TOMS love!!

 WOW, you would never guess these are her favorite shoes, right?

She loves these shoes and before I go get some more, I'm going to try this genius trick out and see if we can get just a little more use out of them.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

recently...according to my phone

a little home decor...

part of the painting I made for Andy-we are always longing to travel especially when we just get home from a trip

some valentines day decorations Ella and I made out of hearts cut from the Trader Joe's mailer and then we sewed them together 

 a bike ride with my boy...

he found this little hill a couple of streets over from us and he was happy to just go up and down it for the next half hour.

 some recent finds...

I found this pretty pillow at an estate sale (I get so excited when I find a pillow that has a removable cover)

we picked this old gas pump when we picked up Andy's latest project.

 laundry folding...

I'm not sure if my little helper is helping too much...

he has fun just messing around trying to hide in the clothes

 on a hike at Peter's Canyon this past weekend.

 at the top of Big Red...there is this really big hill with red dirt that people call Big Red.  last weekend the kid's and I conquered Big Red no problem.

this past weekend the kid's wanted to do it again and take daddy along for the experience. 

 the sun was just setting and the air was cooling quickly.

near the end of the hike I took a deep breath and was overwhelmed with how happy I felt.

fresh air and family time is my perfect combination

banged up cupboards

 the moments in life that are not monumental but just a part of our every day life

 are the ones that I am afraid I will forget or will go undocumented. I want to hold the everyday moments that make up such a big part of our life just as close to my heart as that big 'ride the bike for the first time' moments.  

there are marks on our cupboards from the thousands of times our chairs have been pulled up to the kitchen counter so that the kiddos can help. 

although I get frustrated reminding the kids to stop banging the cupboards and I cringe every time I see a new scuff, I want to be able to look back at these times and smile.  

 how can I get frustrated about a couple of banged up cupboards

 when I have this cute guy helping me wash dishes, right?

Painted Branches

 I saw these painted pieces of wood and I loved them.

I knew they would be the perfect little project to do with the kiddos.

I didn't have any driftwood but I did have a bunch of twigs I had been saving for just this type of project.

I'm not sure what we are going to do with them but for now they are hanging out in a glass jar and adding a little splash of color.

I smiled...

 the other day I was busy inside and I heard the motorcycle start up.  

when you have a husband who builds cars and motorcycles and pieces rare rusted parts together with handmade pieces into a machine that actually starts up and runs, 

it is a BIG deal 

when you hear one start up.

I rushed outside and Andy was already down the street, 

the kids were jumping on bikes and scooters and shouting excitedly about the 'moto' and daddy
and that was about all that I caught as I watched them rush after their daddy.

I smiled...

I smiled at their excitement

I smiled because not only was the motorcycle running

but Andy was also riding it

I smiled at the way our kids wanted to follow their daddy

I smiled at the wild bunch we must look like to our neighbors

I smiled as I ran in to get my camera

 Andy is one of the most modest people I know when it comes to his talents.

he is pretty incredible.

(sorry babe I know I'm embarrassing you right now but hey, you are pretty incredible.)

I love watching the cars and motorcycles take shape as he builds them.

I'm always amazed that the pieces that arrive at our house in various boxes can be pieced together and fabricated to make a something so beautiful when it's completed.

 more than this, I love watching the way our kiddos love their daddy.

I love this picture of Ella imitating what her daddy is doing. 

melt my heart!

I love that Andy has a special way of connecting to each of our babies

 when I am completely clashing with them.

he has a way of making them laugh when they were just on the verge of tears.

I pray for Ella and Julian and who they will become as adults.

my biggest prayer for them is that they will know their God and His unconditional love for them.

I'm happy to have Andy by my side raising our babies
into the beautiful people God intended them to be.

I'm thankful that even though we are not perfect parents,
we have a God who's love is perfect and complete.

BUTTERY LIGHT

last week we headed to the beach on a whim and it was the perfect time to catch all of this beautiful buttery light.  

the day was such a clear day we could see catalina and san clemente island.

the kiddos did there thing- running, climbing, chasing, exploring, building and having fun.
(i really wish i would have had ella change out of her school uniform but i guess these pictures just document our life.)
i did my thing- chasing these crazy energetic kids and the light with my camera.
andy did his thing- surfing...on just 2 fins.
when we got to the beach and he was all suited up he realized he was missing one of the screws to a fin.  that didn't stop him, ha, ha. 

i'm always amazed at how quickly the light changes and how different pictures look that were taken just minutes apart.

i love it! 

HEARTS + ARROWS

It was just my type of day yesterday.

Our day was filled with lots of love and time together mixed in with some delicious food and just the right amount of creating and photographing.

In the morning Julian and I worked on a somewhat Valentine's day shirt for him before heading over to Ella's school to help out with her Valentine's day class party.

After a sugar overload we headed home so I could finish up with my painting for Andy.

We made heart shaped pizza's and one of my favorite dishes, 

linguine with shrimp scampi, for dinner.

I used this recipe.

For dessert we enjoyed brownies a la mode...YUM!!!

Andy and I topped off the night watching a movie together after the kids were in bed.

Definitely my kind of perfect day!