Matthew and I live in North Carolina and we are die hard Tar Heels, born and bred. So our current close association with Duke is a bit hard to swallow sometimes. But this past week, we got to walk around Duke Gardens a few times and we’ve finally found something: Duke’s one and only redeeming quality.

Here’s our photo diary from Duke Gardens:

The first time we went was last Sunday to have a picnic with my sister-in-law and her family.

It was a perfect 70 degrees so the place was packed. I let the kids run around near the entrance while Matthew found a parking spot. And while the pictures turned out great, it was actually super stressful! Navigating the crowds and keeping an eye on both kids and the stroller was like a circus act.

My favorite type of candid shots are probably when Ella’s running. She loves to run and her curls fly everywhere and her smile is so real and infectious.

We went back to Duke Gardens later in the week specifically to take more pictures with the cherry blossoms. It was too crazy on Sunday to get any and I just couldn’t get the idea out of my head.

This was exactly what I had imagined– I’m so happy we went back!

We also got to walk through the actual flowers a bit more since it wasn’t so congested.

I’m glad we got the chance to go (twice!) before we move and the kids really had a great time- they pretty much ignored me clicking away the entire time (that’s why so many of the pictures are of their backs). So I’m grateful for the few closeups and still moments we were able to capture.

Until next time, Duke Gardens!

xo

eb