Matt + Erin

A good friend of mine, Erin, asked me to take some pictures of her and her boyfriend, Matt.  They have been together for 5 years and have never had any kind of pictures taken together.  Of course I jumped on the idea and was so excited to do this for them.  I did warn that I'm not a professional photographer, but I enjoy it as a hobby.  I'm sure a professional photographer could rip my work apart, but I had a great time spending the afternoon with them.

Here are few of my favorite shots!

This is one of my favorites!

I have another hundred images I could edit, but these were the ones I wanted to do first.  When I get spare time I will play around with some more. 

A Good Time for Quilting

Yesterday we were preparing for Hurricane Sandy to hit the Eastern shore.  We were called off from work and were expecting high winds and lots of rain.  I decided it would be a good day to make Dylan's receiving blanket baby quilt.  I haven't gotten to use my sewing machine in months, so it was good to get back to it!

I kept with a very simple design, just like I did with Marissa's quilt.  I did a monogrammed applique and love how it turned out.  I love making these keepsake quilts with receiving blankets.  

Of course I had to add a satin binding to the edges. Danny says a blanket isn't a blanket unless it has a ribbon on it. ;)

Marissa sleeps with her quilt every night.  I am happy that it is well loved and used often.  I hope that the kids keep and cherish these blankets for a long time to come.  And I hope they know that they are made with love, not perfection.  

The Countdown Is On!

Next Friday I will be kissing my babies good bye for an entire week!  Our 4th anniversary trip to St. Maarten is so close I can almost taste it.  My bag is packed, my to-do list is getting checked off and the excitement is building.  I can't wait to sleep in, relax and have no real responsibilities for a week.  I can't wait to just spend time with Danny and nurture our relationship with white sandy beaches, cold drinks and blue waters.

I know I am going to miss the kids but so far I'm holding up pretty good.  It will probably hit me after a few days of being away.  They will be in good hands so I know I don't need to worry.

Dylan officially started crawling yesterday.  He has been army crawling for awhile now, but I guess he finally got his arms and legs coordinated.  He should have some pretty good upper body strength from pulling his body all over the house.

Last weekend for Danny's birthday we went to Capital Ale House for a few drinks.  It's a beer man's dream with tons of beer on tap!  You can see just a few of them behind us.

Dylan ran a 103 temperature earlier this week.  I'm not sure why, but he seems to be feeling better now.  This was him on Wednesday.  He looked so pitiful. ;(

And of course when one baby is sick, the other baby wants attention, too.  Marissa wanted to be held, so in the carrier she went!  Have I ever mentioned how much I love my Beco Butterfly 2?  

We had a pajama bubble party in the front yard yesterday.  Yes, it was 4:00 in the afternoon and we were still wearing our jammies.  Don't judge. 

Our weekend will consist of prepping for our trip, football and possibly a hurricane.  Fun!

Holiday Book Party

The holidays are right around the corner!  I will be hosting an Usborne Books & More book party that will end on November 15th.  One lucky person who purchases through this party will WIN the hostess rewards for the party!  The hostess rewards will depend on how much the party sells.  You could get a lot of FREE books, which make great Christmas gifts for all ages. :)

Order online and have items shipped directly to your door or contact me and I will deliver them to you!

Sweet Boy

My sweet boy, you are growing up.  Today Daddy was watching the digital picture frame on the end table and he saw a picture of you as a "baby."   He had to take a double take because you have changed so much! You have such a sweet gummy smile, the bluest eyes and the longest lashes I've ever seen.  Your giggle is contagious and you are such a cuddle bug.  There are days when you want nothing more than your momma.  Sometimes when Daddy holds you, you will reach for me and when I prop you on my hip you lean your head in to my shoulder and look so content.  Those moments truly melt my heart.

You adore your big sister.  You follow her around the room and watch her intently.  Sometimes she is clumsy around you, like today when she tipped her tricycle on top of you.  You fussed for a minute but her "sowwy, Dee-Dee" made it all better.  I hope that you are always there for each other.

This is the face of a boy who adores his big sister.  I don't know what she was doing in this picture that was so amusing. 

Clapping together

You are moving all around the house with your army crawl.  Today you ventured into real solid foods, not just purees that I make you.  I steamed some sweet potato and cinnamon and you gobbled it up like a pro!  You have been delayed compared to your sister on the food front.  I have to remember that you are going to be different growing up.  You will grow and learn and do things at your own pace.  And that's okay.  Plus Daddy reminded me that you will one day eat us out of a house and home.

It was a beautiful fall day today.  It was on the warmer side, hence wearing just a onesie.  

You don't have any teeth yet but you are doing lots of drooling and chewing.  There will soon be a day when I miss your gummy smile.  I never posted your 9 month stats.  I was a little disappointed in the pediatrician's office that day.  I don't think their scale was accurate because I had just taken you to the doctor's the week before and according to their scales you lost over a pound in a week.  At any rate, they said you are in the 10th percentile for weight and height.  You've always been our "Chunk" so I don't see how that can be right. You're a healthy boy weighing in around 17 pounds.  You'll be catching up to your big sister soon!

We've officially hit the "45 minute intruder" mark.  You wake almost 45 minutes on the minute after we put you to bed.  We're working on sleep training and you are doing so great.  We will eventually have to take your beloved paci away.  It's the same paci you had when you left the hospital to come home with us.  While you currently only use it for naps and bedtime, our goal is to remove it completely by the time you are a year old.  A part of me thinks that is an unrealistic goal, but we'll see when the time comes.  If not, I guess you'll go to college with it.  I hope your girlfriend won't mind.

You are going to be my little heart breaker.  Sweet, sweet boy!

I have a hard time remembering when you weren't a part of our family.  Whether in my tummy or here with us now.  I always envisioned having a boy first, but my little family couldn't be more perfect.  You have shown us that love grows, not divides.  You have been such a joy that I am still crazy enough to think that I want you to be a big brother one day.  How is it possible that your own children can give you baby fever?!  I am so truly blessed to have you and your "Sissa" in my life.

Mommy and Daddy love you, sweet boy!

HAIL Victory!

Danny has officially gotten a birthday "week" this year.  He says I'm the only person who gets a birthday week every year, but this year I surprised him with Redskins tickets a week before his birthday.  Okay, so I couldn't keep my lips sealed until the day of the game, so I told him a few days early.  We had a blast either way.  And we had some pretty decent seats if I must say so myself.  I will never want to sit in the 400 section again!

We headed out a little early to tail gate before the game.  We pre-gamed with a little Four Loko to get things started and then Danny brought a growler of keg beer and I had some Shock Top.  As we're sitting on the back of my truck we look across the parking lot and what do you know?  I see about 10 guys I went to High School with.  Small world.  I wasn't sure if they would remember me or think it was weird since I hadn't seen them since we graduated.  I figured it would either be really awkward that I walked up to them or they would remember me and everything would be fine.  Turns out they remembered me.  It was nice catching up.  We did some shot guns, chased down a Viking and reminisced on old times.

Tommy and Will celebrated having Club Level Tickets!  It was Tommy's birthday celebration with the guys....I guess I kind of threw a wrench in those plans. :o)

Representing RG3.  I think it's safe to say we were a little intoxicated at this point.

Redskins Pride...yes, he ran through the parking lot waving this flag!

It was such a beautiful day for tail gating!

This Viking fan kind of looked like Brett Favre.

A rowdy bunch.

The whole "gang"

After hanging out we headed into the game.  I sobered up and let Danny do the drinking.  We had so much fun!  Our seats were awesome and watching RG3 run in a 70 yard touch down was the icing on the cake at the end of the game.  

RG3!!!

Scoring play

Panoramic view from our seats

And Danny finished off the night by dropping his cell phone and busting it.  This was during the celebration of RG3s 70 yard touch down, so I guess it was worth it...kind of?

I think we've decided we are going to try and attend a game every year for our birthdays.  We had so much fun together.  It was the perfect day.  Even better that the Redskins pulled out a win against the Vikings!