Here is the last photo I took while in jpeg on my camera. That’s right, I am a RAW shooter now. I have been for almost a month. That is how long it is taking me to get around to editing some of my images. Ugh. Oh well, I have been playing with and refereeing the kids. As much as I love photography, I am a mom way before it.
For the record this was taken on June 2nd, so I am linking it up to The Paper Mama’s photo challenge which is “favorite photo of June” this week.
Next week marks a big milestone for Buddy’s foster care journey. He is getting his first ever overnight visit with his mom. He has been in foster care for over 1.5 years (6 months with us). She has had all day, meaning eight hours, visits the past three weeks. This means he will be going home to his mom within a month or two.
People that I know in real life keep saying how we must be so sad. How him going home is such a shame. They just don’t get it.
Kids that have the misfortune of being placed in foster care are there because the people that were supposed to care for them were too selfish. Now I am not talking mommy for herself time. I am talking real selfishness. The kind that makes you put your addictions and accustomed lifestyles before the best interest of your child.
I can be pretty selfish, I admit it. Sometimes I also put my kids and their needs before mine too often. But being a foster parent isn’t about me. It is about God asking me to do this. I don’t know how long we will do it, because it is hard. But I know that it is for these children.
Buddy’s mom has worked hard and taken advantage of programs and counseling to make herself better. She wants her son. So many people do the bare minimum to get their kids and then just slip back into the old routine soon after. But she is trying.
That makes me feel good. That we could give her that chance to get it together for herself and for him.
Each child has different circumstances and a different story. Buddy was supposed to be here temporarily and it happens to be actually working out that way. The goal for foster care is always reunification first. When things start to crumble that is when other plans start going into motion and taking precedent.
Reunification happens in stages. It isn’t like the movies or tv dramas where a judge slams a gavel down and says return this kid home immediately without any warning. It starts with an hour supervised visit, then gets bumped up to a few hours. The few hours go from supervised to unsupervised (as long as the parent is doing their required service plans and passing drug tests). Those few hours become 8 hours. The 8 hours become overnights. The overnights become weekends. The weekends turn into three days. Then the child is in their parents’ home more than your home. Then they just go home. This is how it is supposed to happen, sometimes it doesn’t.
But it isn’t always sad to unify a family. Under the right circumstances it is great.
*Kick in the teeth reality check - sometimes you get a child and there is a chance they will get to stay with you forever. Then you pray that reunification plans fall through. Case in point, Little Lady. We should find out before the end of the summer if they are going to start termination of parental rights.
Joining in Pour Your Heart Out over at Things I Can’t Say.
WARNING…If you do not like spiders just click away now.
Okay, you were warned.
E is for Eek!
This bad boy was climbing on my wall Friday night. I went to click the light switch in a dark room and there he was, 3 inches from my hand. This guy was the second one I saw that day. I wanted to make sure he was what I thought he was so I grabbed a giant food storage container and trapped him. Then I threw it in the freezer.
Saturday I took him out to make sure it wasn’t just a middle of the night freak out. Nope. I was right. It is a brown recluse.
The crazy photographer part of me came out and I had to photograph him. So the white specs on him are actually frost.
Oh and animals were definitely harmed during this shoot.
This post is linked up at Captivus for Letter Photo Challenge. It is quite fun and you should join in. Next week is F.
Today is the start of Summer. Umm, what has the last month been? So to kick things off properly I thought I would share a fun picture.
The kids were playing with the hose in the backyard. I sat there and just soaked it in for a while, but finally I couldn’t take it any longer. I handed the baby to my husband and ran inside to get my camera. You know you would do the same.
I am sharing this last one at My 3 Boybarians for Sweet Shot Tuesday.
Last week’s shots had some great action to them. The interpretations were great. We had everything from capturing things in action to processing actions used on photos.I loved going through and seeing all of the great shots.
Here are some of my favorites, just in case you missed them.
Naptime Momtog linked up a great shot of her son on a slip-n-slide. What a fantastic capture to make that moment just frozen in time. I love the beads of water just stuck in the air. Fantastic shot!
Oh the Places You’ll Go shared this awesome shot that is so nostalgic. I love that it is taken from a distance. Just sneaking in that shot without disturbing them. The children look like they are having so much fun, too. It takes me back. Perfect.
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Now this week’s suggested theme is “upside down”. Next time I have such a weird theme, please slap me. I have no idea what I was thinking. I hope participation isn’t down because it is so unorthodox. But I did enjoy trying to take different shots that fit the theme (after I got over the urge to kick my own butt).
Once again, the theme is just a suggestion. Please feel free to link up any image that you have taken and would like to share. If you are new to Foto Friday please read Foto Friday FAQ for information.
This picture is from my tag-a-long maternity shoot from this past week. While I took several photos of my kids in weird hanging positions, I just kept coming back to this one.
Maybe it is because I must have looked like a complete weirdo taking it. I was lying on the floor, upside down, almost completely under her. Oh, did I mention we were in a public library while I was doing this? I told you, I am bold and not afraid to make an idiot of myself.
Next week’s theme is “Broken”
Now I can’t wait to see your shots. Show us what you’ve got!
This might be a downer post for you, but I hope it isn’t. It is meant to be empowering. Talking about and overcoming your past so it doesn’t have a hold on you.
Last week’s prompt for Scavenger Hunt Sunday about a childhood memory got my mind racing. The first image that popped in my head was this:
It stayed there, too. It wouldn’t leave.
I wanted to use it, but I worried about telling the story. I worried about making people feel sad. I worried about letting another part of my abusive past out. Simply, I worried.
My family lived in Louisiana when I was 4-6 years old. I don’t have many fond memories of that time. My dad drank a lot and almost all of my memories from that time period that involve him are bad ones (most of my memories involving him are bad).
Louisiana. Summer nights that were hot and humid. The stench of stale beer breath. The fog of cigarette smoke. The sounds…thud…thud…thud.
The sounds of my dad throwing steak knives at the side of the house as I stood against it.
He said it was a circus game. We were playing knife thrower and he needed to get the knives close to me without hitting me. He said it was a fun game and I shouldn’t be scared. But with every throw my dad would mutter some profanity. I always wondered if those words were for me or if he was just taking it out on me. I will never know.
See what I mean? Debbie Downer, huh? But not really. I am here. I fortunately never got hit by one of those knives (he was just as lousy at knife throwing as he was at fathering). I am a fairly normal, fully functioning member of society.
Now I have released this story. It doesn’t have a hold of my insecurities any longer. It is out there. I am no longer worried about how people are going to take this.
I am free from it.
This is not a downer post. Smile big with me as I chip off another chunk of that weight that tries to hold me back.
See ya!
This post is linked up with others over at Things I Can’t Say for Pour Your Heart Out.
Most of you that read this have never met me in real life. I am bold, to the point, very outgoing, and goofy. I have no problem looking like an idiot, because I have had almost 35 years of doing it.
So Saturday I was out on my “me and my camera time” and I was snapping away. I saw two women setting up to for a photo shoot. I commented that the spot was gorgeous. They were polite and kind. I went on my way. On my way back, they were still shooting. I saw the photographer was having trouble getting her reflector to stay where she wanted it. So I stopped and offered to hold it.
We started talking and they were sisters. One was a “real” photographer and the other was her sister. The beautiful woman that was being photographed is pregnant. This was her maternity shoot. The photographer actually invited me to shoot some pictures as well.
Um, hello! I was so into joining in. It was a little dream come true. We chatted, a lot (because I talk, a lot), shot some photos, talked about pregnancy, talked about photography, and just had fun. It was a great time, at least for me. They could still be talking about the crazy lady that barged in on their photo session for all I know. But they both have visited this blog and commented since then, so I might not be the crazy lady.
So here is a shot I took of beautiful Shana. Thank you to Britni, for letting me join in the fun.
Sharing this with Sweet Shot Tuesday.
So I am starting off this week’s challenge with a dud. I had the hardest time with long exposure. The name for it should have just been “Really blurry image”. Then I would have nailed it. But once again I had a ton of fun finding things to take pictures of for each of the prompts.
Long Exposure
Yeah, it’s crap. But what do you expect when you give a 4 year old a sparkler? Especially when it is his first time.
Shapes
This might be kind of a copout photo, but this toy has so many shapes in it and I loved the way the shadow created even more when I went to photograph it.
Green
Can you spot the bird’s nest in this mass of green? I was on my “me and my camera” time walk and was snapping away and almost didn’t even see such a wonderful little treasure tucked away.
Fruit
Cole begged me for a pineapple. My kids love fruits and vegetables. I bought it and sure enough their aren’t really eating it. Oh well, at least I got to take some shots of it before I cut it up.
Childhood Memory
This is the mechanism for the music box I have had since I was about 4 years old. It still works. I thought the inside was much more of an interesting picture than the outside.
Join in the fun over at Ramblings and Photos for Scavenger Hunt Sunday.
Not to get all preachy on you, but I think we could all do a little less of this and just love a little more.
This is a church that I drive by every day. I think it is neat. It is brand new, but the stained glass windows are from their old building. I love that they preserved them.
Linking up with Katie Lloyd Photography for Scripture and a Snapshot.
Is it Friday already? Last week’s pictures may have drove me to eating a tad more than I should have. They were all so delicious looking. There were a couple that were really fantastic to me.
Katie Lloyd Photography linked up an amazingly sharp photo of raspberries. Every bit of them was in focus and so crisp. Loved it!
Then Shutter Happy Moments proves (yet again) that you do not have to have a DSLR camera to take fantastic shots. She did this with a point and shoot camera in a restaurant, not in a studio with fancy equipment. It looks like it should be in a magazine.
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This week’s theme is “action”. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do a long exposure to blur and show the action or if I wanted to freeze a moment of action. I took a LOT of pictures of the kids running around this week. But my favorites were these. I couldn’t narrow it down to just one. Sue me.
Now if you are wondering where in the world you can get super cute masks and capes like that, then you need to check out my amazing friend’s (Sherry’s) site called BabyPop Designs. She makes these capes customized for you. You pic the color, you pick the emblem and emblem color, and you pick the initial and color. She was recently featured in Parenting Magazine and Good Morning America. These are such a hit on play dates that it has become my go to birthday present. Giving one to a little girl tomorrow, as a matter of fact.
**By the way, this is not a review or a sponsored post. My friend makes awesome super hero costumes and I am sharing her site. I would love it if you gave such a fantastic lady some business.**
If you are new or have questions about this photo challenge, please read Foto Friday FAQ. I hope you decide to join in the fun. Please click on some of the thumbnails below and give some comment love to these talented photographers.
Next week’s theme is “Upside Down”.
I can’t wait to see your shots this week!
I have been having so much fun with all of the photography challenges that I have barely even looked at the pictures I took while we were on vacation. I edited that beach shot for Foto Friday two weeks back, but other than that, they have really been just waiting on me.
I briefly skimmed them and there are quite a few dolphin shots that I LOVE. I took these at Gulf World in Panama City Beach, FL. If you are there you definitely have to go. Here is one of my favorites. Thank goodness for a zoom lens that goes to 300mm.
Sharing this at My 3 Boybarians for Sweet Shot Tuesday. Since summer vacations definitely mean “Summer is Here” I also linked this up at Trendy Treehouse for Shutter Love Tuesday.
I know I shared a shot of the beach for “on and on”, but this shot was me trying to capture just the sunset. The moment could not have been more perfect with the boat in the frame as well. It is moments like this in which I wish I was a seasoned photographer with mad skills.
This is shared for “sunset” at 2babycakes for Perceptive Perspective.
