Monkeying around...with the Monkey!!!

So quite a few comments on the last post were geared towards our new camera.  This time around we (yes boys and girls, this is actually Jeff) thought we would just post some really fun pics of what we have been doing lately, along with some snappy little photos taken with our new camera, and try to answer some of the questions we received.

The camera is a Canon 450D, more commonly known as the Rebel xSi.  It is a 12.2 megapixel digital SLR.  A nice camera has been on our wishlist for several months, but only a few months ago had we actually started shopping around.  We chose the Canon because of 

reputability in the SLR market, the mid price range of the camera, and ease of use and huge LCD display.  The camera is very easy to use, just turn on and click for the novice.  Yet, being like most other SLRs, you can be very creative and use some of the advanced modes/features to get some really cool looking photos.  We purchased the Canon from dell.com after scrounging the internet for a discount code. :)  We paid roughly $700 for the camera, which was about middle ground for SLRs these days.  Compared to the lesser priced Nikon D40, it seemed much sturdier and had many more features.  You won't find a whole lot better until you get into the $1000 range.  We're happy about it, and no regrets!  Here are just 2 examples of some neat pics we took of our cute little nativity scene.  The lens that came with the body isn't too spectacular, but does allow for some creativity.

We spent this Thanksgiving down in Sierra Vista with the Shaver family.  It was a beautiful weekend, and just a few degrees cooler than it normally is in the valley.  We also got quite a bit of rain which was fantastic.  Most of the family was able to come eat dinner on Thanksgiving day, and our new friend!

 Ellie's sister Amber recently got a new dog; Zoe, and she is adorable. She is a Jack Russel Terrier and Chihuahua mix.  She likes to lick people. We're hoping that Zoe will come stay with us while Amber finishes her last year at school. Dinner was fantastic, and as any good hearted American would do, we ate way too much.  We spent most of the weekend talking with family, eating, playing cards, eating, wasting $15 on the Twilight movie, and eating.  Yeah, we ate a lot.  I had to leave Thursday evening to come back to work, but Elisa was able to stay until Saturday morning and do some

Christmas crafting with her mother.  We now have a pretty little tree skirt ready for our tree to be cut down this weekend, as well as lots of other Christmas decorations made by Ellie and her mom.  We really tried to get a nice picture of Ellie and all of her brothers and sisters (those present), but honestly it was like trying to keep a bunch of sugar-craved 3 years olds out of the cookie jar; nearly impossible.  We took the spray-and-pray approach and this was the best shot we got.

We haven't done anything else real exciting in the last few weeks, but the coming weeks are sure to be full of excitement.  This weekend we'll be cutting down our giant Christmas tree, and next week (after numerous final exams...) we'll be at Disneyland celebrating our anniversary. We're so excited to get away from "normal" life for a few days and just have fun with each other, just like we did on our honeymoon!  Well, that's about it for me this week folks.  Did I mention how adorable Ellie is?

P.S. Santa, can you please bring Ellie a really cute pink bicycle for Christmas?  She really wants one, and I guess she has been pretty good this year.  And do you think you could get one with a basket on the front?  She wants to carry around her treats when she goes on a bike ride. Thanks!

P.P.S. I apologize for the funny layout of this post. After formatting and typing everything, I hit the "preview button" and it looked beautiful.  However, after publishing, it looks nothing like it did under "preview."  What is the point of having a "preview" function if it looks nothing like the real thing?  Dumb...