This post is sponsored by Torani. Please see policies for more information. Last night, we hosted our first Christmas gathering. It was informal and easy, the perfect way to kick off the holidays. Riley's great aunt and birth mother joined us for dinner and...
My youngest dears, We are anticipating Christmas every moment. You look at me directly in the eyes and ask me 'how much times' until we see Julia. This season, you are excited and hopeful about the arrival of your big sister home from college. The similarities between...
Over Riley's fall break, I took the youngest north to Cottonwood, Arizona. We had been invited to stay at the Ocotillo Nature Home. It was the cutest AirBnB, directly across the street from a path that leads to the Verde River. Cottonwood is only about a 90 minute...
I'm a photographer- but, more importantly, I'm a mother. Boy do I take photos. I have hundreds of thousands of them. Terabytes of photos stored in various locations and on various media. Just this morning, I took several pics celebrating my 8 year old's season finale...
A few miles away from our home is the Odysea Aquarium. It is the perfect way to spend a day. If there is one thing I've learned in this parenting journey, it is to try and get one on one time with each kiddo. Give them a chance to really feel seen and heard. Let them...
Every summer, we pile in two cars and drive to Texas. Yes, it takes us 2 full days with our crew. When we arrive, we usually are cranky and need a venti chai tea latte. But it is always, always worth it. On Brian's side of the family, there is always an amazing night...
My family and I spent a morning hosted by Scorpion Bay Marina at Lake Pleasant. Please see policies for more information. Did you know you can rent boats at Scorpion Bay Marina at Lake Pleasant? You can rent private charters, pontoons, sport boats, kayaks, and water...
The summer ended with a glorious trip to see my dear friend Nancy at her little cabin in the woods. The kids would have stayed forever if I let them. All seven kids (just her younger four and my youngest three) played together beautifully. Being around her family is...
Every roommate trip involves finding incredible places to eat at our destination. This trip, we relied on yelp and suggestions from Instagram friends (and maybe a few random strangers)! It did not disappoint! I honestly thought there were two types of Mexican food -...
On our last evening in Santa Fe, Kelly and I took a walk down to Canyon Road. We have known each other for more than 20 years. We have had a front row seat to each other becoming college graduates, brides, wives, and mothers. I call her when I am overflowing with...
"But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'" - Luke 16:31 My heart had been softened by seeing the Stairs of Loretto. I think God was preparing me to see something that only my...
I wrote the following a few weeks ago on Facebook, but my heart continues to ache when I see people I esteem and love posting political cartoons about thoughts and prayers not working. This. This has been on my heart all day after seeing the #thoughtsandprayers don't...
Kelly and I visited the Chapel of Loretto the afternoon after we wandered the Georgia O'Keefe Museum. As we walked in, we found that this was no longer a working chapel, but had been changed into a historical museum that still held the occasional wedding. I felt...
Singing has always seemed to me the most perfect means of expression. It is so spontaneous. And after singing, I think the violin. Since I cannot sing, I paint. - Georgia O'Keefe Kelly and I wandered over to the Georgia O'Keefe Art Gallery. We reminisced about past...
Every year, my college roommates and I try to take a trip together. This year, it was only Kelly and me. We met in the middle and decided on Santa Fe - the City of Faith. She had just read Death Comes for the Archbishop and I had just seen a special from Real Life...
I probably write this post at the end of every summer. And I'm pretty sure I feel even more strongly every single year. This is my activity where my phone and any other distractions have no choice but to be left behind. I notice their smooth skin and little fingers...
Every summer, we trek to Texas to visit family. Somehow, after all the years of living everywhere from California to Corpus Christi to Leeds, England, my mother's entire immediate family landed in the Houston area. Twelve years separate my mom and her youngest...
This post was sponsored Walt Disney World Resort to celebrate even the youngest of believers. All opinions expressed in my post are my own. There is something magical about sharing friendship with mothers of little ones close in age to your own crew. It is a phase of...
Pizza. Not just any pizza, but wood fired, delicious, homemade pizza. You guys. I still dream of this pizza. My dear friend, Wendy, is a cookbook author. I had the absolute honor of photographing some of her newest cookbook, Live Fire BBQ and Beyond. Of course we had...
I saved this post as a draft for a while. I knew what I wanted to say, but the words just couldn't find their way to me. Last night at dinner with a good friend, they shared a story of their daughter and I knew what I was trying to say. This mama watched her daughter...
During Mom and Dad's rescue mission visit, we had the opportunity to wander the Desert Botanical Gardens. Brian was in Romania for business and they came to be my extra hands and sanity. As I was looking through pictures, I was lamenting that I've been remiss in...