-easterfest.

sweet.

we just got right to it this year.

it was the first time we've dyed eggs. ever. and the boys were little geniuses.

there were no brown barf looking eggs.

i was actually impressed with their precision and patience.

yet another thing they did NOT get from me.

and i feel 15 minutes of fun is totally worth 3 days of green/yellow/orange fingers.

and then we went to dean and jonelle's easter egg hunt.

freaking cute little party.

we always feel so loved at their home.

and when the bunny said he'd do face painting on the kids he had no idea what the lewis boys would order.

not the suggested butterfly or rocket ship.

i said we got right to it this year.

-fran

jonelle's cat was missing for 2 days.

very scary because jonelle lives at the base of camelback mountain and has packs of coyotes running through her grass all night. she was finally found in a box in the garage (which is another story of it's own).

is this really a post about a cat?

no.

it's a post about jonelle's heart.

and how much she loves all things in her fold.

oh man.

we're all soooo relieved that fran's home.

coyotes can suck it.

-pictures of my heart

this picture was done by ken clark (a fellow assistant) and edited by me.

a very long time ago- i met a photographer.

he took my picture.

we conversed very little.

i found him to be interesting and wildly talented.

several years later i bought a camera and began taking pictures- never ever calling myself a photographer.

that's a title saved for professionals.

i just take pictures.

this week i've been assisting that photographer.

years of daydreaming and wishing have come to fruition.

and i'm practically speechless.

dream big.

-more please.

fathers and sons camp out.

blessed be thy name.

i've realized the true meaning behind this mormon holiday.

it has NOTHING to do with creating a wonderful bonding weekend for men and their little men through camping in the desert, eating food off untwisted wire hangers, peeing on piles of fire ants or enjoying the wilderness with fellow twig and berry members.

it has EVERYTHING to do with getting out of the house and leaving me the hell alone.

as brandon was walking out the door at 5pm on friday (suppose to leave at 3:30pm) he said i wasn't acting sad enough to see them go. really? did i volunteer too quickly to retrieve the camping equipment from the garage and stack it neatly into the back of the car? was it the seamless preparation of 3 meals chopped, organized and sealed perfectly into coolers filled with ice? perhaps i was smiling to excitedly as i filled the car to the brim with gas, making sure there was as little work as possible for brandon- eliminating all hurdles obstructing his exit. oh i know- maybe i did cuss a little too loudly when i discovered the boys' duffle bag full of warm clothes and diapers on the floor of the boy's bedroom an hour after they finally left. (brandon's only responsibility was to carry it to the car). the sweating and anxiety over them returning home early because they didn't have the bag was probably too obvious.

i know what busted me- as brandon was giving me that final hug- he could sense the internal happiness flowing through me due to the secret knowledge that i was going to get an entire evening to hang out with chipotle tacos, a disgusting kardashians marathon and my body laying flat on its back. (cue the angels singing).

when you've birthed nothing but boys and your husband is a man- fathers and sons weekend is the sh*t. -heather lewis

the ONLY downfall was that i signed up to race in Pat's Run saturday morning- making me wake up at 4:30am. i left the utopia of that empty house in the early dark hours and rushed into the waiting arms of an excited and nervous jonelle. this was her first race ever and it was an absolute blast running beside her and watching her tear up with every passing mile.

and let's be honest- this race was like an extended vacation anyways. a friend got us all sponsored through Powerade which included high necked race shirts, the most gorgeous fanny packs and a steak breakfast. who eats steak minutes before running 4.2 miles? this girl does. because that's what perfect weekends are made of.

jonelle, dave, kym, shugg, some guy that kind of looks like dave and me.

and because jonelle did an amazing job and because my boys were still gone and because life just needed to be a little more perfect- we spent the rest of the day getting massages and hanging poolside with a sexy breakfast burrito and a whole lotta silent people watching.

booyah.

-na na. na na. (shark music)

nothing like a bright eyed baby and a ton of ISO to make for a fun photo shoot at the aquarium.

here's the problem- i want to take my family's pictures there.

and i want to be in the pictures.

hhhhmmfffffff.

oh well.

great grainy session with my favorite little hodges family.

i can't wait for them to see the rest. too many to post.

most flies they got three leg, but mine got one.

if i could be anything- i would be as talented as linda mccartney.

she's the one i've been studying.

the expert on low lighting and candid perfection.

plus she had an endless supply of interesting subjects.

wow.

makes me wanna load my duaflex and play with film again.