there’s something about writing a post on a monday morning. recalling the beauty of a happy week and declaring the excitement of joys ahead seem to work as a bit of an antithesis to what mondays often represent…the genesis of a monotonous week or the dread of a crazy busy one. no, this shall stand as our monday outlook as i push my intimidating calendar aside and sip my coffee a little more casually and creak the blinds open just a crack so the welcoming sunshine casts its geometric shadows on the wall behind me…happy shadows. for a happy week.
brett returned a little past midnight saturday morning after a long week of working in canada and i have decided these little trips are good because we realize just how much we miss him. especially her as i woke up to look over and see her facing me, but her hand reached up behind her just gently rubbing his face. and his smile said it all. a beauty to behold, that daddy/daughter love.
and nobody does bedtime routine like dad.
we have figured out the wonder of skype though, and now, when daddy has to go, we enjoy a few bedtime chats which she thinks is pretty cool.
so, we’re all enjoying togetherness a little more as was evidenced by this pretty little scene saturday morning in our mess of a kitchen as brett made his weekend breakfast for us all, taking egg orders like a short order cook, his backwards baseball cap hiding his bedhead, his reggae music cranked enough to inject this lovely theme of weekend-ness and family-ness and nothing-else-matters-ness to the home. and the boys played with lainey and i attempted to make a dent on the lost symbol (purchasing it the day it came out as if there was actually a chance in hell i was going to get through it quicker) and lainey smiled and repeated over and over, “gaga, mama, augen, bramban”…obviously making her little mental head-check and satisfactorily accounting for the fact that everyone was, yes…together.
and little randoms…
neighbors got kitties and simultaneously upped themselves some major notches on lainey’s cool-people-we-like-to-visit chart. our girl loves critters.
and my big girl got picked up by her best friend to go to dinner and a football game friday night and my heart half ached and half laughed hysterically at the craziness of how grown up she looked as she insisted on standing outside the front door, backpack strapped to her little jerseyed frame, waiting for her friend to drive up and drive her away for some very grown-up fun.
and then sunday…beautiful sunday. whether it represents the conclusion to a fabulous week or the origin to anther one, either way…a day on the island propelled the goodness into another week.
and, this week’s theme of magical rain seemed to recur…as if scripted verbatim from my hopes…the day panned out the dreamiest way. blue skies and sunshine for hours…and then late afternoon when we’ve exhausted ourselves with kayaking and sand-castles, sun-bathing and wading, this blanket of gray clouds slowly sweeps in bringing with it cool breezes and cold rain…
and we retreat to the coziness of the tiki where lainey naps…
…and we drink coffee, watch the football game and exchange wet clothes for towel wraps and sweatshirts.
and after an hour or so of dreamy downpours, a new calm sweeps the beach as the sun slowly sets…
(and this giant school of jellyfish guarded the coast and scared the crap out of me. convinced it was a portuguese man o’ war and we would never be able to return to isle of capri again, this concerned mama googled it this morning, compared images and determined it is a sea nettle, not deadly, common in florida, and its sting is neutralized with some vinegar. good to know.)
some post-rain shelling.
and that’s about it.
at home, we’ve fall-atized the house a bit which is like prozac for me.
from now until christmas, the simplest things make me so very happy and just the anticipation of the upcoming holidays and all the baking and family and sweet scents that accompany it make me feel good. cozy. together.
i am yearning for the first cold front, opening the sliders, our first fire, family movie night, savory soups, carving pumpkins, entertaining, decorating and then come december unloading loads of newborn clothes and folding them into new drawers…basically, i’m so nesting.
feather your nest. it’s lovely. ~k
and happy monday.
Heidi says
feather your nest!!!! love that!!!!
these pics once again are STUNNINIG!!!!!
fall-ized house…i want it…please come do it at my house!!!!!
laughing so hard that you had real nightmares last night of giant, hawiian, deadly jellyfish…which lead you to the super serious jellyfish google searches this morning!!!
sorry we missed ioc…it looked like a magical kind of ioc day…with the rain and tik hut.
lainey looks 25 in that bikini…it is beautiful, but i want her to stop growing up now:)
Heidi says
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=43577005
i couldn’t help but google to find pics of jellyfish and i found this. this scared me!
Tisha says
your weekend sounds heavenly! love lainey’s teeny bikini, just too adorable! i love all your fall decorations. reminds me that i need to get some cider.
your girl is getting so big, good thing you’re having another one!
Kelle says
dude, that was basically my dream last night. hence the googling this morning.
Poppa says
Oh, the beauty of a Florida summer storm sky! Oh, the fun of being out in a warm rain in the tropics. Oh, the joy of seeing my little growing up with beaches and jellyfish! And the football game with a friend…so utterly grown up! Thanks for opening the lens into your life again. Loving you here.
Kulio says
I miss those late afternoon South Florida downpours, and the way everything smells afterwards…missing Florida!
Happy Monday. 🙂
christina_gloor@yahoo.com says
Stumbled upon your blog, randomly searching south florida photographers, because I am borderline obsessed with geat photography and you are great! We no longer live in south florida, but in Tallahassee and my husband has promised to one day plan a trip to your neck of the woods so you can grace us & our little with your genius 🙂
I’ve become addicted to your blog, I find myself talking about your latest entry, as if we are neighborhood pals and it was a conversation over coffee 🙂
Anyway, thank you for your beautiful pictures and for inspiring me to do better and mama better everyday. Someday, I will thank you in person 🙂
-Christina
mrc-w says
Lainey’s little bikini is just too much, hahaha! So cute with that big floppy hat!
And I almost didn’t recognize Austyn, he’s getting so big I thought it was Brett’s brother or something.
I love your fall decorations! I’m still on wishing-it-was-summer mode, but your pics made me more excited for the cold weather.
Anna Ruth says
The picture of her and Daddy were so sweet! Her waiting by the door, makes my heart full of joy.
Rachel says
My husband and I have to figure out that skype thing too since he’s joining the Navy! Loved the dark clouds rolling in and the snuggles from inside during the storm (her blankie!!). of course Lainey is the cutest thing on the planet, but Hello!, Look at your cute little braids, too! Heavens! Honestly, I’m so glad you don’t always hide behind the camera!
Elissa says
i can’t believe how mature she looks waiting to go to the game…so not a baby! i also had to chuckle a mommy chuckle when i noticed her one flip-flop between the wrong toes, then questioned why it’s “wrong”…who says we have to wear them between the first two toes? love it!
Tammy B says
My fave – out of all of these – the middle one of Lainey, sitting on the pier, crossing her legs and looking sideways with a little scowl on her face, like she is having a very serious conversation with her friend. I love those glimpses of big people in our little people 🙂
dig this chick says
I love nothing-else-matters-ness Those moments are the best. I’ve had lots of those lately.
Have I ever told you the story of Andy and I falling out of a sea kayak in giant crashing waves way way off the coast in Hawaii INTO a school of man-o-wars? It’s true and it SUCKED and was terrifying. Too crazy to recount in a comment on a blog post but I’ll just tell you that the clear (read: invisible) tentacles were wrapped all around Andy and we couldn’t get them off and we kept capsizing over and over and then had to get back to shore. We were actually interviewed for a book about our experience and even have a mention in said book in the credits…anyway, yep, that’s no man-o-war. They are tiny.
ANYWAY, cute kid. Cute mama. While I love love the Missoula fall, the ocean sounds so lovely. Lucky you. xo