ordinary portraits.

I posted recently on Instagram about wanting to learn the ropes of Lightroom and actually edit and publish the thousands (!) of pictures I have languishing on SD cards. So far, I haven't taken any steps in that direction because I've been working on so many other projects. But I'm still clicking away, working on ordinary portraits of the girls in their daily life and trying hard to pull out my real camera and not just the iPhone. Here's a few of life here these days (straight out of the camera, because that's all I can do!):

adventures in motherhood: lights, camera, action.

I seriously do not know how you bloggers who have kiddos who don't take any naps do it. I can't even post regularly now that Lorelei takes only one! You're killing me, Smalls!

Things I've been preoccupied by this week:

1. Lights. As in, all of the lighting fixtures in my house. We're trying to make some small changes around here to get everything ready to put our house on the market in February (the start of buying season around these parts), and if you've been following my Pinterest board you can see that I've been light obsessed. I feel like ceiling lights are things that potential buyers won't notice unless they're hideous -- a category ours probably fall under at the moment. I'm thinking a trip to Ikea this weekend might be in order...any other great on-the-cheap home furnishing suggestions?

the only light I've decided on so far: two of these will hang (close to the ceiling) in the kitchen

2. Camera. Still don't have mine fixed, and my newest shop updates are looking a little worse for the wear with the point-and-shoot I'm using instead. Oh well. I did manage to get some cute pictures of Lorelei recently, though of course when I look at them I just see the ways in which my "real" camera would have captured the moment more perfectly. First world problems? Yep, definitely.

3. Action. I've been on the phone with repairmen -- and meeting with them -- a lot more than I would like in terms of my dreams about how to spend my free time, but at least we're making some headway on the house. New range hood? New faucet for our kitchen sink? Estimate on painting the exterior wood trim a color other than bright yellow (you can sort of see it in that photo above -- color suggestions?)? Check, check, check. Next up: getting an electrician in here to install all our new lights...once I order them, that is! It feels good to be finally jumping feet/head/everything first into this project, since I've been wanting to update our house since we moved in and it just never seemed like we should take the time/effort/money to do it. At least we'll get to enjoy it for a few months before we move, right? :)

p.s. 3 more days of knowing that your larking. purchase is going to support the fight against ovarian cancer!

Friday faves round up.

A few things I'm into this week:

Lorelei's adorably chubby legs. I will be so, so sad when she's walking and these slim down!

These cupcakes over at bonbon mini -- can't wait to try them.
I have this problem and am so excited to have a solution, finally!
Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see the sweetest daddy-daughter picture ever.
PJ's new blog design -- and awesome giveaway!
And speaking of giveaways, don't forget to leave a comment on yesterday's post for your chance to win one of our favorite bedtime stories!

Happy weekend :)

what's cuter than a baby in a spring dress?

Nothing!

I'm still reeling from our crazy weekend of seders, birthday parties, Easter bunnies, and a surprise visit from my sister-in-law and her husband last night (they're expecting a little boy in September! Whee!). But I did want to show you what I got in my Easter basket this year -- not as cute as that little baby playing in the grass, but it made mama happy:

(Thanks, mom -- you know the way to this girl's heart is through her shoes!)

Back tomorrow with my usual wordy Wednesday post. Happy Tuesday, all!

Friday round up.

Five things you should definitely take a look at this Friday:

1. I've had chalkboard paint on the brain lately because I'm thinking it'd be fun to have in our kitchen. Robyn must have read my mind (like she did the day she pinned this recipe on her Pinterest board), because she just posted this awesome tutorial, plus a giveaway from her amazingly cool shop.

2. Suzanne shared this website I'd never seen before -- new obsession.

3. L got a million compliments on her new suit at swimming lessons this week! It was a lot easier to get her ready for class by putting the top on her at home and just changing into the bottoms (plus swim diaper) at the pool -- I'm a convert.

4. Once the outdoor pool is open for the season, I'll be making use of this list of safe(r) sunscreens for babies.

5. These complaints written in the margins of medieval manuscripts are too funny, and remind me of my favorite Billy Collins poem! (Thanks, Megan.)

Our peanut is 10 months tomorrow -- I can barely believe it. Hoping she'll celebrate by deciding to sleep more than an hour at a time during the night, but if this past week is any indication, I shouldn't hold my breath.

Happy weekend, all!

beach baby.

Our vacation to Florida was a little slice of heaven.

Our little peanut is such a bad traveler that I was dreading our trip for weeks ahead of time -- and you know what? She was just as terrible on the plane as I thought she'd be. Poor thing can't sleep on the go, so a 20 minute nap after falling asleep crying on my shoulder was all she had the day we left. But she's a resilient little trooper and bounced right back -- and she loved every minute that she was awake (which was most of the minutes in the day).

The beach -- how I've missed it! I haven't been to see my in-laws since before I was pregnant (they've been here lots of times, though), and it was wonderful to be back on that sunny, sandy shore and to share it with my daughter, who didn't seem to mind that the water lapping at her toes was pretty icy.

The free babysitting, homecooked meals prepared by someone other than me, and long afternoons by the pool with a good book in hand didn't hurt either.

We still haven't come any closer to accomplishing my goal of taking a trip, just the three of us, to somewhere other than our parents' homes, but the older L gets the more I feel like we can do it -- even if it involves air travel.

Did you ever read Joanna's post about traveling with a baby? She published it the day my water broke; I remember reading it that morning and bookmarking it, hoping that someday we'd be brave enough to leave the house with our precious, fragile newborn-to-be. :) We're hoping to try tip #5 (a home rental rather than a hotel) this summer, and #10 (shipping diapers to your destination) is such a great way to save space in your luggage! We haven't tried #4, but I think we might next time...

It was fun to get L out of her winter weather clothing and show off her chubby baby legs again. Plus, sunhats are awfully cute for framing pinchable cheeks.

As for me, I had to invest in something to cover my part now that my hair is short -- thank goodness for cheap finds at Target since I pretty much hate wearing hats, which is why I didn't own one to use in the first place. And breaking out my own summer gear made me feel like I had just gone shopping (which, as you know, I've sworn off doing for a while). In case you were wondering, Old Navy doesn't have that exact dress anymore, but you can find similar styles here and here.

Thank goodness for balmy weather when we returned -- it helped to ease the transition back to real life. But I'm longing for summer in a way I didn't think was possible when out of the classroom!

signs of spring.

Good morning and happy Monday!

Have you been experiencing the lovely weather we flew home to this weekend? There are still little bits of the winter that we haven't left far behind, but tiny hopeful hints of new beginnings are starting to appear.

It reminds me of that Langston Hughes quote: "I stuck my head out the window this morning and spring kissed me bang in the face." It's almost like the buds were opening and unfolding in front of our eyes today -- these moments are so fleeting that it's miraculous to be able to witness it. Trying to breathe it all in while we can...

Here's a springy Monday morning song for you -- one of my all-time favorites.

Florida pics coming soon -- so many to sort through. Tomorrow was supposed to be the day I opened my Etsy shop, but due to some unforeseen circumstances related to my new blog design and some shop inventory that isn't quite done yet, it's pushed back a bit. Hoping for an early April open, though! Then spring will really have sprung at our house.

Hope beautiful and hopeful things are swinging your way today, too! It's good to be home. :)

p.s. looking forward to getting caught up on your blogs -- and comments! -- soon...I'm feeling very out of the loop!