Farm Friends

Anslie's little friend, Cassidy, had a birthday party a couple of weeks ago and at her party she invited some of her farm friends. Cassidy's grandma and grandpa have a farm with lots of animals and they brought a bunch to Cassidy's house for her guests to participate in a petting zoo in the backyard. Anslie loved all of the animals! There were a bunch of kids there Anslie's age, most of them girls, and they all loved carrying the chickens around. Cassidy's mom joked that the girls were carrying the chickens like they were accessories, living hand bags or something! Ha, ha! The girls had fun swapping the chickens around and comparing colors. So cute! Anslie's favorite chicken was of course the biggest one, which was made even more funny because she is by far the smallest of all of her friends!

Lots of Slideshows!

We have had a very busy summer and pictures are worth 1,000 words, right? Here are a few slideshows of all of our summer-y adventures!

We actually washed our cars a couple times this summer! Of course the kids loved playing in the water!

We visited the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla for the first (and last) time...

I took the kids to the Wild Animal Park a couple of times...

We went to visit Kevin's family in Chicago where we:

*Went to Lego Land

*Went to the Chicago Children's Museum and Navy Pier

*Met up with some old friends at the park

*Celebrated Zachary's 1st birthday

*Had lots of fun in the sun with Grandma and Grandpa!

Zachary learned how to walk...and Kevin learned how to videotape...:)

And my cousin and her best friend stayed with us while auditioning for American Idol and had an 80's dance party with Anslie!

As you see, we've had quite a full summer! We have had ups and downs and lots of fun! And even though I have been horrible about updating this blog, I haven't actually missed a beat! Enjoy!!!

Beach Babies

It's now nearing the end of summer and we haven't really had and official beach trip (meaning that we haven't set out for the day specifically packed and dressed to spend time at the beach). But we have spent quite a lot of time there in hourly patches. If any of you have followed my photography blog, then you know what a busy summer I've had! I was blessed to second shoot for some wonderful photographers, as well as book several of my own big events. I have learned and grown so much, sewn some wild oats, and discovered my limits. My work took me to San Diego most of the time so Kevin and I tried to make a day of it, even if the "day" consisted of a couple of hours beyond my job for us to spend time together at the beach because my whole family absolutely loves it there. I hope to be able to have a real trip before summer's end, but until then, I guess we'll just be happy with an hour here and there, basking in the sunshine and rolling in the sand.

And if you're wondering why there aren't as many pictures of Anslie as there are of Zachary, it's not for lack of trying on my part! Anslie still does not like to have her picture taken, and Zac isn't fast enough to run away from me yet. :) I'll take what I can get!!!

Zachary's 1st Birthday

I can't believe my little baby is such a big boy now! Zachary turned 1 on June 12th and we were really lucky to be able to spend his birthday with family in Chicago. We threw a luau themed party complete with fruity drinks, kalua pork, Hawaiian music, and tiki torches! Connie did such an amazing job making the food and gathering all of the decorations and I think everyone, especially Zac, had a wonderful time at the party! The weather almost cooperated with us and we at least didn't get rained out. Fortunately our party-goers were good sports and made the best of an outdoor luau on a cloudy day. Zac and Anslie were completely spoiled with such generous gifts! I wish that one year olds could remember their birthday, because this was definitely a party I would never want to forget!

The Backyard

 When we first moved into our home a little over a year ago, our backyard was a shoulder-high wild wilderness of weeds. At some point Kevin attempted to brave it and try to kill some of those weeds with poison. It didn't affect them at all! So we knew we had to bring in the big guns and hire a professional. Our landscapers saved our backyard and also planted some beautiful sod. We loved having grass back there, and it was much better than those horrible weeds!

This summer we have been consumed with the upkeep of the yard and with getting a few small pieces of outdoor furniture to make it more comfortable. Our budget is limited so we have had to be a little handy and crafty. We found some great adirondack chairs at Home Depot that we assembled and stained ourselves. It's been nice having something other than grass or concrete to sit on.

The best part of having a nice backyard is the breezy summer evenings we spend out there together as a family. My kids LOVE to be outside! When the kids hear the back door open they make a bee line straight for it. We usually open up the french doors, as many as we can (we have 5 sets of them that lead to the back yard!!!) and let the breeze cool down the house right after dinner and the kids run around outside and entertain themselves with sidewalk chalk, making mud pies, or digging around in the flower bed. We play catch, chase the dog around, and of course, I LOVE taking snapshots of my kids being kids.

Although the upkeep can be overwhelming at times, I'm so grateful to have a little slice of outdoor heaven to raise my family in. And I am so excited to continue working, building, and refining our yard!

The Ruffner Family

Back in June we made a trip out to Chicago to visit Kevin's family. We had a BLAST while we were there and (I don't know why we've never done this before!!!) we even took a little time to do our own extended family portraits! It was really wonderful to be able to offer some beautiful pictures of my babies with their adoring grandparents and Aunt and Uncles to them and to have for ourselves. I'm sure it was a little comical watching me run back and forth between my camera on a tripod and the group, but it was worth every ounce of effort!!! Presenting: The Ruffner Family!

The Orchid

I like to receive flowers, but let's be honest; they're kind of a waste of money. They're expensive and if you're lucky, you might get a weeks worth of enjoyment from them. I can think of a million things that I would rather do with the money that's wasted on flowers.

My husband is smart though. He knows how I feel about spending money on a gift that's going to stop giving in a few days time, so for Mother's Day he bought me a living plant instead! That's my guy! I really like orchids and have been tempted to buy one in the past, but they're awfully expensive. So this ended up being such a thoughtful present from my sweetheart!

Kevin made me take pictures of the plant because he was so impressed with his taste in flowers ;) It took me a while to get around to it, but I'm really glad that I did! I'm thinking about printing one of the pictures and hanging it in our house.

Here's where you come in: I need help making my choice! Take a look at the photos below and tell me which one is your favorite by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post. And if you would like to check out a black and white version of each image, head on over to my photography blog and do the same! Thanks for all your help!

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