Fresh Picked

After work this afternoon, Sarah and I took a quick trip up to the local berry farm to pick some fresh raspberries.
She really wanted to pick the cherries, but we were told they are not quite ready yet, so we will have to return in a few weeks!


Reags missed out on this trip...she was still at "school".
This was a special outing for me and my biggest girl!
She loved it and would have continued picking if the rain drops had not started falling.

As soon as we felt those drops, we hightailed it back to the check out area.
When we reached the counter we picked up a few other goodies that were for sale.
The girls are I are going to be doing some baking this weekend, so we got some Strawberries, Cherries, and Blueberries too!
Reags was super excited when she got home from school. She is a berry fantastic!
She was a little disappointed that she did not get to come along, but I promised her she would get her chance in a few weeks when the blueberries and cherries were ready to be picked:)
We love this little farm.

Happy Friday Friends!
Have a great weekend and stay cool.

Sarah's New Summer Cut and Our Winner!

I have loved watching Sarah's hair grow so long, but it gets to the point where it becomes unmanageable...and we reached that point a few weeks ago. She will not let me do ponytails and as of late, she has been refusing hair clips. I can't stand seeing it hang in her face, so we made an appointment to go visit Enzo and decided on something much more manageable and cool for the summer!


We are loving her new angled bob!
It fits her face so well and now you can really see her pretty petite features:)
Her hair falls right into place without fuss....and the best part is no more tears in the morning due to tangles.

Since we did this, I have been tempted to go get a shorter cut for Reags.
At least she will do ponytails or braids and let me pull it out of her face.
I might have to sleep on that one a little while longer!

We are looking forward to a nice weekend.
I am taking off tomorrow, so 3 day weekend for me.
Hoping to take the girls to do something fun like the splash pad or mini golf...maybe both!

Before I wish everyone a HAPPY WEEKEND, I want to announce the lucky winner of the $250 Cardinal Camera Gift Card.
Accorading to Random.org....

#18 is our WINNER!!!
Congratulations GGHadden!
I will send you an email to get your mailing address.
Looks like you will be doing some shopping soon:)
ENJOY!!!

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

Kicking off the Summer with a Giveaway!!!

It has been a long time since I have hosted a giveaway, so I thought there was not better time to kick one off than the first official week of summer break! Whether you are a Mom with a camera who likes to capture daily life, a hobbyist, or a professional, we all usually have a running "wish list" of camera equipment and accessories that we would like to add to our bag.

This week, one lucky winner will walk away with a $250 gift card from Cardinal Camera to put towards something special!

All you need to do to enter, is leave a comment below.
Make sure I have a way to contact you if you win...an email address will do!!
And let's have a little fun with this.... if you were to win, tell us what you would you would do with that $250 gift card.
What is on that wish list? Is there something you need before you leave on that summer vacation?
I have quite a few things in mind that I could use in my bag right now!
What could you use?

Hurry up and enter to win, the contest is only going to be open for two days!
You have until Wednesday night at 11:59pm Eastern Time.
The winner will be chosen by Random.org and will be posted on Friday!

Have a wonderful week and Good luck!!!

Everyday Adventures (iPhone style)

YIKES!!! How did an another week fly by?
As of yesterday, the kids are officially on summer break!!
Another school year done....let the fun begin:)

I have a backlog of instagram photos that I wanted to share,
so let me get you caught up on some of the random things that my iPhone has captured.


Reagan making silly faces in the dairy aisle of the grocery store.
I took the girls to see Epic in 3D over memorial day weekend....we loved it!
We also made another trip that weekend to Target to buy the annual baby pool
and if you look down the collage you can see them enjoying their first dip!
Many of our evenings are spent outside playing until the beautiful sun sets.
There is a shot of the girls in my bed covered in their fav blankets reluctant to get ready for school.
and the night before, I noticed how cool the light was reflecting on my bedroom wall.
Do you see a glimpse of a pink bike? OH MY, I can't wait to show you more.
That bike is at 2 Hip Chics and it is an antique schwinn girls bike!!! Photoshoot to come soon:)
And I think one of my favorites in this collage is Reags who is doing a little "speed reading".


The little mermaid and friends digging in the sandbox after dinner one evening.
A walk in the woods..... two little girls in the midst of some really TALL tress!
Talenti Gelato....Sea Salt Carmel. OH MY GOSH.... thought I died and went to heaven.
You must try it.... it is sinfully delicious and very addictive!
This last week has been very very RAINY. The girls have used their duck umbrellas often.
Reagan sporting some serious bed head while munching on strawberries for breakfast
(she looks so old in this particular photo)
I took a fisheye shot of my bedroom... the only toy free room in the house. It is my serenity!!!
Sarah patiently waiting by the window for the rain to stop so she can go out and play.
A snapshot of the last soccer game of the season. We were melting out there.
Sarah cooled herself with a little water over the head, while Reags dashed across the field.
Last weekend I took the girls to a local cupcake bakery. We gave it the double thumbs up.
That was my Limoncello cupcake.....YUMMMMM! The girls chose chocolate and strawberry.
And last but not least, the most important news of the week.
We officially have a 1st grader in the house.
That is a picture of Sarah with her BFF's on the last day of Kindergarten.
So hard to believe my baby is going to first grade!!!

Okay, gotta run to work, but now you are caught up on all of our daily adventures and happenings.
I am still working on my post for that exciting opportunity I mentioned last week.
You will see it go live on Monday, so check back!!

Have a wonderful weekend!
Happy Father's Day to all the amazing Dads and Dads to be out there!

He's Joined the Workforce

This might be old news to some, especially if you follow me on facebook or instagram, but Nick recently got his first job.
I have been wanting to do a quick post to document and share the big news, but just didn't get around to it.
He officially started two weeks ago and finishes his training period this Sunday.

It was his idea to search for a job and he handled the search and application process all on his own.
Luckily for him, he got the first job he applied for.....so he was not looking too long:)
His 16th birthday is well within sight and having a car of his own was the main motivator....I believe.


He will be spending a good part of his summer working at a very popular local carwash.
They run a great business and primarily hire kids from High School and College.
He will get to work outdoors, get lots of good exercise, and have a little fun too.
It is amazing to me how many kids they have working there on each shift...
I guess they need a lot of hands on deck to get those cars looking all shiny!

We are really proud of Nick as he has entered this new chapter in his life.
So far he loves it, but he knows that they call it "WORK" for a reason.... it is not always fun and it is not always easy.
I am sure there will be a few life lessons learned along the way too.

~Happy Friday Everyone~
Make sure you tune in next week... there will be an exciting opportunity up for grabs.
Time to pay it forward (photography) friends!

PS. They are building a new home in our neighborhood.
The big dumpster on the lot that is used for scrap materials caught my eye this week.
It made for a super cool backdrop.

International Children's Day - "Bo Yuan - One of Many Thousands"

I know it is rare that you see a post from me on a Saturday morning, but I have an important story and message I would like to share.
Many of you know that I have supported Half the Sky since I have returned home with Reagan from China.
She was in a Half The Sky sponsored orphanage and it really made a difference.
For the first 10 months of her life, while she did not have a Mommy or Daddy to hold and love for her each day, she did have an amazing staff of caregivers who nurtured her and cared for her in a very loving way. For that our family will be forever grateful, so when one of my contacts at Half the Sky asked if I would be willing to share the story of Bo Yuan to help spread the word and the importance of their program, I immediately said yes.

"This International Children’s Day, we’d like to share the story of one special child whose life has been transformed through Half the Sky. BoYuan was born with anal atresia, which requires surgery as soon as possible after birth. He had surgery at a local hospital when he was several days old, but the surgery wasn’t done well and post-op care was extremely difficult. His wounds became infected. Luckily, the institution had somewhere to turn. The China Care Home.

When BoYuan arrived at the China Care Home, he received surgery right away. Since then, he’s had to have four more surgeries. Each time, he’s had a loving China Care nanny to help him through experiences that would be scary, painful, and confusing for any child. She’s stayed with him at the hospital and cared for him during his recuperations at the home.
BoYuan's nanny has made sure he knows he’s not alone.

While BoYuan may still need further medical treatment, he is also a thriving, mischievous little boy. He can walk quickly and well. He is quite a smart boy and is learning to talk. He’s sweet too, and fetches toys and gives them to younger children who are crying. He recognizes all the nannies who take care of him and calls them “Qi, Jin, and Zhang Mama.”
We know that this adorable child has a bright future despite his difficult beginnings.

We’re changing life stories for the 250 children like BoYuan who receive care each year at our China Care Home and the thousands of children in other Half the Sky programs across China. Their stories are being rewritten right now. And it’s happening because of the work of Half the Sky and the help of our international family of supporters."


We'd love to spread BoYuan's story today to help give more children their chance before it’s too late.
And you can help! If you have a blog, please consider re-posting his story. If you don’t have a blog, you can still help by sharing the story on Facebook and re-tweeting our Tweet.
Please join us so, together, we can make a difference this Children’s Day!
To learn more about Half the Sky and the work they do, visit www.halfthesky.org