He Is My Sunshine!

This has to be one of my all time favorite photos of Mason. I love the way the sun shines so beautifully on his little face.


You are my sunshine,
My only sunshine.
You make me happy
when skies are gray.
You'll never know dear
How much ♥ I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away.


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I Heart Faces is a photography contest in which beginners, amateurs and pros can enter their favorite photos. Each week brings a new theme and lots of great photos!

This week's theme: Sun Flare

It's true. Falling leaves make a monstrosity of a mess, but put them behind a beautiful little face and you've got yourself a masterpiece of a photo.

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I Heart Faces is a photography contest in which beginners, amateurs and pros can enter their favorite photos. Each week brings a new theme and lots of great photos!

This Week's Theme: Autumn Beauty

Balloon Serenade

When Mason was a little baby he just couldn't get enough of Elmo. There were Elmo(s) everywhere I turned, little stuffed ones, BIG stuffed ones, ticklish ones, dancing ones and the list went on and on all the way into his first birthday. This enormous balloon was always a big hit on our trips to the grocery store and so when his birthday finally came around, it came along with us. It was HUGE! But the neatest thing about it was that with every little tug it would sing Happy Birthday. Mason loved it so much that he would grab it and squeeze, squeeze, squeeze until he couldn't squeeze any more. It's too bad life can't remain as simple as finding happiness in a BIG balloon serenade.

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I Heart Faces is a photography contest in which beginners, amateurs and pros can enter their favorite photos. Each week brings a new theme and lots of great photos!

This Week's Theme: Balloons

CLICK HERE
TO GET THE SCOOP ON MY YEAR LONG GIVEAWAY!!

A{Mason} Little Monkey

Time for some Halloween dress up at I Heart Faces.

God blessed my little guy with the chubbiest little cheeks, perfect for filling out this cute little monkey costume. I couldn't wait to take my little monkey trick or treating for the first time even though he couldn't eat any of the treats. I think I just looked forward to showing him off. Fast forward three years later and yup, his chubby cheeks are still hanging strong and he's still a little monkey.

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I Heart Faces is a photography contest in which beginners, amateurs and pros can enter their favorite photos. Each week brings a new theme and lots of great photos!

Excitement's in the Air!

Our time at Myrtle Beach was filled with lots of excitement. As soon as we were able to get settled into our little home away from home, we went for an afternoon stroll along the beach. Mason was so EXCITED, his little face just lit up with joy! Along the way, we discovered a little abandoned sand castle sitting all by it's lonesome. Mason couldn't wait to build his very own.

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I Heart Faces is a photography contest in which beginners, amateurs and pros can enter their favorite photos. Each week brings a new theme and lots of great photos!

This week I Heart Faces wants us to set the sepia tone to our photos. This is my pic for this week's contest. It was taken last year while on a trip to Carolina Beach and it's one of my all time favorites of my little guy.

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I Heart Faces is a photography contest in which beginners, amateurs and pros can enter their favorite photos. Each week brings a new theme and lots of great photos!

This week's theme: Sepia Toned

Here is a list of up coming themes:

• June 22nd - Let's Hear It For The Boys!
• June 29th - Wedding Bells
• July 6th - My Story In Photos: Patriotic Edition
• July 13th - Sports In Action {There is also a special "Pets" category}
• July 20th - Feet {We'll be focusing on "feet"...not "faces". Gasp!}
• July 27th - On The Beach

Click here to enter your favorite faces.

I Heart Faces Blurb Book

Lying in a shady tent, camped out on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, is my little guy. With chubby little cheeks, his Daddy's beautiful blue eyes, and skin made of porcelain, this is a face that I'll never grow tried of looking at. This photo was taken almost 3 years ago and although he is growing up and his baby face has faded away, I'm still left mesmerized by it. I may be a little bias, but I think this would be a perfect addition to the I Heart Faces Blurb Book. Don't you think?

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I am submitting this photo into the www.iheartfaces.com Blurb Book photo contest. I am granting I ♥ Faces permission to use my photo in a printed version of a book for commercial use and possibly advertising of a photo book on both the Blurb and I ♥ Faces web sites.

Easter Rewind

It's Easter week at I Heart Faces. I decided to rewind to Mason's first Easter in 2007. The church was all decked out with the most beautiful flowers all around, making a perfect back drop for an Easter photo with his favorite little buddy, Christian.

My Friend & I

It's the start of a brand new week at I Heart Faces, and I've got the perfect picture for this week's theme - My Friend & I. To the right, is my little guy Mason; and to the left is his little buddy Christian. Christian is so much more than Mason's cousin. He is his playmate, his sidekick; and, at times, his partner in crime. He is Mason's best friend. My hope for them is that they continue to remain close and look out for each other, as only a true wing man would do.

Today’s photo was submitted by Carol from Black Salt Photography, who wanted to see just how the contributors of I Heart Faces (and all of you!) could fix-up this photo of her beautiful little girl. Of course, Picnik was my weapon of choice. Here's what it can do for your photos.

In the spirit if April Fool's Day, I Heart Faces wants everyone to get out your photo editing programs and start fooling around. The crazier, the better! I know I'm a couple of days late getting here but I guess that adds to the foolishness of it all.

What's that pout about?

Must have been a bad day at the office! And a bad day for Mason at the Superhero Headquarters makes a great shot for me to enter in this week's I Heart Faces pouting contest. Superheros have feelings too you know!

There's lots of pitiful pouts going on at I Heart Faces this week.
Click here to see what they're all about.

Also, this week is pet week and anything goes. So, of course, I couldn't leave out our dog gone good dog, Petey, playing in the snow.

Bubblicious

This week's I Heart Faces theme is NO FLASH. All that's required is the sheer beauty of natural light. So, now that Spring has finally arrived, I took Mason outside to enjoy the sunshine. Out he went with a bubble machine in one hand and a big grin on his face. He was so excited! Or shall I say bubbly.

Check out more not so flashy photos at I Heart Faces.

Happy Go Lucky

This week I Heart Faces celebrates St. Patty's Day and I'm green with envy. There's so many great green pics. I always look forward to this holiday, even though there's not a drop of Irish blood in me. Maybe it's because of all the goodness it represents. And so, in the spirit of the holiday, I wanted to go out and have a good time with my little guy. We drove up to the local mall and I let him go wild in the play area. At first he was his usual shy self. That was to be expected but it didn't last too long. There was too much fun going on! Off he went...for TWO WHOLE HOURS. That was O.K. with me. I was having a good time watching him run and play. But eventually we were gonna have to go home. I thought, "How am I gonna get him to leave with out kicking and screaming?" Thank my lucky stars there was a Sweet & Nutty store right across the way. Otherwise, I would still be sitting there. Luckily for me, Mason went happily. He was a SUPER GOOD BOY!

Cream of the Crop

There's a whole lot of cropping going on this week at I Heart Faces and here I go again. I can't help it. Like so many others, I've become addicted to this contest. Since this week's theme is creative crop, I wanted to focus on the best features of some of my favorite shots. Both my entries were taken on a family trip with my wonderful in-laws to Charleston, S.C. We were visiting one of the beautiful plantations. Walking through the grounds I captured this shot of Mason. I couldn't help but zoom in on those plump little cheeks.

As we waited for the tour to begin, I caught a glimpse of something so sweet I just had to grab my camera. It was this. Papaw holding Mason. They say that the love for a grandchild is the greatest love imaginable. It must be true.

The Before Shots

Come and Join the fun!

MESSY

{characterized by a dirty, untidy, or disordered condition:
causing a mess: a messy birthday boy}

On May 23, 2007 we celebrated our little boy's 1st birthday. It was a day I had been looking forward to long before I felt his first kick. I remember being so excited that I forgot my own birthday when it came around exactly one month before. Life changes in an instant when a little one comes along. All my thoughts are about Mason and what would make him happy. I wanted to make his very first birthday the happiest ever. I made his birthday cake EXTRA special with all the Sesame St. gang and TONS and TONS of bright green icing. What can I say? You only turn 1 once.......might as well go to town with it and get down right MESSY!

Wanna see more down right messy faces?



Check them out @ I Heart Faces.
This week they've added a beginners category.
To qualify as a beginner, you must answer yes to 3 or more of the following questions:

• Have you recently started taking photos or taking photography more seriously?

Yes I have. Ever since Mason was born 2 yrs ago I'm constantly taking pictures. My photos of him are precious to me and I want to make sure I capture every special moment.

• Do you have NO idea how your camera works yet?

I've had my Kodak Easyshare for about a year now. I know the basics, but when it comes to all those special features, I've got NO idea. I do play with the different settings, because I'm curious of what they do. But, the pictures usually come out all out of wack.

• Are your skills average or below average?

I would have to say that at their very best my skills are average. I would love to someday have the great skills to take beautiful shots like all those I see here on I Heart Faces. They're so talented!

• Are you clueless when we talk about Aperture?

Not only am I clueless. I have no idea how to say it.

• You don't even know what editing means....let alone have an editing program for you photos?

This is a tricky one because I know what editing means....but knowing how to edit is another story. I have a program called Photo Explosion. I used it for the messy photo above but I just fidget with it until I like what I see. And that takes a pretty LONG time since I'm really not sure what I'm doing. I would love to have Photoshop one day!

• Are you willing to be open for constructive criticism from the other participants?

Of course! I'm here to learn, so have at it.

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Black-and-White

This week I Heart Faces goes into black-and-white mode. I knew exactly the picture I wanted to enter. It's one of my little guy waiting patiently at my sister's wedding. I know I may be a tidbit bias, but I think he's the cutest little guy ever!

It's A Wonderful Life!

WONDER
{ to think or speculate curiously: to be filled with admiration, amazement, or awe; marvel }

I remember this trip to the beach like it was yesterday. Mason was naturally drawn to the ocean and it's amazement. He wasn't scared of the crashing waves and he wasn't interested at all in playing with the sand. All his curiosity revolved around the wonder of the water.

As I was searching for my wonderful shot of Mason, I came across another wonder filled pic of his Uncle Brian. History has always intrigued him. As we visited the USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial, I captured this picture of him seating in the captain's chair. I love this shot because wonder just fills it up.

Silly Face

In this morning's headlines: Blue-tongued lizard boy discovered in bath after eating an unusual substance called Airheads. PARENTS BEWARE!

This week's I Heart Faces theme is SILLY. Can it get anymore sillier than that? Come join in on the fun at I Heart Faces and share your most memorable snapshots.

The Eyes Have It

Here it is. My second entry for the I Heart Faces blog. This week's theme is "The Eyes Have It". And anyone who knows Mason can tell you that he can give you a look to kill. I don't know where he get's it from. I guess he is his own person. Believe it or not, they're not all mean looks he gives. Here's one that's a little sweet, a little playful, and a whole lot of mischievous. It makes me wonder, "What is he thinking?"

For the adults category I chose a picture from my little sister Scarlett's wedding. I love this picture. Ladies usually don't kiss and tell, but when it comes to giving the bride some honeymoon secrets, we don't hold back. Judging by her eyes, they must have been some good ones.

I Heart Faces has also tagged this week with a pets category. Our dog-gone good dog, Petey, is the greatest dog any family could ever ask for. His perfect little black eyes won our hearts over. It was love at first sight.