December 31, 2007

HAPPY NEW YEAR

We hope everyone has a safe and fun start to 2008!  We are staying home tonight and watching the ball drop on TV.  Actually, I haven't been sleeping very well since Christmas so mom isn't sure whether or not she'll wake me up at midnight, but if not she'll save me some noisy stuff for tomorrow.

It has been an awesome year for us.  We have met so many wonderful couples and families, and of course we have welcomed my brother into our family and have loved every second of having him with us.  As this year ends and we look forward to the next, we are so grateful for our many blessings and we are excited to start on the goals we have set for 2008!!!

OUR LAST 2007 SESSION

I still have one more wedding to blog about, but I will save that for the first blog of 2008!  Our last portrait session of 2007 was for our friends Erin and Matt.  Dad was excited to meet their new baby!  They have become friends of ours since dad photographed their wedding and we are so happy that they welcomed a healthy baby girl into their family.  Dad said she was surrounded with the love.  Not only are Erin and Matt loving parents, but all the grandparents were there to celebrate her arrival as well.

Dad said the baby liked to be held and snuggled.  Her mom and dad said she woke up at 5am that morning and hadn't napped yet!  Mom remembers those days well from when I was a baby.  Lucky for her Everett is a much better sleeper.  We hope she took a nice, long nap after dad left!  Here are a few pictures from the session.

The proud papa:

Mom loves how Erin's mom is looking at her as she is looking at her own daughter.

Grandpa looks smitten!

"What is going on around here today??"

We are so happy for you!  We can't wait to watch her grow, and it will happen quickly so enjoy every sleep deprived second .  When newborn life settles down, mom says she wants to meet the baby too so we have to plan a time to get together.

December 29, 2007

SHADOW AND GINGER

Yesterday dad went to Larry and Vickie's house to take pictures of them, their daughter Courtney, and their two gorgeous horses Shadow and Ginger.  Dad was amazed by their property.  They have lots of land with beautiful grassy fields and trees, all backing up to a wooded area.  The family was really kind and laid back, especially with Courtney leaving shortly to catch a flight.  In our house, the hours leading up to us leaving for the airport are always so rushed and hectic! 

Some pictures from the session:

Thanks to Vickie and Larry for having dad over, and we hope you had a good flight Courtney!

December 28, 2007

PIGTAILS ARE THE CUTEST!

Mom says her favorite hairstyle for little girls is pigtails.  The high "water sprout" ponytails on baby girls comes in a close second, but pigtails are more versatile.

Yesterday dad went to the beach with Kendra, Brandon, and their three year old.  They live in Maryland (and go skiing often in Wisp where dad used to snowboard lots) and were in town visiting family for the holidays.  Dad will be photographing Kendra and Brandon's wedding at the Don Vincente in November.

It was great for dad to get some nice engagement pictures of Kendra and Brandon, and also to include their beautiful daughter for some fun ones as well.  Dad said it was wonderful to see how much they loved their little girl.  Here is one of mom's favorites from the session:

Their beautiful family:

The To-Be-Weds:

Dad would like to bid a fond farewell to Fireworks, the tiny toy who was a beach casualty.  He was buried in the sand over and over until after one burial Fireworks could no longer be found.  Perhaps he will be uncovered as a happy surprise for another child who needs some beach entertainment!

Have a great trip back to MD and see you all next year! 

December 26, 2007

OUR CHRISTMAS

Christmas was awesome!  Not only was it Everett's first Christmas, but it was the first one I was really into which made it lots of fun for mom and dad.

On Christmas Eve we all went to church together but I napped through Mass and I wasn't tired at my usual bed time.  Mom was baking and doing some other preparations so it wasn't until around 11pm when we headed to grandma's and pop pop's for the night and I was still awake.  I don't like sleeping any where but home so I was not happy about going and when we got there I refused to go to bed.  Even though mommy told me that Santa wouldn't come until I was asleep, I stayed up until 2 am telling mommy that I wanted to go home.  Mommy really wanted me to go to sleep because she had to cook tomorrow's breakfast and do a few other things that she couldn't do when I was awake so she woke up grandma to try to convince me to go to bed but that didn't work.  Finally grandma suggested that mommy and Aunt Lora take me for a drive to see Christmas lights and when they did I fell fast asleep. 

Mommy is usually the first person up on Christmas morning and can't wait to open presents!  But with only a few hours of sleep, she was not very energetic when Everett woke her up.  After she fed Everett she started cooking breakfast and getting the mashed potatoes ready for dinner that night.  She said Grammy would have been proud of her seeing her peel all the potatoes and mash them in under 2 hours (wink).  Eventually even though it was somewhat early in the morning everyone was awake and waiting for me.  When I woke up, everyone came in the room I was in and we all said prayers and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus.  Then we went to see if Santa came!  He did!!  He brought toys for me and Everett and left a little note for me by the cookies he ate. 

We all had tons of presents to open.  Mom and dad told me to take my time to enjoy all my gifts as I opened them so it took a couple hours for everyone to open everything.  Mom and dad got a really cool high definition VHS/DVD recorder from grammy that she had sent earlier.  Dad loved his remote control helicopter and was bummed when it broke right away, but Aunt Lora saved the receipt so he can exchange it.  Aunt Lora got traveler's checks for her trip to Europe in March.  Everett's favorite gift was a learning globe that sings when he spins it.  Pop pop loved his gigantic canister of pistachios and his new suit and grandma loved her camcorder.  We hardly saw Aunt Kellie the rest of the day after she opened her That's So Raven game for her DS.  Mom was excited about all her gift cards and that Aunt Lora found the lotion she loved that was discontinued.  And I had lots of favorites, like my viewmaster, kid's elliptical machine, little people barn, rocking horse, and my very own kid's digital camera!!  We all spent the rest of the day playing and eating and having a great time together as a family.

Me with all my presents (there were lots more behind me!)

Everett and his globe:

Mudhoney had no room so he found a spot under the tree.

The mess of presents as we were opening them (the empty spots on the carpet were only empty because people were sitting there):

Mom wasn't feeling well on Christmas and that night she got a fever.  Everett has a cold too so today we all took it easy.  We put some of our new stuff away, watched my new movie Aladdin, and played with toys.  I took some pictures with my new camera.  Dad says I am going to be a great photographer!  I am having a lot of fun taking pictures of everything from my own feet to laundry on the bed.  Here are two of the pictures I took today with my camera:

Everett played with his new toys too.  He got a Sing and Go Choo Choo train that I think is cool.  He is doing a great job sitting up for having just turned 4 months old!

My new tool bench:

And my rocking horse:

We hope all of you enjoyed Christmas with your families and friends as well.  We still have a lot to look forward to before the new year with an engagement session, a family session with horses, a newborn, and a wedding!  Be sure to check back often.

December 24, 2007

M E R R Y    C H R I S T M A S    E V E

It takes a very loving and dedicated mom to stay up all night baking Christmas cookies and wrapping presents so that she can spend all day Christmas Eve reading books, singing carols, and spending time with her boys.  And it is a very special kind of husband who stays up with her to help her. 

We want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas.  Having this business and being able to work doing a job that we absolutely love is a huge blessing to our family and we are grateful to all of you who make it possible by inviting us into your lives.  Thank you all, and enjoy the holidays with your family and friends!

December 23, 2007

ANOTHER ADORABLE BABY

On Friday dad got to meet Deana and Jim and their precious 3 month old daughter.  She was so cute, and was already lifting up her head like a champ!  Mom showed Everett the pictures so he could see how to do it.  Dad said this family was really sweet.  He had lots of fun taking pictures of them hanging out together and just being a family.

Check out that head lifting at just 3 months old!  Mom also likes her little white diaper cover with the lace around the legs.  Just like padded hangers make wedding gown pictures look nicer, diaper covers are a great touch for baby pictures.

Tiny toes:

Looking up at her dad:

There is something so pure about the look a mom gives her baby as she holds her and comforts her.

She sure loves her daddy playing music for her!

Thanks for having dad at your house to meet your wonderful family.  It was an awesome time!

A FEW MORE OF SANTA BABY

As mom was looking through Thursday's session she saw a few more that she thought I should share.  Kristi and Gary must be so proud of their little girl's special talent!

Dad watching in the background:

And in the spirit of the season, baby whispering to Santa what she wants for Christmas.  Or trying to eat Santa's head...whichever interpretation you prefer .

December 22, 2007

SAFE TRAVELS

For all of you who are traveling this weekend, have a safe trip and enjoy yourselves!

HAPPY HALF BIRTHDAY!

On Thursday one of our favorite families came over for pictures.  We were all very excited to see them again and hang out together.  Kristi and Gary have become good friends and mom says that she loves that she and Kristi are alike in lots of ways.  We wish you all lived closer so we could get together more often!

The baby is still really easy-going and quick with a smile.  She is sitting up on her own and seems to be getting ready to crawl soon.  Kristi and Gary are awesome parents.  They are so loving and tender with their little girl.  Watching them with her is truly heart-warming.  Here are some of the 6 month pictures.

"Get this hat OFF of me!!!"

 "Fine, if I don't have to wear the dress or tights, I'll let you put the hat on me."

December 21, 2007

MAKING CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Mom has started her Christmas baking and I love to help.  I got to pour in all the ingredients and then mix it all up.  It was fun and we are making even more this weekend (mostly because daddy ate almost all of the white chocolate chip cranberry cookies already).

Mom and I also made snowmen cookies, but they didn't turn out quite how they were supposed to.

MY SNOWMAN

Speaking of snowmen, mom and I wanted to build one in the snow but since we are here in FL we decided to make one out of cotton balls.  I did a great job!  Mom loved mine so much that her regular one looked so boring and plain next to my creative art.

WILD WONDERLAND

Wednesday night we headed to Lowry Park Zoo for Wild Wonderland.  Basically the zoo opens at night with lots of Christmas lights, some games and rides, and a few holiday attractions like live reindeer, penguins, and Santa.  Aunt Kellie came with me, mom, and dad and we met our friends Robin and Bronwyn there.

Dad snuck away behind one of the attractions for a minute to take a couple pictures of the warthogs.

Robin took pictures for us while me, dad, and Aunt Kellie rode the carousel. 

Bronwyn holding Everett:

It was fun to go out for a holiday activity.  I can't believe Christmas is almost here!

December 18, 2007

DAWN AND PHIL'S WEDDING

Normally mom helps me with my blog, but she is super busy this week so for this blog entry dad is helping.  He even picked the pictures for me to use.  Thanks for helping me out dad!

On Saturday Dawn and Phil were married at St. Catherine of Siena in Clearwater and had a beautiful ceremony.  Phil is currently serving in our military and we wanted to send a big thank you to him and to all who are serving.

Since dad loves to photograph wedding shoes he thought Dawn's were the coolest. The Bridal Sketchers matched her style perfectly  and went well with the gorgeous vintage looking veil and her choker necklace.

The ceremony:

The reception was at the wonderful Ruth Eckerd Hall in the Margarete Great Room. There was a Led Zeppelin tribute in the actual theater so there were people everywhere. Dawn and Phil had a winter theme with white Christmas trees displaying ornaments that had their names and date. Dad thought this was a great favor for guests to celebrate the wedding and the holidays.

They had these fun action figures that I would have loved to play with. There was even a dragon to go with them! Dad said that they are actually from the movie Sleeping Beauty. The Prince is named Phillip and the Princess is named Aurora which just happens to mean Dawn. Aurora is also the name of the Roman goddess of dawn.

The DJ entertained the guests with Christmas trivia and a game of musical chairs.

Dad took Dawn and Phil away for a few photos after the reception:

Dad had a great time and wish you both a wonderful marriage full of happiness. Have an awesome honeymoon at Disney...tell Mickey and Tigger I said hi!

We'd like to send a big thank you to Caroline Billman for coming down to shoot with dad.  It was fun playing with you when you came to visit!  One day you should bring your son so he can play too, and maybe even help write the blog with me!

December 17, 2007

WELCOME TO THE WORLD!

We are so excited for Erin and Matt, who are welcoming their baby girl into the world today!  We have been blessed with their friendship since dad photographed their wedding the day mom went into labor with me.  Erin's maternity session pictures are on last month's blog.  Good luck and love and prayers to you both and your daughter on her BIRTHday!

And speaking of baby birthdays, any updates from Raina and Scott??  Has the little one arrived yet?

December 16, 2007

THE SWORD FAMILY

It is wonderful for dad when he gets to work with other vendors who aren't just good at what they do, but are also genuinely good people.  Rob Sword of Sword Sounds does a great job as a DJ and is just a nice person all around.  Dad was really excited about meeting his wife Dawn, their four kids, and their two dogs for a family session on the beach on Thursday.  They are a really fun family and dad had a great time.  Here are a few pictures:

Merry Christmas Sword family!  And good luck to Rob with Spirit FM.  We think that is just awesome!

If anyone still needs a DJ for their wedding, be sure to visit Rob's website at www.swordsounds.com.

SCROOGE

Stagedoor is a community theatre in Brandon and they just finished putting on the play Scrooge.  My Aunt Kellie was in the play and even managed to convince pop pop to be in the play too!  We went to see their performance Friday night.  Aunt Kellie was one of the Cratchit kids.  We were sitting in almost the last row because it was a full house that night (how exciting for the cast!)  We had our point and shoot with us and we didn't use the flash so the pictures are dark.  Here is the Ghost of Christmas Present showing Scrooge the Cratchit family celebrating Christmas.  Aunt Kellie is sitting at the end of the table.

What a great actress!  You can almost see how good that soup must taste to her since she hardly gets any food to eat.

Aunt Kellie and pop pop both did a wonderful job.  We can't wait to see Aunt Kellie in her next play!!!  And we can't wait to get the song, "Thank You Very Much" out of our heads.

WRAPPING PRESENTS

Mom was wrapping some Christmas presents and Everett and I wanted to help.  Everett decided to hold onto the roll of paper for mom.

I had a more fun idea...

...Wrapping my baby brother!

Mom made me unwrap him because she wanted to keep him, but he would have made a very good present!

December 15, 2007

MELANIE AND JAKE'S ENGAGEMENT SESSION

On Wednesday, after he hung out with Cadence and her family, dad headed to the beach for pictures with Melanie and Jake.  They are a really cute couple and dad said they were very easy going.  Their wedding is next November and we are sure it is going to be beautiful.  Here are some pictures from their session:

December 14, 2007

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CADENCE!!!

Cadence is one of dad's good friends and dad was so excited to go see her for a birthday session.  Dad first met her when she was just six weeks old and now she just turned ONE!  Dad says it has been such a joy to watch her grow through this past year.  She started out as a little baby with hardly any hair but with big smiles.  Now she is a toddler, walking around with hardly any hair but with big smiles .  Cadence and her parents are terrific people and dad always looks forward to hanging out with them.  Dad says he knows from me and Everett how quickly kids grow up, but when you don't see them every day it makes it seem like they are growing even faster.  It took some getting used to for dad to see her walking all over the place when he saw her on Wednesday.

Cadence, 6 weeks:

4 months:

9 months:

One year old:

Cadence and her bottle, 6 weeks old:

Cadence and her bottle, one year old:

Even just a few short months makes a huge difference!  Here is Cadence on her couch reaching for dad's camera at 9 months and then again this past Wednesday at 1 year.

Mom says it makes a parent feel proud when they see their babies are growing up.  We know Cadence's parents are proud of their beautiful daughter, though I'm sure that they are feeling a bit nostalgic and sad as they look at the pictures too.  They are a wonderful family with lots of love.  Here is Cadence with her mom:

and with her dad:

And what birthday would be complete without some yummy birthday cake?!  Or in this case a cupcake.  I agree with Cadence, who cares about the "cake" part.  Just bring on the frosting!!!

Cadence, we consider ourselves blessed to have met you and your family and share in the first year of your life.  Happy, happy birthday and we will be looking forward to the next time we get to see you!

I have more pictures to share from an engagement session and a family session that dad photographed this week.  Visit back soon to see! 

December 13, 2007

ANOTHER SNIPPET AND INK BOARD

Another of dad's pictures was on a Snippet and Ink board!  Rachel and Seth had a beautiful wedding at the Crosley last year (in fact, there 1 year anniversary is coming up in just a couple weeks!!!) and one of their pictures was on the Chartreuse and Raspberry board on www.snippetandink.blogspot.com. 

Rachel and Seth, happy slightly early 1 year anniversary!

December 12, 2007

KERRY AND CHRIS'S WEDDING

A New England winter wedding is dad's idea of true beauty.  You have historical buildings decorated for the holidays set against a snowy background scene in towns where people are genuine and caring.  Kerry and Chris chose such an amazing place for their wedding day.

When dad first arrived at the resort, he saw Kerry and Chris and recognized them from pictures on their wedding website.  It was exciting to finally meet them!  Dad soon realized that almost all of the Stowehof Inn was filled with wedding guests.  How fun to have an Inn filled with friends and family!

On Friday after snowboarding dad joined Kerry and Chris for their rehearsal at the historic Stowe Community Church.  The history of this church dates back to 1818! 

Anyone who knows dad knows he was loving the rehearsal dinner at the Matterhorn when they started rolling out the sushi!

The next morning dad joined Kerry as she got ready for her day.  Her veil and dress had red accents, perfect for a wedding close to Christmas. 

The ceremony:

Dad said he could have photographed Kerry and Chris all day long with all the amazing places there were to take pictures.

The reception was back at the Stowehof Inn.  The couple had snowflake ornaments with the guests' names and table assignments.  Another favor was Olde English Crackers (also called Christmas crackers) with various surprises inside.  People had come together from all over the country were enjoying themselves as they celebrated with Kerry and Chris.  Some of the guests took a short break from the reception's festivities to enjoy a little sledding as well!

Thank you so much to Kerry and Chris for having dad at their gorgeous Vermont wedding!  He had a truly amazing time.  

SNIPPET AND INK INSPIRATION BOARD

Speaking of New England, mom was checking out the inspiration boards on the Snippet and Ink blog and saw one for a Maine Coast wedding.  How fun that two of dad's pictures are in the board!  Can you recognize which ones?  Both were featured on our blog recently.

The third picture in the first row is from Leigh and Mike's wedding, and the last picture in the second row is Lindsey and Brian's cake.  To see the rest of the board's photo credits, visit Snippet & Ink: Board #86: A Maine Coast Wedding. 

December 11, 2007

JEALOUSY

Mom was already jealous of dad's trip to Vermont, but after she saw the pictures it made it so much worse.  Any of you who are snow lovers will understand.  Dad wants to thank Kerry and Chris so so much for giving him the opportunity to go there to photograph their wedding.

Dad took a very early flight on Thursday so he would be able to snowboard.  He didn't end up going out on Thursday so instead he was up bright and early Friday and headed right to the mountain.  He said it wasn't crowded at all so the experience was really peaceful.  He could just enjoy the views, the snow, the mountain, and of course the fun of snowboarding!

On Sunday dad spent the day hiking on one of the closed roads.  He hadn't gone hiking since he and mom lived in Montana.  They used to go all the time there, but they say it is too hot in Florida.  Mom loved the image of the river flowing through the snowy scene.

Dad said he hadn't been on one of these small planes in years.  You had to go outside to get on.

I'll be back soon with pictures from Kerry and Chris's wedding!

December 9, 2007

FOR PARENTS

Want to read something scary?  Go to www.savingforcollege.com and you can get an estimate of how much money you will need to set aside each month for your kids' college funds.  Use the College Cost Calculator and set the assumptions (how much of the college costs you want to pay for, how many years your child will be in school, etc) to get the estimate for the total college costs and the monthly contributions you have to make from now until they go to college.

From the September 2007 issue of Parenting magazine:

What your mom said to you then...  VS.  ...What your mom says to her grandchild now

"Don't you speak to me that way, young lady!"  VS.  "What a big vocabulary!"

"Get down this instant!"  VS.  "Look how athletic she is!"

"No ice cream till you finish what's on your plate."  VS.  "One scoop or two?"

DAD COMES HOME TOMORROW

I can't wait to see dad.  We haven't been able to talk to him much because his cell phone service is spotty up there in the snow.  He did say that it has been snowing lots and he wishes we could do more New England winter weddings!!

Today mom told me that after I go to bed tonight, when I wake up in the morning dad will be back.  I laid down on mom's bed and closed my eyes to try to go to sleep right then.  That's how much I miss him!  I'll be sharing pictures of the snow and the wedding when he gets back.

December 6, 2007

WE'LL MISS YOU DADDY.  HAVE FUN!

Before I woke up this morning, dad left for a wedding in Vermont.  Though I will miss him lots, I know he will have an awesome time.  He has been looking forward to this wedding for so long!  He is excited not only for a beautiful wedding in a snowy resort, but also because he gets to go snowboarding while he is there.  Mom is super jealous.  She looked up the ski conditions there and they got 14" in the past 72 hours.  Daddy gets to be in a real actual winter!  We can't wait to see the pictures from this wedding.

GREEN TIPS

I always love to share eco-friendly tips.  These are from The Green Book:  The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time. 

*Go to www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglist and register to reduce the amount of junk mail you get.  It cost a dollar, but you'll be saving some trees!

*If you use online directories, call to stop the delivery of your traditional phone book.  They make up almost 10% of waste at dump sites.

*Avoid the hot-hot cycle on your washing machine.  If everyone in the U.S. used cold-cold instead, it would save 100,000 barrels of oil a day.

*Check your tires.  Properly inflated tires can improve your gas mileage by up to 3 percent.

*ATM receipts are a huge source of litter.  If everyone in the U.S. didn't take a receipt from the ATM, it would save a roll of paper more than 2 billion feet long.

A FAMILY VACATION SPOT IN FLORIDA

Mom and dad were looking up vacation ideas for January, when we are all going to take a trip for mom's big birthday.  Mom saw an ad for an all-inclusive resort here in Florida that is really family friendly, even offering programs for infants and toddlers.  It is the Club Med Sandpiper. 

For infants, there is the Club Med Baby Welcome Program and Baby Club Med starts at 4 months.  They have rooms with cribs, changing tables, baby baths, high chairs, and jars of baby food, and with Baby Club Med (4-23 months) there are puppet shows and other activities where you can drop off your kids (though mom and dad said they wouldn't do that for me and my brother).  For kids my age, they have Petit Club Med (2-3 years old) where there is a clubhouse and toys, a "Happy Gym" to climb and slide and play, kids only swimming pools, and activities like face-painting and arts and crafts.  And for mom and dad, there is waterskiing, wakeboarding, roller-blading, tennis, gourmet dining, and a bunch more. 

It sounded like it makes traveling with young kids easy, which is something important to us, so I thought I'd share here on my blog.  But we'll be taking our vacation in January and want to play in the SNOW!!!  We are thinking of renting a cabin in the mountains so we can go outside and build snowmen and igloos then come in to warm by the fire with hot chocolate and look at the window at beautiful mountain views.  We are still deciding though.  Any more fun snowy vacation ideas for kids?

December 5, 2007

A BIG SURPRISE FOR GRAMMY

In my last blog entry I told you that we'd be taking a long weekend off.  I had to be vague about it because we were really planning a surprise for grammy!  We had been planning a visit for a while but had kept it a secret.  So Friday evening we were at the airport for a trip to VA.

Here I am trying to amuse myself as we waited for our flight:

Luckily there was a play area near our gate and it helped pass the time.

Even Everett liked the play area!

This was Everett's very first plane ride!  He was a bit fussy for some of the flight, but overall he was really good.

I was excited because it was the first time I had my very own seat.  Mom and dad were both SO proud of me.  I pulled my own suitcase through the airport, I carried my own backpack, and I sat in my seat nicely with my seatbelt on and played quietly for the entire flight.  I was super good!

Once our flight landed we rented a car and headed to grammy's.  We got there about 11 at night and mom and dad had me go up to the door myself and knock.  I did, but nothing happened.  Daddy came up and rang the doorbell a few times, but still the lights didn't go on inside.  I told daddy that I was getting cold so he finally just called grammy on the phone and told her to answer the door. 

The door flew open and grammy was there crying and screaming!  She gave me big hugs and kisses and didn't even pay attention to the alarm that she forgot to turn off when she opened the door.  Soon it was blaring and the alarm company called to make sure everything was okay.  Mom and dad thought that was funny, and even funnier when they found out that the reason grammy didn't open the door right away was because she was on the phone with the POLICE and had them on the way over!!!  She was nervous when someone came banging on her door late at night so she called them.  Now that would have been quite a surprise for us!

I ended up getting pretty sick with a stomach flu the next day so we all spent Saturday just relaxing at grammy's house.  Martine and Neal live near grammy and dad was supposed to meet them about their album but they were nice enough to come see us instead.  I was sleeping, but they got to meet Everett and made him smile lots.

MADISON AND NATHAN'S BAPTISM

Mom and Dad are so incredibly honored to be Godparents to Madison and Nathan.  They know that it is a big responsibility and they are excited Jenny asked them to be Godmother and Godfather to her kids.  The baptism was on Sunday in Virginia. 

We all had fun celebrating a special day for Madison and Nathan, and I am excited to have them as my new friends!  Here are a few pictures of our family hanging out together after the baptism.

Madison, newly baptized:

And Nathan:

Everett says thanks to his great-aunt Cathy for hanging out with him!

And thanks to Allison who came to see me and Everett and watch us during the baptism!

Dad says that I look like a business man on an important call in this picture:

It was great to see our family for such a special occasion.  We are so happy for you, Madison and Nathan!!! 

I SAW SANTA!!!!

After the baptism, I asked if we could go stop by the mall.  Dad said okay if we didn't stay long so we went to the mall near grammy's house.  While we were walking, I saw Santa Claus in the mall!  The line was short so when I asked mom and dad if I could please go see him they said okay.  I was so excited!  I sat on his lap and he asked me my name.  I told him, and he asked what I wanted for Christmas.  I told him that I wanted toys for Christmas.  Then Everett got to sit on his lap (it was his first time ever meeting Santa) and we had our picture taken.  As we were leaving, Santa gave us both a puzzle.  I couldn't believe it!  I asked him for toys and he gave me one right there!  I told mom that Santa gave me just what I wanted! 

Image by Cherry Hill Photo

ENJOYING VIRGINIA BEFORE HEADING BACK HOME

People in Virginia were very nice.  As we walked through the airport in FL with a stroller, three suitcases, two car seats, and four carry-ons, not one person said a word to us.  In VA we had four different people offering to give us their seats on the shuttle or help us with our luggage, and even more struck up a conversation just to be friendly.  The weather was wonderful and refreshing after the heat of Florida.  With a chill in the air, the holiday season feels more festive.

Another wonderful part of VA of course is grammy.  On our last day there grammy and I spent time together coloring and playing.  We had fun!

Everett hung out with me and grammy for a while too.  Here I am giving Everett a big kiss.

I also played outside to enjoy the cold weather.  There was a strong wind the day we left (it ended up leaving the airport with only one runway open) so I had to wear a big coat to keep warm.

I wish we had piles of leaves to jump in at home!

All of us were sad to go.  It was fun to surprise grammy, even if she did call the police on us!  Thanks for having us grammy!