photo shoots? who? me? & and a little r&r!

mostly, we just hang out, enjoy the soft, green grass here, the cooler days (cooler than naples), family dinners, friends! it's summer time and it's so beautiful here. i wish i could bottle it up and send the cool nights to each and everyone of you...for a little break from the intense heat. hoping to make this a monster post...get lots in, so here goes...

while we are enjoying our time here, there is so much i miss about home. i think i miss sundays at the beach the most. coming off of a busy sunday with errands and obligations, i would love nothing more than spending a lazy sunday afternoon with a cold beer or frosty lemonade, a few kids safely snapped into their life jackets, a magazine, the breeze, friends, and just us being a family together, at the beach. no, i don't take those days for granted one bit. i squeeze every bit out of them.

with little pangs of home sickness setting in, it helps that we have been doing so many wonderful things and have so much more to look forward to this summer, i want to be home and here all at the same time.

i am loving that we have the opportunity to be here in the summer and with my beloved camera almost glued to my eye, i document so much of it. i have so much i want to share but not a lotta time or energy to get it all done before my eyes grow heavy and i'm whisked off into a decadent slumber. yes, i do love me some sleep!!!!

a few weeks ago, jeff and i took a little trip up north to this cool place, chrystal mountain-a resort and wellness spa. i felt very hollywood-ish, city girl going to the country, going to really cool workout sessions each morning and trying to eat a little healthier. very fun and relaxing and i did get to luxuriate at the spa one afternoon... even though i read the prices wrong and spent a little too much...much to my surprise AFTER receiving the treatments, i pulled out my credit card all the while keeping a straight, i'm-cool-i spend-this-much-every-weekend-hollywoodish-rock star,face-i walked back to the villa wondering how i would explain myself and immediately called a friend who instantly made me feel better, like only a good gal pal would do at a time like this. "heidi, i've done it before!" "it's okay, in the end, you deserved it anyway." "you work so hard..." by the end of the call i was ready to book myself another round at the spa-lol! thanks kell!

here's a peek at the spa...it was so beautiful!

would've taken more, but i didn't want to get thrown out of the place:)

my summer jenn!

and then we acted like kids the rest of the weekend...

jeff even did the moonwalk all night as a tribute to MJ.

we flashed peace signs all night because i guess we think it's really fun at the time...i'm not quite sure exactly!

and after mommy & daddy had some fun...the kids did too! we had a great play date the other day. i'm talkin' BIG waterslides, a pinata, food, and a kid-sized house to boot. i love watching our kids enjoy their summers together...

and finally, i did a few mini-shoots while up north. i had such a GREAT time doing them and i learned so much too!. posting these made me nervous, but i'm just going to jump in head first, because i think that's the only way to do something new...if your freaked out, a tad unsure, riding a huge learning curve wave of technology and excited all at the same time!!! here are a few that i took from each shoot...

beautiful caterina, her mom, and beautiful babies were so fun and so easy. it was hot and humid, but the kids just kept going and going! i love how fun the photos turned out. they really reflect how much fun we were having...

took this little guy a little time to warm up to the camera, but when he did, his smile was so genuine and precious.

this sweet girl was up for anything.

she is darling and shares a special bond with her grandma too,

which i love to see!

beautiful and wonderful mama, caterina.

next was taylor... love this girl. she is an amazing person...AMAZING! as well as beautiful, she is funny and i loved taking these photos of her. she was a trooper...about ten minutes into the shoot, it started pouring down rain. she didn't care, we just kept on going. we had a blast. the girl can not take a bad photo, but here are a few of my faves...

another gorgeous family- and funny and witty and all good things that come to mind...

in love with caity-bug!

equally sweet...big bro cam!

well, this may well be the longest post ever!!!

thank you all for the texts and calls regarding my gram. love you people lots.

xoxo