a simple wooden duck.

that's all she wanted from the downtown ann arbor art fair.

"peyton and beckham, you each may choose one thing to buy!"

1 minute into the search for the perfect artsy fairish-you can't-get-it-just-anywhere-treasure...she spots this...

i actually try to get her to change her mind. cute as it is, i thought it was for a younger child, not my big girl. i asked her if she was sure because if not, we could walk around a bit longer and come back. i mean, seriously what the hell did i really care. i want her to make her own decisions, feel confident and secure when she does. SHUT UP MOMMY was looping around in my brain, so i did. the old man behind the counter graciously carved her name into the little wooden duck.

from that moment on...she let the duck follow her around...FOR DAYS!

i know this story about my baby girl and her wooden duck isn't the most riveting, but it is worth mentioning that i have found that i love that little wooden duck, with its old time charm of a simple, well-made, toy. one that she loves and i know will find a home on her dresser for years to come because it is engraved and i just love that she made her choice even when her mama was nudging her away. i love it when she makes a choice, sticks with it, and doesn't look back. i envy that. i lack that quality. i truly agonize for days/months/weeks on any given decision-making process. it sucks.

i learn from her everyday.

on the photography front...look at this little guy and his mama...sandra, my sister's bff. i love his little mohawk. i had such a great time photographing him and listening to his mama tell the most hilarious stories about life and babyhood and...oh my gosh, i about fell off of her couch ten times.

daddy came home just in time to nibble on the little one...

love the peace shirt with the rocco's mean guy look!

i have so much more to share and i am crossing my fingers that i will make time to do it. the good news is i am completely booked up for the holiday shoots in michigan. i am excited to start working on all stuff having to do with christmas. hello...christmas mailers!!!!

girlfriend loves a good christmas mailer...yes, it's designed. now we just need the pics. and a little birdy called me last night and said, "i'm at target. guess what they have here?!" okay, seriously i tried to guess.:)

NOT ONLY IS TARGET NOW CARRYING PUMPKINS...they also have a christmas aisle complete with big red, velvet bows, and the joyful penguins---all lit up! made me so happy!!!!

xoxo

now booking holiday sessions in michigan

lots of people want pictures...which is good because i like taking pictures!

i have been receiving emails and calls about a possible holiday shoot in michigan when i am scheduled to be back in michigan in october, so i came up with a little bundle of holiday lovin'!

YES! we're goin' back...AGAIN! i can't stay away in the fall.

we are lucky that we have been able to book this fall trip home most years. simply, i want to visit the apple orchards, make huge leave piles, and drink warm apple cider!

and i had to add this photo from a tea party without honey this time. notice, peyton is so over it.

beckham, on the other hand, is all for it. even asking me for more snacks and some napkins.

i will miss this one day. i know that one day beckham will be way to cool for a tea party...i'm sure peyton will be too.

i just have to tell my future peyton and beckham's future cool selves

(because i do write this for them) that i love this.

i love that we have tea parties. a chance for me to pull out the hot pink with white polka-dotted table cloth once more (the same one we used for peyton's first birthday), search the pantry cupboard frantically for crumpets which, truth be told we never have because lord knows, i don't really know what they are so we suffice with graham crackers, goldfish, and grapes.

i love hearing the conversations between the two. they are sweet. so sweet. makes you want to cry sweet.

i love this time in my life.

*

thank you peyton and becks.

mama loves you so much.

the beach.

what a wonderful weekend we had!! we were invited to the beach and promised steaks on the grill, new friends, a beautiful naples sunset, and fishing with daddy.

i kind of wanted to stay home, relax. i wished for rain...a dark sky, heavy wind. not hurricane wind, but the kind that lets you know it's a little different outside. a good time to stay in the house, light some candles, and hit the eject button on your dvd player and play a favorite.

how i love me a good lightening and rain storm. the perfect atmosphere for making something. a pot of soup or homemade baked good in the oven. sometimes, i just opt for some oreos and my computer or an us weekly mag...it's all good though.

no resting this weekend though. we filled it up with stuff to do. memories we are a makin'! i LOVE being home again. how i have missed my mattress, my dishes, my beat up kitchen table, my couch, my pool,...

i just want to stay here for three months straight...not leave the city. fall is near, christmas is around the corner,...so much fun in store for all of us. i ADORE this time of year. peace falls over me. i think it is because this is the time of year that i make promises to myself to get things done. to better my home, myself, my babies, our lives.

i admit, i'm not an outdoorsy kinda a girl. i kind of always wanted to be that cool chick that would bait her own hook, pop open a beer, and sit on a bucket and wait for a tug...but i would never rip a worm apart, and if i did i would run to the ocean and throw up and then disinfect my hands, and pretty much my night would go down hill from there. no, i'm not a cool outdoorsy chick, but i'm pretty sure peyton is on her way. she loves anything to do with being outside and will jump at the chance to go fishing with daddy and becks. i love her passion for these things as it is something i never really enjoyed as a child even when my grandpa would take us girls to the detroit river at 4 am to go fishing. so proud of her. (okay, not so happy she's afraid of going to hip-hop class tomorrow. "i'm shy when i dance, mommy." we're workin' on that one!!

we did enjoy the most beautiful sunset. paradise is where we live.

the following day...i turned 33 and a certain hubby and his accomplice planned a beach surprise complete with good friends and cake at isle of capri...

thank you. i love you both lots and lots.

my babies made me a birthday sand cake complete with a beach pencil candle!!!

my gift from brett!!!

cris, kelle's mom. love this woman. amazing lady. i know where the cryder girls get it from. xoxo

julie and rebecca!! julie's having twins in february!!!

this just made me laugh.

does anyone see something hilarious in this pic?? i was taking a photo of a beautiful rainbow...and someone was snapping away at me. lol. didn't know until i saw the pic today!

i know there are lots of pics, but i have a hard time choosing and some just make me laugh, and i'm pretty sure my future self will find it funny when i look back as well!!!

my birthday was so fun and of course, ioc is like home to me now. i love it. it is tradition. it is the place we go to to unwind, slurp up frozen concoctions, laugh, tell stories, share, connect. it's the place that seeing a nakey baby run by with a bucket of sand is the norm. expected. where our kids play with other kids. i just love that place. i hope everyone has their own little 'isle of capri'. it's the bomb!!! (doe)

thank you for your birthday wishes. i loved hearing from so many people. i'm so touched!!!

xoxoxoxoxo

honey bear, baby kate, and baby brother goes to school

it all started with a tea party. an innocent, playful, fun, and yummy thing we do from time to time when both peyton and beckham ask in their sweet, soft , and young voices, "mommy, can we have a tea party?!"

i said, "yes!" i knew i didn't have the time. i had photos, hundreds of them, in my que so to speak awaiting their turn in photoshop. my mind was trying to sort out the day, remembering at least 4 other things i had to get done.

"actually peyton, how about i set you up with a really cool tea party with real cookies and warm water AND honey! mommy, has lots of work to finish, but i will sit in here with you."

i had 'em at honey.

i set out the tray, the warm pot of water, a dish of goldfish and teddy grahams, a checker napkin that doubles as a tablecloth, and few plush babies and a dog for becks! just when i thought to myself that i was actually still a pretty cool mom and the kids must feel so lucky to have the tea-party-hook-up-mom...they asked for the honey bear. many promises to only have 3 teaspoons each and to keep it at the table...i sat down to work. guilt, a faint memory. after all, i let them have the honey bear.

looks innocent enough, right?

i knew what she was going to say the moment i looked at her guilt ridden face and ready to run at any moment postion. i'm sure my face turned 4 different hues of pale before finally settling on white as a ghost. it's not pretty, but i'm pretty sure i could have sold it to sherwin william's with the exact match.
i preceded to follow the trail. of. honey. throughout. my. in-laws. home.

...up the stairs
...down the long hall
...on my bed
...on two throw rugs
...on the glider...which i sat on to SOB when reality actually hit me at least 1-2 minutes after the intial shock of it all. yes, my butt cheeks were stuck together when a friend called, where i continued to sob while listening to her laugh and try to make me feel better.

i never raised my voice. i was defeated, betrayed, and a little dramtic...obviously. i only sent both kids to bed where i heard peyton crying because she didn't want me to be mad. later, when asked why she did it and between sobs, " well, me and beckham wanted to make a trail for you so you could follow it and find us mommy!" bless her little heart.

jeff's response to that, "couldn't you have used ripped paper?!"
kelle's resonse to that, "dude, haven't you read your kids hansel and frinken gretel? hello...breadcrumbs!!!!" still laughing at that one.

moving onto baby kate. beautiful miracle baby sent from above and into the lives of my friends tina and al. they waited a long time...she was worth the wait. she is perfect. she smells good. she's phenomenal.

she was my first newborn photoshoot. it was a wonderful learning experience, and although baby kate had a tummy ache, we managed to snap some angel baby photos...

tina...congratulations on your beautiful baby girl.

and the biggest news in our home this week...

baby brother beckham started pre-school. it went well the first day. he didn't even look up at us as he waved goodbye. peyton helped her little brother in the playground area. mama bear on the other hand was a COMPLETE mess. i cried...hard as i watched my little boy walk into his classroom...single file. what a big boy he is and we are so proud of him. he will go to school for six hours a week...not so much, but it seems like a lot to me.

his second day of school didn't go as well as the first, as i was told he cried for me for an hour. when jeff picked him up, his lip quivered and tears streaked his tear stained face. with eyes red from crying, he looked up at jeff and said, "daddy, you left me. you dropped me off. you didn't come and get me."

ripped. my. heart. out.

he said the same to me when he clung to me for dear life telling me he didn't want to go back. so, we will try two more times. if he still doesn't like it...he doesn't have to go back.

i'm kinda hoping he doesn't want to go.

with all that said, we sure did have fun getting him ready for school (back when he wanted to go). we laid out clothes, read books about pre-school, shopped for new clothes...

and a few things i feel grateful to have in my life...

this girl who makes me laugh...so much.

how much beckham adores his gido!

the excitement i hear from peyton and becks over a simple game of dominos!

peyton's desire to cook, chop, create in the kitchen!!!

today...33...me.

excited for the future...truly excited.

but later today i will toast my new year with a coctail and my family and friends.

i'm so fortunate. i'm sitting here typing late at night, watching entertainment tonight, and all is well. my family is sleeping soundly, safe from outside worries.

and...happy birthday to my look-a-like, heather!!!!

peyton and beckham miss you and reminded me today that you are coming to visit them soon!!!

no pressure...;0

we love you and hope you have the fabulous and fun day that you deserve!!!

g'night!