Sometimes Chunky Legs Are Better Left Undressed

This week has been uh-mazing. The sun has been out and it's been warm. Oliver has been in shorts since Sunday because, let's face it, his rolly little legs are just too cute to keep covered up! We've spent everyday outside either walking Greenlake, picking grass near Daddy's school, or swinging at the park.  It's been a glorious taste of summer and we can't wait for these kind of days to become the norm. For like two weeks, but whatever ;) 

Maybe you've noticed I haven't been around much the last week or so. I think now is a good time to take an official 'Spring Break' from this here blog. And probably the internet all together, actually. There are a lot of things happening for our family these days and sometimes writing gets bumped to the bottom of the priority list for a bit. At the top is quality family time, photography deadlines, and house projects (read: dishes and laundry). So please excuse my silence while I catch up on the things that are piling up. I'll be back soon, hopefully with fresh inspiration and a new motivation.

See you soon!!

xoxo

Joy

8 Months

/\ Ooooh! I just love puffs so muuuuch!! /\

 /\ Your new fake cry face. Sorry, but Mama knows exactly when you're fakin' it!! /\

 /\ Mealtime is so much fun! Until Mama has to clean up the mess... (but I don't mind) /\

 /\ A trip to the fabric store. The most interesting thing? The screw hole in the cart! /\

/\ The sweetest new thing you do: cover your face with your arm /\

and play with your hair while you fall asleep drinking milk..aaaw!

/\ A sunny trip to the park! /\ 

/\ Our new friend, Francis the Hippo! /\

Dear Ollie,

   Oh, my. You are such a funny kid. Mama and Daddy are having such a fun time getting to know you! We sure are glad you're our little man. You're kind of our favorite!! 

   In the last couple weeks, Mama let you try puffs! Your four toofies know exactly what to do and you love to chew those little crackers all by yourself! That means you're also learning how to use your fingers to pick up the littlest things. Like puffs..and pieces of inedibles off the floor! 

   I can actually see your fifth tooth poking out already, too. I'm not sure why your teeth are coming so fast but at least you're pretty brave about it. I'm trying to help you remember that teeth are for biting puffs ...but not Mama's boobies - ouch!! 

   Your new favorite thing to do is pull yourself up onto anything and then let go! You have great balance already and I'm convinced you'll be walking very soon. Gpa was only 9 months old when he started walking, think you can beat that?  

   We've been reading a lot lately, too. You like the kind of books that have touchy feely things on the page. Sometimes, when I'm reading to you, you pull the book toward you so you can lick it. Ha! You just like to taste everything!!
   You're a busy little fella and Mama loves having you as her sidekick. Thank you for being so sweet. I  love you the most!!
   xoxo
   Mama

PS. Giveaway winner announced over here!! 

TGIF

Did you have a good week? It's been dark and rainy here but the weather fit perfectly into our sleepy week. Oliver has been teething (seriously. again. 5th tooth already.) and when that happens, he wakes up reeeally early. Like 430am he's up in his crib, talking to Francis (the Hippo), singing, laughing at his own jokes, knocking on the wall looking for someone to come play with him. There's no ignoring him when he's ready to get up so this mama has been soo sleeepy.

Now, it's Friday and we're heading out of town. It will be a fun couple days with the fam, three photo shoots, and hopefully a little rest for me! What are your plans for the weekend? I know! You want to enter this giveaway right away so you don't miss out! It closes tonight at midnight and I'll randomly draw the winner on Monday. At this point, you guys, there's one entry (thank you, Katie ;). I noticed on FB that a few of you shared the link - thank you! But don't forget to leave a comment below to say 'I shared on FB' or something like that so that you're in the running. Because I only draw from the comments on this page, not Facebook or Pinterest. Get it? Thanks guys :)

Happy Weekend!!
xo
Joy

The First Giveaway of 2013

One of my favorite parts of this season are the huge cherry blossom trees! There are so many around our little home, the biggest ones being at our favorite grassy spot. In honor of Spring's arrival, I thought it would be fun to share a pretty print with one of you! Wouldn't it be lovely to have a little piece of spring in your home year round? Especially when the April Showers are in full force! 

I'm offering this 11x14 Cherry Blossom print to one lucky reader! It's printed on high quality, professional photo paper with a matte finish and will be sent in a sturdy mailing envelope. 

There are 4 chances to enter this giveaway:

#1 Share this giveaway on Facebook

#2 Click the blue 'Join This Site' button on the right of this page

#3 Pin this post to one of your Pinterest Boards

#4 Leave a comment telling me where you might hang your new print

Don't forget, you need to leave a comment for each entry to let me know you did it! 

I'll draw the winner next week!!

Good luck!

xoxo

Joy

Congrats, Katie Hulbert! 

Thank you for coming to this little place of mine and reading what I have to say!

This print is going to look great in your hallway! :) 

Please send your mailing info to happycandido @ gmail . com

xoxo

A Day At The Park

When you live in Seattle, you've got to take advantage of a sunny day while you can. So Ollie and I packed up the stroller and headed out for an adventure. We ended up parkin' it in a grassy patch at SPU. It's a gorgeous campus only about a half mile from home! 

/\ Probably my new favorite photo of him!! /\

/\ Found one of Paigey's toys in our trunk..oops! But he loves it! /\ 

We crawled around in the grass for about a half an hour, just enough time for class to get out. Aahh, there's a baby! Guess the students don't get a lot of baby guests. Ha! It's okay, Ollie loves the attention ;) 

I'm thankful we live so close to such a pretty spot. Summer will be fun with a waddling one year old!

xoxo

Joy

Like A Tourist

Last week while Camillo was on spring break, we took a trek to Alki Beach. It's over in West Seattle, only about 20 minutes from us but this was our first time there! The day was dry but overcast, perfect weather for Mama and the baby to wear matching coats ;) 

These next few pictures..oh my gosh. We thought we were so clever to put Ollie up on those big cement platform and hide behind him so it looked like he was standing there by himself. Let me tell you that we were giggling so much! And as you can see, Oliver wasn't quite as interested in our fake out photo as he was with his zipper.

 And then he found how awesome the concrete felt to his little fingers... 

Silly faces with Daddy! 

It's always fun to try new places. If you're ever in the area, go check out Alki Beach Park! There are great walking paths, lots of sand and pretty driftwood. Go around lunch time and try the chimichanga at Cactus!!

xoxo

Joy

I'm Not Foolin' Anybody

I thought it'd be fun to write an April Fool's post. But then I woke up this morning feeling quite un-witty or clever. So, I'll just give you some photos of two fantastic little leggies. And a handsome Easter shirt. And quite possibly our only family photo. 

We had such a happy Easter. I hope you did, too! It was a gorgeous day here in Seattle and we celebrated Jesus being alive with good music, great friends, and tasty food. 

So as not to waste a perfectly good April 1st, here and here are a couple pranks that had me going. But only for one second. 

Happy April!!

xoxo

Joy