James Letizia & Kids

Alyssa's first lost tooth

2009-12-13T17:09:00.002+01:00

Came home yesterday & Alyssa greets me all excited with her big eyes wide open saying: "Dad, I lost my first tooth & now I look super ugly."
Me: "Wow, you seem pretty happy about it. Though you could never look ugly."
She smiles real big & says: "See?? Look how ugly I am!!"

This little guy...

2009-06-25T00:21:00.007+02:00

Every evening after dinner, he begs to go out for a walk, so now it's become a routine. "Walk , walk".. he'll say, he'll make the horse sound then clap till I say yes. As soon as we get to the gate he'll say "hand" & raise his hand & wait for me to hold it.
So now me & him go for a walk every evening, we stop by a house that has a friendly dog, Jaden will offer leaves or anything he finds.

Then we are off to see the horse, Jaden will start pulling grass, weeds anything he thinks the horse might like.
We are not always lucky, sometimes the horses don't come over & Jaden will wait for as long as I let him.

He also has this fascination for bugs, we found a big bumble bee who was a having a hard time flying, Jaden tried to pick it up so I gave him little stick & he got all excited when the bee latched to it.

Needless to say this has become my favorite time of the day.

Sheryl is 8!!

2009-06-09T15:06:00.002+02:00

Had a "Narnia" themed party as requested by her majesty herself, as you can see the girls got really into it. Sheryl was the older daughter of Eve, (I can't remember the name) - all fine there as she carried bow & arrow. Alyssa wanted to be Lucy, complete with potion vial & dagger, now there we had a problem.

And check out the cake mommy made...

...she's good!!

The Gladiator

2009-06-01T00:20:00.004+02:00

Here is something I just finished, started out just for fun & ended up being more fun than I expected,

no Jaden wasn't out in the rain - though I doubt he'd mind, nor did I give him a sword & armour, it was all added in Photoshop. I wanted to make a picture that looked like a movie poster & I must say I am pretty happy with the results.
Here is the original picture,

Here is one a few steps later without armour & sword, more of a Casablanca poster

Enjoy

M-A's bday party

2009-04-09T00:13:00.005+02:00

Decided to take some pics using a 10mm lens, seeing as the theme was 60s/Austin Powers I thought the warped look matched the theme, it ended up being lots of fun & people got really into it.

One sunday afternoon

2009-04-08T13:24:00.003+02:00

Only pics for this post...

Very few kids manage to fall off a bike with training wheels, Alyssa is one of them,

she was fine, she is a tough girl. Just accident prone!!

A week with daddy

2009-03-17T22:16:00.004+01:00

Mommy is been gone for almost a week now, she is at the ED seminar in Spain. And while she is busy ~~sun tanning~~ studying, the kids have been having some time with daddy.

Jaden is getting weaned & he is doing just great, for some reason it always sounds a lot worst that it really is. He's been are really good boy... most of the time.
On sunday we went to a nearby forest after checking out this castle:

till we got kicked out by the rangers, apparently we were trespassing!

We then walked through a field full of sheep. All three kids started chasing them around, including Jaden. He was making this really cute "sheep" sound, while running at his top speed.

Alyssa's triumphant return, she had gone so far she couldn't even hear me... of course instead of getting told off, she got this picture taken:

And now some forest pics:

This platform is above the trees, pretty cool you get to see the forest from above:

A few more...

Tomorrow mommy is coming back, so I better go start fixing the mess that is our room!!

Women parking...

2009-03-17T14:25:00.001+01:00

Found this & thought I'd share... pretty funny!

The poser

2009-03-06T16:19:00.003+01:00

How would I get to practice new stuff without such a good little model, always ready to pose for me, what a love...

New shots of the dude

2009-02-24T16:26:00.002+01:00

Since the sun decided to grace us with is presence, the kids got to play outside for half the day & I got busy taking pics.
Here are some of Jaden I liked...

The new Johnny Wilkinson

A couple more...

And Alyssa turned 5

2009-02-22T02:27:00.005+01:00

Ok it was a couple weeks ago, but it’s been really hard to find time to post about it.
Mom & Francesco came over for the weekend & had a great time (or so they said)

It snowed, not just a little bit, enough to get our cars stuck in the driveway, enough to paralyze the UK for a good three days (not that it takes much). But here its a pretty big deal as it doesn't happen than often, so they are not really prepared.
Apparently it had been 40 years or so since they last saw this much snow.

It reminded us of the day Alyssa was born, the 15 minute drive to the hospital became a 45 minute one, at 4:00 am Verona there was a fog so thick I couldn't see the full bonnet of the car & it was a tiny Fiat Panda for the occasion (not mine) & VERY long 45 minutes they were, wanted to step on the pedal every time Letizia started panting, but didn't have much choice so I had to start panting as well just to keep cool.

Back to the present, we had a great day out. She got her ears pierced,

made her own "Hello Kitty" stuffy, had cake... fun, fun.

too cuuuute...

the cake..

Me, myself & I

2009-01-24T14:15:00.005+01:00

My name is Jaden & I am 1yr old.
It's been one interesting year to say the least & every day I learn something new.
Last week I discovered that shoes float. Right before my bath- which happens to be my favorite time of the day- I quickly threw one in my tub & there it was, floating. I thought it was pretty awesome, mommy not so much, daddy thought is was funny.

I am also learning to become an assistant photographer, here I am helping my dad set up for a shoot, I needed to pose & look natural - which for me is easy, while he tested his settings.

I also helped by holding on to the lens cap since he is always losing it, ok I also gave it a nibble, I had never tasted one before.
The things I enjoy learning most though is how to play with people's emotions. It comes in very handy.

For example, if I walk up to my daddy's computer & nod my head while I switch it off since I know I am not supposed to, he'll get a kick out of it regardless of whether he lost hours of work or not & pick me up since the computer is off anyways.

Or even though at night he might grumble about having to sleep on the floor since there is only room for one dude in mommy's bed (ME), but I figured if I crawl to the edge of the bed in the morning & call him he'll wake up in a good mood & forget all about it all. Easy & most of all, it works!!

Ok, I am off, need to go & practice my "guilty" face daddy likes, the go check how his cellphone is doing in the mop water, hope it still works cause I like the picture of Megan Fox on the screen!

The promised slideshow...

2009-01-20T02:04:00.001+01:00

Jaden's First Birthday

2009-01-20T01:35:00.004+01:00

This weekend we celebrated Jaden's birthday. It was lots of fun, he really enjoyed it.

Uncle Jonny & daddy had lots of fun too with the camera, took more than 400 shots (I am still sorting...)
We finaly have some decent pics together...

Sheryl already getting into fads...

Alyssa "fishing"

I'd post more about the progress this little dude has made in this first year, but right now I am too tired & need to finish sorting...

His most used words are daddy (why of course) & ball.
He loved the party & even helped clean up at the end (have pics of that) will post a slide one of these days.
One of his favorite presents...

(check out the cool RBKs he got)

2009... what a start!!

2009-01-07T23:49:00.004+01:00

The kids are finally better now, they got sick the day before Christmas & the flu lasted all the way till a couple days ago. So much for spending quality time with them... :D spent most of the time cleaning up the... lets move right along.
There was also nice moments, those moments that define Christmas, that make it such a memorable time, like when Alyssa eagerly opened her present with great anticipation (she wanted a remote controlled helicopter) & found just what she wanted - should have seen the smile on her face, only to lose it 5 minutes later on its first flight (daddy wanted to check the "range", it hasn't been found since.) Yes, I spent most of the 25ft (& part of the 26th) looking for it, our neighbor lady was kind enough to let me look in her yard, she insisted I shouldn't worry about ruining the plants, "Oh don't you worry about my silly garden (I later realized she might have just been fishing for compliments here, as they are really into gardens)" she said " you just find your poor daughters helicopter". I think I either missed something or she underestimated a desperate father, cause she looked pretty terrified when she came back out & found me with her pitchfork, scraping my way through her garden. Well, it's not there, of that I am sure. I later checked the box & it has a 10mt range. ITS TINY!! at 5mt it’s the size of a fly, why would they make it go all the way to 10mt. My only fault was in the choice of color, mommy suggested pink or red but I opted for the cool camouflaged model. (had I known)

Alyssa is a real trooper though, this is her about half hour later...

more pics from the "holidays"

Jaden before he lost half his weight...

This guy is way too funny...

2008-12-10T23:18:00.002+01:00

that is part 1 of three, keep whatching if you like!!

Time wasters

2008-12-09T12:39:00.004+01:00

Since today is a rather boring day at work (think Office Space) I took a couple of these very ~~dumb~~ interesting tests (all Luca's fault) here are the stricking results

Good call...

Lets101 - Online Dating

what can I say...

Lets101 Quizzes - Fun Quizzes

I'm a goat??? oh well... all animals with horns... not good!

Lets101 - free dating

I am not so sure about this one, 0% Cancer?? don't cry mom! top sign Sag??? right!
K, enough time wasted!

Few more pics

2008-12-06T19:00:00.003+01:00

My little Tigger

One of my cuties..

Thanksgiving!!

2008-12-03T23:42:00.004+01:00

Here are some shots from our TG dinner.

The lovely decorations....

check out the pumpkin...

& the "little Italian"...

Gina checking her histogram...

Our very own "Johnny Appleseed"

Another one... too cute

Cell phone

2008-11-01T19:39:00.005+01:00

Here are some shots I took with my cellphone's (LG Secret) camera (yuck) very unlike me. But sometimes you need a camera there & then to cacth those moments & I can't always carry my heavy DSLR with me. I must say I am impressed with the results. Granted I don't think they'd print that great, but for web viewing.... better than nothing!!

"DAD, what is THAT!!!" Jaden staring at a herd of cows safely in a back-carrier behind daddy

"You were supposed to hold my hands, not take pics!"

"Now how am I going to shoot"

"hmm... what happens if I take this out...."

& eat it!!"

Happy Birthday Captain Alex

2008-10-13T23:38:00.006+02:00

Today it was Alex's birthday. It was a pirates theme so everyone got dressed up.

Pirate Sheryl (daddy starts cringing..)

Alyssa wanted to be a mermaid...

And Captian Sparrow Junior...

more pictures here

Ready to walk

2008-10-13T15:22:00.003+02:00

Managed to take a shot of him standing all by himself, he really wants to walk & is making good progress every day, he even learned how to crawl up the stairs. (now the fun begins)

Alyssa

2008-10-10T15:42:00.001+02:00

8 months old

2008-10-04T15:48:00.006+02:00

He crawls, he waves hi/goodbye, he drums to music (esp Rock) so now the trouble starts, but he is so much fun!

A HE IS STANDING!!! well... five seconds at a time... but it's so cute!

Happy Birthday Mommy!!!

2008-09-30T23:37:00.003+02:00

To the most patient, loving, caring, unselfish, tender, understanding, wise, fun, good-looking ..... the best mommy!
We (Sheryl, Alyssa, Jaden & daddy) want to wish you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Trip to Italy: Random Shots

2008-09-19T01:11:00.002+02:00

Trip to Italy: Visiting Grandpa

2008-09-12T23:33:00.003+02:00

Next we went to see Grandpa & co... it was nice & hot so we spent every day at this nice waterfall except for the day we went to see his sister & family so we could try out their new pool. The kids were so happy to spend most of their day in the water!

Here is Jaden learning how to float with Grandpa:

Alyssa learning how to cook with Grandpa:

Jaden & Davida

Jaden Lennon

Pietrinho (football star)

a rare picture with daddy...

no photoshop here... just a cave under the rocks

Sheryl collecting pebbles

My sis Davida being gorgeous

Trip to Italy: Aosta

2008-09-11T22:20:00.002+02:00

We also spent a great weekend in Aosta, (up in the mountains) with Gabe, Crystal & Lorenzo, also Sam & jonny where there. We camped for the weekend in true italian style ( we had a full kitchen set up) so the food was good & the wine better.
There was a big event going on with craftsmen showing their work, mainly wood carving

We also climbed the Cervino (or Zermatt as the swiss call it) & what a view... we did get to see the peak as it got cloudy but we were over 2000mt

Here is a cute pic of Jaden using the laundry sinks as a jacuzzi...

Trip to Italy: Milano

2008-08-30T14:17:00.008+02:00

We stay for a week near Milano wtih Letizia's mom & sister.

We took the kids to an Aquapark & to the pool, to a nature park & for an ice-cream in the evening, something we had really missed.

Alyssa had been looking forward to this trip for just one reason... " I want to do cannonball in the water," nothing else seemed to interest here. Here is a clip of that special moment:

Jamie in one of his pensive moments:

Sheryl being wild as usual:

Allegra Ashley, of Heaven (Tizia's sis) & Dario:

now don't let that angelic face fool you, when she gets mad... she has the most amazing screem, I wanted to record it... such a love

Trip to Italy: Drivers journal

2008-08-30T11:55:00.004+02:00

Ok so we are all packed & ready for our trip to Italy. Off to get some sun & show Jaden off to all the relatives.

01:38pm: We leave home, we have a ferry to cacth

03:20pm: We hit the M25, not too much traffic, yay. But get a load of this... took forever to overtake!

05:10pm: We get to Dover, just in time with some very interesting cars in queue.

06:00pm We are on board & ready sail Jaden making sure everyone parked properly.
The girls loved the deck...

09:30pm:(with the time change) We are in France, turned the back of the van into one big bed & we are all good to go.

11:00pm: We enter Belgium & a thunderstorm.

02:ooam We enter Luxembourg & the van hits 200 000km, this van has seen a lot.

02:15am We exit Luxembourg :P nah, not that small. I stop to tank up & haev some "coffee" L. has the cheapest fuelin WE.

02:45am We enter France again.

06:15am Swiss border, my favorite... surprisingly they let us go even tho the everyone (except me) was lying down. Bought their highway sticker & we were off.

08:30am We stop for breackfast!!

10:43am We are in Italy....

11:20am We are at grandmas' house, over 1,400km later.

Some recent shots....

2008-07-05T23:49:00.004+02:00

Been very busy lately with little time to post. Here is some recent work... hope you like!

For Activated mag...

A VERY old church (700 years)

Sheryl meditating

And two great shots from mommy!!!

TY Jonny!!

2008-06-12T16:08:00.002+02:00

More pics Jonny took from the "Knights & Ladies" party (Sheryl's bday), some good shots of "the cake" too....

Awww

2008-06-11T23:43:00.001+02:00

He loves being outside...

Mommy & Sheryl at a party

Happy Birthday Sheryl!!

2008-06-11T01:58:00.001+02:00

Here are a few pics from Sheryl's birthday party....

...more to come! Maybe...

Love has many faces

2008-06-07T00:36:00.004+02:00

Jaden is now 4 half months old, he is growing & learning a lot. Loves foolishness, baths & being outdoors. Already rolls over & even broke a glass, yup! Mom was holding him & as she passed by a glass on the table he swiftly & silently grabbed it only to drop it few seconds later.

Now that's what I call flying!!!

2008-05-15T18:20:00.004+02:00

May 14 - Known as 'Fusion Man', a former pilot has stunned crowds by flying a jet-propelled wing for nearly ten minutes at a peak speed of 300 km/h (186 mph).

Yves Rossy, a Swiss former military pilot and Airbus commander for Swiss airlines completed an official demonstration on Wednesday (May 14, 2008) in the Swiss Chablais region, where he was released from a plane at 2438 metres (8000 feet) with his wing folded.

He deployed his craft after a short free-fall and began his flight. After a flight of almost ten minutes, he deployed his parachute, folded the wing and landed at the Bex airdrome.

Reuters

would you try this out??? I WOULD!!!

Ballerinas

2008-05-14T12:21:00.003+02:00

The girls have been going for over two months now & really seem to enjoy themselves.
The tutu being their favorite thing, of course.

Alyssa doing her own steps...

Alyssa & her "partner", she finaly brought a more "normal" stuffy, so far she had been bringing Sticth (Lilo and Stitch) since for Lumpy (her other favorite) was too dangerous & tiring!

Happy Birthday Sharon!!

2008-05-10T12:32:00.004+02:00

We really miss you & hope you are having a wonderful time in Costa Rica!!
Here are some pics I just scanned, taken about 26 years ago :P

at the park..

..in a Hippie Van

a family portrait!

I was looking for the one of just me & you but couldn't find it! Once I find it I'll make sure to add it ( & maybe find a better scanner )

WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Do I have to write a title?

2008-05-03T18:17:00.003+02:00

Jaden in all his splendor...

loves being... free from clothes....

Alyssa hasn't been to well lately,

Sheryl on the other hand has enough energy to bring the house down...

Pizza World Championship

2008-05-01T15:13:00.003+02:00

Yup. they have those... in Italy of course!!

if this is not art...

A couple for fun

2008-05-01T14:54:00.004+02:00

Haircut

2008-04-29T00:13:00.003+02:00

For mom & sis.... as you see I don't look much different than last time I had short hair but here is a pic anyways since you asked. Taken by Jonny...

...& yes I still need to figure out how to comb it properly :D

A few more..

2008-04-21T15:43:00.003+02:00

American Idle....

3, 29, 32

2008-04-19T19:40:00.004+02:00

This months numbers, Jaden turned 3 (mons)

..daddy 29 (years)

..and cut off 32 cms of hair (give or take)

Jaden & mommy...

2008-03-17T20:38:00.002+01:00

what love...

yum yum!!

Two months old

2008-03-17T20:30:00.002+01:00

Jaden is now two months old, he is rapidly gaining weigth & loves eating & sleeping.. mainly.

Thanks Michelle for the outfit..

I have eyes only for mommy (boobie)

Aaaacchoooo... Bless you...

I like compliments...

All bundled up for the British weather...

What's New!!

2008-03-11T00:56:00.005+01:00

This past week the girls started ballet classes, they are very exited about it. Their first lesson was an assesment test, mainly to see if they'd integrate well, if they even liked it... Alyssa's first comment was... "I want a tutu too.." then bursted out laughing & that became her joke of the week!
Sheryl by the end of the class had a group of four girls following her around as their new guru... I wonder in a couple weeks what will I have to answer for...
No pics of them in their tutus yet.. those coming soon!

For now these will have to do.

Playing with light...

2008-02-17T18:24:00.002+01:00

One month today...

2008-02-16T00:09:00.003+01:00

More Birthday stuff...

2008-02-11T23:31:00.000+01:00

The new charlie's angels

Check out the cake mommy made...

4 Years of Alyssa

2008-02-11T23:24:00.001+01:00

Happy Birthday Alyssa!

2008-02-05T22:28:00.000+01:00

Alyssa turned 4, she is not a baby anymore!!!

Here she is posing with one of her birthday presents... & those eyes that drive daddy crazy!

My first bath....

2008-01-29T22:37:00.000+01:00

...aawwwwww!!! 1 week old, what a worm!

Father & son!

2008-01-29T00:47:00.001+01:00

Here is a sequence of pics Letizia took of us being foolish... good thing pics have no audio!

One week old

2008-01-24T23:18:00.000+01:00

His favorite way of falling asleep...

...besides nursing :D

...more sleeping...

hopefuly he'll wake up sometime then I can post some action shots of him, but for now I'll let him sleep.

Cookies anyone????

2008-01-24T22:49:00.000+01:00

Daddy's baking adventures with the girls...
So what can a father do with his two girls till his son grows old enough to excuse legos & remote controlled cars!?!? He makes cookies... actualy makes them bake cookies while he plays with his ~~toy~~ camera!

...more oats!!!

...their favorite part...

...& the final result!! They were actualy very yummy!

On that eventful night...

2008-01-19T23:20:00.000+01:00

I have been sparing with the details of the birth as it’s not something I'd really write up about,

besides the obvious "oh it went well, was quite fast, etc etc..." something funny happened tho & that I do want to share... :D
Was about 4:30 am we had been up & were timing the contractions to see if it was time to go to the hospital. Here in the UK you have to call in advance to let them know you will be arriving. So at about 5:00 we decide it is time & I get to do the phone call. I dial & get a very sweet British midwife on the phone, after a few standard questions I get hit with the weirdest, most unexpected question one could get in this situation here is how it went...
Mid.: (about Letizia) ok, is she Jew?
Me:

(my mind racing trying to figure out why in the world would that even matter.... why a Jew, was it the surname?? NO!!! maybe it was a standard procedure here... a bit confused I mustered a..)

ummm... excuse me?!?!

Again...

Mid.: Is she JEW!!!

At this point I don't know what to say, my mind keeps racing trying to think if maybe it was some request we had made on our previous visit to the ward... I was getting nervous too as I thought it was too weird... what if I was Arab.... I would have hung up the phone, probably sued them...(there are lots of Arabs here, not a very politically correct question)

Me: ummm... (I was blank but I knew I was about to say something stupid as I don't like to ask the same thing more than once.)

Mid.: Jew, when is she Jew

Me: Ohh, due!!!!!! right (now it all made sense)

& on the phone call went...
well it worked out for good as it kept Letizia laughing for the rest of the day.
As for me, I still have a hard time understanding brits when they talk... what can I say, "Jew" & "due" sound totaly different when I say it... it does feel weird to be in an "english" speaking country & most of the time not have a clue of what people are talking about. If you've been here you know what I am saying!

Hello world!

2008-01-17T22:56:00.000+01:00

Hi there, my name is Jaden Keith though I've already been nicknamed "James jr" or "worm" ("vermolo" by my dad). I've been around for about 40 hrs now & I must say I like it. I weight 3kg (barely) & I am long.. ish that is why I tend to look skinny (thus the "worm" nickname).
So far my skills besides swiming consist of what my dad refers to S.E.S (sleep, eat, s...)
Here is a better pic of me, yesterday my face was still squishy...

k, this post has made me very tired so I think I'll go to sleep!
Hope to meet you all one day!

Jaden Keith is HERE!!!!!!

2008-01-16T23:06:00.002+01:00

He was born this morning at 07:02 water birth, everything went smoothly...
Here are the first shots of his first day...

Getting dressed..

WHO IS THAT CUTE CHICK!!!!

I am tired, it's been a LONG day...

more to come tomorrow, now my daddy is tired....

Day in London with.... Brian & Elixir!!!!!

2008-01-07T23:14:00.000+01:00

Brian & Elxir decided to spend the NY in London so we spent a day being "tourists" in London with them... for the occasion the weather dropped down just a few more degrees so it was actualy snowing (barely)... it was FREEZING!!!!

With uncle & aunt under a big clock they had there..

Elixir beeeing....... Elixir, really....

The British Natural History Museum...

LOOK!! a Dinothor...

I found Lumpy!!!

See?? you click there...

The rest of the pics can be viewed here!!!

Christmas holidays....

2008-01-07T22:57:00.001+01:00

Christmas with the girls was LOTS of fun...
Here is Alyssa singing carols:

and Sheryl showing off one of her presents...

Fun at the play center...

skilled drivers...

sweet sisters watching a toon after a long day...

Our Cmas tree...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2007-12-21T22:30:00.000+01:00

Hilton Event: "Four Horsemen Play"

2007-12-13T15:53:00.000+01:00

A cool street play they take to the streets of London....

Hilton Event: Kiddos...

2007-12-12T18:13:00.001+01:00

Petra Junior.....

Collin...

Donovan... (the little lamb)

Hilton Event: Intro

2007-12-12T17:45:00.000+01:00

On Sunday the 9th of Dec. we attended a lunch organized by Touchstone Projects & The Family International. Lots of familiar faces as well as some new ones, Sheryl & Alyssa loved it & were all excited of eating at a fancy restaurant. As usual I took a few pics, (just a few...)

James Nachtwey at TED Awards

2007-11-24T19:57:00.000+01:00

This man represents what I would have wanted to become since the age of 10...
I found this clip after I heard there was a movie/documentary about him, it's about 20min long but totaly worth the time. Had seen most of these shots before but having him talking you through them makes it that much more stunning!!

Warning!!! Not for sensitive viewers!! But defenitely worth it.

Photoshoot with the tummy...

2007-11-19T22:55:00.000+01:00

7 1/2 months...

I know, no tummy here but she just wanted to keep posing...

Day at the safari...

2007-11-18T00:54:00.000+01:00

Took the girls to the safari, Lawrence come along so Sheryl was twice as happy...

A little monkey we found..

Remeber the 5th of November....

2007-11-09T12:07:00.000+01:00

5th of November here is a big thing, kinda like 4th of July in the US... for those of you who are not familiar with it or haven't seen "V for Vendetta", its the day Guy Fawkes got caught while trying to blow up the "King and the Parliament"! It's supposed to serve as a reminder to everyone what happens to traitors... (read the article to find out what happend to them...)
Interesting piece of history considering that the king was king James that translated the bible to english!

Anyhow, we took the girls to see the fireworks & it was lots of fun, here are a couple of pics...

A day in Porto

2007-11-03T16:18:00.000+01:00

Porto is a very nice city, for those who haven't been there yet I suggest you do...
here are some random pics I took:

The old part of town...

By the river...

Oh to work on one of these..

The man himself.. Sandeman

Kodak moment..

The rest can be viewed here (below), we also visited a Wine cantine/museum where at the end of the tour you get to taste different types of Port, in the hopes that you buy your Port from them & I tell you it works, good thing I travel "light" or I would have bought half the store... (we bought 2 bottles) after that photography was rubish, blury & what not!! But it was also time to start heading home. Great day!

some PEP....

2007-11-03T11:34:00.001+01:00

About the PEP, ummm.....

Great input on children & parenting! (had to be first, though saying that I got 1/3 of what was taught might be an overstatment. No fear, I am reviewing the material.. )
Lots of nice people. (to take pics of..)
Esmoriz (google it...!!)
Great bonding times. ( b....breaking games! Those who were there know!!!)
The beach. (tho I only got to see it once!! ok twice!)
oh yeah, wine at every meal. (so much for no alchool in the premises!!)
Lots of cute babies. (to take pics of..)

Some of these pics now:

A twin girl! of Mic & Tina

Parents we need you!!! Joaquim of David & Carol...

Parents getting together!

Oh, mom was there too! (so I had to behave!)

The rest of some of the pics can be viewed here:

Light Painting

2007-10-31T00:00:00.000+01:00

I've been wanting to do this for quite some time now, can't say I got it down just right but it's lots of fun.

Btw, the PEP was awsome as well as Porto (both the town & liquor)I should be posting about that but haven't gone over all the pics yet, (lightpainting had priority :P ) more to come on that soon tho!!

And it begins...

2007-10-19T01:03:00.000+02:00

This camera rocks, I admint I am still getting used to it & all the features but so far so good.

And what a coincidence, it's autumn a very lovely time of the year for photography!!

What more can I say, I'm loving it!!

Here are some more pics if u like!!

Autumn 2007

Enjoy!!

New baby...

2007-10-16T12:32:00.000+02:00

It's finally here, now no more excuses for lousy pics..

Jonny will be happy as I have been borrowing his camera endless times for the past year or more!! Txs man!! (I'll let you borrow it sometime.. :P )
Btw, it's a Nikon D80 with the 18-135mm lens!

A day at the Farm

2007-10-10T23:43:00.000+02:00

Here are some pics of our last outing! An "Adventure Farm!!!"

Pony riding... (TG they were both white...)

Now this was fun...

Sheryl had some "time out"

Great arher!! While Sheryl was busy shooting arrows....

Alyssa was busy making patterns.... (what different personalities!!)

"Oh crap... they found me!!"

Joyride!

Tsk tsk... foolishness, (where do they get it from!!)

3 months to go...

2007-10-04T23:56:00.000+02:00

Happy Birthday Mommy!!

2007-10-04T22:46:00.000+02:00

Mommy 51/2 months pregnant, looking as good as always!!!

"James, stop shooting or I will shoot you!!" Mommy, thirty, flirty, & thriving!!

"Oh my, the cake is going fast, I wonder if I should take that piece on the corner & hide it in my dolls house for later..."

"I love chocolate, it makes me ... hiiiigh!!!"

For all the PG mommies!

2007-09-27T15:28:00.001+02:00

Hope this article makes your "load" a little lighter... :D

Russian mother has 'giant' baby
from bbc.co.uk

A Russian woman has given birth to a baby weighing 7.75kg (17.5lbs), more than twice the average newborn weight.

The "little" girl, Nadia, was delivered by Caesarean section at a hospital in the Altai region of Siberia, joining eight sisters and three brothers.

"We were all simply in shock," reports quoted Nadia's mother, Tatyana Barabanova, 43, as saying.

"What did the father say? He couldn't say a thing - he just stood there blinking," she said.

Record weights

All her previous babies had weighed more than 5kg (11lb), a local reporter was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying.

"I ate everything, we don't have the money for special foods so I just ate potatoes, noodles and tomatoes," added Mrs Barabanova, who had the child on 17 September.

In January 2005, a woman in Brazil gave birth to a baby weighing 17lb (7.73kg), the heaviest boy yet born in Brazil, according to the Brazilian Gynaecological Association.

Among the heaviest babies recorded are a 10.2kg (22.5lb) ( "Mamma mia, come mi sento gonfia"!!! "I feel bloated") boy born in Italy in 1955,
and a 10.8kg (23.8lb) boy born in the US in 1879 but who died 11 hours later.

God Bless all our PG mommies!!!!

Kids Action

2007-09-20T21:38:00.000+02:00

At Kevins' bday party...

Bike ride by the lake...

last one...

Pics galore: Alyssa

2007-09-17T23:26:00.001+02:00

Tooth Fairy

2007-09-17T22:22:00.000+02:00

Yup, she lost two of them in a weeks time, after days of waiting & asking me to "just pull it off"...

..smile!!

And the tooth fairy came & made it a memorable event for all... now lets hope the next ones will be more spread out!!

Pensive girl

2007-09-14T22:54:00.001+02:00

Found & edited this pic I took a couple months ago.

Vacation 2007: Episode 2&3

2007-09-14T20:57:00.000+02:00

The rest of the vacation was great, I won't be able to expound on it as much as I would have liked, but briefly we went to Rome where we had a great time with everyone there. Met almost all the uncles & aunties (Sharon the oly one not present at the BBQ) Spent lots of time & on the beach & enjoy lots of good food & ice-cream (TY Stefy...)

We also spent a few days downtown Rome, it was amazing as the city was almost empty (as all the romans leave for the beach leaving the city easy to get around & enjoy.
Stayed at Elixir's apartment & had a hard time leaving. For those of you who need vacation ideas.. Rome, during he week of the 15th of August, Trastevere by night... no words, the ultimate chilling spot!!! I was VERY upset I didn't have a camera to capture the mood..... oh well!!

Enjoy the pics I took with a poor escuse of a camera in this gallery..

August 2007

Its a..... GIRL!!!!!!

2007-08-30T12:21:00.000+02:00

..this is the heart, the lungs, the kidneys & OMG!!! wait that is not the ombelical cord, that's umm... ITS A BOY!!!!
Yup, its a dude, I right away started working on a shopping list which includes the long awaited remote controlled car & that deluxe pirate ship with working cannon!!

Gabe & Luca here comes James Junior, what have we done!!!!!

Vacation 2007: Episode 1

2007-08-23T23:20:00.000+02:00

We just got back from our vacation/trip to Italy where we met lots of nice people, went to lots of nice places & met LOTS of relatives. We also had to say goodbye to our car who had been faithful for over two years, (sigh)

After a long trip down, (we were in the car for over 20 hrs) we finaly got to Milan at Grandma Charity & co.
It was defenitely HOT, 35°C was a BIG difference from the 18°C in flooded UK.
After a day (might have been two) to recuperate, we all headed off to the lake (Lago Maggiore) which was suprisingly pleasent (some of use have issues with lakes, being ocean lovers & all) we had a pic nic, swam & had some fun. It was nice to see the sun again!!

It was lots of fun but we soon had to depart as we were headed for Rome, to the beach...

Some B&Ws

2007-07-17T17:32:00.000+02:00

Here is some recent B&W work I did, since I have nothing better to say & I ran out of birthday wishes.
Alyssa looking rather nervous & pensive. Love those big black eyse...

This is one of the 1.340 pics I took this weekend at the UK Activated Retreat, Gideon leading comunion, (thanks Meeya for holding the Speedlight)

This is umm... yeah, Jonny & I playing with the wireless flash. We had lots of fun with it, here I was holding it with my right hand while he took the pic. Kinda wierd/spooky!!

Happy Birthday Mom

2007-07-16T13:57:00.000+02:00

For your Bday I thought I'd post a pic of how it all began...

Look at that young carefree smile, had she known what was to come! or that there were 11 more to come!!!!

WLY Mom!! Have another great year!

Happy Birthday bro....

2007-07-09T22:13:00.000+02:00

A very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Brian from all of us, we love you & miss you sooo much!! hope you have a blast!
This is how we remember you young & handsome, (not that you got any older,) but this is the latest pic we have of you..... (now girls, don't start asking for his phone number, he is already taken by a lucky few... :P) (if you are Brian's gf & are reading this I was just JOKING!!!)

Also congratulations to Oli & Sophie for the birth of their baby boy!!

Maz...

2007-07-09T17:41:00.001+02:00

have a laugh & a good week...

I know just how he feels at the airport. Been there... not that I look arab, but for some strange reason I seem to fit some sort of customs profile.

(video dedicated to Julz) :D

Not many pics...

2007-07-01T22:17:00.000+02:00

The reason why this past month or so I haven't been able to take (therefore post) any pics is because I sold my camera. Nice camera & all but I feel like taking a leap into the DSLR world :P.
LW I should be able to have one soon. Today I got my hands on Jonny's camera & got to try his new Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens, loads of fun (nice lens, has been object of desire for a while but he's beat me to it) Moral of the story:

Great I burned my pizza, everyone else's came nice mine burnt, I took off for "five" minutes & forgot all about it, oh well.. crunch crunch!!

Ah, what the heck!!

2007-06-26T23:18:00.000+02:00

It's contagious, now we got it too!!
Today we went for the first ultrasound & it was confirmed that it's a healthy living ... creature! YAY, Hurray Hurray, etc etc..
We don't know the gender yet as its too early, but so far so good.
Didn't post a pic of the scan as you can't see much anyways , so I'll post this as a tribute to that little schmuck that made it!!
We should find out the sex by the end of August,
if it's a boy I'll call him Sue!

One by one...

2007-06-24T12:35:00.001+02:00

Alyssa came to me looking sad & gloomy, she told me: “Daddy, I don’t have any aunties.” (don’t ask me WHY she came up with that..) To which I proudly replied: “ Honey, if there is one thing you will never lack is aunties, come sit on my lap & lets count them: Sharon, Elixir, Mari, Davida, Natassja, Stefy, Julia & those are just from Daddy’s side, then there’s: Lydia, Heaven, Rosy.” 10 aunties!!!

She seem relieved. I continued: “If you are still not happy we can count the uncles: Simon, Sam, Brian Peter, Liam. (hmm not as many) Oh, mommies side: John, David, Andy, Jamie!” That gotta’ do it. 9 of ‘em!

“So Ayssa (& Sheryl) if you are ever blue, just start singing: “Count you aunties name them one by one… count your aunties see what God has done!!” (what HAS He done!!! LHU!)”

I hope I didn’t forget anyone.. :D hmm let me count again!!!

birthday pics!!

2007-06-22T12:34:00.000+02:00

Sorry if it has taken a while but the main HD crashed out & for a few days I thought I had lost these. TG I was able to recover all my data.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY My love!!

2007-06-08T10:29:00.001+02:00

Sheryl is 6 yrs old!!!! Yay, after 364 days of "when am I going to be 6?? how many days to my birthday? She is finally there!!

Wow time does fly, she is now over 121 cm, weight 20kg (watch out mom, she is catching up!!) She reads VERY well (better than daddy, tho that is no accomplishment!) has a boyfriend, (which daddy approves of), therefore I feel free to say, so far so good!!!

HAPPY BDAY BRO!!!!

2007-06-07T22:14:00.000+02:00

Happy birthday bro, hope u are having a blast there in Kenya. And hope to see you soon.
I thought I'd post a pic of last time I saw you & temp you a bit!!

K, hope this year will better than the last & that we can go surfing. :P
We all miss you & the girls send a huge kiss & hug to a wonderful uncle.

Some recent pics...

2007-05-03T21:54:00.000+02:00

Sheryl being her usual self..

Alyssa all worried cause the "dragon" is coming..

Poor Mookie...

2007-05-03T16:24:00.000+02:00

She is so miserable, she got this flu & can't keep her food down but she is really hungry. She is sleeping a lot which makes it easy to take nice pics of her...

pray she get better soon!

Courtroom Quotations

2007-04-28T14:40:00.000+02:00

Check this out!!!

Funny exam Answers...

2007-04-28T12:49:00.000+02:00

And now my favorites..

Absolutely genius!!!

St. Georges' Festival

2007-04-23T00:04:00.000+02:00