July 31

I did a photo shoot today with Addison and Jake. We got off to a rough start, as Addison wasn't too excited about posing for any pictures. But after a while, she opened up to the idea...and then I couldn't stop her from striking a pose!

July 30

Audrey in her jammies, with her blanket and crazy pigtail hair...all ready to go night-night!

July 29

I'm renting another camera lens this week. I decided to casually start doing portraits for people (http://www.emilysheltonphotography.blogspot.com/), and I have a few photo shoots lined up over the next few days. Renting a lens gives me the chance to play around and learn about these lenses before I actually can afford to buy one. This time I rented the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 lens. According to some reviews I've read, it is comparable to the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens I rented last time, but it is about 1/3 the price. I was only able to play around a little bit tonight (while being attacked by a swarm of killer mosquitoes, or at least that's what it felt like!), so I can't make any of my own comparisons yet. I also rented a flash for the week, but I have no idea how to use it. My goal for tomorrow is to learn about when to use flash and how to use this particular flash.

It was a beautiful day today, and Audrey had so much fun playing outside. I had to drag her in kicking and screaming a couple of times, because I was tired of getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. I think she would have spent the whole day out there. We played a fun new game called, "run and pick up all the leaves in the yard"...I'll share more about that on the Life with the Shelton's blog soon.

And while I'm waiting for my pictures to export from Lightroom, I might as well keep writing! Tonight we went to the Muni to see Jesus Christ Superstar. The weather was perfect...just chilly enough to cuddle up under a blanket by the end. We went with our friends Bob and Taush. The funny thing is that the last show we went to with Bob and Taush (the only other show we've been to with them) was Godspell. Both musicals are about Jesus and are based on Gospels; Godspell (one of my favorites!) is an almost word for word telling of the gospel of Matthew, and Jesus Christ Superstar is very loosely based on the gospel of John. While both are about Jesus, they are very, very different.

So here's my review of Jesus Christ Superstar. I really liked it. It is very artistic and creative and dramatic. It has been controversial among Christians, though I'm guessing a lot of the people who are "against" it probably haven't seen it. It definitely emphasizes Jesus' humanity, which I think is both good and bad. Good, because we don't always focus on the human side of Jesus. And bad, because it doesn't quite give you a solid answer about Jesus' divinity. Then there is the whole Jesus/Mary Magdalene relationship, which probably drives Christians away from it as well. Though really, I didn't feel like it was emphasized all that much in the show. I wouldn't recommend the show to someone who is looking for a strict biblical account of Jesus' final weeks. But I think there is definite value to the show, both artistically and theologically.

Wow...am I still writing?? This blog has kind of turned into my own personal journal at times. So please don't feel obligated to keep reading when I ramble on like this. I know my husband doesn't! He let me know the other day that he usually just looks at the pictures and doesn't read what I write. I do read every word that he writes on his blog though...just so you know!

July 28

Every once in a while we pull out the Wii and the Wii Fit, and Audrey thinks it is the best thing ever. She's can't quite figure out any games yet, but she loves to step on and off the Wii balance board and push all the "bups" (buttons) on the remote! She even recognizes our Mii characters on the screen (Mommy, Daddy, Audrey, and even Maggie has her own Mii).

July 27

It was Family Fun Night tonight for us! This was the first night in what seems like an eternity that all three of us were home together! It has just been so crazy busy lately; it's nice to have a chance to sit down and relax for a while. To celebrate we walked down to Baskin Robbins for dollar scoop night. (Kellie--we really missed you guys as we walked past your house to get our ice cream!)

July 26

Lesson learned tonight: When you are frantically getting your house ready for a large group of people to arrive, make a mental note of where you "hide" everything. Or else you may waste time wander aimlessly around your house looking for a bright red camera bag that was randomly hidden behind a door.

July 25

We are all pretty excited about this purchase today...a new printer! Now, when I hit print on my computer, my printer will actually print! And I can now print wirelessly, so I don't have to drag my laptop into the office to plug it in and print.

My last printer and I have been fighting for a very long time. I finally decided that it was time to be done with him, so Daniel and Audrey went out and bought me a new printer this afternoon! I hope we have a long, happy relationship.