Studio

Today I went to a studio lighting workshop in Provo with special guest Steven Katzman.
I quickly learned that I am not a studio person. I wanted move around and put the kid on this great carpet instead of in front of a cheesy backdrop. (I couldn't shoot the same picture everyone else did, now, could I. Have you seen the carpet in the Provo Marriott? I'm in L-U-V.)

Part of the presentation promoted LDS families who had adopted babies. Katzman, a "Messianic Jew", said that he understood that it is a stigma to be an LDS woman without children -- much like woman in Zimbabwe who will have children with their husbands who have AIDS even they know they and their future children will get the virus and probably die. (If that sound surreal, that's because it was.)

So we took pictures of LDS families who have adopted babies. Above is a picture of sisters who are 5 months apart. I guess the family adopted a baby and then found out they were 4 months pregnant or gave birth to a baby and then found out they would adopt a second kid in 5 months. I couldn't figure it out but they seemed like a nice family. I am sure one of you know them and can explain it to me.

I told their mom these sisters remind me of my cousins, Mynon and Nicol. They were born 8 months apart in different parts of the country. That was 35 years ago and now their mother isn't as busy as she is with these two. (BTW - Nicol is now expecting her first. I think I should go to Cincinnati and get some belly shots. )

The workshop made me want to spend thousands of dollars on fancy lights and have children 5 months apart. KIDDING, Marco, I'm only kidding.

Yippee!!

Judy came to see us.

Easter Sunday

How do you get your kids to love fruits and veggies? Get the Easter Bunny to deliver tomatoes and squash to your house. Here are a few shots from last Sunday. We're THOSE kind of parents that skip the chocolate on Easter in favor of hidden fruit.


Actually, I just learned the root of the "Easter Fruit" from Betty Jo. She told me that her daughter Anne never liked candy (why am I not suprised) and so she would hide jelly beans for the boys and grapes for her. Marco has been doing the egg shaped fruits and veggies on Easter for years. It certainly make the day much easier on little ones when they don't have a giant sugar crash.
Here's Xanny's newest headshot. Maybe this can be his med school application picture.


And I am kind of in love with this pink puff-ball of a dress Babes is wearing. It has a plaid cumber-bun and bow. Love it. Glad I don't have to wear it.



This last shot is proof that I have taken so many pictures of my kids that they don't even notice the camera any more. If I was a painter, I think this is the shot I would paint. Any of my really talented friends want to paint one of these for me?

Happy Easter.

Belly on UP

Last week we headed north with Grandma Betty to see my niece Shauna and her little Eliana ... and William. Well, we only saw the out line of baby William. Next time you feel a little round from too much Easter candy, just think of Shauna who is 40 weeks pregnant.

Shauna is always gorgeous all the time but pregnancy especially suits her. Of course that is easy for me to say -- I'm done with having babies. Now, I just live vicariously through the young and the fertile.


... And this little creature! Eliana looks just like her grandpa John through and through. I was warned by my future sister in law that all my children would be clones of my mother in law before I got married. Between Eliana and Rosie Jo (the first two great-grands of Betty Jo) I can see the gene is still going strong.



All I can say is patience, Shauna, patience. Just remember, that baby is easier to take care of on the inside. (Easy for me to say, right?)

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia

OK - so there is no picture of Marcia but she did send a picture of her kids. Aren't they just adorable! Thanks, sister for the photo. We missed you on Easter and I for one vote for an April visit so I can get my hands on that baby.

Happy Easter, Provo

Today I strolled the streets of Provo during their Shop-Hop Easter celebration. This is what people look like in Provo.








So, I am totally in LOVE with this red head boy scout. Check out his plaid scarf with carabiner and pen. I am pretty sure that isn't standard issue. Below is a over the shoulder shot of Oliver (and blurry Raquel.)
Raquel works with Provo City's Downtown Alliance and she hooked me up with this gig. I had a great time. Thanks, Raquel, and keep swinging your "tiny inneffectual little fists" at the city!

Happy Easter.

Zen Baby

OH MY! Can you believe this child? Welcome to Zendina's new baby, Asher. He's just six weeks old and the warmest little lump of gooshy baby-ness I have seen in a long while. Kirsten and Zendina came over to celebrate the official opening of Spring. (Read: Kids played outside, moms chatted inside. Yes!) It was a good day for a few pictures of the new baby with his sisters, Acacia and Quince.


While Asher is a fine name, don't you think Zendina with all her baskets should have considered Moses? Today he was Moses in the basket. It's Zendina -- I had to get the basket pictures.



Before they left, we headed out side and finally got Acacia to hold still just long enough to get a few pictures with the sibs. But look at this child! I told Zendina to start a college fund with modeling money.




I would say there should be a law against having this many beautiful babies in just one family
but . . .

Xanny has decided that he is going to marry Acacia. his new best friend, when he gets home from his mission. Yes! FINALLY a daughter-in-law. (Watch out Sam, you just might not be my favorite kid-in-law forever.)

The Kim-Facts of Easter.

EASTER This Year Is Sunday March 23 2008. Do you know they figure out when to have Easter? I didn't before my lovely MIL filled me in. Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20).

This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.



Another couple of things you might be interested in :


Based on the above Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever or will ever see it a day earlier! Here are the facts:


The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older you are the only ones that were around for that! That would make grandma Zina a lucky easter kid.). The next time it will be a day earlier March 22 will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

Hey, who wants to go get fresh eggs at the egg farm in Provo with me and mine tomorrow? We can get some lovely pale blue eggs for decorating in time for Sunday.

The 5 Davises

What would St. Patrick's Day be without a FIDDLESTICKS gig? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Five Davises . . .

(To all Davis offspring -- I apologize now for any decapitations.)

... to be with you!

Yep, it's been a long one. Marco left mid January and, apart form the 4 day intermission, he is coming home from ... Calcutta, Delhi, New York, New York, Houston, Dallas, Austin, Hong Kong,
Calcutta, Bangalore, Delhi, Vienna and Nepali late tonight. Roughly two months away from home and I still love the man.




Marco, no matter what you do, I only want to be with you!

What America Needs is More PI!

Hey, it's Marcia! Andi asked me to post for her today (something about her internet not working and hey-gotta-run-to-a-Naartjie-sale situation). So straight from sunny New Jersey,...

My husband, Kenton, is always trying to get more pie into his life. For a while he made a decree that the last Sunday of every month was to be pie night...drew up a charter and everything. He then instituted a new tradition of Thanksgiving Pie and Karaoke night, where the Friday after Turkey Day, everyone brings leftover pie and sings Air Supply til one in the morning (don't knock it til you've tried it.) So you can imagine his sheer delight when Andi called to inform me that 3/14 would be pie day! What more could a (tremendously handsome) statistical researcher want than a day dedicated to flakey-fruity goodness and a mathematical freak of nature! Baby, this PI's for you.

9” Apple Pie

For the crust:
There are several ways to cut the fat into the flour. Some people like to use the food processor. It’s ok, but I find it over cuts the dough. A pastry cutter is ok, too. But be sure not to turn the fat and flour into anything that resembles a paste. My favorite method, by far, is to start with a pastry cutter, just to get the big chunks out and then switch to two table knives. Pull them through the dough in a criss-cross motion, turning the bowl every minute or so.
2 C flour
½ C cold butter, cut into small squares
½ C cold Crisco, cut into small pieces
pinch of salt
1/3 C(plus more, if needed) Ice cold water

In a mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Toss in butter and Crisco. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut fat into flour until mixture resembles very course meal. It’s good to have a few small lumps of butter here and there. Drizzle the ice water over the dough, while tossing the dough with a fork. You may need to add a bit more water, depending on the day. Bring the dough together into a ball quickly…try not to handle it too much. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

For the Pie:
Preheat the oven to 415 degrees. Preheat a cookie sheet on the lowest rack of the oven. (this will make sure you don’t have a soggy bottom crust). A pyrex pie plate makes the best bottom crust, I find, but anything will do.
3 golden delicious apples
2 granny smith apples
2 firm, redskinned apples – macintosh, gala, pink lady
¾ C granulated sugar (sometimes I substitute in a few T brown sugar)
1 tsp cinnamon
2 T flour
pinch of salt
2 T cold butter, cut into small cubes
Heavy cream, for brushing
Sugar, for dusting

Peel, core and slice apples into ½ inch slices (about 4 per apple quarter). Toss with sugar, flour, salt and cinnamon. Pile into bottom crust of 9” pie plate. Dot with butter. Wash edges with cream. Place top crust over apples, vent with slits or a hole in the middle. Seal, trim and crimp the edges. Brush the entire pie with heavy cream and dust liberally with sugar. Bake at 415 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or until top crust is set and starts to brown. Turn oven down to 375 degrees and continue to cook for about 30-40 minutes, or until juice bubbles in the middle. If the pie browns too soon, lay a piece of tinfoil over the top. ok, so just call me if you need to.

Don't forget: 3.14

I hate it when I miss a silly holiday. (Christmas Adam and more recently March Forth.) This is a little reminder that tomorrow is 3.14. So be sure to eat some ... PIE!

Recipe from Marcia tomorrow. (I hope.)

CHECK OUT LIZ ON LINE HERE!

Liz Davis Maxfield is an eclectic cellist who is well versed in a variety of musical styles.

She started playing the cello at the age of ten and she recorded her first album before she turned 12. Since then she has been featured on eight albums as a performer, arranger, composer, and co-producer.

Liz is currently studying with Eugene Friesen and Natalie Haas at the Berklee College of music.

"Liz is a rising star in the Celtic music scene, and she is revolutionizing the use of cello in performance." --Natalie Haas, Scots Trad Music Award winner

Liz plays a J.P. Lucas cello and a Ned Steinberger electric cello.


Liz on the web:
Visit Liz's MySpace Page


AND this is Andrew, Liz's husband. He was in town last week and needed a head shot. Lucky for him his MIL is a photographer.

I love being a Mother-In-Law, (What? You got a better offer?) but not as much as Zina loves being a Sister-In-Law! Thanks for stopping in, Bubba.

N.I.N.O.

It's official. Baby Amara has passed the Nine months In and Nine months Out point in life. She's a NINO. And what a darling NINO.
We shot these a couple of weeks ago with my SIL, Kara. As you can see, red hair runs in the family. Amara is so cute -- even the sputnik bow on top of her head works on her. Not everyone can get away with something like that. When is the last time a sputnik bow worked on you? I just tried this look last week and I got some really strange looks. Well ...
This is probably my favorite shot. It is the picture you think is not going to work and why are we waisting time with the silly back drop blah, blah, blah. And then suddenly, you see it on the computer and there are those huge blue eyes. It looks great. You never know -- you just never know.

Ahhhh, babies!