FreeRangeTwins

moved.

2011-03-01T18:17:00.000-06:00

see you there!
http://freerange-studios.blogspot.com/
xxx
k

they're back...

2011-02-21T15:46:00.002-06:00

olive and calder LOVE their monchhichi's...

so do i.

from left to right

strawberry, jupiter, chicken, and silly willy

xxxx

kristen

my girl.

2011-02-21T11:52:00.001-06:00

i'm thinking miss O would LOVE a mama-made version of this?

xoxoxo

2011-02-16T12:59:00.000-06:00

studio fun.

2011-02-10T14:30:00.000-06:00

marvin is installing bamboo floors in the new space as i type this...

our first studio session is scheduled for saturday!

to say 'i am excited' would be an understatement.
olive and calder have been out of school for 8-ish days? due to snow...so we're a little bit behind schedule. thank gawd for my mom and sister who just picked up the kiddos, they were getting pretty bored with
'counting cars'
they even turned down 'netflix' on my laptop.
we've just completed row 3, on to row 4...marvin is doing an amazing job.
i have so many ideas, background ideas, color ideas, prop ideas, session ideas...it's so much like painting.
speaking of painting, i am hoping to start a new body of work, mixing photos in...i am planning for a fall opening...i NEED deadlines to produce. sad, i know.
xxx

k

snow days...

2011-02-06T11:57:00.000-06:00

ridiculously positive thoughts...

2011-01-25T16:57:00.002-06:00

ohhh so many new and exciting milestones happening at branham casa right now,
where to begin??????

*marvin surprised me with an AMAZING new rocket ship, i mean camera.
this unforeseen development means we now have a super fancy back-up camera, and more importantly, marvin and i will be able to shoot at the same time....providing clients with two different creative prospectives.

*we signed a one year lease on a temporary studio space, giving us plenty of time to plan our next move, while still searching for the studio of our dreams.

*people actually want us!!!!!!! we are booking shoots like crazy.

*i wake up smiling.

*our days are filled with creativity, building, painting, gluing, hammering, nailing,

shopping, and planning.....best of all we are TOGETHER!

*olive and calder believe that anything is possible!

*we schedule most sessions while the kids are at school...which is HUGE.

i love their guides (teachers) which allows me to pour everything i have into the work while they spend time with people we adore.

*FRIENDS!!!!!!!!! countless hours have been spent, sharing meals, cooking dinner, and sipping champagne around the fire-pit....while enjoying friends.

*new FRIENDs.....countless opportunities to CONNECT.

xxx

new adventures.

2011-01-11T10:35:00.004-06:00

a new semester = a new unit of study.

although we do not home school, marvin and i enjoy immersing our daily routine in the

curriculum as well.

olive's class will be exploring the

SOLAR SYSTEM

and calder's class will be navigating

asia

both VERY rich topics.

we are making place mats today after school:)
i hope we can find some REALLY thick laminate, i love that kind!

peace.

give me a home...

2011-01-08T19:37:00.005-06:00

where the buffalo roam.

on thursday afternoon
we packed a picnic and drove out to the tall grass prairie preserve located north of pawhuska, ok.

olive and calder often, dress up, for such adventures...

calder chose his lion costume, just in case the buffalo decided to charge...

he was also very sure that the tall grass buffalo had NEVER seen a REAL lion before!

olive wore a tutu and called herself oink-ee-oink the piggy....

it was fun.

we picnic'ed next to a small creek VERY close the the herd....

calder was unsure, but quickly got over his fear.

olive was just excited to eat her snacks:)

just another tribute to the 'slow movement'

xxx

free range is an understatement.

2011-01-08T19:16:00.002-06:00

my sweet calder painted himself BLUE.

the four of us spent the afternoon working on a small art project

making clothespin, pinecone and peg people.

while waiting for them to dry we moved upstairs to play...

olive and i read while calder preferred to play alone w/his trucks....WELL, unbeknownst

to us, he slipped downstairs and did some more painting of his own...
he started w/olive's pink dolphin....
painting it blue....then moved on to paint the butcher paper blue, creating an ocean for the dolphin to live...
when that got old, he decided to paint socks and shoes on....then pants....oh, and a mustache...
when we found him, he was on his belly SWIMMING on the table, covered in blue.
at least he was naked.
olive immediately noticed her dolphin and asked him why he would do that
his answer
'olive, dolphins are NOT pink, they're BLUE'

both calder and the blue/pink dolphin took a nice longggggg, warm, BLUE bath....

then a shower!

what a day.

all i can say is....wow, thank goodness my camera was charged and ready!

the photos say it all!

typical.

2011-01-08T18:00:00.000-06:00

look who fell asleep @ her art desk?

and this is not the first time....

i love her passion.

xxx

the 'p' word

2011-01-03T10:57:00.000-06:00

olive walked in my studio last week, wearing a hand-knit strawberry hat....

i wasn't prepared for what came next.

'do you like my CROWN mama?!?!' she asked.

the 'p' word (princess) was NEVER mentioned but i somehow knew this was only the beginning.
just for the record, i have nothing against royalty...really,i don't.

i do, however, have something against the licensed character/princess epidemic, especially disney.

marvin and i go to extremes to protect o and c from the influences of commercialism.
fighting commercialism in current times is a relentless task...
as the kids grow, our strategies change.
in my opinion, commercialism's consequences are irreversible...equivalent to opening pandora's box.

as most of you know, we are also EXTREME when it comes to toys.

i could try and explain why but this MOTHERING article pretty much sums it up.

so, besides, mass produced toys being irresponsible on an environmental platform

it's also proven that

'Toys based on media programs come with established characters and story lines making it unlikely that children will use the toy to create their own world. When children play with a toy based on a television character, they play less creatively, especially right after they have watched a program.' The more play is predetermined by a toy, the more likely that creative and imaginative play and its benefits will be jeopardized—children will be bored when they aren’t told what to do and be unable to think for themselves or identify and solve problems' -commercialfreechildhood.com

so, what does all of this have to do with olive's strawberry hat? unfortunately everything.

the plan of action???

the branham family will EMBRACE royalty.

yes, we will embark on the most amazing,

open ended, commercial free, fairy tale journey imaginable!

we will create our own magic, true magic...

no pre-determined story lines here,

anything can happen!

santa brought calder RiCe!

2010-12-28T15:24:00.000-06:00

yes,

rice + 1 large shallow tupperware + trucks and diggers=

the coolest indoor construction site EVER!

christmas eve and morning were both unforgettable.

xxx

olive w/her twins...arlo and gracie... on christmas eve!

television is overrated.

add us!

2010-12-27T01:14:00.002-06:00

please add the FREE-RANGE PHOTOGRAPHY facebook page!
now scheduling sessions for 2011.
new website and blog will be up in late january!!!
thank you.
xxx
kristen and marvin.

olive my lOve, and the ABC pusher

2010-12-27T00:51:00.000-06:00

christmas has come and gone!

i have already started packing our 'holiday decor' and hiding it away for next year.

olive is REALLY excited for 'love day' aka valentines day!

we read 'olive, my love' at least 3 times a day...she is obsessed.

i am thinking about hOsting a children's valentine 'making' party....with vintage-eee type materials?

we'll see? i absolutely LOVE handmade valentines.

marvin and the kids got me a vintage, robin egg blue, rOyal typewriter....

(calder calls typewriters...ABC pushers)

i can't wait to 'type' a message on each valentine.

xxx

olive's christmas list

2010-12-23T10:34:00.001-06:00

art supplies...

a christmas star

and

friends for her strawberry girls (olive owns two of my old (hate to use the word vintage here) strawberry shOrtcake dolls...) thanks to etsy, it was possible to find friends,,,,and even a huckleberry for calder!

i am also making some funky clothes pin dolls to represent OUR friends and fam:)

christmas with 3 year olds is soooo magical...
i can't wait tO see their little faces light up on christmas mOrning!
xxx
k

calder's christmas list

2010-12-23T10:06:00.000-06:00

elasmosaurus
'abc pusher' aka typewriter
a rainbOw star for the top of our tree
magnify glass
binoculars
more 'big digger guys'
and
a REAL backhoe (thank goodness santa told him he wOuld need to get a special backhoe license/certification before receiving one)

the WHOLE calder-santa conversation was absolutely hysterical.

calder is so full of lOve and wonder.

an anonymous friend recently signed him up for the PETA kids magazine....
maybe because he's veg? i don't know, but he absolutely LOVES it.

our friend sacha has a very inspirational hand-made star, i can do it,
maybe i will stay up and make him one tonight...
i am thinking yellow batik? w/rainbow streamers? hmmmm???
calder will be ecstatic to wake up on christmas morning and see the star....
xxx
k
ps
check out the stickers that came w/the first issue of peta kids mag.....

winter break...

2010-12-23T01:48:00.002-06:00

ohhhh how we lOve yOu.

having commercial-free kids is fun, especially during the holidays.

instead of spending our days shopping for the latest and greatest

popular toys....

we get to sleep in and play all day in our jams...go to fun children's museum exhibits with non-commercial friends,

hike uncharted places in dress-up clothes...

and cook yummy food.

am i bragging? yes, maybe?!?!

commercial-free is HARD and takes tOns of planning on our part, but tOtally worth the efforts.

i am so proud of olive and calder and their wildly delicious imaginations.

after so many christmas' wishing for a baby,

we NOW have not one, but TWO

DELIGHTFUL big kids, whom we adOre.

they were so wOrth the wait.

xxx

my artist.

2010-12-23T01:13:00.001-06:00

olive is so much like me it hurts.

she loves art, photography and babies.

saying she's intense wOuld be an understatement.

she is writing now....and determined to read.

i have learned more about myself parenting her than you could ever imagine.

my lOves are nOw 3.

2010-12-23T01:01:00.000-06:00

we are thankful.

2010-12-23T00:58:00.001-06:00

little red revisited....the montessori version.

2010-12-23T00:51:00.002-06:00

we LOVE our school!

2010-12-04T20:37:00.000-06:00

omg....
this video by olive's guide just brought me to tears, again....
i am so sooo thankful for montessori, it is the PERFECT methOd for children to reach their full potential....
A-mazing!

watch it HERE....click on 'inside primary'
xxx
k

the EGG sweater.

2010-11-11T23:48:00.002-06:00

yes, thank you auntie sacha, and the THRIFTING gods for this piece of buttery yellOw heaven....

ummm hmm,

during a recent thrift outing, sacha spotted this nugget and tried to shove it deep into the rack,

saving my children from the possible agony......

knowing i would HAVE TO HAVE it....

then, i saw a small corner of vintage-eee looking yellow and pulled it out immediately....

ohhh yeah,

and obviously,

little miss O was smitten.

don't worry sacha, baby kalliope will inherit it soon!!!

xxx

this guy.

2010-11-11T23:38:00.000-06:00

there are no words.

i am so lucky to know him, and his 'sissy'

i love being their mama.

xxx

hallOween.

2010-11-05T13:23:00.000-05:00

what a fun night!!!

we trick-or-treated w/friends and MY WHOLE fam:)

o and c had quite the entourage!!!

not a lot to say,

the weather was amazing, the kids were amazing...

remembered their thank you's and 'have a good evening' s

it was great.

calder kept saying

'me and my twin sister are gnomes'

xxx

kristen

president not princess.

2010-11-05T11:11:00.000-05:00

Princess Prep Promo New from Introspect.tv on Vimeo.

olive and emma.

2010-10-24T21:29:00.001-05:00

olive is such a sweet 'little mama'

her and calder are BOTH very loving and nurturing...

it makes me smile!!!

i am so thankful we found attachment parenting, i know it has a lot to do with who they are:)

xxx

lastnight.

2010-10-23T11:27:00.004-05:00

we camped at the ZOO!

the weather was amazing, windy and crisp,

not cOld!

(and lOOk at that MOON!!!)

we enjOyed the whOle experience, but waking up at 6am to lions roaring (loudly)

was VERY cool! i hope they will lOOk back on stuff like this and think,

"wow, we have the coolest parents EVER"

good times!!!

xxx

this mOrning at breakfast, calder said,

'i like jungle camping, but lets do some 'ocean camping next!?!?!!'

i lOve these kids!

nOw we need to figure out some fun places to camp on the beach:)

makes me miss san fran, and all those late night bonfires on 'ocean beach'

...

SOOO, our extraordinary driftwood bonfire-ocean-camp-a-thOn is in order, anything for our gOlden Boy....and girl.

i am thinking thanksgiving:)

happy tuesday.

2010-10-19T23:57:00.002-05:00

scHool days AND weekending it...

2010-10-17T11:11:00.001-05:00

thursday was olive's 'class potluck and demonstration night'
which basically means families from her class share a meal, and see what 'works' our children have been taught....it was VERY cool to say the least!
calder's is next week!
the montessori methOd is absolutely amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

friday we took the kids to our FAVORITE vintage kiddie park in Bartlesville, Ok
for their halloween carnival, spook-a-rama!

saturday, we played our last soccer game of the season AND
joined the coach and team for lunch at a favorite indian restaurant, desi walk. yUm!
after a brief nap, and i do mean BRIEF, it was time to drive to ochelata ok, to attend a BFF's 3rd birthday party! a VERY sleepy o and c were a little crabby at the party, but pepped up once it was time for cake and ice cream...
being sooo close to the kiddie park, 15 minutes, we decided to take the kids back for a second night of spook-a-rama fun....well, after some small tOwn thrifting of course!
(scored some SuPER cute keedo, and SWEET oilily!!!)

and sunday, well tOday is sunday, and i am busy wOrking on a big installation piece for day of the dead!
i will tell more about that another day,
calder and marvin are playing outside as i type, i'm pretty sure they will just play ALL DAY after that MAJORLY over scheduled fri and sat...
little miss O is still sleeping!

xxx
k

a different place.

2010-10-13T14:51:00.000-05:00

i'm not sure what it is? but lately, things have been different...

maybe it's just that olive and calder are older and becoming more independent?

or maybe it's our new 'school' routine?

whatever 'it' is...i like it...

it feels Good.

maybe i am no longer 'searching' or 'waiting' for something to happen...

because they are HERE!

i came across some old journals last weekend while reorganizing

and started reading things i had written during our 2nd and 3rd in-vitro cycles....

wow, it was sooo hard to read, i was very sad then...

instead of pouring it into art, which is like my therapy, i just stayed in bed and zoned out...

just reading those entries made me cry, and also made me re-think

my current situation. i have NO reason to be stuck, no excuses, i just need to do it.

marvin and i fell in lOve during the fall...it's a special time for both of us.

we've been spending a lot of time together, sitting by our chiminea just talking,

oh, and we've even been on a couple of dates, including an overnight:)

only three more weeks until elections are over and then it's just the four of us, again.

xxx

release party.

2010-10-13T14:20:00.002-05:00

olive's class has now raised over 10 chrysali which have changed

into beautiful monarch butterflies.

i was lucky enough to attend the 'release' party.

the children made masks, and ate special 'handmade' monarch cookies....

it was QUITE a day.

i am STILL in awe that my 2 year old (three at the end of NOV) knows what a chrysalis even is....

much less that the PLURAL is chrysali.

both kiddos teach me sooo many new things every day.

here are a few photos of the 'party'

xxx

the monarch migration process is ABSOLUTELY amazing

school days.

2010-10-13T12:25:00.000-05:00

weekending it.

2010-10-13T10:17:00.000-05:00

we love saturdays and....

2010-10-13T10:09:00.000-05:00

we love soccer.

state fair.

2010-10-13T09:52:00.000-05:00

we went to the fair THREE times...

only brought my camera once.

here are some highlights!

calder with my brother, damon, and his girlfriend, tiffany.

it was a fun, fall, night!

twenty-nine.

2010-10-13T09:41:00.000-05:00

yesterday...

i was given an AMAZING opportunity.

i've been on 'maternity leave' for over four years...

a year of IN VITRO...

40 weeks of pregnancy

2 years of nursing

and three MOTHERING exactly hOw i want.

i am now in a position to either pursue my art as a career or not.

i love art.

my WHOLE life is art.

i see art in every place...

every situation...

my husband...

my children....

my family and friends....

my photos...

my paintings...

my installations....

so i choose art...AND mothering.

i can do both, and will strive to do both WELL.

marvin is almost done with campaign season and READY to help me make this happen.

as always,

we will embark on this journey together.

i embrace you,

you are the begining.

xxx

we lOve...

2010-10-13T08:55:00.001-05:00

urban nature walks...

around the neighborhood.

xxx

fall.

2010-10-04T15:49:00.000-05:00

So, I am the world’s worst blog-mama.

Between my art, and our new school, it’s been hard to find the time to blog…not to mention a birthday party (or two) every weekend.

Things have been busy around here to say the least.

We’ve been taking full advantage of this phenomenal fall weather, so computer time has been extremely limited.

I’ve also been working on ‘me’ the last few months, taking time to read, ride my scooter, brush my hair etc.

The twins are becoming extremely independent which is nice, for them and us!

I am also looking for the perfect dOwntOwn studio space, both for photography and art…

lots of exciting creative possibilities ahead.

day 37.

2010-10-04T15:07:00.000-05:00

day 36.

2010-10-04T15:04:00.000-05:00

day 35

2010-10-04T15:02:00.000-05:00

day 34.

2010-10-04T14:52:00.001-05:00

day 33

2010-10-04T14:49:00.000-05:00

day 32

2010-10-04T14:43:00.000-05:00

day 31

2010-10-04T14:39:00.001-05:00

pinwheels for peace.

day 30

2010-10-04T14:30:00.000-05:00

day 27

2010-10-04T14:22:00.002-05:00

day 26

2010-10-04T14:21:00.000-05:00

coming soon!

day 25

2010-09-20T15:59:00.000-05:00

day 24

2010-09-20T15:56:00.000-05:00

day 23

2010-09-20T15:54:00.002-05:00

day 22

2010-09-20T15:52:00.000-05:00

day 21

2010-09-20T15:50:00.000-05:00

day 20

2010-09-20T15:46:00.000-05:00

day 19

2010-09-20T15:44:00.000-05:00

day 18

2010-09-20T15:41:00.000-05:00

day 17

2010-09-20T15:37:00.000-05:00

day 16

2010-09-20T15:35:00.000-05:00

day 15

2010-09-20T15:32:00.000-05:00

day 14

2010-09-20T15:30:00.000-05:00

day 13

2010-09-20T15:24:00.002-05:00

day 13

2010-09-20T15:08:00.000-05:00

baby holding

2010-08-24T23:52:00.003-05:00

i held sweet baby popi for roughly 2 hours? this morning while enjoying breakfast @ queenie's with not one, but two girlfriends....yes, our friend VALERIE came too! good times.

popi is AMAZING, and looked bigger than the last time i saw her....

she was TWO weeks old on mOnday! OHHHH, how I love baby-sharing...or should i say baby hogging...poor VAL never even had the chance to hold her:) !

see MORE popi HERE.

Day 12

2010-08-24T23:44:00.004-05:00

Day 11

2010-08-24T23:43:00.001-05:00

Day 10

2010-08-24T23:40:00.001-05:00

Day 9

2010-08-24T23:39:00.001-05:00

Day 8

2010-08-24T23:37:00.001-05:00

fall/winter clOthes are HERE

2010-08-17T11:10:00.002-05:00

....looking fOrward to cooler weather.

Day 7

2010-08-17T11:09:00.002-05:00

Day 6

2010-08-17T11:06:00.003-05:00

Day 5

2010-08-17T11:02:00.004-05:00

monday mOrning queenies

2010-08-17T10:52:00.004-05:00

every mOnday, i meet my pre-tend sister-wife, sacha, for breakfast at our favorite breakfast haunt QUEENIES...yum! well, this mOnday was VERY special, b/c baby POPI is HERE...
with the freerange twins at school...i was FREE to baby hold, and take pHotos...
awe man, i missed taking a PhoTo of Marvin hOlding little miss Popi....
ohhh well, there is always next mOnday!
xxx
k
READ MORE ABOUT little Miss POpi HERE

olive's class social.

2010-08-12T11:07:00.006-05:00

olive's class had a lemonade social at school the friday night we left for santa fe,
it was a blast!
we enjoyed meeting her classmates and their parents!
we are excited to attend calder's social this friday night!

evening walk.

2010-08-12T11:01:00.003-05:00

natali's surprise visit.

2010-08-12T10:43:00.009-05:00

our artist buddy, natali, came through town on her way home from canada (she lives in houston)

she was just here in may for our art car weekend,

so it was a treat so see her again, so soon!

we took her to the aquarium, and to dinner at elote, it was puffy taco night, YUM!

santa fe + family reunion.

2010-08-12T10:11:00.010-05:00

baby popi is HERE

2010-08-12T10:00:00.002-05:00

and we LOVE her!
read abOut her HERE!!!
xxx
k

school.

2010-08-12T09:42:00.005-05:00

sooooo, school is amazing and WE LOVE IT!!!!!!
olive and calder BOTH have wonderful guides, and wake up each morning READY to get to school and do their 'works'.
as amazing as their new BIG kid school is, i can say with 100% accuracy that we wouldn't be where we are tOday w/out their fabulous nursery school experience at betty...their teachers there loved and nurtured them...which resulted in two kids who LOVE school-who are ready for anything!
thank you mrs. moshiri and mrs. maxwell, we miss you!
xxx
k

day 4

2010-08-12T09:39:00.000-05:00

day 3

2010-08-12T09:38:00.004-05:00

day 2

2010-08-12T09:38:00.002-05:00

day 1

2010-08-12T09:19:00.008-05:00

Day 1.

amazing.

2010-08-07T13:09:00.003-05:00

our trip to the desert was incredible!
i have soooo many things to share, but
school starts bright and early on mOnday mOrning,
so we'll see you next week!
xxx
kristen

friday.

2010-07-29T21:39:00.005-05:00

taking a break from packing.
marvin should be here any second with the rent a car...the kids will be excited to have extra leg room and i will be able to RECLINE my seat!

we won't leave until after olive's class sOcial...which she is sOOO excited for.
she's already received a very sweet letter in the mail from her guides, with a personal note and photo. i know she will enjoy meeting her class, and have every single girls name memorized by the end of the playdate! of course she will!
i love that they will have their own friends, and will have the chance tO shine as individuals!

olive's Popsicle-playdate invite says to 'bring your slip and slide and/or favorite water sprinkler...how cool is that?!?

calder's social is in a few weeks,
we haven't received the invite yet, but i bet it will be just as fun! it's VERY cool that the kids will be able to attend each others after school class parties, potlucks, and playdates....
and have TWICE as many friends. i am looking forward meeting like minded parents, and starting new friendships.

i am also VERY excited about the gradual-transition they will go through before school OFFICIALLY starts, just going for 1 1/2 hours a week, then slowly building up until they are comfortable. Montessori is VERY respectful of children, and seems to be THE PERFECT fit for our family already!

the dryer just cut off...
i was hoping to get EVERYthing done before leaving tOwn, but it looks like that won't happen!
at least our 'house-sitter' is someone just like me...so they won't judge!
xxx
k

2010-07-27T23:15:00.003-05:00

tOday was the primary, and ALL of marvin's judicial clients WON!

olive and calder enjOyed the watch parties, and their mama is dOne:)!!!

for tOnight at least!

so excited for 'vayyy-kayyy' as the freerangetwins call it!

santa fe here weeee comeeeeeeeeeeeee. also, excited for

THIS...and

THIS from HERE!!!

ohhh, and of course a treatment or two from HERE!

we also like to eat HERE, HERE, and HERE!

and pizza from HERE!!! YUM!

olive and calder will LOVE sitting a the BIG community table HERE!!!

i'm sure i will spend to much $$$ HERE and HERE...as usual! good thing it's my birthday-wedding anniversary week!

11:08pm and sooo ready for bed!

do you love santa fe, chimayo, taos, madrid, tesuque? what are your favorite spots?

goodnight!

xxx

kristen

sunshine and rainbows.

2010-07-24T17:31:00.001-05:00

mOnday morning queenies.

the weekend pool.

2010-07-24T17:30:00.000-05:00

stOrms 1st birthday!

2010-07-24T17:13:00.004-05:00

my middle school crush's son, storm, turned one last saturday!
yes, i was crazy for nick in middle school (8th grade)
and we've remained friends through several different zip codes, including other countries...
i love that him and his sweet wife now live in a cool high rise, less than 1/2 mile away from us!
maybe olive will have a crush on storm someday!?!
o and c adored his elmo themed party,
this was their 1st licensed character party and they SOAKED it up...haha...
they even scored GiANT lollipops as we left....good times!
now i know that we MUST have a pinata at their birthday parties in NOVEMBER!
yes, i said parties, plural, they each will have their OWN party and cake this year!
xxx
k
ps
i had a BLAST making storms birthday hat and guestbook...soooo much fun!

aunt virginia's house...

2010-07-24T16:54:00.002-05:00

olive and calder attended a garden party with us last saturday night...
auntie DEE DEE (my big sis) was out of tOwn so along they came.

as always, they were the only children and spent most of the evening running in and out of the house, eating cheese cubes, and hanging out under tables etc.
they especially LOVE soaking up all of the extra attention from our sweet child-free friends!
V has an amazing house, and YARD with lOts of plants, vintage mOdern chairs...and funky little thing-a-ma-jigs EVERYWHERE!
to a TWO year old, it has to seem like a mysterious jungle waiting to be discovered.
i love taking photos of the kids there!
this was their 2nd party of the day, so that's why they look a bit tired:)

it all started with a little bit of playdough!

2010-07-24T16:46:00.003-05:00

then turned into to chaos!
just how my FREE RANGE TWINS like it!
oh, how we love, our messy, thrilling,
life!

the BFF's.

2010-07-16T17:11:00.008-05:00

okc zoo.

2010-07-13T17:32:00.007-05:00

we wOke up early last sunday and decided on a whim to take the kids to the OKC zoo AND eat at one of our favOrite breakfast spots...the claussen grille.

it was a fun, and fast trip! (we had to be home in time for sunday night dinner at auntie dee dee and uncle tOm tOms!)

POPS.

2010-07-13T17:15:00.006-05:00

after visiting the OKC zoo, we tOOk the kids HERE for snacks and sOda POP.

(sorry auntie jenan, we would have called you if we would've had more time!
we miss you!)

ice cream...

2010-07-13T17:08:00.005-05:00

at a BBQ festival!
hotttttttttt,
but so much fun!
xxx
k
ps
please excuse the crazy, inconsistent color...
i was messing around with my white bOx settings!

the weekend pool.

2010-07-13T16:41:00.006-05:00

as much as we loveeee our family membership to the local water park...
it's also nice to be able to set up 'the weekend pool' and just relax at hOme while munching on marvin's homemade chips and salsa!
after a busy saturday at the museum, and a local BBQ festival we came hOme and had a three hOur family swimming extravaganza! it was a blast!
xxx
k

ps
i dumped a HUGE bag of thOse plastic, magnetic alphabet letters in and busted out some of our play kitchen tea cups, bowls and cutlery...
marvin and i had the pleasure of dining on some of the finest alphabet ice creams, teas, and soups, made by the cutest 2 1/2 year olds arOund!
very fun, and educational!

philbrook family day!

2010-07-13T16:27:00.004-05:00

we love 'family day' at our local art museum!!!

it's a wonderful opportunity for the kids to learn about the current exhibits and MAKE A MESS!

kiddie park.

2010-07-13T15:47:00.009-05:00

last friday night, we surprised the kids with a trip to one of their favOrite spots...
a lOcal, vintage kiddie park!
o and c are adventurous kids, and LOVE riding all kinds of rides, so they were in heaven!!!
there were a few tears after the park shut dOwn...it's always been hard for them to say goodbye!
ps
check out the photos of marvin and the twins riding the 'spin-eee' ride....
just watching them have so much fun together made me laugh until i cried.
marvin is such an amazing father...i am so thankful we were given the opportunity to become parents...o anc c have lit up our wOrld.