Milan, Missoni, and Me

It's official! Tyler and I will be heading to Italy in April. I feel absolutely thrilled and blessed to be able to do this. I've never even been to the east coast of THIS country so it will be a whole new world for me. We'll be going to Florence and Milan for Euro Cucina (which is a European Kitchen show). There will be wine, and fashion, and kitchens!
Perfetto.
I got this design yesterday courtesy of one Miss Debi Jones and I believe it's completely appropriate for my trip; must replicate come spring!
Missoni, you have nothing on me this month, but in honor of your bellissima Italian fashion:

Pea is for Pumpkin

Pearson was super excited for the pumpkin patch this year. So much so she happily abandoned the ipad (which she only gets to use on weekends) to go. Right away she zoned in on her perfect pumpkin selections. Harper was in a BAD mood which was about to drive us all stark raving mad, until...
Until her eyes lit up on this:

It was quite the meltdown trying to pry her hands off the rusted wheel of this, let me tell you...
Standard operating procedure for me at the pumpkin patch is avoid dirt, pick some moldy pumpkins, and thus lose my focus ending the session with less than a stellar set of pictures.
This year has brought new traditions and a flipped switch. Tyler is now the official pumpkin picker. He found some beauties. Harper fell face down in the mud and got SOAKED in murky mud from head to toe. I don't even care. It was hilarious; her clothes are now drying on the porch. And lastly, I am oh so pleased with these pictures; really, I am giddy with glee over these...and yes, there are many I literally can not choose just a few.
Here's to next year, may we get dirtier, pick prize-winners, and another perfect set of shots...

The Perfect Fall Day

Visiting Aunt Chani at her "department" which I think means apartment which is really her dorm room at SPU. It was a great day with my little ladies and my favorite line of the day was,
Pea: "Can I move to college when I'm 5 and a half?"
Also,
Pea: "When I'm older I want to live in the city alone."
(p.s. she thanks Jesus for the city every night).
Momi: "Won't you be lonely?"
Pea: You and Daddy can live with me too forever, and maybe Harper too."
It warmed my little black heart.
After we walked Aunt Chani to her class, we went out to lunch with every one's favorite redhead: little Henry Hoff! I am beginning to become obsessed with his hair and his super cuteness. My favorite part about this picture is Kat and I in the window trying to get their attention saying, "Smile! Future wedding slide show!"
I haven't loaded all the pictures from this day yet, but here are a few good ones...

1 and 1/2 years. Harper.

Today you are exactly one and a half years old. Can it be? You are so interesting and entertaining and sweet. You try to put on whosever clothes you can find on the floor. You bring everyone their shoes when it's time to leave the house. You arrange shoes by color and can walk surprisingly well in my shoes. You love shoes. You are an enthusiastic dancer. You also happen to have rhythm. You can say some words working on more, but can literally understand whatever is spoken to you and you can follow intricate instructions. I think you are frustrated that you can't speak more yet, but all in good time! You have two chipped teeth and are completely fearless. You like to roughhouse with your sister. You are having a hard time separating from Momi right now. This is a new experience for me since Pea didn't ever go through this. I'm secretly enjoying this...
You are obsessed with cars and airplanes. When you hear the garbage truck Thursday mornings you make the face above. You don't take a nap that is ever longer than 45 min. I've learned to accept this, but I don't have to like it;) You are so sweet and love babies. This is also so different from your sister. You carry a baby around with you most places. I love how God made you. I love how He made Pea. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. My prayer is that you will grow fully into this person. I love you, babe H!

Up, Up, and Away

I just love pictures of my girls with balloons...remember this? Memory lane is nostalgic this morning...

Raising Arizona

I've returned from my girl's trip to Arizona and just now catching up on my blog. My mom is here playing Barbies with Pea and Babe H so I have a span of time in which to capture your attention and purge my tumultuous thoughts. This past weekend was filled with laughter, drinks, girl talk, and yummy food! A godsend, really. But in more ways than one. In some ways it has been one of the most spiritually reflective weekends in years for me. Spending time with girls who have seen you fall, pick yourself back up, go in different directions, and choose to love each other through our differences. I've come to respect the fact that as you grow older your own worldview deepens, solidifies, and does not necessarily remain the same as those you consider "cut from the same cloth." Truly, that is the term I'd use to describe our friendships. Whereas I used to see that cloth as all one color, I can now discern patterns and textures that I didn't see before. That does not mean they weren't always there, it just means the cloth is stronger than I expected in some points, still weaker in others; beautiful in an imperfect way.
Despite my serious tone, I haven't laughed that hard since some seriously funny events during our Bell Monopoly Wars in Hawaii. Some random things I loved about seeing my girls were:
-Ashley and Dan's dog Billie. Who was the sweetest bitch in the world...she gets to go to work with Dan every day.
-Seeing firsthand my first "husband's" life, love, and job.
-Meeting A & D's good friend Harry; a Jewish man who chemically straightens his hair, owns a pet rabbit named Domino (who has eaten the majority of his apartment carpet), and claimed there were 7 books in the Torah. When I very politely corrected him the conversation really took a downward turn thereafter...that's him with the horribly dressed gal in the most awesome picture of Ash ever.
-Naomi's hoped for, deserved, and delivered marriage proposal (Congrats Nay and Peder!)
-Nay's humor; we are so in sync.
-The cotton candy.
-The sun.
-Dynamic conversations.
-Quality time with Kat on the airplane; I love talking to you more than you know. Your manner is so peaceful, on target, and you are so funny.
-The matted mullet.
And finally, to life lived in separate togetherness. I love you, my animals.

Mad World

You Scream, I scream, We all scream for ice cream! I love to eat frozen yogurt on a cold day. This may stem from my childhood adoration of wearing my swim suit in the middle of winter indoors at all times. I like to go with the unexpected; my little form of rebellion in a world gone mad...