winnaaa!

And the Jenny Andrews mini triangle bag goes to...

Congrats Jill! (But sorry everyone else.)

Easter with the Veester.

Last weekend we went to my Parents house to eat an early Easter dinner, hunt eggs, swim, celebrate two birthdays, and play in their finished backyard. Yes we spent Easter poolside, gotta love the AZ. I took a million pictures to make up for the million times I've failed to document Ivy playing with her cousins. On both sides, the girls got some dynamite cuzzys (and aunts and uncles and grandparents). She best recognize. 

Jenny Andrews Recycled Leather Goods.

Jenny Andrews is my kind of girl. She runs her own business, is super creative, and she is a recycling ninja! I was ecstatic when she sent me a handmade bag for my laptop, all made from recycled leather and lining. I love the black, cream, and green together, she kills it with color combination! It's beautiful and classic and truly one of a kind. See for yourself.

The best part is she posts pictures on her blog of her handmade bags as babies (leather jackets) so you can get a feel for the whole process. 

Comment below for a chance to win one of Jennys handmade mini triangle bags. They're the perfect size to keep in your purse, diaper bag, book bag, or suitcase. Also, make sure to check out her shop to see all her other work. Go!

Hoppy Easter.

Happy Birthday Uncle Brad.

Ivy has always liked her Uncle Brad. I don't know if it's the purrfect cat noises he makes or how he respects and talks to her like she's 45 years old, but she's all about him. So much in fact that she insisted on helping us take his 25(?) year old pictures. Go see the rest of Shanna and Brads birthday session, they're cuties.

VV obvi loves her awntie Sha-nay-nay too.

A mans best friend.

I must say, I feel pretty boxed out by these two and their BFFness sometimes. I'm getting kind of jealous of Ivy. (And not just cause she has way better skin than me. ;)

 On the bright side, hopefully this means we'll never have to get a dog around here.

The eleventh month & an iPhone dump.

In the Veevers eleventh month she has pulled out all the stops. Talk about a Di-va! We can only blame ourselves I guess, dressing her up in zebra-print hot-pants and taking pictures of her all day must've gone to her head (and thighs..and belly). We can only hope she uses that sasha fierce 'tude for good some day. 

I'm not even going to bring up the fact that she'll be one year old a month from today! (But I guess I just did so...) Ivy- I know you can't read or anything, but just so you know, you've made this past eleven months wild and hilarious and eye-opening and rewarding and exciting and filled with so much love that I might just explode right now. Thanks girl.

"A world class zoo for a world class city."

Turns out we did the zoo all wrong last time. We're definitely more of get-there-by-8:00-and leave-by-9:00 members. It's still nice outside, it's less crowded, and it just so happens that the animals are morning people. (But not people, otherwise they wouldn't be living in cages at the zoo. Keep up.) 

1.) Ivy having a real 'King Kong" moment in the new Orangutang exhibit.
2.) Ivy having a real regular moment in Monkey Village.
3.) The flamingos just standing there, flaunting their long skinny legs. Typical.
4.) Ivy giving Mary Kate (plus 22 pounds & and diaper) a run for her money with that hat & glasses combo.

Arcade Fire.

Date [deyt]: When two (and only two) people get fancy, go out to dinner & dessert, and then follow up with an enjoyable something or other. (Websters words, not mine).

Fact: We hadn't gone out on a "date" in 11 months. (If you don't believe us, check our Netflix queue or our tab with the pizza delivery guy). It's no coincidence that Ivy is 11 months old. Yep, 11 months. That means birthdays, anniversaries, and valentines slipped by and we were all, "table for two and a highchair please." Sure we go on "family dates", but when you add a highchair to the mix you can hardly call it a date, let's be real guys. 

Unjustified Justification: We have someone watch Ivy every time we work or shoot a wedding, so we feel bad getting a sitter for anything else non-work related. We so lame, I know.

Resolution: For our annual date we chose to go to Arcade Fire and grab dinner along the way. It was so crazy being able to both eat with both of our hands, not have anything spilled on us, and have uninterrupted, adult conversation. (Turns out though, our uninterrupted adult conversations lead to the same things they do when the Veester is there with us: Tina Fey, Ivy, Charlie Sheens salary, and poop.)

Arcade Fire & Local Natives were great to say the least. If pit stains are any indication of how much fun we had, see for yourself. Can't wait for next year. ;)

PS- A huge thank you goes to our friends the balls for being like, "Oh you guys have really bad seats? Take our awesome tickets, we're going home anyways!" You guys practically saved Christmas.

Pools are great for holding water.

This time of year the Zona is a major tease. It's hot outside, but most pools are too cold to swim in still. Correction! Most pools but Lifetime pools are too cold to swim in still. My Mom gave us some guest passes and we are now total pool snobs. Upon our arrival, a worker asked if we'd be interested in buying our own family membership, and being that I already have a gym membership elsewhere (and that we're cheapskates) we kindly declined. After two hours in the outdoor & indoor pools, a walk past the jacuzzi & sauna, six rides down the waterslide, and the option to order something at the 'outdoor bistro', and we were totally SOLD! (But not really because like I said, we're cheap.)

We will be Lifetime goers (guests) for lifetime!  

In the end, it's the waterslide that really did it for us. Please note Geoffs flexing beforehand, his squeel during, and the concerned onlookers afterwards. Looking back I feel like the slide was really meant for kiddos, because the super tan and teenaged lifeguard seemed pretty bummed on Geoff every time he saw him running up the stairs yelling, "WATER SLIIIIIIDE!!!!!"

PS- Remember what a tadpole Ivy was in the water last Summer?

#winning

And the winner of the Sarah Winward giveaway goes to...

Sick as a dog.

 V-mama got tubes in her ears and took it like a champ! (Actually I don't know if she took it like a champ, technically we weren't allowed in the room. But she looked like a champ in that gown!)

This was the night before her surgery, she had a nasty cough so she was getting super cuddly. Catch 22.

 This was a week after her surgery. She got strep and had an urgent-care-worthy-fever. 

And then she started teething.

She can't catch a break that girl.

Filmy Film.

I can take pictures all day, but when it comes to actually printing them out - I'm the worst. We have empty photo boxes, albums, and frames laying around everywhere, and I never seem to get them filled. We decided to fix this problem by purchasing a traditional camera and shooting with film every now and then, so basically we're forced to print them out. In retrospect, getting my behind to Costcos Photo Center would have been a lot easier and cost-effiecent. Oh well, some of my faves from the last roll:

 The funny thing about film is that you kind of forget what you shot, and then when you develop it you're like, "Oh yeah, this was when Geoff and Ivy were on the longboard...wait why aren't either one of them wearing pants?" And then you get to re-enjoy the moment.

Have a good weekend, and make sure to put some clothes on if you're in front of a camera with no "trash" button. (Unless you're Ivy, then just sunglasses will do.)

Sarah Winward // Ea Giveaway!

It's crazy how beautiful you think flowers are before they're even arranged, and then BAM!, Floral arranger Sarah Winward gets her hands on them and turns them into works of art! I love that she describes her style as "fresh, natural and a little bit wild." She knows what she's doing, see for yourself:

{photo by jill thomas}

{photos by kylie nixon / kate osborn}

 {photo by kate osborn}

{photo by yan}

Luckily for us, Sarah is doing a giveaway right here, and with Spring time, wedding season, and Mothers Day just around the corner, it couldn't be better timing! Enter (via following her blog and commenting below) to win a $75 floral arrangement of your choice - bouquet or vased. **Winner or recipient of flowers must live in Northern Utah, and if you're South of Provo or North of Ogden, please be willing to pick them up yourself.)

And for all you Utahans, make sure to check out Sarahs new sotre-front studio in a couple weeks! (Based out of Salt Lake in the 9th&9th area.)

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner.

Confession: I've always hated The Vegas.

Confession: I now love The Vegas. 

Fancy hotels, amazing food, great shopping, day spas, and pools - all spent with 6 of your best girl friends. What's not to love? 

I had a blast and can't wait for next year! Love you Chelsea, Kelsey, Courtney, Jenna, Morgan and Nicole! Also, love you Geoff - leaving Ivy for the weekend was tough, but knowing she was in good (probably better) hands eased my mind all weekend. Coming home to a sparkling house, washed car, my favorite treats, a painted kitchen, and fresh flowers also eased my mind. I have such winners in my life!

Speaking of winners, Bijou Giveaway winner:

caught redhanded.

Since V-girl was born I've been trying to convince people that she looks like me "as a baby, I swear!"

My Mother-in-law must've caught wind of what I was doing because she sent me these the other day. 

How can I compete with that?