A Kiss for Grandpa

I'm still sifting through pictures from our girl reunion last month! Can you believe it was last month that it happened? Crazy. Seems like yesterday.

Anyway, as many restaurants as there are to choose from in UT, we managed to have lunch at Kneaders twice. Their smoothies were delicious and I am now in love with an artichoke panini number I had there.

After our bellies were nice and full on Saturday, we caught a few hours of super fun shopping! We mainly hit up F21 where Mom spoiled us and bought us each a few love gifts. Next we went to Sephora where we all had fun playing makeup. :)

Last, but not least, we went to a family gathering at my grandparent's house where we got to see so many loved ones! I LOVE that last photo of us giving our sweet grandpa a big grandaughter-ly smooch!

What a wonderful Saturday it was!

XOXO, Marie

10 Loves>>>>> DC.Boston.NY

1. Shopping.  I went shopping in Forever 21 around midnight, and crazy enough, it was even busier then than it was during the day! I didn't buy a thing, though. Weird. I guess I do my best shopping when my sisters can give me feedback on what to buy/what not to buy.

Oh, and that huge "billboard" above the F21 store front is a flat screen TV! Times Square kind of looked like a vertical outdoor ad cinema with all the movies climbing the sky. I didn't know where to look with my eyes being pulled in so many directions. It was all definitely fun to see!

2. The Metro. We took it everywhere! While Hubs was in meetings the first day, I even bucked up and figured it out by myself. For some of you, that might not sound like much, but you sisters know, this is HUGE for me, especially considering I didn't even get lost. And you better believe I showed Hubs the ropes the next day, like I was some expert. (In reality, the people in Boston were so sweet to me. All I had to do was have my map in hand, and people would offer to help me left and right. I love you, Boston.)

Yes, public transportation is a beautiful thing. Minus the part where it's usually too crowded to get a seat, let alone a seat next to your guy.

Oh, and the metro stations in DC were particularly photogenic.

3. Les Fleurs. We got to tour Winston Flower's enormous design center in Boston. It was so fragrant and beautiful, and we got lots of inspiration for our flower shops.

4. American flags. I've never seen so many! Here they are patriotically surrounding the Washington Memorial, but I saw them everywhere, especially in New York. It was awesome.

5. Aurelie. This is a totally washed out picture of us, but I love it just the same. She was one of my best friends in high school and it was fabulous to catch up with my adorable French friend! She spoiled us with a delicious dinner at her new apartment. I also got to meet her husband for the first time, and he is a sweetheart! So happy to see my friend so happy. I want to go back already. Alexandria, Virginia is the cutest place ever.

6. Skyscrapers. I've never taken so many pictures of buildings in my life...gotta say, I much prefer people, but I also gotta say, I enjoyed photographing all the architecture more than I thought I would. I could insert 500 more pictures here of buildings and sites, but I won't.

7. Cherry blossoms! There weren't many out yet, but there happened to be a few trees in bloom around the capitol!

8. Our brother! We walked around DC, got lunch together, and caught up! I love this guy!

9. Arlington National Cemetery. We came here on our very last day; it was our final stop before heading to the airport. We we were super tired and hungry, but I'm so glad we made this detour. It was such a reverent place and you couldn't help but feel really, really grateful.

10. My guy. I got a getaway with my favorite person in the world. Too bad strangers have a hard time maneuvering my monster camera, leaving us with a blurry shot. But hey, sometimes those are the best kind, right?

Alright, well that scratches the surface, anyway! It was a sweet trip!

XOXO, Marie

A Good, Good Day

Having just got home from our trip late last night, there simply wasn't time to go through all my pictures and do our east coast escapade any justice today, so I thought I'd just share a favorite picture I got of our brother Matthew in DC on Saturday! He was sweet enough to accommodate a tiny photoshoot, even though I could tell it wasn't his cup of tea. What can I say? He loves me. :)

And man, it was so good to see him! I hate how growing up often means miles and states and oceans separate you from the ones you love most. It stinks bad. But I'm grateful for the day we spent together. I feel like I have an extra close bond to Matthew, simply because we're just two years apart. Of all seven of us siblings, I have the most childhood memories with him. And I pretty much love him to pieces. Always have, always will. Isn't he handsome??? Seriously, I'm still jealous of those eyes of his!

Anyway, I've been thinking a lot today about how family is everything. Having almost a week alone with just Hubs was pretty dreamy, and yet I could hardly sleep last night because I was so excited to see my little munchkins after nearly a week of being apart. I spent today mostly just playing with the three most amazing kiddos on planet earth, even though Mondays are crAzY, and my to-do list is trying to eat me.  But who cares. Today was a good, good day. Coming home always is.

 XOXO, Marie

East Coast Baby!

Tomorrow Hubs and I are taking off for Boston to go see Wintson Flowers, an uppity flower shop he's been in love with for a long time. We can't wait to tour the shop in person, and hopefully get some inspiration for our flower shops!

Source: gardendesign.com via Marie on Pinterest

Hubs will also be attending a flower convention while we're in Boston, so I'll have a day or so completely solo. So, while he hits the books, I think I'll look for photo ops like this one. What a cool bookish picture, taken in Boston! I love me some J. Crew photos.

Source: sacbee.com via Marie on Pinterest

Actually, I'll probably go shopping. I love shopping and he hates shopping, so that'll be the perfect thing to do while he's in his meetings. I hope I don't get lost. Knowing me, I should probably count on it. :/

Source: Uploaded by user via Marie on Pinterest

And I'm praying the cherry blossoms will be in bloom...even though my kids won't be there.

What are blossoms without children to play in their midst whilst I photograph them? Okay, 

enough Jane Austen talk from me. Moving right along.

Source: weheartit.com via Marie on Pinterest

After Boston, we're going to rent a car and drive to NEW YORK for a few days. Again, it's a TRAGEDY that I won't have any subjects to photograph there, other than Hubs, of course. Something tells me he's not going to want dress up in a flowy dress and dance across the city. Meet me there, Lissie? It's really not that far from Germany, you know.

 Source: designspiration.net via Marie on Pinterest

Source: everyday-i-show.livejournal.com via Marie on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Marie on Pinterest

Source: weheartit.com via Marie on Pinterest

Source: whodesignedit.net via Marie on Pinterest

Last, but definitely not least, we're taking a bus to D.C. to spend a day or so with Matthew, our brother just younger than me! I haven't seen him in a few years and I can't wait! Seeing him is definitely the thing I'm most looking forward to about our trip. Maybe he will let me take pictures of him?? At the very least, he's going to show us the ropes and play tour guide for us. He's lived there for several years now. It will be so fun to see some of the sites with him!

Source: cityimage.net via Marie on Pinterest

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Source: sunsurfer.tumblr.com via Marie on Pinterest

Oh, and I just found out I'll get to see Aurelie, one of my best friends from high school while I'm there, too. I better get packing! LOTS to do before take off! Check back next week for my photos!


 XOXO, Marie

Grateful

Today I'm grateful for my adventurous, playful, beautiful, loving, silly and sweet kids.

These were taken in California last month. We had just gotten home from church and went for a Sunday walk...barefoot, apparently. :)

 {xoxo}marie

Something Frilly

Hey girls!

So, you remember when Emma said we had big plans of doing a photoshoot with Annabelle wearing her handmade birthday dress on the beach? Yeah, that didn't happen. 

We only went two places while we were in Hollywood: church and Target. It was just too crazy trying to make our original beach idea work with all of our kids in tow in such a busy, strange-to-us place. I can only imagine the horror of trying to keep track of all of my little water babies right alongside the Pacific while trying to take pictures of Annabelle! Not to mention the stress of  braving the roads to find a quiet beach and parking. Yeah, parking, we told you about the parking down there. 

But all was not lost! We did the next best thing! We walked out the front door and about 10 feet away from the apartment, we found some ivy on the wall of an alleyway. So, I buckled my baby Juliette into a car seat next to me, and we blocked my two other kiddos from the road and then I got busy shooting! It was still a little crazy! Liam kept bringing me little shards of glass he'd find, but it was a lot more convenient and there definitely wasn't drowning involved! 

Bottom line is, I am SO glad we made time for this! Gorgeous Annabelle in her sweet birthday dress makes me want to dig out my sewing machine from the far corner of my closet and make something frilly! 

xoxo/marie

California!

Hello from the Newport Coast!

This part of Cali is simply beautiful! So beautiful that we're here vacationing at the exact same resort as we did last year, and once again, we're loving it! Of course, I forgot to bring my gear that gets my pictures off of my camera and onto my computer, so you'll have to wait a few weeks to see pictures from this trip... but know that we are having another fabulous time, and our number one goal is to hit the beach every single day!

Here are some shots from last year's trip:

And here are snaps of my California girls and surfer boy that Hubs just took on his phone...we told them to freeze so that the picture would be in focus. Looks like they're all ready to go!

Xo/xo,
Marie