Shutterbugs & A Princess

Amidst all the home improvements, more parties than we could count(Lauren has attended FOUR parties for friends/classmates since our school year began!), our home being on the market for oh so long now (madness!), soccer & more............we had a party for oh, oodles of friends and we made the(the best) decision( of our lives!) :) to break with tradition for hosting a friend party and outsource it to one of those Ginormous Bouncing Places of Glee ~ and gleeful chaos, bouncing and joy it was!!

I have nothing but fantastic things to say about Pump It Up and as the day turned out to be a bit on the drizzling side, how thankful we are that we planned for an indoors event that left all the kiddos well partied and well......frankly, worn out by the end! ( us parents too!!) But in the best of ways!

Lauren had her heart set on the Glow Package for this soiree and what a treat that turned out to be; turns out it was a fairly new extra and despite most of the children having attended a Pump It Up party before, none had experienced it with glow necklaces, flashing balloons, dimmed light and.......the best part?? A flashing tiara for our Princess! Now that may not sound terribly exciting at first, but Lauren was never an over the top fan of all things Disney Princess and it had been years (if ever?) since she had sported a crown! AND she loved it............and oh yes...I did too! Such fun and gosh, I kinda thought that tiara looked mighty good on her too! I mean, I am her Mama after all and prone to those kind of biases. :)

So for all the Mimis (and friends) who have waited so patiently for these photos, here they are, complete with big smiles and a Scooby-Doo cake. AND, if you don't mind sticking around for a bit after the photos, I am seeking advice from any & all Shutterbugs who might have some camera advice to share as I begin my search for a new and improved model!


O.K. this smile alone made it all worth it..........would do it over & again for her!!

*sigh* Some of these friends are new buddies and some go all the way back to Preschool......so sweet, each & every one! Oh, Tyler had fun too and didn't want to stop for a photograph! :)

Someone was mighty tickled and excited!!

Our regal girl.........

Now then my friends.........you all take such stunning & crisp photographs and are generous enough to share them on your blogs ~ I would like to upgrade from our current point & shoot digital camera and have been searching for a good fit. A few must haves include:

*Digital stabilizer(we need a good one!): not sure if its our camera or shaky hands from us both, but far too many of our photos turn out a bit fuzzy or just not sharp. Then I can't use them and its so frustrating!! **Also with 2 active kiddos I need to be able to take photos On The Go.....

* I wanna see some mega-pixels cuz I know this will give us clearer, sharper images with more vivid colors! I don't need monster sized pixels, but just enough!

*I need a camera that can function soundly in low lighting conditions....we do have Winter around here ya know! :)

* Easy enough to handle....I don't mind studying & learning and I'm not above reading "Cameras for Dummies." :) BUT if it requires a 3,000 page addendum for optimum handling, its probably not for me!

* This will be my Christmas, Birthday and Anniversary present all rolled into 1 for oh....probably the next 2 years or more! *grin* I don't need overpriced, but I'm not going to freak out if it goes over my budget a bit either.

***So far I like the *Canon Powershot A7101S*

* Canon Powershot SD630*

and the * Nikon D3100*

I would love to hear what you guys would recommend, currently use or love!! I welcome and value your insights!

Thanks!!

& thanks for all the mighty sweet birthday wishes sent to our best girl last week!! I read them all to her and my goodness was she delighted!! You guys ARE the best!!