Happy Mother's Day!

    Happy Mother's Day to all the beautiful mothers! Although we don't celebrate Mother's Day here in Ukraine (we have a different holiday called "Women's Day"). I thought that moms all over the world deserve a special day dedicated to them. Being a mother is a full time job. Some people don't even realize how hard it is to raise a child. You dedicate your whole life to your child. My mom sacrificed a lot of things for me and my brother. She would do anything to see us happy. I love her with all my heart. The person I am today has everything to do with my mother. The older I get the more I'm aware of it.
   Today my brother and I made chocolate pancakes for my mom. I know it's not a big gift but she was happy. Make sure you tell your mom how much you love her. A simple "I love you" will brighten up her day. Never take your parents for granted.

"Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible". ~Marion C. Garretty

I love looking at my mom's old pictures. She reminds me of old Hollywood stars like Vivien Leigh,  Audrey Hepburn.

A day with my cousin

     Recently my cousin Alysa and I went to the park at the seaside. We went to the cafeteria and then did a little shopping in the downtown. I wasn't very close with my cousin  during our teenage years even though we grew up together. But now we get along better. We had a fun day together. It was hard to take pictures because my little nephew is very active and can't sit in one place. He is always running around and loves to lie on the lawn. lol So half of the time we were running after him. Here are some photos from that day. :)


"In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony."  Eva Burrows

Was your dad hip?

The tumblr Dads Are the Original Hipsters made me laugh out loud. It features old photos of dads looking awesome back in the day, along with hilarious captions. (The photo above: "Your dad wore cycling caps before you did...")
"Your dad drank obscure sodas before you did."
"Your dad wore a knit cap before you did."
"Your dad ate local fair-trade produce before you did."
"Your dad had big headphones before you did."
"You dad was into shooting shit before you were."
"Your dad lived in Portland before you did."
"Your dad didn't give a f*#k before you did."

Was your dad hip? :)

Birthday book

My lovelies, I wanted to share my dad's 60th birthday present (just because I'm so excited about it). I made him a hardcover photo book filled with snapshots from all stages of his life. It was so much fun looking through family shots and choosing favorites, including a few he had never seen! (How hilarious is his expression in his wedding photo, by the way?) When I gave it to him this past weekend, he was so touched and couldn't stop looking through it. It was one of those truly special life moments.

(P.S. I made the book through Pinhole Press, and the book felt beautiful, with silky paper and a linen cloth hardcover. This book is the exact one I choose, but there are a bunch of other lovely options. Would be amazing to make a wedding album, too, don't you think? xo)

Back to the future

For her Back to the Future project, photographer Irina Werning, where she invites people to reenact their childhood photos. Awesome.

(Thanks, Raj)

Family photos

Sweet Paul has a bunch of great holiday craft tips, like making your own cupcake toppers and wrapping paper using family photos! Here are his easy instructions...

(Via Card Style)

One billion seconds

This weekend, my brother Nick emailed my twin sister and me to congratulate us for reaching exactly one billion seconds! A billion seconds, he told us, equals 31 years, 259 days, 1 hour, 46 minutes and 40 seconds. I love how, true to form, Nick adjusted for daylight savings, leap years and time zones. :)

P.S. Can you guess how long one million seconds is? Answer in the comments below...

(Photo by Maple Syrup Only)

Home inspiration: Trapeze!

My friend Sophie (of the amazing children's brand Oeuf) has a wooden trapeze in her Brooklyn living room. She used to go to trapeze school in California, and now she has taught her kids a bunch of tricks. "They do knee hangs and swing quite high," she says. "They think I look like a big whale, but I do it to amuse them. We thought they'd use it for five minutes and never again, but it's completely part of their daily life. We call them monkeys."

(Photo from Milk Magazine)

Birthday picnic + family photos

For her husband's birthday, Elizabeth surprised him with a Central Park picnic. She decorated a bench in his honor, made a seven-layer chocolate cake from scratch, and brought along their sweet daughter and the family dog. Then she had an amazing photographer take family portraits, so they'd always remember the occasion. (Good thing her husband wore a cute outfit to work that day!) Isn't that an incredible and creative present?

(Family portraits by the fabulous Brookelyn Photography; styling by Elizabeth, who is half of the new company You + Me)

Baby profiles

German photographer Bettina von Zwehl took this photo series of one-year-old babies at an instant of total (rare) concentration. Aren't they gorgeous? Von Zwehl used toys, dvds and eye contact to get the little guys to stay still. "They sat on a table, looking at me, and I took the picture with a long cable release," she says. Since many of the babes were still too wriggly to photograph, it took more than a year to get six final portraits. And the goal of the project? "I was hoping to present each baby as an intelligent human being," she says.

P.S. Baby mouths are so adorable.

How genetics work

(Photo by Rene Maltete, via Via Casanova Wong)

Very Happy Nine-Month News...

My sweet darling readers, it's with great excitement that I announce that Alex and I are expecting our first child! It's our little honeymoon miracle (a very welcome surprise) and we are absolutely over the moon. I'm four months along (it's been almost impossible to keep quiet; I have been dying to tell you!), and my belly is slowly but surely expanding. Our babe is growing fast and furiously and is now the size of an avocado! We can't wait to welcome this little person into the world and give him or her lots of hugs, smooches and tummy rubs. xoxo

P.S. Thank you so much for putting up with my many, many baby fever posts over the past two years!

When will you and Daddy be back?

This adorable flickr photo was taken of little dudes when the babysitter was about to arrive. Look at those anxious fingers! I remember that feeling, don't you?

(Photo by Janusfinder)

My Parents Were Awesome

The website My Parents Were Awesome features people's photos of their parents back in the good old days. LOVE.

P.S. Were your parents awesome?

(Thanks, Katy)

Bike rides

How cute are these photos of Kendra and Stella on an evening ride in upper Manhattan? They look like they could be in the country.

(Photos by Seth Smoot)