The Lewis Family

 I got to start my summer off with a three-in-one vacation down to southern California.  Let me explain:  The first three days were a girls' trip with my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law.  Then Aaron, our three kids, and his dad drove down and spent the next three days with us as a family.  And then the kids drove home with Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunty Sarah, while Aaron and I stayed three more days for our own little mini vacay!  It was fabulous...a little bit of everything!

Let me start with the first leg of the trip.  I left my sweet little family and drove down to Newport beach with Harriet and Sarah where we met Lorraine and Angela (both living in Southern California), Callen (from Seattle), and Britney (all the way from St. Louis.)  We sure missed our other sister-in-law Brittany who was unable to be there.  The seven of us spent the next three days relaxing at the beach, talking, shopping, hiking, driving a boat around Balboa Island, going to the Newport Beach Temple, and just being together.  We had so much fun!  I am so blessed to have married into such an amazing family...I sure love these ladies!!

At the beginning of the summer (after much patience, and months of brushing through tangles) Eve had 10 inches of her hair cut off so she could donate it to "Locks of Love."  She was so excited to be able to do this, and already wants to do it again!

Before:

















After:














*photos courtesy of Grace

My amazingly talented BFF, Julyssa, worked her magic with our family in a photo shoot in San Francisco this past spring.  I loved everything about this shoot...it was in an awesome location, I loved everyone's outfits, and it was genuinely fun!!!  We just had fun playing and being together, and Julyssa was able to capture it all through her lens.  It was super windy so everyone's hair (except Aaron's) was flying around, but in the end it just added to the realness of these pictures.  When I look at them, I am taken back to that perfect day with my family...and for that (and many other reasons) I will always be grateful to Julyssa!

 There were so many more photos that I absolutely LOVE, but these are just a few of them!

Last spring (yes, I'm starting from last spring) the girls had their dance and piano recitals.  All three lovely little ladies participated in the dance recital.  Grace danced a graceful butterfly ballet, Eve was brilliant in her Czech polka, and Daphne melted hearts as she tap-danced to Shirley Temple's "Good Ship Lollipop!"  On a side note, I just have to say how enamored with ballet these girls have become (including Daphne...she was actually really upset to have to tap dance for this recital instead of point her toes in little pink shoes...we know now only to sign her up for ballet in the future!)