kill devil hills

Kat and I spent a day in the Outer Banks with the babies this week. It felt amazing to soak up some sunshine and listen to the waves break on the beach while the kids entertained themselves with sand and shovels. The Carolina coast has always been a part of my life, and it almost feels like I'm coming home when I visit. I can't wait to go back with my family at the end of the summer! Until then. . .

the big three

Saturday was Henry's third birthday. I can't believe how quickly the last three years have gone by, and how much he has grown up. He knows most of the United States, he can count and sing the alphabet, he has been potty trained for a while now, and he has the wildest imagination. He is absolutely precious!

We had a birthday party in the park early Saturday morning, before it got too hot. I learned to decorate a cake just for the occasion, and we gave out hand-painted monkey masks to each child, in addition to a lot of other fun things. The kids played ball and frisbee, and wore themselves out on the playground. It was a fun time all around, and I wanted to share a few photos here:

growing up fast

On Monday, I had the (not so) brilliant idea of attempting to get some portraits done with Henry. He acted like all of the "bad" kids that used to come into mom's studio with their families. He made faces, he wouldn't smile, he was wayyyyy more interested in picking up sticks/leaves/bugs than posing, and he even faked crying to get out of pictures. I can't say I was surprised, or that I blame him. He is, after all, only ten short days away from turning three. They say that three is far worse than the "terrible twos" ... I certainly hope not! Even though he was a little difficult, we got some wonderful shots. I gave up on posing and just started playing, which I should have known to do all along. When you're three years old, there are so many exciting things to do; why would you ever want to stay still for a picture? I'm posting my favorites for the world to see here. I love Henry more than anything in this world, and I think it shows.