Apparently, the word it out that I make some rockin’ good pancakes….
Category: Raves
Halloween Recap
Better late than never, yes? Totally worth it when you see Auggie in his Olaf costume.
Trunk Or Treat was bigger and better than ever! We had the “party section” with an extra space for chairs, pizza and umm, we’ll call it juice.
It was 90 degrees so Olaf was not happening. Good thing his Fireman costume from last year still worked (with the hem ripped out anyway…).
The C Family haunted truck!
It’s such a bummer no one was dressed as Elsa…
Too much juice
Actual Halloween was cooler…but still involved me cutting Olaf’s sleeves off
I always get really excited to carve pumpkins. Then the reality hits when we sit down to get to work and realize that the kids can’t use the knives. Thankfully B was happy to sort out the seeds for roasting.
If I was a nicer mom, I would let them draw something and then I would carve it. But how can they deny me when I have such talent?!
Say Cheese
While at the lovely wedding of Ryan and Lisa, I crossed paths with the photographer. After she snapped a picture of me and the banshees, she said “I’ve taken your picture before!”. I’m usually great with faces, but I couldn’t place her. Finally she said “Scottsdale Moms Blog! I took your head shot!”. And it’s still on my About the Author page today.
After seeing the pictures she took at the wedding, I immediately booked her for a family session. Right after that, I started a Pinterest page and the photographer, Stacey and I set out to coordinate the clothing. I asked the neighbors if we could use their yards as alternative back drops and started threatening everyone in our house that they better get on board because I wanted SMILES in these pictures!
Then something amazing happened…they all enjoyed themselves and actually smiled! They cooperated! It was amazing. And Stacey from Dream Photography Studio is a huge reason why. The best complement I can write is that Peter’s response post session was “That was actually pretty fun. And really easy”. 45 painless minutes yielded so many great pictures, we’re having a hard time choosing which go on the wall!
So here’s just a sample of the gallery we received. If you like, go to Dream Photography Studio to book a session!
Day Trip to Flagstaff
Have you ever tried to keep a two-year-old still? If not, I’m sure you can imagine what fun it is.
Before our overnight to the hospital with Auggie, we had been planning a day trip to Flagstaff. I wanted to see the leaves changing and we wanted to get out in the cool air to hike. We decided that the cool air and forced rest (strapped in car seat, strapped in hiking pack, back to car seat) might be just what the Auggie boy needed.
Saturday morning we threw some stuff in the car and took off. That’s the best part about a day trip – light packing. We didn’t need as much which made getting out the door so much easier!
Excited to get there.
Perfect hiking weather.
Ready to go!
The destination: Red Mountain. The trail was 3 miles round trip and B walked the whole thing!
Counting tree rings
The trees changed from Pinons to Ponderosa Pines
B was really into the light layers. Notice she has two sweatshirts and a hat tied around her waist.
How could he pick just ONE stick?!
The trail winds through the a volcanic cinder cone. The gravel they are walking through was volcanic rock.
Can you see them way up in the middle?
This might be the best picture I’ve ever taken
This worked just fine on the way up. We didn’t think about how to get down….
We made it!
Exploring the Hoodoos
The hazards of baby wearing
Little different picture on the way home
We took the long way home through Sedona to catch a few more changing leaves. Totally worth the detour! Especially when a skeptical Peter declared “Slap a bumper sticker on the truck because I am a Leaf Peeper and I don’t care who knows it!”. Which was a hilarious way of saying that he was enjoying himself. I snort laughed for the next 2 miles.
As we pulled into Phoenix, we were welcomed home with one of the most amazing sunsets. A perfect end to a great day!
If you want to check it out, see the link below for directions. This was a fantastic hikes for kids – flat and lots of interesting things to keep them moving and exploring!
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
No not Christmas. Although that part is great too…
It’s PLANTING TIME!! Well, in Arizona any way. Now that the temperatures have dropped below 100 and the mornings and evenings are spectacular, we’ve been hard at work getting our yard back in shape. There’s been lots of trips to the nursery, much fertilizing and a whole bunch of trimming. I’m so excited for the results of our work.
I love this view at the back door
Two new tomato plants – a yellow grape and a red olive. I’ve never heard of olive so I’m excited to see what they’re like.
I see lots of pesto in our future. It smells heavenly.
And the lettuce table! I always get so excited to plant this guy. This year includes green leaf and two varieties of red leaf.
A new addition is rainbow Swiss Chard. Really excited for these guys to grow in.
Velvety Petunias
Oooh, the Meyer Lemon. Like a cross between an orange and a lemon. These little babies are going to make some amazing vinaigrette!
Something is blooming everywhere you look
At the risk of sounding like a crazy woman…I stalk the nursery for this color of Geranium. It’s a deep red and just gorgeous.
Happy Birthday Auggie!
I can’t believe that this guy is already TWO. The saying goes that the days are long and the years are short and that couldn’t be more true with this guy. It feels like yesterday that I was dropping B at school and heading to the hospital.
We celebrated the birthday boy with a fra-mly party with a construction theme and I have to say, it came out pretty awesome. I think the birthday boy wasn’t the only one who had fun!
Who knew blue prints made such cute and easy table cloths.
Fun party favors
Ready to par-tay!
CHEEEESSSEEEEE!
His home made cake didn’t turn out too shabby
It’s too bad they don’t look like us….
Happy birthday Auggie boy! You are such a crack up and bring so much happiness to our lives. Please stop growing so fast!
Mirror Mirror on the Wall
Ta da!!
When we I thought our living room needed an update, I thought we needed a mirror over the side board. We went round and round on what size, what kind, what shape…and then it hit me. I wanted a barn wood mirror. Specifically old barn wood that we found ourselves in Montana. And because I’m married to a carpenter, I get what I want (well that and I’m pushy…).
We got the barn wood this summer and PW and compromised on a taller, horizontal rectangle. He spent an entire day plotting out how to cut the wood that we had which was all different depths, slightly different lengths and with a lot of character to be preserved. He is most proud of the little dowel that was stuck in one of the pieces.
One thing we didn’t account for is how freaking heavy it is. Thankfully with several different heavy weight hooks, a lot of swearing and some luck, we made it happen. Thank you for being so good at this stuff PW!
Paige Denim
Why are good jeans so hard to find?? Shopping for good jeans is as bad as shopping for a good bra. Or a bathing suit. No one ever says “I’m so pumped to go bathing suit shopping!”. Jeans are the same way for me. I’m picking about the fit, the rise and of course, the length. Why are models 6 feet tall but jeans all have 30 inch inseams? Where do the tall girls get their denim?!
I found my answer last fall at Nordstrom. I was turned on to Paige Denim and I have to say, a year later, I love them just as much. Of course, Nordstrom stopped carrying the style I like. Which turned out to be a good thing because I found Paige.com instead. In trying to track down my favorite cut (Skyline Straight) in the wash I wanted, I emailed the company. I was shocked to see an email just an hour later from the customer service rep saying she had just personally restocked that style and wash and that she was holding out a pair in my size and how would I like them shipped to me. Amazing!
I lived in these white jeans I bought from them this summer and just ordered the same pair in black hoping to get the same good use out of them. They carry several styles and fits – my favorite is that the straight cut jeans are on the narrower side at the ankle – skinny jeans without the tapered leg – perfection!
Check it out at www.paige.com
Oh – and they have maternity jeans – where the heck were these when I needed them!?
Dad of the Year
This guy wins Dad of the Year on this vacation. While I went shopping with Noni, Peter rented the infamous four person bike with the kids. And then proceeded to pedal it on his own. Winner! Winner! Dad O’the Year!
Sunset on the Beach
The last night in San Diego, the light was amazing. It was an overcast day, but still a little sunny…it was strange but in a good way. It made for some spectacular pictures:
No filter, no special settings.
This is my favorite. Do you see the sun in the very top of the frame?
The Goon Room 
