snapshots.

morning bedhead:

 

pulling up/standing/climbing/crawling/getting ready for walking:

 lunch:

 

 
hamming it up for mom:

 feeding the doggies her snacks:

being the coolest.

warmth.

the sun came out today.

we spent it wearing sunglasses and sunscreen
at the park, barefoot on the sidewalk, on a blanket on the front lawn.

ev crawled through the dead, prickly grass and examined the cracks on the pavement.

we went down the slide and back and forth on the swings
we ate cupcakes at the park with sticky hands.

the afternoon found us covered in dirt and sunshine and sweat.

it occurred to me to snap a few pictures of mr. sun as he made his final decent towards the west.
this day was good for my soul.

wednesday sunshine.

i love spending my days with this little lover. usually we start out with bowls of yogurt on the living room rug and book-reading in footy pajamas. i love sharing lunch in the afternoon and heading out for errands or a walk, if the weather is nice. she babbles and talks to me all day long, barking and laughing and saying "mama!" and "dadda!" and "okay!" and "hi!". we sing along to pandora and shake our shoulders and she gives me kisses on the lips even when i don't ask for them.

she is my sunshine on a gloomy day like today.

have you seen

this?

yesterday afternoon.

yesterday afternoon, when i opened my kitchen door to go put a load of laundry in (our laundry room is downstairs) i was greeted with the most glorious and unexpected burst of warm spring sunshine. it had arrived completely out of nowhere, and it warmed my soul from the inside out, that sunshine did.

after the clothes were spinning and the chores were finished evie and i decided to spend the rest of the afternoon outside. we harnessed the dogs and threw on some jackets and headed off for some adventure. i decided to snap some pictures along the way, because i love where we live & i know we won't live here forever.

last week, my friend lindsay and i were talking about how much she is loving the neighborhood she just moved to with her family and she told me she loves going for walks now without running into huge cracks in the sidewalk (her neighborhood is new). so linds, i took all these pictures for you! i mean, i really wouldn't know what that's like!

 this house. spooky. riiiggght??

 we made a pit-stop at the neighborhood library. can you see the pups through the window?

on our way home mr. toby decided he'd had enough. he planted his little paws and sat his little bum down and refused to budge. we'd tackled many blocks and a few hills, and yes, okay, my calves were hurting too, but c'mon toby! what a wuss.

  he spent the rest of the walk in the stroller. it wasn't a proud moment for him.

this house. i love.

when we finally made it home, we collapsed on the lawn and shared a bowl of berries on a blanket with our friends until it was time start dinner.

it was a great afternoon. i hope my old pal, mr. sun, decides to come again soon!

from me to you.

dear evie,

did you know you are thirteen months old? did you know you are no longer a baby or an infant, but now a real live ONE YEAR OLD. how did this happen, i ask? i am determined to figure it out.

these days you are just more of everything you have always been. you are more silly, more fun. you are more dramatic and you give me heartbreaking tears when i take something away from you that you aren't allowed to have. you are smarter and quicker. you scurry your little booty all around the house leaving messes and mischief in your wake. you are more animated, more tender. you give me spontaneous kisses on the lips periodically throughout the day, as if its the most normal thing in the world. you are more fearless and more independent. i could write for hours about your independence. how it breaks my heart to let you do everything on your own.

this morning we ate breakfast in the living room, bathed in warm sunshine. we sat on the rug together, you and i, and shared a piece of banana bread. usually you don't let me feed you anything (unless it is a piece of my chocolate brownie) but this morning you were feeling more generous, so instead of devouring the entire piece with your pudgy little hands, you let me feed you bites, one at a time. i couldn't help but laugh as your little mouth opened with anticipation each time i broke off a piece of bread. into your mouth my offering would go and then you would scurry back to your spot on the floor to check on your toys, your dolls, your books-still where you'd left them. once you'd seen it all, back to me you would come. mouth open wide, long hair sticking straight up, soft cotton pajamas covered in tiny pink buds.

it has been so long since you let me feed you. i couldn't help but remember how it used to be. me, holding both your hands in one of mine as i fed you spoonfuls of mushed avocado. you, wide-eyed and curious, taking in the flavors and textures for the very first time.

now, you eat lasagna and sandwiches and graham crackers with nutella. now we take you out to lunch with us and order you a little side of macaroni all for yourself. now, you feed yourself the yogurt-only allowing me to dip the spoon in the bowl before i give it back to you and let you try to do it yourself. you'll have it no other way.

i've lamented over your independence before, with my own mom, and she always tells me the same thing- "you were exactly the same way". and of course, she is right. i can still remember it. tiny little me, standing in the bathroom on a stool, with a brush and a comb and a little tin full of clips. me, doing my own hair and choosing my own clothes and climbing onto the counter to make my own sandwich and dreaming, always, of growing up.

i have always known this about myself. i am very independent. but never before did i consider my sweet mom. i wish i had given her more time. i wish i would have let her make my sandwich and choose my outfit and do my hair passed the age of three. i wish i wouldn't have been in such a hurry to grow up.

i wish i would have known that growing up is totally overrated.

trust me on this!

i'm blogging.

question. what do you get when you combine one mom + one dad + two ear infections + a husband who works 12 hour days + a husband who is a grad student + a new church calling for the wife + no computer + no way to upload any pictures + a really busy, mischievous, hilarious little baby?

answer. no posts on the blog. that's what.

despite the fact that life on my blog has come to a stand still, my real life has done nothing of the sort. these last few weeks have been busy and crazy and wonderful and fun and hopefully this is the end of my blogging slump. i mean, i've really missed these stupid posts!

here are a few snapshots of our life lately. happy friday & happy weekend. we are still alive ;)

ps. i wore these pants today. the brightest ones thus far (i am really overdoing it with the whole colored denim trend, you should know). i really loved all the weird looks i got while i was walking around downtown and stopping for a slice of pizza and groceries at harmons. evie was a little bit embarrassed, but there's just nothing like hot pink pants on a dreary day is what i always say.