You guys,
Last weekend was pretty fantastic. I didn’t think it was possible to cram that much into one weekend: shopping, a first visit to a Drybar (have you been?), a wedding, sightseeing, some epic food experiences, and more shopping. But we did, and it will probably take me the rest of summer to recover. I’m not as much of a city girl anymore as I used to be. The crowds, the noise, and the heat and humidity kind of got to me. But still I’m so glad I got to see it all and I can’t wait to share with you in more detail.
Have a great day,
Sofija
Travel
Church in the Jemez Mountains
Last weekend we went for a Sunday drive in the Jemez mountains. Found another little church to take pictures of.
Have a lovely day,
Sofija
Rain in Old Town Albuquerque
We got some much needed rain this weekend. I shot these pictures on Friday evening at the plaza. We tried to meet up with some friends, have a picnic, and enjoy life music. But everything got canceled due to rain. So I quickly snapped some pictures before we headed to a restaurant nearby. Our house feels really empty this weekend. Three of our kids went camping with the American Heritage troop. I love a quiet house…but after 3 hours it gets kind of creepy! I guess that is why we have a lot of kids, ha!
Got any plans for Memorial Day?
Have a great weekend you guys!
Sofija
Here are some pictures of sunny Old Town.
New Photo Shoot
Last weekend I went to Socorro, a small town in New Mexico. We lived there for 3 years while my husband was going to grad school. This catholic church is my favorite building in town, and we have done family shoots here before. This time I did not have a lot of time, as I was on my way to a wedding shower. Also the church was being cleaned on the outside, and only two of my girls were willing to let me take their picture. As we were taking pictures we were dodging the water hose…Keeping it real my friends! Still I love how they turned out.
Tasha is wearing a dress from Mimi and Maggie.
I took the pictures with my Canon and I used Picture Monkey to edit them.
-Sofija
Out of the Blue Toy Store
Last post I told you about our birthday marathon. Well, my kids are not the only ones having birthdays. Last week I went shopping for 3 parties. Chances are, you are, too. To save time and money I often pick up gifts while I’m out shopping at Target or Costco. But every once in a while I’ll make a special trip to my favorite toy store here in town: Out of the Blue. They have a great toy selection for the 11 and younger crowd.
They have some vintage toys, too.
And lots of science experiments kits.
My kids love going there, because of the play tables. They just plant themselves there and play for a long time, which gives me extra time to shop.
I like the friendly service and the fact that they wrap all your presents for free. Oh, and they do have a large collection of Ravensburger puzzles and Pappo figures.
Do you have a favorite toy store? Does it take you back to your childhood? Or do you do your shopping mostly online?
Have a wonderful day,
Sofija
Bandelier National Monument
I am linking up with Design Mom today. Thank you for stopping by!
Have you been to Bandelier National Monument? We have been several times because it is one of our favorite places to take visitors to. It has all the right elements to make it a great outing for the whole family: a moderate 1 mile hike, lots of climbing on ladders, and just the right amount of anthropology and history to call it a field trip. Bandelier has several ruins and cave dwellings to explore what life for Native Americans was like around 1,000 AD. And, unlike Mesa Verde, you can actually climb into the caves, which makes it so fun for kids.
First a village on the ground. To get the full scoop I suggest paying $1 for the pamphlet, which explains explains the numbered sites in detail.
If you look closely there is an adobe structure in front of the cliff. That is what the cliff dwellings used to be like. When you see the pictures with us in the cliff dwellings, these front structures are missing.
Here is a view of the village from up high. I think several hundred people lived there at the time.
Lots of climbing up stairs to see the cave dwellings. You do not want to bring a stroller here.
So here we are climbing into a one room cliff dwelling. Like I said earlier, there would have been a structure in front of it. These caves are so nice and cool, which is nice because usually it gets hot climbing up the hill. Be sure to bring lots of water…
How many people can you fit in one room? The people hiking behind us where a little surprised when they watched 8 of us climb out of there.
Another shot of the village below.
Here is my son Finn climbing up a ladder with Tasha. The ladders are bolted in, just in case you are wondering.
My friend Jana with our 6 and 8 year old. My six year old could do the hike and climbing pretty well with some assistance.
Here is a 4 room cave. 
Here is my youngest taking a water break. The second half of the hike is in the shade along a small stream.
Bandelier is about 50 minutes northwest of Santa Fe. For more info go here. The visitor center has a small little museum showing what life in the village looked like. And it also has snacks foods available.
If you like travel posts like this, here are a few others I have done: Tent Rocks, Taos, Santa Fe, The Very Large Array, and Lincoln.
Have a great day,
Sofija
Pictures taken by David Burton
Albuquerque: Nob Hill
In my last post I mentioned that we have friends visiting this week. On Tuesday we had a mother daughter date in Nob Hill. Nob Hill is the fun, quirky part of town near the University of New Mexico. Lots of great restaurants, quirky shops, and vintage clothing boutiques. My friends always hit up the Buffalo Exchange in that area, a store that buys and sells clothes. They claim it is one of the better ones in the country, in terms of the amount and quality of clothes they have. Here is my daughter Esther checking out some shoes.
Another favorite is the Flying Star, a local coffee house chain. They have great coffee, and their food is locally grown and organic. I personally go there for the desserts. They are really good!
On our way home we stopped to take some pictures of these quirky homes. People really do live here.
And lastly, a picture I snapped just walking down Central street.
Right across the street from there is my favorite children’s clothing store, Zap…Oh. So next time you are in Albuquerque, make Nob Hill your destination.
Have a great day,
Sofija
Finn’s First Trip to Europe
My little man turns 16 today, hard to believe! I went through some old pictures and thought I could share some more pictures from our epic Europe trip back in 2000. Way back when we only had one child. We schlepped the poor kid all over Europe; he was barely 2. We went to Germany (Frankfurt, Duesseldorf, Bavaria, and the Black Forest), Holland, and Croatia. Needles to say he is not always happy on the pictures.
Here he is with us near Nuernberg. We were staying with my friend Chrissy’s family and had just climbed up some little peak. Love the hat David is wearing.
In the next picture we are in Croatia enjoying some ice cream right by the Adriatic Sea. Good times. You can find more Croatia pictures here and here.
The next one is pretty self explanatory…Silly Americans!! We were in Holland for my friend from high-school’s wedding.
The next one is one of my favorites, Finn and his new friend. We were somewhere near Duesseldorf.
Next some pictures with my family. Here is my beautiful sister. These two were quite the pair. My sister took him shopping and Finn loved tagging along with her and her friends.
And my mom. He got the special treatment from Oma which involved lots of trips to the park, ice cream, and a brand new tricycle.
I get nostalgic every time I look at these.
These were the last pictures we took on a non digital Canon camera, but we had them digitalized right away.
Have a great day,
Sofija
If you like travel posts, here are two from a more recent trip two years ago: an old castle and our visit to the Playmobil Park.
Happy April!
Spring is in full swing in New Mexico, without the usual nasty winds we get. I am enjoying every minute of it…
I hope it is warm and sunny where you live. If not, Maybe these pictures will help.
Have lovely day,
Sofija
A Surreal Flood Control Structure
Friends,
If you have been watching a certain cult TV show, you will recognize this place.
I love coming here, it makes a great back drop for photos. And the views of the city are pretty spectacular.
Have a lovely day,
Sofija
P.S. If you guessed the TV show I referred to leave a comment.
Teach Where You Live 
