let's celebrate the season.

check out this site. nearly 90 donated items from our favorite blogs and etsy sites are up for auction until 10pm tonight, and all proceeds benefit a family in need.

i can't think of a better way to celebrate the season.

plus, it's great stuff. donations from q.a. design, miss ruby sue, alice lane, tulie bakery and so many more.

olive.

and we're done.

ahh. i love this girl! i can't believe she's almost 2. here are photos from her shoot in tucson.

this proves it.

my sister's family is the cutest.

while we were in arizona i took family pictures for them.

(i snuck in a quick shoot of olive too, those photos still to come.)

we happened upon the location, i died.

isn't it great!

grateful.

trying out 2 kids at sanctuary cove.

...i think we're ready.

"wish me luck, cause i'm going to take on the monster"

MONSTER TRUCKS!

so this is my thanksgiving post. a little late i know but i'm moving a little (a lot) slower these days. 35 weeks ahh!

this year i'm grateful for a lot of things.

but i'm especially grateful that we were able to spend thanksgiving with family. this year we spent the holiday in tucson, az with my sister and her family.

it was awesome to fly out on tuesday morning leaving behind a crazy blizzard and arriving in tucson to 75 degree weather. love you arizona.

it was one of those visits where it didn't matter what we did, we had a good time because we were in good company. sister's are the best, especially mine.

we were a wild bunch with 4 adults and 4.75 kids, and we played.

highlights include:

ikea. (of course)

owen's grand-person breakfast at school.

rooster cogburn's ostrich farm: monster truck ride, fishing for ostriches with grapefruit and feeding deer, goats, donkeys and lorakeets. HILARIOUS!

date night. gelato at frost.

late nights with giant diet cokes, red vines, sister talk and way too many episodes of battlestar galactica for the boys.

cooking with my sister and enjoying a beautiful thanksgiving meal.

hiking at sanctuary cove.

black friday shopping with the girls and peppermint hot cocoa with ella.

touring the ritz carlton.

watching olive dance with ella to the just dance WII game.

family science night at chick-fil-a and liam's amazing brake dance head spin off the playset...don't worry, he's okay. those peterson kids are tough.

thanks for letting us come. we love you guys!

...move to idaho please.

30 weeks

and feeling LARGE.

i'll only trunk or treat if...

you leave my hood off.

i'm not kidding.

LEAVE IT OFF!


so, she trunk or treated as a pink flamingo with a broken neck.

...she'll be 2 in february.

at the pumpkin patch

scouting for the perfect pumpkin.

"ewww." this hay is prickly.

"hi mom."

this one looks good. can we go?

that's more like it.

olive is so much fun lately. her little personality comes out more and more each day.

the kid loves to play.

all the way to the atlantic

sunrise: kitty hawk, nc

zoo: asheboro, nc

duck, nc


spencer, olive and i made the long trek from idaho to north carolina last week. it was olive's first time visiting nana and papa marshall and "pig"(their cat).

we went to the nc zoo in asheboro and it was AMAZING. spencer and olive fed the giraffes, the chimp exhibit was impressive, and we watched the elephants splash in the lake up close. the zoo was massive and really wooded and natural, we kept saying it felt like we were actually seeing them on a safari. a must see if you're in the area!

we took olive to the ocean for the first time at the outer banks. we toured the wright brothers monument, saw the hatteras lighthouse, and played at the beach.

we had so much fun playing, and shopping and talking,(and the 8 hours of travel on either end were...bearable).

thanks for having us come nana and papa marshall!

we miss you and "KITTY"

utah...again

spencer and i are weekend frequenters of the salt lake city area. more so lately because boise shopping and dining struggles=0 and we're closer.

we also love to get away and spend time with family and friends.

this past weekend we stayed at ty and kumari's, AND i got a rockin' girl getaway day with miss aubry and jen.

we took olive swimming each morning, and to the animal farm where she rode a pony TWICE, went on a wagon ride and yours truly milked a cow! (still makes me gag a little)

we stopped by ikea of course, checked out ty's movie making office, ate at pizzeria 712 YUM, and caught the tour of utah bike race finish at snowbird.

i loaded up at the rack in murray and found a killer rug and red shoes at urban.

also of note, blue lemon, sawadee, the chocolate, and this indian restaurant in highland that i can't remember the name of.

it seems like every time we spend a weekend in utah it comes up on the drive home that maybe we should move there.

...maybe we should.

rad picture of olive.

loving the pool.

baby cows are cute.

male turkeys are NOT cute.

i might have a veggie thanksgiving this year.

proof.

the chocolate. delicious!

putting my feet up at barnes and noble after a full day of shopping. these girls are FUN!

we're having a...

baby BOY!

he's healthy and thriving and everything looks just right.

let's talk about olive

olive had her 18 month check up this week. 18 months...crazy.

she's healthy and thriving at a whopping 34" tall and 27 lbs, that puts her in the 95% for height and 75% for weight.

the girl is tall.

she's talking jiberish like a pro and is saying more and more words each day. some of her favorites right now are: cheese, papa, ball, moon, and popcorn (which she could eat her weight in). she can point to most all of her body parts, and she's doing great with animal sounds. she loves to meow like kitty, bark like a dog, hiss like a snake, and growl for lions, tigers, bears and most all other animals. she loves baths and LOVES to swim.

she becoming more and more of a little girl and less of a baby each day. she's happy most all the time and really expressive. she easily smiles and laughs, and loves to play, dance and be silly.

AND, she's an official nursery goer!

here are a few videos of what she's been up to lately.

who knew that showing this little thing the world could be so rewarding.

summer fun

we've had a lot of fun the last few weeks with family in town.

nate, julie and clara were here for a week in july. we spent a lot of time outside and at the park with the kids. and nate and i were able to celebrate our birthdays together just like old times.

..get ready for photos.

(classic nate face)

then alisa, owen, ella, and liam came 2 days later and stayed for a week, and kyle and his girlfriend jeneca came for the weekend.

we played at the water floor and the pool.

we had bbq's and played on the swing.

we celebrated owen's 7th birthday with a waterfight...olive got to the birthday cake a little early and took her share with the ice cream scoop.(thanks owen for being such a good sport about it.)

(olive loved the pool, she was giddy for an hour straight)

(the damage)

olive was in heaven with so many cousins to play with for so long.

it was wild and crazy and wonderful!

come back...