halloween preview...

every year, the lawn is awash with hundreds of tiny princesses and pirates a few days before halloween. this year, kathy and brandon got to experience the chaos with us. it was wonderful...


(check out that cute fairy costume...thanks so much, whit!!)









more to come after halloween!

::best birthday ever::

my husband is the best.
absolute best.
he is the most thoughtful, generous and loving man.
and he knows exactly how to make me feel adored.

for my 30th birthday, he surprised me with an A-MAZ-ING trip to san francisco for a few days. and kathy SO generously came to watch the small ones. it could not have been more perfect. my heart longed for finn and lily, but it was just what we needed.

thank you, ryan. i adore you.




biking across the golden gate bridge.


cable cars.




feeling humbled and in awe in the redwood forest.

i love you, ry.

ladies night out...

the z'ville fellas made their annual trip to the area and it was so good to have them in town. lily couldn't have been happier than to have their company and it was wonderful to have a little reunion. thank you so much, eric and smithers for making the trip down!!!

::braids::

when i was little, my mom was ever so generous as to allow my best friend, sarah, and i to have sleepovers ALL the time. sarah and i were inseparable. she lived only a few blocks away and we spent every moment possible together - awake and asleep. we were even allowed to spend the night on SCHOOL nights! our moms were so good to us.

and it seemed to be a ritual on school mornings, for sarah, ash and i (and whit when she was older) to line up in front of the big mirror in our bathroom while my mom would put our hair in double french braids. we would all head to school feeling not only put-together, but also beautiful.

and so, today, as i put my daughter's hair in double french braids for the first time, i had such a sense of motherhood. it's not that i don't feel like a mother on a daily basis, but sometimes i still feel like such a kid, too. i still need my own mother so very much. but as i delicately put lily's wispy hair into two braids, my heart was so full and i could only hope that this would be a tradition for us that would make her heart sing as well.



and with cheeks like this, do you think that finn will ever be able to hold his head up to learn to sit? i think he will have to defy physics!

best buds...

(pictures compliments of katy!)

these just melt my heart. there is something so very precious about being in the comapany of such true friends.

::weekend update::

we had a wonderfully packed weekend.

ryan's aunt and uncle, janet and kevin, came into c'ville for the weekend. they were here to watch the cream and crimson, but sadly, the game was quite brutal for the hoosiers. luckily, there was plenty else to do and we savored every minute we had to spend with them. and they were so gracious as to stay for finn's baptism, which we cherished so very much.

i also traveled up to the district to visit katy and her kids. it is such a blessing to spend time in the company of such an amazing friend and we had a great time. david was especially enamored with finn! (even if he did have a little trouble remembering if he was a boy or a girl!!)

and we made a quick visit up to the orchard this weekend. it was beautiful as the leaves are just starting to change and it was so nice to be outside as a family!








my first instinct was to pull her dress down to cover up her derrière. but, then, on second thought, it seemed so cute... so she romped around just like this!

sacred day...

the pictures tell all. it was beautiful and my heart could not have been more full...










(just for kicks. he had to wear it at least once, right?)

ballads...

the chief sings:

ballads...

and lily's dear friend, ainsley, taught her this prayer. she insists on singing this (and only this) prayer before we eat. and if we are out in public and we are singing it quietly, she says, "louder, mama. louder!" so, before she doesn't think this is cool to belt out, i had to catch it on film...

sidewalk.chalk

e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e.


you can hardly tell, but her face was COVERED in chalk. awesome.

love does not begin to express my feelings about these...

our amazing friend, lisa, so graciously came and gifted us with some phenomenal pictures a while ago. she is beyond talented and made us feel so comfortable and at ease as she took pictures of us. my eyes well up and my heart overflows when i look at these. thank you lisa... this is a gift that i will cherish and will warm my heart for the rest of my life...

lisa's website is coming soon. check her out here: www.lisahenrysmith.com

bono in c'ville

we enjoyed an awesome night last night in the company of our friends, mike and kirsten and their beautiful daughter, margaret. and to make it an even better, we all got to enjoy U2 right here in c'ville. and it was an amazing show! ryan and i had paid for nosebleed-section tickets, but about halfway through the show, we were able to join mike and kirsten in their section about a mile lower than us! and the entire band exited the stadium just feet in front of us. it was a great night!

thanks so much, mike and kirsten for coming to c'ville!!!