As you can see, Ezra is going as a Storm Snow Trooper this year! I keep saying Storm Trooper, but he insists on the correction, so there you have it. And frankly? In Minnesota? A Snow Trooper is much more likely.He was having a hard time relaxing in the studio the other day while we were taking photos, so I put on some Katy Perry and it turned into a dance party, which was super fun to capture. Enjoy!
Look who is five!I need to be honest and tell you that photo up top is from earlier this summer, but I found it on my computer today and had forgotten all about it and I LOVE IT SO HARD. I hope he uses this image for an album cover some day.Anyway, we had an amazingly fun-filled weekend. We hit up neighborhood festivals, we went to the library, we had a birthday party, we played mini golf, we watched Star Wars (again!), we went to a neighborhood festival that featured FOUR bounce houses, we played on the playground and ate ice cream and milk shakes and oh wow am I tired!But this morning we got up early for doughnuts (as seen below) before heading into school for his classroom celebration (seen at the bottom). And tonight there will be presents and cake and ice cream and playing with new toys, and wow am I ready for a nap! But for real, it's good to be on this side of 5. Now if I could just freeze time here forever, that would be magic.
And just like that, summer vacation is done.Ezra started his first day of preschool today, and yes he's still in preschool. The birthday cutoff for kindergarten is Sept 1, which he misses by a few weeks. But he's thrilled to be back at his old stomping grounds, seeing the class rabbit and his favorite teachers, so we're running with it!This is also the first year that he picked out his own outfit. Let childhood independence begin!
One of the fun things about taking a kid to the city is that you can do all the touristy things and not regret it at all because you are "making memories." For instance, I had never taken the time to see the Statue of Liberty, but I had heard the Staten Island Ferry had great views of it and was free -- so we added that to our itinerary.We also spent an afternoon at the Natural History Museum because, well, dinosaurs and space are big hits, and that was amazing as well. Amazing as in there was so much to take in and so much to see and OMG so loud and full of so many children and a bit exhausting as well.So I conclude this post with some of the sights we saw and the resulting nap. Because it's just too cute. 
We spent the weekend in NYC, introducing Ezra to the magic of the Big Apple. And you guys, he fell for it just as hard as his mother. He cried on the last night, asking if we could come back for everybody's birthday celebrations, and he said he would miss the subways the most. What a kid.I'm just going to post a few random images from our trip today, with more specifics later in the week (way too many photos for one post). But I have two observations. 1) NYC is both exciting and exhausting no matter your age or stage in life, but it is especially tiring when you are toting around a small child who wants to touch every single germ the city has to offer and then quickly grab your hand for safety. 2) It is pure wonder to see all these sights fresh in a 4-year-old's eyes. I was worried I would regret bringing such a young kid to this madness, but instead I'm so thrilled that I did.
I took this last one as they both fell asleep after the visit to Top of the Rock. I love it when they do this.
Today I went with my kiddo to Orchestra Hall for their spring field trip. It was so adorable watching the class learn about instruments and see the big hall. They looked so tiny in there!Up there is my little Ezra next to the redhead who he is planning to marry. He tells me often of his marriage plans, and she is totally in on it. It's adorable, and I fear for the future heartbreak in his world, but for now we're riding the high of friendship.
post by leslieWe were supposed to get a major snowfall all day on Saturday... and then it just rained. But it did turn to snow after the sun went down, and we woke up Sunday morning to this gorgeousness.Jamie was traveling for work, so Ezra and I had an amazing day in the snow that involved walking to all of our birthday parties, playdates and sledding adventure, building snowmen and having multiple snowball fights. We ended the day with chili, s'mores and and books in bed. It was delightful and exhausting, but that's what you gotta do on daylight savings weekend to get the squirt to bed on time! Enjoy the photos!
That's a seven foot fence!
For your internet shares of the day:+ What brave women.+ Jodie Foster's house is for sale and you better believe I want to see what it looks like.+ How to make life easier when you return home from a trip.
Each year, I do a valentine shoot with Ezra (just 20 minutes or so in the studio real quick). I love to make photo Valentines for his classroom and to send to family each year, and this year had so many fun photos. Or I'm just in love with this cutie. Or both.
