NOLA

A great weekend of weather and a rather unique town. It has been a number of years since my last visit to the Crescent City but her charm and beauty are perpetually on display.

Work yesterday was the reason for the trip, but new views of the city appear before me as I look at the city through a photographer's eye. Add three cloudless days of blue sky and different times of the day to get out and get subjects, I could not be happier.

A full gallery will follow later, but if I'm able to manage a post with an image off my iPad, I hope you enjoy these few.

Forget that, cannot upload pictures. Gallery to follow later.

One thing that struck me while running with the GPS watch: being told you are twenty feet below sea level explains why the devastation and fear of hurricanes can cause this place to flinch. Hard. Espcially since to the pedestrian and untrained visitors eye, things have not improved as far as the sustaining infrastructure is concerned.

A Very Special Day

Nine years and three months ago I met someone who would change the direction of my life.

Someone whom I knew very quickly was the one I was meant to be with. The one who would complete my story. The one who would someday be the daddy to my children. On that day I met Scott, and eight years ago on this day, January 24th, we declared our forever love for one another in front of our loved ones and married.  I remember the details of the day so clearly. Walking down the aisle, whispering to my mom, "oh...i see him..i can see him..."  The magic in the air, the multiple perfect moments, spontaneously dancing the irish jig upon entering our dinner party, the cutting of the cake and softly sharing our first bites together, our first dance to Marc Cohn's song,  True Companion, and thinking that everyone in the room had disappeared for those time.


Life couldn't have been sweeter that day and even though today our lives are much different and full of the realities of life, it is still just as sweet, if not sweeter.  At the end of each day, even though we struggle just like everyone else with the balance of work, raising young children and the demands of bills, house and endless responsibilities, we have each other and we do it together. Always. And for that along with our love for one another, I couldn't be more thankful for finding my perfect true companion.  


I love you Scott, to the moon and back, today and forever. I am so glad you came into my life nine years and three months ago. 

Happy 8th Anniversary my love. 

  

Last day of 2011

On New Years Eve, we lounged. 
We chilled.  
We relaxed. 
We played with new toys. 
We had the fire on all day long.  
We took short naps.
We had a really, really nice day to end the year.

Come the dinner hour, it was time to put this party in gear.  We made the kids dinner (the fabulous macaroni and cheese/tuna casserole) and started the celebrations.  Makenna Claire and Rylan were the first to kick in and cheer for 2012.

 and they did it justice!  I think the sparkling grape juice was definitely the hit.


The kids went to bed at their usual hour (about 7:30 pm), and it was time for us to celebrate in our way.  Lucky me, I didn't  have to do a thing...this was all composed, detailed and carried out by Scott.

And after a long multi course dinner, we welcomed in 2012 and I believe I was asleep by 12:15.  Ha ha..the life of being parents to young children.


Hello 2012...we greet you excitedly with many opportunities ahead of us.

It's only the middle of January...

so I better get these Christmas pictures posted.

I have finished our family album for 2011 (and actually put the final touches on 2010..double woot!) so our December daily pictures can be viewed in the project life flickr photo stream. I have had many long nights scrapping and getting caught up and I couldn't be more thrilled to have it all complete.  I look at these books and there's so many memories, little things to big things, all documented in one little place.  I can't tell you how much joy and love this brings me. The kids adore looking through it now...can you imagine how they are going to feel when they are older and want to fill the gaps in their memory?? It just makes me so happy and I never once regret all the time, energy and long hours it takes to put it all together and honestly,  I really, really enjoy the process as well.

Onto Christmas. We had a wonderful Christmas Eve at Gaga and Pop pops enjoying the day at a bit slower pace since it wasn't a work day. Yea!!!!  Rylan was enthralled with his train gifts as the world diminished around him once he had a train.  Makenna Claire was embraced with all things princesses and received a hot ticket to Princess on Ice with Auntie Kellie in just a couple of weeks.

After  a wonderful, fun day, we drove home to sleeping children and settled in for the night as Santa was coming to visit!  Uncle Brad and DeChantel also arrived and settled in for the night.

On Christmas morning MC and Rylan were up at their usual time of 7 am, running down the hallway to our room, enthusiastically yelling saying,  "Santa came..Santa came!!!!" We hurried downstairs to find all the surprises.  The kids opened their stockings while the adults grabbed their coffees.

We had breakfast and Nana and Phil arrived, initiating our day long gift opening bonanza.  In our usual fashion, we stay in our pajamas and take it very slow.. opening gifts one at a time, enjoying the moment and stopping for breaks of play.  Nana made the kids their Christmas pajamas and Rylan immediately took to them while Makenna decided she needed to dress for the special occasion that it was.  Glitz, glam, styled by hers truly...Ha ha...this is so Makenna being Makenna....love it! (and yes I have since removed that shirt from her drawer since he latest growing spurt has made it too small!)

A fun day was had by all.

It was a perfect holiday in the way that we were able to spend so much time with our families and delight in the magic the kids bring to the season. It's hard to believe it wasn't even a month ago since it seems forever ago already!  I'll be back soon with New Years picks. xo,K

Nature delivered as promised..

Yesterday we were playing in the parks, basking in the sun and enjoying the 50+ degree temperatures.
And today....brrrrrrrr, not so warm but still oh so much fun!  A snow globe of sorts.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring??


My answer would be hopefully  a daddy who is stuck in Michigan due to this white stuff that makes our kids so happy.

Say it ain't snow..

The days have been mild and warm, with high temperatures in the 50's.  A Chicago January usually has us huddled indoors but not this year. The grass is still green with birds flying above, all with the promise that spring is right around the corner, right?
We know that couldn't possibly be the truth, but while this spring like weather is here, we have been treasuring the moments of warmth and sunshine, heading to parks and playing in our back yard, knowing that this is all too good to last.  We have definitely been enjoying it while we can.

Climbing up ladders, taking rides down the slides, watching the planes and helicopters and birds fly above, prompting intermittent glees of delight.


"mommy...pane, pane!"  


"mommy..bird..birdies tweet tweet."











Park stops right after school gets out with the sun in all it's beauty.

And neighborhood walks with Cassidy.

BUT....tomorrow the warmth is exiting and we are apparently going to wake up to our first winter storm day.  Say it isn't snow?????
I think I'll go hide..

Just kidding!!!  In reality, these two kidlets can't wait to see a bunch of that white stuff....adorn the coats, hats, scarfs and mittens and rush out and play to their hearts delight.
"It's going to snow all day tomorrow...yea!!!!"...they both excitedly cheered.  "Snow. All. Day. Mommy!"    "We can go out and play and then come in and have hot chocolate, with marshmallows, and a candy cane, right?"  So instead of hiding they are welcoming the change of seasons.

But then the snow can leave and bring back these wonderful spring like days, ok??


(Christmas photos still coming...very soon!!!)

hello..

Hello 2012. 
We had a fantastic month of all things holiday.  So much so that I feel like I am still playing a bit catch up.
The Christmas tree is down, as is most of our holiday decorations but boxes still need to return to their home in the basement, thank you cards need to finished and there are still a few new toys that have yet to be opened.  I absolutely love everything about Christmas but I also love taking it all down and becoming a minimalist with our home decor for a bit.  Perhaps it's because the decorations take so much space, but there is a freshness that comes with returning to normal.  A new beginning in many ways as we leap into the new year.

I am working diligently to finish our 2011 Project 365 Album (working on December-yea!).  As soon as I process through all my photos taken over the holidays, I will share our stories.  So many stories as the magic of the season was multiplied x2.   Until then, our daily pictures for November is complete and can be viewed in the photo stream.

To wrap up 2011, I created a scrapbook page to document it in a glance.

May life be good to you and yours in 2012.
xo, kelly