New Camera Lens

Why in the world did I wait so long to purchase a new lens for my Canon Rebel??? Here's one of the first shots I took with the 50mm f1.4 lens today. I am not at all accustomed to using this lens as it is so different than our other lens, but I already love it! Oh and this image is straight out of the camera. Yay!


Not too horrible for a dreary, cloudy day. The handful of indoor shots I've taken so far are a hundred times better than what my old lens would have produced. This lens sucks in so much more light and will be so great to have all winter when we're mostly stuck inside. Sorry, I'll stop going on and on now. Go out and buy this lens (or the less expensive f1.8) now if you have a Canon DSLR!!!

Lights at the Beach

Sometimes an event rolls around that reminds me how awesome it is to live in Hampton Roads. The McDonald's Holiday Lights at the Beach is one of those events. Finally, the boys and I were able to attend the opening night where they allow foot traffic on the boardwalk for this event. We've attended each year in our car, but this year the boys and I walked through the lights, played on the beach and enjoyed hot chocolate together. It was SO much fun!!!

Ian was trying to pose like Ronald McDonald. He rarely stands nicely and smiles for photos these days.


Both boys "presenting" one of the light displays. They make me laugh.


We ran into friends while walking along the boardwalk. Three of the boys just had to take a picture in front of the dinosaur. Why are there dinosaurs on the beach as part of a holiday light display? No idea.

Citizen of the Month

Ian was selected as the Citizen of the Month in his first grade class for the month of November. He was chosen under the "Diligence" category. Not only did we have this sign in our yard for a month, but Ian was also able to attend a special breakfast at his school. Oh, and his school mascot is a bear. Despite this, I find the use of "Beary" annoying.


Ian is doing very well in school this year...almost too well. He's reading at a very advanced level and finishing his work first every day. The teacher joked with me that she needs to expand her in-class library so Ian doesn't run out of books to read. We hope he doesn't grow bored or become disruptive. For now, he's perfectly happy reading every book in sight to stay entertained. Maybe I'll just start buying books in various foreign languages to challenge him. :)