It is impossible to believe that this little lad of ours is going to celebrate his 3rd birthday in just a few short days. Sometimes it makes me sad that there’s nothing much baby or toddler about him anymore. But as with every stage, I am relishing every minute with him, so proud of how much he has grown, and so very thankful that he hasn’t outgrown kisses and snuggles! In the past year, his imagination ran wild and his vocabulary exploded. He asks intelligent questions and carries on sparkling conversations. He knows the name of every Thomas train and every character in Cars 1&2. But his most amazing, celebrated quote of the whole year was “(Daddy/Mommy) I have to go potty.” Hallelujah, he’s potty trained.

This weekend we are looking forward to enjoying some beautiful spring sunshine, Easter egg hunting and birthday cake baking.  (G has requested lots of sprinkles!) And most importantly, we will be celebrating with grateful hearts the message of Easter, the joy of our Living God. Happy Easter friends & Happy Birthday to our sweet little Graham!
xo.

And just between you and me, the secret to a great shoot with an (almost) 3-year-old boy: A fully-loaded PEZ dispenser. No lies.
P.S. Thanks Grandma, for his snazzy Easter outfit!

This boy of ours is super cool. His 2-year-old life is a crazy roller coaster and our world pretty much revolves around it.  He is a fast-paced, sweet-toothed, wildly emotional little bird who likes to color on walls and say hilarious things.  Right now his hobbies include swiping Christmas ornaments, driving toy cars, and squirting his own toothpaste on his toothbrush.  He is so so busy, and it is tough for even the most svelte photographer to capture him cruising in his native habitat…that is without food smeared on his face.  Which is why I was so tickled when I snapped this one:

xo

Last weekend, for the first time in 10 weeks, we didn’t have a wedding to shoot!  We almost didn’t know what to do with ourselves, until we remembered some unfinished business from our summer bucket list…So we packed up our gear and headed to Frontenac State Park for a little family camping trip.  It was the boy’s first tent-dwelling experience, and despite the chilly weather, he was in complete campfire/stick/and marshmallow heaven.  Although I don’t claim to be a very outdoorsy girl, I do know that s’more making skills are pretty important when it comes to surviving in the wilderness: You MUST warm up your chocolate on the edge of the fire while you toast your marshmallows.  It makes the perfect sort of gooey when you put all they layers together.  Simple joys.
xoxo.

Oh summer, you were over in a jiffy.
I must admit that we’ve spent far too many of these glorious long days either running around like crazy or holed up on our computers. Until, on one exceptionally hot & humid day last week
I came to my senses and decided that’s it.
We’re going to the beach. And the State Fair. All in one day.
And we did. It was bliss.

In addition to our excruciating winters and big blue oxes, here in Minnesota we are also famous for our State Fair. Because there, you can eat any food imaginable, on a stick. Even deep fried butter. Honestly, though, the boys and I skipped the sticks and headed straight for the baby animals, the giant slide, and a pail of Sweet Martha‘s cookies.
Hope your summer’s grand finale was equally sweet.
xo