The sweetest sisters

Blue eyes, Green eyes

these girls are so beautiful. Look into their eyes. I've not seen such beautiful eyes ever before.  I can respect the argument that it might be because they are my children. And I say, that's right! It's because they are my girls, that's why. I feel more by looking into their eyes than the average person would who doesn't know them, but that doesn't really matter. I'm just grateful to capture in photograph how gorgeous they are. And grateful for the feeling I get looking into the eyes of these sensitive souls. My girls. My blessings.

Bean Hollow

Brad took a "stay-home-vacation" this past weekend. He had thursday, friday, and monday off. what a treat for us! It's only hard when he goes back after 5 days with us. we miss him. our days are more fun with him and our little bond as a family gets tight and strong. We're lucky. So friday I wanted to be on the coast no matter how cold it was. I was yearning to smell the sea air and walk in the sand, so we took a long drive down Rt.1 to a beach we'd always thought was beautiful, Bean Hollow. There are tide pools there filled with sea life. You can hear the crabs clicking away and see the sea snails, sea urchins, etc. so many cool things. Ava loved it. She hung with Daddy a lot and was so intrigued at what was swimming around in the pools. She sat here with Brad for a good 20 minutes and he told her stories about what is in the sea. 

this is her face as B told her about sharks.

Ava and Daddy. so cute.

I had to put this photo in for proof that she is my child too. I hear so much about how Ava looks like Brad and Hailey. Well, if you've seen my baby pictures, this child in this picture, looks like me! thank goodness ;)

walking on the beach

stripped down and rolling in the sand is just Ava's style :) does it matter that it's cold? nope!

my bug.

I found a crab!! they try to hide, but I found one! HA!

my favorite thing there were the ice plants, changing color as fall approaches. Such natural, beautiful colors.

Bean Hollow was a wonderful place to spend a Friday afternoon. wonderful.

Princess Cowgirl

please check out the professional photos too: www.cassiegreenphotography.blogspot.com

Ava and I had a blast together down at Vasona Park on Friday in the late afternoon. The lighting was beautiful, as it always is in the late afternoon, and Ava was so sweet and agreeable as I snapped away inspired by her little dress-up outfit. She is just the girliest of girls sometimes, and I love it! We wandered through the train tracks and fields and ended up at Oak Meadow Park where she loves to run and play. So here are some of the fun shots we got at the park. No one passed us by without commenting on her beautiful choice of clothing. And even Mommy had on 2 necklaces chosen for me by Ava. We were princesses in the park with no shame. :) It was so fun. 

Remembering Lea

This morning I woke at 8am with Ava and as I was making my daily Italian illy cappuccino it struck me that right at that moment,  Lea's loved ones were probably all gathered in church with her ashes honoring her life on this earth. My heart sunk that I couldn't be there, but I was also filled with joy that she is now riding the flow of the universe, intertwined with Bruno's soul, as free as an angel. That makes me happy, but I miss her and still long to have had a better chance to say goodbye.

My mom sent me these photos minutes after I was flooded with these feelings and I cried. They were there right when I was having this moment. It's really touching the connections we have to our family. I didn't know what exact time the funeral would be, so it was the power of all that love and prayer, I guess, that reached me in California. Some may that's silly, but I believe it. 

Lea's ashes will be mixed with Bruno's and will be spread in Milan by my mom.

Lea, I will keep in my heart you're loving spirit, your gentle laugh, and your kind kind soul. I'm sad that I will never hear you say "tanti bacioni" (many little kisses) to me again, but I will say it to Ava so she will have a piece of you in her forever, as I do. I'm glad you are safe now. I'll see you or feel you when it's my turn. I love you.

beauty queen in black & white

After days and hours of mommy taking Ava's picture, Ava found a little camera and now walks around with it, pointing it at me, and asking me to "say cheese". It's adorable. We had fun taking pictures of each other yesterday while she sat on her potty seat. She won't get off of it! Sometimes I have to bribe her. But on this day we just enjoyed being up close and silly together :) oooo! I love that cheek dimple!

A great trip to San Diego to see a Great Grandpa (in every sense of the word)

you are not going to believe this. As I was sorting through images on my camera and deleting those that had already been uploaded to our computer....can you see what's about to happen? I deleted almost ALL of my photos from San Diego!!! I know, I'm mad at myself too :( Boo. But you know what? The very best remain. There will be year after year that we go to the zoo with the girls, but both of them sitting on their great grandpa's knees, laughing and hugging him at age 2 and 7, that's a shot that is important and it's not lost. I still have it.

thank goodness. I would have been so sad to have lost this photo. How sweet it is.

The girls LOVE their Great Grandpa Ayers. He's 88 and still lives in his perfect little house in Chula Vista, CA. 755 Date Ave.

Every time I get to the house I find myself standing on this covered porch and breathing in the coastal air and perfect temperature. It's so relaxing to be there and Grandpa makes every, and I really mean every, effort to make it comfortable for us. He had beds made up, tickets for the zoo purchased, a potty seat for Ava, porch chairs just their size, balls, bubbles and a swing for the back yard, food for us, and love. So much love!

So, as you can imagine the girls were outside 99% of the time. Oh, to have a back yard! I never saw so much running and falling, laughing and screaming, acrobats and meals eaten outside by these two in my life :) (look at Hailey, such a drama queen...both our girls are!! It makes me laugh!)

The "fing" (swing) was Ava's favorite thing. By the end of the weekend she was finally comfortable enough to let Hailey push her. I'll just say it was hysterical to watch. Please look closely at Hailey's face in this series of shots....Is it supposed to be fun or scary?!!

FUN! definitely fun :)

We had such a great time and Thank Grandpa entirely for that. We went to the San Diego Zoo on Friday, which was wonderful. We saw elephants, jaguars, zebra's, Koala bears, monkeys, hippos, polar bears and my favorite, gorillas.  Ava LOVED the zoo. She was such a trooper, getting 20 minutes of sleep for a nap a day, she was cheerful and happy. We also went to Coronado on Saturday to the beach next to the Hotel Del. I have so many memories there from my early 20's and also with Brad. It's wonderful to go back every year, though Brad and I were fantasizing about having a weekend away there as we were trudging along the beach with all our gear and girls to get closer to the water! :) Someday. We walked past a place on the beach where we once had a picnic and watched the sunset. Oh, how times have changed! :) It's just awesome to go through different stages of life and continue to come back to the same places along the journey. That's what visiting Grandpa is for us and we are so grateful for our time there every year. Thank you, Grandpa. We already miss you so much! xo