Strike Three You're Out!

It's the beginning of the 2010 Buzz Season and we've finally found a nice day to watch a game.

We got there early enough so we could get good tickets.

When we got inside, Tayshaun spotted the Bees' store immediately and had to have a cap. Oh he wanted more but we still had snowies, nachos and drinks to buy.


We had a helpful clerk and thank goodness she put us in excellent seats. Row 2, just behind the Bees' pitchers and catchers, so Tayshaun was able to interact with some of the players. He was a little shy (believe it or not) so he didn't actually friendly up until he saw other kids begging for bumble gum, baseballs, and autographs from the players.

The Bees were behind until the 8th inning where they finally started scoring and in the 9th tied up the score.

One of the players handed Tayshaun a baseball because he said he was being quiet...I think he meant he was polite and wasn't begging and pleading for a baseball like the other kids bugging the players. Wow! Tayshaun was surprised and he felt very special.

Shalyse felt pretty special too because one of the players was making goo-goo eyes at her. I think we ALL liked our seats.

Can't wait until the next game.

And On to Kindergarten...

Preschool Diploma Day!

Tayshaun's tumbling instructor had the kids give a quick demo during the Graduation ceremony. There were songs sung, a play played, and refreshments eaten.

Tayshaun and Hats, today - wasn't a good combination. He just couldn't get comfortable with all the hats he was asked to wear.




Looks like it finally had a moment to take a look at his Accomplishment...Preschool Diploma!!!

Shadows

Ok, I didn't say this was going to be easy, now did I?

Geez, I thought it was going to be simpleton snapping shots in the daylight. But our daylight was actually at 7:30pm so i was fighting the shadows for these shots. The first two are great!!!!! Nice and blurring in the background with Tayshaun nice and clear in the foreground. The only thing is that it looks like Tayshaun's doing a cheer or something but he's actually hanging from the tricky bars. Guess I should have taken a step back. Remember this is Yvette's version of Digital Photos for Dummies. I haven't quite mastered Ansel Adams' Photography style.... yet.

The last two shots have shadows in Tayshaun's face and I had to use Nikon's software to edit. If I had photoshop, I'd have been able to clear the shadows without over-exposing. This is an example of not knowing how to use the best camera settings yet. I really wished it had been earlier in the day because these bike shots are really cute.

Tayshaun is already sick of taking photos so I had to spring the camera on him when he wasn't expecting it....thus I captured the "Aww Mom, do you have that dang camera out again???!!!" look. Hehehehehehe

Jazz vs Lakers

Thanks, Uncle Todd, for taking me to the Jazz game!!! I know I got mixed up for a minute when I started cheering for the Lakers but there were so many Laker fans beside us. But Zachary and Michael's cheering helped remind me whose house we were in. My mom said to tell you... thanks for these photos too!!!

Auto Focus

I loaded these pics backwards. Oops! So these first few shots are Tayshaun being tired of taking photos

So I got my new camera this weekend. And poor Tayshaun was my guinea pig. This post is mainly for my own purpose. These are my first shots using a Digital SLR...I will be comparing shots every six months to see how well I improve. These shots are mostly in Auto Focus using Scene Mode. But I obviously intend to become very knowledgeable in aperture, shutter speed, lighting, white balance, ISO, etc, etc. I'll be taking a class in digital Photography and Photoshop with a friend, very soon. I can't wait!!!

Look how clear the house across the street looks in my dirty windows. These next few shots are an example of Sepia, Normal mode (I love the sunlight in that one), and a Black and White with a blurred edge,

This nifty camera has Pet Portrait mode for those pets that just can't sit there and say "cheese"....hmmmm, maybe I should try this mode on Tayshaun. It works pretty good on Fergie. I can never get her to sit still

These shots of Tayshaun and Fergie are sweet. The kissing one is a little out of focus. The next one with Fergie in the foreground and Tayshaun, a bit, in the background--would have been great with a shorter depth so Tayshaun were even more blurred....that's what I intend to master. And then there's Tayshaun's cheesy smile. Love love love the clear, crisp, bright pic

This last one is another example of the background not being out of focus enough. The "6" on the wall should have been a lot more blurred than this one. That's another one that I hope to correct eventually.


















That was fun. Hopefully, I can run some tests outside...when it's not raining.

Later Sunday....

Sunday. So while I'm outside saving my clematis, Tayshaun is collecting every boy from the neighborhood. It looks like we're providing treats today to the whole frikkin' team….Azurul, Mason, Creighton, Tayshaun, etc, etc. They've been in and out of the house at least six times for ice pops, pop tarts, rollups, etc.

Obviously the boys are occupied with treats, basketball games, stick sword fights, bike rides, skateboards and I was preoccupied with dirt and dandelions for several hours.

When I decide I couldn't hold it anymore, I go in for a potty break. I had dirt under my fingernails and up to my elbows. So as I'm doing the pee-pee dance, I hurry to wash my hands so I can slip down my pants. But then I about lose it when I hear and feel that cold water!!! So I squeeze my knees together and carefully shimmy to the toilet and quickly sit down before I …. OMG!!!!! I didn't look at the toilet seat before I sat down. And I had at least six boys in my house so WHOSE pee am I sitting on!? Ewwwww!

Why didn't I have a girl!?

Sunday morning

Sunday, it's a beautiful day and i find myself on my laptop with five open pages - ALL with different topics.

i guess it all started when i was on Blogger reading about the new features. which then led me to Google 'Third Party Apps'. I found a topic I wanted to remember for later so I Added a Bookmark to my already extensive list.

Since my desktop crashed in February, I haven't had much time to organize my laptop. So I have a ba-zillion bookmarks that I'll probably lose if I clear my cookies. Or maybe not, I'm not sure because I'm not very Apple savvy yet. Anyways, this post seems to be going the same way my internet surfing has gone….from one topic to the next without completing the previous thought.

That tends to happen to me when I'm doing housework too….I'll pick towels from the bathroom floor and, while heading downstairs to throw in a load, I'll notice that Tayshaun has spilled milk on the kitchen floor. So I'll stack the towels over the kitchen bannister and proceed to fill the mop bucket with water. When I realize that Mr Clean is in the bathroom downstairs, I'll head down to start a load of towels. I gather the towels from the hamper downstairs and load the washer. Oh yea, the towels on the bannister… so i go back upstairs. Tayshaun shoes are in the family room so I might as well pick up those and throw them at the top of the stairs. I collect the towels from the bannister and head back downstairs but then notice Diva scratching at the back door so I go back up to the kitchen to get her dog food,. I lead Diva outside and give her a bowl of fresh water and food…Hmm? now where was I?

Oh yea…so I was Adding a Bookmark and decided to create Bookmark Folders to organize, when I found a site on WordPress versus Blogger. So now i have the Blogger site open and a Googled WordPress versus Blogger page. While I'm reading about WordPress, I see a few blog terms I didn't fully understand so I've opened another Window to Google 'Jump Break'.

While reading about Jump Break, I find the Blogger Help site had some other "off the topic" items and now I'm reading other Blogger sites. I've just counted seven open Windows and I haven't completed my original task. Now what was it?

I'm saving this in Draft form to post later. And I'm closing all my Windows, now. I'll be outside for the remainder of the day to enjoy this SUNNY day.

I LOVE THE INTERNET! But I love sunny days more. Tayshaun's planting my Mother's Day seedlings he brought home from preschool. Hope he doesn't step on my clematis.

Our Neighborhood Toothfairy Hates Wet Wings

Tayshaun had a dentist appointment this week to have a cavity filled. That was lucky for my pocketbook because he also had two permanent teeth coming in behind two baby teeth, one of which wasn't budging, so I didn't have to make an extra dentist appointment.

Not to get off the subject but the funny thing is that I'm more and more convinced that Tayshaun is a man in a kid's body. His body is trying to mature at a young age while his teeth want to hold on to it's babyhood.

Tayshaun has smelled like a MAN since he was three years old. The boy cannot go a day without bathing and wearing deodorant unless you don't mind the FUNK! And I mind, so.... Our diet and his hygiene are basic/normal so I just don't get it?!

I thought Tayshaun was kidding me when he told me he had some fuzzies under his armpits but sure enough, he is already growing little baby hairs there.

Tayshaun's mustache is faint but he definitely has had one since he was a baby.

Occasionally, Tayshaun will get tiny blackheads on his nose. Who the hell has blackheads at four years old? My son!

Hormonally, he is just advanced. The boy loves the ladies! He's still a little shy about it but I've known boys his age that do everything they can to avoid girls. Instead, Tayshaun makes friends with boys who have cute older sisters....and tries talking me into asking their parents if both of the siblings can come over to play. Um, That's a big fat "No way!"

Our pediatrician thinks we should just observe. Observe what?! More?!! Help him be a little boy, Doc; the Man in him seems to be winning!

Now why did I post this? Oh yeah..soooo... Tayshaun had one baby tooth slightly loose with two permanent teeth growing behind it. So the dentist decided to extract those babies. Here's Tayshaun's Manly teeth already growing in. The dentist seems to think that his baby teeth probably will be slow to fall out because he grinds his teeth in his sleep so much. Those roots are tight in those gums.

It was raining cats and dogs the night after we visited the dentist so the tooth fairy past over our house but Tayshaun got paid for those babies the next.

I wonder if this boy will need braces? We shall soon find out. I wonder if Tayshaun will make me a grandma before the girls do??? Probably!!!!!!!!! Uggghhhhh!