Thursday, March 17, 2011

summer. spring. i love you both.

the calendar says march but the air smells of summer.

the birds seem to be constantly singing a song, perhaps calling for mama bird to hurry back with dinner; the grocery store welcomes you with big and heavy watermelons almost begging you to take it outside at that very moment, smash it on the ground and dig your hands into it and eat it until you can eat no more; beckham begs on an almost daily basis to make lemonade and set up a lemonade stand (which we will be doing in two weeks for charity!!); the sky seems bluer and bathing suits start to adorn the chairs outside while drip drying and waiting for the next dip.

and with 'summer' growing nearer, we grill more and with more precious light in each day, we will do more. we will. this is the time of year for rebirth. the flowers start blooming and like magic, little bunnies appear everywhere we look. brightly hued eggs and visions of a perfectly simple easter basket complete with paper grass and new gardening tools aren't forgotten.

of course, with spring being the preparatory season to summer, we will stuff the basket with a new bathing suit and pair of sunglasses too! and my brain, like a polaroid camera, will take snapshots of what our summer will hold for us. night time bike rides (if my bike ever fixes itself...hint;), grilled hot dogs and late-night chats with friends while watching a lightening storm, family trips, isle of capri, and freshly mowed grass!

i love this time of year. it even smells better i think.

celebrations have already begun. with the end of school looming like a vacation not yet taken but you can feel the excitement of something amazing coming...we have started practicing for the real thing...

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kelle LOVIN her bacon. like really loving it;)

brunch with friends. in between the frickin 800th load of laundry and preparing dinner, we made time to enjoy one another and our little ones. it was much needed and the food, even though a tad burned, was pretty good too. i can't stop burning things. i walk away and never go back...until it's too late. note to self: always set a timer!

impromptu trips to the splash park!
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and these two lovebirds...

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had a date at the park and with a lunch of goldfish crackers.

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don't worry, i chaperoned.

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my sweet...

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and silly little guy.

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a green hose and watering buckets...spring is here!!!

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"ingredients to make shushi, mommy? get us some."

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maple syrup, craisins, crackers, and candle wax...yum.

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popsicles.
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hoola-hooping.

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free labor...willing and excited to clean the couches. i found a small village residing happily between all the crumbs we found in the couch cushions. it was disgusting.

sunsets on the beach in naples. the sand, the birds, the people waiting to see the sun go down, the energy, the breeze, the beauty of our beaches...it's sublime.
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i grilled shrimp and it was flippin' fabulous and i will post the recipe in the next post because i am ready to pass out from exhaustion tonight and if i continue this post much longer, my eyes may explode. gross.
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okay, i'll post it now so i don't forget.

citrus shrimp:
half a pound of large shrimp, defrosted (i get mine at costco in the frozen section)
two tablespoons olive oil
two tablespoons chopped sage
a sprinkle of crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
juice from one lemon or orange or a little of both (i did both)
sea salt garlic (fresh garlic is best, but i was in a rush and it worked just fine)

throw all in a ziploc bag and let shrimp marinate for 30-60 minutes.

place shrimp in a grill safe basket on grill or place on grill that has been brushed with olive oil.

lightly salt and pepper shrimp on grill. cook on each side 3 minutes.

FABULOUS. sooo good and pretty healthy too! i packed mine in a tupperware and took right to the beach. kelle and i noshed away.

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these two little ones dwell in my heart and beat love and fun and something special and unconditional into my heart. i just love them so much.

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kelle and i brought our little ones to frolic and soak themselves in the cold salt water and to dig in the sand and make sand castles. it was a perfect evening.

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babies and bacon. not a bad combo.

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kelle's french toast doesn't hurt either.

and if this wasn't a good effort in kicking off the new season...in between the craziness of life's many responsibilities, i got to have a little more fun 'working,' with the sherwood family...a sneak peek!

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lawson was a little sweetheart and his mama... a beautiful mama waiting for baby number two!!! i can't wait to meet the little one.

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thank you for letting me capture this time in your lives! it was really a special night.
***
and somebody is sporting some new bling...on her ears...in a huge rite-of-passage! that post next!
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now off to dye my toilets green...lucky the leprechaun is coming to scare the hell out of the kids. fun!!!

xoxoxoxoxo
happy spring, friends!

27 comments:

Kelle said...

Love the pregnancy shots of Amanda. LOVE. And the breakfast shots make me want to do it every day. Peyton looks so sweet...changing. Can't wait to see the ear piercing onces.

What, no marriage ceremony pics of me and Bacon?

Maria said...

I cannot stand how adorable Lainey & Beckham are when they're together. The pic of them walking hand in hand
..sigh..so cute! They look so big, though. How time flies, right? Except up here, where it's still winter! What a nightmare!!
Love the beach shots.

Lisa Hewlett said...

I want that shrimp, like now. And GORGEOUS maternity pictures!

patsy said...

yay spring! your post has made me even more excited about it than i already am! LOVE the pics of the lovebirds smooching...and freezer pops, we buy those in bulk! my girls eat those like crazy while we are enjoying sunny days outside. can't wait :)

Loosy said...

Love. Love. Love.

Kris said...

i love your first few paragraphs about the excitement of spring/summer. really makes me look (even more) forward to nicer weather around here.
and i love how in almost every one of your posts you write something so heartfelt about your little ones. like this:
"these two little ones dwell in my heart and beat love and fun and something special and unconditional into my heart. i just love them so much" it's so hard to put it into words sometimes, that love we have for our babies. you do it so well.
you are such a great momma.
how adorable are lainey and beckham together?!
xo
Kris

Amy said...

Lainey and Beckham make me want to be little again.... and living that close to the beach?? Good for you for taking advantage of it.

Great Post as usual!

Becky at lifeoutoffocus said...

I can never get enough of your photos. I don't always comment but I always read your posts! I love how beautiful your and kelle's friendship is. Y'all are lucky to have each other.

So are Lainey and Beckham. So stinking cute! Keep them coming. can't wait to hear about Peyton's earrings!

Niamh said...

I bought a kitchen timer a while ago and I swear to God it. Changed. My. LIFE.

Love the pics of Lainey and Becks, so sweet!

Annette said...

Miss you!!! I want to come live next door :)) such fun you have!! Kids are getting so big -- love ya
Annette

Tisha said...

your breakfast looks heavenly! i see not a one piece of anything burnt.

and good grief L and B, would you and kelle just die planning a wedding for these 2?!

cant wait to see baby/big girls ear piercing post!

April said...

I can't believe you guys are already wearing bathing suits at the beach! And your yellow & white tank, LOVE! I, too, love both spring and summer ... our seasons hit at two completely different times of the year, though. And that first shot of the expecting mama, just adorable, with the color in the background ... eye candy!!

Happy spring right back at you ... xoxo ...

Jen Biasi said...

OK, so that baby in pic #1 is insanely gorgeous. And Peyton is entirely becoming your mini-me!! LOVE the preggo pix - where were they taken?
Beckham = always the cutie.
Miss you.
xoxox

J said...

Thanks for the green toilet idea! Have to admit that I'm very jealous of your warm weather and beach days! Beautiful photos, as always!

Eva Marie said...

The picture of you and Peyton is too sweet. I love that you guys gather for brunch and eat bacon, bacon is one of my lovessss. Mmmm Bacon..

And hello beautiful pregnant women, honestly, stunning pictures!!

Kelly Hutcheson said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I knew the weather in Florida was really nice when I was able to buy red, juicy strawberries from Naturipe Farms in Naples at my grocer last week. In Canada we won't have ripe local berries until July. This post so full of sunshine, tank tops, swim suits and splash pads that I'm tempted to pack up the house and migrate South!

LCR said...

i'm so so pumped for spring/ summer too! love the season changing- something so invigorating about it. I love coming to see your photos- they always make things seem so magical.

Sarah said...

love grilled shrimp...will definately share that with my husband/cook.

I wish I lived near you so that I can have you take pictures of my girls!! I love your work..Sarah

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