The Miller Family

I Heart Faces- Sun Flare entry

2009-11-24T14:43:00.000-08:00

I went back and forth with what entry to enter at I Heart Faces for the sun flare and I decided on this one of a father and son that I took during their family photo shoot. They happened to be friends of ours too. I love the natural laugh they both have. Don't ask me what they were giggling about because I don't remember. LOL I got sun flare in the photo and wasn't really wanting to but I was pleased when I saw it. Anyway, here it is! I am sure it's not a winner but I liked it!! :)

Constructive Feedback Friday

2009-10-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

Today at I Heart Faces they are not doing their regular Fix IT Friday but letting us post a photo for the more expereinced ones critique our edits. I am defintely learning this whole Photoshop editing thing so I would love some feedback. I chose this photo of my son and daughter walking in the yard. I just love it! They love each other so much and my son ,RJ, is such a good big brother to his littel sister Maddyn! I love the hand on her back and I love the simple little thing of seeing their backs of one of their feet each as they walk.

Here is the original:

here is my edit:

Do you like the black and white? Should I crop it somehow? Do you like the burnt edges? Any thoughts are appreciated?

Thanks!

I heart Faces- Contemplation entry

2009-09-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

This week at I Heart Faces, is the theme Contemplation. I chose this picture of my daughter Maddyn I just took a few days ago. I had got one of my new lenses (24mm-70mm f2.8 Lseries canon lense! YAY!) and so I put my daughter in s cute tutu and headband I got form Walmart(yep walmart..so cute-can't really see it in this picture) and took her outside in our yard for some photos. I love this one because she is just studying this flower intently. I love this toddler age. Everything is so interesting to them and so new. Anyway, thanks for looking and if you want to see other great photos, go to I Heart Faces

Here are some other photos from this shoot in case you would like to see. :)

My Son RJ

Thanks for looking!!

Fix it Friday Sept 11

2009-09-10T21:15:00.001-07:00

What a beautiful baby face we all get to play around with this week. I could so squeeze those cheeks! thanks for letting us use it!

I haven't posted anything to I Heart Faces in so long!

Here is the original

here is my first post

I kind of gave it a vintage look I guess. I applied two actions from Pioneer Woman. First I used Fresh and colorful and adjusted the opacity of the layers a bit and then I applied the PW Black and white. I didn't flatten the image first. the Light layer was highlighted and I just applied the Black and White action then adn this is what it came out as.

My second one is this:

I applied a simple intensify action from Itty Bitty 52 action set and then popped the eyes with coffee shop Eye Bright.

My last one is this:

I belive that I took the one above and popped the color again and then applied a b&w action to it without flattening it first. It's almost 1 am and I should be in bed and right now , I can't remember exactly what I did to this one!!! LOL

See some other GREAT fixes at I Heart Faces!

I Heart Faces- At the Beach entry

2009-07-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

Well, we dont have a beach anywear near us really....not a big one anyway. This past weekend we went camping at Jellystone Park near by our home and they had a small lake with a beach. I know this picture won't win but I am entering it anyway. :) It really shows off the goofy personality of my son, R.J. He is always a ham for the camera! Come check out the other great photos at I Heart Faces !!!

Fix It Friday- I HEART FACES JULY 24

2009-07-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

Here is my attempt at Fix it Friday. The above picture is the original. What a handsome kid!

Thanks for letting us all play around with it at I Heart Faces !!

Here is my edit. I cropped it just a bit and then applied the action Coffee Shop Honey Retro. After that I added aa slight burn on the edges. That's pretty much it! Thanks for looking! Check out the rest of the fixes by clicking the link above or the button!!

I Heart Faces FEET

2009-07-19T20:29:00.000-07:00

I haven't entered a picture in the I Heart Faces contests in a long time and when I saw this weeks theme, I HAD to enter. Here is my entry. It my friend Marna's children. I took their family photos last week and I saw the kids sitting here and had to take this feet picture. I love it!

go on over to I HEART FACES for some other outstanding feet photos!!!

Click on my feet photo if you want to see it a little bigger :)

here are some other pics from that photo shoot. :)

Hi ! Haven't posted in a while

2009-07-19T19:29:00.000-07:00

SO we have been busy here lately! I will try and give a quick update on us and what we have been doing.:)

RJ- he is now a Kindergarten grad!! WOOHOO!!! He did awesome in school and we couldn't be prouder. He did Letchworth Splash all year and has come so far in his swimming. He also has taken Tae Qwon Doe and likes that as well. There is a break from that right now but will start up again in the fall. Right now it is summer soccer. He likes that a lot too!! RJ will be heading to a day camp at Beaver Meadows for a week and he is really excited! He will get to be outside and learn all about nature and that includes ANIMALS! His favorite thing! He has been busy hunting for toads while at summer rec and his coach/rec teacher calls him "the great white Frog hunter"! He is having a ton of fun even though our weather has pretty much stunk this whole summer. Rainy and chilly for July that is for sure. He will be going to MI for a couple of weeks to see his father nad family there. We will miss him but he should have a good time. The yare having an "RJ Bar-b- Que" while there (too cute) and going to cedar point! He will get to play with his awesome cousins Ben and Alex too!

Maddyn- ON the GO!! SHe is walking now and always wants to go! SHe is our angel baby and so much fun!!! We had her first b-day party at the lake and had a great time! SHe got such beautiful things. We are blessed towith a wonderful family and loving friends.
She hasn't liked the pool very much since it has been so darn cold. Maddyn is a super picky eater and it is very frustrating. I don't knw how she thrives... seriously!! Hopefully she will grow out of it and not be picky like her big brother!

She is saying some words too! Mama, Dada, Papa (said it once), hot, yes, ball....those are most of them. She is such a joy to watch grow but it's also sad at the same time.

Mark has been busy working but has some time off. He has a week off in July and we are going camping with the kids to Jellystone. Should be fun if the weather is nice. We are aslo going to be staying up at the lake in August when RJ is back from MI which is should be enjoyable and we are having friends stay a couple nights too.

I have been taking some family photos for friends here and there and everyone has been pleased. I am thinking of maybe trying to do it professionally but haven' taken the plunge yet. My lack of confidence is holding me back. We shall see......

Anyway, I am going to post some random pics ....thanks for reading and looking!!! Have a great summer in case I don't get on here to update!

I Heart Faces- Kids Hats

2009-05-05T04:57:00.000-07:00

Here is my entry for this week. The theme is HATS.
I chose this one of Maddyn wearing the sweater and hat that Grandma Blue made for her. We love the set and I always get compliments on it when she wears it. I always give credit to Grandma!!

Fix it Friday!! I Heart Faces

2009-05-01T12:55:00.000-07:00

Here is my fix for Fix IT Friday at I Heart Faces!
First, here is the original

here is my first edit:I used photoshop to edit this cute pic of this little guy. I am not that great with PS but I try.
First I adjusted the levels a bit then contrast, color and saturation. Then I applied an action from Coffee Shop ( I follow that blog so there is a link to it at the bottom of my blog) called Perfect Portrait. I basically just hit play and watch it to it's thing. At the end I tweeked the curves just a little bit and that was it!

Here is a second edit
I didn't do too much here. I adjusted the curves a bit and then applied an action called Childish BW magic Medium. I then cropped it and that is it!
Check out some of the great "fixes" at I Heart Faces

Alien Skin Bokeh Giveaway

2009-04-29T18:55:00.000-07:00

If you haven't joined I Heart Faces, now is the time to do it. They have contests and giveaways all the time. This giveaway is awesome! It's for

Alien Skin Bokeh Giveaway

What is that you ask? It is a photo editing software and it is so cool! Go to I Heart Faces and find out!!!

I Heart Faces- #16 Reflections

2009-04-28T12:06:00.001-07:00

So here is another challenge/contest for the web blog I Heart Faces! It's such a fun site , especially for photog lovers like me! This week's contest is" reflections". I am sure I won't win with these entries but it's fun to participate just the same.
Here is my children entry. :)Maddyn kept looking at herself in the dishwasher and we would tell her to "kiss the baby"! So here she is kissing herself!!! Too cute!!!

I will enter an Adult entry when I figure out what I am going to do or I look through my 1000s of pics to find one I already have.
If you want to check out a TON of great pics...go to
I Heart Faces!!!
ok..here is my adult entry. I took this with my point and shoot today when I realized that my Canon XTI 's battery was dead.

thanks for looking!!!! Make sure you check out the other pics at I Heart Faces!!

We Picture This- Daughter entry

2009-04-22T18:46:00.000-07:00

I love to enter photo contests and I love showing off my kids. Here is my beautiful baby girl, Maddyn and my entry for the We Picture This contest. Go check out their blog for more beautiful children and awesome photos!

I Heart Faces- Self Portrait entries

2009-04-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

So this weeks challenge at I Heart Faces is a little different. It is SELF PORTRAIT. You have to take it while you are holding the camera. This is not the easiest thing to do especially when you have an SLR. Anyway, I am not super big on my looks these days but I did it anyway. The first is my self portrait Adult entry and the second is Self Portrait Kids entry (had to have a child in the photo with me). I didn't like too many of the adult ones I tried to do. I chose this one because the one thing on my face I like are my eyes and you can really see the color of them in the picture. So anyway- here it is:

Here is my Kids entry. I used a medium Vanilla action on it. I like it in the black and white. My 6 year old son is in the shot with me. He is such a goofball. You should have seen all the ones I took. Most of them he was trying to lick me! I think this one is cute.
Thaks for looking and if you want to see more great self portraits, make sure you click on the buttons above!

Easter Eggs painting

2009-04-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

here are some photos of us making Easter eggs this year. RJ loves it! HE would do it everyday of the year if he could. Carley had Derek over that day and he got into coloring them too. He said he hadn't colored eggs since he was like 7!

I Heart Face- Amateur entry

2009-04-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

I am entering this week's theme at I Heart Faces. It's Spring/Easter photos. Here is my girl or I should say my bunny outside in a basket. She loves the plastic Easter eggs and the grass. It was hard to get a picture of her actually looking at the camera. :)

Check out the other little bunnies at I Heart Faces!

I Heart Faces -Fix it Friday

2009-03-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

I used to think that I had a small grasp on photography but I realized that I pretty much know the bare minimum. Since I found I Heart Faces, I have been on that site everyday trying to soak in all that it has to offer. There is so much to learn about the art. Not only do you have to just have an eye for it but you have to know how to get the most out of your camera and how to use it - aperture, shutter speed, ISO, lighting, exposure, etc. It can be quite confusing. I have taken a few classes so I know some but I always have to refresh my memory. There is a lot to comprehend and retain. Sometimes my brain doesn't work as well as I want it too in order to grasp it all! Then after all that, you have to know how to edit a photo because 9 times out of 10, you don't get that perfect photo right out of your camera. Well, at least I never do. So comes editing- I don't really know squat about that either. I have Photoshop 7.0 that a friend gave me a long time ago. I had it for a year or so before I ever even delved into trying it out. It still totally confuses me! I usually start with a photo and then apply an action that I got off the internet which is some type of color pop or something and then adjust the hue, contrast and such until I get something that I find acceptable. There are a lot of free actions that you can get off the internet. One place I like is http://coffeeteaphotography.blogspot.com/. I use a lot of those actions but you can find them anywhere. Now since going to I Heart Faces I have discovered Picnik. I think it is a great editing tool that anyone can use. I don't use the premium features but I know you can do even more with it if you did but for a free program, it's great!

So, with all that being said, I am not the greatest one to teach someone how to edit something. I Heart Faces does what they call Fix IT Fridays. Someone enters a picture to be edited by the pros and they tell everyone how they did their editing. Then anyone can grab that picture and try things out themselves so I thought I would give it a whirl. I used Photoshop 7.0 mainly for this. I used Picnik just to add a drop shadow effect- no reason- just was messing around. I could have done it in photoshop but I didn't. I tried to whiten her teeth a bit with Picnik but it didn't really seem to work. As far a Photoshop went- I used a color pop action (can't remember which one) and then adjusted the levels and hue a bit and saturation- that is the 1st photo and with the second photo I applied another action to my edited photo. The action I used was Coffee SHop Honey Retro. It burned the edges and gave it a glowing look.

This little girl is so cute! Thanks to the photographer who let us all play with the picture. It was a lot of fun!!! Happy clicking!
First picture is original

This is the first edit

This is the 2nd

We Picutre this entry- Black and White

2009-03-24T05:01:00.000-07:00

Here is my entry for We Picture This- Black and White entry. I love this shot of Maddyn. She looks so devilish! Check out the site if you like photography. It's another great one that I found!

I Heart Faces- No Flash entry

2009-03-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, I like to take pictures. Lots of them! I got interested in photography after RJ was born. I think he and Maddyn must be the most photographed kids ever- next to the celebrities children. LOL

I found a photography blog called I HEART FACES where anyone can enter contests, find answers to just about any photography question, join their social network, and meet other photographers- beginners to professional. Go check them out! it's a great site!
This is my first entry into one of their weekly contests. The theme this week is No Flash. I took that picture of Maddyn in her bedroom as she was standing by her window. it was an overcast day as you can see from the rain on the window. Not much light was coming in but I thought it looked nice.

Hi ALL!!!

2009-03-18T06:08:00.000-07:00

Spring is almost here! That means RJ is almost 6 years old! WOW! I can't believe he is that old! When did my baby grow up? He is still a little man so I will hang on to that for as long as possible but soon I won't be able to say that either. He is doing great in kindergarten and is well liked by his teachers and peers. We are going to start him in Tae Kwon Do next month and he is excited about that. I think it will be good for him. He will continue Letchworth Splash as well but we may cut down the amount of days per week he goes. Too many nights out can make for more stress than it is worth.

Maddyn is getting bigger way too fast as well. She is now 9 months old and is crawling and pulling herself up to stand and cruising around the rooms. She is getting into soooo many things. We need to constantly keep an eye on her. She is such a joy and is loved by all of us. She is scared of Papa Bumblebee lately for some reason. Cries her eyes out when she sees him. Poor Papa!

Maddyn has had pink eye for a week or so but that is getting better. Pretty much gone now. RJ and Mark have had colds but nothing too bad. I have remained healthy through it all. I might regret saying that as things tend to come back and bite you in the butt once you get that kind of thing out of your mouth.

In April, we plan on going to Great Wolf Lodge for a night during Easter break before RJ goes to MI. GWL is an indoor water park in Canada. I am excited! RJ will have a blast!!! I am hoping Maddyn will like it too! I had to get myself a new bathing suit (GAG!) online that costs a ton of money because of my huge TATAS that I have been "blessed" with. I can't wait to get the girls REDUCED. That will be an interesting thing to blog about! Hopefully that will happen next Fall.

I am going to post a few pictures of my rugrats. You can all see how big they have gotten since my last post. Have a great rest of the week!

My little angel

2008-11-25T21:03:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post some pictures of Maddyn that I took lately. She is our angel for sure.
I will post some new ones of our other little angel RJ soon. His photo shoot is coming up! :)

Finally posting!

2008-10-31T05:55:00.000-07:00

We have been busy here these days. Maddyn still doesn't sleep well which makes things hard and RJ is learning a lot in kindergarten too. He goes around saying his letter chants ...I ..itch.... i(short sound).....T ....top ...T...he tells me you have to cut the Ta...so it just is "T". LOL He is also adding a lot and loves to do patterns. He is a smart little kid.
We are going to his Hallwoeen party today at school and they are having a parade. I will be posting pictures....I promise. :)
Here are some pictures that have been taken the past few months.

2008-09-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

this is a digi scrap page I did of RJ's first day of school.

It's been a while!!

2008-09-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

We had no computer for a month and with the birth of our daughter Maddyn, I forgot all about my blog!!! I will update with pictures and such soon!
Kathy

UPDATE ON ME

2008-05-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would let you all know that I am nearing the end of my pregnancy!! Only about 2 more weeks or so until my due date. Of course, I could go later or earlier....you never know. I am 2 cm dilated and 75% effaced but I have been that way for two weeks. We got the baby's room almost done. I will post pics when it is all done. I will keep you posted!

RJ at swimming lessons!

2008-05-09T05:39:00.000-07:00

More pics of my little man! He loves swimming lessons. Maybe he will be on the swim team when he grows up!!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Baby Bump 34 weeks

2008-04-25T19:20:00.001-07:00

Here I am with my 34 week belly!! Look how round it is! I love it!

RJ is taking swimming lessons!

2008-04-25T17:56:00.000-07:00

RJ just started swimming lessons at Letchworth Splash and he really is doing well. He loves going which is great! This is only his first week. He was worried at first because he wanted to bring his floaties but he is not aloud to use them. HE does not want to go under the water though. No way! He actually went under with Kat, his instructor, on Monday and he was fine but since then he has been scared. Kat is really good with him and the other kids his age. She is patient but still makes them do things that they are a little fearful of. She did not make him go under this time which I liked because you could tell he was really scared. He was very proud that he went on his kick board all the way to the other end of the pool all by himself! I was proud too!! He is getting so big and he is a kid that any parent would be proud of!
If you want to see all the pictures, you can go to:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=24970&l=d0c1b&id=755848786

Carely's cheer pic

2008-04-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a picture of Carley was taken a month or so ago. She really enjoys cheer leading and is very good at it. She will be a junior next school year so the college search will be on!

My baby is 5 years old!!!!

2008-03-20T19:08:00.001-07:00

I can't believe he is 5 already! Where have the years gone? We had a little gathering with the older adults tonight. He had a good time! Tomorrow is the kid party at the bowling alley. Should be fun for him and the kids.
Here are some pictures of him taken at CLIX the other day. Look how old he looks!

2008-02-21T04:58:00.001-08:00

oh!!! The name for our little girl is Maddyn Kathleen. Just thought I would tell you which name we went with!

2008-02-21T04:48:00.000-08:00

Just a quick picture of RJ and Carely outside yesterday and one of RJ - the toothless wonder. There is a hint of his tooth popping out there though! It was really cold out so we didn't stay out too long. It was windy too as you can see from Carely's hair. We had a lot of snow until recently. Not so much yesterday though which is FINE by me!

2008-02-16T11:24:00.001-08:00

More outside fun pictures of RJ and Izzy, his friend. They had so much fun sledding down our little hill in our side yard! Thanks for looking!

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Here are the newest ultrasound pictures!

2008-02-14T14:09:00.000-08:00

MY newest Ultrasound!

2008-02-14T08:42:00.000-08:00

We had an ultrasound on Wednesday and we found out we are having a baby .........GIRL!!! I couldn't be more excited! We all are! Carley is happy to have a little sister and RJ is too! We have to tell the boys still which we will do today! YAY! I am so happy! I can buy PINK stuff now!! WOOHOO!!

2008-01-29T15:49:00.000-08:00

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Here are some pictures of my boy playing outside by himself and with his friend Izzy!

2008-01-28T10:53:00.000-08:00

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Our Ultrasound Pictures

2008-01-25T14:01:00.000-08:00

Here are the pictures from our ultrasound!

2008-01-25T13:55:00.001-08:00

We went to Splash Lagoon for a a little family getaway. We had a lot of fun. RJ had a blast in the kiddie area! If you would like to check out all the pictures copy and paste this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=17746&l=3059e&id=755848786

2008-01-25T13:44:00.001-08:00

I just had my ultrasound on this past Tuesday the 22nd. We are happy that the baby looks healthy but disappointed that the baby had his/her legs crossed and we couldn't find out the sex. I really wanted to being that this is my last baby. I may be getting another ultrasound because the tech said that she couldn't get a couple of the pictures she needed. It will be up to my obgyn though. My next appointment is on Feb. 7th so I can ask her then.

2008-01-18T13:30:00.000-08:00

17 week belly...I will be taking a 20 week one soon!!

2008-01-18T13:29:00.001-08:00

Belly at 14 weeks...getting bigger

2008-01-18T13:13:00.001-08:00

Here is a picture of my baby bump at 11 weeks!

Welcome to our blog!

2008-01-18T12:51:00.000-08:00

HI! I thought I would try this blog thing to maybe keep people in touch with our family and what goes on in the Miller Household! Thanks for visiting!