we rocked out last night.
that’s all i can say.

this….

…is my dear friend, dede. and she just put every cell of her being into throwing me the most beautiful party.

i heart her and her big, amazing heart.

no one throws a party like dede.
no one spends five hours doing this to her kitchen:

between the candles and bogenvalia petals in the pool…

…and this amazing array of completely delicious food and drink, arranged, garnished, and displayed much to the likings of martha stewart herself… it was just…well, perfect. but that’s dede.

my favorite?
…my favorite part was this house full of people i love.
all these people who fill the nooks of my soul with goodness and humor and love and contentment…the ones who challenge me to live a big life…the ones i thank my lucky stars i have the privilege to know. to love. to call them mine. they were there, finding comfy spots on the floor to huddle in warm little circles to talk about life. and then there’s the way they all just nonchalantly ladle up my baby and go about their conversations, lainey propped on their hip like their own. and she just knows they love her. and my heart completely swells watching it all. so, we talked, we laughed, we drank, we mulled and lingered amid the greatest gathering of candles in the history of mankind…and a whole lotta love.

…it was beautiful.

thank you, dad, for providing the half-naked picture of me for the cake. nice.

and this…

this is happiness. and, you know what happens at thirty? you quit wishing for specifics. my wish is broad and beautiful: just happiness. …and love.

…and so far, my wishes are granted.

thank you, dede, for making me feel so loved.
i heart you.

perhaps i saved orphans in a previous life. because karma just so has it that i feel very, very blessed.

big grateful sigh.

enjoying…

real hide-and-go-seek. she finds a corner, a wall, an object to burrow against…burying her face into her pudgy little hands and squinting her long-lashed eyes while she waits for me to hide. and then a smile and her eager skip to come find me. she gets it.

(and i just love this picture because i was hiding behind a tree and i watched her scan the yard for me and sport this sweet little smile right when she spotted me)

a rainy day…which banished us–in the good kind of way–to the indoors where we shared a day with friends. and coffee. and perfectly toasted sesame bagels smeared with butter and cream cheese. choosing just one wouldn’t be fair. oh, but we did manage to escape during a break in the sprinkles for some puddle-splashing pictures.

posting this picture right after i stood on a soapbox today and gave a speech on why i hate suckers. however…my photo company slips in a little lolli with every order. and we’ve been getting daily ups deliveries. and i forget every time that it’s in there…until she finds it. and it’s a pretty big ordeal after we’ve managed to pry it from her deathly grip. and today, as the ups man walked up the driveway with the box…she ran and said “num-num.” and i couldn’t help myself. and i can’t not start a sentence with “and.”

my proof. see…she really does hold a pencil just right. and draws. tediously. my mom saved the crib sheet of my brother who drew an entire train track on it..perfect little perpendicular lines that repeated themselves across the cotton–when he was two. and then he said “choo choo.” and now he’s an artist. hmmm….just wonderin’.

short blood-red nails. love ’em…and tonight i actually had a little chunk of time to polish my nails and let them dry without the paint being embedded with cracker crumbs.

(p.s. random thought: would the most fun job ever not be a nail polish color namer?)

weekend plans…two big parties. oh, joy. pics to come.

…and speaking of pics…

i do so love her. …and her little jammied body is snuggled under my covers right now…covers that are begging for me to join her.

…enjoying the every-day-is-grand things. ~k

i know presley’s pics are adorable, but i had to slip this in…

i can’t stop watching this.

during popcorn & movie night with daddy, she went into this mezmorized state watching the oompa loompa dance from charlie & the chocolate factory. and then she danced. oh, but there’s more. a few seconds later, she just completely lost herself in oompa loompa land. like, crazy moves.

my favorite video of her yet.

click here to see. it.

i promise…it will make your day. twenty bucks if you can watch it without smiling. entirely not possible.