Family fun in Tacoma

We met Dani, Aubrey and Matt down in Tacoma a few Sundays ago for a little family fix.  It, interestingly, is the half way point between our two houses which works out great cause any further south in WA and there isn't a whole lot to do! It was such a fun day starting with lunch at the Ram on the Tacoma waterfront, followed by a walk down the waterfront for a bit.  The very first thing we noticed about Aubrey when we first saw her was that her great smile now has 4 big teeth on top, SO CUTE! After our walk we grabbed a Starbucks (I know, very unlike us ... hehe) and headed to a kiddie park around the corner from my first apartment in Tacoma. Aubrey was brave and went down both the little kid slide and the big kid slide, though the big kid slide was not her fav :o) Great day with great memories and hopefully we will be able to do this again!

Isn't she the cutest?! We love her to pieces!!

Family Portraits with the Fennel Family

I was asked by our dear friends, Karen and Nate, to do a family photoshoot of their now 14 month old daughter, Sydney. It was a warm afternoon (about 90+) but we survived and had a blast! Caleb met Nate about 5 years ago when Caleb started at the Redmond Fire Department, and I was introduced to his wife Karen shortly after. Karen and Nate quickly became dear friends and I have so enjoyed getting to know them and sharing such special memories together.

Here are just a few of my fav shots from our shoot ...

Babyshowers bring ... LOTS of goodies!

I really love Caleb's job for many reason, but a huge reason is the people he works with. I honestly did not expect to meet so many great people in his department, but we have been blessed with finding an extended family there. That being said, Dana is the wife of Scott who works with Caleb (which is how we met) and I have been lucky enough to get to know her and her adorable 2 year old, Gianna, over these last 8 months. Dana just recently had her babyshower which was a huge milestone because we were pretty sure that Meah (who is still cookin away) was going to be joining us in person! I so admire Dana for being so strong through her entire pregnancy, and bedrest since 20 weeks with a 2 year old and a husband that is gone for 48hrs at a time is no small task! I am lucky to have such strong women around me and I will be picking their brain when it is my turn to join them in Mommyhood! Ok, maybe I already do that a little, but you can never be too prepared, right?! :o)

Here are a few of my fav's from her shower. (Note that the giftcard Gianna is holding is from Nordstrom, should she be worried?! Yes!) Hehe







And now we are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of baby Meah! I cannot wait to take her hospital & newborn pictures!! xx

Dorothy Lake Hike

Oh Washington, your photographic possibilities are endless. And Dorothy Lake was no exception!! It is a great hike if you are looking for a 3-4 mile round trip hike with gorgeous scenery. My good friend Sandie invited me to join her and two of her girlfriends for a midweek hike and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to 1. break in my new hiking boots and 2. yes, take pictures of course! Here are some of my shots from our hike.





Our first sneak peak of Dorothy Lake (above)




Look at how clear the water is!

California Love

California Trip Day 5 (cont.) 6 & 7

On our way back down to Orange County from Solvang, we stopped in Santa Barbara for a bit more sightseeing. We wandered down State Street popping into stores and antique shops, ending up at the pier. There are SO MANY things that I miss about living in California and I think I documented almost all of them in photo :) Here are just a couple of the things I miss about home.

Palm trees lining every street...
Mission style buildings with their beautiful red tile roof's ...
These purple flowers that grow everywhere and smell lovely ...
The California coast line ...
And here are more pictures from Santa Barbara ...













Monday morning we got up bright and early and headed to ... DISNEYLAND!! I am a huge Disney fan and we make it a point to go every single time we are home. We are lucky enough to benefit from my parents having friends who have a Club 33 membership, so we get to take a little break from the park and head upstairs and have a delicious meal and a drink. What made this trip special was getting to see my friend Angela, who I haven't seen in a few years AND getting to see World of Color, a new show that has been sold out since the day it opened a few months ago. I didn't bring my good camera so most of these photos are off of my iPhone, enjoy!







World of Color was worth the wait!! The picture above is of the Mickey Ferris wheel was while we were waiting for the show to start. It was an amazing show and it made me feel like I was a little kid again since I'm pretty sure I had my hands clasped in front of me the entire time with a huge smile on my face. But really, who doesn't love Disneyland? That would just be unAmerican!

Our last day at home was pretty low key which was a nice change of pace. We got a nap in by the pool, headed down to Newport Beach to see our family photo hanging in the window of John Bloom's Photography studio on PCH, and then had dinner at the Pacific Club with my parents and the Green's. It was a wonderful trip home, I just wish we could've extended it for another day, or week! :o)