Plus, I really enjoy cleaning... and I enjoy even more a clean house. (Somehow, I haven't figured out how my mom seemed to have our house spotless throughout my entire life while raising 4 daughters.)

Once Travis and Hudson woke up we decided to take a spontaneous trip to see the Angels play the Yankees.  When we got there we were on our way to the ticket booth to purchase our tickets and someone came up and gave us 2 FREE tickets!  They were season ticket holders and they had extra tickets.  We were thrilled!  It is not often strangers give you free things.

Go Angels!

This was Hudson's first game and we had so much fun!  He stayed awake up until the top of the 9th inning just watching everything that was going on around him.  I think one of the exciting parts about having Hudson is see the world through his eyes.  Everything is new and so exciting for him.

By the end of the game, the Angels had won, we had a great time, and Hudson was sound asleep.

a few of my favs...

During the Hofschroer's baby shower, I was able to pull out our new camera and practice taking a few pictures.  I am really enjoying learning about photography.  I have a long way to go, but here are a few of my favorite pictures.

I love this one of London playing peek-a-boo