Peace and Pandemonium

My brother.
My son.
Playing.
Laughing.
Loving.










My heart is full.

Love these expressions.



Sophia. Matias. Isaiah. Tavia.

On the 24th of July we celebrated with sparklers.

So it turns out that the lavender in Mona blooms in July.
Not June, July!!
I've made a mental note. :)

Chase, Chelsey and I ventured south for yet another shot at the picturesque fields of purple lavender.
This time....SUCCESS!
The lavender was right about to be harvested so it was at its very peak and it smelled so good!
I came home smelling like lavender and feeling very calm and relaxed.
It was wonderful.

Chase and Chelsey are such a striking couple.
I mean just look at them.
Their beauty and love abounds.
They also share a love story that is so sweet.
They kindled a relationship via a Facebook friendship request and now they are madly in love and getting married in September.
Don't you just love social networking?
Breaking the ice for new relationships to bloom since...whenever social networking was invented. :)

I've had my eyes peeled for an old school merry-go-round for months now.
You know, the kind they took out of practically every public park because they've been known to seriously injure little kids...
....yeah, that kind. :)

I finally found one.

Turns out that capturing the image I've been imagining in my mind for so long was not such an easy task.
It literally made me sick as a dog.
All that spinning and spinning and spinning and spinning and spinning and spinning and spinning....
Did I mention how much spinning was involved?
I'm still spinning 48 hours later. No joke!
A pregnant woman messing with her equilibrium in this way is just wrong.
I knew that going into it, but I didn't care.
I wanted this picture!!! Badly!!!
I'm so glad I got it.
It makes me happy every time I see it.

Albeit a little green.


Canon 5D Mk2. 24-70L. f/18. 1/50. 28mm. ISO 200.

More from Chase and Chelsey's engagement session on the blog soon!

Ariel and Steve's wedding day.

Someone had the bright idea to have all the guys dangle from the tree branch for picture.



I had the idea to take it a step further.

I suggested they wrap their legs around each other. Get all cozy together!
Jim bailed. He wasn't about to be seen wrapping his legs around a grown man.
Or worse, with a mans legs wrapped around him!
Dan and Greg all too easily succumbed to my peer pressure and lifted those legs for a nice tight wrap.
All Steven could do was laugh while being hugged in the most unusual of ways.
Hahaha.
I was left to snap my camera vehemently.
Laughing uncontrollably at how easy it was to get these guys to make total fools out of themselves.
All the while knowing that I would later embarrass them in front of the masses...





Well at least the people who read this blog. :)
Those crazy Haddocks!!

Isaiah and Greg decided to scale the mountain...




Can you see them up there?




Here's a closer look.




Sophie slid down the dirt slope on her bum. Repeatedly. Can't remember the last time sliding was so fun!




Matias busted out his inner model.




Seriously? This kid melts my heart!




Then Isaiah had the bright idea of washing out his dirty sock in the river. ???




Sundance is so beautiful this time of year.

Next time I'm craving the beach, I'm just going to drive up to Deer Creek and spend the day on the warm sand, relaxing in the sun and overlooking the water.

On this occasion, our friends the Wilson's brought their boat. Isaiah had the chance to ride the bumper tubes for the first time and Steven got to wake board. I was able to enjoy the boat ride without getting sick and Sophie and Matias enjoyed the speed on the water but unfortunately weren't quite so lucky with the sea sickness. We all enjoyed the warm afternoon and the kids built sandcastles for most of the evening. It was such an amazing day spent with family and friends. I cant wait to go back!