Week 01.14 - The Best Camera Is the One You Have With You

"You should dance too Dad, it is fun!"

Paige loves to hit the top of her Sit & Spin and dance to the music.  She gets super excited and stomps her feet and laughs.  I'll have to see if we can capture a video of it and upload it to flickr.  On an equipment note, the camera had to get shipped off to KEH along with my 70-200 because it was losing connection, so I didn't have it all week.  We had to resort to the point & shoot and the cell phones.  There were several times that I would have liked to have my Nikon with me, but you have to make due with what you have.   Plus, if you have a camera with you, then you can make a picture.  Without a camera, then you would have no picture.  Chase Jarvis was right.  (Now I just need to let myself believe it, and not fret so much over gear)

Bonus Photograph:

"Look, Momma.  I have a pony tail!"

Her hair is growing like mad.  (This one was taken with Valerie's Cell Phone.  Her LG has a much better camera on it than my Blackberry Storm. Photos taken with my phone are barely viewable, let alone printable.)

Week 01.13 - Baking Cookies With Mom.

"Can, I have another one Momma?"

Nothing like baking chocolate chip cookies.  Paige had a good time, but kept trying to grab cookies when we weren't looking.

Bonus Photos:

"Uhhmm, I think I stuck."

Paige decided to grab her lamb from underneath the rocking chair.  She didn't plan her exit strategy.   So of course, the only reasonable thing to do was grab the camera and watch her figure it out on her own.  That is what we as parents are supposed to do right?  Allow our children to figure out things on their own, all while saving these things for posterity to bring out at our children's graduation party.

"I'm a big girl, I drink from a glass with a straw, not that baby sippy-cup."

Two seconds later Valerie was on her way down to the training room to get some towels.  Not quite there yet Paige, but she is starting to drink from a straw, as long as you don't let her hold the cup.

Week 01.12 - Long-Distance Close-Up

"Good, you can stay that far away.  You were always in my space, and my business."

New (to me) lens is back from KEH where it was getting repaired.  It is a Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8.  The 200mm focal length takes some getting used to!  Not to mention the lens is a monster, so it will take some practice to get my hand-holding technique down.  This was the first shot with it that I was pretty happy about.  Once it warms up a little bit (in what oh, three months...), it will be fun to take Paige to the park and take some shots from more of a distance. 

Bonus photos:

Ok, so I couldn't decide if I liked this week's picture in color or black and white better, so why not post both!  Would be interested in hearing which people prefer and why.

 

"Oh, come on!  We were so close.  Even I know that there should only be 11 players in the huddle, and I'm just a baby!"

Paige took the defeat pretty hard.  (maybe not as hard as I did, but really, 12 men in the huddle?)

"Maybe we shouldn't have gotten up so early Dad.  I'm still tired."

Paige gets up by 6:30 most days.  Whether or not said day is a Saturday.  You'd think she would want to sleep in too....

Week 01.11 - Izzy's Ice Cream

"Mmmmmmm, finally!"

Paige had her first Ice Cream.  Great Aunt Carol has moved up to the cities, so we went to visit and Paige was able to have her first Ice Cream.  We went to Izzy's, which is over on Marshall and Cleveland.  They have an "Izzy" sized cone, which was just perfect for Paige.

Bonus Photos:

"A says "Ah" and "A,"  every letter makes a sound, A says "Ah" and "A!"

Paige loves her alphabet fridge magnet thing-a-ma doodle.

"I'm too cool to worry about you Dad."

Doesn't she look like she is about 5 years old, and about the most dangerous and coolest kid on the block?  I think I'm afraid of her.

"Alligator, Alligator, Eat-Em Up, Eat-Em Up!"

I don't think any explanation is necessary. 

Week 01.10 - Sledding and Cold Hands

"Faster Mommy, Faster!"

Well,  it warmed up enough here in Minnesota to take Paige outside for a bit to go sledding for the first time.  (we have a small hill in our side yard that leads down to the sidewalk.  It is probably about 3 feet high or so.)  Paige wasn't sure what to think at first, but she enjoyed it as soon as we started going down the hill.  Unfortunately our exciting time was cut short when Paige took off her mittens and shoved her hands into the snow.  Paige's hands became quite cold, and she started to cry very loudly. 

We then had to juggle the camera, video camera, and Kaija, who had decided to head on down the block to start on her own walk, all the while trying to get Paige back into the house as fast as possible to get her hands warmed up again.  Lesson of the day for Paige:  Don't stick your hands in a snow bank, it is cold.  Lesson of the day for Paige's Parents:  Cameras have straps for a reason, and don't trust Kaija off her leash any more.

Bonus Photo:

"I've got your Ryan Braun bobblehead, Neener Neener Neener."

I was just running some lens tests on a nice small subject (Ryan Braun, seen above).  Paige decided we had quite enough of that.  On a side note, for some reason I really like to take pictures of her in these pyjamas apparently, seeing as there is a picture of her in these pyjamas four times this year already.  She really does have other pyjamas.  I promise.

Week 01.09 - Baby Boxhead

"Ha!  What a Fabulous Toy!"

Ah, the joys of being a baby.  Suddenly the container in which wondrous toys reside becomes more exciting than the toys.  Paige likes to put the little people storage container on her head and then walk around.  It is amazing that she doesn't run into more things with it on than she does when she has nothing on her head. (Or maybe that just means she runs into a lot of things when she is just walking normally.)

Bonus Photos:

"You can do it Packers, I know you can." 

We went to watch the Packers v. Cardinals (Take One) game at the Herkimer (a Packer's bar in Uptown) with a friend of Valerie's from work.   Paige made it until the third quarter.  I would say she did pretty well for not being able to get down and run all over the place.  Our ability to stay at any one spot where Paige cannot run around is quickly dwindling.  I hope it goes back up someday.  Maybe when she is 5.

"A few more lines, and my masterpiece will be complete.  Hey, what does this white lever do?  OH NO!"

Magna-doodles are fantastic.  I can't imagine the number of upholstery cleanings that they save on a daily basis.  They have one at daycare that Paige plays with on a regular basis.  One day when Valerie was picking Paige up, Valerie put it away and took Paige to head home.  Paige cried for 45 minutes straight.  Santa, being the wonderful gentleman that he is, noticed and brought Paige her very own magna-doodle.  (I also think she might be a southpaw.)

Week 01.08 - Tupperware Lid Gnomes

"If I'm really quiet, I bet I can steal all of these Tupperware lids."

Ever wonder what happens to your lids for your Tupperware and other miscellaneous storage containers?  Gnomes that look like babies steal them.  (Thank you Mor Mor Teri for the fantastic winter hat.)

Bonus Photos:

"It's DaDa family Christmas today?  You mean I get MORE presents?"
We celebrated Christmas with my side of the family on New Years Day.  Clearly this sweater needed to make the blog in some manner.

"You can't even see me to take a picture.  I'm camouflaged."

Same reason as above.  Good sweater.