New Camera Lens

Soooo, my wonderful husband always wanted to be a photographer. Therefore, as a supportive wife I encourage his passion and purchased his first camera and even suggested he should take classes. Ok.. so fast forward 4 years later and he no longer takes pictures, only on special events. However, ever since I had my daughter I decided that I may secretively be a photographer (in my mind). Since, I absolutely love to take pictures of baby Ari, I have gone out in search of a new lens that will benefit my needs the most. After asking multiple people I decided that the Nikon 50mm f/1.8d AF Nikkor lens is where I was going to start.

The Lens was purchased from Amazon.com for $119

I just received my new lens on Friday and I am in love with it. Today, during a play date with a friend I decided to take the camera to the mall's play area to take pictures. Here is the outcome:

The colors are pretty good considering I was inside of a mall. It is also not bulky like my other lenses. So for a mommy amateur I think its a pretty good lens so far. I plan on taking official photographer classes so I learn more on all the ways to play with the camera. Any other suggestions on lenses?

Cell Phone pictures solution!

www.groovebook.com

Thanks to Jennifer from Babymakingmachine.com, I finally found something to do with the thousands of pictures that I take of Ari. She introduced me to the wonderful app of groovebook.com. This wonderful application allows you to print up to 100 pictures from your iPhone. The best part is that in a few days you will received a really nifty 4x6 book with all of the pictures of your choice. The book also provides the date and time and date the picture was taken. However, I did find out that if you choose a picture that was edited they will send you the original print not the edited. Overall, I still think this is a great day for $2.99 you can receive 100 prints! Thanks to Jennifer for introducing me to this wonderful app. If you would like to try it and get your first book for free, you can use the code they gave Curry39. Enjoy! :)


Ari at 2 weeks old!

Ari's first smile caught on camera!

 

Preschool... such a difficult decision!

 

Preschool/Daycare has been such a touchy subject in my world for the past year and a half. Since I am a Reading Coach for our school district I have a completely different perspective on education and what I expect my little Ari to do at school. I know she is only 1 1/2 but I feel her potential is endless because she is like a sponge at this point in her life. I also battle between having a great center but also one that is small enough to feel like a home away from home (too much to ask???). Well I've learned that maybe I will never be truly satisfied with my options and need to re-evaluate my non-negotiable. Ok so here is my list of things that I am looking for in a preschool/daycare center for little Ari: • Hands-on experiences • Daily small and large-group activities • Themed units that encourage your child's curiosity, increase confidence, and support self-directed activities • Portfolios that document growth and development through your preschooler's work • Observation-based assessments that track your child's progress toward developmental milestones and kindergarten readiness • Regular teacher-family communication, including daily updates to keep you informed • Pre-Literacy Skills • Small Group Activities • Developmentally-Appropriate Practices • Indoor and Outdoor Physical Activities • Sensory Play • Clean/organized classrooms • Loving teachers • NO TELEVISION!!! Ok so what’s negotiable?

New Look

Finally, my blog got a facelift. After my initial post in March, I could not decide what I wanted to do with the blog. I also went back and forth trying to decide if blogger was the right place. After receiving some advice from multiple people Blogger was my finally choice. Now that my space has a new look I can really begin blogging the chronicles of the Curry family. Thanks goes out to Raspberry Road Design for helping with the new look of my blog.