Shannon Gurney Photoblog

Picture-Takin' Blues

As you all know and have heard about before, Ty (my oldest) has a really bad case of PCS (photographer's child syndrome)  Basically, this means HE HATES TO HAVE HIS PHOTO TAKEN!

nice.

How in the heck am I supposed to take any photos around here if he runs in absolute terror every time I break out the camera?  Today, I resorted in a SONIC bribe and still...here's what I got!

The first shot wasn't horrible...but it was NOT his normal look - as you can see.  The big dorky CHEESEBALL!
 
Even when he sits and lets me snap a couple, right when I push the shutter he turns his eyes in another direction.  That's okay, if we're going for candid stuff.  BUT, I just want ONE SHOT of him looking at me.

Well, it just AIN'T gonna happen...

WAIT!  He IS looking at me, isn't he!
 
I guess I'll just have to settle for what I can get!

Here's a kiss for you, Mom!

Lovely.
 
 
Good Grief!
 
Better luck tomorrow!
 
I'm beginning to think he's his father's twin.  Not so sure that's a GOOD thing!

Dog Teeth

So, I've been away a couple of days and it looks like I won't be back again (in full blogging force) until Sunday.  I know you can't stand it when I'm away.  So, I thought I'd put a little fun on the blog here to tide you over.

Here's Ty at his first dental visit.  Yes, I know he's 4.  Yes, I know I procrastinated a bit.  BUT, you don't know Ty.  Let's just say I wasn't looking forward to the visit.  Turns out, it was pretty funny.  Please ignore the BIG GOOB talking in the background.  I'll let you figure out why I'm calling this post "Dog Teeth".  Just be sure to listen closely to the video. 

I grabbed this shot from the Flip video, which means the quality isn't great.  Still, I captured the memory which totally ROCKS!

Really BAD birthday photos.

So, Ty's 4th birthday has come and gone and as promised I'm here posting about it.  His birthday was December 8th and right smack in the middle of my crazy holiday photo season.  Poor kid.

You probably think he was completely forgotten in all the hustle bustle of the holidays.  BUT, not so.  I actually did a pretty good job of celebrating his birthday to the MAX if you don't count the fact I never got around to sending out birthday invitations.  That part was a little sad.  I was making last minute phone calls the day before his party...Still, he had many friends in attendance and had a great time.  So, no major problems there.

He actually got to celebrate twice.  His birthday fell on a Monday this year, which totally stunk cause who wants to plan a birthday for Monday.  So, we decided to take him to Chuck E Cheese for dinner the night of his birthday and then planned his party for the weekend after at The Science Museum of Oklahoma.  Pretty cool. 

It all worked out.

Two times the cake.  Two times the pizza.  Two times the presents.

I don't hear him complaining.  It worked out perfectly since his grandparents all came to dinner with us and then on his party day it was all about his friends.

This year he told me he wanted a round Batman cake.  As you can tell, we compromised with a round cake for dinner and a Batman cake for his actual party.  I know I'm a really bad momma for not making his cakes.  But, I never claimed to be a domestic goddess.  My kids are lucky to get fed each night.

The kids did get to make slime during his party, which was pretty neat even if the poor girl doing the demonstration couldn't get anything to work right.  They didn't care.  They were loving just getting to get all nasty and slimy.

It was a total mess!  I only took a few pics from the actual party since I was mostly helping get the kids where they needed to be for various activities and pizza.

So, here are some really bad shots of a super dark Chuck E Cheese with no flash.
 
 

Wes loved all the games.  We were chasing him around the entire time.  I was really glad to have both sets of grandparents there for back up. 
 
 
 
 

Triple Play

or the Trio (as they call themselves).

I haven't blessed you guys with photos of my sister in a while, so I thought I'd better get some posted!  On Sunday, Carly came home from Stillwater to visit Mom and Dad and see her friends here in town.  While here, she talked me into doing a session with her two best buds and her.

It's fun shooting her and her friends cause I can tell them exactly what I want them to do.  Then, I can edit them any way I want.  It leaves me lots of room to be creative!  I LOVE that!

So, here are the 3 stooges (as I call them!).

This is Taylor.  She's getting married in November and moving to California for a few years.  Carly is pretty sad, but we're all happy for Taylor.

This is Alexa.  I taught with Alexa's mom a few years back...before Ty was born.  It's really strange for me to see her all grown up.  But, she sure is a looker, isn't she!

AND, of course, you know this gal.  My gorgeous sister.

That's the three of them all separate of each other.  Now, look at the dynamics change as I put them all together!
 
 

They got some serious air in that one!  I'm pretty sure the cheer practice came in handy!
 
 

I was working on this next shot...

when this happened...
 
I think he was feeling a little neglected.  HA!  I'm pretty sure those are tickle fingers he's showing!  Watch out, girls!
 
 

Luckily, Ty's Aunt Carly worships him.  He can pretty much get away with murder!  So, bouncing into a few of her shots didn't bother her a bit.

Best Buddies

The boys and I spent Monday morning at Kaleb and Hayden's house.  K and H are Ty's absolute BEST BUDS.  Their momma happens to be one of my best buds!  AND...on Friday they will add a new baby brother to their cute family!  I can't wait to see the new little dude!

I was lucky enough to get to take some maternity shots of their sweet momma and I'll be sharing those soon, but for now....

Let's see some fun pics of the boys in all their best buddy glory!

 

 

 

Apparently, Ty is the comedian of the group...or it sure looks that way from these pics!  This next one cracks me up...

 

Wes loves to have his picture taken.  AND, he just couldn't miss this opportunity!

 

 Yes, even lunch time is fun.

Ladybugs

Did you know...

There are nearly 5000 different kinds of ladybugs.

If you squeeze a ladybug it will bite, but the bite doesn't hurt.

Ladybugs won't fly if the temperature is below 55 degrees.

Ladybugs chew from side to side instead of up and down like the rest of us.

Some people believe...

If you find a ladybug in your house during the winter, you will have good luck.

The number of spots on a ladybug is the number of children you will have.

If you are sick when a ladybug lands on you, when it flies away it will take the sickness with it.

The life cycle of a ladybug is between 4-6 weeks.

Crafty Ladybugs:
Get large, dried Lima beans, paint them red and use a black Sharpie to draw on the Ladybug's spots.

These are super fun to use as game pieces or tools to teach counting.

Don't forget...
When a ladybug lands on you, make a wish, and it just might come true!

Shoot 'em up

UPDATE!!!!  I found it on Amazon!

Ty received this six shooter gun set for his birthday last year and we're still playing with it!  Does that count as a toy with "staying power"?  I would think so!  It's the coolest set!

To play you simply push a button on the back of the log, stand the bottles and cans up along each spot, and take aim.  The log actually flips the bottles and cans up/over when you hit the target!  AND...it makes a super-cool-fun shooting sound when you hit the right spot!

For a while, Wes was scared to death of it since it does make quite a racket while you're shooting.  But, after close deliberation and observation of fun, he's decided he might like to try it out.

I wish I had the soundtrack to go with these photos.  Wes just keeps on pushin' that trigger!  Ty and I were holding our ears by the time he was finished!




I know the game came from Target, but I can't find it online anywhere right now.  If I do, I'll put up the link.  But, for those of you with boys - this makes a ROCKIN' gift!  AND it was CHEAP!

Oh, try to ignore the quality of those photos.  We were playing right before bedtime and it was super dark outside.  You know me...I refuse to use a flash!

By the way, you can visit Erin's blog to hear about some more toys with staying power!

UPDATE: I found it at Amazon!

Proof that he's still alive...

Yes, Ty is still alive and well and living in the Gurney household.  But, in case you've forgotten, he has a really bad case of Photographer's Child Syndrome.  Until I find a cure, you'll only be getting photos like this one...

and this one...

and yes, even this one...

But, wait.  There's still hope.

What are you laughing at?  At least you can see his eyes! 

I would tell you to ignore the dirt on his cheek, but around our place that's a favorite look.

please don't look at his feet...

my kids do own shoes, but try to escape from our house without them frequently.

Fine, but I'm not happy about it!

All of you photographers out there know what I'm talking about here.  I guess Ty has finally caught the disease...

Photographer's Child Syndrome.

He know longer wants his picture taken and hides from me whenever I get out the camera.  Usually, he's running in despair, screaming "NO, no pictures!".

So, last night, he was in a great mood and I thought I might be able to sneak a few shots in while he was busy playing.  Not so.  Being the bad parent that I am, I begged for him to let me take his picture.  This is the look he gave me.

Sad, isn't it...  This picture says to me, "Fine, but I'm not happy about it!".  What do you think it says?

So, I kept begging...finally after many attempts at a good shot, I said, "Please smile, Ty...Just once for Momma."  This is the super fake, really awful smile I was given...

I give up.

I guess I'll be buying balloons and bubbles like the rest of you out there.

Dog Days

Now that the weather is really starting to warm up Ty spends nearly everyday outside.  That means a DOG DAY around here and Zipper couldn't be happier.  Zipper, our black lab, and Ty are the best of buds.  They literally follow each other around the yard taking turns being in charge for the day.  Ty's has complete conversations with his buddy and sometimes, I swear, Zipper answers back.  In return, Ty throws sticks for as long as Zipper will retrieve them...AND, that's a really long time!  In fact, I worry that Zipper is going to have a heart attach one day just because she chased sticks past her doggy limit.  I guess if she does, she'll die a happy dog.

first...we gather the sticks...

check out her tail - this is SERIOUS business...

she's like..."I know he's gonna throw it any minute!"

"No, Zipper!"  "I told you to SIT!"  - I guess Ty's the one in charge today.

and then...he let's it rip!  GO ZIPPER!

I think Ty gets as much enjoyment out of watching her and she gets out of fetching those sticks!  Just look at his face!

and then...they were on their way to another adventure...

she's one tired pooch...

NOTE:
DON'T FORGET THE GIFT CERTIFICATE CONTEST/RANDOM DRAWING ENDS TONIGHT AT 9PM.  KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN ON THE BLOG FOR THE WINNER POST.  IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M REFERRING TO...SCROLL DOWN UNTIL YOU SEE IT!