there was this one time…
Funny that I made this little spread with a pic of Kelly, and she is the one who designed the products.
She’s so sweet, I think we would have been closer if we lived nearby. No idea what she’s up to now.
A few pics of the girls from Thanksgiving at Meridian. 🙂
It FINALLY got cooler in Los Angeles…. but I AM SO EXCITED for the holidays!!!
These numbers/time as well. Just when I think number stamps are not for me, a little color is all I need to change my mind! I really tried to venture away from my normal black ink this month… pretty proud of myself! 
The clocks are really creative. I would never use something like this. Great pics to use it with though. Amazing airbnb in Malibu, me and CHris for his birthday.
I love that my girl is so into DIY! She made this costume herself- inspired by all the fun designs she’s seen online!
Who knew crumpling paper could be so effective! The hardest part was the painting of the skirt and actually finding a red skirt. Thank you Amazon! Otherwise, she knocked this out in a day.
This was Elsie in her LaurDIY popcorn costume. Idk what happened to the image 😦
We just moved after being in our home for 7 years. I cannot believe how much stuff we have accumulated! It was a crazy quick turnaround so near the end, after so many trips to Goodwill, I was so ready to just throw out the leftovers!
Edited: I’m glad to have documented like that. Little snippets and the year. Brings me right back to that time with Els.
Spread from Kira’s travels. Thailand and??? Idk where the little kitties were.
Those Wilderness stamps do not match Thailand at all. Must redo.
a peek at the super cute fun school set, that doesn’t have to be just for school! 🙂
Edited: awww little Els starting Middle School. Walking with Kira and Colette and dad their dads from Spruce. So many playdates and sleepovers. So many changes coming in the next handful of years. I wish I could come and hug you and support you more. I hope you knew we were there for you and love you to pieces.
Funny how Instagram has taken over blogging. At least for me 🙂 I know there’s still a big blogging world out there, I mean, look- this blog is still around, I keep paying for it each month and I rarely post! I got burned out on sharing my family’s personal life but really it’s good to celebrate. I was thinking this morning how many times we get to find reasons to celebrate, not only for the 6 birthdays in this house, but the other milestones, anniversaries, graduations, etc. And to think I’ve gone through it all with HIM. I was scrolling back when this blog first started in 2005 and saw our 7th anniversary post. 
I mean I’m totally dating myself by posting that photo with the filter frame on it! Some things haven’t changed- our love, our desire to grow and adventure, our dedication to our family and the laughs we’ve shared together. Unfortunately even the heartaches this past year that have helped us grow together too. I’m forever grateful for this life he gave me. Never taking anything for granted. Happy anniversary to us ❤
Edited: Promoting from AV to Middle school. I cannot believe our time at AV is over. My Mondays- Fridays being here at 2:45 everyday. Seeing all those parents and kids grow up and then not seeing them until Graduation at SPHS. Made those flower crowns for you and your friends. Bella was fun. I love you so much Els.
We ordered this cake from Kim Ma’s friend, Ann who bakes cakes. This was for Kira’s 21st birthday. I don’t remember tasting the cake but it was so cute 🙂 Peony for our girl 🙂
This spread of dad in AZ and Grand Canyon. THe kids were in Seattle, we were in town for Jake’s wedding but dad was back at the Airbnb sick. The kids and I had an epic discovery to this amazing lake. We thought we were gonna have to hike but we got so lucky, we didn’t have to! We just drove right up and walked along the lake. It was so beautiful! Poor dad, he would have absolutely loved it.
Mexico City pics. Early in the trip. Before Dad got sick.
Els in the slot canyons in AZ or UT? I don’t remember the state line. BUt I remember being so stressed about missing our tour cuz did this place have daylight savings or not? The pamphlet made such a big deal of it. It was so hot. Later we found cool water holes. Beautiful.
The polaroid has been tucked away for many years, taken when Chris and I went to NYC to photograph Jamie Waters’ wedding in upstate NY years ago.
Edited to add- this photo above was taken on the morning of Chris’ bday. We had a rough night with Grampies and Life Alert calling us in the middle of the night. We snuck away to get a coffee to celebrate Chris’ bday. We went back to Meridian and everything went downhill after that. Our last morning with Grampies.
watersix 