A Post Easter - Easter Message

So...did you have a nice Easter?

We managed to squeeze a little egg dying in between baking cookies and riding horses and watching movies and shopping for Easter outfits. 

Millie is quite the artist, just like her sister.  She enjoys being creative and had a blast coloring eggs.

Next on the agenda is this beautiful boy's 7th birthday party.  In past years I've got a tad overboard on planning and spending and making a huge deal out his birthday.  I'm afraid I've set the expectations pretty high for myself.  I am going to make a real effort not to spend so much time on pinterest this year and try to keep it simple.  Besides I'm running out of time, it'll be here in a few short weeks!

I can't believe he's going to be 7.  I know I am biased and all mommy's think their kids are the best, but as far as 7 year old boys go...he's a very sweet one. 

I am proud to be his mommy and so blessed to be the one he wants to snuggle with when he gets sick

(except of course that I in turn get sick but I'll suffer through almost anything to get to kiss that sweet face.)

 

Our Easter celebration started off with a Good Friday service.  This is something our church hasn't done in the past but I very much enjoyed starting the weekend off with the right focus.  Just like any holiday it's easy to get wrapped up in all of the prep and making sure it's a special one for your kids you forget to take a moment and focus on what it really means to you and sharing that importance with your family. 

For me, Easter is everything.  With out the sacrafice Jesus made for me I would be hopeless.

 

Easter Sunday was full of family and food and colors and smiles.  We put on our new fancy outfits and headed to church to sing praises to our risen savior.  We hunted brightly colored easter eggs and shared a delicious meal prepared by hands we love.  We gave thanks for salvation and the blessing of family that we hugged and spent much needed time catching up with.  And I personally ate way too much chocolate...like all week.  (Curse you Cadbury!) 

  

I know it's late but from our family to yours I hope you had a wonderful Easter and the truth of what it is all about resonates with you all year long. 

You are loved, beyond your comprehension.  

Just Horsing Around

Well helllooooo there!

Spring break this past week has meant time with the girls, time off work for Devin, time off mom duties for me while the husband played Mr. mom, and on Thursday we all took the day off for Family Fun Day.  Millie went horseback riding for the first time on her birthday last December and fell in love.  We decided to plan a trip back to the ranch where this love of horses began.  It was so fun to see their giant smiles and of course take a few photos of the fun day.  

I will never stop being impressed with these beautiful creatures.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter!  

Life goes on

Time keeps on slippin... into the future.  

Has it really been a whole year since I last posted to this blog?  

A year of changes and a year of the same.  The routine of every day has been established in our home. School drop offs and work commutes and dinner time and weekend plans.  Every week rolls by and I push through the monotony and savor the sweet moments of marriage and motherhood.  I marvel at the astounding growth of the kids in such a short time and wonder what the next year has in store for us.  My hands stay busy with work and cooking and cleaning and crafting.  Unfortunately my camera has slipped down on my list of things to do with free time.  I miss it.  I truly do.  If only there were 2 or maybe even 3 of me some days so I wouldn't have to RSVP no to so many of life's little opportunities.  

Elijah is going to be 7 in two short months.  Can you believe it?  I know...Neither can I.  He has developed so much in 1st grade.  It blows my mind how much he has learned this year.  I officially have a twinge of sadness when I look at his baby photos.  That precious time of "baby" just goes by way too fast.  Millie has recently had a huge growth spurt and she's gained a couple inches on Elijah in size.  She's becoming such a beautiful young lady and I love the way those two play together.  Elijah loves her to pieces.  Ciena will be 16 next month.  I remember the first time I met her in her funky shoes at 13.  She's got some crazy artistic talent that is going to take her places no doubt.   I couldn't have asked for better step daughters.  They are sweet and smart and I love having girls to take shopping!  

The other day I had dinner with a dear friend that was visiting from Southern California.  She asked me what was the most unexpected thing about marriage that I have found to be true.  I answered that what I didn't know was how much I would learn about myself by being married.  When you're living with someone day in and day out and dealing with life's challenges you have someone that is able to call you out on your crap. And because this person is someone you love and want to be good to you can't ignore when he shines a light on your hang ups and bad habits.  It's never easy to admit when you're wrong, or even recognize your unhealthy patterns.  Being married has forced me to recognize that I am not always a great communicator and I have some pretty dysfunctional methods for dealing with my emotions.  Of course this is a two way street and in the same way being married to Devin has given me opportunities to better myself I know he has had to face some of his own hang-ups.  I didn't expect that, and although it's usually a difficult part of marriage I think it's one of the best things about it.

I am home sick today.  I have had my first ever allergic reaction to something.  I have never suffered from allergies and I do not envy those that do. I broke out into a crazy rash over the weekend that has caused a lot of discomfort.  I finally went to see the dr. today so she could prescribe some meds to help.  Unfortunately it's just a guessing game trying to figure out what caused it.  As I type this my fingers are swollen to sausage size and my feet feel like they could pop.  Not pleasant.  I'm praying it clears up soon and it's a one time incident.  

I hope all is well with you.  I can't promise I'll post again anytime soon but know that I'd like to.  

Yes, I am still alive!

Hello!!!  It's been way too long.  Between getting settled in a new home, new husband, new life and the fact that I reached my storage limit with google and I will have to fork out actual cash to keep this blog running I just sort of let it sit idle for a while.  I am considering switching to a different location but I haven't found the time to research and work on it just yet.  Forgive me.  I know I left you hanging with no wedding photos.  I did start to upload a bunch when I finally got my eager hands on them and that is when I discovered it was going to cost me.  I don't know if any of my blog-land friends are still going to check in.  I apologize for my absence.  My new obsessions of home decor and cooking and teaching a kindergartner to read have overtaken me....and I love it.  :)  There have been many times I've thought of sharing these new obsessions with you.  I wanted to share so many of the awesome thrift store finds, fantastic recipes, and the struggles and triumphs of life.  I do miss you all. I miss your photos and inspirational quotes and fabulous fashion and most of all the real moments you've shared. I also really miss sharing photos, heck I miss taking photos!  My camera is collecting dust.  Shame on me.  So I am deciding, right now, as I type, that I am going to get off the pot and get my blog up and running again. 

In the mean time.....

So you recall that finding the right wedding photographer was priority numero uno for me.  I had a long list of potential and once I started really digging into finding someone we could afford and had that look and feel I love I discovered that there really weren't any local photographers producing my style.  The closest I could find were Southern Cali, Washington, or Oregon.  I reached out to a few to discuss cost for travel etc and as soon as I heard back from Jaquilyn I knew she was the one.  She was the only one that responded with a personal touch asking about how Devin and I had met and she seemed genuinely excited at the possibility of shooting our wedding.  She and her husband are an amazing team out of Tacoma, Wa.  They have a great eye for composition, detail, and a true gift at capturing those must have moments.  They've got a sweet style that fit my vision for our wedding.  When we finally got to meet them in person on the big day they were even more adorable!  I mean seriously, all of my bridesmaids were in love with Jaquilyn.  They did a fantastic job, I just love looking at our wedding photos.  Every time I do I fall in love with them even more.  So since I can't upload any to share just yet here is a link to her blog post about the wedding.  Please take a look and enjoy!  Also check out some of their other work, specifically the birth story of their adorable daughter... so stunning and touching.

I hope you are all doing wonderful and 2013 is treating you kindly thus far. 

I'll be back sooner than later, promise.  ;)

More on Maui

One of the excursions I had to ensure we planned ahead was a snorkeling trip. Neither of us had ever been snorkeling and with all the rave reviews we'd heard about the trips to the crater and "turtle town" I was in. It didn't take 10 min in the water before both Devin and I were hooked on snorkeling. It's so beautiful. You really get a feeling that you are getting a chance to peek in on another world. We saw so many breathtaking colors and patterns down there. I swear if I were a fashion designer I'd do every summer line based on snorkeling trips.

We didn't rent the camera's to take underwater with us but after our trip we did hit the aquarium where they have a group of baby sea turtles. Sooo cute! I just love sea turtles. I mean seriously look at those faces!  We did get to swim close to a few at turtle town on the snorkeling trip. The visibility wasn't great and those awesome creatures are surprisingly fast!  I struggled for quite a while to finally spot one only to have it fly under me too quickly for me to catch up with.  Still... I swam close to a giant sea turtle in open sea which was basically the one thing on my list I was dying to check off.  CHECK!

I only wish the California coasts weren't so darn cold or we'd be asking for snorkeling equipment for Christmas. Oh well...next trip to Hawaii we'll be spending more hours with our booties bobbing watching the underwater life and finding hidden treasures swept off swimmers bodies. Hee hee.

Honeymoon in heaven

Well since I'm still waiting for wedding photos (as patiently as possible I swear) we'll just skip to the honeymoon.  Devin and I left the morning after our wedding for the airport and headed to Maui.  He's never been and I haven't been back to this gorgeous island since my family went when I was about 10.  First off a big, giant, huge THANK YOU goes to my generous aunt and uncle that made this trip happen by letting us use their time share points.  We were thinking we might be able to afford a trip to San Diego or Santa Cruz but when my aunt and uncle told gave us this awesome gift we went straight for tropical island.

Maui did not disappoint in any way.  From the perfect weather to the friendly people and the delicious food we soaked up every moment and cherished it.  These were all taken on day one.  I had to catch up on some sleep and Devin went exploring with out me.  I missed out on Devin spotting a sea turtle trying to catch a crab just feet away from where he stood.  Why must I require sleep? We stayed at the Aston Maui Kaanapali Villa's and loved the gorgeous beach the resort sat on.  But we didn't spend a whole lot of time there during our week.  It was a great place to relax and catch our breath but with so much beauty to see and the freedom to explore we couldn't sit still for too long.  I'll share some photos from our explorations later.  Too much for one post.  Sigh. I heart Maui.

Remember me?

I know I've been MIA. With wedding, honeymoon, moving, and settling into the new place I just haven't made this blog a priority at all. I miss it. I miss you. If anyone is still reading, I promise to be back with wedding photos as soon as I get them. The wedding was wonderful and the honeymoon spectacular and we are settling into the new family life quite well. I will share more soon. Promise.

But this post is about baby Evelyn. I took these photos almost 3 months ago but told mama it would be a while before they were processed and complete. I hope she thinks they were worth the wait. Such a darling little family that I truly enjoyed capturing.

Precious right?

I'll be by soon to visit your blogs and catch up. Hope all is well!

xoxo