The big OH-Five!

Yes, it's true, our sweet l'il baby bean turned five last week. We had a few of her friends over to make butterfly mobiles with Gma Bunny, get spa treatments from Caroline & Lily & stuff themselves with more than their fair share of sugar. Thanks to Gma Bunny's sage advice, the whole thing was so relaxed and 'old-school', meaning no fancy games, tricks, or party venues. It was one of my favorite birthday parties to date! I always feel a sort of self-imposed pressure to make the girls birthday celebrations exciting and/or spectacular in some way, when in fact, a simple party with friends and a few fun games and a little sugar thrown in for good measure is really all that a great celebration requires. Note to self: repeat the experience again!

One of the funnier moments from the party happened when my mom was holding the cake, complete with lit candles, out in front of Ava so that I could snap a picture of it and the cake unexpectedly began a quick slide off the cardboard and into the lap of one of the party attendees. Luckily, the cake was caught before it made it's final descent onto the little girl's dress, but the look on her face when she saw this fireball of a cake headed straight for her lap was priceless. Needless to say, we all breathed a huge sigh of relief when we realized we had averted certain disaster!

Ava was her sweet, happy, girlish self ... so delighted by every little thing. She is pure joy and pure lovely, that kid. I wish I could say that I had something to do with it, but I know the truth is that I didn't. She came out of the womb that way and, boy oh boy, am I glad that she did. We love that you joined our family five short years ago, sweet girl. How did we ever do life without you???

Kisses & luvs,
Your grateful mum

Happy Mum's Day!

I love ...
that you're as addicted to Photoshop as I am
the color of your eyes and the shape of your nose
that you're incredibly stoic, especially when I'm not
your beautiful stories ... written, spoken & photographed
the fact that you make daily running a priority in your life
your thoughts and your wise observations
it when people say that I resemble you in any way
your kind and empathetic way with people
that we share an undying love for Diet Pepsi
that you teach me everything you know about photography
how you always see the very best in me
sharing decadent desserts with you
that you're spiritually generous and open-minded
your laughter and the way your smile lights up your face
that you like to shoot from the hip on our travels together
the fact that we find a lot of the same things humorous
your boundless creativity
that you take moments to savor the beautiful things in life
that you remind me of who God calls me to be

but, most of all, I love
that I am blessed to call you my very own
Mom.

An Ode to Spring

Spring, Spring ... wherefore art thou, Spring???
I have been waiting,
impatiently, mind you.
Wondering what on God's green earth is taking you
so long.
I am tapping my foot,
drumming my fingers,
chewing on the edge of my lip.
I am done waiting.
Done, I tell you.
I am ready.
Time to unearth my body, my mind, my spirit.
Please don't disappoint.

An open letter to my dear mumsy on her birthday

I hope I get to be the very first to wish you a happy birthday 'cuz I'm competitive like that. ;-) Since I returned from San Francisco, I've had some time to reflect on the beauty of that trip. Where to begin? I got to spend uninterrupted talk time with my best friend & mum doing something we both love (Ahhh, photography! She's a cruel mistress, but more on that later ...) in my favorite city in this whole wide world. WOW is really all that comes to mind. I had so much fun with you ... laughing, gobbling down some amazingly good food, creating photography, joking about "the slap" heard 'round the world, browsing stores with no intention to buy, eating decadent desserts and walking, walking and walking some more until we landed ourselves onto a massage table on Market Street. It really was more fun than I deserved, but I received it with a thankful heart and a renewed sense of appreciation for all the goodness & laughter you bring to my life. Thank you for being an anchor for me. It is always a grounding experience to be in your presence and I feel rejuvenated for the next leg of this journey we call life ... SO glad I get to share it with you.
Luvs,
H