One Year Old

Today is Justine's first birthday. It's amazing how one year just flies by so quickly. People always ask me if raising a girl is any different than raising a boy. Well at this point, not really (except for diaper time). At this age, they all act the same. And she's on track to walk next month (like the boys) and also stay around the 25 percentile (like the boys).

In some ways she's easier, but that can be because my mom is now around to help. In other ways it's harder because now I have two other troublemakers to deal with – plus homework. So life gets both easier and harder at the same time. You just have to learn to adapt, pick your battles, and be prepared for anything (if that's even possible).

Another question I often get is "are you guys done?" Well as much as I would love to have a 4th child, it is rather unlikely because Chrissy says no. Perhaps if we were both younger... and nicer... and if our boys were better behaved... Again, unlikely.

The above picture was taken last week. Colby is missing because all of a sudden, he no longers knows how to smile. I can't begin to tell you how many pictures he's ruined because of his weird facial expressions. I've spent many hours in Photoshop trying to fix his face, posture, etc. Strange kid. So now the easiest thing to do is just exclude him from family photos. It's ok. That's the benefit of having three kids, you can get rid of one and still look like a complete family.

I recently found this helpful link: Improve Your Photos in 60 Seconds. It lists quite a few basic and useful ideas on getting the best content and composition in your pics. Unfortunately, no tips on getting your over-active children to properly pose for a group picture :(

And if you need more memory for your camera, here's a great deal on a 2gb SD card for only $14.95 and free delivery. Remember, a 2gb card will get you 16 minutes of high-res video. Also during the checkout process, you will also be offered a free magazine subscription or a $10 rebate. Get it while it lasts.