palm springs, spring break

we wanted to go on a little getaway while the kids were on spring break. we looked at the local weather and chose palm springs because it was the warmest temperature wise than the rest 🙂 i had shot a wedding there just a year ago during the same time and thought the hotels were rather pleasant! and then we shot a wedding at the viceroy in santa monica and remembered there was one in palm springs as well! score!

happy the bigs carved out some family time from their busy social lives 🙂

our bookworm relaxes:

hotel room card:

stunning!

my love for stripes appeared all over the hotel 🙂

mandarin season makes us very happy:

eating out usually makes me very happy but i got homesick for my own kitchen on this trip. weird!

i am aware that time together is so refreshing and rewarding. and that our time together as a whole family is slowly coming to an end as the big kids get older. already now, every weekend the big kids are scarcely around as their social lives expand. i want to keep these little getaways in my heart as it's focused time where we are in each other's faces 24 hours a day. it seems like it was just yesterday when i was a mother with 3 under five. when my days seemed so long and i couldn't fill them with enough activities. now we are trying to please all 4 who are sooo entirely different.. trying to keep their attention for a bit longer before they are off on their own little getaways.

my crew. spring break 2011. xooxoxox

April 13, 2011 6

dreaming of the lake

i'm a bit behind with these pics, but late august, we went to lake arrowhead with some friends. the day was perfect. not too hot and not too chilly. i don't like temperature fluctuations too often. 🙂 as i type this, it's raining. and last week it was 115 degrees. and this weekend it'll be near the 90's. i just don't get it.

my husband shoots all film now. and i'm spoiled by him bringing his camera along and just mooching off his pics. but i did manage to take these little film pics myself! not with a fancy camera like he has but a little film camera called lomo.

and one ala iphone 🙂

ahhh, little spot of heaven just outside of los angeles 🙂

October 6, 2010 2

disney

in december 2006, yes that was the last time we were there as a family:

and a few weekends ago, now in 2010:

i vow never to go to Disneyland again unless it's under 80 degrees. Look at els, doesn't she look miserable? The day was way too hot. I'm not a crowd person so I get overwhelmed quite easily. That and the heat, not a good combo. But my kids had a great time. Of course 🙂

I just want so scream at how much they've grown in less than 5 years! 😦

September 14, 2010 11

shoppy mood

i can't even explain how excited i was to go to renegade!
i love etsy. i love supporting handmade. i love the creativity that oozes out of people. i love that they had some of my favorite etsy stores there- in like real life. 🙂 i was sorta star struck. well mistake number 1 would be: going at 2 pm. mistake number 2 would be: going with 2 children. mistake number 3 would be: going without icy drinks or snacks or some sort of shade for the littlest buddy.

there were so many cute booths and these were the only pics i took. there's something about whiny, sweaty kids that makes me feel guilty about taking pictures and shopping. everytime i entered a booth, i heard: sigggghhhhh. which meant: is looking at this necklace more important than shading your children and finding them something cold to drink?

elsie loves posing with mannequins/life sized little people of all types. that's the only reason she even let me take that picture.

next year i'm coming in the evening.

July 26, 2010 8

summer

i am determined to have a summer filled (or at least a handful, i'll be realistic) of days like this!

trips to the beach with the crew. no agenda. just being together.

so much has changed since this trip- this was early june. now it's mid july and cam has chopped all his hair off. caleb lost a tooth. kira started summer school. we moved. we shot some amazing weddings.

the most change has occurred in the last 6 months with our teenager. it is insane how fast time has gone by with her. makes our heart hurt that time slips by so quickly.

evidence of a good day. elsie's much loved treasures.

my heart is full.

July 13, 2010 8

mornings like this

warm my heart. ❤

at the local coffee shop with 2 of my favorite girls while other favorite girl was next door getting her hair cut.

can you tell i forced myself to take the camera out with me. trying people, trying.

the goods: (all of a sudden hungry for a bagel when i saw this pic)

i look up and it makes me think of new york. ache. want to go back.

best friend/sister in law in town for a week. lots of coffee, tea, cupcakes and long chats. love her dearly.

she who finished getting her hair trimmed. lovely.

'twas a good morning. 🙂 and even better afternoon. will post again soon.

April 22, 2010 8

my people

late night supper at the local diner. elsie was about to lose it so i whipped out the camera and let her go to town. i love all these pictures she captured of my people.

and the photographer herself! made very happy with the distraction of my camera 🙂

we are a mish mash group here. some without husbands. missing other offspring. adding in neighbors and best friends. this is my community. i love them so much. they've been here for me during this crazy ride my family has been on and i appreciate it wholeheartedly. ❤

i've become the kind of blogger who sucks at taking photos now, that she hands her camera to her 4 year old to complete the blogging process for me. thanks elsie! 🙂

update: i was previewing the blog post and els came up and saw her pictures, she said, you put my pictures up there!!! aww thanks mommy 🙂 hahahaha

April 17, 2010 8

day before four

iphone pics, spending the afternoon together, the day before she turns four. F O U R.

i just love that picture of her. i wish i had my real camera with me. she is such a little dancer daydreamer. that little puddle was part of this whole imaginative story she saw in her head. i love it.
popping in her most absolute favorite shop! (ok not more than toys r us or target but she is just on cloud 9 whenever she goes in this store! she is her grandmother's granddaughter!) little fashionista!

in almost every photo i see of her, i am amazed at how much she's grown and how fast it's gone, etc etc etc. this picture is one of the rare that i could see her little childish 3 year old age. those cheeks! i am really going to miss age three! 😦
i just kept hugging her today and saying i can't believe you're four…. and she'd reply, i'm not four YET, silly! 🙂
her grammies wrote in her birthday card, 'to think we hardly knew you 4 years ago- how can this be?!'
so true, so true! her uncle also wrote that she is delicious. yes that is also so very true 🙂
can't wait for a week full of celebrating our girl!

February 28, 2010 14

favorite people

why do some of our favorite people have to live so far? doesn't everyone want to live in southern california?! 🙂

some of our favorite people are in vegas, washington, australia, the bay area, the east coast, new mexico, michigan, utah, and new zealand. even orange county and long beach isn't close enough to us. this is how it makes us feel:

not happy.

February 23, 2010 7

snow

each year, around wintertime i wish we lived in a place where it snowed. i always think it'd be so nice to wake up to and have it around for the holidays. i almost feel like we are missing out on the fullness of the holidays by not having snow. it's so pretty! but then we get a little dose of snow and i am quickly reminded how much i love southern california in the winter 🙂 our family can only take snow for a few days before we realize how wimpy we truly are 🙂 we took a little trip to lake arrowhead and stayed with some friends. when we woke up, we looked out the window and saw the snow falling. it was beautiful!

nice to get the car cleaned again 🙂 i like how the snow covers my dent that the post office pole made on the side.

we didn't expect snow so we came unprepared in regular street clothes. we don't even own clothes much warmer than this 🙂

we took a little walk to a tea shop and this is when i want to quit and stay indoors and not get back outside till it warms up.

good memories! chris posted one of my favorite arrowhead pictures here. he'll be posting more eventually.

happy new year! my two resolutions for the year: exercise and blog more. i never put exercise on my list because i know i will never go through with it. just putting it on the list this year makes me feel like at least i will attempt it at some point. 🙂

January 1, 2010 9