congregation picnic- photo essay

oh the eyes

last shots of del mar- holga & diana

It’s kind of like the never ending vacation. Maybe because I didn’t want it to end. Maybe because I LOVED it so dearly. Maybe because this weekend Greta told me she would like to go back. Ummmm, me too.

Holga had a little bit of an issue, but I still love her for who she is. She took the ones with the bright lights around the edges. Diana came through for us in a big way.

And this next one I HEART big time!

Is she a poser or what? And Greta definitely gets the award for best beach hair. It’s ridiculous how cute her curls look in saltwater.

we’re alive

If I could choose one photo to illustrate our weekend this would be it. My children were born for nature. Especially this hippie chick. She couldn’t have been more comfortable in her element. Barefoot, no barettes, dirt, water, nature. She became one with the land. I was fearful of her hair turning to dreads at one point. More photos to come. But for now I will go bathe for several hours and turn on every piece of electronic equipment I own.

Hope you all had a good weekend!

mini vacation

maybe not. i don’t think camping can be qualified as a vacation. but we’re taking a few days off to go camping with our friends. it’s hot here. hot as in 95 degrees hot. and where we’re going won’t be much cooler, except at night it’s in the 50′s. how do you like that for a temperature change?

a few updates. greta completed her first week of preschool. i was sick on monday and sadly missed her first day of school. first day of school of her whole life! and i missed it! thank goodness tati was there to replace me. and happy to report no tears. slowly through the 4 days she got more clingy and attached. but there were no tears shed. today i think she was tired and over the whole 4 days in a row of school thing and didn’t want to be there. it worked out that i had to pick her up early to go to her tap/ballet class so she managed pretty well.

the boys are loving school. they’re doing fantastic, and we have back to school night tonight. i am finally making appointments that i have been putting off for years. things like seeing a chiropractor for the first time when i’m NOT pregnant. getting my teeth cleaned(this one is not so bad, we’re going on 10 months). seeing my orthodontist to get a bottom retainer. boring stuff like this, but it’s pretty exciting to go anywhere by yourself i have to admit. even things like the post office are terribly thrilling! i just park and shut the car door. you heard me right. park. exit car. that’s it! no seat belts or sippy cups or bathroom runs or tears. it’s pretty fantastic.

aaron’s youngest brother is headed out here for a visit for a few weeks and the boys couldn’t be more excited. i too am mildly excited, another hand to help and someone else to take greta to school for me to avoid the tears and separation anxiety. although ultimately it’s me who has to take her to school every day so she has to go through it with me, it’s just so hard to watch them. when i leave i hang out by the window and watch for about 5-10 minutes, and she just looks so sad. it’s momentary because whenever i pick her up she’s all smiles and talks a mile a minute.

i promise to post some photos of greta tap dancing next week. but for now i am off to pack. happy weekend everyone!

a whole day

I got these two for a whole day while their parents celebrated their anniversary in Santa Barbara. They were perfect angels, as long as no one messed with Mallory’s Woody/Jessie figurine collection. And as long as we passed a ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs’ billboard every few blocks.

Sawyer and Maddie happen to be big ‘Annie’ fans and sang ‘It’s a Hard Knock Life’ at the top of their lungs several times in a row.

And there was a lot of singing in front of mirrors. Swimming. Playing. Eating.

beach in del mar, california

Jane finally sent me some beach photos from her camera from when we were in Del Mar. They met us for the day and the kids had such a blast. They brought the life saving beach umbrella for poor Aaron, my white husband. And Gunnar boogie boarded for the first time. The beach in Del Mar is awesome because it’s only about 30 yards from the street to the shore. There is no long trek from your car to the water. Jane also brought a kite and the kids absolutely loved it. Perfect kite flying weather.

bowl

A few weekends ago we took the kids bowling with another family. Oh, the joy of slipping your feet into disgusting bowling shoes, and sliding your fingers in to balls used my many other people. This progression of photos is my fave from that night.

September House Project- Living Room

I made this whole post and then lost it somehow. Sooo frustrating. I have been waiting to take photos of my living room until the boys went back to school. I couldn’t keep it decent long enough to snap the photos while they were all home. So here we go. Before the mantle was cluttered with all these little frames, and I am over it.

And see that quilt on the ottoman. Yeah, that was covering up some stains. And the chair had a hole in the side. The kids lived in this chair and thus the inevitable kid damage happened.

I took away all the little frames and used some big frames from our previous place. I put artwork from each kid in each. How happy does that tear collage piece make you? It’s by Sawyer, and he even has glasses! And I blew up a family picture of us. So much less cluttered. Better.

This new chair was courtesy of an ebay seller from Seattle. Aaron had to drive to this creepy Greyhound station to pick it up since he wouldn’t let me go get it myself. But at least I didn’t have to recover the original cushions.

We have always wanted a coffee table in this room, but with the oversized chair and ottoman, it just never worked. I found this awesome Danish furniture store in Silverlake. I am obsessed with all their pieces.

New pillows courtesy of Pier 1. Highly recommend them for pillows. Great selection.

And here is the whole shabang. I know this may not please everyone’s tastes, but I absolutely adore our living room now. Every time I walk through it or come down the stairs, I smile. I definitely need to spend some more time in it, especially lounging on the comfy couch.

loving. . .

right now.

New barstools. My kids can actually sit at the island and not be fearful that the 3-legged stool will take them tumbling to the ground. Courtesy of Crate & Barrel.

I am obsessed with this. I can’t tell you how long I have been eyeing it. They come in a ton of colors, and I doubt this will be my only one. I can see myself layering it over and under almost everything.

And lastly, Target has some adorable sweaters right now. I know I will probably hear about it from my sister, but you can’t judge yet though, they’re really cute. Wait til you see it in person! I couldn’t download a photo of the sweater, but if you click here, it’s the thermal hoodie with stripes, of course I picked the orange and grey. But all the colors were adorable.