Busy weekend

The Albin family sure had a busy weekend. On Saturday we had Abigail's basketball game (see previous post). That evening, Abigail and J.T. went to stay overnight with my parents so Andy and I could go to the Humboldt State basketball game. It was a wild one! They ended up barely beating Cal State Los Angeles. Directly after the game, one of the L.A. players chased after the referees because he was upset about a bad call. The police and security guards had to step in the middle. Crazy! After the game, we went out for some snacks with Matt and Berwyn. It was a late night for us... we didn't get to bed until midnight. I think I am getting too old to stay up that late...

On Sunday morning, the kids went to Sunday School. Then after lunch, we went to a family member's 1st birthday party. The kids had a great time and came home with these great party favor boxes. The theme was ladybugs, of course.The baby's mom made this adorable cake.... actually she made two. Isn't it cute?

After this party, Abigail had another party to go to for a girl in her class. It was a roller skating party and she said she only fell down once! Quite an improvement from the last time she went skating.

Today it was back to school after our President's week vacation....

Shootin' hoops

Abigail had another basketball game this past Saturday. They practiced for 30 minute before the game. And Abigail finally made a basket! Papa Walt finally figured out how to get her to shoot it high enough to get it through the hoop. She will only stand in one spot to shoot because this is where she had her success.... she made 8 out of 9 shots. She was very excited about this, of course. She definitely likes the slower pace of the practice time. I think the games are a little too fast and aggressive for her liking... she is afraid of getting hit by the ball or getting hurt. She just likes to be there and be part of things. Two games to go....

Where do I go from here?

Lately I have been struggling with my photography. I don't mean that I am having trouble with my photography skills... it's more a matter of how to use those skills. Several people have asked me recently if I plan to start a photography business. I have tossed the idea around a little...

Whenever I start thinking about this, it always brings me back to thinking about why I got into photography in the first place.... my kids, of course. I've never considered myself creative or artistic.... at all!! When I started scrapbooking after Abigail was born six years ago, I was able to see that maybe I do have a little creativity in me. Scrapbooking led me to photography. I have been interested in photography for as long as I can remember, but taking photos specifically for scrapbooking made me look at photography a little differently. Ever since then, my passion for photography has grown... every day.

The second reason why I took up photography was that I was tired of taking my kids to mall for their portraits. I always left there very unsatisfied with the quality of the portraits, and with my overall experience. Last January, I finally decided to do something about it. I bought my first digital SLR camera and have acquired a few lenses throughout the year. A few weeks ago, I upgraded to a Canon 30D. Here's one of the first photos I took when I got my Canon Digital Rebel XT in early 2006...

I love to do portraits of my kids. I spend a great deal of time practicing with them, both indoors and out. There is nothing like a natural, outdoor portrait where they can really show their personalities. On the other hand, it is also a lot of fun to try to capture a studio look with an indoor portrait. The kids have been pretty good about letting me snap away... especially if there's a treat involved. Here's one of my first favorites of J.T.
I have always loved weddings and everything about them: the planning, the flowers, the attire, the emotion of the day, the photographs, etc. Would I want to photograph a wedding? I am not sure. There is so much pressure because it's a once in a lifetime day... I was lucky enough to be a second shooter at my good friend Julie's wedding in November. It was a great experience and I loved being part of the day. It was an amazing experience to see how happy the bride and groom, and their families, were on that day.
Growing up, my dad always told me that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. However, there are several factors weighing in on my decision, not the least of which is whether this is the "right" time in my life to take on something like this. And while making a decision like this, one can't ignore the business aspect. The market in our area is pretty saturated when it comes to photographers. Am I really needed? Can I really offer anything that isn't already being offered?

Lots of questions to ponder and try to answer....

Nascar starts today!

I am so excited that Nascar starts back up today. It's been a long three months. It all starts with the Daytona 500, which is considered the Super Bowl of car racing. I know, it's a little strange that they start out with the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season. My dad says, "What did I do wrong, that I ended up with a daughter who loves stock car racing?" The answer is "nothing!"

It's a great sport, and I love it. However, I really know nothing about cars. As you may know, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is my favorite driver. He drives the #8 car. Go Dale Jr!

It's basketball season again

Abigail wanted to play basketball again this year. It runs for six weeks from the first of February through the middle of March. Somehow Andy got roped into coaching this year. He was the assistant coach last year, but they really needed coaches so he (sort-of) volunteered. We have nine girls in first and second grade. The only practice time is for 30 minutes before the game. Then there are two 15 minute halves, but no score is kept. The girls all seem to have a good time. Here are a few pictures from the games so far...JT has been a good sport about entertaining himself during the games. He brings his case full of tractors and trailers to every game and keeps busy. Only one time has a tractor rolled onto the court. Thank goodness no one stepped or tripped on it.

Our Student of the Month

On Friday, Abigail was named Student of the Month for her class. She was, of course, very excited about getting this honor. But she was even more excited because her "boyfriend" Nolan was also named Student of the Month for their class. Every month each teacher at the school chooses two students from their class to be selected. Then all the Students of the Month are announced at an assembly.

We are very proud of Abigail, as you would expect. To celebrate, I took Abigail to McDonalds for a caramel ice cream sundae. Congrats to Abigail and Nolan!

Happy Valentines Day 2007!

Hope you all have a wonderful Valentines Day this year! We don't have any big plans. Love y'all!

The past few Valentines Days

Here is a quick slideshow of the past few Valentines Days in our family....

The new lens- Abigail's turn

Abigail's turn: more of my favorites from our recent shoot. She sure is growing up, isn't she?

JT with the new lens

Handsome fellow, isn't he? We sure think so. Looks a little mischievous, doesn't he?
Looks a little sweeter here....

I am so done! No more pictures! I will not smile... I will not smile... I will not smile!

Bribery works....

I got a new lens and bribed the kids into letting me practice with it. It is by far my best lens for portraits. I am not quite sure how these will show up due to resizing and sharpening. The kids weren't overly cooperative about having photos done together. These are probably the best of them.