our newest house guest...

we recently set out on a cold, cold day

in search of the perfect tree

our first Christmas tree as a family, believe it or not

and my first real tree...ever (sad, but true)

*fun fact* #1:  this is the second time since we got married that a tree actually got put up

and it's not because we don't like Christmas

or decorations

or sparkly lights

all of that stuff is super fun, but i'm also super lazy...or busy...or something like that

and i struggle with saying no to all the Christmas happenings

in order to say yes to things like decorating

(plus that whole travelling every other Christmas thing...)

anyway, doesn't matter why we haven't decorated in past years

point is, we're trying to get better at it

because *fun fact* #2:  Christmas (and Easter, and birthdays, and any reason to celebrate, really)

is exponentially more exciting / fun / magical / awesome when there's kids involved

so we started at a garden center, 

but quickly realized that we weren't going to find the tree for us there

(without breaking the bank!)

we decided it would be way more fun anyway to head out to a farm

despite the glorious sun that broke through the clouds on our way over,

the air was crisp when we arrived

(which is a nice way of saying we couldn't feel our fingers, toes or noses

...or most of our faces, for that matter)

but we quickly forgot about the limbs we were losing to the cold

while playing hide and seek between the trees, 

discussing what types of leaves were our favorite,

running through the open space,

crunching through the frost with every step, 

and talking the girlies out of the ridiculously tiny trees

 as well as the gigantic trees that they were picking

(it was one extreme or the other - that is how they roll, after all)

we searched and searched

pointed out what we liked about each tree

aaaaand what we weren't so keen on

this was serious business, folks

then, finally, we saw it

the perfect tree for us

not too big

not too small

not too "bald"

not too thin

not too full

just right

so we cheered (first things first ;) )

and watched as Daniel chopped it down

then cheered again (because, why not?)

and finally, took our prize tree home!

such a fun adventure!

oh, and we named the tree bob
after Bob Ross
we like to think he is a happy little tree
so it seemed like a logical choice

what about you? 

Are you on the ball about Christmas decorating?  

tell me all your secrets!  don't leave anything out!  :)

Robin Hood and Little John, walking through the forest...

i like to think that i'm a creative person

but if there's one thing i'm not terribly creative at, it's parenting

you may be surprised to find out that Daniel is the creative one when it comes to the kids

he's always coming up with crazy games out of the blue, 

fun little impromptu competitions 

and the most interesting ways to teach the girls about the world around them!

but i'm trying to get better at it, 

and every once in a while, i luck out and a brilliant idea strikes

like when i suggested we go find a forest and pretend to be Robin Hood

BAZINGA

our day instantly transformed from whiny, stir crazy and sad

to running through the woods, singing silly songs and giggling along the way

not gonna lie, i was pretty proud of myself

oh, and a couple very important notes:

1) we had to take a picture by the park sign to prove we went to an actual "forest"

2) the ferns were a HUGE hit

3) nobody wanted to play Little John, so we ended up with two Robin Hoods running through the forest

4) our "forest" is just a random narrow strip of trees that apparently qualifies as a park,

but hey, it did the trick!

mixing work and pleasure

as soon as daniel walked through the door on friday after work

i asked if he wanted to go for a "scouting picnic"

you see, i had been toting the girls around all week to different locations

trying to find that perfect spot to do my fall mini photo sessions

and while we were at it, we explored and played and enjoyed this year's mild October weather

(side note:  October?  really?!  how? why? whaaaat?! ...at least it's still been wonderful outside)

anyway, while drifting off the night before, i had thought of one more spot to check out

and so we packed up our water bottles + a simple picnic dinner

(ham + mustard lettuce wraps / apples / olives / grain free brownies for dessert...yep, we're that fancy)

and headed off for an evening of exploration / location scouting

i'd be lying if i said it went 100% smoothly

because, let's be honest, two year olds at the end of the day can be a little testy

but, i can honestly say it was well worth it!

i'm continually amazed and inspired by how intricately and beautifully created the world around us is

29 years on this earth, and it still hasn't gotten old!

i hope to pass that wonder on to our children

and i think one of the best ways of doing that is to get them out in it

and if i get some work done while i'm at it, well then that's a double bonus

aaaaaand on a slightly related note, here's a shameless plug for any of you who are local 

and are interested in booking a mini session:

i'm even running a facebook contest, where you could win your session for free!

be sure to follow the link to check out how you can win + the deadline for entries

it would be so fun to meet local readers and capture images for you!

happy first day of fall!

fall? already? what?!

we had what felt like the eternal summer this year

(actually, it's still going strong - yesterday was HOT and sunny!  ...and I'm loving every second of it)

but somehow, i'm still shocked that we're not still in March

this year has really, truly been a blur

but blurry or not, we've made it to the first day of fall

and of course, i had my first pumpkin-y meal for breakfast:  pumpkin pie "n'oatmeal"!

i'm not quite ready to share it with you

(just have to try one more tweak then you'll be the first to know - promise!)

until then, i wanted to share this little gem from my devotional this morning

(from today's morning reading in Morning and Evening by Charles Haddon Suprgeon)

Every attribute of God should become a fresh ray in the sunlight of our gladness. 

That He is wise should make us glad, knowing as we do our own foolishness. 

That He is mighty, should cause us to rejoice who tremble at our weakness. 

That he is everlasting, should always be a theme of joy when we know that we wither as the grass. 

That He is unchanging, should perpetually yield us a song, since we change every hour. 

That He is full of grace, that He is overflowing with it, and that this grace in covenant He has given to us; that it is ours to cleanse us, ours to keep us, ours to sanctify us, ours to perfect us, ours to bring us to glory-all this should tend to make us glad in Him.

...So let God's people now rehearse the deeds of the Lord! Let them tell of His mighty acts, and "sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously." Nor let them ever cease to sing, for as new mercies flow to them day by day, so should their gladness in the Lord's loving acts in providence and in grace show itself in continued thanksgiving. Be glad ye children of Zion and rejoice in the Lord your God.

(full devotional here)

so thankful that in my foolishness, my weakness, my finitude, my unsteadyness

i can and i should be glad in Him!

Annual Camping Trip, Part 2

this post has been a long time coming
let's just say i had a hard time picking my favorite images
so excuse me for a moment while i photo vomit...

the end!