bliss

Don't you want to be two and live the summer at your cottage? What could be better???

Whew! Another busy week! We went to our neighbor's camp on White Lake in the Adirondack's on Tuesday... gorgeous day, gorgeous scenery... and a fun, fun boat ride. "Captain Jack" got his turn at the wheel, as did Addie. Makes me REALLY want to have a summer get-a-way place...

I helped my friend Angel celebrate her **25th*** (ha, ha) birthday on Wednesday night. It was fun to have a girl's night out. Angel and her husband invited us to to join them in Mexico next winter... YEA, YEA, YEA... we booked our tickets tonight. It's official... we're going to Cabo! Yea! Can't wait!

Today we hooked up the slip and slide and our friends from down the road came over for some wet, cool fun. Addie showed them all of her dangerous tricks... but the kids had a ball!

We're anxiously awaiting the news on the arrival of Q and CRs baby girl... Christi had an ultrasound this week and the baby is measuring a little ahead of schedule and already 8lbs! Can't wait to meet her!

Enjoy the Labor Day weekend. We don't have plans as of now... but it's supposed to be a lovely weekend.

Life.

We had a busy day today.

It started by me blowing off the gym, yet again!

Then, we were late for a playdate at the park... not that it's a big deal, but we WERE the last ones to arrive. It was such a fun playdate... I've mentioned before that when Addie was little I met a fanTABulous group of mommies and we've shared so much over the past few years; breastfeeding stories, potty training techniques, food issues, tantrum stories, bedtime ordeals, pregnancy woes, baby products/brands, second babies, some third babies... some mommies have moved away, but today Vickie, Lena and new baby Ayla visited! It was a reunion and it was fun. The kids played so nicely together... just mingling amongst themselves and having a fun time. I actually got to chat with some of my friends while my kids played. It was NICE!

Home for naps, and then I was off to a session with F.I.V.E. kids.. have I said that before??? Wow! What a family! It was fun and exhausting! I am crossing my fingers that there are some good pictures downloading as we speak. More on that later.

Home again and now it's time for bed!

Addie has been interested in the camera lately and she wanted to make "funny faces" today when I took her picture... this is what I got!

Look who is in town for a playdate visit.

It is our old friend, Vickie, with Lena and new baby Ayla in tow.

I'm so happy to see them and we're looking forward to a playdate reunion tomorrow at the park! We were able to sneak in a quick session with Vickie and her adorable girls... Lena is so grown up, it makes me sad... we all met when our first babies were just little ones of about 4-6mo old... now they are getting ready to turn 4 this year... and we're all on our second children (some have three). Time does go so fast!

Another photo session tomorrow with 5, yes, count them.... F.I.V.E. children... we'll see how that goes!!!

Going to bed... need sleep!

busy week, quick week, funny weather week...

crazy week!!!

We started the week in the 60s wearing long pants and shirts (and jackets, too) and ended the week with another late summer day with heat, sunshine and humidity. I will NOT complain about the weather today... I know what is ahead in a few short months.

We had a busy week! We travelled to Ithaca to a fun, fun museum (http://sciencenter.org/) with our friends on Tuesday. The kids had a ball going from exhibit to exhibit. Jack's favorite was the water table and Addie loved the recycling/craft area... with a closet FULL of "things" to make projects --- egg containers, yogurt containers, scraps of paper, yarns, buttons, etc... fully loaded with tape, glue, scissors and staplers! She could have stayed there all day. We stopped for ice cream on the way home and then the kids promptly fell asleep about 10 minutes after we started the trek home. It was a fun day.

Some other friends invited us to swim on Thursday... despite the COLD water in the pool (which, of course, only seemed to affect the mamas), the kids had a ball! Swimming, sand time, playground, picnic lunch, blow pops and having lots of fun was the name of the game. Once again, the kids fell asleep in the car on the way home (and this was only a 15 min drive)... killed the afternoon naps, but they went to bed early.

I had a session scheduled this week and it was rescheduled two times because of this crazy week weather wise.... we FINALLY did it today and boy, did I meet some CUTE girls... the older sister is a Christy Turlington look-alike... gorgeous!! The younger sister reminded me of Addie... full of beans and cute as a button!!!

I AM going to bed now... I've been up too late lately. It's a busy weekend ahead and an EVEN bigger week next week... more sessions, a girl's night out, Dada starts teaching, a playdate with old friends, etc... BUSY!!!

Have a good night!

excitement

big things will be happening this week. I FINALLY got my act together on an offiical website and I will be spending the better part of the week working on it. I am so excited! Also, I'm working on the kid's pictures from last week, and LOVIN' some of them! I hope Mama likes them, too... I can hardly contain my excitement for the ones I like, so here is another teaser... Isn't he too cute. I love the b&w of this, but the color one shows his blue gorgeous eyes. I'll show mama both and let her decide.

Stay tuned.

was that a snowflake I just saw???

Ha, ha! Just kidding! Not a snowflake (yet), but a dramatic difference in temperatures. It's about 60 degrees right now and the sun is hiding behind some thick clouds. I certainly hope it warms up... not ready for summer to be over yet.
What a busy week we had last week. Nanie visited from NC and thouroughly enjoyed the kiddos. Kevin and I took off last weekend for a much-needed trip without the kids.
I'm up to my ears trying to finish those ADORABLE kids from last week's session and will be adding to my workload later this week with a new session. I am losing sleep at night obsessing in my head about a website/hosting/domain name..... ugh! It's too much!!!!!
I hear there is a new Canon coming out this fall. Hello Birthday Present for me!!!!??? Anyone??? Hello??

busy, busy week!

Busy, busy week, I'll say it again. Nanny is here visiting and helping with the kiddos... I had a FUN, FUN session with three active (and gorgeous) kids the other night and I'm having a hard time picking my favorite images. Here are just a few that I like:

Not a good-bye, but see ya later!

I think I've mentioned before that I have a group of friends here who I've known since Addie was a teeny baby. We used to get the kids together for playgroup, which has unfortunately gone to the wayside (busy schedules, extra kids, etc...). We still try to find time for Mama's Night Out... it's a great way for us to unleash, unwind and enjoy adult conversation. We met this past Thursday at a fun restaurant downtown and had a fun time wishing Leana farewell. She is moving to VA this weekend. She will surely be missed!

I've done pictures for Leana a couple of times in the past and she asked if I could snap a few of her two children before shes leaves town. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Beautiful Karina:brother Braden:
LOVE this one of the boy and his toy! Apparently he LOVES this John Deere tractor, which I must admit is pretty cool! After he rode it for awhile, he "parked" it. So cute!I think we all were tired this afternoon, after all the pics... Fortunately, if you're two, you're allowed to just fall asleep in the grass!
We'll miss you guys!

she's not afraid to get her hands dirty.

A good quality, I hope it sticks with her in life...

In the same breath that she said, "gross!" she packed a cup full of dirt and made a "bed" for a worm. She tended to the worm for about half and hour, until it was time to go inside. The worm pooped on her... and all she did was ask me to rinse her hands off with the hose.

A VERY, VERY soapy and bubbly tubby occurred tonight!!!

Love, love this little girl!!!

say cheese

So, I asked Addie if I could take some pictures of her for the new ultra-cool wall ledges (more on those later) we got for our upstairs hallway and she agreed... this is some of what I got from her... CHEEZEEEEE!

She squished a bug on the
hopscotch and she and Jack looked at that thing for about 20 minutes.

I decided to change my name. I am no longer "Mama, Maaaaa-ma, Mam-aaaaaa, or Mommy." I am Yolanda. Addie is Zita, Jack is Marley and Dada is George. We would only like to be addressed by those names. I will not respond to "Mama" for the next 24 hours.

Looking forward to Thursday... another Mama's Night Out (I guess I need to go back to being Mama by then, or else it will be confusing for my friends!). Our friend, Leana, is leaving... moving to VA. You'll see some of her kid's pictures soon... we have a photo shoot scheduled for next week.

What else... it's finally raining... my garden says, "thank you!"

A great day!

Yesterday, Saturday, was just about the perfect day in all regards. The sun was shining, it was hot, but not too hot, the humidity was low, the sky was a gorgeous shade of blue. We accomplished our usual Saturday chores and had time for a cat nap in the sun. Then, we got ready for our street's annual block party. What a fun night! We are so blessed to have found such a great neighborhood. The people who live on this street take such pride in their homes, the village, and the neighborhood. It's a great community of people and friends.
Everyone brings a dish to share and their own lawnchairs, utensils and beverages. The Village allows us to block off the street so the kids have a hayday riding bikes, playing ball and galavanting around the street. Addie, in particular, LOVED it... she must have been so tired from all of her bike riding - with old friends and new. Lovely, lovely evening. It was a chance to catch up with neighbors and meet some new folks who have moved in recently.
A highlight of the evening was when the firetruck made its appearance - the kids were so excited. Jack was speechless.... it was great! The got a hands-on tour of the truck and all of the kids got to "drive" it ( or at least sit in the driver's seat!). Great fun!
By the way... Ruby got to attend this year's party, too... such a good dog! She had fun giving everyone a lick and then chasing the ball that someone would inevitably throw for her. And, bedtime was pushed back to 10pm for Addie... needless to say, she fell fast asleep!

slip and slide

Hot. Hot. Hot. It has been really hot here lately. As I mentioned, we broke out the slip and slide the other day and the kids have been having so much fun with it. Don't report me... but I broke the rules and I put in on the little hill that goes down into our yard - actually, the hose only reaches to that point, so I really had no choice! And, Addie has found some creative ways to go down the slide. Luckily, she lands into the bumpers at the end. Oh, so much fun!!!

Morning coneflower

The coneflower is one of my favorite garden flowers.... something about it makes me happy!
Can't decide if I like it in black and white...

It's been very hot here lately... we broke out the "slip and slide" water toy yesterday. Addie got the hang of it after 30 minutes, Jack wasn't totally thrilled with it. It certainly cooled us off.

I have my book club tonight where we'll be discussing "A Thousand Splendid Suns." Great book and I'm lookin forward to the conversation (and mama time alone!!)
Playing around with photoshop --- here's a "vintage" processing of Jack. He was thrilled to spot an "hairplane" in the sky....

A Celebrity Sighting...

Robin Williams!!!

Actually... just my dad... but, not JUST my dad... a great dad! This guy will do anything for you and is such a great role model. Funny, smart and down-to-earth. Loves his family, especially his 5 grandkids. One of the most hard-working people I know. Thanks, Dad... for coming to NY to drive with me toVince and Val's wedding weekend... thanks... for everything you do!

Ruby

Such a good dog! Such a pretty dog! Look at all the gray she's getting around her face! She has a birthday coming up soon - she'll be 6. Addie is so excited to make a birthday cake for her... don't know if that will really happen or not - perhaps just a big bone!

back in the garden...

It's been awhile since I've spent time with my camera in the garden. There are so many beautiful blooms! Here are a couple of fun ones from the past couple of days...I am so proud of the zinnias... I grew them from seed. Such a happy garden flower... love them!

Today was a busy day. Addie woke up (in her sleeping bag on my floor) feeling much better than yesterday. Not sure if she is 100% yet, but she was ready to go this AM... showered, ate breakfast, etc. I went to work and didn't get a call from the sitter. By the way, check out the gorgeous bouquet I made for a wedding tomorrow: www.backyardgardenflorist.blogspot.com. I hope the bride is happy... it certainly made me smile when I finished it and saw how gorgeous it was! Plus, it has freesia in it, which reminds me of my wedding - love the scent of that flower!

Anyway... tonight we went to our friend's house and Addie got to play with her best friend, Payton. Our sitter came to pick the kids up and Kevin and I got to enjoy a couple of hours of "free time!!!" Adult conversation, adult food (yummy!) and wine. It was nice. Now, I'm up way past my bedtime again, but that' s ok!

Looking forward to a lazy weekend with nothing on the agenda... except schlepping heavy stones ... more on that later!
Enjoy!

All in a day's work...

or however that saying goes... my point is... it was somewhat of a long day today.

I was awakened at 5:00AM by Addie who said she didn't feel well. A dose of Tylenol and back to sleep until 6:30 - then she woke up chipper and "feeling better!" So, we went to the gym this AM and when I picked the kids up at the childcare she was sitting on one of the worker's laps, eyes glazed over. We came home and she fell fast asleep. We were invited to go swimming with our neighbors, which we were all looking forward to doing since it was rather hot today, hence, warm in the house (no A/C). After the disappointment of not going swimming... Addie threw up. Luckily, she didn't have anything in her tummy, but she was miserable. So, Jack took a nap (and dreamed of splashing in the pool), Addie rested while watching Noggin and I worked on pictures. Hot... Hot... Hot. The computer is in the hottest room of the house, which is where Addie wanted to be, too. Maybe I lost a couple of pounds just sweating today.

Addie napped most of the late afternoon, so Jack and I had some time together to play. Finally, around 7pm Addie woke up and asked for food and got up and wanted to sit outside. I gingerly gave her a 1/4 of a peanut butter sandwich and half of a banana... so far, so good... I think she had a quick bug... and we hope it's gone for good!

As we were snuggling earlier (in my bed), Addie declared that she "loved sleeping in Mama and Dada's bed. It's her favorite thing to do!" Thought that was cute.

It's still hot and I'm not sure if she's totally better, so she gets to sleep on our floor (with the window AC) in her sleeping bag. Another "favorite!"

I made good progress on Vince and Val's pictures. Just the day of the wedding to go. Here's one from the rehearsal that I thought was telling (too bad it is a terrible photo technically speaking)... look at the emotion of the flower girls during practice. You would think they were all the brides!!! They look so scared!!!
Good night... I AM going to bed soon (9pm!!!!) .

Getting through the photos

Found this cute one of Lorenzo... not sure what he's thinking here, but he's a cutie.

the grandkids

Oh, what fun we had with our cousins. Hope to see them again soon.

The flower girls

More cute pictures of the cutest flower girls ever!