Wrightsville Beach Getaway - July 2010

On the heels of our FL trip, I got to travel with Blake to a beach conference that he had planned for the NCLBGA.  JUST US TWO!!  We headed to Wrightsville Beach Tues, while my fabulous Mother in law watched the kiddies until Friday!!

I did bring my computer b/c I had a LOT of catching up to do, but working with a view like this made life a lot easier!!

We got hooked up with a beautiful jacuzzi suite complete w/ double balconies and more.  Ohhh... it was heaven.  

It did rain a bit here and there, but it was still a fantastic little trip.  We ate WAAAAY too much.  Every night!  And I didn't take enough pictures.  Oh well... I can't wait until next year's conference.  Thanks Honey :)

Tanner's Mission Farewell - FL July 2010

Though this was one of our quickest trips to Florida, we packed in a ton of fun and enjoyed some final time with Uncle Tanner, before he heads off the the Provo, UT Spanish Speaking mission.  The trip was a last minute decision, but we we got fly there AND Blake was with us, so it was a double whammy!!

Traines & Planes!!

Friday we headed down to Cocoa Beach... the day was PERFECT!

Of course we had to hit our favorite Resort Pirate Pool (I think I have pictures of this place on my blog at least 4 times...)

Saturday we went to the temple... almost ALL the sibs were there... we missed you Tiff... tear tear ;(  Tanner is the 6th out of 6 siblings to serve a mission and the 4th speaking spanish.  It was an amazing morning... so glad we were able to be there for that.  (btw, do you love Cami and my matching outfits?!!!)

Later that day we enjoyed some outdoor dock/fishing time.  Again, GORGEOUS weather.  Gavin ended up catching 4 fish... and no one else caught anything!!  That last one was a doozy!! GO G!!

Rescuing a turtle

Sunday was Tanner's farewell talk.  He gave a really great talk in church and of course the whole fam sang!!  Guess what... we got through it with minimal tears.  We were reminded of Taylor's farewell, where Ashlee ended up singing a solo b/c Tiff and I couldn't pull ourselves together!  This time around (minus mom) we stayed strong!!

We flew out Sunday evening.  What a memorable trip.  I'm so glad we were able to share the weekend with the fam.  BTW,  Can't believe Mom and Dad are going to be EMPTY NESTERS!!  

Was really hoping to post this week!

Oh well... what can I say, it's been BUSY getting back.  Gavy and I arrived Tues. from our amazing 10 day UT/CA trip and it has been rough tearing myself out of bed each morning w/ that 3 hour time change adjustment.  I have a TON of stuff to blog... does anyone else ever feel blog guilt when you're not caught up?  WHY?!!  I've still got our FL trip, plus this one... though the only person that is worried about it is me :) hehehe!!

For a tiny peek at the trip and from my sessions today, hop on over here.  Enough for to tonight... I'm off the computer and opting for SYTYCD catch up :)

More Family Fun in the Sun - July 2010

And that just about sums it up!  The boys took swim lessons at our neighborhood pool and had a blast!  Their cute teacher was adorable with them... they loved her!  Go figure.

For the fourth of July weekend, Blake enjoyed a few days with the boys at his Parents house.  I met up with them on Sunday at his sister's house after shooting an event in South Park Saturday night.  We had some fun fireworks and then spent Monday on Lake James.

It was a GORGEOUS day!  Seriously, the weather and water could not have been better.  Gavin thought he was captain of the boat AND the party barge!!  Though after 5 hours on the water he zonked out with his favorite pal, Uncle Darin *dawin*.

A little more action on the water!  It was beautiful.  I tubed w/ my niece Leah for almost an hour and even wakeboarded a bit too.  All in all a great Holiday Weekend!!

Tuesday we brought the party to Charlotte!!

Look at all those handsome big boys!!

Ended the night with some serious Carne Asada and a surprise visit by our favorite Latin Elvis!!  Que cantante tan guapo.  A little surprise for Nana, the B-day girl.  We had such a blast spending all that time w/ Blake's family.  It's nice that everyone live relatively close so we can do it often.

The next day we flew to Florida for my lil' bro's farewell... If only those pictures would post themselves....

Wet N' Wild!!!

It seems like the entire month of June (and now July) has centered around swim & sun!!  The boys love our neighborhood pool and we've had lots of opportunities to get our feet wet.  I was a bit worried when summer hit, b/c both Braden and Gavin were a bit timid when it came to swim time... but a week later we were back on track.  My favorite pictures series: Braden braving the "jump"

We had a great time with Blake's side of the Family at a Chapman Family Reunion on Lake Lure!!  Which of course included, more fun in the sun!

No shortage on Branch activities this summer either!!  Have to give a shout out :)

I LOVE WHEN

I come home from a session completely energized and inspired!!  Had one of those nights last night... everything seemed to click (ha, no pun intended!!) PLUS I can't help but be overly enthusiastic about my beautiful new BFF, the spectacular Canon 7D - Oh how I love thee (now I'm rhyming). Add shooting with the uber fabulous 24-70mm 2.8 lens into the mix, plus perfect lighting... it doesn't get much better.  Jump on over here for the sneak peek!! 

Sunday FUNDAY...

I am officially confessing that Sundays are probably one of the hardest days of the week for me.  Okay... there, I said it!!  

#1 church is at 2:30.... YES 2:30 in the afternoon!!  #2 For the past 4 1/2 years I have been doing Sundays by myself.  Blake is gone early for meetings and gets home late (some Sundays after 8pm).  I have had to sit by myself w/ the kiddies for a LONG time now... and these ages are rough, which is fine... but sitting still for one hour (with 1, 2 or 3 parents) is a joke!  #3 Church happens to coincide with nap time so you can only imagine how #2 plays out each week w/ NO nap.  Sometimes we just go sit in the car.  In the end, we make the best of it.  We love the Branch and wouldn't have things any other way

This past Sunday I had to give a talk (in Spanish of course) as well as my usual Sunday school class.  I really needed to review/practice/study and we had about 45 mins. until we needed to leave.  I pulled out my secret weapon (the movie robots) and let the boys watch it on my bed... a very special privilege.  When I came in the room, ready to pack everyone up to head to church this is what I found (I thought they were being awfully quiet)!!!  Can I tell you how bad I wanted to crawl in bed with them... sigh!!!

We did make it to church and I know this time in our life won't last forever.  This is why despite the craziness, I want to remember the details and smile back on our Sunday Fundays.

Tae Kwon Dooooooo

Braden is officially back in business with all things Tae Kwon Do!  In fact, Friday he tested for his purple belt... an extremely exciting occasion here at the Hart house!  There were so many funny pictures, it was hard to choose just a few.  I just love his expressions.  He was the youngest one (at 4 1/2 to test) and his focus is not razor sharp :)  But he gave it his all and I love that he has something he can be dedicated to.  

Gotta give a shout out to G-man who patiently sits through hours of classes each week!  During testing though, he was done... he walked himself to the waiting room, grabbed a bag of chips and a soda (Blake had left them in the waiting area) and sat happily enjoying his snack!

"Focus" says Master Russell

Love this the most... Gavin is attempting to break his own board!!

Kiddie Camp Wrap Up!!

We had a blast with Kiddie Camp in our home this past week!  It was the perfect sized crew and we enjoyed a jam-packed week full of activities and fun!  Here area  few pics... these first ones are from the mini photo shoot we did.  The rest range from painting & zingo to our last day of kiddie yoga and movement!  Thanks to all the kiddies who participated...  I may be doing one more the 1st week in August... I enjoyed it that much!

Kiddie Camp in Full Effect!

Today started our first day of Camp... at the Hart's House!!  After researching tons of different camp options and adding up the $$, driving, time etc... I decided I would combine everything I wanted my kiddos to experience and come up with my own AND then open it up to friends in the neighborhood!!  

So far so good... actually better than good.  We had a fantastic time today and I'm really looking forward to Wed. and Friday! 

Here's our itinerary:

Monday: {SAFARI DAY} Reading and Theatre Arts, Mini Photo Shoot

Wednesday: {Aloha, Island Fever} Creative Arts and Crafts, Language Activities (Spanish), Baking 

Friday: Movement and Music with Kiddie Yoga and More - Take Home Photo

I'll be blogging and sharing more at the end of the week!!

ALOHA!!!

GUESS WHAT!?!?!

Hart to Hart Digital is headed to Hawaii to shoot a wedding the weekend of August 14th!!! AHHHHHHHHH {scream with me now}  I am beyond thrilled and grateful for this incredible opportunity (I mean I cannot fill my sentences with enough superlatives at the moment).

Yes, it's my first time... No, Blake can't come with {tear drop... he has a few major commitments and other things going and it is just not going to work out this time} BUT, I will continue working my bootie off so someday we can go back together!

SO... if you've been to Hawaii and/or are a Hawaiian aficionado I'd LOVE to hear any of your favorite spots, activities "must do's" etc....

Alaho.... I can almost hear the waves crashing.....

Florida Trip - June 2010

Hello Hello!  It’s officially been a week since we’ve been home from yet another fantastic Florida adventure. (Starting to feel like a broken record… what can I say though, we have so much fun there!!).  Anyway, I had hoped to get this blog post done this past weekend (in my attempt to stay on top of things), but Friday night I got carried away in the blogosphere and DANG, some people have amazing lives – more on that later.  Suffice to say I am back to living my own life and happy to share a few pics from our trip.

Our main reason for heading down south was for my little bro’s high school graduation.  The first few days were filled with his party and graduation ceremony.  

That weekend Braden got to travel down to Tampa w/ Ahma, Tanner and his great friend Robert who was adding a stripe to his black belt via the annual testing this year held in Tampa, FL.  Apparently it is a VERY cutthroat endeavor and Braden was amazed by it all!  He absolutely LOVE tae kwon do… could it be b/c he loves all things weapons and fighting?

Anyway, moving in to the second week, we had a great time shopping (the outlets in FL are the BEST), playing w/ neighborhood friends, fishing off the dock, swimming in our neighbors beautiful pool and so forth.

Ahma pulled some oldies but goodies out of her FHE box!!

Peekaboooo!!

The second weekend of our trip, Ashlee and I took Braden down to Sanibel Island… GORGEOUS!!  We met Marliss and her 3 little cutie pies and stayed at a beautiful little hotel right on the beach.  

YUM!!  The best hamburger EVER.

I love the picture of her little boy Banner asleep on my shoulder in the pool.  He is delicious!!!

Friday Ash, Braden and I did something that has officially made it to my “Favorite Things” list (which doesn’t really exist, but if it did, this is so on it!).  We rented bikes… but not just any bike, B and I shared a tandem adult kiddie bike and it rocked.  We peddled all the way down to the end of the Island – down to the lighthouse.  It was about 5 miles roundtrip and my little guy peddled furiously the entire time.  Sun burnt and sweaty  he cried when we had to turn the bikes in, “MOOOOM, I don’t want to stooooop”.  It was SO much fun (and a great workout for me).  I WANT ONE! *side note, I just found out this week you can purchase the "child tandem add-on at Target"!!  Definitely getting that soon :)

Sat. night, we celebrated my Moms, ____ B-day with dinner and a show!!  We hit up the hilarious “Sak’s Improve Comedy Club”… it was seriously funny and high note to end the trip on.  The boys and I left Monday and the drive back was PERFECTION!!  It was our best yet.  They slept several of the 9 hours and were so well behaved!!

I feel so blessed to be able to visit/see my family as often as I do.  I’m always jealous of people who live SO CLOSE to family… but for now I will settle for our Florida trips here and there and just be thankful we are able to make them!!!

LASTLY… we are on pins and needles waiting for Tanner’s mission call!!  We thought it would come while we were out there…. IT HAS TO COME THIS WEEK!  Stay tuned.

SPICE UP YOUR WALLS!

For anyone looking to spice up your walls with photographs and/or art, I just did an inspirational post on my photography blog with a few fun ideas I am trying to gather for my own clients.

The things is, is there are so many MORE amazing ideas out there!!! It's exciting and overwhelming all in one. If you have any favorite sites (photography design and the likes) I'd love to add them to my collection!