Storytime - the end of a journey

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! {177/(365/2)}, originally uploaded by ~*~ KO ~*~.

This pic from yesterday represents one of my favorite things about being a Mom - reading to my kids :) Not only that, but it gives me great, great, heart bursting joy to know that my kids enjoy reading books too. I mean, to fight over how many books to read at night? What better fight to have!!

This particular book cracks me up - and if you haven't read any Mo Willems books, then you absolutely MUST! Pigeon is great - Piggie and Gerald are also awesome. Good times to be had by all.

THis picture also makes me a bit sad, in a way. I've decided recently to put the kibosh on my 365 project, cutting it in two and stopping at 182. Why? Many reasons, I suppose....its not the actual picture taking that takes a lot of time, its the processing and posting, but also its the Flickring as a whole.....visiting friends photos, posting, praising, getting lost on Flickr. Its a huge time suck that I don't have the time for right now. I've got to focus on work, on my business, and my family....and I can't afford right now to spend any more time on the computer than I have to, or I may go mad.

I know many of you have enjoyed my journey, and I really appreciate all your kind words and encouragment (especially you, Mom & Dad :) ). Affirmation is definitely my friend. But in less than a week, I shall walk away. I'd like to say that I'll still continue to post occasionally, but the track record shows that I more than likely won't. If I get burned out on something I have to walk away and recoup for a while before dipping my toes back in.

Back to why this particular pic makes me a bit sad....well, walking away from this project means missing out on opportunities like this. I may have never taken this photo had I not been participating in a 365 project. That goes for many, many other photos like it. I'm hoping that participating in this for as long as I did will make me more aware of capturing me in the picture as well as those around me.

I'm so proud of everything I've produced, and the memories that I've captured and told. I know they'll bring me joy for years to come. I still plan on producing a book to hold all the quippets and memories, it will just be half as thick :)

Thank you, 365/2 journey - for all you've taught and brought me.

Las Vegas Style

New shoes {174/365}, originally uploaded by ~*~ KO ~*~.

Las Vegas Style

Whoo HOO! This pic is a little sexy for even my tastes, but I love how it came out. And really, it very much tipifies what a Vegas Trip should be. Sex, booze, and rock and roll. Oh, and concrete trucks and rocks. Right? no? Oh yeah, just you, Karin.

THis was the first time I was back in Vegas since about five years ago or so, Pat's first visit in about a week (oh yeah, he was just there last week for the start of the NCAA March Madness crazieness), and also our first trip alone without the kids. It was more difficult for me than I imagined - I struggled through the first 36 hours - feeling like I abandoned my children and wondering how I would survive without their hugs and kisses. After I realized the kids were WAY WAY fine without me I was able to settle in and enjoy. By the way, the kiddos had a great time with Mema & Papa (BIG shout out to my parents who came to us for the week - THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!).

Even though we were both busy with separte work obligations, it was really great to get away. The show itself was amazing - what felt like miles and miles of big machines and new technology. Not sure if it was miles and miles, but it sure felt like it to my feet. I managed to have supremely comfortable shoes though (thank you DANSKO!), and only got one blister....which was between two toes. Still not sure how that happened. I got lost twice on the first day, but subsequent days were easier to navigate. I had four classes, two of which were very worthwhile, so that was worth my visit alone.

In addition to the daytime learning & exhibits of the ConExpo / Con-Agg show, Pat and I managed to sneak in a show (Las Vegas, the Show - very entertaining), attend a swanky private corporate event at Surrender at Steve Wynn's Encore Hotel, visit the famed Vegas establishment Spearmint Rhino, and ate some delicious meals. Maybe embibed in a little adult beverage consumption. Maybe. We stayed at Paris Las Vegas, and even though the room smelled a little bit strange, the accomodations were very nice.

I lost a little money at the tables and was getting no love from the slot machines. I decided if I was going to blow my money I might as well get a little something in return, so I went shopping the next day instead. Also managed to secure a manicure pedicure too. It was fantastic...but I kept falling asleep :) So relaxing!

It is good to be home, and back into the regular madness of the work week. I feel refreshed and ready to apply my new knowledge to my job....and maybe spark some innovative quality initiatives :) Hooray for Aggregates!

E is for Enamored {127/365}

E is for Enamored {127/365}, originally uploaded by ~*~ KO ~*~.

Have I shared this one before? Not sure if I did or not....and I'm too lazy to go back and check :) I thought this would be a good entry for I Heart Faces: Best Face in February Photo Challenge. Its one of my favorite from the month....corny selective color and all :)

She's a daddy's girl!

There was a time when Pat was so worried....because truth be told, Lola didn't like him very much. She was pretty attached to me, and no one else.

There's no doubt about it now :) She looooves her Daddy!

We've gotten tons of comments from various people saying how much she looks like Pat. So Liam looks like Pat, Lola looks like Pat...but Liam and Lola don't really look like each other. Apparently I was just the cooking vessel.

I'm starting to see the resemblance between Lola and Pat more and more lately. Especially her smile. She does this little smirk that always reminds me of this photograph Pat's mom sent me to fix for her a few years ago. I finally got around to searching for it so I could do a comparison. Yup. Sure enough.....same sweet little smirk, and a carbon copy little nose :) She even has a sweet little dimple on the same side (although you can't see it here - I flipped the photo to compare from similar vantage points...so Lola is actually a mirror of her actual self!).

I think Pat was closer to 18 months in this photo (Lola was 6 months), but you can definitely see a resmblance!

Why I Photoshop

I think a lot of people have issues with the existence of Photoshop, and especially in the case of fashion / magazine photography and their unattainable versions of perfect people I can understand why.

But I edit photos, and I do use Photoshop. Not necessarily extensively, but sometimes I do create what Pat calls a "fake reality". I don't consider it that, though. There are a few different ways I use photoshop. One way is to create art - to make something on a canvas that matches a vision in my head, or in my client's head.

The other way that I utilize Photoshop, is to forgive the ever seeing eye of the lens. When you take a photograph, sometimes you see too much - more than you would notice if you were looking at the same subject in person. For example, if you were looking at me while I was taking my self portrait, you probably would not be focused on "Holy Cow - her eyebags are horrendous" or "Sheesh, she's got a lot of sun damage and freckles". Hopefully, you would be seeing me as a friend, a mother, a wife and a general all around nice gal :) I can transform what the camera sees, into what others see, and make an amazing image.

Does that make sense? Maybe I'm not explaining it well enough.

Anywhoozers - here's an example of pushing the envelope a bit...more in the style of fashion photography (but not *quite* as extreme). In actually, the original photo isn't half bad.....I had a TON of make up on....

Like I said...a bit extreme. I probably spent about 2 hours or so on this edit, where as a portrait touch up might only take about 30 minutes or less. I've been trying to improve my Photoshop skills and tools, and have been taking courses online - so what better way to practice than on myself! Want to know what I did here?

• Removed stray hairs on face
  
• Brightened eyes
• Highlighted catchlights in eyes
  
• Sharpened eyes
• Removed dark under eye circles
• Enhanced eyelashes & eyebrows
  
• Enhanced hair highlights
• Minimized bright spots on skin
  
• Removed blemishes
• Smoothed skin
• Enhanced make up
• Made a small smile from my weird half smirk

Extensive? Yes. Overdone? Perhaps....especially in the eye department. But you know what, I like it :) Its pretty. It makes me feel pretty - and if it takes a computer program to make myself feel pretty even for just a few moments, I'll take it :) I still feel like its the real me - so no false reality here, but its the best me that I could possibly be. Except for the smile. My mouth always does this weird frown thing when I try to close mouth smile. Its driven me nuts for YEARS!

What are your thoughts on retouching in general? I'm curious to know public perception!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We started the day with heart shaped strawberry pancakes.....and the rest of the day continued to be beautiful with a box of chocolates, a heart shaped balloon and snuggles from my favorite valentines!

Hope your day was great as well!

Baby update :)

I had so many things to say.....so many insightful things....but I ALWAYS forget!

Sigh

::::::::::: Baby Charlie :::::::::::

I have many friends in the Chicagoland area, many of whom have been popping out babies in assembly line fashion! Its been amazing to see the transition between one kid and two, and actually pretty empowering. Seeing all these women do it makes me feel less overwhelmed, and I know I can take it on....although, at the same time, its rather scary because *gulp* the next most pregnant person than I just had her kiddo on Sunday!

Welcome officially Baby Charlie (Charlize)!

I've actually avoided holding other newborns...mostly because I was kind of nervous. Nervous to actually HAVE one again! But, since I had a check up today right next door, and I wanted to sneak a peek at the hospital too, I thought I would drop by and say hello. Holding her was so very nice - so warm and snuggly. Yeah, I'm holding out hope that I'll be able to enjoy the newborn stage this time....keeping my fingers crossed!

::::::::::: Two weeks away :::::::::::

Or just over, anyway. October 2, 10:30AM. So far, so good. I had a 37 week check up today - everything is looking smashing! Even had a growth ultrasound to see how baby is growing. The estimate was 7 lbs 5 oz as of today. (However, the margin of error is 15%, which basically swings it a pound in either direction). So, if we take that estimate and figure an average 1/2 lb gain of baby per week, then we're looking at topping Liam's birth weight of 8 lbs 7 oz (or being pretty darn close). We'll see how close they are. Not that it matters much with this being a c-section and all. They also looked at a bunch of other stuff...amniotic fluid level looks great, blood flow looks great, heart looks great...etc. My Blood Pressure is steady and low....everything looks great!

I'm actually feeling well, too. Not sure if its a home stretch burst of energy or what, but I'll take it.

::::::::::: Adjusting to baby :::::::::::

Thankfully Liam has been exposed to a LOT of babies over the course of the past six months, due to my very fertile friends. This is good, but we also wanted to prepare him (or at least attempt to) by doing things at home. So we borrowed a baby doll from Larkin (Pat's niece) and have had it laying around the house since we've moved. We practice being gentle to it, and change its diaper, and give kissies and hugs at night. We've also set up the baby swings & bouncy seats and practice taking baby in and out.

He's a smart kiddo though - he knows the difference between a real baby and a toy, but I figured its good exposure if nothing else than to have all the baby crap all over the house. I have no idea if any of this is going to help the transition, but I figure it can't hurt.

The only negative (so far) thing happened today. I busted out all my wraps and slings, wrapped myself up and stuck the doll inside. I told Liam he couldn't climb all over me because I was snuggling the baby.....and he looked up at me with his big ol' sad eyes and said "All done snuggle baby?" and tried to take the baby out. I think I may have to come up with a different word than Snuggle when I'm holding the baby, because he definitely knows what snuggles are, and I don't want him to get too jealous when I'm snuggling the baby all day long. At least I'm assuming I'll be all wrapped up all the time. That's how it was with Liam....

::::::::::: Liam Time Outs :::::::::::

Little man had about a zillion time outs at playgroup today. He was putting sand in his hair over and over at the park, and dumping out all the goldfish crackers in the bowl. Not mind blowing stuff mind you, but things he knows better not to do. Yeah yeah, I know he's only two (almost!) but still....I think I have a pretty good idea of what instructions he's capable of following, and he just was adamant about not following them today. The saddest was when he was sitting on the bench begging me "all done time outs, mommy, all done". He was so cute.....

Liam update :)

We had Liam's 18 month check up yesterday, and everything went well. He's 24.5 pounds, 33.5 inches. Long and lean, as the doc says :) AND, we only got one shot! WHOO HOOO!!! I can't believe his next appointment is at 2 years old. Sheesh - he's such a big boy!

Yesterday we also had a family adventure at Chase Park: Our very first Easter egg hunt! We actually had a mini hunt at our house on Thursday with the family over so he could practice :) Worked out well actually. He was excited to pick up "Eggies" again, and he put them right in the basket. Wasn't really diggin' the Easter Bunny though. Not surprising, since Santa kinda scared the bejesus out of him at Christmas too.





Yes, he did keep those ears on the entire time. Even after we went inside to play on the toys :) Its only because we put them on right before he went to look for eggs, so he was immediately distracted, and I'm pretty sure he forgot he had them on :) No matter - he looked adorable anyway!

Here's a scrappy update for you....

Playing around with Text...


Papa


St. Patrick's Day 2009


How to give me a heart attack


Bunny Ears


I'm realizing after looking at these that my kid needs a hair cut. Badly. Although he rocks the shaggy look pretty well.

OK, well, time to clean for our 3rd showing of the week. We're still getting plenty of traffic, but still no bites yet. I've got my heart set on selling this place, so I continue to hope and pray that each showing will end in a sale....but its taking a lot of energy out of me!! I refuse to be negative though...its not much in my nature.

We're home!

Ahhhh - back from Tucson and trying to get back into the swing of things! I'm working on uploading / editing the photos from the trip....hopefully I'll be able to post them all soon!!

Until then - Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Happy Groundhog Day!

I was corrected earlier by my dear husband, that it is not Groundhog's Day (as in President's Day, or Veteran's Day) but, in fact, not plural......but rather Groundhog Day. I know I'm a day late, but we celebrated the holiday today with our Momfia crew. I should start by saying I've never celebrated this holiday more than watching Bill Murray a time or two....I should have known we were in for some kind of treat when Jen called "dibs" on Groundhog Day last fall. She said it was one of her favorite holidays. She wasn't lying!

We arrived to Jen wearing a groundhog shirt & necklace, with Nick in a sweet groundhog bandana / hat thing. There were groundhog cupcakes, groundhog crafts, and of course, Groundhog Day playing on the TV. There were also fan club cards, napkins, and I'm pretty sure she makes some kind of groundhog shaped meatloaf for her family, but we didn't get to partake in that because it was a morning meeting :) It was quite a treat to be able to experience someone else's love/obsession for a holiday that I hadn't celebrated before! I, of course, forgot my camera for the event, but I did snap a few pics of our take home goodies! Thanks Jen for an AWESOME morning Momfia meeting!

Liam really loved the Phil Pop Up!!!


Cute Phil Ears...


Hmmm....does Phil see his shadow??? It probably doesn't count indoors, does it?


And, most importantly, Liam's membership card! Officially stamped and everything!


And, here's a video of Liam enjoying his very own Punxsutawney Phil with googley eyes. He later started dancing like Phil when I wiggled the groundhog in the cup....and he would blink his eyes to look more like googley eyes :) No video of that though :)

Fun Evening!

After quite a steady, heavy 10 inches of snowfall - I jumped in the car and headed to Wicker Park to pick up Gina and head to the airport. Her hubby and little nugget were flying back home from Cali. She had a bit of car trouble, and we did NOT want her preggo butt stranded in snowy madness while her family waited after a long day of travel. I took the opportunity to snap away and get some practice in :)

Here's Gina, waiting not so patiently for her peeps to show up....

Awww - the little nug :) Audrey's soooo sweet!

Some shots of Midway



On the way home, it was so snowy and pretty! As I was walking home I shot some scenes around the 'hood. Nighttime snowy shots make me happy! The first is a self portrait :)

Karin O'Brien Photography! An official Introduction :)

Come visit my professional blog for the big news!

http://karinobrienphotography.blogspot.com/

Liam - 15.5 months old - January 2009

Some shots from our casual session this morning. For me, these photos exemplify why is a great reason to bring your child's favorite toy to a photo shoot. Liam LOVES playing with these Tonka Trucks & Trains right now. He always seems to have two with him at all times, one in each hand. Double fisted, if you will :). Sometimes its the train and caboose, sometimes its the concrete truck and the firetruck. He drives them up and down the couches, up and down our heads and arms, on the cats' back and head. He'll lay on his belly and drive them around, sit on his heels (just like in the 4th and 5th photo) and drive them around. They are definitely his favorite toy right now.

The photos aren't all of him smiling lovingly directly at the camera. But, I feel like I captured perfectly this moment in his life. These tiny details that I may or may not remember when he's 18 and the top of his pants are no longer rolled over and the tag does not stick out. That is what its all about :)

Happy 2009!

May this year be your best ever!

I {heart} Christmas!!

I'm pretty sure we're done decorating for the holidays! The only thing left is to put out my Christmas Dishes...they're sitting in a box right now. Maybe this afternoon....

Saturday, we went to Gethsemane and bought our tree, and carried it home just like last year. We bought the ugly tree...its kind of lopsided, but the trunk is *kind of* straight and it was also about half the price of the other ones....and it had the perfect shape. I would love it to be more Charlie Brown-ish...but tree farm trees are always too full. Charlie Brown trees only grow in the forest.

One of my new (i.e. last three years new) favorite traditions with Pat is our Christmas Village. We buy the ones from Lowe's - Carole Towne I think its called - not super fancy schmancy, but still really cool. I've always wanted a village so I was pretty stoked to know Pat had one started. I've got this vision in my head that some day, I'll have a whole, giant long table dedicated to it.....but for now, the top of our counter will have to do. My idea this year was to add levels and snow.....much cooler than just lining them up :) I'm so happy with how it came out!






We have two light houses, general mercantile, village tailor, bistro, cigar shop, ed's tree lot and a lodge. We've got a couple trees and some people too :) We had a big ice skating rink / tree lot one that we donated to Goodwill this year - it was big, noisy, didn't work well and generally irritated me. We downsized to Ed's Tree Lot stand and I like it much better.

Now, I get a whole month of enjoying our decor! Hooray!

I'm Thankful For...

Many many things. But I'm incredibly thankful for my own little family. My amazing husband, who has been so supportive and encouraging through the changes in our lives....my amazing little son, who is doing such a great job growing up :) I'm thankful for me. I've grown so much in the past year, the most surprising achievement has been my ability to be appreciative for what I have, instead of focusing on what I don't have, or what could happen. Its a big change for me, and a much welcome one. I'm in such a great place right now, and looking forward to many great things in our future!!

p.s. Yes, Liam *IS* playing with a plastic bag. I'm thankful for my great parenting skills. Hey, we took all the glass out of it!! LOL :)

WOW! How long has it been?

Since I've posted some layouts?? A long time I gather....since I can't find any in my archives newer than JANUARY!! Egads.

:::::::::::::::BINKY:::::::::::::::
credits HERE

:::::::::::::::LINCOLN PARK ZOO:::::::::::::::
credits HERE

:::::::::::::::WINGS:::::::::::::::
credits HERE

:::::::::::::::SWEET:::::::::::::::
credits HERE

:::::::::::::::KYLE AT WHITES:::::::::::::::
Shocking, I know - a layout that doesn't feature Liam. credits HERE

*sigh* Do I REALLY want to do this??

Just one question. How on earth am I ever going to be a *real* photographer if I can't even photograph my own child?

*sigh*

I purchased an umbrella and light stand to help my indoor light (or lack there of) plight. Helps tremendously, but the only way to really learn how to use it is to, well, use it. Pat refuses to be my subject. So my only other option is Liam. I guess I really underestimated how helpful it is to have another set of hands. (click for a larger image)

You get the picture. Right?

:::::::::::::::::::::: OTHER NEWS ::::::::::::::::::::::

Our dear neighbor Kelly is happily on her way to Denver (SOOO PROUD OF YOU KEL!). We're going to miss her somethin' fierce. Her tenants don't move in until the 26th, so until then I have a nice big empty space to use as a pseudo studio :)

:::::::::::::::::::::: OTHER SHOOTS ::::::::::::::::::::::

Baby shoot went well this morning.....I used my manual focus lens so I had a lot of shots that were blurry, but some that are pretty good I think. AND, the cute naked baby peed all over my blankets :) LOL - I'm sure it won't be the last time! Also took some photos of baby girl Serene today - got a few shots of her and Liam (he finally slowed down because he was kind of tired and ready for a nap). It will take me a bit to process them all....but I will share I promise!

:::::::::::::::::::::: MORE OTHER NEWS ::::::::::::::::::::::

And lastly, I am going to be trading my photography skills for a friend's graphic design skills. This is for my logo design / brand. We've got an initial meeting on Friday....once again, the Momfia saves the day. Amazing women in that group, I tell ya!! Camri - I can't WAIT to work with you!!!

K. That is all. I'm officially sick of being on the computer, so I'm signing off for a while. Ciao.

Playgroup super stars

OK, there are no super stars of our playgroup....but since I didn't bust out the ol' camera until everyone was on their way out, I only caught a couple few cherubic faces.

Sleeping Josie. Or is it Nico? Crap. I can't tell.

Sweet O.

Pretty Mya!

Super smiley Maddy

Ellie-Roo. Her molars kind of hurt right now.
And the real Super Star...Lil' Man Liam :)