toledo bend

this was our second year to spend a weekend at a cabin in toledo bend state park. we always have such a fun time, despite the 100+ degree august heat. the first afternoon/evening there, we took the kids exploring, played at playground, and checked out the lake. because of the drought, the lake was nowhere near as full as it was last year. so sad :(

evan cooling off in the water and loving digging his hands in the sand. we just stripped him down to his diaper since his swim trunks were at the cabin

we spent almost all of the next day swimming in the lake. it was very cool and refreshing, especially out deeper.

grammy and elayna

cousins :)

in the evening some of the bigger kids went fishing and caught some fish. evan didn't go along but he loved pretending with elayna's pole. i think we need to get him a little fishing pole.

it was so nice to have one last little vacation before school starts on monday. the summer went by WAY too fast!

bowl of cherries

we've been eating these like candy all summer

first tooth

avery lost her first tooth last week! she was sooooo excited for the toothfairy to come. and she has two more that are about ready to fall out!

30 weeks (and 3 days)

so i am really not a fan of having my photo taken when i'm pregnant, but it is fun to document the growing belly. since i forgot to do a 20 week photo, here's the bump at 30 weeks. i am big as a house, and still have 9 more weeks to go!

chase and kristyn

my cousin kristyn got married back in june. it was a beautiful outdoor ceremony on a beautiful summer evening. i had a lot of fun shooting this wedding!

yum

the one thing i've really been craving this pregnancy is watermelon. i just can't get enough of it. i really want to try this drink!

recent reads...

we have been having the hardest time coming up with a name for baby girl! everything we like has already been taken or sounds too similar to the names we've already used. so frustrating! and the books aren't really helping! any suggestions??

dan and i both read this book recently...

this has been on my "to read" list for a long time and i finally got around to it. it is definitely worth reading.

4th of July

we had a wonderful 4th of July! we spent the day relaxing, swimming, eating lots of good food, and watching fireworks at the park with my parents. we missed all the family that couldn't be there!

i made these yummy dark chocolate baby cakes over the weekend for an early 4th of july treat. they were gone in a day!

this was the first year that Evan really enjoyed the fireworks! he was so amazed. the next day he kept talking about fireworks and wanted to see them again :)

*at the park waiting for the fireworks

strawberry lemonade popsicles

recipe found here. these are sooo delish and refreshing! i went a little heavy on the lemon layer, but you can layer it however you like.

a boy and his dinosaur

evan loves dinosaurs, especially his t-rex. he calls it his "dino." my favorite thing is how he roars when he's playing with it!

father's day

this is a day late, but i wanted to share these really cute free printables i found on the internets. the girls and i decorated the table with these. i love the banner too!

and i just love these cute shirt and tie gift bags found here. we filled dan's with lots of little goodies.

the girls made their daddy a delicious chocolate pudding pie for dessert. i couldn't resist getting a photo of evan after eating his piece. yep, there is a reason he eats with his shirt off!

my life lately...

there are so many things i have wanted to blog, but just haven't gotten around to it. we have really been enjoying the lazy days of summer. two weekends ago, dan and i celebrated our wedding anniversary by staying at the moody gardens resort on galveston island. it was sooo relaxing and so nice to have a weekend away.
this past weekend i photographed my cousin's wedding. it was an ALL day event and i am still recovering :) i have been busy editing those photos and will blog about it soon. in the meantime, here's just two..

i loved her bouquet! lots more to come...

online magazines

i recently discovered online magazines! i'm in the process of trying to redecorate a few rooms in the house, and have been getting lots of inspiration from them. here are some of my favorites:

Lonny
Rue
Adore
House of Fifty

seniors

just a few from a couple of recent senior sessions...

welcome summer

today was the last day of school...hooray! we celebrated with water balloons!

getting ready for the waterballoon fight!