Roxie The Pug | A Day in Mollywood

12 Weeks to Better Photography – Week 3

March 17, 2010 By Molly

Okay, I’m late on this but I promise I have a good excuse! I’ve come down with a nasty cold and as if that weren’t enough . . . I am having a terrible muscle spasm in my neck, which has affected my right arm and shoulder. I was laid up in bed with the heating pad yesterday. Even so, I decided to use the time wisely by doing lesson 3 and I’m glad I did! It was SO helpful . . . my favorite lesson out of the three I’ve done so far.

Hearing that Lesson 3 was all about white balance was intimidating. Now that I’ve read about it I realize that more than HALF of the photos I have taken with my camera have a very orange tint to them. I never even really took notice but almost ALL of my belly shots look so orange to me now. I guess my eye is more trained to notice the tint of an image now, which is super cool to know!

Anyway, I’m laying in bed reading the lesson and it’s like a light bulb went off! I can actually TELL my camera what to do. Yeah, whodathunk it? I take a lot of photos indoors and they all end up the wrong color mainly because we have very little natural light/sunlight flooding into our house and use whatever artificial light we have on in the house. Now I know that this is called Tungsten light and it usually gives photos an orange tint.

I never knew how to use the custom white balance setting on my camera. But all I had to do was hold up a white piece of paper (note: I actually took a photo of our white comforter so I didn’t have to get out of bed) and then set my custom white balance setting to that particular photo. This told the camera to “correct” the less than stellar lighting situation in the bedroom. Ha ha, take that overhead lighting! I am outsmarting you now!

Here are the three photos the lesson wanted me to take. I used Roxie the pug as my model because #1. she is lazy and #2. she was readily available. I think you’ll see that the difference is amazing!

(I used the Aperture Priority/AE setting instead of manual mode to take these photos. Still too scared of manual.)

First photo: taken with the auto white balance setting – (really orange tint, yuck)

Second photo: taken with the tungsten white balance setting (still an orange tint)

Third photo: taken with my custom white balance setting (success, hooray!)

I can’t believe how much better the color looks in the third photo. I mean, I was in my bedroom with the blind shut at 4:00 p.m. and it looks like we took this outside in pure sunlight! Pretty neat. This is the exact color of Roxie’s fur. Not sure I’ve ever been able to take a photo of her w/o making her look like an oompa loompa, lol. Now that I know that different lighting situations can cast such different colors onto my photos I think I’ll be able to “correct” the lighting before I even snap the photo.

What do you all think? I’m doing better : )

Filed Under: 12 Weeks to Better Photography, Roxie the Pug 7 Comments

Happy 3rd Birthday, Roxie

June 26, 2009 By Molly

No, I did not forget about Roxie. How could I ever forget the cutest pug face in the world?

Today is Roxie’s 3rd birthday! I can’t believe my little pug baby is 3-years-old already. She has brought so much joy to our lives. She is and will always be an important part of our family.

Roxie has dealt with some major changes in the past year. I know she wondered what the heck was going on when my belly started to swell and she couldn’t fit into her favorite spot anymore like 3 years ago . . .

She didn’t know what to think when this tiny little person showed up in her house. And truth be told she hasn’t had an easy time adjusting. It got pretty bad in December. She stopped eating so I took her to the vet because I thought she might be sick. They did tests and everything came back normal. The vet said that it is an emotional problem. Oh my, this pug is my animal soulmate. The not eating has continued. I have actually hand fed her from time to time because it breaks my heart to see her being pug-a-rexic. All we can do is hope she adjusts soon.

Roxie stealing the boppy away from Landon. She is jealous and likes to pout.

We did have an animal behaviorist come and try to help us figure it out. She said that Roxie is very anxious in this situation. The loud toys scare the crap out of her. She cowers and her tail goes between her legs. Landon’s movements also scare her. She is threatened by him being in the room. We’re to give her positive reinforcement and treats when she acts okay around Landon and the toys to teach her that it’s not as scary as she thinks it is.

Today is a half-day so we’re headed out to go swimming in this triple digit temperature. Roxie loves to swim and we’ll be treating her to a special peanut butter cake.

Happy 3rd Birthday, my sweet puggie pie Roxie. I love you so much. Thanks for cuddling with me. And thanks for 3 years of laughs!

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Yes, It’s Almost April . . .

March 29, 2009 By Molly

No, these pictures aren’t from December. They were taken TODAY . . . 3 days before April! It’s amazing how fast the weather can turn here in good old Misery, er, I mean Missouri.

The ice and snow came down for hours yesterday. Landon got a kiddie sled for Christmas but we never used it. I figured we’d have to wait until next winter to get some use out of it. But the crazy weather gave us the chance to try it out! Here are some pictures of Landon’s first adventure with snow and sledding!

He tried out some snow while Mommy built a snowman!

Landon in front of our house covered in snow!

He kept eating the snow.

Mama’s little snow bunny (and yes, I realize the hat is totally lame)

Best buds playing in the snow!

We’ve had quite the weekend of milestones!

*He is pulling up on everything and standing. Only now he’s taking steps and trying to use his legs to walk! I’ll upload the video later!

*He is picking up finger foods himself (pincer grasp) and putting them into his mouth!

*He is learning to use a sippy cup and hold it himself!

*He is finally returning my kisses with big sloppy wet kisses of his own!

*He is saying all kinds of sounds including “da, da, da, da”

*He is getting into the “sit up” position on his own!

I read the HELP chart yesterday just to figure out how he is doing milestone-wise. He is WAY ahead of where he should be. Mama is so proud!

Filed Under: Landon, Milestones, Roxie the Pug 3 Comments

and for Roxie

November 21, 2008 By Molly

Roxie is in surgery right now. The knee that she had surgery on before has to be corrected because one of the pins is slipping out. The vet says her recovery should be shorter and much less painful than the first surgery. But if you could say a prayer for my little puggie I would greatly appreciate it. I love her so much.

Filed Under: Roxie the Pug 1 Comment

Landon is 3-months-old

November 11, 2008 By Molly

Already 3-months-old? Wow, time is just flying by. He is growing so fast. I wish I had the ability to stop the clock. To freeze time. Because I know these moments are so precious but they are fleeting. I feel bad. People bought us the cutest outfits and he wears them once and then we have to pack them up because they don’t fit after that! I guess that’s a good thing though. He’s going to be a big strong boy!

Here he is at 3-months-old! I tried to get a smile out of him but he is a shy guy.

I think they love each other

He’s really doing great with holding up his neck and pushing himself up on his arms.

Oh, here’s a smile for ya’ll . . .

I hate winter but if cold weather means I can dress Landon in this hat, I’ll take it.

And lest we forget, the most spoiled little pug in the whole wide world . . . Roxie. This is her “How dare you pay attention to this loud little thing instead of me” look. Hopefully someday she’ll forgive us for having a baby. But I think she is enjoying pouting at the moment. If she were a teenager, she would be saying, “Whatever Mom, I hate you.”

Filed Under: Landon, Landon month-by-month, Milestones, Roxie the Pug 5 Comments

The many faces of Landon

October 24, 2008 By Molly

He’s really starting to show his personality and the new toy, his jumperoo, has definitely helped bring it out. In fact, I was able to capture his cute smile on camera for the first time! God, it’s truly amazing how much I love this new little man in my life!

And here’s the best part of my day every single day . . . his smile!

Looking a bit mischievous as he eyes the red bird above him.

We think he looks a bit like our nephew, Levi, in this one.

Whoa, what the heck is all this stuff in front of me?

Our pudgearoo won’t stop eating! He told me that he’s bulking up for the cold Missouri winter ; )

The three people I love more than anything in this world . . . my husband, my son and my pug. Three times the love : )

Filed Under: Landon, Naaman, Roxie the Pug 1 Comment

2 years for us and 2 weeks for Landon!

August 22, 2008 By Molly

This past Tuesday was our two year anniversary and the one big OBVIOUS thing I can say is MY, HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED! Although, they’ve changed so much for the better. We didn’t do anything very exciting to celebrate. We just wanted to be together with our son, the greatest gift anyone could ask for. We went on a family picnic to Shawnee Mission Park and then let Roxie play in the off-leash dog park. We always receive so many compliments on how cute Roxie is. But it’s even more fun to receive compliments from strangers about our son AND our dog. Everyone thinks Landon is so cute. We agree : )

Here’s to the best two years of my life so far. I can’t wait to see what our future holds.

I know having a child can be stressful on a marriage but our relationship has never been better. We both think that it has made us stronger as a couple. Naaman is the best Dad and seeing Landon asleep on his chest gives me the best feeling in the world. A feeling of pure contentment. I’m so in love with my Husband and now I’m so in love with my son.

I can’t believe Landon was born two weeks ago today. Time is flying by and I am trying to stay in the moment and relish this time with my newborn son. He is so small, fragile and innocent. I find myself staring at him all the time. I want him to open his eyes more because they are so big and beautiful. And although we thought they were dark brown at first it is clear now that they are a deep blue just like Mommy’s eyes. We also thought his hair was dark brown but it is actually blonde just like Mommy’s hair. How exciting it will be to see him grow and develop into a little man. I am so grateful that my son is here with us.

We had a rough first week when jaundice set in and his bilirubin levels were suddenly sky-high. His weight dropped from 6.14 to 6.2 and he kept getting more and more yellow. Finally, at our doctor’s appt. on our anniversary, we were told that he was back up to 6.15 and his bilirubin level had peaked and was leveling off. We’re so happy that the jaundice has passed.

Landon seems to be a very good baby. He never wakes us up. I have to wake him up to feed him! Although I know that will probably change once he becomes more alert. He smiles and makes the cutest sounds in his sleep. I don’t want to blink because I’m afraid I’ll miss something! Grandma and Grandpa Watts bought Landon a fun floormat and we tried it out last night. It was amazing watching him look at it. He even grabbed for the little red bird and Naaman and I were both so impressed!

The sleep deprivation is not that bad at all. In fact, I am getting more sleep now than in my last month of pregnancy, which was horrendously painful for me. And you’re talking about a woman who had her epidural wear off during the last hour and a half of pushing! I still think that the last month of pregnancy was worse because it lasted a lot longer than the time I pushed. My recovery has also been relatively easy and painless. Thank God for that!

Anyway, Naaman and I are having so much fun with Landon. He is so precious and perfect. We just can’t get enough of him.

Following are some new pictures and some videos if you’re interested!

Landon’s First Bath!

Landon playing with his Baby Einstein Play Gym for the first time!

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All three of my sisters were in town (a rare occurance) to visit their nephew! He is a lucky little spoiled boy : )

Roxie meeting Landon for the first time. She is insanely jealous but has been very good about being gentle with him.

Our little long-legged man. He loves to stretch out.

Landon’s first trip to the park. Note the wrist bands. I have horrible carpel tunnel since giving birth!

Daddy and Landon on our 2-year anniversary. They are both so handsome.

Filed Under: Landon, Marriage, Roxie the Pug 2 Comments

Two is Better than One

July 8, 2008 By Molly

My parents are in Florida helping my sister Cindi get moved in. So we said we would take care of Reubin, the family pug, to help them out. After all, boarding dogs for 10 days would get expensive and we’ve never had the chance to watch Reubin at our home so I thought it would be fun.

If I’ve never mentioned this before . . . I LOVE PUGS! They are my favorite breed of dog and have been since I was a little girl. They are noisy and hilarious and have the best personalities of any dogs I’ve ever met. I always say there are little people stuck inside pugs because their emotions sometimes seem so human-like.

Here we are taking Reubin on a walk.

And this was Naaman 5 minutes later carrying him home. He can barely get around anymore.

Reubin was actually my dog before he was my parents. He was given to me as a gift by an ex-boyfriend in college. When we broke up I got full custody. But I wasn’t a very good dog Mom at that time because I was so busy with classes and partying. So my Mom took care of him one weekend and when I went back to pick him up she started crying. I decided to give him to my Mom. I knew she would make a better dog Mom than I would at that time. And I would still get to see him so it was all good.

Reubin is 8-years-old now. He has always been a very active pug running outside with Chip, the family cocker spaniel. Recently the vet recommended that Reubin be neutered. Don’t ask me why we never had him neutered in the first place. I don’t know why we didn’t but it was a stupid decision not to get it done when he was a puppy. The vet said that neutering him could lower the risk of cancer so my Mom signed him up.

Unfortunately, something went wrong and Reubin has not been the same since. He can barely walk, his tail hangs long and flat instead of being all curled up like a pug tail should be. He doesn’t seem happy at all. Jennifer refers to it as “losing his mojo.” But whatever it is it is very clear that he is not and may never be the same dog ever again. He can no longer jump up on anything. I even had to help him up one little stair because he just couldn’t make it. I’m so sad for Reubin. I have been giving him lots of love because he is pretty much disabled and the only thing you can do is hug him and kiss him and give him as much love as possible so that he knows he will always be taken care of. My poor Reubin.

Here are the two pugs having a moment together. Roxie is very territorial and doesn’t like when her Mommy gives attention to Reubin. She likes to be the center of attention.

The two cutest pugs ever : )

And for those who want to see how “filled-out” I am looking at over 34 weeks here is a nice little picture of me. I finally hit the nesting phase and had been cleaning and organizing all day so I look tired and yucky. But let this count as my 34 week photo. Standing up was just too much work

Filed Under: Roxie the Pug 2 Comments

The ever-growing belly

March 26, 2008 By Molly

I’ve been really sick for the past three weeks. I contracted Flu A three weeks ago, which landed me in the emergency room. I missed four days of work and was in bed for an entire week, unable to eat, drink or move at all really. Ever since then I have not been able to get rid of this horrible head and chest cold. I can’t hear anything at all because there is so much pressure on my head. I’m still coughing quite a bit and it’s getting annoying in general. I have no sick time left at work because of the flu so I have to come in or use my vacation days, which I won’t do because I want my full 12 weeks maternity leave when the baby comes.

I was really worried the first two days of the flu because I hadn’t been able to keep anything down. I thought the baby was probably starving. But no, the baby seems to be measuring right on target. My doctor said that babies are good thieves. They don’t mind stealing all your nutrients to make sure they get what they need.

I felt him moving the whole time though so I knew he was okay. He was probably thinking “Uh Mom, where is my lunch?” Sorry, my baby boy. I’m trying to up my calories now in order to make up for lost time.

Here is my 19-week belly picture. Even though I didn’t eat anything for awhile it seems I had a growth spurt while I was sick. But no matter what I eat everyone keeps saying I’m so small. Sorry to disappoint but I do still have 20 weeks to go. I know I’ll get bigger with every day.

Here are the blue cupcakes on the cupcake tree for my spa party. This is how we told everyone we were having a BOY! They were delish!

For Easter we went to visit my Grandpa in the nursing home. He just moved in there a couple weeks ago because he had a brain bleed and had brain surgery to stop it. He is doing okay but not great. The whole family went to visit him and we had cookies and ice cream. It was so nice to see everyone. I worry about my Grandpa and I know it’s been a lot of stress on my parents trying to figure out where he would move after he was released from the hospital. He will be 93 this June and I’m hoping and praying that he gets to meet and hold his very first great grandchild.

Here’s the whole clan of cousins with their significant others and my Grandpa sitting in the front.

Of course it just wouldn’t be a blog entry without a picture of Roxie. So here are a few new ones. In the first one Naaman was taking pictures of Roxie and I just kidding around. But I think it’s evident how happy I am in the picture. Roxie puts a smile on my face all the time. I love her so much.

This is Roxie in her Easter t-shirt. She likes to get dressed up when we have parties.
And here she is as I try to tickle her tummy. Cutest. Dog. Ever.

Filed Under: Family, Holidays, Pregnancy, Roxie the Pug 1 Comment

Pugs, Pugs, Pugs

August 6, 2007 By Molly

Okay, so I admit it. I am obsessed with pugs. Not just Roxie or Reubin but all pugs! Or all dogs for that matter. I am going a bit crazy with the animal activism but lately I’m just so sensitive about animals. I cried the other day when someone ran over a squirrel who was just trying to make it across the road! I also almost hopped out of the car yesterday to save a very overheated dog who was lost and panting. I would have if Naaman hadn’t told me no. He had no collar! People please, put a friggin’ collar on your pet and then spay and neuter them. If you adopted an animal then take some responsibility for the poor thing. They have no one but their owner to rely on for safety and a happy forever home! Think of it as doing the world a favor because each little animal is just as important as humans. Now all I have to do is figure out how to become a vegetarian. I did have mushroom ravioli the other night instead of meat-filled ravioli. But damn you cows! How can I stop eating steak at Hereford House? It’s just sooooo good. Maybe someday I’ll be strong enough. Okay, off my little rant and onto happier things.

This weekend we took Roxie to Loose Park, which is the largest (and most beautiful in my opinion) park in Kansas City. It’s very peaceful to walk in this big green space. And Roxie loves it because there is a big pond with geese hanging around. Since we got this brand spankin’ new camera, I thought I’d try my hand at some amateur nature photography. I know I’m not that good but hey, everyone can dream right?

Yesterday, we took Roxie to her first ever Pug Meet Up. I joined the group last month on www.meetup.com. They have all kinds of meet ups for anything you could ever be interested in. So, we went to a park and met a bunch of pugs. They were all so adorable. I’ve never heard so many snorts, grunts and sneezes in my life! Roxie was pretty scared at first. She was one of the only girls and the boys were very interested. They should be. She’s a little hottie. She loosened up a bit after awhile. Here are some pictures. They aren’t that great. You can’t get pugs to sit still together for very long : ) Anyway, I was hoping that having Naamy see all the other little pugs would force him to see that one pug is just not enough. Kind of like Pringles. But he kindly reminded me that one would be easier to handle when we have a kid. I kindly shut my mouth. It was good enough to hear him say that. One will have to do for now.