memorial day weekend.

memorial day weekend brought lots of time outside (rain & shine- the cold would not put a damper on the splash pad! brrrr...). lots of shopping. lots of cleaning & lots of selling stuff (we are kind of obsessed with selling things on ksl... i guess it comes along with living in tiny quarters? or just being compulsive. that, too.). lots of food. lots of fun. & lots of great family time... lots of awesome memories!

in memorial...

about a week ago, my phone slipped out of my hand and rather than bouncing on the rubber playground (under my left foot), it hopped onto the sidewalk (under my right foot), and shattered.

i thought that was bad...

until yesterday when my phone once again slipped out of my hand and onto the blacktop.

*sigh.* seriously, dude??

on friday my mama celebrated her 50th birthday and amongst our morning festivities, i took her for mani-pedi's. (happy birthday, mama!! fun day!) please take note of my phone & matching "shattered" nails-  it seemed appropriate.

june 4th is the soonest i can upgrade phones... & that day can't come soon enough :-/

blue plate diner + park.

oh, blessed sunshine. blessed saturdays full of sunshine!

we spent most of the day outside, and finished off with the park & dinner on the patio at the blue plate diner (consuming perhaps one of the nummiest malts ever).

peonies...

for the 2nd time since we've known each other (8 years), mikey brought me flowers. let me tell you, this makes flowers reeally special! and not just any flowers... my most favorite flowers! peonies. (plus one extra billed as a peonie, but alas, it was an impostor. still lovely, nonetheless.) these flowers came with a rather hilarious story about a silly florist-man. you should have mike tell you the tale one day (ask, "will you tell me about the peonies? yaaah?" it'll make sense.)

i always forget how much lovelier a home feels when flowers are around... don't you think?

thanks, mikey:)

more from our weekend...

more of us (elle) from our fun weekend up north!

(+ more pictures of mike's sister & their cute fam on the photo blog.)

life lately...

i dropped my iPhone last week and the screen shattered. tear. (aka: weep.) the only plus? i am due for a new phone in just 4 short weeks. until then? well, i suppose i'll learn to live with a warped view of the world via phone. i've totally been slacking on pictures (down to a mere dozen/week- a serious slowdown for me). lately? we went to see elle's "tusins" (cousins) in tremonton & had such a wonderful weekend with family! we all rode on their 4-wheelers to visit mike's grandma- i'm absolutely terrified of atv's ever since i rolled down a mountain a while back, but i'm doing my best not to instill fear in elle:) she loved every bumpy minute of our ride (notice her green helmeted head).

we've also 1) discovered that the walls at church are "sticky" and make rather entertaining "felt boards." (irreverent, but entertaining.); 2) enjoyed the outdoors- an ongoing delight; 3) finally hit up the new cheesecake factory downtown (the wait was less than 2 hours!), and 4) window shopped. i am instilling a love for shopping in this girl.

mother's day weekend...

it's mother's day weekend...
i am so thankful for the women in my life.
how much i have learned from each of them!
i'm overjoyed when i look into the face of the little lady who made me a mom- the little girl who is just perfect to me. the little girl who isn't old enough to scream, "i hate you!" (sorry, mom.) the little girl who calls her dad a "superhero." the little girl who says things that make me wet myself with laughter, and the little girl who amazes me with her wisdom & pure heart. 
i am thankful for her spirit & spunk & femininity.
happy mother's day!

s'mores.

apparently we must end all meals w/ a treat (if we eat our veggies. mike!)...

ahem, speaking of mikey- he makes these smore-ish concoctions, and they are yuhm-mmmee!

obviously. can you go wrong with smores? i say nay.

all we're missing is a campfire.

Featured: Utah Deal Diva

I’ve known Jessica (aka: the Utah Deal Diva) for a few years, and have been a huge fan of her blog since she first began. I was so excited when she asked me to shoot some pictures for her wonderful blog! Head to my photo blog to see more images, and be sure to visit her at utahdealdiva.com. While you’re there, check out the special offer for her readers. Hint: it involves my awesomeness + a camera + you. See!? 'Tis special, indeed:)

100 pictures from the park. ok, go!

there's just something about a sunny day. a lot of grass. a few parks. a spunky toddler. oh, and yes, me & my camera...

p.s. - it's may. what the heck?!? did you notice!?

p.p.s. - that was only 15 pictures, not 100.