Oh hi there! Tonight I had a photo shoot at the absolutely most wonderful mini golf course I have ever been to (completely magical!), and there were goats! So when I was done photographing the family (in the rain... boo!) I snapped a few images of the goats. Because who can resist!? Certainly not I.I'll quickly get to the internet shares because it's Friday night and the kid is asleep and I'd love to go snuggle with my husband.+ These flooded rice fields are stunning.+ This letter to the president is wonderful.+ Five chefs tell you how to doctor up that frozen pizza.
Since Bubie is in town this week, I took the day off of work and she and I took Ezra to the zoo. Or rather, we spent 1.5 hours in the "Minnesota Wildlife" part of the zoo. The part that would take any normal human 20 minutes to breeze through, but for a toddler who wants to push every button and examine every rock for 10 minutes (at least), it takes longer. There are a lot of deep breaths on these trips for me.Anyway! While I waited for the kid to become less fascinated by buttons, I snapped some photos of the creatures. At the top, I love how the turtle appears to be smiling at us. And the red belly! Love that.
They also have a bald eagle on exhibit who broke her wing and cannot fly. While I do feel bad that she's all cooped up at the zoo, it's also rad to get to see such a marvelous creature up close. I mean, look at those feet!
For your internet shares of the day:+ 
Last night, we had a crazy/wonderful storm in the Twin Cities. It was *pouring* rain... while the sun was out. It. Was. Awesome.Because I am familiar with how the weather/photography Gods work, I knew I didn't have time to grab my gear and go anywhere scenic, so instead I grabbed my camera and dashed out onto the front porch.Luckily, I captured the rain (above), which stopped about one minute after I had my camera in hand. See? I AM ON TO YOU WEATHER/PHOTOGRAPHY GODS.So then I shot some of the dripping and leftovers around the yard. I love weather photos. Next time I see clouds gathering and hear thunder? I'm driving to the woods as fast as I can. With a rain coat. And boots.Enjoy!
And finishing up with a self portrait :) But I do have killer shoes, no?After the storm, I was out running an errand, and I had to pull over and take a photo of the sunset. I didn't have my "real" camera, so I shot it with my iPhone and posted it to instagram. 
If you are not filling your bellies right now with peaches, tomatoes and corn, you are living life wrong. These foods are so dang delicious right now, my mouth is watering just thinking about them. Trust me when I tell you we are getting our fair share around here.For your internet shares of the day:+ 
We started this weekend with nothing on our plates. Just a slow weekend to do what we wanted. And yes, we completely filled it to the brim -- but all with great fun.There were visits to the aquarium and parks, lots of long walks, the farmer's market, dinner with the fantastic Eric and Eero (who showed Ezra his tablet, above -- love seeing photos of those two playing together). There were tacos and guacamole and meals eaten at restaurants and brunch at friends' homes. There were new dogs to meet, new yards to explore, and the kid's first toad spotting.And I would be remiss if I didn't say there was also some moodiness. Ezra is one month away from being two, and dare I say it's starting to show. The amount of negotiation is exhausting and yet, forces me to be perhaps the most creative I have ever been in my lifetime. There is crying and frustration for this kid, but there are also hugs and kisses and moments when he looks up, holding my hand, and says, "Ezra happy." And that is pretty damn rad.And now, I need to tell you that Mondays at the Madhouse are coming to a close. I'm going to stop posting weekly about this adorable boy when he turns two. I've thought a lot about this since he was born, and while our family stories drive tons of traffic to my site (thanks everyone!), I think at age 2, Ezra is becoming his own person, and he should get a say about having an internet presence.I will likely still have occasional posts about the family and what we're up to, but not as regularly, and not with as many photos of Ezra. This whole "sharing on the internet" is a tricky thing to navigate, and while I'm happy to share things about my own life to the world, I want him to make those decisions for himself. Also? I don't want this to turn into a space where I write about his tantrums or his potty training. Those things are for him to experience, not the world. And those things are right around the corner.So after this week, you'll have four more weeks of seeing Ezra, and then we'll have to get a little more creative about our Monday mornings. Don't worry. I have ideas :)
One big change this week was that on our family walks, Ezra is actually walking more. There's far less time in the stroller, and more time exploring the rocks and cracks in the sidewalk. Which is why it took 1.5 hours for me to walk 10 blocks with him this week.Patience is a virtue. Right?
Are you guys eating all the peaches right now? Because we cannot get enough over here. My god, they are heavenly this time of year.
We have a vacation coming up soon, and on this trip we need to bring our huge carseat as we'll be driving a lot once we land. So we tried out this new gizmo that will let us pull the kid through the airport like luggage before we check the carseat at the gate. I think it's a hit.
Back in May, I got Ezra a ziplock baggie full of Fisher Price trucks at a garage sale for dirt cheap. Smartly, I hid them until this week when he was tired of his current toys. Oh you guys, what a hit. They have travelled with us everywhere, provide hours of entertainment and have even been in the bath tub.
Another shot of Eero and Ezra with the tablet after dinner. Oh these two.
At brunch on Sunday, we ate outside in our friend 
I would be lying if I didn't admit that I am being called into duty to play with the trucks with Ezra constantly. Bubie Carole is coming this week, and I cannot wait for him to have a new truck partner. It will be a well-deserved break.
And I captured this "God Mom!" teenager look on Saturday morning. Up next? Eyerolls, I'm sure.
Someone got her annual pedicure yesterday. And someone else needs one baaaaaaad.I seriously should do this more often -- not because I enjoy them (I don't -- I really hate people touching my feet), but because by the time I do finally roll around to getting one my feet are SO GROSS that I feel horrendous for the poor woman working on them.But I digress.It's almost the weekend! Yay! And the weather is supposed to be lovely and I couldn't be more excited. To get you prepped, here are my internet shares:+
I told you I was surrounded by babies! But this one here isn't a client -- he's a dear friend of mine's little boy. I stopped by to see the lovely Leah today (and to drop off more hand-me-downs) and insisted on taking photos of this little chap since he was refusing a nap, but was in a perfectly good mood about it.So adorable!Otherwise, I spent the day behind the computer or running errands. Nothing fascinating at all. But I do have some internet shares for you...+ 
Oh seriously with this kid! I photographed this little guy on Saturday, I photographed a 10-day old today, and I'm supposed to work with an even fresher baby later this week! It must be that time of year, and I am eating it up! My mom asked me today if seeing all these babies made me want to have another one.NoIRememberThatPregnancyAndLaborVeryWellAndIAmTooDamnOldThankyouverymuch.But that doesn't mean I don't love spending time with my newest little clients (and then blissfully handing them back to their mothers) before heading home to my own fantastic tribe.And now for your internet shares of the day!+