Moab

Last minute we decided to head out to Moab and do some camping + hiking. Seeing as it was Memorial day weekend we couldn't get a 'true' camp site, but we found a place to put our tents down for the night and headed out the next day for hiking in Arches National Park. Most of the hikes were easy, but I'm not gonna lie...the hike to the delicate arch (the most famous one thats on Utah license plates) was really hard for me. I'm so out of shape :)
David was in heaven- and that was the best part of the trip. Seeing how excited he was about everything we saw and experienced.

You had my heart inside your hand

What a weekend. I started a new schedule at work where I either start at 4AM or 6AM depending on the day, so by the time Saturday came I was more than excited to sleep in. I've been so stressed about waking up early that I haven't even been sleeping well- which in the end makes me more tired (on Friday I fell asleep around 2AM and my alarm went off at 4...I was a zombie all day).

Saturday I got to spend part of the day at a charity event for my boss' organization that supports families with children with special needs. I took some pictures and hung out with friends from work. It was a really neat experience and I got emotional a few times. Those kids are really special and they have an amazing spirit around them :)

Sunday we hung out with our oldest Provo friends Justin + Christiana (and Beck, pictured above). They moved up north a bit recently and it's been hard getting used to them being more than 5 minutes away. All in all it was a fun, relaxing weekend. But I think I'm looking forward to this Saturday even more...

PS. sometimes it turns out that the best picture out of the bunch is the one where the baby WONT sit still and crawls toward your camera instead of staying put in the spot you placed him in.

Fun Finds

Pretty invitations. I love the striped and bow ones.

A cute way to respond to email found here.

A beautiful beach bachelorette party. I would love to do this for a baby shower.

I can't wait until my hair is long enough to do fun braids.

Cheers

source

I think I like TV a little too much. We don't have cable, so I tend to get into shows later than the normal TV junkie- but when I find a good one, I watch it til the end. It all started with Freaks + Geeks in high school. Then I fell in love with The Office. Then LOST (which, in my opinion, was the best show EVER on television). Right now I love Parks + Rec. BUT every once in a while I find an old show on Netflix that I just can't get enough of. That's right- I'm planning on watching all ELEVEN seasons of Cheers. I'm on episode 50-something right now and I love every minute of it. Plus, Ted Danson- what a hunk. haha.

But also, CHEERS to our giveaway winner who won a totally awesome photography session with us!
GRACIE!
Shoot us an email, Gracie, and we'll set up a time + place for your shoot. (iris.natalie@gmail.com)
Thanks to all who entered :)

California + Cori

My trip to California this past weekend was mainly planned for me to be able to attend an old friend's baby shower. I was able to sneak in a trip out to Torrance to visit CoriShaw. I like to say it like one word. I love her and I loved her cute little apartment. We chilled at the pier and she introduced me to boba (yum). Then we went for a nature walk and practiced shooting each other. It was a good afternoon. Oh, and the fish tacos? Beyond yummy.

Away

I really just wanted an excuse to share this GORGEOUS photo of my dear friend Kari. This weekend away from home + my husband was special because of her. She showed me around town and we had an amazing time. She's seriously everything I hope to become and her husband + future baby girl are SO lucky. I'm so excited to live closer to her!!

Photo Session Giveaway!

We've done one before and we're doing it again! This time is a little different. Instead of entering and us randomly choosing a winner I've decided to let YOU tell us why you want + deserve the photo session! All you have to do is leave your response in the comments of this post.

Here are the rules:
Session must be redeemed before June 26, 2011
Session is for couples or immediate families only
The location for the shoot will be in Utah County
The giveaway ends at midnight May 18.

Any other questions feel free to email me! natalie@fennphotography.com

Weekend Photos

The weather was fantastic on saturday so we headed up the canyon for a picnic at the park.

no, i did not take this picture of myself even though my arm is stretched in front of me...it was in a chip bag. i swear.

making clem balance a carrot (her favorite food) on her nose.

we went to riverwoods for some pizza and found that they had nehi peach, my supposed favorite soda, at the toy store. unfortunately it was NOT as good as i remembered. david's sasparilla was WAY better.

The Graduate

He did it! He keeps saying "and just a shade OVER a decade!" And even though it took longer than we expected we've had fun along the way. I'm proud of David for finishing school when it wasn't the easiest choice to make.

The Invite

Here's the amazing invite Dresden whipped up for me for my parent's anniversary party. I love it, and my parents loved it even more! She's amazing. Go here to see the other invites she's created.

Mama's Day

I just wanted to say happy mother's day do our amazing moms. They've done everything for us.

25 Years

This post is a little late, but I wanted to document the other reason we went down to California in March. My parents celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary, so the kids decided to throw them a party. My sister + I made tres leches cupcakes, chocolate dipped strawberries and we ate yummy mexican food. Plus, I found an excuse to make the apple tea lights I pinned so long ago. It was really fun, and great to celebrate two people's love that has lasted so long- especially in a world where marriage is taken so lightly. Looking forward to many more celebrations!

Oh, and the invitation we sent out for the party is DARLING. Dresden made it- I'll post that soon. It turned out amazing.

Recently

We randomly happened to be at Cafe Rio the same time as David's cousin and his wife + babe. Maddox was getting his dinner fed to him and had it all over his face. I had to take a pic.

Christiana recently moved up north a bit, so I watched her baby boy Beck while she got some things done.

We went for a walk on our favorite river trail with the pups. It's one of my favorite warm evening activities.

My tomboy outfit

David decided to walk for graduation since he never had before (he graduated early from high school)

David sent me this picture last week of Clementine balancing a hot dog on her nose. I love how her ears go back when she's excited.

weekend

It was a busy weekend with David's graduation from school (yay!) and family in town. The weather was horrible and kept us inside most of the time but we still had fun with family and appreciate their time with us. My mom took me to get a massage yesterday morning at the Aveda salon in the mall and it was amazing. I'm slowly realizing how much I love oils and their benefits. I have a sensitive nose and I think I'm very affected by smells.
I've had a "rice bag" for more than 6 years now (I call it a rice bag but I think there's just wheat in it). It's one of those bags you buy from the kiosk in the mall that you heat up in the microwave and put on your back to relieve pain. Mine has multiple holes so I think it's time for a new one. I've heard using dried corn is the best way to go- so I just need to find some of that and sew it up in a piece of fabric. It's my lifesaver for all the fun back pain I have.
PS. I love dogs. I'm sure you know that based on how I talk about Clem, but seriously- I want to have a farm someday with a million dogs. Schnauzers are probably my favorite breed, but I really want a Westie next. David's cousin got a pup a few weeks ago and he + Clementine are slowly getting used to each other. That's him up above.