Goodbye House
Dear House,
The time has come to say goodbye. And while we will miss you, what I have come to realize through this whole process is that you’re just a house. What makes a home is the people inside of it.
We’ve had many good memories inside of your walls. First anniversaries, first babies, first giggles, first steps, first words.
But, it’s time to move on and make new memories in our new home. Brayden won’t remember you, but whenever we drive past and I tell him this was your first house, where we brought you home from the hospital, where you spent your first 16 months, I will remember all of those precious firsts that happened here. In our first home as a family.
Love,
Me
Shameless Plug
We’re moved in! Well, kind of. There are boxes and boxes everywhere and we still have a lot of work to do. But, it’s starting to feel like home. Brayden LOVES it! He loves the backyard and my closet. We’re having a lot of fun!
Okay, now I offer up advice and (I think) I help a lot of you out. So, now I’m going to ask for some help from you, my fabulous readers! I entered Brayden in the Orange County Registers Cutest Baby Contest and I’m begging asking you for your vote. Yeah, you have to have to have an account and register, which is super annoying, but I would really appreciate it. How cool would it be if Brayden won and got to be in the paper? Right now he only has one vote… and it’s mine! How sad! I know how many readers Mom*tog gets and if just half of you vote we’ll win this contest by a landslide!
And if you’re from Orange County make sure to add your cute baby! If I can’t win I would love for another Mom*tog to win!
Click here to vote! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
PS You can vote as many times as you want! So, if you want to vote 5, 10, 20, 100 times I won’t tell anyone 
No Pictures!
I guess this is what happens when your mom’s a photographer.
You just have to say enough is enough sometimes. If the kid weren’t so cute I’d kill him for touching my camera. Good thing I have a UV filter
We’re moving this weekend and I’m not sure when our internet will be up and running so please pardon the lack of posts in the next week. I’ll have pictures of the new place up as soon as possible!
I have such mixed feelings about leaving our first home. We bought this house (with the very generous help of my in-laws) 10 months before we got married. It’s the only house Brayden has ever known and it’s our first home as a family. How do you say goodbye to something that holds so many great memories? So many good things have happened here. Yesterday we walked to lunch for the last time and I cried while eating my quesedilla. One of my most favorite things about this neighborhood is how we can walk everywhere. Walk to the grocery store, to lunch, to get ice cream. We know everyone and it’s just such a great neighborhood. I’m going to miss my office here and my window with the trees outside. I’m going to miss the way it sounds in here when it’s windy. I’m going to miss my big bay window in the bedroom and how I always know everything that’s going on in our neighborhood because I can see it unfolding from up there. I’m going to miss the sound of Chuck’s car when he turns into our neighborhood. I’m going to miss the ceiling in my bedroom (I know. Sounds weird, but I love the way it comes to a peak). I’m going to miss the little park. I’m going to miss our neighbors. I’m going to miss the sound of music coming form Birch street on summer nights. I’m going to miss Christmas here and our decorating contests (even though we never win). I’m going to miss our back gate. I’m going to miss having a second story (our new house is a single story).
I will miss everything about our house, but I’m also excited about the new house. I’m excited for our new BIG (well, big by Orange County standards) backyard, our long driveway, not having super close neighbors, my office with private entrance, the big park right down the street and making new memories there as a family. It’s sad, but also a very exciting new adventure we’re starting on. Wish us luck moving! I hope you all have a great weekend!
Protect Your Glass
Whatever lens you decide to go with remember to protect it. UV filters will protect your lens from scratches, dust, and weather. It’s much better to scratch a $40 filter than a $1400 lens. Filters vary in price depending on your lens. Make sure to just get a UV filter and not a colored filter that will alter the look of your images!
Lenses
I’m glad the camera body post helped so many people! Someone made a comment and said that if you can’t take good pictures with an inexpensive camera body then you will not be able to take good pictures with an expensive camera body. That is so true! The camera doesn’t make the photographer. The photographer makes the camera. When I was still shooting with my Rebel I got a few snide comments from “real” photographers with expensive camera bodies. The funny thing was, when I saw their pictures, mine were a ton better! Yes, more expensive camera bodies do have advantages, but if you’re just a Mom*tog a Rebel will be perfect for you!
Okay, onto lenses. I know I’ve said it before, but I will say it again. Rent a few lenses to see what you really like before buying. I love prime lenses (lenses that don’t zoom in and out), but they do take a lot of getting used to. Borrow Lenses is a great place to rent from if you don’t have a local store that rents lenses. And if you’ve read my previous posts on lenses you’ll know that I HATE third party lenses. Yes, they’re cheaper in the short term, but you will end up getting frustrated with them and will eventually buy a more expensive lens. Just save the money and buy the Canon or Nikon lens to begin with. Here are few lenses that I would recommend for you Mom*togs out there.
Cheap(er) Lenses
50 1.8 – Super affordable at only $114, this lens will allow you to stop down to get great pictures in low light. But remember, this is a prime lens so you’ll have to get used to zooming with your feet. The 50 1.8 was my very first prime lens and I hated it at first. It took a lot of getting used to, but I now use prime lenses about 90% of the time while shooting.
85 1.8 – This lens is a little more expensive at $380, but I actually use this lens pretty often. It’s a great quality lens and if you are the type of person who likes to be a little farther away from your subjects this lens is great.
28 1.8 – A great wider prime lens. I’ve had this lens for quite some time and it’s my second most used prime lens. $440
50 1.4 – This lens is better quality than the 50 1.8. I’ve never actually used it, but i would think it would be in between the quality of the 50 1.8 and the 50 1.2. If it is then I would say that’s a great quality lens for the price.
Expensive
24 – 70 2.8 – This would be my number one lens for a Mom*tog to have. It’s the Canon L series, which means it’s the best glass they make. It zooms so you have the flexibility to be a litter further away. And it’s wide enough to where you can be pretty close. It stops down to 2.8, which is pretty darn good. It’s just a great all around lens. But, it’s an investment at $1190. This was the first lens I invested in and I still have it (and use it) to this day.
50 1.2 – My favorite lens of all time! It’s what I take about 99% of the pictures on Mom*tog with. The quality of this lens is exceptional. And you pay for it at $1400 
Yes, these are only a few of the very many lenses that are available. But, these are the lenses that I have experience with and that have worked for me. I honestly wouldn’t recommend anything with an aperture over 2.8. You will not be able to get good images in low light and you won’t get that “blurry background” look that everyone is always emailing me about.
No answer is going to be the right answer for everyone. Do your research and RENT lenses to see what works best for YOU!
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