Zoo Fun

We bought a zoo pass this year, so Tuesday morning I took Sutton and my niece Breegan to the zoo for some hang out time.

These giraffes were headbutting each other. It seemed like a mom and her kid...it was weird.

They were so cute. They're best little buddies and at the beginning, they held hands for a bit when they were walking in front of me.

At the very beginning, they said they wanted to see the lions first. So I found a map and we looked and looked, trying to find which way to go to see them. So then after that, every time they saw a map, they would yell "Oooh! A map! Let's go see where to go!"

We stopped for snacks and drinks in the gorilla habitat.

The whole time, we were talking about how we'd go see the sheep in the petting zoo on the way out. Sutton and Breegy kept singing "Baa baa bwack sheep, hab u ayeeee wuh?"

Then on our way out, I forced them to take a picture with me. It was hot, they were hungry, and we had a daddy goose hissing at us to get away from his babies. But you can't tell, right? :)

It wasn't quite lunch time, so we left and went to the park for a bit. Then we ended our morning at Taco Bell. Two kids is a lot of work! But I love these two and we had a fun time.

Mother's Day {2013}

We had a mini family photo shoot on the porch before church yesterday. I'm posting them all because...I love them all. So there. :)

Sutton and I took some with the timer while Adam was finishing getting ready. Notice the pliers he's holding in EVERY picture. He's obsessed.

This was a testing-the-light photo, but it ended up being the only one I took of Sutton by himself in his handsome outfit, so here it is. {Jeans are a little short...}

Then Adam joined us. So blessed to have these two.

Daddy wanted to get some closeups. Oh, the pliers...

Adam told Sutton to give me a kiss on my cheek, and this was attempt #1.

Attempt #237...

Then he just wanted a regular kiss.

Which made him giggle.

I just love him so much and can't imagine life without him in it. I love being his mama, even in the not-so-pretty times. I'm so so so grateful that even though we had our struggles getting pregnant, God knew the exact little boy that would fit so perfectly in our family.

Now, for the Instagram photos. :) We went to church and I sat in the backseat with the boy because he really wanted me to read him some books.

We had a great service at church, including an extremely moving Mother's Day tribute...with this video. Wow.

Then the sweet boy fell asleep on the way home.

Diesel got me a Mother's Day card. Adam got me a card and some things fit for a 12-year-old...WHICH I LOVE. Think markers, velvet coloring posters...yeah. He knows me well.



We sat with Weston and Shae at church and ended up inviting them over for lunch. So we ate and then took a walk to the park where Sutton, Adam, and Weston played for awhile. We walked home and said our goodbyes.

We've been contemplating doing away with nap time, so Sutton and I crawled into my bed and watched a movie for a little down-time. But then I got nervous that he would be a mess for our dinner that evening, so we ended up putting him to bed really late. Then I had to wake him up to go to Newton to celebrate with my parents.

Adam got some last-minute corrections for his thesis so he ended up staying home while Sutton and I headed to Newton. I love my mom so much. She's such an amazing lady and I'm so blessed to be only one of two people in the whole world to call her Mom.

We prayed before dinner, and just as everyone was getting ready to dish up their plates, my Dad made a big announcement to the rest of the family...

My big brother Michael and his wife Sara are expecting their first baby this fall!!!!!!! They'd told my parents and me and Adam a couple weeks ago, but we've been keeping their secret until her 12-week sonogram this past Friday.

We have 12 nieces and nephews on Adam's side, but this is the first on my side since I only have one sibling. I can't wait! It'll probably be another redhead since my brother has red hair and there is red hair on Sara's side too. I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait! Hooray!

After dinner, we spend the evening out on the deck by the fire. Sutton had a great time forcing my youngest cousin Faith to play with him ALL evening.

Happy Mother's Day (a day late) to all you mom's out there! I have several friends who had their first Mother's Day as a mom this year, so that was pretty neat. I still don't feel like I'm old enough to BE a mother, but I'm a fan of being spoiled on another day besides my birthday each year. Ha!

Last Day of School

This morning was Sutton's last day of Kids Day Inn. He has loved going there since September and was especially excited this morning because they were going to have a last-day-of-school party.

I had decided that I would take a couple photos of him on the porch to compare to the beginning of the year, even though I thought there wouldn't be much difference.

Boy, was I wrong.

On the left :: first day :: 09.13.2012
On the right :: last day :: 05.09.2013

Whoa. I have a tiny man living under my roof.

It took us a bit to work up to getting the above photo. We started out slow...sitting on the steps and drinking some juice.

We set down the juice and I asked him to stand up to show me how big and tall he was.
"NO! I be SHORT!"

"Okay, Crazy. I took your picture short, now stand up tall!"
"I SHORT!!!!"
At least he's smiling...

"Please stand up tall?"

Then he was done and ran to the other side of the porch to hide.

"If you come stand with your backpack, you can have fruit snacks on the way to school in the car!"
"OOooooOOOoooOo!! Okay!"

"Let's put your backpack ON for a picture."
"What's dat? Eeet's a buggie?"

"Stand up child, if you want your fruit snacks! SMILE!"
Yesssssss. Got it.

"I all done. I don't want backpack onnnnnnnn."

All of that in about 2 minutes. We made it to school and he bounced all the way into the door of his classroom. He said they got to eat white ice cream, play outside, and watch the movie Cars. Sounds like a pretty awesome last day of school to me!

Sutton and Some Tulips

Sutton got a little toy camera from the Farneys when I took some photos for them a couple weeks ago. He's been telling me that he is going to come to work with me someday to take photos too.

We had the perfect opportunity on Monday. I had a shoot scheduled with some friends of mine out at the Bartlett Arboretum in Belle Plaine. Have you been there?

A-mazing. Breathtaking. Beautiful. You should go.

We took a picnic since we were going to be there right around dinner time, so we ate our sandwiches first. Then it was time for pictures. I got Jen, Ruse, and Bennett right where I wanted them and crouched down to take their photos. This was the view to my left:

He pretty much copied my movements and everything I was saying. It was the cutest thing ever. Got some smiles out of my subjects too! He quickly tired of being a photographer and went through a short phase of wanting to be IN their family photos. Uh...doesn't really work that way, kiddo. I took his photo a couple times just to appease him.

We finished up their shoot and Bennett was needing some dinner, so they left. Sutton and I hung around for awhile. Part of the reason I'd brought him was to get him out of his daddy's hair while he worked on finishing up his thesis (he's SO CLOSE to being done!). But part of the reason was so I could take some photos of my boy in this gorgeous place.

He didn't really cooperate. After I took the following photos on these steps, he didn't want any more pictures.

I still snuck some in. :)

This is the whiny, I'm-about-to-have-a-meltdown face.

So instead I snapped some photos of the bright tulips that were in full bloom.

I think this one is my fave:

I've shot a couple weddings out here, and there is literally endless possibility at this place. Everywhere you turn is another neat detail.

Just exploring.



The swing under this gazebo was a lifesaver. We got smiles out of Bennett and Sutton here. :)

Such a fun evening with my sweet boy. We will definitely have to take Daddy back there with us another time. BIG THANKS to Jen and Ruse for being totally cool with my bringing my kid along on our shoot. Not something I would normally do, but everything worked out pretty great!