this is the place

Posted on May 17, 2013 by tara

After the aquarium, we visited the “This is the Place” monument in Salt Lake City. This monument commemorates the pioneers, as well as the settlers and explorers of the west. It was named for Brigham Young’s proclamation that the Saints would settle in the Salt Lake Valley (article here). Now that I’ve seen Utah, I have to wonder, “Why HERE?” Why was this the place? It is a dry desert, with nothing all too special about it. The early Saints were persecuted and driven from their homes in the East, so the Salt Lake Valley became their safe-haven. I was pretty impressed with how TALL it was! (And what you can’t see in this photo is Kaya’s adorably mismatched outfit. She had the biggest blowout in history (thank you, disposable diapers!) just before this, so she was wearing a pink polkadot shirt with blue and brown pants. Stylin’!)

the living planet aquarium

Posted on May 16, 2013 by tara

While we were out in Utah, we went to check out the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy. I had seen their website and heard from a few people that it was worthwhile. Honestly, I was a little disappointed with how small it was. It was fun for a short visit, and there were a few exhibits that housed larger animals, but most everything else was just fish. (I know, it’s an aquarium… there are obviously going to be fish. I just wish they had had more of the “bigger” animals too!)

Here are a few of our favorites: some very playful otters!The lion fish.And penguins (we definitely thought of Lelia while watching them!) Kaya did really enjoy watching everything swim around!

photo-a-day for may (7-12)

Posted on May 15, 2013 by tara

Day 7 (something beginning with F): First Mother’s Day card- from my mom! 🙂

Day 8 (shape): Hearts, stars, and horseshoes (hopefully I’m not the only one who remembers this commercial from childhood)! I have been pretty obsessed with Lucky Charms lately, so it was only fitting to use them as my “shape” photo.

Day 9 (a snack): A chocolate-chip muffin (my other obsession)!

Day 10 (stars): See that green toy at Kaya’s feet? Yep, I’m counting that for my “star” photo. Although, Kaya is kind of the star of our lives right now, so she could count too!

Day 11 (a smile): Technically I cheated and took this on day 10… but it was just too good to not use!

Day 12 (a mother): Sometimes, I still can’t believe I’m a mom… (probably because I still feel like a kid disguised in an adult body)! But I am so thankful for this little sweetheart and that I get to be her mommy.

mother’s day weekend

Posted on May 14, 2013 by tara

Our weekend was one of the laziest we’ve had in a while! It felt good to just watch Netflix, sleep in, and then stay in our jammies.

We might’ve had a lot of dessert, too (I promise that that is not just a bowl of whipped cream… there’s ice cream hiding under there)!

I made chocolate-chip cookies, too! While they were baking, our friends Lauren and Rory stopped by and surprised me with one of the most thoughtful gifts I’ve ever received. They wanted to do something for me since Maggie passed away, so they brought a little stuffed guinea pig. I’m so grateful for amazing friends. We took a couple of “mother’s day” pictures. Kaya was being crazy and we couldn’t get her to smile, but I think this captures the essence of her personality. I’m so grateful I get to be this sweet girl’s mama.Michael helped make and even clean up from dinner (tacos)! It was nice to be able to relax a little.

slide

Posted on May 13, 2013 by tara

Lelia spent the afternoon with Kaya and me on Friday. It was a beautiful day (almost warm enough to wear shorts, although I don’t usually bust those out until June), so we went for a walk to the playground.

Kaya’s been on the swings once before, but she LOVED it even more this time. Lelia was tickling her every time she pushed the swing and was getting some pretty good laughs out of her.

(Lelia practiced her photography skills a bit, and I have to say, I was pretty impressed! This shot is awesome!)

Love this goofy girl. We went a little wild and took her down the slide for the first time ever… _MG_5695

I don’t think she could decide how she really felt about it, even after her second time down.

I had some pretty awesome static hair going on though.

_MG_5696 You’re never too old to have fun at the playground! (Although my primary kids told me that I am too big and would break the swings if I played on them… Haha!)

friday thoughts

Posted on May 10, 2013 by tara

We’ve had quite a crazy week, with just getting back home from my Utah trip, cuddling a teething baby, editing three photoshoots, and saying goodbye to my sweet Maggie. The weather is at least looking a bit more like spring, so we’ve been enjoying more time outside (although 3 of my 4 runs this week were in the RAIN)!

Juni seems to be doing okay without Maggie. They were more like roommates than best friends, after all. The cage just seems so big and quiet now. Juni hasn’t been too excited about her veggies, so she had some parsley this morning as a treat.I had a photoshoot with a sweet family from church last night. Kaya and I got there a little early, so I played around with the beautiful lighting while she (re)discovered grass.

(and she tried to eat a stick…)

Kaya’s had a bit of a rough week with teething, but the top two front teeth have both finally broken through the gum! She seems more like her normal, happy self today so far. (Although she is going on three hours of napping right now!)
I also forgot how much I love listening to this song. It’s silly, I know, but it is a good reminder of the simple things in life. I’m definitely looking forward to some great family time this weekend!

I still plan to show off all the fun I had in Utah, but I have a TON of photos to go through, so it might take me a little longer than I’d like. Stay tuned and happy weekend! 🙂

flying with kaya

Posted on May 8, 2013 by tara

I have to admit… I was pretty nervous to fly with a baby. My vivid imagination conjured images of tears, screaming, and a whole mess of bodily functions happening at the worst possible time.

Luckily, Baby Bird did really well! There was, of course, some crying, but overall, she tolerated flying both to and from home like a champ.

We left from Newport News, Virginia (pictured below), had a layover in Atlanta, and then finally arrived in Salt Lake City!
The way home was the same route, just the opposite, and it was a red-eye flight (meaning we flew through the wee hours of the night). I was even more worried about keeping her content on this flight, but it was actually even easier than flying during the day- she just slept the whole time! We made a little bed by laying blankets across our laps, and she surprisingly slept pretty soundly. PHOTO_20130423_133906 By the way, when I’m talking about this Utah trip, “we” refers to Kaya, my mom-in-law, and myself. Michael’s cousin, Brianna, flew me out west to take her wedding photos, but Michael had to work, so my mom-in-law was awesome and came to help with Kaya (but she might have been a little persuaded by the prospect of almost-endless baby cuddles)!

photo-a-day for may (1-6)

Posted on May 7, 2013 by tara

As I mentioned last week, I’m doing this photo challenge for May. So far, it’s been a lot of fun and it has helped me see each day a little differently!

Day 1 (I bought this!): “Granola” bars for the flight home. I don’t normally buy these, so they were a treat!

Day 2 (morning ritual): I run at least four miles, five times a week. Starting my day with exercise is so invigorating!

Day 3 (this is really good!): We had some AMAZING weather on Friday. It actually felt like spring! Kaya and I enjoyed some time outside with my mom and dad-in-law. Kaya is infatuated with Scrappy, and he was so patient with her!

Day 4 (in my cup): Sweet Frog frozen yogurt! I think I put nearly every chocolate topping on it…

Day 5 (paper): I received my institute diploma! (Institute is basically a church program that holds classes to study scriptures). I was missing just one class for credit, but I finally finished!

Day 6 (broken): My heart has been broken since I said goodbye to Maggie yesterday. I wanted one last picture together before we went to the vet.

dear maggie

Posted on May 6, 2013 by tara

Dear Maggie,

Today, I made one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make.

I helped you leave all your aches and pains behind.

And I cried harder than I have in a very long time.

Maggie, your life meant so much more to me than I could ever write. We were best friends from the moment I first held you. You nestled into me and made that happy little noise you always would when you were content. My heart was stolen, and I begged my mom to let me take you home.You saw me graduate high school, get married, finish college, and even have a baby. You even had to have surgery to have an abscess removed. We might’ve seemed crazy to spend $400 to save a guinea pig, but it bought us three extra years together.When we were first married, I couldn’t find a job, and we were new at church without any friends. I felt lonely, but you were always there for snuggling. When people did start coming over, talking about you was the perfect ice-breaker.
I love your wiggly little nose, crazy fur, and the funny mohawk you’d get after a haircut.You were here on the earth with me for almost a third of my entire life. Today when we said goodbye, it almost felt as if a little piece of me went with you. I’m so grateful for the time I was able to nurture you and be your “mommy”. Thanks for being my first baby.

See you in Heaven someday.

Maggie (nicknamed Magamuffin, Muffin, Muffinhead, Mufftey, and Muffmuff)
December 20, 2005 – May 6, 2013

utah

Posted on May 3, 2013 by tara

(Jordan River LDS temple)

After a week out in Utah, I’m finally back on the East coast! It was my first trip out west, and I certainly did enjoy myself. Utah definitely has its own beauty (hellooo Rocky Mountains!), but going somewhere else helped me realize that my heart really does belong to Virginia.

There will be a lot of fun posts coming up (as soon as I get the time to sort through my bajillion photos), like flying with a baby, all the temples we saw, hearing the Mormon Tabernacle choir (IN PERSON!!), and the engagement and wedding photos I shot while out there.

In other news, I’m starting this photo-a-day challenge. I’ve always wanted to do one, but I usually chicken out of it because I fear not being diligent enough to do it every day. Now I’m just going to go for it and see how it turns out!

Happy Friday everyone!

Michael and Tara

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Monthly Archives: May 2013