Ahhhhhh.....summer evenings

London's finding her 'inner peace' (I wish she'd keep it for a while).

Nothing spells fun like explosives and small children

I really enjoy the fourth of July; I like the heat, I like the food, and I even like the fireworks (as long as they are a good distance from me), but most of all I love getting together with everyone and celebrating!






Noble really enjoyed all the explosions this year, London was slightly less enthused. She said the fireworks were hurting her ears, and her feelings.

Needing a little dose of pretty

For one reason or another, I (like most aesthetically minded women), like my environment to be pretty, for lack of a better word. And one of the quickest ways I have found to transform a completely cluttered, uninviting space, into a happy and inviting one, is by adding flowers. I love flowers. I love the way they smell, I love the way they look, and I love the way they brighten any space they occupy and even give it a 'magazine room' vibe. However, we (or I should say I) am trying to be more intentional in how I spend money, even in small amounts (the flowers I typically come home with are from the $1.99 bucket at Dillons). So, yesterday, when I was needing a pretty pick me up (and I was not about to clean for the 1 millionth time to achieve it), I picked through our flowering bushes outside and came back in with a beautiful (and free!) flower arrangement. And it really did brighten my day (and my living room!).



And while I'm on the beautifying/accessorizing your home kick, I thought I'd share another fun way to add some pretty that is also meaningful and free! I know that all of us with small children love to display their artwork around our homes (whether it be on the fridge, in a studio worthy frame, or stuck with tape to any surface your toddler deems worthy. But what about their 'collections'? Now this could be a stretch depending on what they like to collect (toys from happy meals could be a challenge), but it can also help to get your creative juices flowing. London has a rock collection she adds to pretty much every time we go outside. This collection has been helped along by her GG dad, who gave her some oh-so-cool rocks a geologist friend had collected. The problem is her beloved collection had been stashed in an old wipes container that was nestled safely in the the back of her closet, which meant no one, especially London, was enjoying her amazing assortment of rocks.



Viola!!! A few rocks, a pretty glass canister (that we used to store Noble's baby formula on the counter) and you have a collection that adds some fun, pretty, and meaning (especially to London), to our living room. She loves to look inside, point out her favorites and add to it whenever she finds a cool (aka completely ordinary rock form neighborhood park) new specimen.

What does it mean when your 3 1/2 yr. old is cooler than you?

Lily

I had the privilege of taking some newborn pictures of my friend Tiffany's precious baby girl, Lily Kate. After trying to take pictures of my own two children, who never really stop moving, snapping some pics of this precious sleeping baby was really quite a treat.