We've been doing so much with Ezra out of the house lately, that I've realized that Magda has been getting the short end of the stick. And she's turned into such an amazingly sweet and great dog (man those first months were rough!), and I want to be sure to keep her fresh in your minds. Plus, I'm feeling guilty about leaving the sweet girl out of the posts lately.Our walks this week have been shorter than usual due to the absolutely ridiculous and cruel humidity here in Minnesota right now, so I shot a few images of her around the house.
For your internet shares of the week:+ This piece on listening to people with opposing viewpoints was interesting to me. I am seriously doubting anyone out there could convince me to vote for Trump, but I would be interested in having the discussion. And let me be clear, I would want that discussion to revolve around why you WOULD vote for trump, not why you would NOT vote for Hillary. Those are different topics to me.+ I am super afraid of messing with electricity and killing myself, but if you are not and would like an awesome light fixture, I loved this DIY project for such wonderfulness. And this reminds me that I should probably install that dimmer that I bought 6 months ago for the dining room....+ Middle Eastern Nachos? Let's make this for dinner now!
Oh man, we had such an amazing weekend! We went to a lake, and saw amazing friends, we set off Ezra's first fireworks (sparklers, pop-its), we walked to parks with Magda, rode down slides, swung on the swings, went to a bbq, chased rabbits, ran through grape vines and ate a ton of watermelon. But the best part, by far, was riding our neighborhood's historic trolley. Ezra was AMAZED. It was adorable.
We started the weekend a little more than an hour west of the Cities with my dear friend Julie and her family. So, as expected, here is another photo of Ezra and Isla together. The awkwardness between these two and the camera is completely hilarious to me (like 
Ezra was mildly frustrated that he couldn't make bubbles out of the lake water. Oh kid, so much to learn.
And I just love this photo of Isla playing on the beach. I also love her strawberry blond hair.
On Sunday, we went to a bbq at a friend's house, and they have this bunny who frequents their back yard. They have named her Sharon (ha!). Anyway, Ezra had a blast stalking Sharon around the yard.
They also have this amazing tunnel in their yard made out of a trellis of grape vines. It is so fantastic! And the boys just loved running through it.
Much of the rest of the weekend was just the three of us, and we had a blast. First off, this is what happens when you try to exercise on the ground around our parts. Apparently, we were only meant to give rides.
This is Ezra throwing the Pop-Its on the patio. Oh, that was great fun!
(In case you can't remember what a Pop-It is.)
This kid? Delighted.
On the actual holiday, we went down to ride the trolley. We loved the actual trolley tokens we got at the station.
We got on the "more modern" trolley first. It was made after WWII, and was more "modern" in an effort to attract more riders. Because at that time, more and more people were buying cars. Interesting!
Ezra was a bit timid at first, but oh how he warmed up!
Here we are examining historical brochures and photos.
And they allow dogs on the trolleys, which was a hit as you can imagine.
And here we are at the end of the line. Look at that grin!
After the trolley ride, we went down to the lake to watch the ducks and eat dinner. Every time we would hear the trolley bell in the distance Ezra would turn toward the tracks, wave and whisper "Bye Bye Choo Choo..." It was adorable.
After dinner, we went to the playground and then walked back to the car...
But we decided on one more trolley ride before heading home. And this time, we rode the older trolley!
The view from all the larger windows was fantastic.
Look at that happy child.
And then before heading home, there was a final wave and a "Bye Bye Choo Choo!" before we got into the car. What a kid.
So this weekend we celebrated Father's Day and my birthday (!!) and we got a haircut and we ... recovered from illness. Oh, don't you worry about Ezra. That kid is a-ok healthy. It's the viruses he spread to us, his poor parents, that brought us down. And Jamie got hit the hardest (just what he wanted for Father's Day! Thanks, kid!). Anyway, luckily for Jamie, ice cream was what tasted best this weekend, and that's what I wanted to eat for my (very small) birthday gathering. So it was a win-win. Photos below -- enjoy!
This week was a FULL ON, REAL haircut. Meaning, not only were clippers used, but Ezra wore a cape and the hair dryer was brought out, and the kid took it like a champ. That Barber Bob is the damn best.
And as a reward, Ezra got to finish Jamie's smoothie at Panera. That kid loves his smoothies/popsicles/ice cream. Can't imagine who he gets that from...
And since we all know ice cream is my favorite food ever, we invited a few friends to meet us at MilkJam on Saturday to celebrate my birthday. We ordered "All of Them," which is all 16 flavors built into a sundae. It was amazing.
We demolished it. (There was more eaten after this photo. Which might have caused my stomach ache that night.)
But this kid was thrilled!
The next day, I snapped this while he was enjoying a yogurt. This kid and cold dairy are a match made in heaven.
And here the boys are on Father's Day.
I like how it looks like Ezra is giving Jamie a backrub for father's day here, and not climbing all over his poor, sick father.
That evening, we had a picnic at the lake, listened to some classical music at the bandshell and then watched the ducks.
On Monday, Jamie and I went for a few short walks, and on one of them I spied this deer. Wait, Jamie spied the deer. I took the photo.
And then that night, Nyberg came over for my birthday dinner and played with the kid. After dinner, she and I headed down to the lake to photograph the moonrise. You'll get to see that tomorrow :)For your internet share of the day, I loved 
As usual, we packed as much into this weekend as we possibly could. There was a big soil delivery, gardens planted, walks taken, slides conquered, multiple farmer's market visits, several shopping trips, a graduation party, dinner out for pizza and several photo shoots. And Jamie installed the last of the window air conditioner units so we are now set for summer! (The end of the week is supposed to reach the mid-90s.)
I should start by saying that on Friday, Ezra and I got donuts (National Donut Day), and he was smitten from the get go. So that evening, when we went to one of our favorite pizza joints and they placed raw dough sprinkled in flour in front of him (as they always do with the kids because it's like the most amazing play-dough ever), he dove in and tried to eat it. These were his reactions.
Yeah kid. A little different than the donut you had for breakfast.
On Saturday morning, a bunch of soil was delivered so I could plant raised beds in those two watering troughs right there. We thought Ezra would love seeing the truck dump the dirt. Instead he was terrified.
However, he is a boy after all, so the dirt itself was a huge hit. He helped us transfer it both with his new plastic sand shovel and bucket, and then he attempted to use the adult shovel. Good luck with that, kid.
For the record, we planted strawberries, basil, cilantro, chives, romaine, thyme and beets in one container (and some flowers that the nursery lady told me might help keep the squirrels away). And in the other we have cherry tomatoes, carrots, radishes, leeks and green beans. We had a cucumber plant left over, so we're trying that in the yard. Wish us luck.
Sunday morning began with another walk to a nearby playground. Another child was having a birthday party and Micky and Minnie mouse showed up. Ezra has never seen them before, so he had no associations other than "What the HELL is THAT?"
Sunday afternoon was spent at a graduation party for Shuttersmack's summer intern (!!!!) (more on that later), and a few people were playing guitar and singing and this boy here was far more interested in that than cupcakes, cookies or rice krispie treats.
And at the end of it all, he was conked out. What a weekend.
We had a wonderful holiday weekend with family in town -- tons of amazing food, great weather, long walks and man, were we sad to see them head back to California. But hopefully we'll see them again before fall arrives.
This is how Ezra gazes at his Aunt. He is smitten! And it was so fun to see him so enamored.
On their first morning in town, they wanted to hit up 
And after breakfast, we headed over to First Avenue for some obligatory photos.
This kid now doesn't really want to be held or ride in a stroller. He prefers to walk most of the time. Or run. Or get dangerously close to traffic, or close to cliffs or close to rivers. It's not unnerving at all.
Sunday, the weather was magnificent, so we (and the rest of the metro area) headed over to Minnehaha Falls. Oh, I do love it there.
On Monday, we started the day walking around Lake Harriet. We decided to to see how Ezra felt about dipping his toes into the lake. The water was quite lovely, but I think he was even more fascinated by the nearby kids who were building sand castles. So later, we went to Target and picked up a shovel and bucket for the beach. How much fun does this boy have in his future?!
And we ended the weekend by cleaning up the house and dishes, and this little helper sure makes me smile. Oh, I wish every weekend could be this much fun!
Eating snacks with your shirt off as watermelon juice dribbles down your chin? Yup. It's 
This boy loves his cold watermelon so damn much.
Also, I got a damn good deal on a huge box of Legos at one of the garage sales. Ezra is THRILLED. This kid knows maybe 20 words, and you better believe "Lego" is one of them.
This is another amazing bargain I got at one of the garage sales. Also a huge hit. I love this pose.
During one of our dinners on the patio, Ezra was delighted by the caterpillar that joined us.
On Sunday we went for a long wagon ride / walk, and Ezra was completely mesmerized by all the people all out mowing their lawns. Another word he learned this weekend? "Lawnmower." When we got back home, our neighbor Jon was out mowing his lawn, and we told him how enamored Ezra was with the machinery. And then he blew our minds by sending his children over with this toy lawnmower. Did our kid get spoiled rotten this weekend or what?
While Ezra was in the bath, Magda stole his dirty clothes and played with them in the bedroom. I love how she holds the shirt in her "hands" and barks at the clothing. Adorable.
No real internet shares of the day today, but I do want to tell you all that I'm doing The Dog Days of summer on Saturday, June 25. This means I'll be hosting mini-photo sessions for your pups in the studio! If you're interested in such a session (or know someone who is!), please check out 
The weather on Saturday was FREEZING and we stayed in as much as we could and napped under big, wool blankets. Then on Sunday, everything changed and we were in the mid-60s and outside for almost all the hours of daylight. One of our excursions was to a nature preserve center, which Ezra loved even more than I thought he would.(Weren't the clouds outstanding yesterday?)
Ezra still loves reading the books about the potty. But he has zero interest in actually sitting on one. Sadly.
Saturday morning, our neighbor Kate came by and completely blew Ezra's mind with her charm, the toys she brought and her adorable nature. I think we have a crush.
Here he's paging through Keith Richards' autobiography. Maybe we should save that one for later, kid.
Here we are on our Sunday hike through the woods.
And, you know, just resting on a log.
For your internet share of the day, we've been enjoying 
Oh man did this kid have a great week. His Bubie came to visit him (and spoil him) and they had a fantastic time together. He got new toys and a trip to the zoo and pizza and ice cream and so, so, so much playing time. Bubie leaves this afternoon, and I suspect we might have a hard time getting this beautiful boy back into his normal routine, but I'm so thrilled that they enjoy each other so much and that they have been able to make these memories.We did far more than my photos illustrate this week, but in an effort to be more present in these wonderful family moments, I didn't bring my camera with me every day. While I love having the photographic memories, somehow staying behind the lens separates me a bit from experiences, and these are the exact moments I want to be involved in. I hope you understand.
On Friday, we went to the zoo (
We also had some nice weather (between rain storms) so we played outside a lot, and we even broke out 
I have several great internet shares today, but we'll start with the movie trailer for