five on friday: (mostly) outside things

Posted on March 14, 2014 by tara

Every week seems to go by a little faster… am I right? Here are five of my favorite moments from this week:

ONE. Spring came to visit for a couple days, and we soaked up as much sunshine as we could. Kaya LOVED being able to run around all on her own and explore nature a little bit.

She just didn’t like getting dirt on her hands…

TWO. We took a family bike ride on Monday evening, and it ended with these two climbing a tree. I love my little monkeys!

THREE. I made this foccacia bread for our paninis this week, and it was better than anything you could get at the store or even Panera. Mmmmm. The best part was that it was SO easy and took almost no skill. Seriously, if you can stir some ingredients together, you can make this bread. Try it!

FOUR. Babies are starting to be born 🙂 Michael sent me this picture from his bike ride last Saturday. I miss my horse time so much!

FIVE. I’m in trouble. She’s figured out how to go get the stepstool, climb on it, and open drawers. She also learned how to unlock the dishwasher this week. Ahhh! (Also, please notice her amazing outfit… designed by daddy! Haha.)Happy Friday!

Linking up with Natasha, April, Christina, and Darci today!

sunshine & fun times

Posted on February 26, 2014 by tara

The snow finally melted, and we had a few days of sunshine! Michael’s parents made the trip up here a few days later than they had originally planned, but that’s just fine- it’s never too late for grandma cuddles… (or puppy ~~wrestling~~ cuddles, if you’re Dad and Jax…) We enjoyed some Red Robin for the first time in a long time (and Kaya loved trying on my sunglasses while we were waiting for everyone to meet up)! Kaya ate some fries, but as soon as I dipped one in ketchup, she didn’t want any more. What kid doesn’t like ketchup?! Our weekend was warm, so Brittany and I planned a little cookout for Saturday afternoon. Why not grill out in February? I think Kaya was just excited to get out of the house (and sit next to Jax in the car)! Our friends, Katherine and Mia 🙂We even went on a family walk on Sunday!
It felt so good to have a break from the single-digit and teen temperatures. Thankfully, we don’t have too much longer until spring!

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! 🙂

picnic at the pond

Posted on April 15, 2013 by tara

On Friday night, we went to an ice cream party to celebrate one of our senior missionary couples (they were visiting as they passed through this part of the country)! While we were ~~stuffing our faces with ice cream~~ there, we decided that we haven’t spent a whole lot of time with our friends recently, so we planned an impromptu picnic for Saturday afternoon.

I was sort of in charge of coordinating it… and I say “sort of” because I just told people what to bring and where to be at what time. Being “sort of” in charge also means you have to know to bring charcoal to actually grill… whoops. Good thing I have Michael to help me out with these things!

We waited in the car while Michael ran in to Kroger on the way there. (“What’re you lookin’ at?”)

Sunscreen-spiked hair! SO cute.We had absolutely perfect weather for a picnic (it was also perfect for a run, and I did 8.5 miles that morning- my record high thus far)! The babies stayed in the shade for most of it. We haven’t used our stroller all that much, but it sure came in handy on Saturday. Amanda, Caitlin, and Liam (he’s hiding under the blanket!)

As we girls said, “How many boy scouts does it take to start a fire?” Many minutes later… We did eventually get to eat (hot dogs, burgers, chocolate-chip cookies, carrots, and jalapeno-flavored wheat thins)!So grateful for great friends, good food, and beautiful spring!

friday favorites

Posted on April 12, 2013 by tara

Happy Friday everyone! We had a fantastic week filled with beautiful spring weather, which meant that this little sweetie and I got to enjoy sitting out on the porch for a bit (and aren’t these just the cutest jammies? I’m loving her spring wardrobe!)

Dressing her in two-piece pajamas makes her seem like such a big girl.

But big girls get piggy-back rides (her first one ever!), so I think she’s pretty happy about it.
We’ve been giving her a sippy cup (full of water), and she doesn’t actually drink out of it, but it’s one of her new favorite toys (right along with her orange kitty)!
_MG_3896 Love those CHEEKS! I also love the new hair growth that’s becoming a lot more noticeable.

Baby Bird abhors baths, but cuddles with daddy afterward make it a little better. I did my sales/coupon shopping today, and I think I saved the most I ever have in one trip. Spent $64.95, and “saved” $81.73. I ended up with 15 boxes of cereal, free Pampers wipes, hot dogs, hand soap, 4 cartons of ice cream, and some other items. I don’t think we need to buy cereal for awhile…

The blog also had a mini-makeover this week. I always love changing how it looks when spring rolls around! (Michael and I joke that we have “N.E.R.D.S.” (Never-Ending ReDesigning Syndrome). The condition is fake, but it’s pretty true for both of us when it comes to how our websites look!Hope you enjoyed my random favorites from this week! Happy weekend! 🙂

a walk in the park

Posted on March 12, 2013 by tara

This winter seems to have dragged on foooooreeeeeever. We’ve had a lot of snow, frigid temperatures, and the sun has been away on an extended vacation. Finally, we had a glimpse of spring this past weekend- it even hit 60 degrees! We would’ve been fools not to take advantage of it, so we all went on a walk to the pond (about 2 miles).

I even got to try out our new baby carrier! Turns out, I love wearing my baby, and Kaya doesn’t seem to mind (for the most part), so I think we have a lot of fun opportunities in our future.

And yup… we’re related to these crazies.

Wow.

spring in the valley!

Posted on March 26, 2012 by tara

The first day of spring was last week, but it definitely felt more like the first day of summer instead! This week’s temperatures are a lot more acceptable for spring.

I always love the thunderstorms spring brings. On the first day of the season, we even had a beautiful double rainbow to enjoy for a few short moments! (I guess the leprechaun was a few days late for St Patrick’s Day!)

All the blossoms are already falling off the trees. Good thing I took a picture last week!

HAPPY SPRING!

simple pleasures

Posted on April 27, 2011 by tara

Spring is here! If this picture doesn't prove it to you, then my allergies sure would.

I've got spring fever worse than anything (except for maybe hay fever…) There are only three exams left standing between me and graduation, but they seem more like mountains blocking the road to summer. I'm ready for swimming, playing outside, sewing, photoshoots, and relaxing with my best friend.

Michael and Tara

It's Us!

Category Archives: spring