The Demolition Brothers

I bought my iPad when Cooper was 10 months old.  At the time he was pretty calm, cool, and collected- not the wild man he is today.  Well, when we were checking out they offered a two year warranty for quit a bit more.  I automatically said no, but Andy kindly said he wasn't paying $400+ for an iPad and not getting a warranty with a toddler and accident prone wife.  So, we bought the warranty.   

Fast forward to today.  We're on our third iPad and second case.  The first iPad was broken from several accidental drops by Cooper.  The second iPad was vomited on three times (it took us that many times to realize that Cooper had some serious carsickness issues), dropped several times, and finally shattered after one good drop by Cooper and then a quick push across the tile floor (face down) by Clark.  I bought an expensive case when I purchased the iPad, but it didn't have a lot of shock resistant design, and didn't recover very well from all the vomit.  We bought this new case from Amazon, and it had the best ratings for rough toddlers.

Needless to say, I've never been so thankful for a warranty in my life.  It never costs us a dime to replace.  We just go to Best Buy, head to customer service, and trade them in.  Simple enough!  This last time they went the iPad to our house instead of switching them out in the store, but it came quickly with free shipping.  We'll have to renew our warranty soon, but it's well worth it!  If you're in the market for an iPad I would highly suggest it- even if you don't have kids!

                         

Happy Birthday to my Baby

A year ago today Andy and I were blessed beyond measure when Clark entered this world.  He was born at 6:28pm, and has made sure to make his sweet little presence known ever since.  I fell in love with him the minute I found out I was pregnant, and my love for him has grown by leaps and bounds this past year.  He truly is an amazing boy that I would do anything for.  I don't think anyone has ever experienced true, unconditional, mind-blowing love until you've had a child.  I experienced that first when I had Cooper, and Clark has just added to and intensified those feelings this past year.  There's nothing like it.

I know I've given Clark a bad rap at times, he definitely hasn't been the easiest baby ever, but there isn't one minute of the past year I would change.  Yes, not even the colic, ear infections, general fussiness of his personality, or all the sleepless nights we've had.  All of those challenging times brought us closer together, and made him look to me whenever he was in pain or need.  Being the person he counted on for comfort this past year was priceless, and one of the most rewarding gifts I've been given.  Out of those challenges came a patience I didn't know I had within myself.  I've learned a lot about patience with Cooper, but there's something about having a colicky baby every night for 4 months that teaches you patience on a deeper level really quick.  I also learned that I could handle a lot more than I ever thought I could. 

Over the past 12 months I've watched Clark grow from a helpless newborn to a funny, wild, loving, and adventurous one year old.  Anytime Clark plays with Cooper you can see pure love radiating from him.  He adores Cooper, and follows him around like a shadow.  I've also seen Cooper grow into a caring, protective, and loving big brother.  Their relationship is one of the sweetest things I've ever seen.  They are definitely your typical brothers, fighting all the time, wild as ever, and play way too rough, but they love each other immensely, and light up when they see each other.

To my sweet Clark-  I just want you to know that you and your brother are the single two best things that have ever happened to me.  You are an amazing, smart, sweet, loving baby that has changed my life forever.  I don't know what I would do without you.  You made this family complete when you were born, and have been adding so much joy to our lives ever since.  It makes me sad that you're growing so fast, but I honestly can't wait to see what kind of boy and man you grow into in the future.  I know you will be wonderful and successful at whatever you put your mind to, and remember that I will be your biggest cheerleader and supporter.  Always know that your daddy and I love you unconditionally, and that we always will.

Happy 1st birthday sweet boy!  I love you!

 

Clark Through the Year

As a tribute to my baby turning one this week, I've put together all the pictures taken on the 27th of each month since he was born.  It's truly amazing to see the transformation he's made.  He's a beautiful little boy, and has been since the moment he took his first breath a year ago.

 Newborn - July 27

 1 month - August 27

2 months - September 27

3 months - October 27

 4 months - November 27

 5 months - December 27

 6 months - January 27

 7 months - February 27

 8 months - March 27

 9 months - April 27

 10 months - May 27

11 months - June 27

1 year- July 27, 2013

Momma Got a New Lens

When I purchased my Nikon d5100 DSLR camera back at Christmas time it came with an 18-55mm kit lens.  I liked that lens just fine, and it gave me some room to zoom in on the boys when they were playing, but the aperture range was 3.5-22, and I wanted a lens that would take in a lot more light (and also make the background of my photos a lot blurrier).  I had a really hard time taking pictures of the boys inside with this lens because the aperture wasn't large enough- I needed to use the flash, and then they looked really washed out and pale.  After doing some research I knew a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AF-S fixed focal lens (meaning it has no zoom or wide angel- it doesn't move) would do exactly what I wanted it to (the smaller the first number = the blurrier the background will be).  I could've gotten a 50mm f/1.4, but that would've cost me about $200 more than the lens I purchased... it's amazing how much a difference 0.4 can make in price.

After selling my old 35mm film cameras, and cashing in on an early birthday present, I was able to purchase my new lens.  I got it Friday (from Amazon), and took all of the pictures at Clark's birthday party with that lens.  It truly is amazing what a difference a lens can make.  These pictures look so much clearer and crisper.  I absolutely love it!  It's still taking a bit of time getting used to moving my body around, instead of the lens, when I want to zoom in or out of the frame.  You also have to really pay attention to where/what you focus on- if your focus is the least bit off the wrong part of the picture is going to be blurry (when your f/stop is at 1.8).  Here are some more photos I've taken with that lens I'd like to share! 

*I didn't use a flash on any of these photos (the flash on my camera isn't that great- it washes the boys out), so forgive any darkness.  A good flash is the next thing on my list.