We took Gigi and our neighbors son, Waylon, to have their photos taken with Mr. Claus! G enjoyed herself and thought Santa was just fine...


Waylon was pretty traumatized. Poor kid! But, it made for a pretty great Santa photo...
All in the name of Christmas!

And with that I'm signing off for the holidays. We are ready to head to Seattle to visit with our family and friends! Keeping my fingers crossed that Kyle gets the whole week off. Books, knitting, sleeping, eating too many cookies... I can't wait.

Safe travels and happy holidays to you and your wonderful families.

Love,
Kacie (and Kyle and Gigi of course!)

This week the freezing air swept in and it's officially winter. It feels like fall just hurried past. A couple weeks ago we had a wonderful day with our good friends embracing the fall by gathering apples and pressing fresh apple cider. Our friends, Ivy and Mike, acquired a press last year and we ready to put it to good use this fall. Kyle's boss has an apple orchards so we headed up into the hills with our neighbors Patrick and Kate and their son, Waylon... who is Gigi's regular partner in crime. The orchard was wet and muddy but these two tiny helpers didn't seem to mind at all and we quickly had our bin filled with apples.

Then it was time to head to Mike and Ivy's house with our bounty. Waylon and Gigi gladly joined their little friend Grace to play while the adults got the apples and press ready to make cider. Actually, Gigi and Grace spent most of the time pushing a baby doll around in a grocery cart feeding it from a bottle... It's amazing how the girls were such little caregivers!

It didn't take long before we were ready to get the press going. The kids were a huge "help". It was amazing how quickly the process went. Before long we had tons of fresh, sweet cider flowing.

It was exceptionally sweet and delicious. We took a few jugs home and Kyle filled a big carboy to make hard cider but, due to neglect it has since turned into apple cider vinegar... and lots of it. Before we took the babes home for their late afternoon naps, we took them out to feed the crushed apples to the goats and go for a little ride in the Radio Flyer. These three, I tell ya.

The past two summers, I've been fortunate to have the opportunity to photograph the most wonderful family who happen to live in Stockholm, Sweden. Just last month they were in Oregon again and I shot their family photos. Upon our mention that we'd be traveling to Sweden, Pauli invited us to stay with them. It was a generous offer and we happily accepted. We spent two very fun, giggle, silly, girly evenings with them.

One great thing about staying with a family in Stockholm was that we got wonderful recommendations for where to go and (more importantly) where to eat. When Pauli told us about Rosendals Kafé, we knew that was where we needed to go. It's the most incredible café tucked into the most extraordinary garden! They make food straight from their gardens, it's always in season, and it was spectacular! The menu changes daily depending on what's available. It was such an inspirational place. Without intending to we spent nearly our whole day there.




We ate our wonderful food in the garden where we made new friends and Gigi ran and played. Then we browsed through the shop, I wanted to buy the cookbook for the café but they didn't have it in English. We picked up a sweet treat for later and then walked the grounds, meandering along paths until we found our way to the ferry.




We took the ferry across to Gamla Stan, or the Old Town area of the city. It was pretty touristy but there was a lot of people watching to do. We wandered and walked until late afternoon when we decided to head back to Pauli's home to make dinner for her and the girls.




Stockholm is such a beautiful city. We only got to spend one amazing day there but it's on my list of places I hope to visit again and again.

Later this week I'll share some photos and stories from here in Edinburgh, Scotland and I have a new recipe and cooking video to share too!

We are now settled in Edinburgh, Scotland and Kyle has started school. The tone here is so different from that in the countryside of Sweden. It's drizzling a bit and you can feel the day to day city pace. Kyle has started school, he leaves with his bag around 7:30am and is having a wonderful time. Gigi and I are hanging with Uncle Ryan, I'm catching up on a little work, journaling, reading... It feels like we left summer behind in all it's perfection in Sweden. It's definitely fall here in Scotland.

I still have more photos and stories to share from our time in Sweden this week... these photos are from one day of our trip we spent just relaxing on the farm. One thing I loved about the farm life was going every morning with Gigi to check on the chickens and look for eggs. Then, to come right inside and make her breakfast from an egg she collected. I'm so excited to plan and prepare for getting chickens next spring.



We spent the day playing, exploring, doing laundry, snacking on real Swedish fish, napping, reading, and soaking up the sunshine.

Another thing we loved about being in the countryside was fika, afternoon coffee that is traditionally prepared over an open fire and served with sweets. Ryan's neighbors invited us over to have traditional fika with them. We wandered over around 4pm for coffee. Normally I wouldn't dare drink coffee so late in the day but throughout our time in Sweden I never found it to affect my sleep. Maybe it's countered by all the fresh air. We sipped our coffee and snacked on brownies made my Kerstin. We also got to try her special flower water which was very sweet, made from flowers at her mountain cabin, and a homemade juniper berry cordial.



Kerstin and Oboreo delighted us all with some violin playing! The girls, Gigi and Kerstin's granddaughter Judith, couldn't get enough. Gigi danced and jigged and cheered for more. It was wonderful. The more they played the sillier the girls became. Doing headstands, lying down and rolling on the grass, squealing and giggling like mad.



After fika we returned to the house to prepare for a wood-fired pizza dinner with Lars, Karin, Isak and Sofia. Any time spent with this family was so much fun. Gigi couldn't get enough of Miss Sofia. Everyone chipped in to prepare the ingredients and soon we we all assembling our individual pizzas.

We spent the most lovely evening with the sweetest family. Meeting Lars, Karin, Isak and Sofia has been the highlight of our trip in the Swedish countryside. You can't imagine a more kind and generous little family. They were so welcoming to us, doted on Gigi and really made our time in Dala-Järna so wonderful. These photos are all from a perfect evening we spent at their small lake cabin near the farm. We walked through a beautiful wooded area, the ground was covered in tiny blueberry bushes, and then came upon the lake. It was still warm enough for a swim and even Miss G got in the water to splash and play. We had fika (evening coffee) and sweets and sat on the porch until the sun set. It was one of those evenings for me where I just wanted to hold my breath and take it all in. We feel so lucky to be here, on this trip, meeting such wonderful people, making memories with Ryan and experiencing new things with Gigi.

This weekend we took G to her very first concert. Our friend Chris is in a great band called The Head and The Heart. We haven't had the opportunity to see them play in concert yet so when the Portland Zoo announced that they would be playing a show as part of the summer concert series we immediately bought tickets. We listen to their CD a lot so I hoped Gigi would recognize the music. We were completely unprepared for her enthusiasm as the band took the stage! She went absolutely bananas...

Gigi had so much fun meeting her "Uncle Kick", the concert was wonderful, and it was so lovely to catch up with Chirs.

I'll have more photos and stories from our weekend in the next couple of days. Happy Monday.

Continued from Birch Bay: Part One...

On Sunday morning we woke up early again, but this time I was ready. Ready for coooofffffffffeeeeeee!, for reading books on the couch, for walks on the beach. We were planning to head for home during Gwyneth's morning nap so we spent the morning caffeinating and packing up. Gigi is in love with Who Will Comfort Toffle? which was a gift. It's from Sweden and it's beautifully illustrated. She spent the morning in her cozies, finding and comforting Toffle with kisses.

We got dressed and headed down the waterfront to say goodbye to the great blue herons who flew by and the tiny little crab we discovered. When I was a kid I loved turning over "big" rocks to reveal scores of baby crabs living underneath. Despite my unshakeable fear of spiders, these eight legged creatures amuse me. I found this little guy living in a shell. Which, incidentally, is how Toffle's story ends too.

After draining our coffee, we saddled up and hit the road. We spent almost as much time in the car this weekend as we did in Birch Bay, but it was totally worth the trek. I love nothing more than spending time with my family.

Nothing more.

This weekend we escaped. Invited by our good friends, Jeremy and Tara, to their family's lovely vacation home in Birch Bay, we loaded up the car and headed North. After so much hustling around the past couple of months, it was hard to leave again. But the promise of R&R beconned so off we went.

We arrived in Birch Bay fairly late on Friday evening and got quickly settled in. I love the feeling when you walk into a new place and get to take it all in and say, "This is going to be my little home for the next 24 hours". After getting Gigi cuddled up in bed, we made dinner and played board games.

Our darling girl woke us up early on Saturday morning and I felt like I was in a swamp. The thick comfy matress and sleep deprivation from the last few weeks had an unexpected effect on me. I spent the whole morning rather, the whole day, in a haze of muddled half-sleep. I'm pretty sure I wasn't forming my sentences properly. Kyle, always the early riser, headed down the stairs to the beach with our on-the-go-girl, and I followed, bed-head and all. Is there anything more enticing than a wooden staircase leading to the water?




One of the best things about spending time with our friends is seeing how much they love Gigi. They embrace her, love her, snuggle her, and play with her. It makes both Kyle and I so grateful to have such amazing friends. "Aunt" Tara and "Uncle" J hold an extra special place with me because of their love for our daughter.




Since Gigi naps at 9am everyday, we were able to spend some time relaxing with our friends while she caught some zzzs. During her nap the clouds burned away and we were blessed with an outpouring of sunshine. When Gigi awoke we were all playing cornhole and relaxing in the sunshine. I loaded that girl up with sunscreen and proceeded to spend the next hour battling with her that she must keep her sunhat on! She just loves hats so, so much that she wants to hold them and present them to everyone around her. Jeremy had bought her some bubbles at the market and unwittingly, with the first blow of tiny bubbles, became the royal bubble master for the afternoon. Who can deny a sweet "more more more" from a child who adores you and thinks your bubble blowing skills are spectacular?



I could hardly wait for the tide to recede so we could take G out to explore the shore. When I was in L.A. with her she couldn't get enough of the water and the waves. In Birch Bay, the shoreline is quite shallow so when the tide goes out you can walk out one hundred or so yards. We took off her shoes, rolled up her over-alls and trundled down the stairs with four dogs in tow to see what we could see.






By the time we walked back up the stairs from our long explore Gigi was nodding off. We rinsed her feet, stripped her of her wet clothes, kissed her sunscreened head, and plunked her into bed. The sun was high in the sky and everyone was sipping beer that Kyle had provided. Since I'm not much of a beer drinker I eventually accepted a glass of red wine, kicked my feet up, picked up my book, and ignored the clock that said it was only 2:30 in the afternoon. I'm in the middle of reading Very Fond of Food by Sophie Dahl. I've lately found myself reading cookbooks instead of novels. I am obsessed with the stories behind the recipes, the photography, the ingredients. Cooking has really become my main passion in life... other than being a mom it's what I derive the most joy and satisfaction from.



By the time Gigi woke from her afternoon siesta it was pouring rain and we were all taking shelter inside. It rained on and off for the rest of the evening. There was a lot of cuddling, cooking and eating to be done so perhaps it's a good thing that the rain came down.



We stayed up late playing games and drinking wine and whiskey, oh my. The sun didn't set until nearly 10pm and when it did we were surprised with the most bizarre moonset! We tried to figure out why the moon might be setting, decided it may or may not be the apocalypse, bid each other goodnight/it's been lovely to know you, and headed for bed.




To be continued...

Gigi and I had a wonderful trip to California. G makes a great little travel companion and I really loved this time with her.

The main thing I discovered on this trip was that we really have some wonderful friends in California. It is really amazing when your friends open their homes up to you and your silly, squirrelly, sometimes-tantrum-throwing, one year old. It meant so much to me to be welcomed into our friends' houses for a night, a week, a cup of coffee, or a shared meal. Everyone was so excited to meet Gigi and loved her so much. We are very happy to be home but are already missing all of our wonderful CA friends.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from our trip...

Gigi with Hadley and Deborah. G and I went over to visit Deborah and Co. twice, once to cook dinner for them and once for coffee. I wish we could have spent even more time with this lovely family.


We met up with Whitney of Eat Sleep Cuddle for lunch on our way from San Diego back to LA. I really love her blog and it was so nice getting to meet her, I only wished we lived closer so we could cook and eat together all the time!


We spent almost a whole week in San Diego with Steph and Andy and their kiddos, Harrison and Lucia. Steph and I are so similar and every time I get to see her I just feel completely understood, fulfilled, and loved. She's a great friend.

There's also this little blossoming romance.



We spent a great day with Steph and Co. at the San Diego Zoo. I have wanted to go to the San Diego Zoo ever since I was a little girl. I wanted to either be a zoologist or an actress and was obsessed with a promotional CD/game from the San Diego Zoo. It was a blast with the kids. It was one of those perfect days where not one of them cried and everyone was happy.

(In case you were wondering, Gigi is licking the flamingo fence in the photo on the right. It's good for her immune system, right?)


We stayed with Tara and Cole for the majority of our time in LA. They were so welcoming, accommodating, and loving. Gwyneth loved playing with them, and I loved having helping hands. They were amazing. They even babysat for me while I went and visited the film set of one of my favorite directors for half a day.

We did a lot together: trip to Venice beach, lunches and dinners out, a morning at The Getty Center to see the Herb Ritts exhibition, and Tara and Cole took the time to put together a sweet Easter basket for G too!

We also got to visit with our lovely friend Romi Dames (a very talented actress), my wonderful agent Carlyne and her daughter Joell, our friend/casting director Rene, our friend Karman, and our friend Darren. It was two weeks packed full of friends. 

We had so much fun together on this trip. Gigi is a total California baby!

This trip has been really fun so far. Gigi and I are getting ready to head down to San Diego to visit our friends, Steph and Andy. This first part of the trip has been wonderful but has involved a lot of juggling and visiting lots friends. I'll do a more detailed post on all our busy activities when we get settled in San Diego.

I have learned on this trip that having flexible expectations is key. I thought I'd have time to settle down and work, to watch movies, go to the beach, have picnics at parks, to read, etc. But traveling with a 15 month old is kind of a goose-chase. I've been staying the last couple of nights with Tara` and Cole. Tara has been a nanny for years so she totally gets it and has been just wonderful! She's helped me baby wrangle here at their apartment, and out at meals which has meant I can breathe and finish my sentences. You don't realize how squirrelly a one year old is until you travel with them by yourself!

I'm amazed at how much we've done in the past few days and how much fun I've been having with my little sidekick. She's been a trooper with all the changes in location, routine, sleep habits, meal times, etc. She's a good girl.

Once we're in San Diego it'll be me and Steph hanging out during the days while our three little ones play quietly together and nap in tandem, and all sleep through the night. Right?

Our dear friends, Heidi and Ben, have left for their next adventure and we are a little sad. It's so rare to find another couple that shares all your interests, has the same sense of humor as you, has similar hobbies and creative ideas, and appreciates the same things you do. Our few days with them were so much fun.

Now... back to real life! I have lots of photos to share from our time with Heidi and Ben. Unfortunately, they will have to wait for next week. I'm spending the day catching up on emails, and phone calls, and school work. Then I've got to pack a bag for me and G and get ready to head for Seattle. I'm photographing a big wedding with my sister this weekend. I'm trying not to stress out about the whirlwind of things that need to get done today. See you next week, friends!

One more thing: Google Friend Connect is no longer going to allow Non-Blogspot/Blogger blogs to use their Google Friend Connect service. There are lots of other ways to subscribe: RSS, Bloglovin', email or via Twitter or Facebook.

Last week we got together with many of our food loving friends to watch the Superbowl. Only problem was that Kyle was really the only one who likes football. It was fun to have everyone over for the great game food...

Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing (recipe from My Father's Daughter) and Kyel's fresh bread.


Cilanto and Lime Chicken Wings (recipe from Tyler's Ultimate)


Mini-Wedges with Blue Cheese dressing.


Our friends, Kristin and Colin, enjoying the wonderful food.

And, there was the game too...

Kyle caring. Gigi pondering why her parents dress her up in ridiculous outfits every chance they get.


Gigi and Waylon playing. G is clearly ready for some football.



Now we are off to enjoy our weekend. Gigi has been really sick the last couple of days so we may end up taking it easy. I'm hoping we can manage a little wine tasting and a dinner out for my birthday but, if we end up staying home, that'll be okay too. (If you want to see more food photos from the weekend they're here.)

Today is my best friend's birthday.  We have known each other/gotten in trouble together for the past 24 years (oh my God! I just had to use a calculator to figure out how long we've known each other).  I'm so blessed to call Marion my friend and I cherish all of our memories together: getting in time out at gymnastics, drinking an obscene amount of blue Powerade in junior high, getting in time out at diving, drinking on obscene amount of wine, road trips, long weekends at the Pendleton Roundup, lots of snuggling and movie watching, trips to Puerto Rico, being at each other weddings, and raising our babies together. 

At gymnastics.  You can't tell from these photos how much trouble we got in from talking too much during practice but, let me tell you, we did a lot of crunches.


In Junior High. 


From the photobooth at our wedding. My wedding to Kyle, not to Marion.  Marion and I would kill each other after three days if we were married.

I wish I could convey how much Marion means to me, how much I admire her, and value her friendship.  Marion will stand up for you when you're being bullied, she will jump on an airplane and fly to your side if she senses you need a hug, she writes heartfelt letters and sends postcards.  She is not judgmental, she is patient, honest, extremely fun and fiercely loving.

These are the reasons I chose her to be Gigi's Godmama.  I know that G has someone in her life that she can ask for help, have a lot fun with, trust her heart with, and who will be there for her if she needs support.  I know that because that's what Marion has done for me. 

Marion, you mean the world to me.  Happy Birthday wonderful friend.

We had such a fun weekend with our friends, Jeremy and Tara, and Peter and Jessie. 

Friday...

I made a cheesecake.  Jeremy (a.k.a Uncle Ricky) and Tara arrived in the evening. We headed down to the brewery for dinner then back home.  We watched a really ricidulously dumb documentary called Outdoorsmen (if you can call it that) and went to bed.

Saturday...

On Saturday we got up and sipped coffee.  Tara and I did a quick store run with Gigi before we all got ready and headed into Portland.

Gigi slept in the car on the way there.  She always sucks on her blankie to fall asleep.

Our first stop was Fire on the Mountain.  We met up with Jessie and Peter, and Greg, Sondi and Ella (and a few others) for a late lunch.  We actually ordered 100 wings.  I'm a little embarrassed about this.  Kyle is proud.  Men are from Mars.

Just waking up, with Jeremy and Tara.

After lunch, the boys headed off to the Holiday Ale Festival and we ladies went to do a bit of shopping at H&M.  I found a couple warm tops for myself and even more little things for Gigi.  Who knew they had baby clothes!?  It was all fun and games until Gigi fell over (my fault) and hit her little head (she has a baby black eye).  Man, and I almost made it a year without breaking her.

It was freezing out.  We walked to Pioneer Square to meet up with the guys.

Then we all headed home where I quickly whipped up Coconut Chicken Paella.  We played Apples to Apples for a short game which then turned into Cards Against Humanity (a very politically incorrect, highly offensive game that follows the Apples to Apples rules).  Seriously... don't look at this if you are easily offended.  We had cheesecake and went to bed around midnight.

Sunday...

On Sunday we got up and had a lazy morning.  We made breakfast burritos and relaxed.  Eventually we headed downtown to walk around which inevitably ended up with pizza and beer at the brewery.
Playing silly games with Dad.

Me and Tara.

Eating some paper and rocking some shades.

Jeremey, Tara, Pete and Jessie headed back to Seattle and we went to go find our Christmas tree.

Then it was time to get G ready for an early bedtime.

After she was bathed and cuddled up in bed, we curled up on the couch with a mug of tea and watched disc one of this Prohibition documentary.

All in all, a great weekend.  We had so much fun with our friends.  Hope you had a great weekend and are having a good start to the week.

For the past four years we have spent Thanksgiving at my Dad and Stepmom's house.  Our friends, Kurt and Scott, who just happen to be fantastic chef's at the Chateau Ste. Michele in Woodinville, WA come down and cook up the most fantastic Thanksgiving meals you can imagine!  Our good friend Bill always brings wonderful cheeses and wines and champagne!  This year there were sixteen of us, including my awesome brother and his roommate, Kevin.

These two wines were amazing!  The Columbia Crest Reserve 2008 was so delicious, well balanced and flavorful.  I'm a huge fan of Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  This particular bottle was from 2000 and was really peppery and rich.  It's such a treat to get to share these incredible wines with people who know about wine!  Educational and delicious!


My Stepmom, Nance, is the most amazing hostess.  She always sets the table with uniquely made name tags and personalized gifts for each person who attends.  My Dad likes to put in his "teeth" whenever people are coming over.  G was not quite sure about Pops.  Later in the evening she took me aside and asked me if she was related to him.

Ham and blue cheese.

Triple Cream Brie.


My Dad.  All dressed up for Thanksgiving dinner.

Lots of beer brought by Kyle from Double Mountain Brewery.  My special place setting made by Nance.


Kurt and Scott wearing their place settings.  Nance's bug collection.

Stuffing made by me and Kyle.  It's so good.  It has fresh herbs, pine nuts and craisins.


Butter and silky mashed potatoes.  Technically they are riced potatoes since Bill used a ricer when preparing them.


Our heritage Turkey.  Kurt gets this bird from his friends that have a farm.  It was killed on Monday, picked up on Tuesday, brined on Wednesday and enjoyed on Thursday.  Doesn't get much fresher or more organic than this!


The chefs.


Scott's amazing caramelized carrots and the expertly carved turkey.


I made this Salted Caramel Cheesecake for dessert.  These are Nance's beautiful teacups for after dinner coffee. 

Once we were finished eating we played games.  Charades was... interesting.  There was a very explicit acting out of the book/film The Firm as well as some other odd interpretations of things.  We were in stitches throughout the game playing.  Most people headed home around 10:30 but we were persuaded into gambling with Kurt, Nance, Scott, Ryan and Kevin.  I've never gambled before and let me tell ya... I had way too much fun (even when I was losing).  We finally threw in the dice and headed for home.  We didn't get to bed until 1 in the morning! 

We spent the rest of the weekend digging up the yard for raised beds (Kyle) and sewing (me) and sleeping (Gigi).

I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving and a wonderful weekend!

We had such a nice weekend!  On Saturday we got up early and spent the day cleaning and cooking and getting ready for our friends to come over for a potluck-style early Thanksgiving!  We were in charge of cooking the turkey and we also made green beans with garlic.  Everyone brought amazing food including, home baked bread, mashed potatoes and Chanterelle gravy, delicious stuffing, cranberry sauce, salad and pumpkin pies made from scratch!

We shared good wine and beer and had a lovely evening.  I feel so grateful to have such wonderful friends.  For so long it was just me and Kyle.  We moved around so much that we have never really had a core group of friends.  It was such a blessing to have them all over together enjoying great food and our new kitchen!

On Sunday we went for a nice walk, got eggnog lattes and picked up the house.  I headed to Portland for a fun dinner/movie date with my friend Lauren.  I picked her up and we went to Park Kitchen for dinner, which was really yummy, then we hopped across the street to the Portland Art Museum for the NW Film Fest screening of Bucksville. 

I got home pretty late last night and I'm a bit tired today but this weekend was so fun!  I'm spending the day picking up ingredients for real Thanksgiving (we are making stuffing and cheesecake), doing laundry and cuddling with Gwyn.  Hope you all have a great Monday!

Lauren is a blogger, food lover, preschool teacher and stylish mama to be.  She lives in Portland and I totally love her blog.  After a few months of following her blog it was obvious that we had way too much in common not to meet up for a little date.  It took a while to coordinate but yesterday we finally made it happen and I'm so glad we did.  Lauren is completely lovely and I highly recommend that you check out her blog The Little Things We Do and her posts over on Babble on her pregnancy experience.  I promise you'll find her charming, warm and super sweet.  We definitely hit it off and I am happy to have her as a new friend.  Here's some photos from our little date (that lasted longer than some celebrity marriages).

Grabbing coffee at Heart.  Amazingly delicious coffee and I loved the style of the coffee house (I snapped the photo below to add to my kitchen inspiration folder)!

I went back on my way to the car and impulse purchased a couple of these mugs to decorate the new kitchen.

We took our coffee and headed down the block to Alder Pastry.  We both got ham and gruyere croissants and shared an amazing caramel and sea salt pastry... and some macaroons.  We also sampled their gelato.  They have odd but amazing flavors like sesame, muscavado (raw sugar) and cardamon.  Both of these spots were Lauren's recommendation and they were awesome!

Lauren holding G (above) and me and her (below).  Lauren's baby girl is due just after Gigi's first birthday!

Thank you all so much for your nice comments yesterday!  I really appreciated your feedback.  This past week with my trip and return home for our anniversary/weekend with friends was really busy but I'm feeling so grateful for our good friends and my family.  Here's a look at our wonderful weekend with Marion, Alfonso and Nina.

I spent the past week doing this...

Saturday...

It was so nice to wake up at home with Kyle and celebrate our anniversary with Marion, Alfonso and Nina.

Nina was so excited to see...

cuddle...

and accessorize Gigi.

We went for a nice long walk and got coffee.

Played Apples to Apples on the patio.

Darth Vader won.

Then, the two tired mamas in the house tried to take a little nap. 

The naps didn't go so well. So we just went and got icecream instead...

Marion & Co. headed out to a wedding where Alfonso's band, Picoso, was playing. Kyle and I took advantage of the alone time by relaxing together by watching Sports Center (him) and taking a nice bath (me).

Sunday...

Another gorgeous day!

The boys got up early and went golfin' while us ladies hung around the house and took pregnancy photos of Marion.

Doesn't she look beautiful?

When the boys got back from golfing we headed out for brunch.

I love my Marion.

They headed for home and so did we.  We spent the afternoon cleaning and unpacking and relaxing.  Then, we made ceprese (recipe coming soon) with the first tomatoes from our garden...

Devoured the gelato Marion had left behind. 

After Gigi's bath it was time for all of us to head to bed.

 I hope you all had a wonderful weekend too!

As you all know, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed this week.  I had lots of errands to run and things to do.  But instead of doing them we decided to just have a BBQ instead!  I went for a long walk with G, filled the house with lilacs, invented a accidental cocktail (I'll have the recipe perfected for you all next week) and invited some friends over to relax and enjoy the gorgeous spring weather.

Making Grilled Kale Caesar Salad.

It was such a fun, relaxing evening.  After our lovely BBQ (on Wednesday) I was feeling totally reengergized.  I got up on Thursday and ran the rest of my errands and even got the car serviced, I skipped class and sat outside with Kyle and my friend Danelle having a beer.  Now I'm ready for the weekend.  Time for more grilling and relaxing.  

Do you all have fun plans for the weekend?