I've been faking my photography skills.

So, I got a new DSLR camera over a year ago, and I still haven't learned how to really use it. Most of the photos I take are edited quite a bit by photoshop. It's a bad habit I've got; since I use photoshop on a daily basis for work/ad designs, it's really easy to take a bad photo and make it look like I really know how to take a good one. Because of this, I've neglected a lot of the functions on my camera, relying far too much on the functions of photoshop to bring a picture to life. 

I decided I finally needed to learn how to use my awesome camera, so I signed up for a photography class! I'm so excited. I took a photography class back in college, but we used stone aged film cameras and dark rooms. That was nearly 6 years ago, so it will be great to freshen up my skills while learning the ins and outs of my camera. I hope to be shooting in manual by the time the class is over! I'll be sure to document my progress here when class starts in June. Did I mention how excited I am?

Dear husband: I present my Mother's Day wish list.

You always give great gifts. You know me quite well. But this is a "new" holiday celebration around our house, so I thought I'd help you out and give you a suggestion (or, 6) of what I really want for Mother's Day. If you didn't know already (and I'm sure you don't), Mother's Day is May 10. I know you like to shop for gifts at the last second, so with this list you'll be able to do just that. Oh, and don't forget our anniversary is coming up. You could just shop for that too and kill two birds with one stone. I know what you're thinking, I'm genius; that's why you married me!

I'd love to have a new video camera. This one is small, convenient, and inexpensive! You should know that it comes is a pretty pink color, but I'll settle for black so that you won't be embarrassed to use it.

Chopping garlic by hand is tedious and leaves my fingers smelling for days. A garlic press would solve that problem!

Every time we are in the checkout isle at the grocery store, I pick up an issue of BHG or Martha Stewart, and say "I wish I had a subscription to this." Welp, I guess you haven't been paying attention to my hinting, cause I still don't have a subscription to either.

A really tiny pair of diamond studs, perhaps?

A gift card to Forever 21. It's cool, I can still shop there for at least 6 more years.

 
And the thing I want most is to spend the day with my 2 favorite boys. Breakfast in bed would be nice. We even could take Cameron on his first trip to the zoo.

XOXO,
your wifey.

Thoughts, to-do's, and other random tidbits.

• I am determined to have a garage sale during our neighborhood-wide garage sale in May. We've got so much crap to get rid of. And when I say so much crap, I mean SO MUCH CRAP. The 3rd spot in our 3-car garage is overflowing with furniture, tools, and other random junk that has accumulated in the 4 years we have been at our home. I will get to the bottom of it and hopefully make a few hundred bucks in the process!
• My parent's living room re-do is coming right along. My mom is in Hawaii for a few weeks (no fair, right?) and my plan is to get those craigslist chairs (that are buried somewhere in the garage) re-stained while she is gone, and then we'll be back in full force decorating when she returns. My goal is to have the living room finished by the end of May. 
• I need to start making weekly/monthly to-do lists. I've seen a lot of people keeping their to-do's on their blogs, but I need one that I can see a few times daily so I can really keep on top of things. I was thinking about making a cute little chalkboard like this one I saw on Design Sponge to hang in my kitchen. I could update it every Sunday for the week, and erase things as I do them!  How do you organize your to do list? And where do you keep it?
  
• My blog is in desperate need of a make-over. I actually like the white space, so instead of adding a flowery background or colored template, I'm thinking about adding a fun header or something. Add it to my to-do list!
• And in Cameron related news, we started solids last week! I'm so glad we did; I felt like he was always hungry. So far he loves sweet potatoes and green beans! I'll be sure to post a few pictures soon. He, like his dad, is a messy, messy eater. 

My son prefers immunizations over baths.

True statement.
Here lately Cameron has been protesting bath time. I'm not exactly sure why, but he used to love splashing around, soaking me, the walls, and everything else within a 10 foot radius. Now, bath time= an absolute scream-fest, something that's really hard when you are dealing with such a slippery little fish.
Anywho, we were at his 4 month appointment today, and while I look forward to seeing how much he's grown, I dread seeing him get his shots. No one likes shots. Babies don't like shots. And no one likes to watch babies get shots, especially their mothers. So the nurses come in to give them, and you know what? Not a peep. Not even a tear. We did get the "pouty lip" for a few seconds, but that was it. It's not like I wanted him to cry, but I expected it, ya know? I was ready for him to cry, ready to console him. I wasn't ready for the silence and flirty smiles he flashed at the nurses. It's puzzling, really. I just don't understand.


And for the growth stats: 16 lbs. 4 oz, and 26 1/2 inches tall!