Some news...

1) I sold my camera!!!  Woohoo!;

2) I just ordered the Canon EOS 50D and it will be here in 2 days!; and

3)  Kaydence gave up drugs (i.e. her paci -- lol)!

First, I'm beyond excited that I was able to sell my camera, and now, I'm over the moon with my new camera that will be delivered on Thursday!  I was originally going to get a refurbished 40D through Canon's Loyalty Program, but when I called them today they told me it was out of stock, but that they had a 50D in stock.  After hanging up with them and discussing it with my husband, I called them back and ordered the 50D.  So it is currently on its way to me!  Yay!

Now on to weaning Kaydence from her paci.  Last Friday night, January 21, I just up and decided we were going to wean Kaydence from her paci the next day.  The following photo is how I came to the conclusion.  Pardon the cell phone pic...I don't have a camera (lol).

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Well, it might be a little hard to tell here, but do you notice how her palette/teeth are changing/crooked?  One side noticeably (to me) protrudes from the other.  Well, I've been really concerned about it lately and after talking to a friend who weaned her daughter for the same reason, I decided it was time.

I first noticed Kaydence's teeth/palette changing a few months ago, but I was nowhere near ready to wean her at that time.  I continued to worry about it, but figured the damage had already been done and we would just have to correct it with braces when she was older.  So I thought we would wait to wean her until she was a little older (maybe 3) when we could explain it to her more and she would understand.  But then this friend told me that since they weaned their daughter, her teeth had started to move back to where they should be (she has a slight overbite, but there is a significant difference).  I guess her doctor said that the teeth have a greater chance of moving back before the child gets their 2 year molars.  So once I heard that, my mind was made up and I decided we would wean Kaydence the next day...sooner the better, right?

So this is how it all went down.  I talked to Teirney about it on Friday night and he was very reluctant, but decided we would give it a try and just see how it went.  So the next morning when Kaydence woke up, we immediately told her it was a big day today because she was going to be a big girl and say "bye bye" to her paci.  We talked to her about it in this high pitch excited tone like she had won the lottery and she seemed to take to it well (hehe).  She got all excited and we had her take one of her pacis and throw it in the garbage.  I said "say bye bye to your paci -- because you're a big girl now and you don't need it anymore."  And that's exactly what she did.  She threw it in the garbage and said "bye bye" and was as happy as a clam.

Then, later that morning, Teirney was taking the trash outside, so I told Kaydence to come in the kitchen and say goodbye to her paci.  I showed her that it was in the garbage and that daddy was taking it outside.  She said "bye bye pa" and waved excitedly.  I said "you're such a big girl and you don't need it anymore."  And I explained to her that she would be taking a nap without it because she didn't need it anymore.  I don't know how many times I said that to her that day, but I just kept pumping it into her head -- yes, it's called brainwashing. lol  I was secretly so worried about the upcoming nap that was quickly approaching.

Fortunately for her (and us), Kaydence has a blankie that she has had since she was very little, so she at least has that for comfort (and I don't care if she keeps that until she is 90).  So nap time came and she of course cried (but more like fussing, not full out crying) for about 20 minutes and then she fell fast asleep without it.  That night, she went down without it again and it was silent for about a minute, then she fussed for about 2 minutes, then talked for about 1 minute, then it was silent and she fell asleep.  Needless to say, I was shocked!!!  You have no idea how much this child loved that thing.  She would ask for it in the middle of the day and even though we tried to limit it to naps and bedtime, she would usually somehow find one in the middle of the day -- the softy that I am usually let her have it for awhile.  So the fact that this has gone so smoothly, has beyond FLOORED me!

The next day was Sunday and we took a roadtrip to visit my sister and brother-in-law and that actually didn't go so well.  She always has her paci in the car and she is as calm as a cucumber.  Well, she basically cried/fussed all the way there and all the way back (1 1/2 hours each way).  It was pretty miserable, but we survived.  That night she went down pretty good again...only fussed for a bit.  So far, every day has been the same...she fusses (not cries) for a bit, but then she'll fall asleep fine and sleep normally.  I have hope that it will only get better.

This whole entire time, she hasn't asked for it once...no, not even ONCE!  Not even when she is fussing in her crib, so our brainwashing must have worked. lol  She really is getting to be a big girl.  She understands so much and I even feel like she is acting older since we've weaned her, of course, that could all be in my head. :-)

I'm sorry this got to be so long winded, but I mostly wanted to document this for my own purpose.  If you've gotten this far, bless your heart. :-)  Here's to hoping next week she goes down without fussing. :-)  My baby is growing up...sniff, sniff!

So for the record, as of January 22, Kaydence is weaned from her paci!

Shutter Love Tuesday :: Tints

I haven't done these "contests" in awhile and now I've done two already this week.  I should be continuing to work on catching up my 365 blog, but here I am getting distracted again.  Although, this was one that I just came across from my 365 and thought it was sweet, so I don't mind sharing it here too.

This was taken back in October when the beautiful fall leaves were still on the trees and at their peak.  Kaydence and I were playing in the living room one day and the warm sunlight, filtered by the vibrant yellow leaves of the oak tree in our front yard, was shining into the living room so beautifully, casting shadows and the like.  Kaydence was sitting on the chair looking out the window at the squirrels busy gathering their food for the winter and she sat there for a good 5 minutes.  I was so glad she sat there long enough for me to grab my camera to capture this moment.

I edited this photo a couple weeks ago and when I was looking through photos that would fit for the theme over at The Trendy Treehouse for Shutter Love Tuesday, I just couldn't resist sharing this one since I thought it appropriately fit the theme.



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Don't forget to go check out all the other beautiful "tint" entries below.

{snow day}

It snowed all.day.long today, so Kaydence I were stuck inside.  We [I] am going a little stir crazy because I haven't been out of the house for several days.  Kaydence went down for her nap today and it was very quiet inside, and outside (except for the falling snow)...it made me feel a little isolated.  But tomorrow will make up for it because she has music class in the morning and swimming lessons in the evening.  It's supposed to continue snowing through the night, so we'll see how the roads are tomorrow.  I hope everyone had a lovely day, no matter what the weather was like. 

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Christmas Eve Day

I'm slowly but surely working through my photos and thought I would share a few from Christmas Eve Day. I haven't gotten to Christmas Eve/Christmas Day yet, but I'm getting there. :-) 

My sister and her husband were also home at my parents' house for Christmas and it was great to spend some time with them. They brought their Wii with them, which was some fun entertainment that even Kaydence enjoyed. Christmas Eve morning she played a tennis match with her daddy (fulfilling a dream of his that one of his children would play tennis). :-) And then we had a lovely brunch made by my sister and her husband, complete with mimosas, a divine asparagus frittata, and homemade white chocolate raspberry scones. Mmmmm...makes me hungry just thinking about it again. We had such a relaxing, wonderful morning together as a family and I just wish we could get together more often. Here are some photos of our morning.

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I Heart Faces :: Winter Wonderland

The theme over at I Heart Faces this week is Winter Wonderland, so I thought our Christmas card photo would be an appropriate one to enter.  I know I've already posted it here, but hopefully you don't mind seeing it again. :-)  You can view the front and back of what our actual Christmas card looked like here.



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Don't forget to go check out all the other beautiful entries here.

A Day in October

I'm still working through catching up my 365 and am feeling like it may be Christmas in July before I even get to post my photos from Christmas (lol).  Don't worry, it won't be that long...I'll skip ahead. :-)

Anyway, these were taken back in October at a pumpkin patch and I thought they were too cute not to share. Seriously, don't they look like they belong in a Baby Gap ad with their cute little outfits??? lol

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So the time has come...

...for me to sell my beloved Canon EOS Rebel XSi.  Yes, you read that correctly, I am selling my very first DSLR!  I feel a little sentimental to be honest with you.  I know that sounds silly, but it really has been a wonderful camera for me and I do love it dearly.  Don't worry though (not that you would -- lol), I'm not saying goodbye to photography, I'm just hoping to upgrade.  But in order to do so, I need to sell my XSi first.


Here is all the info as it will be listed on Craigslist.


I am selling my dear Canon EOS Rebel XSi that I purchased in August of 2009.  She comes with the original box, software, and cords and additional accessories as listed below.  She is in excellent condition and has been well loved and well cared for, with no signs of wear.  The only reason I'm selling her is because I'm hoping to upgrade.  If you would like to view the photos I've taken with her, just scroll through my blog.  I can't say enough about this camera and I hope to give her a good home.  If you wish to purchase the camera with the lens, please let me know and we can work something out.

I'm selling her for $575, including the following accessories:

*original box with manuals, software, cords
*camera bag
*canon camera strap
*battery charger
*2 rechargeable batteries
*SanDisk Ultra 8GB SD memory card (worth $50.00 at Best Buy) 
*LCD screen protector
*BONUS: DVD Michael the Mentor "Canon XSi Crash Course" (this DVD helped me a lot and taught me all the basics)

NEGOTIABLE:
*EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Kit Lens
*UV Filter

The following specs have been taken from http://www.dpreview.com/news/0801/08012403canoneos450d.asp:



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The EOS 450D features:

12.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor
Canon’s EOS Integrated Cleaning System
3.5 frames per second
3.0” LCD with Live View shooting
9-point wide-area AF system with f/2.8 cross-type centre point
Picture Style image processing parameters
DIGIC III image processor
Digital Photo Professional RAW processing software1
Compact and Lightweight body
Fully compatible with all Canon EF and EF-S lenses and EX-series Speedlites

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List price (US)• Body only: $799
• Kit: $899 (with 18-55 mm IS lens)
List price (EU)• Body only: €749
• Kit: €849 (with 18-55 mm IS lens)
International naming• US: Canon Rebel Digital XSi
• Japan: Canon EOS Kiss Digital x2
• Elsewhere: Canon EOS 450D
Body materialPlastic (Stainless Steel chassis)
Sensor *• 12.2 million effective pixels
• 12.4 million total pixels
• 22.2 x 14.8 mm CMOS sensor
• RGB Color Filter Array
• Built-in low-pass filter with self cleaning unit
• 3:2 aspect ratio
Dust reduction• Low-pass filter vibration at power-on (can be interrupted)
• Anti-static coating on sensor surfaces
• Software based dust-removal (camera maps dust, removed later)
Image sizes *• 4272 x 2848 (L)
• 3088 x 2056 (M)
• 2256 x 1504 (S)
Output formats• RAW (.CR2 14-bit *)
• RAW (.CR2 14-bit *) + JPEG Large/Fine
• JPEG (EXIF 2.21) - Fine, Normal
Image processor *DIGIC III
Lenses• Canon EF / EF-S lens mount
• 1.6x field of view crop
Focus modes• Auto Focus
• Manual Focus (switch on lens)
Auto Focus• 9-point CMOS sensor 
• Cross-type F2.8 at center *
• AF working range: -0.5 to 18 EV (at 23°C, ISO 100)
AF modes• AI Focus
• One shot
• AI Servo
AF point selection• Auto
• Manual
AF assistFlash strobe
Shooting modes• Auto
• Program AE (P)
• Shutter priority AE (Tv)
• Aperture priority AE (Av)
• Manual (M)
• Auto depth-of-field
• Portrait
• Landscape
• Close-up
• Sports
• Night portrait
• Flash off
Metering• TTL 35-zone SPC
• Metering range: EV 1.0 - 20 EV (at 23°C, ISO 100, 50 mm F1.4)
Metering modes• Evaluative 35-zone
• Partial 9% at center
• Spot 4% at center *
• Center-weighted average
AE LockAE lock button
AE Bracketing• +/- 3.0 EV *
• 0.5 or 0.3 EV increments
Exposure compen.• +/- 2.0 EV
• 0.5 or 0.3 EV increments
Sensitivity• Auto (100 - 400)
• ISO 100
• ISO 200
• ISO 400
• ISO 800
• ISO 1600
• Highlight tone priority * (ISO 200 - 1600)
Shutter• Focal-plane shutter
• 30 - 1/4000 sec (0.5 or 0.3 EV steps)
• Flash X-Sync: 1/200 sec
• Bulb
Aperture values• F1.0 - F91 (0.3 EV steps)
• Actual aperture range depends on lens used
White balance • Auto
 • Daylight
 • Shade
 • Cloudy
 • Tungsten
 • Fluorescent
 • Flash
 • Custom
WB Bracketing• +/-3 levels
• 3 images
• Selectable Blue/Amber or Magenta/Green bias
WB fine-tuning• Blue (-9) To Amber (+9)
• Magenta (-9) to Green (+9)
Color space• sRGB
• Adobe RGB
Picture style• Standard
• Portrait
• Landscape
• Neutral
• Faithful
• Monochrome
• User 1
• User 2
• User 3
Custom image parameters• Sharpness: 0 to 7
• Contrast: -4 to +4
• Saturation: -4 to +4
• Color tone: -4 to +4
• B&W filter: N, Ye, Or, R, G
• B&W tone: N, S, B, P, G
Drive modes• Single
• Continuous: 3.5 fps up to 53 JPEG / 6 RAW frames
• Self-timer 10 secs (2 sec with mirror lock-up)
• Self-timer continuous *
Mirror lockupYes (custom function)
Viewfinder• Pentamirror
• 95% frame coverage
• Magnification: 0.87x * (-1 diopter with 50 mm lens at infinity)
• Eyepoint: 19 mm *
• Dioptric adjustment: -3.0 to +1.0 diopter
• Fixed precision matte
• Proximity sensor disables LCD shooting mode information
Viewfinder info *• AF information (AF points focus confirmation light)
• Shutter speed
• Aperture value
• ISO speed (always displayed)
• AE lock
• Exposure level/compensation
• Spot metering circle
• Exposure warning
• AEB
• Flash ready
• High-speed sync
• FE lock
• Flash exposure compensation
• Red-eye reduction light
• White balance correction
• SD card information
• Monochrome shooting
• Maximum burst
DOF previewYes, button
LCD monitor *• 3.0" TFT LCD
• 230,000 pixels
• Wide viewing angle (160° horizontal and vertical)
• 7 brightness levels
• Up to 10x zoom playback
LCD Live view *• Live TTL display of scene from CMOS image sensor
• 100% frame coverage
• Real-time evaluative metering using CMOS image sensor
• Best view or exposure simulation
• Grid optional (thirds)
• Magnify optional (5x or 10x at AF point)
• Optional Auto-focus with mirror-down / mirror-up sequence
• Two modes; normal and quieter
• Remote live view using EOS Utility 2.0 (via USB or WiFi/Ethernet using WFT)
• Manual focus only
Camera settings display• Shutter speed
• Aperture
• Sensitivity (ISO)
• Exposure mode
• Meter / Exposure compenation
• Bracketing
• Flash compensation
• White balance & fine tuning
• Metering mode
• Custom function set
• Auto focus mode
• Drive mode
• Auto focus areas
• Black & white mode
• Beep
• Red-eye reduction
• Image size / quality
• Battery status
• Frames remaining
Record review• Uses last play mode 
• Magnification possible 
• 2 / 4 / 8 sec / Hold
Flash• Auto pop-up E-TTL II auto flash
• Guide number approx 13
• Modes: Auto, Manual Flash On/ Off, Red-Eye Reduction
• X-Sync: 1/200 sec
• Flash exposure compensation: +/-2.0 EV (0.3 or 0.5 EV steps)
• Coverage up to 17 mm focal length (27 mm FOV equiv.)
External flash• E-TTL II auto flash with EX-series Speedlites
• Hot-shoe
Other features• Orientation sensor
• Automatically writes FAT16/FAT32 depending on capacity
Auto rotation• On (playback uses orientation data in file header)
• Off
Playback mode• Single image
• Single image with info (histogram brightness / RGB )
• Magnified view (1.5 - 10x in 15 steps, browsable)
• 4 and 9 image index *
• Auto play
• Image rotation
• Jump (by 10, 100 or date)
Custom functions *13 custom functions with 34 settings
Menu languages *• English
• German
• French
• Dutch
• Danish
• Portuguese
• Finnish
• Italian
• Norwegian
• Swedish
• Spanish
• Greek
• Simplified Chinese
• Japanese
• Traditional Chinese
• Korean
• Russian
• Polish
• Hungarian
• Czech
FirmwareUser upgradable
Connectivity• USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed) mini-B
• Video out (PAL / NTSC)
• E3 type wired remote control
Storage *• SD / SDHC card
Power *• Lithium-Ion LP-E5 rechargeable battery (7.4 V, 1050 mAh)
• CR2016 Lithium battery (date/time backup)
• Optional ACK-E5 AC adapter kit
Battery Grip *Yes, BG-E5
Direct printing• Canon Selphy Printers
• Canon Bubble Jet Printers with direct print function
• Canon PIXMA Printers supporting PictBridge
• PictBridge
Dimensions *129 x 98 x 62 mm (5.1 x 3.9 x 2.4 in)
Weight (no battery) *475 g (1.0 lb)
Software• Zoom Browser EX / ImageBrowser
• PhotoStitch
• EOS Utility (inc. Remote Capture; Windows & Mac except Mac Intel)
• Digital Photo Professional (Windows / Mac)