Happy Monday! I feel as if poor Merlin has been getting the short end of the stick, photo wise, lately, so I wanted to make up for it this week. He gets ignored by the camera for two reasons, first, he's usually napping or laying in the exact same spot of the house each day, and the photos would all start to blend together. Second, this spot he's in does not have the best light. So it's not that I don't adore the poor old man, it's just when I spend time with him I'm usually on the floor massaging his back and snuggling in, not taking photos.But this week? This week I made sure to document him.I love how Ezra snuggles in and "hugs" the old guy. I also have a few frames where Ez is pulling (gently) at that poor collie's face, but he's just taking it. What a lover.The other crazy thing about this week was that six days ago it was snowing like crazy, and today it was in the mid-40s and we were walking in the sunshine with hardly any snow left on the ground! I snapped this one of the two dogs playing in the backyard on Tuesday. Snow makes Merlin as frisky as he can get at this age.This is the look Magda gives you when you take her tennis ball to get her to look at the camera. On the one hand, she *is* looking at the camera. On the other hand, she looks like a total bitch.Oh, hello pumpkin! See how grey his eyes look here? If he's wearing grey, they look grey. If he's wearing olive, they look green. If he's wearing navy, they look blue. Chameleon eyes!We had brunch on Sunday with our friends Scott and Renee and Ezra was enamored with their kids Nora and Colin.And here's that sunny walk we took! See? Hardly any snow left!Love this. It was between Merlin kisses.And this photo shows Ezra here sitting up ALL BY HIMSELF. He's still a little wobbly, but very close.For your internet share of the day, these photos made me gasp (particularly numbers one, six and twelve). Also, this trailer for Mr. Holmes is such an interesting twist on the mysteries of life. I hope it gets great reviews!

Are you ready? Today I'm starting a new series on the blog called Real Talk.I get a lot of emails from readers who want to know what camera/lenses etc I use because they "like my photos of kids/dogs/concerts and they want to shoot the same photos." Ahem.On one hand, this is SUPER flattering because hearing anyone loves your work is fantastic. It truly is.But on the other hand, I need to explain to everyone that the gear does not matter. Do you hear me? YOUR GEAR DOES NOT MATTER. The best camera in the world is the one you have in your hand. Things like angles, framing and light are what matter. But more on that later.Since I get these emails from readers, and since I've noticed that the photos or blog posts in which I show you how I got a shot get the most interest, I thought I would start a series on how to take better photos. You game?This will not be aimed at professional photographers, but rather at regular folks or hobbyists who are shooting with their phones or point-and-shoots. Sure, it's totally applicable if you have a wonderful DSLR camera like mine, but I want everyone to benefit from these posts, not just the photo nerds.I plan on talking about things like how to take better photos of your friends, how to get the most flattering light in your photos as well as how to get great shots of your babies or your kids and how to get your dog to look at the camera etc. In other words, I plan to spill all my secrets.Sound good?Also, I should note that by no means do I consider myself an expert in photography. I consider myself an expert in how I take *my* photos, and if you read this blog a lot, I'm thinking you might like how I create my work. Second, this blog will run every other Friday, unless I get a lot of questions from you guys that require more posts (which would be great!).OK. Let's start with my own gear and get that out of the way (only because you're curious, not because it matters).I shoot with a Nikon D700. This is not the latest and greatest camera body (See? It doesn't matter.), but I love this camera because it's much lighter than the next steps up and I have neck and back issues already. I also love it because it shoots wonderfully in the dark (for concerts) and it works with all my lenses from my old film days, so it saves me money.The lenses I use almost every day (along with a photo shot with that lens) would be:• 50 mm 1.4 // This lens lives on my camera the most. It shoots great in low light and I love the depth of field it creates (that means the fuzzy background).• 24-70 mm 2.8 // Perfect for road trips or concerts up when you're up close, it gives me great versatility for wide shots as well as a little zoom all in one lens, and it works in low light.• 85 mm 1.8 // I love this for portraits and weddings. It lets me be a little further from the subject, but the photos still appear intimate and beautiful.• macro lens // This is wonderful for getting my creative juices flowing and for photographing bugs and nature details.Those are my go to lenses. If that up there is gibberish to you, do not worry about it. You do not need those lenses to make wonderful photos. If you want it explained because you want to buy a new lens, shoot me a note and I'll happily explain more.Now! If you have questions you want answered, please please please shoot me an email and I'll answer it for you in the next installment! I love the idea of helping you guys learn!For your internet share of the day, this photo essay on what people around the world eat each day is fascinating to me! Seriously, go look at that and then think about what you ate yesterday.

I hesitate to say this... but it appears the worst of winter is on its way out! (Sorry if I just jinxed it!) Today when I left the house it was -2, and tomorrow it's going to be 37! And the 10-day forecast even has us in... wait for it... THE FIFTIES. You guys, are we turning a corner? It kinda feels that way!Anyway, one of my crutches this winter has been my afternoon tea. It used to be my afternoon coffee, but since I take my coffee with loads of cream/sugar/coffeemate, I switched to tea as I'm trying to shed this baby weight.I love how on the colder days the steam really curls around the pot -- isn't it lovely?For your internet share of the day, this art is beautiful and if I lived in California, I would want one of these asap.

So a few days ago, I got a new car. Exciting, yeah? YES IT IS.The last time I bought a new car it was 2003, and that wonderful Honda started having a finicky Check Engine light recently and some weird jerking motions, and I figured it was time to trade that baby in before she cost me some serious dough. So here we are!The part that makes me feel like the luckiest girl ever? Those three lights lit up in the center console. Those indicate the seat heater is set to high. Oh dear sweet Jesus, I've wanted heated seats for so dang long, and it is just as glorious as I had imagined. Today it was nine degrees out, and I was taking the long way home because I was so comfortable.Here's hoping this car lasts me until 2028 or 2029. By then Ezra will be learning to drive and maybe he can take it over. Whoa. Crazy.And speaking of The Spawn, today's internet share is kinda parenty, but I am here to tell you that if this were not written and instead were a speech, I would have been standing in the front row, stomping my foot and waving my fists in the air, whooping out loud to show my support just like Meryl Streep at the Oscars. This sums up how I feel about today's parenting/neighborhood climate completely.

Oh man, do I love that collie fur. He has about the best salt and pepper gray I've ever seen!This morning, it was (finally) snowing big, fluffy flakes, and I took the dogs outside to play a bit. I snapped this image of Merlin's back as he made it to his usual spot below me wanting a good back scratch. If you have ever visited my house, you are familiar with this position (similar to riding a horse backward). It's too bad he doesn't realize that back scratches with gloves on are infinitely worse than the ones indoors with my fingernails exposed. But I loved the snowflakes in his fur -- so lovely.For your internet shares today, have you seen these images of Cat Island? Holy shit, this is insane. Also? Did you hear Kevin Garnett was traded back to the Timberwolves? (!!) Do you know who is a big KG fan (besides me)? PRINCE. So there was this piece about that in the Star Tribune, but better than the writing is that amazing photo of Prince sitting court side. Whoa, that hair. 

Look at that poor little face. This week we kept Ezra home and took a few days off work to nurse him back to health. The first afternoon, I was letting the dogs out and propped him up on the couch. When I came back in and saw that pathetic look with the tear on his cheek, I had to snap a photo before scooping him up in my arms and nuzzling him some more.I didn't take many more photos of the poor kid this week (or the family) as I was super busy just trying to stay on top of the routine we established to try and get him better. Most of you know babies can't have decongestants when they are this young, so we took holistic medicine to a new level. There were hours spent each day in hot and steamy bathrooms, lots of sessions with the Nose Frida (much to Ezra's chagrin), lots of saline drips, lots of humidifier refills and lots of applications of a special rub for his chest, back and feet. There were also a lot of naps (thank goodness).Oh but wait. What is this special rub, you ask? Well, Vicks Vapor Rub isn't safe for babies this little, so I did some research and made my own holistic version. I KNOW. WHO KNEW I WOULD BE SUCH A GOOD HIPPIE?!Anyway, I just mixed up some cocoa butter, coconut oil, eucalyptus oil and lavender oil. The Eucalyptus opens up the airways (it's also in Vicks), the lavender does as well, but also relaxes the kid for nap times and the cocoa butter just works well for consistency and it smells delicious. I also put a few drops of the eucalyptus oil in his humidifier over his crib to help keep his sinuses open as well. You guys, his room smells like an awesome spa right now... but you have to look beyond the trashcan overflowing with tissues and boogie wipes.Anyway, all that work appears to have paid off (knock on wood) as he was far less congested today and was even back bouncing away in his jumper. He's still tired and a bit more fussy, but he's miles ahead of where we were last week. So let's hope he gets a few days reprieve at daycare before coming home with the next illness.I joke. Kindof.Magda was spectacular this week and is very patient with Ezra's exploration of her snout with his little fingers. Don't worry, we keep a very close eye on them.We have several toys that were given to Ez when he was a baby and was too young to appreciate them. This week we pulled out a few of them to help keep him entertained at home. He particularly loved these blocks with rattles inside.And Magda loved the packaging! That's what we call a win-win!This was taken on Sunday as the clouds of illness were clearing. And that's about it for this week. I'm not gonna lie, Jamie and I are completely exhausted. This weekend there were a few nights where Ez was up every 1.5-2 hours or so, and man is that tough. Fingers crossed he gets those amazing sleep skills right back with his recovery, eh?Oh! And I wish I had more photos of Merlin to post -- but with his tough week, I just petted and loved him up without the camera. He's still doing better since we cut back his pain meds, and hopefully I'll have photos to show you next week.