Nostalgia.

A few months ago June had been pretty grumpy and I was running out of ideas to keep her occupied. I tied an apron on her and told her I needed her help to wash dishes. We did all of them together, and it took forever but she stuck with me. Soapy bubbles are magic for this girl. It warmed my heart. And not just because she looks so tiny in my apron but because I had seen this somewhere before.

My mother did the same thing with me. And I remember it. I remember feeling like I was SUCH a big help as I covered dishes in bubbles. The more the better, right? We would sing songs the entire time and to this day it's one of my favorite memories. We did it often but we only have one photo of it. I'm so grateful for this photo. It speaks so well to the reasons why I love photography so much. These little things in life will someday be the big things and I want to remember them all.

She may look like her Father but she still has a little of me in her.
And I love that.

the babes.

My babies are funny.

That's all.

turn that frown upside down.

I was having a hard day.
So naturally I turned to cupcakes.

Owen Planking.

We also got ice cream. June pretended to feed me and then would fake me out.

 She thinks she's pretty hilarious.

The Mother's Day photo I wanted, just a few days late. :-)

Mother's Day 2013

Mother's Day meant so much to me this year. I was so aware of the love that my family feels for me and how lucky I am to be a mother at all. What's more is I'm able to do it with such an incredible man.

We went down to my favorite beach and I savored every snuggle.

And every kiss.

I can't believe how much this boy has grown! 

And my baby, who isn't really a baby anymore.

A husband who makes living in this GORGEOUS place a reality.

Sharing finds on the beach.

Monkey on Dad's back.

She's such a climber these days!

So grateful for the Mothers in my life. My own mother, my Mother in Law, my friends and even those who are yet to be mothers. I love you all and are thankful for your presence in my life.

Happy Mother's Day Everyone!

Swings make a comeback.

After almost 2 years our favorite park finally put the swings back up! 

Owen was so excited to see them that he totally booked it to the nearest one. 

June has never been much into swings. I finally got her to ride one but only if she was sitting in my lap. Instead she headed right for the sand and dirt.

We spent a few minutes watching the ferries go back and forth from Managaha (a small neighboring island).

And June refused to look at the camera about I wiped her nose. 

The End.

regaining my cool factor.

 Pregnancy has slowed me down a little and the poor kids have been so bored. I needed to do something to regain my cool factor so I packed up the bikes and took them on an afternoon to the park.

Owen is really fast on his bike and could definitely move up to a training wheels bike but for now he is happy being faster than his sister on a pink bike. June can finally reach the pedals but just barely. I ended up tying my scarf to her bike and just pulling her. She had a blast. 

This girl is so observant. She's always looking around and telling me what she sees.

I so needed to see these smiles after such a rough week.

of course, elle-pant the elephant came too.

sudsy bugsy.

this girl hates baths. hates them. loathes them.

but put her in a tub outside in the yard and she is in heaven.

that counts, right?

picnic magic.

It was sunny, the humidity was down and we needed a change of scenery. Our solution? A picnic at the park. Simple enough of an idea but it was heaven. We found a nice shady spot on top of a hill and under a tree and let them wind fly gloriously through our hair. We stuffed ourselves full of PB & J, bananas and tortilla chips and I loved every moment of it.

And then we went home. And the kids wouldn't nap. And the magic was over. 

But we still had our picnic. 

Not every moment of everyday is amazing but this moment was. 

And it carried me through every tantrum for the rest of the day.

A few of my favorites.

Just a few favorites from practicing with my SLR. 

I'm not claiming to be a professional by any means but I think I am improving little by little.