Shawn, Author at Beautiful Matter

Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows

Shawn — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 03:36:55 +0000

We recently visited Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows to capture some of the beautiful architecture, decor and desert landscape. We spent most of the time exploring the resort and relaxing in quiet little nooks. All the rooms are bungalows. This makes them incredibly private and peaceful. Our room featured both a front and back lounge area. We were there to relax so we took advantage of these relaxing areas. The rooms are styled with mid-century modern decor and feature work from local artisans. My favorite feature of the room was the spacious bathroom. In all my travel experience I have never seen a shower that large. It definitely added to the feeling of luxury.

We wanted to try Weft and Warp kitchen for brunch. The food was excellent and the service was even better. We spent our last day, Sunday, relaxing by the pool which felt surprisingly quiet and private. We were so sad to say goodbye to the peacefulness but also grateful to have our two little ones waiting for us at home.

The post Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows appeared first on Beautiful Matter.

Tempe Arts Festival

Shawn — Tue, 02 Apr 2019 02:30:44 +0000

We don’t make it to Tempe often but it is such a fun college town to explore. We visited the Tempe Festival of the Arts. This was a free event with a whole block dedicated to children. We didn’t come home with any pieces but we really enjoyed seeing how inspired Landon was by the artists.

Landon has been using all sorts of materials to make art at home. He really can not get enough of watching artists on YouTube or working with Shawn on the computer to make art. He also has been requesting more professional art supplies not the kid stuff anymore.

Easton is just beginning to explore with art materials and they definitely need to be non-toxic because most of the exploring is with the materials in his mouth. We hope you enjoy the pictures!

The post Tempe Arts Festival appeared first on Beautiful Matter.

Rooster Cogburn Farm

Shawn — Sat, 16 Mar 2019 02:27:20 +0000

We headed to Rooster Cogburn’s Ostrich Ranch over Spring break. The little ranch was the perfect size for a half day activity and kept the kids engaged the entire time! The children can feed and touch all the animals they have. What an incredible place for children to discover how animals eat.

Getting up close and personal while feeding the animals was an incredible and (sometimes slimy) experience. The most interesting animals to interact with were the Ostrich. They behave more like dinosaurs than birds. They definitely have a fierceness to them. Landon enjoyed the Lorakeet forrest where he was able to feed them and allow them to perch on him. Getting up close to the deer and bunnies was my favorite experience of the day. Easton enjoyed the dirt and ramps and Shawn enjoyed capturing it all per usual. If you know an animal lover this is the place for them.

The post Rooster Cogburn Farm appeared first on Beautiful Matter.

Where the Wild Things Are

Shawn — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 13:32:51 +0000

We had so much fun planning Easton’s Wild One party. We feel the party really captured his wild spirit and fit his personality perfectly. The weather was perfect so we enjoyed games in the back yard and tons of balloon play indoors. Easton tasted his first cake, an appplesauce banana baby cake made by mama. He had so much fun chasing around the big boys. Thank you to our family who made the day extra special for him and thank you to our long distance family for your cards, gifts, and special messages. We hold you in our hearts always. Enjoy the video!

The post Where the Wild Things Are appeared first on Beautiful Matter.

Big Surf Waterpark

Shawn — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 18:48:23 +0000

Celebrating back to school Arizona style with a trip to a local water park. The boys were so excited to experience water slides for the first time! Check out the video for all the action…

We have several outdoor water parks to choose from however we decided to go with one of the oldest and smallest so we wouldn’t overwhelm the boys with them being so young. There is no way they are ready for the big slides and didn’t even meet the height requirements on most but Landon completely shocked us with his bravery and tried out some pretty big ones. Go Landon go!

The post Big Surf Waterpark appeared first on Beautiful Matter.

Peach Fest at Schnepf Farm

Shawn — Sat, 19 May 2018 19:19:41 +0000

We spent Mother’s Day morning at the Peach festival. It was quite warm and also in the middle of morning nap time. You’ll see someone in the video who wasn’t too pleased about that! Kindly a lady on the tractor ride handed over one of her peaches to keep our little peach happy. Enjoy!

The post Peach Fest at Schnepf Farm appeared first on Beautiful Matter.

AwesomeFest 2018

Shawn — Sun, 15 Apr 2018 13:39:38 +0000

Awesomefest is Eastmark’s biggest community event of the year. Let us show you how Awesome it was.

The post AwesomeFest 2018 appeared first on Beautiful Matter.

Christmas At the Princess

Shawn — Sat, 09 Dec 2017 20:45:39 +0000

We are so lucky in Arizona to enjoy many outdoor winter activities. Grandma and Grandpa treated us to a wonderful Christmas festival at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. This resort goes all out for Christmas and really put us in a holiday mood. Grandma was taking good care of Easton while we enjoyed rides so unfortunately they aren’t featured. Also, Auntie was busy with activities and Hunter but we enjoyed our time with them as well. Hope you like our little video.

The post Christmas At the Princess appeared first on Beautiful Matter.

Phoenix Children’s Museum

Shawn — Sat, 12 Aug 2017 20:47:19 +0000

Landon has always enjoyed going to the Phoenix Children’s Museum…but we’ve never seen super heroes there. We hope you enjoy the video!

The post Phoenix Children’s Museum appeared first on Beautiful Matter.

Crystal Cove Beach

Shawn — Sun, 06 Aug 2017 20:56:27 +0000

While visiting Grandma and Papa, we took a trip to Crystal Cove. As you’ll see, there was a lot of marine life to explore. We hope you enjoy the video!

The post Crystal Cove Beach appeared first on Beautiful Matter.