brenna's bridal shower!

this was such a fun day and i was so excited to help miss brenna celebrate her upcoming hawaiian wedding! 

there is something so magical about the weeks before your wedding...wouldn't you agree? 

cherish every day, brenna...!

xoxo

sidenote: don't mind me...i just discovered windows live movie maker. kinda obsessed.

lately...

:: the ab ladies came to visit. we lounged on the grass, played at the park, redecorated my mud room and ate pita chips with hummus. it was, as always, awesome.

:: we marveled at the super moon.  and howled like coyotes.

::  we visited the caldwell's.  and learned that logan has mastered his fake smile. 

 ::  enjoyed girls night.  really enjoyed girls night.  like a lot.

::  finn discovered the dishwasher.  i have a new helper!

:: we had a perfect playdate with erika in her backyard.  it was relaxing and i couldn't over three things:  first, how does she look this good after twins?  two, our playdates sure have changed.  and three, suddenly we have four kids between us!   and ever couldn't be any sweeter to finn.  he is gentle, he reads to him, he shares-its the cutest.

::  i had my first casa de awesome burger of the year.  it was as good as it looks.

::  finn in his rasta baby turban.  we laughed and sang bob marley to him.  and then we laughed some more.

::  finn had his first sink bath!

::  we went to a rivercats game with mimi and pops- finn's first trip to the ball park!  few things have shocked me more than seeing my son in a baseball hat.  seriously, i took fifty pictures.  there was just something about it...so boyish, so grown up.  and so very cute.

 ::  papa hung the swing outside! 

:: and lastly, i could watch finn's feet and his ankles all day...the rolls, they way they turn, the way his toes flex and grasp the ground.  it melts me.  and that bum in those shorts - he is a heartbreaker.

nine months

yes finn, you are so big. so very big!

* you are all over the place! crawling, pulling yourself up, cruising and you just decided to begin climbing. wow.   in fact, this monthday post is so late, because it took three different attempts to get this photo :)  not a big fan of sitting still these days!

* you wave!  you stick your fist in the air and open and close it.  and it feels like such a huge deal. like you are really interested in communicating.

* you find other babies and kids really fascinating. you could stare and watch them all day. usually with your eyes and mouth wide open. happy to just observe.

* speaking of open mouth - you started giving me kisses on occasion. i pucker up and ask for a kiss and you smile, lean in and open that mouth. it is slobbery and heavenly.

* you eat EVERYTHING! we think your favorites are cheese, smoothies, blueberries, avocados and cheerios.

* on mother's day, you fed grandpa great a cheerio for the first time and now you love to share your food with us - it is so precious. and sometimes you like to pretend like you are going to share only to shove it in your own mouth.  of course, we think that is just hilarious.

* once again, you are a good little sleeper. sleep training was rough but was the right move for us. you learned pretty quick and usually sleep from 7 to 7.  sometimes you wake up around five but just like us to tuck you back in and fall right back to sleep.  oh and you no longer nurse at night - kinda sad but also kinda cool.

* you still love to nurse during the day though!  my oh my. usually about five or six times a day. i am not ready for you to stop nursing yet, but sometimes i wonder if weaning will pose a challenge. you are very aggressive about getting in my shirt :)

* lately, i have been your favorite person. you reach for me and cry "mama" when daddy or someone else holds you. not sure if you find me charming or if you just know that i am the lady with the milk.

* you are such a happy little guy. in the car, at a baseball game, out past your bedtime - you just roll with it and are easy breezy.

and of course, you are just the cutest thing we have ever seen. 

this video kind of melts my heart...

mother's day

mother's day.  ahhhh... thinking it might be my new favorite holiday :)  we started the day with brunch, lakeside, at the kelly's of casa de kool.  it was delicious, fun, sweet, and delightful.  hard to beat quiche, fruit salad, mimosas and a lovely stroll around the lake.  we were even greeted by a mama duck and her babies - how appropriate!

we ventured west bound until we hit casa de awesome.  there we found many familiar faces.

we walked, we sat, we dined...

...and then we had a dance party.  it was all kinds of hilarity and wild fun.  in fact, there are no words.

the night ended with a family fireside complete with presents and ice cream.

a perfect mother's day indeed. 

and to all the ladies/moms/aunts/sisters/grandmas/cousins/friends -  you add so much color to my life. 

i am grateful for each one of you. 

and rachel and ryan, thanks for taking most of these pictures :)

mother's day ramblings

when i look at finn, usually i feel like we are in our own little world. i feel like we are buddies who have our own little language. i feel like we are kindred spirits who like doing the same things; walking, grocery shopping, relaxing, dining, going on drives, being outside.

i can't imagine any baby but him. and i am just so glad he is who he is.

oftentimes, i am perplexed with the miracle of it all....the coincidences and circumstances and chance that went into bringing him to us. it boggles my mind. how did the universe know how much we needed this baby. this boy. this finn...?

finn has brought so much more to our little house than laughter and love...it was as if he arrived as this wrinkly little bundle carrying the biggest suitcase. a suitcase full of lessons and perspective and wisdom to be learned in time. becoming a mother has made me reevaluate everything. and just like everyone says, it has made me want to be true and better. he has reminded me that i have so much yet to learn, and figure out.

how does a little, tiny baby bring with him an unimaginable love, along with all that?

in this period of my life, i find that there are golden days where everything is easy and peachy and dreamy. and then there are days when i have no perspective. and i feel like i will never be true or better. there are days when i feel like i am running around in circles wearing ill-fitting clothes with dirty hair amongst smashed peas on the floor, and an unhappy baby to boot. there are days when i feel like i have failed all my lessons and that i will never find my groove, let alone "wisdom" ...but each day, no matter the chaos or my mood, there are always moments where i am simply struck speechless. moments where a wash of white seems to slowly appear and i find myself enveloped in the purest of loves. like when finn and i share a giggle, a smile, a secret, a cuddle, or a good book. or when finn looks at me like i am the kindest, loveliest and funniest person to ever grace this planet.  or when finn and i sit on a blanket at the park, peacefully observing, for what seems like an hours. or when daddy walks in the door and finn shakes with excitement, and he glances back and forth between ryan and i as if he can't believe that he gets both of us.

those moments are my treasures.  those moments i live for.

****

on this mother's day, my very first mother's day, to my ryan: you have already given me the most amazing gift. our sweet boy. i am so grateful that he is just like you.

and to the one who made me a mother, my little finn:  we won't always share slobbery kisses on the lips and you won't always tell me your secrets, but no matter our age, i hope that we always find things to laugh about together. i hope we often enjoy a good walk together. i hope we embark on many sunday drives together. i hope we sit down to countless dinners around the table together. i hope we are always planning our next adventure to the beach. and i hope that even when you are tall and grown, once in awhile, you will look at me like you do now.

but mostly, i hope that in my life i can give you even just half of what you have already given me. 

i love you finnie. 

picnic

lately...

...we just can't get enough of this sunshiney weather!

....standing is this boy's favorite thing. 

...this little bum melts me. i love to pat it like it's a ball of dough.

...we have been seeing lots of funny face finn!

...getting this boy out of his crib after nap time may just be the most fun i have ever had.

they're havin' a baby and it's a....

sara mary was the first friend i ever made in sacramento.  and because of her, i found a real profession, i made other friends and then, i met ryan.  so i always like to say that sara is responsible for my sacramento life.  :)   and now, she is having a baby.  a boy to be specific! 

i was so excited to take these pictures, because i mean, really, could there be a prettier pregnant lady?  or a more photogenic couple?  i don't think so. 

and i may have overdid the black and white...but i love how without color, there is less distraction and the bump becomes the natural and raw focus...  there is really nothing more womanly or beautiful than a bare, swollen baby belly - in my book anyway.

we can't wait to meet rocky!