Valentine's Shoot with Sweet Memory Garden Photography

Angie of Sweet Memory Garden Photography is such a talented and sweet woman! She photographed our wedding almost 6 years ago, and I love that she was able to capture some sweet moments of Brooks and I together for Valentine's Day coming up. :) Some of them made me smile, some made me melt...and some (at the end of the post) made me laugh! She was so great to work with! Fun, flexible, patient, and quick--all needed when photographing kids, especially an energetic and stubborn one like Brooks. ;) She's having Valentine's Mini Sessions at her charming studio this Saturday! Book your spot by email (angie@sweetmemorygarden.com) or phone (801-910-9488)! xoxo

And because the ones below made Adam and I laugh so hard....ahahaha!
Can't resist some crazy outtakes. ;)

Elsa's Castle

After finally seeing 'Frozen' last week (well, Adam and the kids had seen it, but it was my first time) and falling in love with the story and music, going to the Ice Castles in Midway was a perfect follow-up adventure! Felt like we were visiting Elsa's castle. :) We had been a few years ago, and it was even better than we remembered. So fun to have experienced it at night time, all a-glow, and then in the day. The kids had their sassy pants on and needed to take a break to warm up (and cool down if you know what I mean) in the car, then we went back in, ready to explore! Loved walking though icy blue tunnels, a gorgeous courtyard of white, and even finding Olaf!! Such a fun winter wonderland. :) 

^^ We saw Olaf!! ^^

^^ Brooks was sad to go, he would've camped out there if we let him! ;) ^^

ABC Picture Project

So glad I saw @corina_sorensen's ABC project on instagram! I followed her lead! Just made the letter/frames kind of clear, using one of my favorite photo editing apps Afterlight. It was fun taking most of the photos along the way, and grabbing a few from the recent past that worked perfectly with certain letters. Now to get these into a book for the kids! I hope they like it. :) Then maybe put together a photo gallery wall, we'll see...

A is for apple crisp.

B is for balloons...and Brooks and bare buns.

C is for chocolate chips.

D is for Dad.

E is for eternal family...and evergreen trees (we started ours in the Salt Lake Temple, but the Portland Oregon Temple, surrounded by evergreen trees, has a special place in my heart. You can go here if you want to learn more about temples)

F is for family.

G is for gratitude.

H is for happy.

I is for ice cream.

J is for jump!

K is for kiss.

L is for leaves.

M is for missionaries.

N is for naps.

O is for ostrich.

P is for the pond our the beautiful Liberty Park.

Q is for quilt.

R is for reading.

S is for siblings.

T is for tea party.

U for 'Up' one of our favorite movies.

V is for vacation.

W is for walking and wearing Ava.

X is for "xoxo"...never too early to teach my prince charming to write love.

Y is for yaawwwn.

Z is for zest.

Sakura Bloom Sling Diaries Vol. IV: Dreams

Dear Ava,

"A dream is a wish your heart makes."

That quote is from a song in the Disney movie Cinderella, a movie I'm sure we'll watch together one day. The soon-to-be princess in that story lived in such sad circumstances, but she never let it break her hope, her heart, or her dreams. She was still kind to those around her and made best with what she had, and eventually lived out her dreams...all while singing happy tunes. :) The song she sings of dreams being wishes our hearts make is a simple, but incredible sentiment! Aves, your heart will drive you to take risks, love deeper, make changes, and dream big. Your heart, and my heart, is where I feel our faith lives...even when our once-burning faith--in ourselves or in those around us--is just a glowing ember after life's storms pour down on us. The dreams we have for our lives take faith and passion and dedication on our part, but the people we surround ourself with also influence how those dreams unveil themselves and eventually turn out.

I hope you surround yourself with people that lift you and encourage you to dream big! Your Dad, older brother, and I will always be some of those people. Even though you'll have hard seasons in life, and you'll walk through frigid, snow-packed trails (like our wintry walk we took last Sunday), you may feel like your dreams are frozen and they'll never see the warm sun. Sometimes we'll carry you over the ice, like your Daddy as he wore you in the sling. Or we'll hold your hand to keep you steady, like we did with you brother. And then one day I know we'll have to watch you fight for you dreams on your own. But we'll always be here for you, cheering you on as you reach for your dreams. That's a promise. I see a strong woman in you Ava, and I'm so excited to see what dreams are in that beautiful heart of yours! 

Love,

Mom

PS - Watching Dad wear you makes me melt every time! Thanks for making one of my dreams come true...to see my love raise a daughter. He cherishes you Ava. So much.

** I am participating in the Sakura Bloom Sling Diaries, sharing thoughts and photos of our baby wearing adventures. See my other Sling Diary entries/letters to Ava here. In these photos Adam is wearing Ava in a Sakura Bloom Simple Silk sling in Bittersweet. And please excuse the poor quality of some of these pictures, I take all of my photos with my iPhone, and when I lose day light I lose quality. xo