did you know that the tallest Christmas tree in the country is here in Arizona.  

the girls and i heard on the radio a few weeks ago that the tree was coming to the outlets in Anthem, and i thought, "i think we can go there on the way to Sedona at Thanksgiving."

sure enough, that's just what we did.  early Thanksgiving morning, we made our way to Sedona and saw this tree in the distance and the kids got so excited.  it was kind of cool to see the tree almost all by our selves.  

 

 we had fun walking around it, looking up at it, walking around it again, looking up at it again.  it was really amazing.  

see, look how big the tree is even compared to Daddy!

i'm glad we made the stop.  it was a fun adventure seeing the biggest Christmas tree in America.  

a quick work trip with my boy

Bubba was my assistant on a recent trip to CA for holiday mini-sessions.  since Grandma and Grandpa were out of town, we got to stay with Sawyer and Ali.  (and of course Emma and Kobe)  Colin's love affair with dogs runs deep.  he was pretty unstoppable when it came to chasing Emma and Kobe around, (and hugging their rear ends, what's with that?)

 he had to come with me to the Friday sessions, and was a trooper as long as I gave him his favorite toy, my toothbrush.  (had to make a Target run for another.)

 and he did not contain his love to live dogs only, he shared the wealth with the stone variety as well.  a bonus, since the stone dog cannot move, he was able to plant kisses firmly on the dogs face and not the back side.  much less germy, i hope.  

the sessions were fun, the weather was semi-stormy, the company was lovely, but my time was short.  see you soon California!

everybody dance now!

this was Avery's first dance recital.  she was so excited and also a little nervous!

 Madeline and Anna are old pros and were great helpers showing Avery the ropes. 

 the dances were equal parts cute and hilarious.  

the crowd was impressed. 

 all in all a wonderful family night.  

well done girls! off for some celebratory ice cream!

big imaginations!

my kids have big imaginations, and i love it!  

one of the car seats was inside the door and these girls found it and made their own car!  complete with (latch system) shoulder belt.  

little cuties!

this is halloween!

 so, we carved our pumpkins the night before halloween and they looked great!

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we had so much fun with our friends, 

  

 and as siblings!

happy halloween!

halloween costume portraits

i love doing Halloween mini-sessions.  i only had a limited window this year with wedding/portrait season, so i took the kids for a quick after-school shoot.  

i a so glad i borrowed this frog costume from Ali.  originally, Colin was supposed to be a fireman, but he refused to wear the costume.  i think this frog was just perfect. 

 Anna's best friend joined us and we got a little pick of these two princesses.  

 we had my cousins along too, Merida and Mickey were a great addition.

 Anna had a hard time deciding what to be this year, but once she spied this "celebrity startlet" costume at Party City, she was in love!  she knows how to work the whole startlet concept.  

 we tried to kiss the frog and see if he turned to a prince, but this just made him grouchy. 

 Avery is our Rapunzel lover in the family.  and for months she knew she wanted to be "Rapunzel in her wedding dress."  (thanks again Grandma and Grandpa.) she was an adorable pretend bride. 

 i love these groves for that storybook woods feeling.  i always do my halloween minis here.  

 Madeline was a mermaid this year, she donned an Ariel wig for Halloween night, but opted to be herself as a mermaid for these portraits.  i always dreamed of being a mermaid when i was her age too!

so fun to capture these sweet imaginations while i can!  Happy Halloween.  

we are the pi phis!

these days when i meet people and they discover I was in a college sorority, it usually garners an chuckle of disbelief.  i suppose these days i don't really fit the mold of a stereotypical,  made-for-tv sorority girl. but, i am in fact a member of Pi Beta Phi, and i had a fantastic time in college, and met an amazing group of friends that continue to enrich my life.  

each year, bunch of my "sisters" get together for a girls weekend.  over the past few years babies and nursing have gotten in the way of my attending.  but this year, they came to me!  we rented a house in Scottsdale and played all weekend.  

after picking up out-of-towners from the airport, we gathered at the house and hit the town for a night of shopping and yummy food, and of course late night catching up!

Saturday found us hiking Camleback.
(from left, Elizabeth, Vicki, Erica, Jess, Me, Ali, and Shira)

this was a first reunion of our "London group" from 1996.  Ali and Elizabeth were my flatmates during my semester abroad in London.  how can it possibly have been 16 years?!?! we are for sure doing a 20th anniversary trip to London.  i've got 4 years to save!

our fancy night on the town was both fun and delicious!

 love my Doherty!  we cannot wait so long for another reunion!!!!  (and how is it she looks the same if not better than 16 years ago?)

 Sunday brunch was a sad farewell (but delicious) farewell.  though we took some group pics, this one is my favorite.  Jess is just so beautiful!

Pi Phis!  i had so much fun with you ladies.  it's amazing how so much time can pass but the feelings stay the same.  i have always felt like our group was so special, and I was right.  each of you bring a so much to the table with your individual intelligence, beauty inside and out, experiences, and above all senses of humor!  i count my lucky stars that something as random as  rush, could bring us together!  

here's to many more years of friendship!