I'm on set with Scotch for most of my days this week, and on Monday I snapped this photo of our stylist making a pretty calendar using washi tape. Lovely.And that's about all I have for you. Sorry for the brevity! Not much exciting going on here outside of work! But I did round up some internet shares of the day for you!+ This art is lovely. I would love to hang some in my kitchen.+ This home's interior design is dreamy.+ How to tell a mother her son is dead. Tears.
We returned from California mid-week, and Ezra started a new classroom at school for two days before it was the weekend. A much needed weekend to, you know, unpack, do laundry, get the house organized, clean out the fridge, get groceries, etc. But we managed to squeeze in a lot of play as well.In the photo above, I was showing him how to balance a cup on top of my head. *Actually,* I was showing him how to balance a cup on top of my head while taking a photo. I am nothing if not magical in some instances. I should remember this trick for surly clients.We also visited a petting zoo, went to the park, made waffles and took monster naps. It was a touch slower than some of our recent weekends, but it was still glorious. Enjoy the photos below.Also, this is the official last Monday at the Madhouse post. That said, I fully expect next Monday to show you a photo or two from Ezra's birthday. So don't worry, I won't cut you off cold turkey.
The three of us went for one last walk in the woods on our last day in Sonoma. It was about 7:45 am, and there were only a handful of us in the park. The light was lovely, and the smell was glorious. I love that shot of my boys.
On Tuesday, we were back in Sacramento, and Ezra was sitting on a stool in the kitchen brushing his teeth and I had this vision of him as a 12 year old. I don't know if it was the height of the chair or what, but something just time warped. It made me a little sad, so I snapped the moment to remember and enjoy this toddlerhood.
After the tooth brushing, Ezra got his ride in Grandpa Sookie's old MG. Pretty rad.
Later that day, we went to visit Goldie, a far-off cousin of Ezra's. Goldie reads this blog each week and is a huge fan, and it was so wonderful to meet her in person. She has the best outlook on life and was such a joy to have coffee with.
Oh! But before I forget, we took Ezra to In-N-Out while we were in California, and he refused to try the burger. In the past, this kid has eaten: Sushi, broccoli and grahams for breakfast, pickled ginger, sauerkraut and fish. But he wouldn't try that burger. It has me seriously questioning if there was some sort of mixup at the hospital.
On Saturday, a petting zoo popped up at the park a few blocks away, so in we went. Ezra loved seeing the animals and feeling the coats on the goats and such.
And here is a photo of my child literally choking a chicken. (Sorry. Had to go there.)
AND THEN I CAUGHT HIM WITH HIS THUMB IN HIS MOUTH. Really. I wonder why we are all sick all the time. Christ.
Sunday, after nap, the light was nice and the kid was happy, so I snapped a few shots in his room.
And later that day, he laid down, asked me to cover him with a blankie and then requested that I sing to him. Sometimes he's like a teenager. And then he's like this.
At the end of our trip this week, we decided it was time to take Ezra out in his grandfather's antique MG. Jamie's brother has had it for the last five years or so, and it was so fun to see the Plesser men tool around in the antique. I'll show more of those photos in my weekly wrap-up on Monday, but here are a few images of the car so you can appreciate the beauty of it.One of my favorite stories is that years and years ago, Jamie's dad had taken the car out for a spin and (I think?) when he was paying for gas and returned to the car, the clock was missing (seen below). He was so angry that someone had stolen it. Then, when Jamie's brother inherited the car a few years back, he was having some work done on it and they found the clock! It had fallen inside the dashboard and hadn't been stolen after all! So here it is, all fixed up and pretty.
And now, your internet shares of the day:+ Tim Gunn wants all women of every size to feel good in clothing. One of the many reasons I love this man.+ I want to make this slow cooker recipe this fall.+ These photos of the dogs in Venezuela will break your heart. But here's how you can help.+ A few quick and dirty Trader Joe's dinner recipes for you. I'm totally trying these.
Sooo, we got back home from California last night, and I got Ezra to bed around 8:30 and then I showered and crawled into bed myself. What? Traveling with toddlers is exhausting.And then this morning we got the kid off to his first day in the new, bigger kids classroom at school and I was off to a baby and dog shoot bright and early.And man-oh-man was it worth it! My house might be in disarray and I might not have gotten unpacked yet and my fridge might be empty still... but... Look at those two! This lab is less than 2 years old, and she was PERFECTION. Want to see another great shot of here? Look over here.For your internet share of the day, I love this list of what foods need to be refrigerated. And I guess I'll put that butter in the fridge from now on.
So many gorgeous views along the highway on our way back to the city yesterday. I just love the varied color palettes that you find in the nature of California.Tomorrow? Back home.
Look at that California light!We arrived last week, and I have taken so many photos. Photos of trees and skies and beaches and family and dogs and food and we haven't even left yet! I'm just going to put a sampling of images in here and say that I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend. Ours was damn good.Also, since I'm still traveling, the regular scheduled blogging might not return for a few more days. Be patient! I'm trying to relax out here!
We did a few portraits at sunset one night just for fun.
The red woods were just what I needed. Damn, do I love those trees.
My niece Emma joined the cross country team this year, so she spent a lot of time this weekend training for her first meet this week.
But seriously, these trees.
Oh hi there, Bambi.
Ezra was pretty enamored with his cousin Johnny.
Of course I have to put this one in again. I love those stars so much.
After shooting the galaxy, we shot some light painting photos of the cousins.
Last night, Jamie and I dragged our youngest niece and nephew (ok, ok, they were happy to come!) out to the beach to see the Milky Way. This was shot around 10 pm, but the moon was super small last night (just a sliver of light) and it set at 9:30, so I knew it would be super dark. And man, was I right. I was glad I had so many people with me because that right there was perfect axe-murderer conditions. But we all survived and got the shot! And it was so lovely out.There are still things I wish were better about this image (sharper focus, reflection on the water etc etc), but I was so happy to see so much color and variation in the stars.After shooting the sky, I showed the kids how to paint with light, and we quickly made the image below before heading back.I hope you all are having a fantastic Labor Day Weekend!
Well, I'm still working on my milky way photos. We are staying in Northern California right now, and you could see the galaxy with your bare eyes last night, so I thought I'd snap some photos. You can see some clouds (or fog) rolling in, so the images weren't as clear as I'd hoped, but I'll head back out tonight. No internet shares -- too busy enjoying all the nature. Have a great weekend!
