Boy's Day

What does a mother do when it's finally sunny outside and she really feels guilty that her children did not get school photographs this year?  

She tortures them by making them pose and squint into the sun.   Actually, they were quite cooperative. It was a good memory (for me).  We laughed and had fun taking pictures, so I'm sure I didn't scar them for life.  At least on this issue.  

Chloe was hanging out with Gamma, so I stole an opportunity to capture my four boys with my sub-par camera.  It doesn't have the range of distance/aperature/ISO, etc that I need want.  I really shouldn't have taken that digital camera class.  It's made me desire a good DSLR like you wouldn't believe.  

One of these days I will purchase a good camera and I promise I won't just stuff it in the closet.  I pinky swear. I might even bug my photographer friends to take me out for a typical 'you-can't-just-talk-to-Lorri-you-have-to show-her' lesson. 

I don't have any Photoshop software (my trial ran out), not that I'd know how to use it anyway, but these are the real deal.  If anyone has any idea what I could have done to improve these I would appreciate hearing feedback... (besides composition...that's something that I know I need to work on. I tend to center all my subjects.  Bad photographer! Bad!!)

My Four Sons!!

Casey will be 13 in a little over a month.  He wants a leopard gecko for his birthday.  Oy!  I'm not sure I'm ready for liberated crickets chirping as they cricket-hop their way around my house to freedom.  I guess it could be a good homeschool project.  What is the survival rate for gecko's?  I wonder if Lilo, our cat,  would enjoy playing with it?

Caleb is 7 and is in the 1st grade.  He loves school and is extremely smart!  He's a great reader, excels at spelling and math and has the biggest imagination ever.  He loves LEGO's and remembers every detail about anything and everything.  You have to watch what you say around this big guy. 

 

Caleb recently lost his 2nd top tooth.  After he lost the first one, I told him that since he was my last one to lose their two top teeth he had better get the other one out.  I just couldn't be happy if I didn't get to have a 1st grader with TWO missing teeth at the same time.  Seems most of my kids have lost one, the other one grew in half way and then the second one fell out.  This little boy, wanting to make his (joking!!) mommy happy, wiggled and wiggled it until it fell out.  PRECIOUS!!!

Here he is...Braden..the x-ray baby.  He's not so much a baby anymore.  At 15, Braden is doing very well in Kung Fu.  He works hard at school, but struggles with finding a balance between school and fun.  I think all teenagers go through that.  We set limits and stick to it...so we aren't the most liked parents on the face of the earth at the moment.  That's okay...we're not trying to be their friends.  We are raising men.  

This 15 year old boy is, Brenden.  He is my first born (by only a minute. Braden will not let you forget that!) He has struggled with his health for many years and we finally found a diagnosis when he was 11.5 years old.  Double Aortic Arch.  He had surgery on August 22, 2005 to correct this congenital birth defect and is doing very well.  He still seems to have a mild form of tracheomalacia, but has never had to have anything done about it.  Hopefully it will continue to get stronger and he'll suffer no adverse effects from the severely delayed diagnosis.  He also stuggles with finding a balance between education and social life. Again...God willing.... We are raising men, not friends.

These are my guys!  I love them so very much.