instagram luv

sorry it's been so quiet over here. the holidays are just so busy busy busy. here are a few pics of what we have been up to lately. wishing everyone a wonderful holiday!!!

xo,

lori

i will honor christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all year.

-charles dickens

instagram luv : halloween

xo,

lori 

instagram luv

1. ay

2. luv the fall....my parents yard

3. ry

4. always enjoy watching ay use his artistic skillz

5. more art at ay's classroom

6. ry guy

7. cool kids book i found at the library. the artwork was so rad

8. ry's cute feet

9. one of my favorite places to eat

10. ry's pancakes

11. ry in his classroom

12. something growing in my parents grass

13. scary dude

14. little body in cute jeans

15. balloon season

16. ay

xo,

lori

dreams are necessary to life...

-anais nin

instagram luv : bowling edition

it's been so busy around here!! the boys went to a bowling party last weekend & here are some pics!

xo,

lori

strength does not come from physical capacity. it comes from an indomitable will.

-mahatma gandhi

instagram luv

oh my! what an insanely busy couple of weeks!!

1. out in grosse pointe at a park for a family reunion

2. my fav fall drink right now (salted caramel mocha) & a fun trip to ikea with mel

3. damn good cake at my gf daughters bd party

4. my ry guy at his fund run for school

5. cool shroom

6. oktoberfest y'all

7. the family reunion

8. old plymouth 

9. ry in armor

10. japanese steakhouse...boys beg every weekend to go. one of their favs

11. ay 

12. parents yard

13. dad cut down a tree today

14. ry

15. the boys hermit crab 'scorponok'. 

16. bb fun

laters,

lori

the voice of beauty speaks softly; it creeps only into the most fully awakened souls
-Friedrich Nietzsche

instagram luv

it was the quickest trip up north ever-just one night in frankfort. it is so beautiful i could spend a whole day just taking photos. the landscape takes my breath away.

xo,

lori

Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears.
Edgar Allan Poe

instagram luv

it was a last hurrah for summer. we went to the peach festival for the first time to take the boys to the carnival. OH BOY....i love people watching at these type of things. the clothing and hair that you see at a carnival are amazzzing. i wish i could have taken photos of some of the ensembles that people were sporting. anyways...the boys had a fun time even though ry was too short for any of the big rides. he was a trooper and never complained once of waiting in the heat while ay got to ride. good summer memories for sure!!

xo,

lori

The most wonderful and the strongest things in the world, you know, are just the things which no one can see.
Charles Kingsley

instagram luv

1. ay body surfing on 'flow rida' at the waterpark

2. good lord...the blue coconut creamslush was such a treat 

3. big lollipop

4. sweet corn from the farm down the street from my parents up north. the absolute BEST

5. arcade fun at the hotel

6. took the boat for a long ride and went to a restaurant on the lake. ay heading in

7. nuff said

8. ryguy

9. smores yo

10. gorgeous sunset at the lake

11. happy birthday today dad!!! xo

12. arcade

13. wheel of fortune action

14. water parks make for a tired boy

15. ry's new kicks for school. of course he picked out the purple ones

16. ay

xo,

lori

If we are always arriving and departing, it is also true that we are eternally anchored. One's destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things. 

-henry miller

instagram luv

1. ry in port huron just before we were totally DRENCHED by the rain. nothing feels better than wet jeans....ugh

2. port huron

3. my moms flower garden

4. mornings with tim hortens for breakfast is always awesome

5. saw this bus in the parking lot at the mall. i had to get up close and take a pic. i loved the color of it & i wanted to jump on for a ride

6. card at target

7. a lady gave ry a penny at meijer to ride the horse. he wasn't that impressed with the action being a big six year old

8. antique shop

9. love old cameras

10. ay after being soaked by the torrential downpour

11. celebrating my dad's birthday

12. cool stuff in port huron. i want to take the kids back downtown & take their pics. so many cool spots

13. sign on the water

14. coast gaurd

15. my ay boy

16. ry shooting the bb gun. i'm sure he really didn't need the noise protection

xo,

lori

...and in the shadow she crawls, clutching her faded photograph. my image under her thumb. yes with a message for my heart. she's been everybody else's girl maybe one day she'll be her own. -tori amos

instagram luv

have been trying out different apps with my pics...i am really loving the feel of these.

1. ry

2. canvas in my office

3. me & my baby

4. i mustache you a question...

5. finally put photos in these frames i snagged from my mama

6. going to work

7. ry in the lake

8. the boys making pizzas

9. ay submerging

10. ceiling at sagebrush

11. my boy with those eye that make me melt

12. beach

13. ry

14. my favorite photo of my grandma, mom & uncle. this just makes me smile

15. water shadow

16. piggy back with ay

xo,

lori

’the white light streams down to be broken up by those human prisms into all the colors of the rainbow.’ charles r. brown 

instagram luv

1. butterfly at my parents

2. in my mom's flower garden

3. my boy who is almost always laughing

4. one of the many pieces of outdoor art at trick dog

5. more trick dog

6. ay showing me a leaf skeleton he found

7. just some dandelions

8. doorknob on my parents little shed

9. ay shooting a bb gun for the first time....thanks to my dad for taking the time to show him!

10. bullseye....awww yeah

11. ay with one of his favorite meals at the mall

12. ornamental grass

13. trick dog again...i heart this

14. my reflection

15. ry's 'medal' he drew for his blankie that was competing in a swimming race. uh too funny

16. my tired ryry

xo,

lori

still, what i want in my life is to be willing to be dazzled

-to cast aside the weight of facts and maybe even to float a little above this difficult world. -mary oliver

instagram luv - beach & pool edition

since these photos don't need descriptions i'm just going to wish everyone a fabulous weekend!!

xo,

lori

'so many things i had thought forgotten

return to my mind with stranger pain;

like letters that arrive addressed to someone

who left the house so many years ago'

-philip larkin

instagram luv-x's 2

1. where we stayed the first half of our trip

2. evening swing at lake michigan

3. my most favorite place ever...trick dog

4. races on the beach

5. ay & i at trick dog

6. new playground in town

7. ry's new bow & arrow from meme

8. ghetto carnival in town

9. i hate clowns! so damn creepy

10. beach

11. the most amazing cherry pie from the cherry hut

12. gorgeous lighthouse

13. i thought this was so funny

14. ay's bow & arrow

15. view of crystal lake at the mccracken's

16. ry

1. ready, set, go....

2. ry & i at my parents

3. saw 2 of these signs by my parents cottage. was so intrigued

4. ry

5. gorgeous view at lake michigan

6. pretty flower

7. ay jumping off the dock

8. my ry boy

9. my nephew 

10. the twins on the boat

11. ay ready for the little parade

12. ry and ben

13. ay

14. in frankfort

15. love this pic of ry

16. lake michigan

this was my most favorite photo of the trip. even though this was just taken with my phone and the quality sucks... i still LOVE it

xo,

lori

we travel

some of us forever

to seek other states

other lives

other souls

-anais nin

instagram luv

1. beachin' it some this summer. luv how ay gets tiny sweat beads on his nose

2. my mom's flower garden

3. ay's slip n slide action

4. my niece's first dance recital

5. ay's artwork

6. girls weekend in cleveland. luv my dear friends

7. ay 

8. spy glasses 

9. goofballs brushing teeth

10. beach

11. ry

12. bar during girls weekend where a super entertaining band had these on stage

13. grilling out

14. my sweet grandma & niece

15. my friend jess. the reason for our girls weekend. this chick is cool all the way around

16. baseball is over. had a really fun season

xo, 

lori

’memory is a tenuous thing, like a rainbow's end or a camera with a failing lens.’

~ ellen hopkins

instagram luv

1. ay's new ride

2. my parents place up north

3. ry enjoying dinner outside at bw's

4. ay up north getting ready to get on the water...is there anything cuter than little boys in their bathing suits? adorable...

5. ry on the boat

6. bubble blowing

7. a sweet girl in ay's class gave this note to him. so cute

8. ry at his kindergarten picnic. the award was so fitting...

9. just me

10. caught ry eating some popcorn

11. ay

12. ry annoyed and not wanting another picture taken

13. ay at his first grade picnic

14. ry enjoying the pool

15. i've been consuming tons of freeze pops. the green is my fav

16. found this beastie boys tank for ry. love it

xo, 

lori

The stars are blazing like rebel diamonds cut out of the sun
When you read my mind

-the killers

instagram luv

1. ry at the school carnival pumped after winning a giant pixie stick. exactly what he needed...not

2. roof at the kids school

3. we rode six miles to get ice cream-so fun

4. one of ry's artwork pieces on the back of a restaurant's placemat. he has always drawn the smallest people i have ever seen. i guess that's because he is a little guy. love all the detail

5. sky while i was sitting out on the deck

6. ry's new pose when i take his picture. he loves trying to roll his eyes in the back. lovely

7. ay's field trip where we learned about plants

8. dork sporting headband

9. ay at his field trip

10. ry's self portrait. i like how one eye has amazing eye lashes & the other one has none

11. ry refuses to learn how to ride a bike so i had to pull his 42 lb butt in the bike trailer for the six miles. thank god it was not a hilly ride

12. love my new purple polish

13. ay's artwork from the beginning of the school year i believe

14. ry playing ipad

15. dork in purple

16. ay enjoying ice cream on our ride

xo,

lori

there is a place in the heart that will never be filled and we will wait and wait in that space. ~ charles bukowski

instagram luv

it was a good memorial weekend...

1. bluegill that ay caught

2. ay fishing...waiting patiently

3. sunday was pretty much a washout

4. stack of waffles my brother polished off

5. ry enjoying a freeze pop in the heat

6. baby bird the kids found. sadly i don't think he made it...

7. nasty carp they caught off the dock

8. my niece

9. flowers at the cottage

10. ay with his catch

11. painting i did for the bathroom up north

12. ry showing me his catch

13. playing legos while we waited for the rain to finish

14. my bro trying out bow fishing

15. fun filled days makes for sleepy boys

16. ay

xo, 

lori

torn between wanting to stay & wanting to go & worried it will be the wrong decision either way -story people

instagram luv x's 2

1. ry at bk...he ALWAYS is making me laugh

2. i wore this broach that my sweet grandma let me have. i love the color & the retro feel of it

3. the side of a restaurant

4. i love this time of year, especially watching ay casting away trying to catch a big fish

5. ay's artwork

6. sagebrush baby!

7. ry in the shower

8. my niece-check out her static hair from the slide...ha!

9. it was my momma's birthday this week. i love her so darn much!!

10. the view from my deck

11. happy birthday!

12. the boys and my nephew out to eat

13. ay had his first home run last week & he got to keep the gameball 

14. ry in the bath

15. artwork at the boy's school

16. saw this canvas at a store 

it also was my sweet ay's eighth birthday yesterday. i tried to make it super special for him since it is his off year for having a party with friends. he had a great day and to see him smiling so big made my heart feel so darn good. he's getting so big...worrying about how his hair is spiked and if his clothes match. where did the time go? i remember him wearing his purple wiggles shirt for almost a whole year nonstop! (that about killed me)!!! anyways happy birthday to my boy. i love you!!!

xo,

lori

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you have ceased to live. -mark twain

instagram luv

1. saw this on a building on the way to the dentist

2. one of my favorite pillows

3. ry with an orange smile at ay's baseball game

4. sign in my office

5. yours truly

6. hot air balloon right out in our backyard

7. this was laying on the street at one of ay's baseball games. my dad kept telling ryan to go get the seashell out there. he thinks he is quite the comedian but we did have some good laughs over it

8. my nephew showing me he can almost hide a whole ice cream cone in his mouth

9. found this napkin on the floor. ay wrote this to torment his poor brother- 'p.s. yor vois is weared ry cry.' 

10. ay at one of his games

11. my downfall right now. damn it you mocha coconut frappuccino!!!

12. ry boi

13. gansta hangin' at the park

14. another picture in my office 'the whole world as we experience it visually comes to us through the mystic realm of color' -hans hoffman

15. hulk at target

16. luv this guys profile

xo, 

lori

'home is where the heart can laugh without shyness. home is where the heart's tears can dry at their own pace.' -vernon baker

instagram luv

1. baseball season is here-ay playing machine pitch

2. ry's chalk art

3. avengers baby! we loved it!

4. canvas i had made with some of my fav instagrams. can't wait to make another!

5. ay's mothers day gift from school. it reads: 'i love you because you play with me and you take care of me. i love you because you take me to baseball. i love you because you are special and i love you because you take me to the store.'  *wiping away tear

6. ry outside not wanting his pic taken. not sure how chalk got all over his lips...

7. ry's request for breakfast this morning. of course he barely ate any of it

8. movies

9. ry at avengers enjoying his frozen coke

10. ay's artwork from school

11. cruise night at culvers-so fun to look at all the vintage cars

12. ry's 'supermom' coloring page from school

13. another kool car

14. ry

15. ay

16. flowers at the house

don't be afraid anymore

don't wear your inside out

to keep you warm

so rest your head 

it's just as well

you can't keep the sky from falling

anyway

-ane brun