We had Mikey’s graduation last week, along with all his extra mural sports watching days, his nativity play, parents evening and all the same events for Jamie too! It was a busy week but is always so special to go and see what our little boys have been up to at school all year.

One thing I never seem to understand is when Jane tells us how shy Mikey is!!?? Shy? Ryan asks her if she is speaking about our Mikey? Mikey Diesel? Teacher Jane laughs and assures us that he is in fact shy in class, but that all changes when he get to the playground at break time. Ryan and I look at each other and smile – that’s more like it……

So it was graduation day – Mikey managed to pass Grade 00 at The Bridge nursery school (with honours in my opinion!) and we are so proud of him! He talks about his “gradulation” not graduation – it’s too cute! Guess he learns that word next year in Grade 0 at St Johns College (lol) Speaking of funny things kids say: Mikey also says he “desports” Arsenal (not supports) and he desports Liverpool when his grandad is around – oh how he loves granny and grandad!

Mikey’s big brother Jamie came with to watch the graduation and felt like such a big boy because he was at The Bridge last year and is almost finished Grade 0 at SJC already. Their baby sister Demi-Leigh came with too and had a ball – she of course thinks she is already 5 just like her big brothers. Grandad was also there – after all, he couldn’t miss his grandson’s “gradulation……”

I can’t believe my babies are getting so big – Mikey is starting big school and Jamie is going to Grade 1!!! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you boys!!! Love you so so so so much!! Mwah!!!

Have you ever photographed what you thought was Holiday Gold only to discover a lump of coal after viewing it on your PC? A wise sage once defined INSANITY as Doing the same things you’ve always done, but EXPECTING DIFFERENT OUTCOMES.

Generally speaking, photographers disappointed with old holiday images, wanted to take better ones, but didn’t know how. By using these eight simple tips, you can leave this “Insanity” behind…

I. Prepare For The Holiday

Decide before the event, your preference for WHICH group portrait poses to capture. Significant considerations are: who will be there, what is the environment, group combinations, and the lighting requirements (day or night).

II. Avoiding Fireworks

Face the facts… sometimes family members don’t get along (yeah right… “sometimes”). Keep this in mind when taking family photography poses.

It is also OK to take smaller group images that are “safe,” than a larger group picture which may ignite. Often just having some distance between potential combatants works well, but that needs to be accounted for when deciding which family photography poses to use.

III. Take Gobs of Image

Take more than one picture of EACH POSE. Regardless of what you say or do, people will close their eyes. Although you can virtually eliminate the blinking problem, too many photographers mistakenly rely on spotting problems by viewing the camera’s tiny LCD screen; which leads to…

IV. When to View The LCD Screen

The digital camera’s LCD screen can solve or cause problems. The LCD screen should only be used to review general framing of the picture, verify that all faces can be seen, and check the histogram. DO NOT USE THE LCD SCREEN to determine picture sharpness/out of focus, high/low contrast areas, or whether any blinking occurred (click the above link for more info on eliminating blinking).

V. The Power Of Humor

Remember what this group finds funny. It could be anecdotes, phrases, names, and family foibles that are humorously appropriate for your group. Then use it JUST BEFORE YOU TAKE THE PHOTO. It’s a fact that a natural grin looks three times better than “fake-photo-face.”

VI. The Big Bang

Each flash has a “flash range,” which defines the range of proper illumination your flash produces. Check your owner’s manual for how far away from your subjects you can be while still properly illuminating them.

VII. [spin]Plan “B”

If you need to be further away from your subjects than your flash allows, there are four things you can do (not counting “crying”):

1. Use a tripod with a longer exposure times
2. Increase the ISO
3. Move to a brighter location
4. Purchase an external flash unit

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VIII. What’s The Best Angle?

When using a flash, avoid shooting directly into mirrors or reflective surfaces. If an alternate location is impractical, take the picture in such a way that the flash is NOT PERPENDICULAR to the surface, but is at an angle (so the flash won’t be seen in the picture).

Don’t be surprised if your holiday images suddenly become sought after to make enlargements. When this happens, see how to both save money and insure that people don’t get “chopped off” when cropping is required.

Getting married? You are almost certain to spend a small fortune on your wedding preparations. The costs range from a professional wedding photographer to the cake to a fun DJ and much more. Well, the venue for your wedding ceremony doesn’t also need to cost you an arm and leg, even if held in a luxurious location.

Are you looking to do a cheap Vegas wedding? Well, the good news is that Las Vegas isn’t just a place for spur-of-the-moment elopements anymore. Every theme hotel and popular destination offer unique packages, from the traditional to the adventurous.

You can say “I do” atop the Eiffel Tower replica or aboard a gondola at the Venetian, or, of course, in a replica of the Elvis Graceland Chapel and with an Elvis impersonator as your minister. You could even say your vows on top of the Stratosphere Tower roller coaster. The possibilities for a unique and affordable Vegas wedding are endless.

To find out how you can plan a fantastic Las Vegas wedding and for cheap, keep reading.

Contact the Las Vegas Tourism Office

Las Vegas is a city built on tourism dollars and, subsequently, their tourism office staff are probably the most experienced, friendly and helpful in the country. They know their city inside and out and can assist you to plan every detail of your trip and your wedding ceremony, no matter what your budget or dreams.

From a great hotel that you can afford to finding a fantastic chapel that will do a great cheap Vegas wedding, the staff at the Las Vegas Tourism Office can do it. It’s like having a wedding planner for free. In addition to helping you with ceremony details, they can also track down hotel deals and group rates for your family and friends.

To get in touch with the Tourism Office, try their toll free number at 1-877-847-4858 or check their website out at visitlasvegas.com.

Ask the Front Desk at Your Hotel

Whether you’re staying at the Bellagio or The Golden Nugget, your hotel will most likely have a guest services officer or concierge. If you’re booking for yourself and your guests, they can often arrange either an on-site wedding for cheap or help you plan an affordable chapel wedding and small dinner reception at the hotel.

Like the Tourism Office, your hotel concierge knows the city well and can work within your budget.

Just Tour Las Vegas Blvd.

Las Vegas Boulevard, also known as “the strip” is home to over twenty little inexpensive Vegas wedding chapels, most offering a variety of wedding packages that range from modest and affordable to over the top and adventurous. A fifteen to 20-minute walk will let you do some quick price comparisons while you check for availability. If you’re not in town or want to plan ahead, take a virtual stroll at the Tourism Office’s wedding chapel directory – visitlasvegas.com/vegas/play/weddings.

We put up our Christmas tree today and it was such fun! It was soooo exciting and the children had a blast! They are getting so big now – they seem to remember our family tradition of putting up the tree every year! They loved putting up all the decorations and added few things of their own… Even Demi’s barbie doll ended up in the tree (LOL)

We had our Christmas DVD on – Christmas at the Vatican – Christmas carols by famous people – and the boys and I were singing carols – it’s so nice now that the boys know all the words to the songs – they even have to teach me a few that I’ve forgotten!

The boys had their hats on and insisted I take some photos by the tree and send them to Granny. They wouldn’t go to bed without phoning granny to hear what she said about their christmas pics – Mikey told granny that “he is the cutest!” and granny just cried!

Kids are beautiful and make Christmas so special!!!