let it snow!

this weekend we were privileged and thrilled to stay at the Mogollon Resort Cabins in Overgaard, AZ. we have been dying to take the girls to the snow, and this was definitely the place to do it. i went crazy with the camera, doesn't everything just look fascinating in the snow?

the resort is well located, just across the street from this handy and cute little shopping area:

the kids were beside themselves with glee putting on their snow gear (which gets used maybe once a year....unless your Madeline, and then fur lined boots are a great accessory for 100+ degree weather.)

the cabin WONDERFUL, beautiful and cozy, and fully equipped with ta-da, a spa! can i just say who ever thought it would be fun to go in a hot tub in freezing weather was a genius!!

these pictures are all out of order, so i'll just tell a crazy mixed up story. we had fun frolicking in the snow.

again, the cabin was so cute. just what you would expect nestled in the pines.
the scenery was amazing. i felt like i was in a Norman Rockwell painting.

here's the backyard of our cabin. i thought this place would be perfect for a family reunion. the cabins are close, but not too close!
don't you just love this face? i do...

this one's pretty great too! Anna is turning into such a big girl. i love it...and hate it. it's so fun and yet so sad!

so, i thought this was a little ironic. a shaved ice shack under a frosty, icy tree!

we had Oreos for dessert, clearly it was awesome!

the girls, not often i'm in front of the lens. so, it was cold, cold, cold, but somehow the girls got nice and sweaty after sledding. we had to bathe before going out to dinner, and that meant blowing our hair dry! it was the first time we ever did this to Madeline, and her hair was amazingly long! it's so curly, we've never seen it this way! so shiny. it didn't last through the night before curling back up again!

she was so excited to have long hair!

my little snow angel #2.

Avery was so funny trying to move around in her snow suit.

girls + dad = fun

love this blue barn!

snow angel #3

excited to sled. i didn't get any sledding pics because i was holding Avery the whole time. there is some video though, i need to download it from our new video camera.

snow angel #1

so, that about covers out trip to the snow. in short, it was a wonderful, relaxing, fun-filled weekend! we loved every part of it. thanks Mogollon Resort Cabins!

soccer monster!

Anna is fulfilling one of my dreams of parenthood, she is playing soccer! i love soccer. and it makes my heart swell to watch my little one dribble a ball. i feel a little bad since she is on a team with all boys who have played before. that's a little intimidating for her first season. but she seems to be holding her own!

and boy is she cute! does life get any better than pink cleats?

lake Earl, and other unusual bodies of water

if you have been to our house, you know that the pool i said i would not move to AZ without, is still a huge pit of rocks in our backyard. but every now and then, when we get a monsoon, or other freak rain storm, i get my pool: now that we have pool furniture (thank you Powells), the seasonal "pool" really looks convincing:

we weren't the only flood around. i think people thought i was crazy jumping out of my car and snapping pics of huge puddles. but, to me it just looked so beautiful and fleeting.

i know all too well how soon the sun will come out, and with it....the dreaded HEAT. for now, i'll enjoy the rain!

dress as you dream

so, for this week's spirit day at pre-school, the theme was dress as you dream. there were doctors, nurses, a businessman, football players, firemen, and many, many little princesses. including this little lady:

i was privileged to be asked to come photography all the little lovelies, and will be able to present those at the end of this term. after our big day, my big dreamer came home and danced in the cul-se-sac all by herself. because she has taken to "posing" whenever she sees the camera, i tried to sneak up on her cutie self to capture the moment:


and now the posing:

i mean, she's always cute and everything, i just prefer her candid expressions! Anna, you will always be a princess, you can be whatever you dream!

very engaging

this couple is preparing for their autumn wedding. they're getting their Save the Dates out, and asked me to take the pics and design the announcements! i think all their guests are going to be thrilled as they prepare to go to Michigan in October! congratulations you two.

furry fun

i have been super busy lately with photography! this weekend i did two shoots. first up, this big family:that's right, seven kids in all, 4 with 2 legs, and 3 with 4! we started with the furries first, because they were the most restless:then it was on to family shots:

i got to steal some time with this fabulous foursome:and finally, the big kids:

thanks for a great afternoon!

Autumn in January

you may look at these pictures and think, "what a beautiful autumn day!" and yes, it was a beautiful day - in January! you see, here in Arizona we do seasons a little differently. we have summer from April to November (give or take a few weeks, and i'm including days over 90 degrees because anywhere else in the world that is HOT), and then we have winter and autumn intermittently throughout the rest of the year. one day it's 75, the next it's 50 and flash floods. so our leaves don't really know when to turn. but on this day the kids had a traditional fall day, raking up piles of leaves and jumping around. it was so cute i ran inside for the camera!

this cracked me up - she is working so hard to go fast! my little eczema face - doesn't that look painful? it is, she is always so itchy and uncomfortable. but look at that smile!

this little cupcake didn't quite get in on the leaf throwing action. but she was an adorable onlooker.

clean up! all the wagons and dump trucks were used to aid in the process. some how the bigger boys (who were so enthusiastic about jumping in the leaves) were suddenly missing during this time, i had to go gather them back up again....coincidence, i think not.

Anna's hammy pose. i like to try and catch her not looking, or else i get this coy, over-the-shoulder smile. oh well, it's still cute!

happy fall - in January!