weekend adventures // a campfire & a hike.

my spring & summer is about to get real crazy.  i don't have a free weekend in april or may & it's all engagement shoots & weddings from here on out.  last weekend was the last weekend for us to have all to ourselves for quite a while which meant i was itching to do something with it.  unfortunately it was pouring & our choices were limited... so i thought.  then out of nowhere sam proposed lunch & a hike in a nearby state park.  within half an hour we had a lunch packed, friends to meet up with (sam's sister & her husband) & we were on our way to an adventure.

the whole thing was so much fun, even in the mud & rain.  sam & jason managed to get a fire going to roast hot dogs & we ate cookies & donuts & some other snacks.  the only thing we were missing were s'mores, how did we forget the s'mores??  anywho, we put out the fire & headed out on a little hike where sam & i decided we needed to do this a whole lot more.  parker was in heaven finding & counting worms.  we had to push elliot through his nap but he had a blast digging in the dirt & throwing rocks in the bushes.

i'm super excited for this summer, even with all the busy-ness.  these older two are such a blast to take out & about & watch discover the world around them.  have i mentioned i love this stage of toddler/kid-hood?  it's the bees knees.

never a dull moment // lunch time antics.

parker will be four next month & elliot just turned nineteen months.  we've hit an awesome stride.  elliot doesn't talk a whole lot (i'm planning a post on this soon) but he communicates pretty much everything he wants one way or another & is a generally happy little dude these days.  also, almost-four-parker is my favorite parker yet.  way better than three to three & a half parker... those were some rough times, at times (it's like they say, three has NOTHING on two years old).

today at lunch they insisted on sitting by each other.  they watched each other eat & when one drank his milk the other had to do it too.  they would just look at each other & laugh, like it's all part of some silly inside joke.  i love watching these two play together, it makes my heart so freaking happy.  seeing them get along & enjoying each other's company is one of the biggest paydays i've ever received.  sure, there are many times throughout the day where they argue & push & throw punches (boys! seriously!) but more often than not they are building train tracks together, racing cars down the hallway together or having an "animal party" in their room (they love them some stuffed animals).

i remember worrying about how parker would adjust to not being the only child or how i would be able to share my love with more than one baby & it makes me laugh.  i wouldn't want things any other way.
i love these two little goofballs & we're getting pretty dang close to that point in time where i really, really wish i could just find that permanent pause button & make 'em stay this way forever.  before they figure out that i'm not really that cool, before they start to really compare themselves to one another, before it takes more than just drinking your milk at the same time to send you into a full-on belly laugh.

these two make my heart so, so happy.

ps: bonus points if you saw parker's duck lips.  seriously, what is with this kid & the duck lips??  kills me.

pps: this gif is a composite of 55 still frame photos & was created in photoshop... because i know someone will ask ;)

grocery shop, eat, run, repeat.

welcome back from the weekend!  well, a day late i guess but if you're like me monday is just a day spent in a blur, being sad the weekend is over.  so tuesday is where it's at.

we just had your basic lovely little weekend.  errands, a trip to the bookstore, grocery shopping, dinner out, dessert & a long run.  i did eight miles this weekend!  they were slower miles than my seven last weekend & while i was running with super low energy i swore i would lay off the cookies & ice cream this week & get more sleep.  dang you decisions made while running!  (which means i should probably sign off in 3... 2... 1...)

it's starting to get moderately springy around here.  cherry blossoms are in bloom & the sun is (occasionally) out.  while it's still pretty dang cold, it's a start.  my kids literally shrivel up like naked mole rats when the sun gets in their eyes, it's a little sad how they almost have no idea what that bright orb in the sky even is!

did anyone do anything awesome for their kids for st. patrick's day?  my instagram & facebook was all aglow with green eggs & ham, lucky charms, pots of gold & apparently most popular this year was the green leprechaun pee stunt.  guess what we did around here?  we wore green shirts!  boo-yah.  st. patrick's day done.  believe it or not though, parker was pretty excited about it being st. patrick's day & how we got to celebrate by all wearing green shirts... apparently dressing alike is popular with the three year olds.  oh my gawsh i love him & if he could stay this age forever i might allow it.

and while we're on a st. patrick's day note, did anyone see this post going around facebook from huffington post about all the things st. patrick's day related that you think are true but aren't?  blew my mind a little bit.  and you know it's true because it's on the internet, so there.

here are a few snaps from our weekend & happy tuesday!

p.s.: first off, congrats & thanks for making it through this little random photo dump.  now i have to ask, is my comment thing working?  i've had a few people tell me on my facebook page that it wasn't letting them leave comments so that has me wondering what's up w/ the ol' blogger.  if you feel so inclined let me know whether it's working for you here & if not, let me know on facebook.  thanks friends! 

p.p.s: i swear this isn't just a plug to get a few extra comments, i really had a handful of people tell me the comment box wasn't working.  but let's be honest, who doesn't love a friendly hello & notice that you stopped by?  no one i know, that's for dang sure.

run run run! // my love hate relationship.

well, you guys asked for it!  so here it is.  a photo dumpy post all about my second favorite past-time, running (number one is my love affair with my camera, of course!).

gah, running.  i love it, i hate it.  i feel like my greatest joy from running is the sense of accomplishment i feel afterwards which means i like it the most when it's over.  as you can see below, i'm the post-run selfie queen because after a run i feel SO GOOD.  but during?  sometimes it's awful.  sometimes it hurts & i wonder how much longer til it's over.  every now & then i hit my stride a few miles in, the right song comes on & i get that feeling like i could run f.o.r.e.v.e.r... i picture sam & my kiddos cheering for me at the end of a finish line & i run a bit faster.  the "runner's high."  that's the best.

running is addicting because it doesn't take long to see improvement.  you go longer & faster with each run & it becomes super rewarding to see your progress.  but that in itself can be dangerous because then each run has pressure to be better than the last & you're not just running anymore to run.

right now i'm training for my second half marathon.  i'm using a training plan by hal higdon & trying to run this one under two hours (13 nine minute miles) but no big deal if i don't.  i love the structure that comes with training for a race because it forces me out the door when i would otherwise probably find a reason not to go.  it's raining, i'm tired, i'm having a good hair day, i already showered, i don't wanna push the stroller... all reasons that keep me from stepping out that door.  oh & of course, it's gonna be hard.  it's always hard.

things that help me on my runs: good music.  a running buddy.  knowing that i can slow down or walk if i need to.  good shoes.  compression tights.  food in my belly.  an empty bladder.  a hat (i hate running with sunglasses & i hate running with the sun in my eyes).  a new route.  energy chews.  a sunny day.  a goal.

and that's that!  seeing all these pictures & writing all this out has made me excited for tomorrow's run.  i'm just doing three miles but i'll have the stroller & getting through any sort of run with those two in front of me is a feat.  i'd love to know how many miles those two have ridden with me!

and i'd love to know about your relationship with running.  why do you or don't you run?  do you genuinely love every mile?  am i the only one that pushes through just for the feeling at the end?  or are there people out there that love every step of each run?  i'm sure they exist but it sure isn't me.  running is work.  each time i run it hurts & it's hard.  but for some weird reason i love it & i've ran too far to quite now.

haircuts // elliot's first & parker's a pro.

so it should be said that i'm attempting to write this post while watching hunger games: catching fire & i'm in the midst of katniss et al eating raw fish & battling flesh-eating monkeys, raining blood, etc.  so hopefully i can make some intelligible sentences... we'll see.

sam came home tonight & i had pork chops thawing in the fridge ready for a lovely little meal for this family.  but it just wasn't one of those cook a nice meal & sit down as a family to eat dinner kinda nights.  it was gorgeous out & we were feeling restless.  do you have those nights?  i had plenty of errands that needed running & it's always easier to do 'em with sam.  item number one?  haircuts for scraggly haired little boys.

i'd been putting off haircuts for these guys for months.  not for a lack of needing 'em though.  elliot has double cowlicks & has always had crazy hair.  it does what it wants.  parker's hair is super fine & straight & makes for a pretty sweet mullet.  despite the need for new 'do's, i was dreading getting them done because my boys are historically pretty resistant to anything hair/head related.

anywho, you can see below that the need was great.  and it went about as smoothly with elliot as we had expected, ie: screaming, crying, red-faced resistance.  but parker was an old pro!  nothing a little distraction with the iPad & a sucker couldn't cure.  obviously it was my job to document it all.

^^were those duck lips?  pretty sure those were duck lips.

also, catching fire just ended & i pretty much hated it.  i really didn't get attached to any of the characters like you do in the book but i guess that's to be expected in the adaptation to screen.  is it weird to love the way the hunger games series makes your heart hurt, though?  it makes me sick to think about a world where all this stuff would happen but at the same time the emotion is so raw & desperate & i can't help but be sucked in.

and last?  i just watched the video for "midnight" by coldplay & there's a greater chance i'll have nightmares about that than hunger games.  weird!

i'd rather be making cookie dough // a random post.

i've had a stick of butter out on my counter acclimating to room temp since sunday while i have an internal battle over whether or not i should make a batch of cookies.  actually let's be honest, it's really not the cookies i'm after but the dough.  cookie dough is my kryptonite.  along with ice cream & brownies & buttery bread & well, about a million other things (don't even get me started on all things peanut butter).  so instead of whipping up cookies, i decided to play with photos & write this blog post.  but what i'm thinking will happen is i will write this blog post & then make the dough.  let's face it, it's inevitable.

the last few days have been good to us.  sunny & spring-like, full of lots of good food & family time.  i ran seven miles on sunday & ate my weight in ice cream... it all evens out.  when the days start getting longer & the sun starts shining a little brighter, it always hits me how much i've missed this.  it's amazing what a little sunshine does for the soul.  this is definitely one of my top four favorite times of year (rivaling fall & summer & the holidays).  i've been getting the boys outside a whole lot more lately & it's been taking slightly fewer layers to do so.  wellll, enough about the weather.

i think i need to take more selfies.  does anyone say that?  i've been shooting a whole lotta pictures of the boys & things i like & what-ever-else-have-you but i haven't been getting in front of the camera much myself.  i used to be waaaay better at getting pictures of me with the boys when i just used my iphone all the time.  a selfie is a lot harder to grab with a dslr!  maybe tomorrow is the day i get out a tripod & a remote & make this happen.  we'll see.

and that's that.  that batch of dough isn't gonna make itself so i better wrap this little diddy up if i wanna get to bed at a reasonable hour.

ps: one of these days i might blog about goals i have for myself... goals with this half marathon, clean eating & getting more sleep to name just a few.  actually, i think a post about my training is up next because i'm suddenly feeling a big wave of motivation towards this race due to a few really good runs recently, whereas before i was totally dreading each run.  i have such a love/hate relationship with running, it's so weird!  sometimes i just want to give it up but we've lasted this long together so i keep on heading out that door each day.  then when it's over i feel amazing & unbeatable & can't wait to do it again.  until the next day when i hate it again & don't wanna go.  am i the only one?

anywho, those cookies.  er, i mean that dough.  peace out!

flashback friday // colorado, last year.

one thing i missed a ton during my blogging hiatus was posting family trip photos.  actually, i didn't really get to pay much attention to them myself because our vacay was during the photog busy season & these bad boys got pushed to the back burner... aka: i just edited all of these yesterday.  so maybe you could say i missed having a life during the busy season?  ohhhh, the life of a wedding photographer.

anywho, i finally got around to going through some photos i shot while we were visiting the denver area last june.  we had gone down for a little reunion with my whole side of the family & then extended our stay a few days to check out the city.  colorado is such a cool state!  so much to do if you're into the outdoors, which we are.  and they have like 300 days of sun or something?  that's insane.  this seattle-ite would possibly shrivel up & die if i was exposed to that much light.  just kidding, but seriously.  i wouldn't know what to do with myself (probably have a life outside my house???)

and i didn't really include any pics of my extended family because that would have extended this post by about three-fold.  so many fun ones of my sisters, mom & dad, uncle & aunt (the ones that are shown below doing the team roping), grandma, nieces & nephews & brothers in law (or is it brother in laws?)  maybe i'll do a separate post... maybe not.  haha.

looking through these photos makes me excited for our next family travels.  we're headed to austin & san antonio next month!  i've never been to texas & i'm pretty dang excited to see if everything really is bigger there.  i wanna eat me a big ol' steak & see some cowboys.  it just feels like what should be done.