10 on 10 {may 2011}

a happy mommy's day

it was a day filled with one surprise after another.....

i was greeted at 6:30am in bed by two very excited girls who were trying with all their might to keep "the plans" for the day to themselves. the girls snuggled up with me in bed and showered me with kisses & hugs. we started the morning off with breakfast at starbucks.

 each one of my girls gave me a card {or two}. i loved them, they were so adorable!! ella made this one at school. they had been working on them all week...it was a top secret project. she kept it under her bed and made sure to tell me every day, all day long not to look at it.

















an unexpected surprise....a new lens for my camera!! this one has not yet been released in the states and is due to arrive at the riedel abode within in the month, i cannot wait.

as if i wasn't feeling spoiled enough. when i got in the car this was waiting

for me on my seat. it was a gift card for an hour massage at the swanky langham hotel

in pasadena. my appointment was in 30 minutes. really?! it was so incredibly relaxing...

barth and the girls passed the time with a little lunch and photo shoot by miss ella.

me after my massage...i was feeling just a little bit relaxed. ahhhh....

so thankful to this daddy who made me feel so incredibly special.

thank you babe, i ♥ u.

we ended the day with dinner at an fancy dancy restaurant in downtown la.

 to satisfy my sweet tooth we finished off the meal with

 the "junk food platter". it was much enjoyed by all.

♥to my girls.....i feel so blessed to be your mommy. you make each day so incredibly special. i love every single thing about you, from the top of your heads to the tips of those little toes. thank you for bringing so much joy to my life. mommy loves you more than you will ever know♥

mama loops

to my beautiful mother....

today is mother's day and i am blessed beyond all words to call you my mom. you exemplify what it means to be a mother. you give of yourself more than anyone i know. your love is endless and unconditional. you have the heart of a servant. you are a peacemaker. you never expect anything in return, eventhough you deserve the world. you always make the most of every obstacle you face, and come out with a smile on your face. you are patient. you are a teacher. you are a nurse. but most of all you are a best friend.

thank you for all that you are to me. no words will ever be able to express the gratitude and love i have in my heart for you. i pray that God will help me to be a mother to my girls as you are to me. happy mother's day.
i ♥ u.

tummy time

in other riley news....
a large bald spot has devloped on the back of her head, hence the tummy time. hoping to give her back side a little breather.
she is a really happy baby. when she starts fussing that's mama's cue to feed or lay her down.
i think she is in the middle of a growth spurt. we have gone back to waking up around 1:30am. boo.
she has mastered the technique of blowing raspberries. it's pretty cute.
....that's all for now!

a {typical} san diego weekend

we LOVE our trips down to san diego.
not only is it a nice break away from the daily grind, but it always seems to be filled with never-ending fun.
this past weekend was no exception....from warm afternoon dips in the pool, to sunset chats aroud the firepit, to dinners poolside, to an abundance of babies, to visits with dear friends, to late night treats and lots of cousin lovin.

a few pictures of our weekend...

{the babes}

{a belated easter egg hunt}

{a warm night cuddle with grandpa}

{life-long family friends from austria}

{miss lexa}

{s'mores}

100 days

on april 30th our little riley turned 100 days old. the celebration {baek-il} has important significance in the korean culture and has been recognized as a milestone in each baby's life for decades. it was not only a time of celebration but of thanks that the baby had survived.

....miss riley is thriving! we are so grateful for the blessing she is to us...an incredible gift from above.

thank you to grandma and grandpa for her 100 day gift...an awesome walker, she already LOVES it!

a fun opportunity

back in 2009 we got our first family photos taken by jessica davis photography. she was amazing. she captured our girls personalities so well and the photos turned out beautifully. she asked is she could submit our pictures to tiny prints...if they used them we would receive a credit from the company to use towards a future purchase. being a big fan of tiny prints i said yes without hesitation. i didn't give it much thought after that. throughout the course of the next year i would receive emails from friends and family asking if i was aware that our pictures were up on the website...it was so much fun to see how they incorporated the shots of our girls into their cards for every season and holiday.

....flash forward to a few months ago...i got an email asking if we would be willing to participate in another photo session with jessica davis. compliments of tiny prints. what?! yes, yes, yes!! i began the hunt for outfits that would capture the look they wanted. this past weekend we had our family photo shoot in san diego....2 outfit changes, 2 1/2 hours of shots, and lots of smiles later we were done. i must say it was a bit stressful. riley was done with the entire thing 30 minutes in and chloe decided she was going to make us work for her smiles. it was still an incredibly fun experience and i am so looking forward to seeing what jessica was able to capture....

here are a few of my favorite cards that are currently up on the site.....