Wednesday night was perfect. Warm but not too warm.The kids were happy. The beach wasn’t too crowded. We hung out, played, laughed, and smiled.

Our vacation is nearly over. My husband returns to school next Wednesday. I’m on my own for the next four months. He’ll be tied up with a bunch of classes, recruiting, school events, and travel.

I’m trying not to dread it. The kids and I will be fine but we’ll miss him. We’re a pretty tight bunch.

He’s still so tan from Indiana. I have issues with exposing him properly because I’m not used to him being so tan. Look right above his knee

She looks exactly like him and adores him.

This pretty much sums up life with Cameron. Add snuggling and eating nonstop and you get a whole picture. Total character.

Such a pretty day even if those stupid seagulls pooped all over the beach.

Chillin.

He’s 3 now so I get a lot of this. He won’t model unless there’s chocolate involved. Oh, and he says his name is Optimus Prime.

At least he isn’t transforming.

Right?

And my day, week, month, summer, year, and life were complete.

I love them more than anything.

Have a great weekend xo

This was supposed to be my Wordless Wednesday post but clearly I am feeling a bit chatty. Enjoy : )

My son thinks my friend Amanda’s son is the coolest guy on earth. He says they’re best buddies. I knew he wanted to play trains with his best buddy before we left for Indiana so I hit up Amanda. She kindly drove ninety minutes to Ithaca so our little guys could have a play date. You already know what photographer playdates look like. 

Amanda and I hauled three toddlers, an Uppababy stuffed with trains, a shopping cart, my Polaroid, a vintage quilt, picnic basket, beautiful chair, and a handful of gorgeous props to an open grassy field next to Cornell’s campus. When we arrived there was a group of deer eating peacefully a few feet away. The weather was nice and the sun was warm.

The kids were…somewhat cooperative. Amanda got some incredible shots of Preston (I’ll share those next week) but when it came time to shoot Cameron things went awry. She was crabby. Shocking, I know. She is the happiest baby ever until I *really* want her to do something (anything!) and then a tooth decides to poke through. Oh well. Amanda snapped some great photos of Cameron. I didn’t since I was trying to keep an eye on the boys but I got a few cute snapshots.

Hmm, why am I sitting on this chair wearing these crazy leg ruffles while the boys look for snakes in the grass?

Oh. I see what this is. You didn’t bring me out here to play, did you? DID YOU!?!

See Mom, this is why I scribbled on your white couch. I’ll do it again too.

Oh, thank Elmo my big brother is here to save me!

How adorable is this vintage dress Amanda brought? I wanted to run away with it. SO CUTE.

Oh, and Cameron if you’re reading this (it’s a stretch but she already counts to 20 soo) take note: if you don’t want pictures taken of yourself, stop being so cuddly and gorgeous. There. I said it.

The Iheartfaces photo challenge theme is so cute this month. It’s “Hey Girl” and I love it. Too much. I had a gazillion images to choose from. My sweet little girl loves posing for the camera which is fantastic but made choosing a photo difficult.

I kept returning to the photo below. I am drawn to the color, her smile, her little skinny jeans, and her gut poking through the gritty swing. I know I’m biased but could she possible be any cuter? I swear those cheeks are constantly begging to be pinched.

It hasn’t been long but I’ve missed you guys! I guess blogging has finally become a serious habit because I feel…off. I haven’t written much lately since we are moving this week. Thursday morning at 4:00 a.m. my family and I will embark upon our longest road trip yet. Ten hours together in our SUV as we head from Ithaca, New York to Indianapolis, Indiana. We are all very excited.

The kids are used to long trips in the car and my husband and I hope that our super early departure will ensure that the kids stay asleep for at least half the trip. Cross your fingers for us and feel free to leave your road trip tricks in the comments below.

I’m documenting our trip for my blog, a super awesome photography project I’ll share later this month, and some cute travel journals I am starting for the kids. I’ll try to pop in here and there to check in but have some great guest posts lined up for this week.

There are a ton of things I want to share with you but since I *know* Cameron will be up soon I’ll be brief.

Time for some blog-cleaning and mind clearing:

• Sign up for my monthly newsletter. I promise it will be awesome. I am working on a free e-book for subscribers (hint: it’s photography related and addresses many of the questions I receive from friend and readers). I hope to send the first newsletter in June and am working hard to make it sparkle. Just for you.

• Check out some of my Baby Gizmo posts if you haven’t lately. I’ve got some good ones over there including Natural Ways to Keep Your Home Smelling Fresh, Homemade Mother’s Day, Perfect Recipes for Baking with a Toddler, and Mom Jobs I’d Like to Outsource.

• I bought some film for my Polaroid camera. The first two shots were overexposed since I didn’t shield them from the sunlight quickly enough. I was unable to take any more pictures. I have no idea what’s wrong and haven’t had the time to investigate. I really hope I am able to figure it out because the film and filter weren’t cheap but more importantly I was super excited. Grr.

• We had another playdate with my photographer friend Amanda. It was a vintage theme stylized shoot and it was awesome. Preston loves Amanda’s son and wanted to say goodbye before our summer trip to Indiana. It was a great day.

• I am back in the swing of things with my ice cream maker! I love that thing. Do you have one? Any favorite recipes?

• My first photography session went well. My client was a classmate of my husband’s and his wife They bid on a session with me during the school’s annual auction. It was super flattering and I couldn’t wait to work with them. Our shoot took place ay Buttermilk Falls during the golden hour on Saturday. I learned a ton and will definitely have more to share.

• My e-course obsession continues. Obviously I’m a filthy, awful liar who can’t keep promises to herself but whatever, at least I’m learning and not out spray painting buildings during my free time. Right? RIGHT!

• I drank too much coffee today. Can you tell?

• OH, we toured my husband’s professor’s vineyard on Sunday and WOW it was gorgeous. We sipped on a few wines, enjoyed lunch at the professor’s home, drove around the lake, and had crazy amounts of fun.

• My friend Kristi is giving away an iPhone case! I should enter. The backside of my iPhone is smashed to bits. My current case is hanging on for dear life. Boourns.

• Thanks for all the comments and emails. I hope to get caught up during the car ride on Thursday. You guys are awesome xo

Happy Monday.

I’m tired. Newborn mom tired. Delirious tired. Old person at a rave tired. We are headed to Indiana in five days and I haven’t begun packing. I am excited but a bit in denial. Packing is so tedious and to be honest I have like no clothes so if I pack everything now I will be living in my froggie bathrobe for five days.

Sigh.

Well, it is finally spring here in Ithaca, NY and I couldn’t be happier. The weather is perfect and the kids and I spent a ton of time outside this week.

We’ve got a jam-packed weekend including my husband’s final presentation at school, my first photography session for adults, dinner at my husband’s professor’s house, packing, and I’m tired just thinking about it. I am looking forward to all of it.

When the weather is pretty there isn’t much that can damper my mood. : ) Don’t forget to link up at the Leap into Spring photo challenge. I love to see your work.

Happy Friday friends.