Today was chilly, but in the best of ways. It was a taste of autumn, and it was delicious. I stayed indoors, save for a long walk with Magda, and I worked and worked and worked at the computer. It was just what I needed.For your internet shares of the day, how about these fabulous illustrations? No? OK. What about the aliens that have already landed on earth? Fascinating.  

What a day! I snapped all these images on my phone today because both my cameras were attached to mono stands (giant tripod things) and I wanted you guys to get a sense of the work I'm doing right now.Today was another full-day shoot for 3M's Scotch brand. From the top left, here's what's going on. 1. Our amazing stylist, Kate, is setting up some props. 2. Y'all should see how much tape we have on set. 3. My lipstick marks which coffee is mine. 4. Did I mention Scotch makes scissors? We also have loads of scissors on hand. 5. Cleaning up the props on set. 6. The photo assistants decorated my laptop with the pretty Washi tapes today. 7. More props on set. 8. Raining on the way home. 9. Ezra playing in a tunnel at the annual block party (which was held inside due to weather).Whew! What a day!For your internet share, I loved this dog photo project so much. Although it is a touch sad for all you dog lovers....

Man, we are exhausted over here in Plesserville. After we returned from the cabin last week, we had one day at home (in which I got seriously sick) and then we flew down to Kansas to spend some time with my Mom (and many other relatives) over the weekend. Above is my wonderful Uncle Chris who came in from Boston. He's trying to teach Ezra how to walk :)Chris is a jazz pianist, and he played for Ezra, which was a highlight. I can't wait for Ezra to get older and truly appreciate how great it is to have a musician in the family.We also spent some time at the hotel pool. You guys, it was actually cooler in Wichita than it was in Minneapolis this weekend. CRAZY! And the hotel we stayed at had an amazing pool, and we were the only ones there. It was really nice. Above is a shot Jamie took of Ezra and I in the water (Ez loves to remove any kind of eyewear you might have on). Below is Ezra hanging out poolside with my mom. This is my Uncle Chris and his wife Lynn (who was featured last Friday) along with my grandmother. I try not to put too many posed images on the blog, but I really like this one.This is my grandmother playing ball with Ezra. I love how much these two like each other.This is my Aunt Laurie from Oklahoma who came all the way to meet Ezra! It was great to see her.And I love this image of my mom and my brother. I think this is the happiest shot I got of mom all weekend. I'm not gonna lie, the health issues she is facing makes these visits really hard, but I'm glad I went.And now we are back home with our sweet Magda, who we missed dearly. I have a crazy week ahead (three shoots, a wedding and a block party), but soon? Soon Jamie and I will VEG OUT. And that will be a great day.

Today was a big one for Ez. He got to meet two of his Great Aunts and a Great Uncle who he had never met before, as well as more time with Grandma and his Uncle Rob and his Great Grandmother (my own, dear grandma). I know I usually save family photos for Mondays, but really, being with family was about all we did today, and I didn't want to photograph something lame when I had some fun memories to share.This is Ezra playing ball with his Aunt Lynn, of Boston. We rarely get to see Lynn, and it was so much fun to catch up this morning. Ezra warmed up to her and my Uncle Chris so fast, and I hope he can see them both again soon. Ezra also had a blast playing ball with my grandmother and, really, everyone he met today. As you can see in this VIDEO that I am posting from today (whoa, right?). Please disregard my lighting / composition and just enjoy the laughter as Ezra plays with Dolly for the first time. Have I mentioned how much I adore that this kid loves dogs? BECAUSE I ADORE IT.For your internet shares, I have a bunch today:Amazing and wonderful elephant photos.I want to live here. Or visit. Or just have lunch.Strollers that look like they belong in The Minority Report.Cool dad alert.Photos of the meteor shower. Someday, I will do this. Someday when I am not sick with a baby.

The family flew to Kansas today. I am sick with a horrendous cough/fever/plague and Ezra is teething and SQUIRMY AS HELL on an airplane and Jamie is a saint. Thank God I married that man who took care of us today and even found me amazing chicken soup for dinner. As I type this, I am sitting in the hotel room with saline spray being routinely administered up my nose while I wear a breathe right strip on my face. Clearly, I am the Sexiest Woman Alive right now. And he still brought me chicken soup for dinner. What a man. I will now return the support by letting him watch as much Royals baseball as he can fit in for the rest of the weekend.The photo above is a giant moth that we found on my mom's patio when we arrived at her house today. My brother is holding it in his hands to show the scale. It couldn't seem to fly due to that torn wing, which was sad. But man, what a beauty.For your internet share, in case you are living under a rock and didn't hear, the ceiling fell from First Avenue last night during a show. Three people were injured, but overall the club handled it perfectly and everyone was evacuated in an orderly manner. This is not surprising at all as I have many times declared my love and respect for the staff and crew that runs my favorite spot in Minneapolis. But this video of the ceiling falling during the show is CRAZY. So that's what I'm gonna show you today. I hope they can get the needed repairs done quickly! 

New kicks for the adults! Woot!Last week, when Jamie's mom (Bubie Carole) was in town, she bought us each a few things for my birthday and Jamie's first Father's Day. We both said we really needed/wanted new shoes, and we both happened to choose blue suede for our purchases. Too funny.I wish I had an internet share for you today, but truth be told, I'm under the weather with a terrible cough and fever. And tomorrow I'm flying to Kansas with The Spawn in my lap (please don't worry about his health -- he started this here illness). So instead I'm going to head off to bed to try to heal up before that great adventure. Pray for me. 

This morning, after feeding Ezra as the sun came up, I ran out to the dock to photograph the fog coming up off the lake. It was so still out there -- just lovely. Then we packed up the car and began the journey home.  Three hours in the car with a very nervous dog and a teething baby might just be the opposite of that photo up there.I'm home for a very short period before my next trip -- but man, is it good to be cooking back in my own kitchen and sleeping in my own bed.For your internet share of the day, I loved this interview with a Shaman who uses "magick" to heal people. I also love these dinner plates (although I would likely hang them on a wall and not eat from them...) and this reminds me of my mother-in-law (in the best way).

What a weekend! We had Ezra's first visit to the cabin, which was far more successful than we had thought. It's not that we are "glass-half-empty" kinds of people, but we were pretty realistic about an extremely mobile baby in a cabin that is far from child-proof, a dock with no barriers to the water, a boat that is usually full of spiders, and grounds that are surrounded by poison ivy.But! We also have a lake full of splashable water, a fantastic raft for the kid, a freezer full of popsicles, a bunch of new toys, loads of hummingbirds and an amazingly patient dog who entertains us all when she's not getting stung by wasps. We also have wonderful games of cards and audiobooks to keep us laughing, and that's not even mentioning the amazing amount of naps we all took.So overall, it was a great weekend. Would I have wanted several more days of it? Ehhhh... nah. Three was just about right. Next year will we stay longer? I hope so. More photos of the vacation below.Soon after we arrived, we could hear thunder in the distance and the sky darkened. Seriously, the universe was telling us, "You have arrived at the most peaceful place you know, now go to sleep." The storms were wonderful.Here, the savages try to figure out how to get outdoors as the rain begins to fall.And this was the sky at about four pm. Yeah. It was awesome. (This is the view from our bedroom at the cabin. Many, many photos are taken from this spot as I am the ultimate lazybones when I'm up north). You know how you can tell? If you look real close, you can see the screen from the window in the shot. #LAZYBONESAnd this was that same view around 8:30 pm, when the weather settled down, but still left us with pretty clouds.The next day, we headed out to the dock. While the humans sunned / played on the docked pontoon boat, we watched Magda explore the shoreline. She ran into a flowering bush and then ran out swatting at her face which had... bees? wasps? creatures? stuck to it. She got them all off, but then had four large welts for the rest of the day. You can see two of them above. See where you think she's furrowing her eyebrows on her forehead? Nope. Those are stings/bites.Besides playing by the lake, there were many naps. Like this one.And my-oh-my look at that nap hair. That right there is just like his late Grandpa Sookie's hair.There was also splashing in the lake. That was super fun until Ezra began to cup the water in his hands and drink it. This was about an hour after we had watched Magda pee in the lake. So.... we put him back in the boat. Blech. This year, the cabin owners added a hummingbird feeder, and we had them all weekend! I love the sound of their wings...Another lovely sunset...A cool birch tree spotted on our hike...Yup, hikes. More naps... And that's about it! A lovely time indeed.