four amazing years.

to celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary, i thought i'd share some of our favorite honeymoon photos. adam and i had a wonderful time visiting the quaint little seaside town of kennebunkport, maine. we spent our mornings and evenings out on the beach, collecting shells, sandollars, and starfish. we spent our days walking around dock square and the lower village, admiring all the gorgeous shake homes and historic buildings, and wandering in and out of the little boutique shops. we took a lobster boat tour out to the goat island lighthouse, and even spotted some harbor seals on the way. and we took a historic trolley tour down ocean avenue, and to the surrounding seaside villages. adam feasted on lobster and clam, while i preferred to stick with the traditional midwest fare. every afternoon, we enjoyed a scoop of ice cream from aunt maries. and every night, we relaxed on our deck and watched the boats come in out of the river harbor. it seriously was a dream, and we can't wait to visit again. 

if you're interested, here is a link to the hotel where we stayed. the website has a ton of pictures and lots of info on visiting york county, maine.

and now, for our favorite photos. if you would like to see an enlarged version, just click on the photo.

around town. (dock square + the lower village.)

the beach at low tide.

out on the lobster boat. (goat island lighthouse + a lobster shack + a cozy shake house.)

our hotel. (we had a beautiful view of the harbor.)

and on our way out to maine, we stopped at niagra falls for a few hours.

so that was our honeymoon. we had such an amazing time. its hard to believe it has been four years already.  but it certainly has been the very best four years of my life. happy anniversary, babe. i love you. 

i promised more.

and here he is...sweet little ryan in all his snuggly glory.







and a big thanks to kati for letting me practice with my camera. i am just over the moon with how these turned out, and i hope you are too.

and how can i not mention the new watermark? what do y'all think?

18 months.

our little o.bug turns a year and a half today. 

heres the update:

-he can find his hair and his belly button. and we're working on the ears and the tongue.

-when you tell him no, he'll shake his head back and forth. and sometimes tell you no.

-he loves to look for airplanes. and will yell "see it" when he spots one.

-he loves to listen for trains. and will sometimes say "choo choo" when he hears one.

-hes added lots of new words to his vocabulary, including: stick, leaf, flower, shoes, hair, truck, plane, train, panda, duck, puppy, monkey, tiger, lizard, and turtle. (with turtle being the cutest word ever to come out of his little mouth.)

-he has added two new books to his personal favorites, including: corduroy + if you give a pig a party. (we could read these ten times straight and he'd still say "again.")

-he loves to look through his first 100 words book, and can recognize the ball, the duck, and the airplane.

-he has overcome his fear of bubbles. and is back to lovin his baths.

-he loves to brush his teeth and his hair. but he has started to pull on others hair.

-hes still a great little eater. and some of his more recent faves include: pb+banana roll-ups, mini english muffin pizzas, frozen melon balls, and strawberry/blueberry yogurt pops. 

-but he doesn't seem to be a big fan of green beans, lettuce, celery, or red peppers. (these tend to end up on the floor for hudson.)

-he still wants to be outside every second of the day.

-he loves to turn in circles until he gets dizzy.

-and he has learned to kick his soccer ball. 

and now, for a few more photos from yesterday's sprinkler fun...

READY

SET

WET

some good old fashioned sprinkler fun.

adam thought he'd get a little yard work done. owen thought otherwise.







besides, who needs a fancy pool to have a little backyard fun?

handsome little ryan.

we're planning to do a birthday shoot later in the week, so you'll definitely be seeing more photos of this handsome little man.

ten on tuesday.

1. our 4th anniversary is just around the corner, and we have been making plans to celebrate. (redamacks + new buffalo here we come.)
2. batman :the dark night is going to be at the 49er drive in this weekend. and we're getting pretty psyched to see it. (i know, we're dorks.)
3. we have become addicted to the tv show, the office. and have watched all four seasons in just a matter of couple weeks. (remember...we don't have cable, people.)
4. our house is still in the middle of some major work. and my garage is stocked full of the supplies...shingles, siding, gutters, pavers, bricks, and more. (have i mentioned how handsome AND handy my husband is?)
5. i've actually been grocery shopping, recipe surfing, and cooking. (i know, can you even believe it? and the meals have actually been turning out pretty good.)
6. kati + ryan are here visiting. and missy + stella will be here next week. love those friends. and can't wait for our beach day.
7. i have been spending all my free time reading and soaking up as much as i can about photography. and practicing as much as possible.
8. we're trying to work up the courage to allow owen to have his first spend-a-night with the grandparents. 
9. my mom + dad celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary last week. (love you two.)
10. and if you have kidlets, go check out super why at pbskids. its a fun little show about going on reading adventures and having the power to read. (how cool is that!)

it goes something like this...

mommy or daddy: "owen, where is your belly button?"

owen: "RIGHT HERE!" (insert little pointer finger into belly button.)

mommy or daddy: "good job, owen. you found your belly button."



and check out that 'ooga booga' monster diaper. its my fave.

every kid needs a basket.

if not for climbing in and out of...

then at least for running around with on their head.

up. up. and away.

thanks, grandma bonnie + grandpa doug...owen has really been enjoying his new swing.

how do i look?

in mommy's sunglasses.




ignore the red tone on his skin...its just a blanket reflecting.

gary south shore air show.

with owen's newfound interest in airplanes, we thought the the gary south shore air show would be the perfect way to spend our sunday afternoon. so we packed a cooler, piled in the v.dub, and headed up to the indiana dunes west beach. (which just so happens to be the very same beach where adam's infamous boardwalk is located.) owen had a ton of fun...the airplanes were a HUGE hit. he would get so excited every time he'd hear one coming. and believe it or not, he even got brave enough to venture out into the sand and water. however... adam's legs are now the color of tomatoes. and uncle douggie is still a bit disappointed that the super fast jets didn't do any inverted passes. (i'm still not quite sure what that means. ) but we had a great time, nonetheless. 

i only took my camera out once or twice, as i was terrified of all that sand and wind. but i did manage to get a few shots that i thought i'd share. of course, they're looking at the airplanes and not me. 

my fabulous niece.

on friday, hope and i decided to head downtown to do a fun little photo shoot. both of these were taken in front of the designer desserts bakery...such great colors. thanks, hope...you were a fabulous model.

. . . . . . . . . 

and i just have to share a photo of my new camera bag. (which i absolutely adore.)

my two goofy boys.

a typical afternoon for owen.

1. search for airplanes. 


2. collect sticks. 


3. eat mud. 

valplayso on the 4th.

just a few pics of owen running around, having a blast at valplayso (a great big park here in town)...and hanging out in his radio flyer wagon, waiting for the town firework show to begin.













and just for fun, here is a link to last year's 4th of july post.