Better in Bulk - Family photographer with a large family » Search Results » label/GMBS

Give Me Your Best Shot – Vegas Night Life!

Lolli — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:16:00 +0000

Once again, I couldn’t pick just one favorite picture from this week. What can you expect after a trip to Las Vegas?

After the SITScation conference was over, my brother and sister in law took me to their apartment, just a short drive away from the strip. Later that evening, we returned to the strip for some of the exciting Vegas night life. The Bellagio hotel had an incredible indoor flower display.

And the ceiling of the lobby was covered with blown glass flowers. Apparently each flower is worth $20,000.

We made our way outside for the famous Fountains of Bellagio Show. I kicked myself the whole night for not charging my Flip camera. I would have LOVEd to have caught some video of the incredible synchronized water show.

Even so, I was happy with the photos. I could have watched those shows for hours.

My only request before leaving Vegas was that we drive by the famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign. I figured I’d regret it if I missed that landmark.

And now, I turn the time over to you. What have you been photographing this week? Have you tried anything new? To find out more about Give Me Your Best Shot, read this….And come back to leave the link to your best shot below (please link to your actual Give Me Your Best Shot post). And grab my button below so that we can get more people to stop by! And I promise i will be home today to stop by and visit you! No more traveling for me!

PS–one of my pictures of Reese (the one with the big ham bone) is a finalist in the 5 Minutes for Mom Silly Kids contest. I could win a $1000 prize….but only if all of my wonderful friends cast a vote. Thanks!!

Give Me Your Best Shot–New York

Lolli — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 02:34:00 +0000

I survived my New York City day trip.

But only barely.

My trip to New York was filled with goods and bads.

I started off with a bad. I missed my train by about 30 seconds. The traffic delayed me JUST enough that the train drove away at the moment I got to the ticket counter. Jill was on that train. I was on the train 30 minutes later.

I wasn’t late for the press junket, so everything was fine, but I missed out on prime planning and chatting time with Jill.

The good things? Meeting, touching, talking to celebrities. I got to spend about 15 minutes with each of the main actors in the new movie Motherhood. I am still floored that I have the chance to work with this movie about a mom blogger. What an opportunity!

I’ll fill you in on all of the interview details later (when I don’t have laundry to fold and suitcases to pack for a trip…)

Don’t Jill and Uma and I look like 3 friends out for a simple girls night out?

I have always loved Minnie Driver, but after meeting her this week, I love her even more. She was a complete sweetheart.

And drop-dead gorgeous. Can you believe how beautiful she is?

Anthony Edwards was a doll. He was gracious and funny in our room full of women (he says that he’s used to being surrounded by women….he’s got daughters!). He started our time with him by going around to each of us (there were 6 of us in the room) and shaking our hands and asking our names. Very lovable.

After the interviews were over, I set off for a self-guided walking tour of New York. I knew I had passed the Empire State Building on the way to the hotel, so I figured I’d head back in that direction. I must have been tired, because the 2 miles here and 1.5 miles there didn’t faze me….til later.

After getting some work done, Jill joined me and we walked the streets of New York together. We stopped by a little restaurant called Rare and both ordered burgers….medium WELL.

This next picture, by the way, is probably my favorite of the entire day. Not only is Jill gorgeous like a celebrity, but the whole scene behind her is SO New York.

Google walking directions were way off, let me tell you. They said it would take us 45 minutes to walk from the hotel to the theater. We almost died on the way, and finally called a cab for the last few blocks. By that point, I had walked about 6-7 miles, and I was about to fall.

The red carpet was quite a sight. Impressive. It was also cool to walk in the door, get a little badge to wear, and pick out candy and drinks. We sat down in a couple of seats near the front, thinking that those would be the safest for an early escape (didn’t want to risk missing that last train out of the city). We had no idea that the writer/director and Uma Thurman would be standing inches away form us as they addressed the crowd before the movie started. I wish I had had the guts to pull out my camera while they were talking at my knee.

By the end of the evening, I was so tired and so sore from all of the walking. After the movie, we put in another 2 miles. The darn guys at the theater sent us TWO LONG blocks out of our way. I wanted to cry when we figured that one out. Luckily, we were in plenty of time to catch our train back home to Maryland.

Thursday morning, I woke up to the phone ringing…at 5:55 am. I couldn’t believe it. Someone had hit our number on their phone and had no idea they were calling our house. I stayed up long enough to get the kids to school, had Instant Breakfast and 3 Advil for breakfast and went back to bed til 10:00.

Give Me Your Best Shot

Lolli — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:10:00 +0000

I have a few favorite shots to share this week. I always have a hard time narrowing down pictures when I have a photo shoot. This particular shot of this bride-to-be really caught my eye.

And, honestly, I wasn’t sure about this next picture when I took it. What’s with chopping heads off, anyway? I see it done a lot lately…and oddly enough, there is something about this pose that keeps me returning for another look. I think what I’ve decided is that the absence of the couple’s faces makes the viewer concentrate on other parts of the picture that would otherwise be over looked. The posture. The body language. The relationship. What’s your take on this type of picture?

And I have one more thing to share. Since getting my Flip video camera, I have been taking a lot more short videos (not necessarily of ME…..but I’m working towards that…). In a little over a week, I’ll be announcing a fantabulous giveaway for not one but FIVE brand new Flip cameras…..so stay close by to hear details!

This week, the winning video was of AJ reacting to the new Michael Buble CD, Crazy Love, that we got in the mail from One2One Network. The kids and I have really been enjoying it. (Please forgive the horrible glare form the afternoon sun. I didn’t want to ruin the moment and ask AJ to move. And the camera shake….well let’s just say I was dancing too.)

Crazy Love is a cover album with two original songs from Michael, and I recognized several old favorites. I love his take on these classic songs. His voice is smooth and easy to listen to, and the songs on this album were varied and fun.

1. Cry Me A River
2. All Of Me
3. Georgia On My Mind
4. Crazy Love
5. Haven’t Met You Yet
6. All I Do Is Dream Of You
7. Hold On
8. Heartache Tonight
9. You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You
10. Baby (You’ve Got What It Takes)
11. At This Moment
12. Stardust
13. Whatever It Takes (bonus track)

You can join Michael on Facebook or find out more about his album on his website.

But back to pictures….What have you been photographing this week? Have you tried anything new? Do you ever take videos of your kids? To find out more about Give Me Your Best Shot, read this….And come back to leave the link to your best shot below (please link to your actual Give Me Your Best Shot post). And grab my button below so that we can get more people to stop by!

Give Me Your Best Shot

Lolli — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:30:00 +0000

Please check out this post if you have a little extra time! It’s a great cause!

Monday was a day off school for my kids. Our school district is notorious for having lots of days off school. Kids love it. Parents complain constantly.

Me? I enjoy it. I get to spend a day with the kids that is not a Saturday (cleaning day) OR the Summer (long!).

This week, we visited a park across town. The kids had a blast playing at the park, and then walked over to the train tracks to explore the old train cars that have been retired there. We made it back to the van just in time–if we had waited another 30 seconds, we would have been stuck in a downpour.

As it was, we made it home dry and happy…and ready for some quiet time inside (which I was needing by then!).

What about you? What have you been photographing this week? Have you tried anything new? To find out more about Give Me Your Best Shot, read this….And come back to leave the link to your best shot below (please link to your actual Give Me Your Best Shot post). And grab my button below so that we can get more people to stop by!

Give Me Your Best Shot!

Lolli — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 03:00:00 +0000

This is my favorite shot of the week:

Followed closely behind by this shot of his twin brother:

And, since I did go to the park with my own son as well, I figured I’d post a photo of him from our park day this week.

When I saw this shot of AJ, I was struck by how grown up he is looking. Except for his hands, which still look like baby hands to me. Chubby little baby fingers.

I’m changing things up a bit for next week’s GMYBS. Instead of posting your favorite shot of the week, I am asking everyone to post their favorite photo with a “Hero” theme to go along with our Around the Blogosphere super-event that kicks off next Monday. Maybe your kids like to dress up as super heros….or maybe you know someone who has achieved super hero status in your eyes. These photos do not need to have been taken within the week. Pull something out of your archives. Or dress your kids up and do something unique this week! I can’t wait to see your photos!

Hosted by:
Better in Bulk
Mama’s Losin’ It
Mayhem & Moxie
Scary Mommy
& 7 Clown Circus

Visit my community!

Give Me Your Best Shot & Photo Story Friday

Lolli — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:30:00 +0000

Today Cecily from My Chaos My Bliss and I are joining forces and combining our Friday memes into one! Each Friday I post my favorite shot (or 2 or 3) and invite all of my readers to also post their favorite shots. You can read more about Give Me Your Best Shot HERE. Cecily does a great Friday meme called Photostory Friday (you can find out more about that HERE). I frequently combine the two….because how often do your favorite pictures have great stories behind them??

This week, I started my unofficial, official homeschooling program with AJ. This is the last year that I will have a preschool aged child at home. Next year, AJ starts kindergarten, and I’ll have one in high school, one in middle school, and three in elementary. That’s a lot of back to school nights and a crap load of homework.

But this year, AJ is still home. And despite the confused responses I’ve gotten from some people I have decided not to send him to preschool. My friend, Safire, and I had talked about doing a preschool co-op with some of the kids our kids’ ages, and even that didn’t seem right. Some days it’s all I can manage to take a shower and do the dishes. Safire has her hands full with toddling twins. We decided that we’d do a homeschool type routine and meet together once a week for learning activities or field trips.

Thursday was our first meeting. Other than the fact that AJ and Butterfly were a little rambunctious from the excitement, I think our little school is going well.

This week, in honor of School and September, we are focusing on the letter S.

We started off by reading a few S books (like a book about the Sea and one about Soccer)

Followed by AJ’s newest craze: an S-shaped maze.

The twins were always close by (in other words, they went wherever the Cheerios went)

Next, we cut out some Shapes. Just a funny side note: Safire and I came up with this week’s plan as we drove home from our Baltimore GNO last week. It was very late and we must have been very tired, because we could not think of any shapes that began with S. All I could think of was Circle, and I kept telling myself, “No, that’s a C.” And, yes, I am 100% sure my water was not spiked.

Still chomping on the Cheerios as the big kids worked on tracing the letter S…

The yellow school bus was a huge hit with the boys.

Next, a short lesson on Sounds. AJ was enthralled.

After listening to some computer-generated sounds, the kids ran around like animals, making animal sounds themselves.

And we ended off the day with a bowl of chocolate pudding, which I had made the night before after everyone had gone to bed. Hey–it was late and I needed something cool and chocolatey. The kids, not surprisingly, gobbled it up. AJ wanted more and helped himself to another bowl while I was saying goodbye to Safire’s gang. Then the phone rang, and I turned my back on AJ and his bowl of pudding for just a few minutes as I made myself a salad for lunch.

And that brings me to my favorite shot of the week:

I guess the cool, chocolatey pudding made a good face mask, too. He was so proud of himself. I just had to laugh.

And throw him in the bathtub.

After his bath, he promptly layed down on his bed and fell asleep.

In the buff.

School is tough work.

And now the sharing begins…Please add your post to the link below so that we can see what’s been happening in your house this week.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli
To play Give Me Your Best Shot and PhotoStory Friday, check this. Then copy the code below into your post and sign the Our Blurbs Guest List.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Click here to see our guest list and add your link.

PS–The Fishful Thinking campaign is ready for round two. If you haven’t heard yet, round one was fabulous! We are currently looking for 1000 more moms of children ages 4-11 to be ambassadors for this worthwhile and fun program. If you are a mom with at least one child in this age range and are interested, send me an email at lollislife at gmail dot com! I’ll give you all the details.

Visit my community!

Give Me Your Best Shot 8/28

Lolli — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 02:13:00 +0000

I hope you don’t mind that I’m cheating a little this week and sharing more than one “best shot.” The kids and I spent 3 hours at the pool today. We’ve been spending as much time at the pool as possible this week as we finish off the last week of Summer. If it weren’t for the fact that AJ got tired and cranky….and the fact that we needed to eat something for dinner, I would have stayed all night, too.

I am mourning the loss (hopefully temporary) of my water camera. The kids developed a habit of watching the videos on the camera, and they have run off with it. I’m assuming it’s somewhere in the house. Grr. I miss it. I was brave and carted my big, fancy camera to the pool with me today.

Look at the tan on that girl!

Reese was brave enough to try jumping off the diving board today for the 1st time. And the 2nd time….and the 3rd. Once she started, she didn’t want to stop.

What have you been photographing this week? Have you tried anything new? To find out more about Give Me Your Best Shot, read this….And come back to leave the link to your best shot below (please link to your actual Give Me Your Best Shot post). And grab my button below so that we can get more people to stop by!

Shh! I’m adding my own meme to someone else’s…Is that bad?

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Visit my community!

Give Me Your Best Shot – Friends and Smiles

Lolli — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 05:08:00 +0000

This my my favorite shot of the week (at least my favorite shot taken on my camera…I still have pictures to take off of my mom’s camera) And I suppose I can’t really count this shot because technically I didn’t take it (you know, it’s kinda tough to take a picture when you are one of the subjects, though I HAVE done it).

Despite all that, I simply HAD to include this picture because I just got back from hanging out with my friend, Kim (and several other Utah bloggers like Jyl and Marie). Kim and I met face to face for the first time tonight, but she felt like an old friend. She is exactly like I imagined she would be. Beautiful and fun and genuine.

So since that picture doesn’t count, I’ll share another picture. It took me nearly a week, but I caught my nephew smiling on camera for the first time. Hooray!

Visit my community!

Give Me Your Best Shot – Love

Lolli — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:00:00 +0000

I had the chance to do an engagement photo session in the last week. The poor groom-to-be was so tired from working a night shift, but they were both great sports and so much fun to work with. This is one of my favorite shots from the shoot.

What have you been photographing this week? Have you tried anything new? Other than these engagement pictures that I took this week, I have been feeling in somewhat of a creative rut. Maybe it’s the end of the summer coming. Anybody else?

To find out more about Give Me Your Best Shot, read this….And come back to leave the link to your best shot below (please link to your actual Give Me Your Best Shot post). And grab my button below so that we can get more people to stop by!

Visit my community!

Give Me Your Best Shot – Planter

Lolli — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 04:18:00 +0000

Is this what the doctor meant when he said I had Plantar Fasciitis?

Ok, maybe not….Maybe this was just one of the fun pictures I took in Pennsylvania last week. I walked by this clever planter and had to stop for a picture.

What have you been photographing this week? I’d love to see your favorite shots. To find out more about Give Me Your Best Shot, read this….And come back to leave the link to your best shot (please link to your actual Give Me Your Best Shot post). And grab my button below so that we can get more people to stop by!

PS–My real-life friend, Safire, at Living In Maryland is having a great giveaway by Teak and Wicker and More who can service all your outdoor needs from patio furniture to greenhouses. You can get 2 extra entries by playing along in this week’s Give Me Your Best Shot!