Harper's camera birthday party

when i asked harper what kind of birthday party she would like to have, she informed me very matter of fact that she wanted a camera party. hmmm, i thought. what an interesting party request from my three year old. turns out she wanted a camera for her birthday...but then decided that she really wanted to take pictures for her party. and that we did. she had so much fun snapping away with her buddies and i had a blast planning it out! i DO love to plan a party. here are a few (ahem) pictures from the big day. happy third birthday, my sweet harper. you are a jewel.

 ^^i made felt cameras for the kids to wear so they could snap pics of each other.^^

 ^^decorating their photo booth pics and frames.^^

 ^^oh snap! isn't the little brother the cutest?^^

 ^^photo booth fun!^^

 ^^finished product.^^

 ^^the kids also made camera cookies out of a few simple ingredients.^^

 ^^i mean, isn't he the cutest little gentleman?^^

 ^^her face when we started singing happy birthday. melt.^^

 ^^cheese!^^

 ^^developing.^^

the party was pretty simple. we had a basic photo booth set up (a piece of fabric backdrop and some fun dress up props) and i took photos with the instax camera. i bought frames and stickers at the dollar store and the kids decorated their pictures and frames. they turned out so much better than i ever imagined!

we also had a camera cookie decorating station. graham cracker bases, oreo lens, a little frosting and some candy buttons. voila!

the guests dined on "say cheese" platters, hot dogs, veggies and cupcakes. oh, and harper's favorite special occasion beverage of lemonade.

for decorations, we had fabric backdrops and the tables were covered in vintage cameras that i have collected over the years and that my parents found.

thank you, dad for suggesting that we get a photographer. best move ever. we got beautiful shots and got to enjoy every moment of the party. photos by the talented robin cain.

p.s. the grandparents.

camping with two babes, two jack russell terriers and a few crazy friends pt.1

last month we went camping for the first time as one big happy family. christopher was really excited to give it a go. i on the other hand was a little more apprehensive. (i tend to be a bit of a worst case scenario worrier...what if the baby cries all night long and bears come looking for said crying baby? OR what if the dogs chase a deer and we lose them forever? OR what if harper falls down a cliff?...that type of thing.) but, worried as i was, i knew that we would have an absolutely incredible memory making adventure. and we did. and after four fun filled days, we made it home safe and sound...and all got a really good scrubbin'. we took a lot of pictures and bare with me, but there are two parts. i really tried my best to narrow it down!

^^a little hike to a beautiful waterfall (that i was standing in front of.) oops!^^

^^this kid loves the tent. and it is the biggest tallest tent i have ever been in!^^

^^emerald lake. looking pretty emerald.^^

^^my sweet mountain men.^^

 ^^we did some pretty crazy 4x4 trails. with the kids. and the dogs. they are awesome.^^

^^roasting hot dogs. since there was a burn ban in colorado, we took the coleman stove and did all of our cooking off of that.^^

 ^^dream cabin.^^

such a fun adventure. part two up soon. 

backpacking in the bells...or why not to pack three pounds of summer sausage

this summer christopher and i took a backpacking trip with a few good pals to the maroon bells. i was a little apprehensive about leaving harper for the first time ever, but i am so glad that we had this adventure together.

one of the reasons that we moved to colorado was to experience the beauty and nature that is just at our backdoor. christopher loves backpacking...the kind of camping where you carry everything that you need to survive for a week on your back. the kind that you hike all day long and do not take a warm soothing shower. the kind where you (cover your ears) poop in a hole and use a rock for toilet paper. so, as his loving wife i thought i might give it one more try. i had been on two other backpacking adventures with not the greatest experience. think dry deserts and lots of biting deer flies. with the assurance of the best guy around, this time would be different.

and it was. the first day was tough. we hiked nine miles with our packs full of food for the week. i think christopher's pack weighed about fifty pounds! (this is why you should not pack three pounds of summer sausage.) there might have been some hidden tears. and maybe a few cuss words in the mix, but i did it. and for the first time in a while, i felt like i had really accomplished something. i was newly pregnant too! the camp food never tasted so good. black beans, rice and summer sausage were like a five course meal to my rumbling stomach.

we spent our second day resting and enjoying the beauty of snowmass lake. we all jumped into the barely above freezing water and felt so refreshed. we ate and rested and were ready to summit buckskin pass the next morning.

on our third day, we saw the most beautiful scenes on the way up to buckskin summit. it was a steep and strenuous hike, but we had the reward of a peanut butter sandwich waiting for us at the top of the climb. we had another long day of hiking, but views that stunned the eyes. we set up camp at crater lake and tried to lighten our load as much as possible for our last day of hiking by eating everything that we could in our packs. mashed potatoes, sausage, quesadillas, almonds, raisins. i seriously can not think of that food without feeling a little queasy.

we hiked out the next morning bright and early and spend some time as maroon lake (pictured last). we were all ready to get some real fresh food in our bellies and get home. i could not wait to see harper and take a very long hot shower! the group had one last meal together at a restaurant (in our grubby camping gear) and parted ways. i am so thankful for this experience and have such fond memories of our adventure.

casa de maria

my dear friend amy invited me to join her for a week of relaxation in the mountains. it was blissful. the family cabin was just as perfect as it could be with bright turquoise, yellows and reds everywhere you look. it was a real feast for my color loving eyes. there were gorgeous watercolors, pastels and weavings hanging all of the walls and the most incredible woven rugs i have seen. and that was inside.

we spent our days exploring the creeks, taking short hikes, catching a lot of bugs, eating delicious food, running through sprinklers, and sewing. every evening after dinner, we made s'mores and ate all of the roasted marshmallows our bellies could hold. amy's boys were ever so patient with harper, showing her how to catch ladybugs and even let her ride pretend to ride their scooters. (she wants one in a bad way!)  

i hope to get back to this space more than i have been in the past month, but our schedule seems to keep me quite busy. harper will be two in a few weeks. eek! we are planning a small party at home to celebrate with friends and family. after asking her over and over what kind of cake she wants, she finally responded with : pink. 

summer love

summer love. a splash pool, matching (and very worn) toenails, popsicles. oh, and a pair of bright blue sunglasses! we are soaking it up. hope you are too!