this little boy of mine. im gonna let him shine.

this little boy of mine is turning 5! five, 5, FIVE!

when he was small he thought it was so funny to put things on his head. bowls, socks and even food. 

now that he's bigger he likes to pretend fight.  anything and everything. if air boxing were a profession i would say he found his calling.  

he sweet in the sweetest way. although he pushes the limits on occasion, he is mostly kind and gentle.  he is smart and trying to read everything he sees.  he has gone back to riding the quad over the motorcycle and thats okay.  he is fast and dangerous on it.  he likes to watch tv. for now ninja turtles are his favorite.  

he is the sweetest brother ever.  always allowing his overly bossy sister call the shots. 

 and he loves this guy.  

{the happiest place on earth} + {candy candy candy}

Halloween 2014 jenner + me (along with jessie, taya, fram jam, jaime, jolene + brooks) did our annual mickeys halloween party at disneyland...

 this has been a yearly tradition that we all love so much.  with short lines and the magic of disney it really is one of our best nights of the year. 

 It was the first year that jenner was tall enough to ride all the rides.  he was so brave! he rode all the rides minus space mountain.  im not quite ready and i don't think he is ready for that either! 

this halloween we headed beach bound as we usually do.  trick or treating was so fun. as a family dressed as ninja turtles - us gals really taking one for the team {or jenner }.  

Remi quit treating on and off - just deciding to sit down and quit walking.  it was a lot of walking for such a little gal.  she lingered at each candy stop somewhat begging for more than 1 piece and in most cases she got it.  

For the rest of the weekend we lounged at our favorite spot... 

and just like that, shes two.

she is smart and beautiful. she is silly as silly can be. she is so fun to listen and watch and enjoy. she plays with babies. makes me coffee. hugs her brother when he least wants a hug.  she is soulful and eager to do as she pleases.  she runs everywhere.  she still loves shoes. and cares deeply about what she should wear on a daily.  she fights me until i cannot fight any longer.  she gives in occasionally. rarely. 

i am just so fond of her.  i look at her often and just think {how is she mine?} shes so unexpected. so rare. like gem. a true gem. {remgem}.

we love her with our whole hearts. every little bit of her. loved. 

the yearly road trip.

all packed up and out the door in a timely fashion. i only made like 8 trips back in the house. a record maybe. we had a long drive ahead of us. maybe longer than some people expected.  we headed out for a week long adventure on the hottest week of the year.  luckily we were missing the hot east county heat.  instead we were driving threw it.  there were several places that were 108 degrees of pure hotness.   about 3/4 the way there our little boy wasn't' feeling so well, we thought car sickness. to much ipad. all the usual suspects.  when suddenly he throws up. everywhere. smelly, yucky throw up.  we pull over in a town. burbank i believe. ya that's it. note to self, never go there.  it was one of those towns that was 108 degrees of pure heat.  

we arrived at our destination somewhat discouraged.  our spot isn't that great. it took us 6 hours to get there. and we all smell like puke.  either way we are there.  

its a beautiful beach, in a beautiful little town.  there was great bike riding and good shopping. i was happy.  everyone ended up happy.  we sat on the beach. drank coffee and bloody marys.  we walked and took naps. we rode bikes to get breakfast at cute little cafe's. had dinner at taco shops.  we got ice creams at night and went to the park.  

we paddleboarded. and determined that i am deathly afraid of sharks.  really. so scared.  
we picked out future spots that we would get next time. because, did i mention our spot wasn't that great.  we did laundry at a little laundry mat and prepared for our next destination {dana point}. 

 it was warmer in dana point but still serene and pretty. the waves grew bigger and that made daddy happier.  we drank coffee and bloody mary's.  had a few visitors and ventured to a surf contest.  {which involved parking really far. and biking up a very large hill.}  

we ate lots of bbq food. and talked about random stuff.  remi took naps on the beach. and jenner play fought his shadow.  

i only made them do one photo shoot the whole week. can you imagine. what a nice mommy.  these faces are them. they are real. they aren't staged or bribed. its true love.  true friendship. life companions. 

 her smile is her. always her. big and bright and reflective of who she is.  

 his smile is him. always him. silly and awkward and i just always hope i'll catch a normal one.  but this is him.  and i love that more than a perfect smiley photo. 

our week ended with sun kissed skin, smiles and sand everywhere. everywhere.