Seattle: Whilst Downtown

the two of us at Pike Place

She SPOILS him: Nana feeding Max ICECREAM in the RAIN. 

everyone but me!

Max loooooves his aunt Mackenzie! She can always get him to laugh! Is she a beautiful girl or what???

they love eachother.

random ally, cool lighting in the evening.

this is probably my favorie pic from the trip. Max snuggling up to Mackenzie on our way back to the car in the evening. The two of them are precious and the city is a perfect setting for anything!

Seattle: A shower for Whitney and Tagg

The main excuse for our getaway to Seattle was to throw this shower for Whitney and Baby Tagg with my mom. We had so much fun! Thanks to our friends who helped and congrats Whitney on your beautiful baby! We love you both!

the theme: Baby bird/eggs in a nest


We originally talked about making these with those little colored chocolate cadbury eggs that are so conveniently in stores for Easter. However, my mom found these delicious belgian chocolate eggs with the bird charms at a chocolaterie in Telluride. Good find mom! They were perfect.

finished favor

the yummy desserts! cupcakes, cookies, chocolate cake, and "egg" treats- cadbury colored eggs (we picked out the blue, white and yellow ones) and almonds dipped in chocolate and rolled in cocoa. mmmmm. 

eggs in a nest mini cupcakes, baked by a friend, decorated by Mackenzie (my little sis). They are vanilla with cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut shavings for the "nest" and little chocolate crunchy candies for the "eggs." 

Karen Chambers made this insanely delicious chocolate cake with chocolate ganache (sp?) frosting and nuts. We added a nest made out of spun sugar and the eggs were extra chocolates from the favors.  I will be sure to share the cake recipe as soon as I get it~ it was seriously decadent. 

the food- salads, cheeses, stuffed mushrooms (amazing by Nan!), and shrimp skewers  

My mom is amazing at Brie. I looooove it! This is an easy one, it's scraped, covered in honey, nuts, sliced pears, baked, and then covered with raspberries. I'm telling you, mom can do no wrong in the kitchen!

beverages- sparkling blueberry juice (Britt introduced this stuff to me in CA and I am in love with it!) and Jones Soda (berry lemonaide). 

So here's the part where I lost my mind. I took like two random pics of guests,  put the camera down, got the shower going, and didn't take another picture until it was all over! No pics of Whitney, Tagg, the party planners, nada. So presents, nothing. Duh! I did however take a pic of this so far beyond amazing quilt Mari (W's mom) made for Tagg. She also made the most gorgeous couch sized one for my mom  week before! I was totally coveting my moms- it was the most amazing colors, fabrics everything. I literally slept with it every night. 

Then, after the shower was over, Mari pulled out THIS!!!!!!!!

The most fabulous beautiful quilt I have ever seen! Her quilts are art. She pics out fabric that is so amazing, but surprizing. Combinations I would never think of, but that are GORGEOUS! On the back, she made a little Tag with a picture of my mom and Max as a little chub, and below it she wrote, "For Max: a traveling quilt to visit his Nana." I was so excited I could have cried. My mom did cry. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Mari!!!!! We love it and we take it everywhere. Max sleeps with it every night too!

Since I am crazy and didn't take any good pics at the shower, here is a little sneak peak at some of the pics from my session with Whitney and Tagg. Have you ever seen more a more beautiful pair?

Seattle: stair steppin'

While we were in Seattle, Max took full advantage of having free reign over Nana and Grandpa's two flights of stairs going up to the second floor. Unfortunately, their staircases are too wide to accommodate a baby gate, so we always had someone on stair duty.  He was in HEAVEN! Max is a slippery little guy though, he snuck up there a couple times before we caught him! One day he almost started to crawl down another set of stairs into the basement after the door was left open. I saw him about to take the plunge and YELLED his name from across the room and sprinted toward him. He literally was about to put his first hand down the stairs but when he heard me, he sat back up, looked at me and started cracking up. I'm glad he thought it was funny. Little stinker. Here he is on a supervised excursion upstairs with Pops. 

the big climb, supervised by Pops (aka grandpa).

Relishing in his accomplishment. It feels so good to succeed, doesn't it?

Peek-a-boo, Pops!

He's so funny. 

Seattle: we love it here!

Max and I are having so much fun in Seattle! We are a little torn today- so sad that we are leaving tomorrow but so excited to see Danny! Max is having a blast playing with the family and is particularly enjoying Nana's stairs (SCARY). We have had a blast running around downtown and seeing all our friends too! I have also been lucky enough to have two photo sessions while I'm here. Much more to come on our fun trip and Whitney's baby shower!

Today, it was sunny. 

She was wearing this outfit. 

It almost felt like spring. 

Meet little Reese, 

and her brand spankin' new 

baby sister. 

look through my lens.

because sometimes you need a pick me up.

I rented a wide angle lens for the wedding this weekend, and had some fun playing with it the day after. Max happened to be exceptionally comical that day, so enjoy these. 

After a nice afternoon slumber, many babies wake up, stretch and yawn, then proceed to babble and play in their cribs for a few minutes, until they get bored and squeal to let you know they are awake. Not my Max. He wakes up like this. Always. 

COME GET ME IMMEDIATELY- I AM AWAKE!

(by the way, I must strongly suggest clicking on the first two images to see them up close. Way way way funnier. I mean sadder. Because clearly the two hours of rest was traumatic for him.)

and yes, I did torture my child for this picture. but don't worry, I only let him cry for a second. 

You should know that Maxwell has definitely become a curious little fellow. He is interested in everything, he will eat anything off the floor (even if he just ate a full meal in his high chair) he is climbing all over everything, and he is particularly interested in the contents of cabinets and drawers. I was getting him dressed this morning and I was digging through his drawers to find a certain pair of pants. I turned around to see this:

Apparently, he got stuck trying to climb in. After running for the camera, I helped him all the way in. He had a fabulous time finishing the job of throwing all his clothes out of the basket. 



My computer is in the kitchen. I do all my editing in there, because it's where everything goes on in our house. When I am working, I don't like to be left out of what the rest of the family is doing! I almost always feel a little hand poking me (usually on the bum) and turn to see him- holding onto the top of my stool, demanding to be picked up!




I love this silly baby boy, who is 13 MONTHS OLD today! He is a crawling machine, babbles all the time, and is the sweetest, happiest little boy in the world (except after a nap. =). While in CA three weeks ago, he weighed in at 18 lbs 14 oz, but we think he has cunked out since then, as he is doing MUCH better at drinking whole milk. We are done with soy, but he is still nursing. ANYONE OUT THERE HAVE ANY TIPS AS TO HOW I CAN WEAN A LITTLE BOY WHO IS MOST DEFINITELY GOING TO BE A BOOB MAN??? He is obsessed with them. He has now taken to putting his hand down my shirt when he is tired of a little sad. Appauling or hillarious? Sometimes I think both. =) I am having so much fun watching all the funny things he does. Although I am so sad at how quickly he is growing up, I have to admit:

I LOVE having a one year old!

Friday was so insanely gorgeous, and we have so missed the sun. Max and I decided to stroll down to gardener village and soak up some vitamin D. My very favorite baby store, ELSA BELLE, closed! So sad. So we took advantage of an empty front porch. Max had a blast! In fact, he screamed when we had to leave. He crawled all over the place and babbled loudly at anyone who wanted to hear. I can't wait for summer so we can play outside every day!

hey mom. check me out! 

I love this boy and his crazy mess of strawberry blonde hair. Can't bring myself to cut it, don't know if ever I will. 

talkin, talkin, talkin. 

exploring it all.

Dear Danny,

We miss you! We hope you are having fun on your big golf trip with the boys. Don't party too hard without us! But, it's ok. Me and Mister Maxwell are having a fine time, just the two of us. Tonight we ate yummy crepes, ran some errands and cleaned the house. Max took a great nap this afternoon and went down pretty easily tonight too. He was so happy all day, talking and laughing at his crazy mom (as you can see). He keeps saying "dadadada," I think he was waiting for you to come home from work. We can't wait to see you! In the mean time, we are playing with lots of friends and doing really really cool things... much cooler than a boys trip! These silly pictures should tide you over. 

We LOVELOVELOVE you!

Jess and Maxter

rub a dub dub, but not in the tub.

This is Max. Max is very mature for his age. He prefers a lovely shower with his mom or dad over a bubble bath. Max has been showering with his parents ever since they gave him sponge baths in the warm steamy goodness when he first came home from the hospital. Now, he enjoys the post shower activities as much as the shower itself: i.e. pulling open all the drawers and cupboards and finding little treasures (nail polish anyone?). Decided to snap a few of my little naked man this morning.

finding his way out of his towel

the coast is clear!

JACKPOT!!! 

plus, has there ever been a cuter little bum? We think he's going to have a b-donk-a-donk like his mum. Danny even says so. He comes from a long line of bubble-booties. 

dinner at my house

is not always fancy, sometimes takout, or may come out of the freezer. Which is why I have never posted a recipe to date! However, I do cook. I just don't always choose to. =) Anyway, when I do chose to cook, I like it to be good. Really good, and maybe even just a little gourmet (at least I want other people to think its gourmet, and I want it to taste that way!).

This is one of my go-to recipes. Fast, easy, a little bit of wow factor, and now, HEALTHY... sorta. I have been much more conscious of using whole grains since Max started eating real people food. Brown rice, whole wheat pasta, even whole grain eggos- delicious by the way. I'm not perfect at it, but I try to sneak it in where I can. Don't get me wrong. I picked up a loaf of pugliese Italian bread at Albertson's today. So here is my new and improved recipe for

whole wheat crepes

>3/4 c. milk

3/4 c. water

1 c. flour*** I used about 2/3 wheat flour, 1/3 white flour

2 tbs butter, melted 

3 eggs

pinch of salt

*a little vanilla if you want- probably leave it out if you are doing the chicken variation

mix it all up. it's no more complicated than pancakes. I think you're technically supposed to use room temp eggs, cool the melted butter, and let the whole thing sit in the refrigerator for an hour. Guess what? I have done them for years both ways. It doesn't make a lick of difference. The batter is very thin. Pour on a buttered crepe pan if you have one, if not, any flattish non-stick will do ya fine. Tilt the pan from side to side in a circular motion so the batter thinly covers the bottom of the pan. Flip it when light brown. 

Serve with whatever kind of yumminess you have on hand. I use strawberries, bananas, nutella (sinful but delicious), and homemade whipped cream (please do not ruin the yum factor and use cool whip). I love whip cream whipped myself, it's so yummy and you can control the amount of sugar you use. 

I also love this with pesto chicken, veggies, and some cheese- esp. goat cheese! Knock yourself out . Your neighbors will be impressed and you will be licking your fingers!

 

Even Max's girlfriend Heather (who is a bit on the picky side) liked them!

sorry so absent...

I have a lot going on this week! I am getting all my pictures caught up so that I have nothing to do other than focus on the WEDDING I am shooting this weekend!! AHHH! Jessica Kettle, the wedding photographer. Who knew? I am not going to lie, I am nervous. Really nervous. I know it will all turn out well, its just the anticipation of it all and the stress of the big day! Wish me luck! =) Hopefully I will think of something good to blog about soon. =)

sugar, spice, everything nice,

that's what {lily} is made of! Meet my cousin Rachel's new little one. See more here.

a good mom morning

I would just like to start by saying that every morning is not a good mom morning. For me anyway. Lots of times we wake up cranky, eat eggo's (at least whole weat!), don't nap, run errands. Or work. Or haul off to the gym. Lots of mornings are mediocre mom mornings, or once in a while, bad mom mornings. =( Not this one. This was a good mom morning,  the kind of morning that makes it worth it, that "I must be doing something right" kind of morning.

Max woke up happy as can be. We got up and Max had a fantastic time scooting around on his little John Deer and babbling at the top of his lungs. His antics are like nothing else. Mom and Nana (who was on the phone) got a good laugh listening to his squeals. I started making breakfast, and as soon as Max saw the bananas, he let me know he was READY to eat! He ate an entire big bowl full of organic oatmeal, made with organic soy milk, sweetened with half a banana and a couple strawberries. He love it! So did I. I always feel good when he eats a delicious nutritious meal- especially an organic one! After breakfast, we had dancing time.  It's our favorite little activity, and I have been trying to make an effort to do it more often. We dance around like crazy people to great songs, like the classic "good morning" by Gene Kelly, or "I've got rhythm" (also Gene Kelly). Max laughs and smiles as we bounce around the room with our music blasting. The windows are always all open, so I am sure the neighbors think we're nuts. Toward the end of dancing time, Max started to get all tired and snuggley. I love it when he's like that. He decided he wasn't quite ready for a nap however, so we cuddled up, read a book, nursed, and then put him in his crib, where he is still sleeping peacefully. It has been a perfect morning! I wish they could all be like this. 

If anyone is interested, here is our good mom morning playlist:

Good Morning- Debbie Renolds, Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor

Free Little Bird- Lisa Loeb

I got Rhythm- Gene Kelly & MGM Children's Choir

Somewhere Over the Rainbow-  Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

Under the Bamboo Tree- Judy Garland & Margaret O'Brien

the new love of my life

or at least my photography life anyway. I just took the plunge and got the new Nikon D300. I had the hardest time deciding, because as much of an impulse shopper as I am sometimes, it is really hard for me to spend my own hard earned photography cash on a big purchase. But, I am so happy I did! It is almost magic, especially because it was such a big jump from my last camera. I did it so I would be able to offer prints that are REALLY REALLY BIG. Because some people are into that. 

Also, today I had a fun little get together with some of my photographer buddies. Thanks for coming girls! You are all so inspiring and I learn so much from each of you. Sorry it was so nuts in my little house with all our kids. =) We can make a few changes for next time. 

Here is a pic I took of either Lauren or Hallie (sorry chels, I can't tell in this pic!!) just messing around with white balance. It's a little soft, but I actually really like it! Something about that binkie hanging so precariously from her little lips- so sweet. And these girls love their binkies! In case you were wondering, this pic was taken at 2500 ISO, as were the spaghetti pictures!!!! Those Nikon people were on the ball with this one. Love it!

noodle night

Last night, we had spaghetti. The kind I HATE making- hamburger meat (never use it), angel hair pasta (ok, i like that part), and RAGU SAUCE (shudder) purchased by Danny- love you for grocery shopping anyway! But, it's what Danny wanted. So we made it. Maybe he's going through a growth spurt, maybe he has a thing for crappy tomato sauce. HE WENT NUTS, plowing through a whole banana, two big ladels full of meat pieces from the sauce, and then a whole bunch of spaghetti and sauce. Top it off with a sippy cup full of soy milk, and you have one full baby Max tummy. And one veeeeery messy baby Max face....and hands.... and body.... the floor.... (you get the idea).