a visit into mario's world

i think because of all the rain this summer, the mushrooms, fungus, fungi, toadstools - whatever you wanna call them - are popping up everywhere. and, jack is quite disturbed by these weird creations. it has been a regular occurrence to scope these out during our outside playtime. today was the first we've seen the sun in practically a week, so it was the perfect opportunity to capture this scavenger hunt. jack calls them, mushmooms. cute.

the red berries are also popping up. these also cause some concern. he calls them bears and thinks they should have a fragrance, attempting to smell each of them. however, he obviously knows they are not for eating, saying ick as he's pointing at them.

like i said, we have had so much rain this summer. i knew it was pretty unlikely that we would have a summer like last year; 3 months of 70 degree weather day after day. but, i really didn't think it would be like this. the only thing that is keeping me from totally losing my head is knowing that in just a few months, we will be soaking up the sunshine on the glorious beaches of maui. but until then, it's mushmooms for us.



















i feel i should add a few things. my memories of alaska in the summer contain family, my cousins, smells and specific movies, but also birch trees and mushrooms. my grandparent's yard was littered with birch trees and triple that of mushrooms. my cousin markie and i would discover them - kind of the way jackie was - we would pick them apart, eventually throwing them at each other, laughing all the while. and yes, most of the time it was drizzling rain. i love the array of colors mushrooms display, i even love their distinct smell. but i guess most of all, i love my memories of growing up, and now i have memories of jack growing up, also fond of the toadstool.

Miss Dilly

the precious little girl is already four months old. she smiles whenever you call her dilly, she loves her thumb and her swing, finally tackled the rolling over, discovered her feet a few weeks back, looks pretty in pink and smells good enough to eat.

this beautiful dress was given to us by one of ben's coworkers. there couldn't have been a better color for her. her skin tone, her hair, her pink lips, ahhh, such a perfect combination - that and her adorable face!

enjoy.

consignment

it's funny how much we change as we get older. through the latter part of high school and the early part of my twenties, i was an avid nordstrom shopper. like, to the point where they would call me at home to alert me of sales and early shopping (before the store opened) for their biggest spenders. this is not something i am proud of, and i'm happy to share that i now rarely (once or twice a year) shop at nordy's. i used to walk through the kid's department and think that one day i would be shopping there for my own kids at some point - how wrong i was!

i have discovered the wonderful world of consignment. there is a store in wasilla called tummies and tots and like most consignment stores, you can bring in your used clothing, equipment and even maternity wears and either get store credit or cash. this is a place i frequent every few weeks, and i never leave empty-handed. most of the clothing is $1.25-4.00. i seem to always have credit based on cleaning out the kiddos closet every few months. and i tell you what, there are few things that make me as happy as bringing in the old and getting (semi) new!

jack is getting old enough now that the selection of his size isn't the greatest; those boys just play too hard at this age for the clothes to withstand the test of the playground, dirty dirt and sandy sand! dylan on the otherhand... goodness, the clothes i get for her are practically new! i've noticed old navy's clothes are super cute, you can't go wrong with carter's and naturally, gymboree is always a hit. i usually walk out of there with 8-10 combinations of tops, pants or dresses, and i never owe a dime. love it.

the only downside is you have to search, you have to scour, and you have to visit frequently. often times, i'm searching through the same outfits that i've seen for months now. but in between the faded and pilled sweaters, there are gems. my latest hunt included a pair of white capris from gymboree with multicolored butterflies stitched on the legs, 3 dresses from old navy - which will be perfect for hawai'i - and a couple fuzzy carter's sleepers.

you may try finding your local consignment - you never know what is waiting for you!

moores + miebs get together

we drove into anchorage for some good eats and family time. dylan got to meet her aunt lorrie, snuggle with her nana and smile for her great grandma. jack is going through a shy phase and didn't spend too much time visiting with the ladies. he was, however, quite fond of his uncle richard.

rice cereal

dylan. this girl likes to eat. we got the green light from our doc to start dilly on the rice cereal. i think she spit out more than she consumed, but i remember that's the way it starts out.








and naturally, we needed a bath afterward.