Mama, Mini, and Sista Style

Ah, we're loving these beautiful spring days. We've been swimming every chance we get and have been on endless bicycles rides. It's exhilarating! And not only that, we're finally in shorts and summer dresses and it's just so wonderful. Bring on the heat of summer! There's nothing better. 

Now you see how those little legs have to deal with the concrete. Walk baby walk!

Daena has mastered the art of scarf-ery. She can tie those beauties every which way and they always look perfect. Apparently wigs are uncomfortably hot during these warm days, which makes a lot of sense, and she's choosing scarves over locks for everyday. I think she looks beautiful. There's just something really chic about a scarf too. It can look classic (think Audrey Hepburn) or bohemian (think Nicole Ritchie) which is absolutely lovely. As much as I love to wear them, I tend to look more like a pirate. Must work on that. :)

Thought I'd give a quick update for the dear family and friends that have been asking about how Daena is doing. We love you all. Thank you for checking in. Honestly, his past month has been a long, rough road for her. She had experienced the best possible circumstances up until her last chemo treatment about 3 weeks ago but after that 5th round there were a whole lot of problems. She had to receive a shot that would allow her to have that 5th round of chemo (won't go in to lots of detail but this happens when the blood counts are too low and it brings them up again). The short version of the story is simply that she was hospitalized about 6 days after that 5th round, for 6 days, after going in to the ER with a high fever. After a typical winter that was just chock full of runny noses and coughs (we have 8 kids between the 2 of us and are together most days of the week, so it's just something we have to deal with a little more now and that's okay), all of which miraculously stayed clear of her, she finally managed to contract a horrible cold (a nasty one that I even managed to grab along the way) and well, for her it was really, really bad. Her body could not handle that and her blood counts were dangerously low. She received a blood transfusion while there and after a couple of days, her "cold" developed into pneumonia. But thanks to the fervent prayers of friends and loved ones she pulled through and over the course of those few days in the hospital (which seemed like an eternity), her body became stronger again and her counts slowly came back up. She was eventually allowed to go home (after being fever free for 24 hours), incredibly weak and not feeling wholly better but able to grow stronger again at home. 

Today she feels good and even brought the kids swimming with the fam this afternoon. Her last chemo treatment is scheduled for the beginning of next week. The last one you guys! That's massive. The end is in sight. And her numbers are looking good. So please continue to think of her and pray for her as she finishes up this crazy journey and begins her recovery. Much love to you all!

An Afternoon Outside

Whenever the daddy goes outside to mow the yard we all head out with him, blankets in hand. We sit there and watch him, some of us jump on for a ride, others climb trees, and still others funky crawl through the garden exploring and tasting all the earth has to offer. I know, it's disgusting (aren't girls supposed to stay away from dirt and particularly, putting it into their mouths!?). Elliot and Scarlet love to tumble around gently. Well really, it's Elliot that likes to grab her and roll her over on top of him. But she giggles like it's the best, best thing on earth.

Having a crawler outside is proving to be tricky. I'm so worried about that tender skin and have starting packing a pair of black or grey leggings with me to take where ever we go, for the purpose of popping over her cute rompers or under her dresses. Now she can crawl on the concrete without scratches and in the dirt without a mess. She's adamant to be where the action is and loves to explore. Busy body. Kinda looking forward to my little walker emerging from all the standing and balancing for ages business, taunting us with her cleverness but then never taking a step. We sit there and watch her stand, all of us clapping and cheering exuberantly. Big smiles on everyone's faces. Fist pumps. But no, not going to walk mama. Don't rush a good thing.

And I even have a bit of an outfit to share! 

{dress - Free People but consigned!}

Balloons Are My Fave

Hello friends! Hope you had a lovely weekend. I took these photos on the day of our dance recital a couple of weekends ago, since miss muffet was looking adorable all dressed up in her ballet tutu and leg warmers and I couldn't miss the opportunity to freeze that image. We brought home a balloon bouquet from the dance party and well, balloons are just one of the best things ever when you're a tiny one year old. So she gave us ample opportunity to smile at her shenanigans.

 (Poor girl has a bit of eczema behind her knees now that her little legs are more exposed. Not to worry, we've experienced much worse with Monty and the ointments seem to be taking care of it :)

Bohemian Spring Uncut {for YOU mag}

I recently styled and photographed a spring fashion assignment for YOU magazine (you can see behind the scenes pictures here). So I thought I'd share all the pictures that did not make it into the mag as there were just so many that I kinda loved and I thought you might enjoy. :) 

{outfit from Somewhere in Time Antique Mall}

{outfit from Furs of Distinction}

{outfit from Hey Daisy!}

As you can see there was not even a glimmer of spring (except I suppose for sporadic tufts of moss) in the great outdoors in this month of April, but thanks to Sunny DuBois at Ebb and Flow Flowers, our models were just so, so beautiful in their fresh flower crowns. The flowers made all the difference in the world.

I can't tell you what an amazing feeling it is to work on something that I love so much and then see it published on glossy magazine pages. It's a little gift from God I think, the opportunity to be a part of this magazine's freelance staff and the chance to better myself as a writer and photographer. I'm absolutely picture obsessed and tend to linger on every moment. The mag has pushed me to think outside the box in not only the writing and photographing scenarios, but also the styling. When I look at what I've worked on in print it's a pinch me moment, you know? It's one of those opportunities that I think I was just lucky enough to get a few years ago (thank you Erica for believing in me!) and has sort of exploded into something really beautiful. Thanks to the new and exciting vision of my editor Amelia, I have this really wild opportunity to share my voice regarding beauty and style to the local female community (whether they like it or not - haha!) on a monthly basis. In a nutshell, I hope they'll be inspired to find the dazzling in the ordinary.

To read the full article and see the inspiration behind the outfits, just click on this link (it looks wonderful, promise. take a peek!). Perfect for my far away friends. :)