diapers and skinny jeans

in the quiet of your heart, you will hear them. little wild moments, free of judgement and fear. they are authentic, sweet girls, and they are yours. no need to be embarrassed; don't be pressured into shame. deep, deep, desires and your hopes of life and change. dreams in the night sky, dreams at the sun's rise. twirling through your headspace, everything your heart says, v i b r a t i n g  w i d l y, jotted down on a page. ____  i've been thinking a lot about my own dreams lately, the things i've been lucky enough to accomplish this year and everything i hope for 2014. the sling diaries experience has brought out the creative side of me that had been pushed to the back of my mind for a while. it has inspired me to bare everything - to have the confidence to believe in myself and manifest some of my own treasured visions to light. to contribute to something even bigger t

50/52 "A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013." Sofia- having a bit of fun playing around after our sling diaries shoot Alba- also in on the aforementioned shenanigans ;) Here we are, two portraits left until the end of the series. I'm a bit behind some of you still, but I feel proud as I near the end of this project that I know I will see to completion. I feel a book and some framed prints coming on!

49/52 "A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013." Alba- most everyone thinks you're a serious baby, but I always see your smirks. Sofia- wrapped up in linen, never too old to be worn - I'll treasure this photo forever. I cannot believe we're almost done with this series! Only a few weeks left now. Just looking at this diptych I am reminded of how much my children have grown over the year. I can't keep thinking about it or I might get too teary... thank you all for letting me catch up these past few days. This blog of mine will be getting some much needed attention and care in the new year : ) 

48/52 "A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013." Sofia- the way you take your naps now makes me giggle! You don't seem to mind at all how uncomfortable this looks. Alba- post-diaper changing session. It doesn't get much better than a tiny baby bum!

47/52 "A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013." Sofia-  tiny dancer with sunlit toes. Alba- (more chunky baby toes!) this time, within grabbing distance.

"best of all is to preserve everything in a pure, still heart, and let there be for every pulse a thanksgiving, and every breath a song" - konrad van gesner what we're up to / loving lately: writing on leftovers for off switch culture :  the sakura bloom sling diaries beautiful post on monotony and sacred work the deliciousness that was  kinfolk australia staying warm. seeing family. living well. x x x

whether or not we were prepared for it, the chill of winter is here. it bites and it stings, the kind of sharp air that burns your cheeks. we can all feel the certain restlessness that accompanies these coming months. the sun sets early now and most days we stay in the comforts of home. it happens every year, i will find myself sitting at my desk tap-tap-tapping my pencil with eyes blankly staring at the wall in front of me, aching to be outside and trying to build up the nerve to bundle up. the temperatures hit the lowest they've been all season and my patience was dwindling, so your papa and I took you both to the hill we visited this past summer, dressed in as many layers as we could fit underneath your tiny bodies. we parked our car, you were both napping, rubbing your eyes you squealed in delight when you realized where we were. it amazes me how a such a tiny human can have the capacity  to remember moments you've

this is a shot I never posted of you on your birthday in june. you were tired. it was hot and windy that day. we spent hours at the museum and the pier, walked around until our feet were sore and we felt the ache in our calves when we woke. (it was the best.)

46/52 "A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013." Sofia- sweet and tired girl, rubbing your eyes in your favorite nook in your room Alba- a friend of mine called you "pensive" ~ a beautiful adjective and I couldn't agree more!

This woman and that smile right there. El was absolutely infectious; her love, spirit and connectedness to her family are something I'll remember forever.

November, 2013 I am trying to become better at documenting the every day things, the big things, like first bites of avocado. At the tail end of six months Alba started to show interest in what we were eating.  It started by reaching and grabbing, and now that she can sit unsupported and hold on to things fairly well, we let her take eating at her own pace and watched as she led the way. Skipping cereals and purees altogether, she'll grab and try things here and there as she feels like it. I had a bit of extra time to throw a quick edit together (and I am nowhere near as good as Erick) but still, it's simple and just the way I had imagined. To keep a memory. (I think she liked it!)

Hi, friends. It's been busy here! I haven't checked in much because I've been completely immersed in a few exciting projects that will be launching very soon. Normally, this time of year has a slow lull; my happy carefree mood from summer will typically fade to the background leaving me a bit blue when the air begins to turn cold. With the new moon / hybrid solar eclipse of November, I felt something shift inside of me ~ a new opportunity to shed any negative thoughts and feelings and truly let go. It was all encompassing, and still is vibrating within me, radiating from the inside out. Kindness is easy and the interconnectedness to those around me feels stronger than ever. I had said a few quiet prayers and manifested dreams to start becoming reality. It's taken some (a lot) of courage and loads of dedicated time, but I can feel the universe shifting... can you feel it too?

45/52 " A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013. " Sofia & Alba-  the crib is used more for play than it is for sleeping. You both still very much like to sleep nestled in with your parents, and frankly, OF COURSE I would rather have it this way! I love how concerned and protective Sofia is as she takes on her new role of big sister. We found a "big scary" bug flying around the house today and she immediately wanted to run into her room, jump in the crib with her sister and shield her from that curious critter. Such girls ; ) Can't believe we are wrapping up this year already...

If you haven't had a chance to pop on over to Off Switch Blog  recently, Katie has been up to a lot of fantastic things.  She launched her new paper goods and hand-knit shop and there are so many delightful goodies that I can't wait to get my hands on.  I've been writing bi-weekly over in her space for her brand new column, Back To Basics . Alongside some very fantastic company, the lovely  Britty Wesely  and Heather Zweig  will be sharing their talents there too. It's a lot of fun ~ we're stripping down everyday life and sharing words and photos in their most simplistic form. Hoping you enjoy the new read!

44/52 " A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013. " Sofia- jumping up and down with papa will never get old Alba- a bit too young for the jumping, but very much in love with kisses from sister

43/52 "A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013." Alba-  asleep in the sling ~ they must ship these out with sleepy dust! Sofia-  playing with new friends and feeling quite happy about it : )

Hey there, I'm Ashley and I write over on  The Stork & The Beanstalk . I contacted Kate some time ago about doing a guest post over on my blog as I'm out recovering from some pretty major back surgery. Kate was kind enough to invite me to guest post here as well, so thank you, Kate, for having me on your lovely corner of the worldwide web. Kate wrote a post a while back, prior to the birth of her beautiful Alba, about her fear of loving a second child. It was something that I related to so deeply to on so many levels as I had experienced the same fears. I am the mother of two boys; Hooper will be three in November and Van turned one in July. Ready for a dose of honesty? It took me longer to love Van than it did Hooper. I was a bit surprised by it because everything I read, prior to giving birth, talked about how your love multiplies rather than divides and blah blah blah. It wasn’t like that for me; not right away, at least. When I was hand

42/52 "A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013." Sofia - forever my fearless, lone explorer.  There are no limits for you. Alba - gifts from the sweetest of friends , finally cool enough to wear your toque.