Category Archives: Home & Kids

Marshmallow legs

Twelve days ago our wonderful friends Joe and Steph tied the knot.

As it always seems to happen after a wedding or big event–at least since the advent of my beautiful Nikon–, I am wading through a quagmire of pictures. But when I sat down with Photoshop to start churning them out for the world to see, it wasn’t the pictures of the dancing, or the bride and groom escaping in a boat, or the beautiful (and hot) outdoors ceremony that I was drawn to immediately–it was the pictures of a small one. A small one with marshmallow legs.

Marshmallow legs that I want to kiss and chomp and squeeze.

Neither I nor my friends Katie and Liz had ever seen this baby before or met her parents until that very day.

But we were drawn to her like a magnet.

We had to touch that fuzzy head.

Thankfully her parents were more than generous, and let us hold her and scrunch her and squeal over her and pretty much act like a ridiculous set of hormone-crazed women.

And hey–our dresses kind of matched! I choose to interpret that as a message from the universe saying: you have a special bond.

I think baby James has a contender now for the position of Cutest Baby.

Do you ever inexplicably start taking pictures of a baby who’s not yours and whose name you don’t even know?

Apparently, I do.

Though since we’re all friends of Joe and Steph, that at least eliminates the possibility that I’m a freaky stalker that needs to be kept away at all costs.

Then again, maybe not. See, baby-snatching actually crossed my mind. What if I just grabbed this baby and made a hot run for it?

Which begs the question–can I even trust myself anymore?

My favorite shots are the ones of the Little Dumpling with her own beautiful mama. As the fates would have it, we were seated with the Little Dumpling’s family at the outdoor reception. Which meant: even more opportunities to capture the sweetness of this little bundle of pillowy baby-ness.

You have never seen a cuter pair.

Be still, my heart.

The garden of Dr. Evil

Aunt Jacquie’s house is wonderful, unique, thoughtfully decorated. We’ve already talked about her elegant but unloungeworthy living room, and we will be doing a tour of the secret staircase and castle wonderland that is the attic, but today I wanted to revel with y’all in her garden.

Here’s the front of the house with its lush green grass and hosts of plants.

The front of the yard has this marvellous old tree . . .

. . . where aunt Jacquie has thoughtfully installed a little door for the gnomes to go in and out. This will go a long way in improving the crumbling state of human/gnome relations, I’m sure.

But that’s just the beginning of the garden dynasty she is building–let’s go around to the back of the house:

The patio area is brand new, and was the perfect setting for a grilling post, manned by Martin for approximately 12 hours straight.

I dub thee Martin of the Grilled Bacon.

The patio area is also perfect for toenail painting (and the refurbishing of waning pedicures):

And adult conversation under the shade of the umbrella.

Do you remember that time (in your early days on this planet) when adult conversation was a mystery? Why would anyone just want to sit around and talk all day? I would ask myself. Surely there were more interesting things to do–like making paperdolls. Or going swimming. Or jumping over towels. Or pretending that the grass is a pit of quicksand, and you have walk along its edge in perfect balance and not set a single toe on it–or else you’ll fall in and be swallowed whole.

As you can see, the patio is not the end of the back yard.

There is an expanse of open space in which any children at hand can completely exhaust themselves running around.

Go Snugs go!

The adults can also migrate to the shade under the tree and continue their boring conversational endeavors.

While the kids were blowing bubbles, my cousin Eleanor and her friend Summer chatted away on some blankets.

I don’t have any landscaping skills or any reason to do landscaping, being ferreted away in an apartment building far away from things called ‘yards’ or ‘lawns,’ but if I did have some such yard or lawn, I would certainly find inspiration in what aunt Jacquie has done with the place.

Hmmm–that was a convoluted way of saying ‘way to go aunt Jacquie!’

She has some mad skillz.

Yes, I just said ‘skillz’–and I’m not taking it back. Nope.

Let’s venture around to the side of the house, where there is another patio area nestled in.

June and aunt Jacquie did me the courtesy of posing. I think I’ll call this area the ‘breakfast nook.’ Or maybe the ‘afternoon tea nook.’ Or maybe the ‘movie star nook.’

Yes, June is looking like a movie star.

Something about those sun glasses screams ‘glamour!’ to me.

And the flowers . . . oh the flowers. Is there anything more photogenic in the world?

I mean, besides movie star June?

So I’m curious–who out there has yards? And how much design have you put into them? And do you mow your lawn with great joy or with great gloom? Or do you just hire the neighbor boy to do it?