Summer + Girls

I was going through some old pics I have taken and found these of my friend Stephanie's daughters. Kinda makes me think that it would be fun to have a little girl, what with their cute dresses and all.

Not announcing...just sayin'

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Water Fun

These pictures seriously make me want to be a kid again. At least I have Chase to live vicariously through!

Color Me Beautiful

Oh joy, Chase has discovered coloring! For now he is content to sit nicely at the kitchen table with his washable markers and paper taped to the table. Mom & Baby are happy...until he figures out that the markers will work on the walls too. And the floors. And the TV. Come to think of it, I better put a bulk order in for Magic Erasers!

 

He may have gotten a little on his fingers...

But in true Chase fashion, he was quick to help clean up...

Happy Birthday S!

Just a few pics from The Merrill's 1st Birthday party for Skylar. It was such a great day for a pool party and nothing beats a day where Chase and Mike can practice their skills at tag team water basketball!

  

A rare picture of Mike & I together....and he didn't even put a shirt on for it...surprise, surprise ;)!

Happy Father's Day...

To the best husband a girl could ask for. He makes me laugh (a lot), makes me feel special (very) and is an amazing father to this little guy. He works so hard to support us and I don't tell him enough how much I appreciate all that he does. xoxo

Way back when I remember seeing pictures of a little boy in daddy's shirt. It inspired me to do the same. I plan to do it every year to mark Chase's growth.

Chase wasn't as inspired as I was to pretend that he enjoyed this in the least...

Finally...a smile!

And let's not forget baby #1. She wanted to participate too (no really, she did :)).

Baby S

It's this little lovlies birthday today and although I know her mama will be posting lots of pics to her blog, I had to share a couple of the photos we took yesterday with my new "fake" backdrop for my mobile "studio!" xoxo

We headed outside for a few and found a spot of shade in some SERIOUS heat :)

Saturday.

This past Saturday was a very special day for me. I was able to be with Stephine for a huge step in her recovery as she took the plunge and shaved her thinning hair. Chemo works its magic differently for everyone but hair loss is usually inevitable. Steph did what I would have done, taking charge of the situation, shaving it down before it all came out on its own. We were all simply stunned by the beauty of her shaved head. Stephine truly shined from the inside out. xoxo

One of Steph's good friends gave her this head piece from Jerusalem. I think Steph will be a scarf kind of gal day by day :).

Group shot - Stephine's brother showed his support by shaving his head as well!

The Many Faces of Chase

I thought it was time for another round of Chase expressions. He has so many. I can't decide if it is mean of me to take pictures of his temper tantrums and include them in his face pics....I may just do that next time ;).

I've Created a Monster!

This whole photography thing has me taking a lot of pictures of who else but Chase. Needless to say he most of the time ignores me but lately when I ask him if he wants to take his picture he nods yes. Yesterday he went so far as to give me this pose......Such a natural ;).

Street Gang

Chase is playing with these three guys a lot lately. His play is much more interactive now and like so much of what he does, I love to watch his world through his eyes...if only I could be inside his head to hear the stories he has for this gang.

Full Circle

While in AZ for a boys trip, the girls got together at Stephine's house for an old fashioned slumber party. Complete with a crafty little project. I felt like I had come full circle and was, oh say, 8 years old again :). The night was wonderful and I was so happy to create such a special memory with some of my favorites. Love you ladies! xoxo

The girls hard at work...

Decorated pots to be used for a little garden outside Steph's bedroom...mine is the pink & cream on the left. What you can't see in the picture are the totally rad teal rhinestones that serve as the centers to the flowers!

Future Picasso...

Chase got his easel via my first ever Craigslist purchase - thanks for the recommendation Grace! I totally scored it for $15 and am so excited (maybe more than Chase is!).

Sofia got in on the action too...

Going back to Cali....

We headed back to CA for Memorial Day to spend time with our great friends the Jessens & the Bevans. Whenever we are with this group, I know to prepare for lots of great wine, food and more great wine. Chase had a blast playing with all of Bella's toys (which of course included a baby Dyson...he was in heaven) and we had a blast just hanging by the pool and doing lots of cooking. I haven't seen Ingrid in almost a year so it was wonderful to spend time with her and Tim too. A low key weekend - we only hit the beach once and didn't go to any of our normal restaurants but I really would not have wanted to spend my weekend any other way. The Jessen's did a fantastic job of hosting...thank you so much!

Grace & her homemade scones - YUM!

How much fun does Bella look like she is having? I hope a lot!

Finally made homemade ravioli - been wanting to do this for way too long.

Next on my list of purchases: a kid's easel. Chase LOVED it (although maybe not quite as much as the Dyson)

He also loved the teapot set but that may not make it to my wish list for him :)