it's official!

The Plum has gone vertical! it's actually been a progression that has been taking place over the last, hmmm, month or so. but as of last week, Plum is choosing the vertical life over crawling. can you blame him? although my left arm and hip are rejoicing, i have to say, i got a little teary-eyed the first time i saw him take his first 5 or so steps towards me. my little man is all growed up (practically!).

baby, it's cold outside!

i liked this little winter moment in canada. the trees behind us were covered with snow. so beautiful. being from where we're from, it was nice to see what winter is supposed to look like (even if i did cower for shelter every time i went outside).  ahhhh!

good friends, good food, good life.

birthday week continues at our home.

 just another excuse to surround ourselves with some

 beautiful people! 

happy birthday, p!

our  lovely marina. we don't get to see enough of this woman!

after the wishes were made, p did the honors and served up the cake (which, might i add, was baked my our beautiful little friend who is leading the pack on the right side of the table).
the cake read "happy birthday pete". i was told, the originally writing, was going to say,
 happy birthday pete! keep surfing and keep climbing!" but she got embarrassed.
can a little girl be any cuter?!?!

these boys! j(left) and p were roommates during the grad school years, which is the time p and i started dating.
man, oh man! are there some fun memories here! we don't get to see j and his family too much, as they live a bit of a road trip away. however, when we do...we make up for lost time!

these girls!
these girls have been a major part of our fun since...circa 2003.
if you ever get a chance to spend some time with them-do!
amazing women!

marky&me!

i like to refer to mark as my australia Zorba. get to know him, and you shall see why.

 he is a treat! (hence liam mark)

 and yes, kids are smashing their faces in the birthday cake as we stand by smiling. i think mark was telling me that our home was a place of "peace and tranquility". ahhh, the beauty of sarcasm!

bundle up, plum. it's cold outside!

christmas morning deliciousness!

christmas morning came to our home and oh man, did we have fun! santa, you outdid yourself! i know, i know i'm backtracking a bit here. but as i find myself still picking up pine needles from our christmas tree, who has since went on his merry way to "greener" recycled pastures, i still feel like christmas is still with us, and truly, can i ever get enough of looking at these excited&happy little christmas-morning-faces? i think we both know the answer to that one. and so, my friends, i give you a peek into, what one day may be loving referred to as, The Santa Years. oh, how i love them so-with their impromptu sword fights and all!

just missed santa by moments! 

happy bday, p!

today we celebrated p's birthday! hurray! after waking up in wyatt's bed (little man has a cold and needed some "daddy comfort" last night) Birthday Man headed out for a surf. perfect way to start a fresh new year, i'd say. after we took care of the day's commitments of work, preschool, swim lessons, etc. we had a nice family dinner at home, opened some presents, and whipped out the camera! here's a little peek into my "young" husbands special day. p.s. no photo shop has taken place here. the man apparently just doesn't have the gene for crow's feet or gray hairs for that matter. and to answer your question, no-he still doesn't use an eye cream!  lucky lucky husband! 

man oh man! now this is a face!

the boys spun some tunes in honor of daddy's special day.

happy,happy birthday, husband! i'm so glad you were born a few decades-plus ago. ;)
 here's to many many more.
xoxoxo

Banff, British Columbia.

oh dear! can not believe i didn't notice his little belly was hanging out!
brrrrr-rito. mijo chiquito!

a dad and his little buddy

a boy and his snowball

winter days are always warmer with a friend.

friends

my room awaits...

Banff Fairmont Springs.
how can you not unashamedly drool over this place? we got to have a little peak at the grounds when we stopped for a bite to eat and an impromptu photo session. 
what a treat!one day, i will stay here. 
one day...until then, here are a few shots to savor.