You might start to see far fewer photos on Mondays. That's because in my time with Ezra, my camera is often the last thing on my mind. The first thing on my mind is: "Oh shit! Don't burn the house down!" or "Give me that knife!" or "We go down the stairs feet first, not head first, buddy!" or "Yeah, spit out that rock. I'm sure it doesn't taste good!"This week, Ezra turned into not just a toddler, but one of those nutso Toddlers With A Death Wish. As you can tell from above, he was reaching for knives, heading down the stairs headfirst and eating dirt and rocks. He also was lighting all the stove burners, trying to stick his fingers into electrical sockets, playing with the fireplace poker and slamming the kitchen cabinets (narrowly avoiding his own fingers).Now, before you start telling me how to be a better parent, know that we have childproofed the sockets, the cabinets and the stove handles (now that he's reaching for them). We have attached furniture to walls and yes, we have babygates. But you can only do so much. The whole world is not childproofed, and we can't be expected to be at the top of our game at all hours of the day. However, that is exactly what we are attempting and it is EXHAUSTING.(Sidenote: I learned this week that as rad as I thought Saturday morning cartoons were as a kid, I now understand that they are WAY BETTER for the adults who can get a break while the kids are sucked into an entertainment vortex.)But I don't want this post to sound like parenting is all bad and tired and yada yada. There have been some fantastic moments this week.Like the fact that we can  now lay Ezra down in bed, say "It's time to go night night" and leave the room with him drifting off to sleep about 1 minute later. That is like a miracle from the heavens right there. Also? He's still adorable, and his laughter is amazing, especially when he gets so excited that he claps his hands while laughing. And lastly, watching this kid splash in the tub while laughing and smiling is way more fun than I ever dreamed of. So there are bright spots as well. But we still have to keep him from drowning, despite his best efforts. We are seriously saving his life every single day. Kinda like superheroes.With that, here are some photos from the week. For some reason, as much as The Kid was loving danger, he hated the swing this week.Then, five minutes after leaving the park, this is what happened. Oh.These Saturday morning cartoons are GENIUS. Yeah kid. Keep trying to reach into that box of light and wonder.

Here we have the lovely wedding of Mo and Paddy, which I shot last weekend. My very favorite thing about this couple (other than the bride's hair) was that the groom made his wife laugh over and over and over again. I love seeing couples that absolutely delight each other, and this was no exception. Oh! And there were kilts! And bagpipes! That was fun as well. More photos below -- enjoy!* *Special thanks to the lovely Stacy Schwartz for photographing this day with me.

When Jamie and I first moved to the Twin Cities (more than a dozen years ago), we rented a fabulous house in St. Paul. We lived near this little "village" called St. Anthony Park, and there was a fantastic neighborhood bookstore that I loved. This little area is also where the library was, a great restaurant, a bakery, a few shops, and most importantly, my dentist.If you know much about me, you know I have my fair share of dental woes. And you guys, I have the best dentist in the world. I truly adore him.Anyway, so when we bought our home in Minneapolis, we never switched dental practices. We are nothing if not loyal, and this is why today I was over in my old neighborhood, getting a cavity-free report (yay!) and window shopping at that quaint bookseller.I might have mentioned here before, that I haven't cracked an actual book all summer (well, I did read one). But instead I've been listening to audio books downloaded for free from the library. Oh you guys, the library is the best thing in the world, is it not? Anyway, this is what stopped me from going in. With daycare costs (which I could rant about for years and years), I'm on a stricter budget these days, and the library is making me very happy.But I did have to snap a photo of this sign because holy cow, look at that beautiful dog! It looks to be an Afghan hound, but it reminds me of my boy Merlin. Dear, sweet, Merlin.For your internet share today, the state fair has begun! And here's an article on what you should eat. I think the coffee ice cream would be at the top of my list...

Ah yes, still at my computer working on wedding photos from last week. I have six shoots in the next eight days, and five of those will last about 8 hours, so I'm trying to get as much ahead of my work now as I can. I'm not one to park in front of the computer all day (and enjoy it), but sometimes it's very much required. As such, I'm sharing another image from last week that I processed today. This is a sneak peek of last Saturday's wedding. Normally I like wedding portraits that are happy and romantic and such, but because the groom here is in a kilt, I really liked the more serious tone. It was a lovely wedding with tons of beautiful details (which you'll see more of later).And for your entertainment, here are a few things I found online today. First, those millennials are pretty darn serious about their food. Second, I love this story about the importance of taking vacations (obviously). This snippet I found fascinating:

Those who left between 11 and 15 days unused were 6.5 percent less likely to receive a raise or bonus than those who used all their vacation days.

And lastly, as an ode to my mother-in-law, here is an article about all the ways you can save money by shopping at Costco, even if you are only cooking for two.

More time at my computer today processing many, many, many photos. I happened upon this gem that I shot during a high school senior's session last week. We were taking photos on a bridge above the Mississippi River, and I looked down to see this couple canoeing through the bubbles on the river (the bubbles are from the dam upstream). I love how their boat is parting the bubbles.For your internet shares of the day, do your friends yawn when you do? If not, maybe you should worry about that. Also, are you a cat person? We all know I am not. But YOU might be, and if so, you might enjoy this even more than I did. And lastly, if you would like to make this for me, I would be the happiest (and fattest) camper around. 

Oh man, this kid is mobile and getting into EVERYTHING. This week we had to step up our parenting game a gazillion percent as now all eyes need to be on Ezra at all times. No looking away, not even for a second. The high chair is one of the few places where we can relax just a bit because he can't really move out of it. And yeah, he's feeding himself waffles now. When he's not feeding them to Magda.Besides the Extreme Parenting that's happening, we also took the entire family to Augtober Fest in our neighborhood, which is a street festival with bands and food and such. It was a first for both Ezra and Magda, and it was fun for us all to go. Magda, however, was more bothered by the large crowd than I was suspecting she'd be, so we didn't stay too long.Besides that, it was mostly a "boys weekend" as I had a long day of wedding photography and work in general is at its busiest for me. We did, however, squeeze in a date night where we finally saw Mission Impossible. Oh, how I love the spy action adventure movies... And you guys! Let's talk about Tom Cruise. That's plastic surgery, no? Something about how the skin under his eyes has no bags and never moves... But back to the Madhouse.There aren't a lot of "sitting" images this week unless he's in his high chair or his stroller. Welcome to toddler-dome / aka the most exhausting weekends of your life.Oh, but at least he's cute.Here we are surrounded by toys he has strewn about and no longer wants now that he has decided emptying the bookshelf is more fun. And yeah, I'm too tired to fight it. Go on with your bad self. I'm gonna sit here and sip my coffee.Here he is trying his hardest to break down the baby gate so he can get to Magda (who is hiding upstairs).Oh this trunk? It used to have beautiful dishes on it. Now it's clear for the kid.Finally, here we are at the street festival. He only tried to leap from our arms headfirst onto the concrete about four times. Good thing we keep strong grips on the wiggler. No longer a baby, eh?It was sorta windy at the festival -- which was wonderful and fall-like.Here is Mags, who was overwhelmed, but fairly well behaved.And lastly, here's Ezra feeding the dog his cheerios. Oh yeah, this is his new favorite game. And finally, Magda here is getting a little payoff.

That's my city.Last night, I had a photo shoot over at the University of Minnesota campus, and while we were exploring the area for backdrops, I spied this view of the city. Quite marvelous, I think. Plus? I love that single cloud.For your internet shares of the day, I'm pondering this cake for someone's birthday that's creeping up on me. But maybe with chocolate frosting, no? And this album is a perfect listen if you are feeling moody and romantic. And this one is perfect for driving around the city, singing along with the windows down.

Today I got my hair cut at HAUS in South Minneapolis. I've been going to this salon for several years now, and I always love the view above. It's an art installation from HOTTEA, and it hangs above the beds that you lie on as your hair is washed -- so this is your view. Pretty neat, eh? It's even better when the ceiling fans are going and the yarn billows in the breeze.For your internet share of the day, this game could steal hours out of my day. Designers: You have been warned.