Sooo, it may have been over two months since we went to Maui, but I finally had a little break and was able to comb through SOME of the photos I took with my real camera.  

My girl loves "nonuts" as she calls them.  Any chance she gets, she repeats the word over and over again in hopes that one might magically appear.  So it made perfect sense to me to fill her 2nd birthday celebration with the things she loves the most; donuts, family, and lots of playing. 

We called it "Daphne's Donut Shop" and filled her "bakery" with tons of delicious donuts from our neighborhood donut shop.

We also had a build your own crepe bar complete with all of the necessary fixings; nutella, fresh strawberries, homemade whipped cream, sliced almonds, and mini chocolate chips.

As favors, guests were welcome to decorate their own donut creation at "Daphne's donut bar," which included cake donuts, three types of homemade frostings, sliced almonds, and of course, sprinkles.  

I loved how everything came out, and was even more pleased at how excited Daphne was about the whole situation...she's still talking about her "nonut party" a week later: )

*I made the polka dot table cloth from a polyester white cloth from amazon, and I painted gold polka dots on it.
* The crepe garland, washi tape flags, and crepe cake topper banner are all from Gnomes Whimsy on Etsy. 
(I put everything together in a couple of weeks, so I really needed her help and she was wonderful!)

This was the invitation I designed for her birthday party as well, and it's now available for purchase in my etsy shop should you decide to throw your own donut spectacular!

Sunday we celebrated my sweet girls' 2nd birthday with a "donuts with Daphne" themed party (more to come on that soon).  That afternoon, my sister, and technically-not-our-sister-but-pretty-much-is-our-littlest-sister, and myself took big D to the other big D (Disneyland) so that we could be at the gates when they opened Monday morning.

Although Matt and I had just taken her a few months prior (back in December) she was even more thrilled this time.  For weeks, all I had been hearing about was "dineeyand, pooto (pluto), and meemou (minnie mouse). Well, those things plus her ("no-nut"...her rendition of donut...party).

Gosh we had a great day.  The weather was gorgeous, the crowds were minimal at best, and we stuffed our faces with sugary treat goodness.  

There's a baby in that tummy up there...although it kind of looks like I had too many "donuts with Daphne."

This girls' face.  I cannot even begin to explain the effect it has on me.  It makes my heart flutter and my knees weak.

you guys...she kissed Minnie Mouses' nose. I mean, seriously? A puddle...that's what I was reduced to at that point.  A blubbering puddle of hormones.

...because sometimes you just need to stop and stretch a little.

...pretty thrilled to be in Minnie Mouses's digs.

Baby #2 due November 7th 2013, and we couldn't be more thrilled!

Well if this post has proven anything to me, it's that I need to be better about posting recent shoots...possibly within a few weeks of actually taking the pictures.  Instead, I've been lagging, which left me knee deep in past shoots, only a few of which are present in this post.  

Weddings, engagements, newborns, and lots of senior pictures have been on the agenda lately, and boy and I thankful!  I have met so many wonderful new clients,

No, that title isn't any sort of plea or anything, just the title of yet another one of PBS's incredible BBC shows.  Like many Americans, I (along with the husby I might add), were quite smitten with Downton Abbey.  Even with its less than fulfilling ending to the last season, and an even more unsavory break before the next season starts early next year, it quickly became one of our very favorite television shows.  

So in order to fill the empty hole in my life left by the Crowley's, I started watching the show that took its spot on Sunday nights; Call the Midwife.  

The characters are charming (nuns and midwives working side by side), the setting intriguing (the poor side of London in the 1950's), and the stories themselves are based upon the memoirs of an actual midwife who lived and worked in those very conditions.  

The second season just barely started, and you can watch the first season on Netflix, so there's no excuses...watch Call the Midwife!

I took the pictures above with my sister's camera on Easter Sunday.  We went to my mom's house for a beautiful and equally delicious brunch, then Daphne went crazy on like 1500 egg hunts!  Okay, maybe it was just two, but it was the best thing to watch because she totally got the idea this year, and was absolutely bonkers about finding those eggs!

The Friday before Easter, Daphne participated in a little egg hunt at the park with about 50 other 1-2 year olds.  It was pretty cute to watch.  I wasn't sure if she would get the whole concept, but after explaining it to her in the car, she ran out there when they said "go" and rounded up every egg possible!

Summertime or not, I'm all about easy make up...if any make up at all.  These little goodies have been my go-to's lately, and I love how they leave my skin feeling fresh and dewey; not like I'm wearing make up at all. The best part?  Half of this stuff is under $10 at Target!

1. Milani eye tech extreme liquid eyeliner
2. Staniac lip and cheek stain
3. Urban Decay Naken Skin foundation
4. Glo Minerals bronzer
5. Elf shimmering facial whip
6. Maybelline the falsies mascara

1, 5, 6 from Target
2, 3, 4 from amazon.com

+without my instigating it, Daphne decided she was ready to potty train, so we are pretty much potty trained at home...I have yet to take her out of the house without a pull up on though. (that kind of freaks me out).

"How to smell flowers when you're Daphne"
+step 1: bend over ever so slightly as to not get too close
+step 2: point your face in the general direction of said flowers
+step 3: be sure to exhale fervently; inhaling would just be silly

+plaid, stripes, flowers, you name it, she'll wear it...all at the same time. oh yah, and she'll rock it.

+a little St. Patty's day treat

+I've been sporting a lot of milk maid braids lately.  mostly because my hair is dirty, and it's easy.