11 on Friday/Saturday

1. Life is busy. I feel like everyday we're still adjusting to our new schedule, which includes getting home most nights at 5. By the time I make dinner, give Paxton his bath, play, work on what ever else I need to it seems to be bed time...then we wake up and do it all over again.

2. I am so ecstatic-relieved-excited-HAPPY that I get to do my rotations here in Wenatchee. I was terrified at the thought of having to move.

3. Another year and I'll be done with school. It seems like it's taken me forever to get here, but in the end it will be worth it, right?

4. I get excited when I think about our future...

5. I want [need] another baby, not anytime soon but soon-ish. Probably in another year and a half. Maybe...ask me tomorrow and I might change my mind though.

6. Dear Camera Fairy, would you pretty please leave me THIS. I would love you forever! Hey, a girl can wish! Hopefully soon. It would take me so much further, help me become a better photographer. No the camera doesn't make the picture, the photographer does...however, it's easier to be artistic and creative when you aren't restricted by your camera. My camera is great but that camera is SO much better.

7. I'm at a LOVE/HATE relationship with Paxton's toys right now. I LOVE that they are all over the place, I love that he loves playing with them, and I LOVE watching him play with them. But...I HATE cleaning them up all the time.

8. Paxton is definitely my son. I find myself kissing him so much that I literally have to make myself stop...it's almost an uncontrolled habit :) When I do it I usually make a crazy face and squeeze him too. Well, Paxton now does the uncontrolled squeeze...oh how I love it! I'll have to thank my mom for that...I remember the crazy face growing up.

9. Paxton also stole my heart the other night. He looked at me and said, "come on momma, I want to take a bath, come on, bring your camera." Awww, so...

10. Okay, I was all ready to upload the pictures but I haven't watermarked them and since they are bath pictures...I think I'll wait. And now it's late so I'm off to bed, maybe tomorrow :)

11. Update on the Paxton and his colors...I spoke with his Pediatrician and he said that they don't do that kind of a test until school age. So for now we're still working on them...
Peace.Love.Hugs!

this would be Awesome...

with a capital A! :) How awesome would it be to win THIS! I would love it! I would also love to be in the position to give away a trip like this...hopefully someday!

texture...

Just a texture edit I wanted to share....

Have a great Hump-Day.

not sure...

Paxton is a pretty smart little-dude. Anyone who knows him can verify this, actually most people that encounter Paxton can tell you this. He learns quickly, sometimes too quickly. He talks a lot, and knows too much :) I'm positive he's an old soul.

So when I started working with him on his colors I figured he'd learn them fairly quickly...but he didn't. I didn't push, I figured he would eventually get them, but he wasn't, or at least not really. I always felt like he was struggling, or just not wanting to pay attention. When he didn't catch on I kind of gave up and figured he would learn them when he was ready...still figure?

I did happen to mention to Miss Cindy (our AMAZING sitter) that he was having a hard time learning his colors. I told her that I'd been trying to work with him, but that I didn't think he was catching on. Maybe she'd have a different approach?

I also mentioned to her that I almost wondered if there was a possibility that he could be colorblind...I felt crazy saying it out loud, since mostly I had been thinking it to myself. She assured me that he was probably fine, and I believed her. After all, doesn't being colorblind run in your family? I put all of it on the "back burner" and figured he'd come around...he's too smart not to learn his colors, right?

Then today when I was picking Pax up Cindy brought it up. She mentioned that she'd been trying to work with him on his colors and that she hadn't had any luck either. Then she mentioned that she thought there was a possibility that he could be colorblind...my heart sunk. I had thought it, but didn't actually believe it--until now.

I've been reading about it and I believe that Paxton sees color, but has a hard time differentiating between them. I think that to him Yellows, Reds, and Oranges all look the same color and black, purples, and blues all look the same. Tonight we were going over them and it's almost as if he really has no idea what I'm talking about when I say the word color...like they are all the same. So how can that one be red, when it looks like the orange? I called his Pediatrician bud didn't hear back from him. My guess is his nurse will call tomorrow.

I did find a "test" online that I plan to use tomorrow for my own sanity. I want to know (need) to know.

All of this has made me feel so sad...what if my little boy never gets to see things for their true beauty, the way you and I see them. What if he struggles in school because the directions are written in black on a blue paper? Or worst of all...

6. The kindergarten teacher notices the kids during art class teasing Jimmy. The other kids think it is funny that Jimmy's stick people have green faces.

Color Normal Color Deficient


source: critiquewall.com by Paul Martin

these images made me cry...I couldn't imagine seeing the world this way.

Hopefully I'm just being a paranoid mom and Paxton is indeed being stubborn. I'll let you all know more, when I know more.

What can I say...

...i'm on a ROLL! :)

Paxton-Poo

Love these...All of them :)

Three Photo Frame

Look what I learned to make...I also have it saved as a template so from now on I'll be able to just swap out the pictures. Fun stuff!

It's that time again...

for a bath picture :) I have lots more from today that hopefully I'll get posted tomorrow!

Peace, Love, Hugs!

Oh, and I'm also working on new Logo/Watermark so I'll have a few different ones that I'd like some opinions on. Check back for those tomorrow!

Oh, and check out this :)TeeHee, how awesome is that?

little conversation...

Here's a little bit of a conversation that Paxton and I had yesterday on the way home from Miss Cindy's (the sitter.)

Me: How was your day today?

Pax: Good. How was yours.

Me: It was good, but I missed you.

Pax: I missed you too mommy, I cried for you.

Me: Oh, Pax you don't need to cry I will always be back for you.

Pax: Okay...I had so much fun playing.

Me: Good, I'm so glad.

.....Silence.....

Pax: Mommy...

Me: Yes Pax

Pax: I had a hard day today...

Me: You had a hard day, oh, why?

Pax: I had a hard day, Mason smashed my finger and Andrew pushed me off the stool and I have owie's....

WOW...what a hard day Paxton.

I thought it was too cute!

Lazy Weekend

We had a great, lazy weekend.

Paxton needed a hair-cut...can you tell?


So he got one...much better! Look at my little boy. He is no longer a baby he is all boy!

Pax LOVES to play cars. First we line them ALL up...

and then they're OFF!

Ten on Tuesday

1. Good morning...

2. I'm up before Paxton, which has been the norm lately. He's been wanting to stay up so late and sleep all morning, or at least until 8:30 or 9. I've tried breaking this, but it doesn't seem to work. I'm going to have to though in order for me to get my study time in. Although, he's actually way better about leaving me to be when he know I have stuff to do.

3. I have this photo project in a group I belong to. Now I just need it to snow...the picture I have been imagining in my mind just won't be the same without the snow, but I also imagine it snowing while I'm taking the picture. Maybe I should start carrying the camera with me...maybe.

4. I really need to figure out how to post links. The ones where I can say check THIS out and all you have to do is click on the THIS. It looks so much better than having a huge web address sprung across the page. Anyone know how? Care to share ;)

5. After Christmas we came home and I was stressed-out with all of Paxton's toys EVERYWHERE....literally everywhere. I decided something had.to.be.done! So we went to Target and got a nifty little storage shelf, the kind where I can put his toys in tubs and then put the tubs on the shelf. LOVE IT!

6. The other day Paxton came and crawled in my lap gave me a hug and in his really sweet voice said, "you're my best friend." So sweet....then later in the day I was putting him in his room (punishment) and as I'm shutting the door he says, "but you're my best friend." I guess best friends aren't supposed to put each other in the room.

7. It's so nice to wake up in the morning with the coffee already brewed. Who ever invented the automatic coffee pot was a GENIUS!

8. I have a really long class today. One class that goes from 12-5. YIKES, I think I'm going to go crazy!

9. Okay, I'm out of things to say. Ten seems like a lot. I'm okay with 9 though, and heck you've even seen a few pictures. So technically I'll say those count as posts and then I've made it to 11. Have a great Tuesday.

10. BTW, both of these pictures were taken with my iPhone :) There I made it to 10.

Creative Fun!

I'm not sure who had more fun playing...Paxton or me? Its crazy the things they have for play dough. Paxton's been asking for the ice-cream set, I'm thinking that might be a good idea.

Just to add...table covers, the cheap ones you buy for birthday party's, work GREAT to play on.

Meet the farmer and his animals.

Spaghetti and Meatballs...Paxton said, "meatballs? what's that?

Mrs. Piggy. She even grows a tail...I thought it looked weird so I cut it off :)

yet another favorite

I love that in this picture you can see his little mole/freckle on his neck...one day it just appeared.

Here's to 2010!

I love pictures like this. It's close to my heart. It's so Paxton. His eyes, his hair, his look of concentration, everything.

I LOVE that I can see the dark speck directly below his right eye (the one on the left) :) I have always noticed it, since he was a baby. It's not that big, but it's there and for some reason it's special to me. It's one of those things that make him different, makes him Paxton.



I love you Pax....forever and always.

Hooo-Rayyyy!

...for me!!! A year ago TODAY I started this blog...hip-hip-hooray, I am so proud of myself. I'm almost doing a little dance-party in the living room by myself :) Speaking of dance parties, that's Paxton's new favorite thing. We get my iPhone and a little speaker we bought for Enrique for Christmas and we blast the jams. Usually Pax insists that Dance Parties take place in his room jumping on the bed, but whatever I'm down with that. We've even had a dance party at the store in the middle of the isle...to the stores music that is ;)

J&J- Pax has really been enjoying the "sunbrella" we got (stole) in the gift exchange.

We finally took out the scooter for a cruise


The plan for 2010:
Learn more...lots more.
Take more photos of myself (maybe a selfie-project)
Be in more photos
Get more photos with Enrique in them
Find new subjects
Buy a new lens
Maybe purchase a new website (a real-professional-one)
....the list continues!

Color/Black & White

Color/Black & White, originally uploaded by Andrea Lopez Photography.

Today on another blog that I follow she asked, "what is your style, color or black and white?" I think that usually I prefer color, especially when the colors are bold and beautiful. BUT...a good black and white always steals my heart, with my portraits and others. I get more emotion out of some black and whites than I do out of color.

I think with this picture of Paxton in the sand, I prefer the black and white. Mostly because the color doesn't have any bold colors and his eyes seem to pop more in the black and white.

Winter 2009

Winter 2009, originally uploaded by Andrea Lopez Photography.

Can you believe?

That in five days it will be exactly a year since I started this blog.... I can't believe it! I was just looking through some of my first posts and realizing that I had no idea what I was doing with my camera. This blog has been such a GREAT experience. Not only did it push me to try and make sure that I was getting my camera out nearly everyday it also pushed me to learn how to use my camera. Manual modes and all. I now have a documented year of Paxton. I can look back and see what he was like on the exact day a year before. How awesome is that! :) I can also honestly say that I didn't think I'd stick it out...usually I get tired of things fast, but not this time. I think the best part of this blog...I realized how much I LOVE photography. I no longer view the world through my own eyes, but through my "photographer" eyes.

I'm hoping that in the coming year I'll be able to grow even more as a photographer! Next on my agenda is a new blog--a real one; one where I can post larger pictures and have my own domain. I've found the one I want...I'll just have to wait to get it. I just don't see the point of buying one yet, maybe when I'm actually "working" as a photographer, but until then I'll remain at Blogspot!

Here's to another year! I hope you'll continue to follow along with our lives and my photography!

MUAH!
xoxo,
Andrea

Nobody likes a post without a picture so here's one from our weekend.

Catch Up

Isabelle and Addesen came over to play sometime last week, Pax loves when they come! Isabelle came with a really pretty scarf...I was playing around with her and tied it around her head. See like this :) (see below)


She then told me that she looked like a fortune teller-smart! She did. She even had a really creative "fortune-tellerish" voice to go with it! She and Paxton then went into his room to play fortune tellers! The used Paxton's chairs and some play cards. They even used Paxton's tools on the hands! I thought it was so creative. I even heard Paxton tell Isabelle, "you will have a good day and be happy." I had mine read a few times too. They played for nearly two hours! It's amazing how well those two get along. Too bad Addesen wasn't feeling well, I'm sure she would have loved to play too.

Here they are hard at work.

Paxton got some new tools...he thinks he's pretty cool. So do I :)

Here is a little reminder of Christmas...It came and went TOO fast! I actually caught myself yesterday telling Enrique that we should go to the lighting festival in Leavenworth. Whoops! We are going to try and make it for a sleigh ride sometime! We're really wanting to start some new traditions, ones that Paxton will remember. I think the sleigh ride will be a great one!

Until my next post....

HAPPY 2010. May your year be filled with all your hearts desires.