Below are some things we can’t wait to enjoy together as a family during our 2012 summer!

1. Visit the beach
2. Make S’mores
3. Worlds of Fun
4. Oceans of Fun
5. Royals baseball game
6. Picnic
7. Outdoor concerts
8. Explore new parks
9. Kansas City Zoo
10. Camp out in the backyard
11. Treasure hunt
12. Make a sandcastle
13. Water balloon fight
14. Pick a new chapter book to read before bedtime
15. Nelson Atkins Museum
16. Science City
17. Go fishing
18. Find a Carnival
19. Deanna Rose Farmstead
20. Splashgrounds in Liberty, Zona Rosa, Crown Center & Loose Park
21. Get ice cream cones at Murray’s
22. Berry picking
23. Lemonade stand
24. Hold a bike carwash
25. Play in the sprinkler
26. Go swimming every week
27. Make juice popsicles
28. Theatre in the Park
29. Make Sock Puppets for a Puppet Show
30. Visit the Overland Park Arboretum
31. Family Movie Night with homemade popcorn
32. Mini Golf
33. Paradise Park
34. Have a BBQ with friends
35. Take a vacation
36. Family bike rides
37. Geocaching & Letterboxing
38. Pick a bouquet of wildflowers
39. Fireworks
40. Hiking
41. Arts & Crafts days
42. Drive-in movie
43. Library visits
44. Play outside with neighbors
45. Sidewalk chalk
46. Summer movie specials
47. Fly a kite
48. Cloud watching
49. Spa day
50. Visit the Moon Marble Factory
51. Play at the Grove at Zona Rosa
52. Farmer’s Markets
53. Natural History Museum in Lawrence, KS
54. KC Irish Fest
55. Jazz Fest
56. Cook an egg on the sidewalk
57. Kaleidoscope
58. Rent a boat
59. Build an outdoor fort
60. Have a dress-up party
61. Play charades
62. Make taffy
63. Attend storytime at Barnes & Noble
64. Go rollerskating
65. Bowling
66. Make pet rocks
67. Have a tea party
68. Drink limeades from Winstead’s
69. Tiffany Springs Aquatic Center
70. Hayrides at Allredge Orchards
71. Red Barn Farm
72. Laser Tag
73. KC Jiggle Jam
74. Reading Reptile
75. Make bead necklaces
76. Take Francie to a dog park
77. Build a Fairy Garden
78. Festa Italiana
79. Midwest Balloon Fest
80. Make a summer scrapbook of memories

I love summer in Kansas City!

PIN IT!
My Galleries
Book a Session
Visit my photography business blog
Photography Website
LIKE us on Facebook!

But before I share her unintentional sense of humor, here are a couple quick photographs I took the day before her birthday. I just love that happy smile of hers!

And now… the funny stuff:

Annabelle came into our bedroom a little while ago and said, tearfully, “Guys, I love cuddling my teddy, but I really need a human if I’m ever going to fall asleep tonight.”

“Hey, Mom? Did you know that girl? Named Eve? She ate an apple and God took her clothes off! So she was NAKED!!! OUTSIDE! WITH A SNAKE!!!! But then she had to go to time out because Jesus told her not to eat it for dinner, but… she did anyway. But Mom, isn’t an apple a healthy food?” Creationism by Annabelle, 101.

A clerk was making conversation with Annabelle, and she shared that Mommy is a photographer. The clerk asked her what I photograph, and Annabelle said, “Oh, you know. Some babies and kids. But mostly little chairs and baskets.” …ahahaha

My sweet girl’s secret-keeping continues to crack me up. I walked in the house yesterday and immediately smelled perfume, so I asked her if she’d sprayed some of mine. She looked at me a long moment and said, “Mom, I can’t tell you what we bought you for Christmas so please don’t ask me things like that. Daddy sprayed some on me at the store but it doesn’t mean you’re getting perfume, okay?” hahahaha. ♥

Today I woke up to a tiny hand holding mine….and trying to pry my wedding ring off my finger. (She said she just wanted to “borrow” it.)

We were a little mutually exasperated with each other this afternoon, and a conversation ended with, “OKAY, Mom….. keep your tail on.”

“Mom, I wish it was Mother’s day for you. Then you could totally relax and not have to do any work at all!” 

“Mom, how much do you love me?” 
“Alllll the way to the moon and back.” 
“Well, I love you all the way to Jupiter and back.”
“I love you all the way to the next galaxy and back!” 
(pause)
“Well…I don’t know what’s bigger than another galaxy. But I love you more than the whole wide world, okay? So I love you the very mostest!!!” 
(I informed her that kids can’t win that contest.)

“Mom, sometimes I don’t like to go out to dinner with you and Daddy as a family, because I don’t get enough turns to talk about what I want to say. I know! You should just take me out to dinner by myself, and Daddy can take me out by himself tomorrow. And then you’ll get to learn about all the interesting things I want to tell you, instead of talking to Daddy the whole time. Deal?”

“Sometimes I think you and Daddy probably stay up really late and watch movies together and eat treats after I go to bed.”

This morning, after realizing her breakfast plate wasn’t at the table: “Anna, did you eat the breakfast that I made you?” ……silence. Big eyes. Bigger sigh. “No, Mom. I did not ‘actually’ eat the breakfast. I hid it in my room, underneath my play kitchen.” …..”Um…. well thanks for telling me the truth. Can you go find it?” ……”You mean I don’t have to eat it?!!?! Oh, I’m so glad I told you!”

I was holding her babydoll, as instructed, and she said – “Oh Mom, aren’t you lucky to have such a sweet little darling for your first grandchild?” and then five minutes later, “Mom, I really hope you didn’t let me eat my toes when I was a baby. I mean, I hope you told me that toes aren’t actually food.”

“Mom, I look so clever today! I have a ponytail and a headband in my hair at the same time!”

I was clipping Annabelle’s fingernails when she said, ‘Hey Mom, let’s pretend I’m a movie star and you’re one of my people.” I said, ‘What kind of people are you talking about…?’ and she said, ‘Moooom. you know. One of my people. The people who decorate me before I go out on stage. You can do my hair next. Ask me about my movie, too, okay?’

“Mom, my tooth is pretty wiggly. We should start getting ready for the tooth fairy to visit!!! Hey, and you should fluff my pillow so I don’t squish her accidentally, okay?” When I asked her why, she said, “Well, because all the kids in the whole wide world would be sad if she couldn’t fly anymore.” hahahaha…cannot stop laughing….

Annabelle marched right into her classroom today and said, “Hi teachers! I wasn’t at school yesterday because we decided to sleep in!” ….which was extra fabulous because I’d just told one of them about my doctor’s appointment being too far away for me to make it back in time for pickup, so she came with me instead of going to school. But we DID sleep in, so I’m glad everyone’s clear on that now.

“Mom, do they have hotels out south for the birds in wintertime?” …it kind of cracked me up that she said “out south” instead of “down south” but I was too busy laughing at the question to really focus on that aspect.

“Mom, I’m going to grow up and whole world is gonna hear how loud my voice is.” ….I don’t think she meant to be inspiring, but I loved it anyway.

This is the second time in three days that Annabelle has told me, “I really can’t wait to be in charge someday.”

My husband took Annabelle to see Cars 2 tonight, and just texted me that she started praying as the lights went down, “Dear Jesus, thank you for this cotton candy because it’s the best thing EVER.” Slurp.

Today, Annabelle needed a little thinking time to reflect about why we don’t run away from our parents in a Super Target…ahem. When she was done, the tears started to fall and I asked why she was crying. “Because I just wanted to look at a barbie and now I’m suffering all this sadness in my heart!”

My husband won a free tiny Acer notebook, and we thought, oh, perfect, Annabelle can use it for educational games and videos. Well, it’s only day 2 of owning it and she just barricaded her room with stuffed animals in hopes of watching netflix and playing starfall.com under the covers tonight. She was super mad that Daddy caught on to her secret plans.

“Mom, can we call you evil stepmother today? Because I want to clean the house. I’m being Cinderella.”

Tonight when we cuddled before bed, after a weekend apart, she laid her head on my arm to rest, as she has since she was an infant – “Mama, your arms are so squishy. They make the most special pillows.” I’m glad she missed my squishy arms.

I made gluten-free black bean spaghetti tonight and Annabelle asked, staring at the black, skinny pasta – “Mom, why would you give your precious daughter snakes…or are they worms….for dinner?”

My husband just left for evening mass in an “I will not be late to church!” frenzy, leaving the other 2/3 of the family a tad irritable. Annabelle said to me, “Mom, please tell Dad we don’t do drama in this house. Because he was sooo drama just now, wasn’t he?”

“Mom, it’s so great that God made people with purple hair. And it’s even more fantastic that they can actually live in our city!” (said very loudly while waiting for our sliced cheese from the multi-colored-fun-haired deli worker)

“Mmmm, Mommy, you smell just like a big bowl of fruity chapstick!”

Annabelle came into my room this morning, half-dressed, hands on her chest, a frustrated look on her face. “Mom,” she asked “when will I have big, giant nah-nahs? Mine haven’t changed at ALL. How am I going to feed my babies someday!?”

Pleasantly driving along I-35 today, singing along to the radio, when suddenly I hear this question shouted over the music, “but how does the daddy PUT the seed into the mommy’s tummy?”

….I love my sweet girl! She makes me laugh every single day.

PIN IT!
My Galleries
Book a Session
LIKE us on Facebook!

PIN IT!
My Galleries
Book a Session
LIKE us on Facebook!

We decided homemade chocolate chip cookies were in order.

These disappeared too fast for a regular photo, so my camera phone picture will have to do!

PIN IT!
My Galleries
Book a Session
LIKE us on Facebook!

I’m certain the rain is bringing with it the lushness of springtime, and all the beautiful greenery we will soon enjoy. And I’m someone who likes a rainy day, usually, but today when I mentioned that I hoped it clears up soon – Annabelle told me, “But Mom, the rain is painting the earth with color!”

What a very happy thought.

And here is one of my favorite quotes from The Secret Garden, paired with a picture I took last week of a nearby cherry blossom tree. I SO love cherry blossom trees, but alas, my husband is ridiculously allergic to them – so I mostly enjoy their beauty from behind the camera.

PIN IT!
My Galleries
Book a Session
LIKE us on Facebook!

(This is going in her room to remind her… you can dance anywhere, even if only in your heart.)

PIN IT!
My Galleries
Book a Session
LIKE us on Facebook!

Annabelle, I hope that I always encourage you to reveal yourself and your perceptions and emotions. I hope that I embolden you to discover your authentic self, to freely nurture your creative spirit. I hope that I never impose my own feelings, opinions or expectations upon you. May you always be yourself, with your own hopes, dreams and ambitions, content in the knowledge that you are adored for your own unique individuality. You are a treasure, and may I always be grateful for the gift that is you.

PIN IT!
My Galleries
Book a Session
LIKE us on Facebook!

We found out that the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art has a scavenger hunt activity for kids every Saturday. Oh, happy day! Other then nearly having my camera taken away from me (apparently pictures aren’t allowed…yikes), we had a great time today. And I managed to sneak this photo – shhh! She loved the game, and we enjoyed the art, too.

PIN IT!
My Galleries
Book a Session
LIKE us on Facebook!

PIN IT!
My Galleries
Book a Session
LIKE us on Facebook!

Taylor “flew” over us during her encore, and here’s a photograph I snapped with my point and shoot… I wish I could have taken my professional camera, but those weren’t allowed inside.

We were really lucky to be so close to it all, with our floor seats right next to the bottom part of the gigantic “T” stage. Taylor walked out into the crowd and hugged lots of the little people, which sent Annabelle just about over the edge, of course. It’s so fun that she’s old enough to share these experiences – I suppose it’s one perk to her growing up! Her daddy and I both love live music and she appears to be a big fan too.

Contact Me
Visit my photography website
Read my business blog
Like me on facebook!