urbanbundle

we took a trip to the zoo yesterday. it was crazy with all the kids we met up with, but still fun. i brought my camera in hopes of getting some photos but no such luck. i was busy playing “where’s my kid” and couldn’t spend any time looking through a lens. oh well. the two photos below are my failed attempts at trying to get my girls to take a photo together…as kangaroos. fail. i tried.

the theme this week over at iheartfaces is “dramatic black & white”.

i chose this photo of my hubby john for a couple of reasons. he’s not normally bald. he had just shaved his head for st. baldrick’s day – which is a foundation that raises  money for pediatric cancer research. and i also love all the different textures in the photo and i love LOVE the reflection of the buildings in his shades (this was totally an accident – i didn’t notice when i was shooting the pic.)

head on over to iheartfaces to check out all the other lovely black & white drama!

this weeks theme at iheartfaces is “angles.” i thought of this photo i took of anya standing in front of a wall at an old ice warehouse. she was annoyed and done with me taking her picture. hence the snarky look on her face – but i like it. i think it works. and i love the angle! head on over to iheartfaces blog to check out all the other amazing entries!

it’s been a while since a true blog post. i felt this story really deserved a special mention.

back when haiti was hit with the devastating earthquake, we watched the music benefit on t.v. and anya watched with us. she asked what happened to all those people and why were they living in a place “all crumbled up.”

john and i always do our best to explain things in a way that anya (who is now 5) will understand. she’s very smart and thinks about things and tends to never forget (this can be both a blessing and a curse, by the way.) we explained that there was a very bad earthquake and a lot of buildings were destroyed and lots of people got hurt. anya then asked “are there kids in haiti?” “yes”, i answered. she said “are we going to help them?” “yes, we sent money.” i answered.

so, fast forward about 3 weeks or so. anya came to me one afternoon with a little cloth purse filled with coins. typically we give her any spare change and let her put it in a piggy bank. when said piggy bank is full, she gets to go do something or pick out a toy with the money. when she showed me the purse filled with coins, i said “wow, you better go put that in your piggy bank so you don’t lose it.” she said “no mommy, this money isn’t for me. it’s for kids in haiti.” my eyes began to well up. i felt warm inside and so very proud.

“that’s a very good thing to do.”, i said. and she wandered off and put the little purse in a safe place.

since then, any spare change she finds, it goes straight to that purse. today, she said she wanted to use the money in her piggy bank as well to send to haiti.

for all the days i’m frustrated with my head-strong 5 year old, this makes it all worth it. i know that she gets it. she’s able to feel compassion and knows it’s important to help people.

it’s been a while, but i’m back! busy holiday season and a wedding to cater (which i’m no pro at, just a decent cook!) and now i feel like i can breathe again…at least for a bit. i decided to submit for this weeks photo challenge at iheartfaces. the theme is “we heart kisses.” along with catering my nieces wedding, i took the photos for their invitation. we did a photo-strip format and this is one of my favorite photos from the session.

i hope you enjoy it!

be sure to go check out all the other amazing submissions at iheartfaces!

the theme this week at i {heart} faces is “autumn beauty.” i immediately went to this picture in my head. anya was collecting leaves at the state capitol this day and was running and fell down with her “bouquet”. she wasn’t the least bit happy to have me snapping away after she fell – her expression tells it all – but i love this picture. if you look closely, you can see me in the reflection in her left eye. neat!

be sure to click the link above to see all the other great entries this week!

since i took my first knitting class last year, i’ve completely fallen in love with this relaxing new hobby. i need to get back into the swing of knitting some more things for the holidays and gifts (look out family – there may be knitted items in your gift boxes this year!)

i’ve wanted to figure out a way to use the left over yarn i have laying around from various simple scarf and hat patterns i’ve knitted.

low and behold, i came across this site that will provide warmth to those in need utilizing a simple 8 x 8 inch knitted or crocheted square.

knit-a-square was created to allow knitters across the globe to create knitted squares that are mailed to a central location to be sewn together to create quilts for children in south africa suffering from aids – many of them orphaned and abandoned. these blankets are sent to these children in need.

i can’t think of a better way to use my new hobby to give back and send warmth to these children.

i’m getting started right away! how about you? knit-a-square (or two or ten) today!

this week at iheartfaces it’s pink week in honor of breast cancer awareness month. i wish i had a more profound photo to submit, but i just love this one i took of anya. the pink shirt she’s wearing and her pink lips and tongue really stand out against the green grass. be sure to click on the box above to check out all the other wonderful entries.

it usually hits me when i’m playing outside with my kids. watching the kids chase after bubbles blowing in the wind; hearing them giggle when they run through the sprinkler; watching as anya closes her eyes so tight to make a wish before blowing on dandilions and watching their seeds waft away in the wind. i always wonder what the weather is going to be like in 40 years. what will summers be like? will winter just be a few weeks in january?

here in california, where i’ve lived for 10 years, i’ve most certainly seen a change in the climate. it’s mid-october and the forecast is showing 80 degree temperatures for friday. our summers seem to start earlier every year. and the hot temperatures last longer into the fall months.

each year when the summer temps hit highs in the hundreds for days or weeks on end, and we are literally melting from the heat, i wonder how much hotter it will get. how much hotter can it get? on these days, it’s nearly impossible to enjoy fun activities outside with the kids unless you get them all in before the sun hits high in the sky – or 10 a.m.

we try to teach our kids about taking care of the planet as they grow up. it’s the only one we have to live on and we need to do our part (big or small) to make sure it’s livable. my 4 year old gets it. she’s learning about turning off lights and conserving water and recycling. climate is a harder one to explain. how do i tell her the ice caps are melting? how do i explain that polar bears might not be around when she has children? how do i explain to her that the coast line is changing?

these are questions i think about. i hope as a population, we will work together toward making things livable for generations to come.

this weeks photo challenge at iheartfaces is “excited”. i think that is the perfect word to describe anya on this ride. it was at the san ramon kite and wind festival and they had little kiddie rides set up. it was the first time she’d ever been on a ride by herself (that wasn’t a merry-go-round.) this was her expression as this little airplane started going up in the air.

be sure to click on the link above to head on over to i heart faces to see all the other great photos!