Christmas Tree, Eating and Sunrises

I've been wondering when this day would come. Dayson has finally figured out how to use a spoon. Of course, now all the fun really begins. Eating with his hands and fingers have been messy, but nothing like it was today when he started with the spoon. He had cereal not only in his hair, but all over his face, jammies and the chair itself. It's been fun to watch, especially since he gets so excited when he actually gets a mouth full. Still not sure if he's going to be a lefty or righty. He uses both hands for everything so far.

This is the after shot. Doesn't show everything but gives you an idea as to how things went.

The sunrises lately have been gorgeous! As much as I don't always like living in an apartment, the views from the second floor first thing in the morning have been worth it. God gives us a beautiful gift each morning and I'm so glad I'm awake to witness it. These were all taken on different mornings over the past couple of months.

I finally got a picture of my camera shy daughter. It seems that she's starting to take after me in not always liking her picture taken. I realized that it's been quite a while since I had gotten a picture of her. When I asked if I could take one, she was actually happy about it and wanted it in front of the Christmas tree. The lighting was really bad but I'm so glad that I have this picture of her. Iyana is growing up so quickly. As she likes to remind me, here in the next couple of months she will be 10. I don't know how I feel about that. It's amazing to think that God blessed me with becoming her mom that long ago. Love you sweet girl!

If you want a different kind of picture for your Christmas tree this year instead of the standard one, here's an option that I found out about. Kind of neat looking with the lights looking like beams. If you want to try this shot, the best way to do it is with a tripod, a good zoom lens and a dark room. You want to make sure your shutter speed is slowed way down. With the camera on the tripod to prevent jagged lines, make sure all the other lights in the room are turned off so it doesn't interfere with the picture. As you take the picture, slowly zoom out. The more you zoom out, the longer the beams will be. This is the final product. What do you think?