Happy Birthday, Sadie Beth!

Anyone who has a birthday close to Christmas knows how hard it is to plan a party this time of year. Sadie is one of those unfortunate souls.  Last year we managed to throw together a family party at the last minute, and it was fine.  But since school started, Sadie has been planning her birthday party with her friends, so I knew we weren't getting off the hook easy this year.  Our December was super busy, and before I knew it, her birthday was here and there was no party in sight. :(  Mother of the year, I'm not.  That's when I asked Sadie what kind of party she wanted to have, and a small miracle happened.  That sweet child said she wanted to have her party at Chuck E. Cheese. 

Do you know how easy it is to plan a party at Chuck E. Cheese?  Super. Easy.  Within 30 minutes, I had the party reserved online and invitations sent. I ordered a cookie cake and relaxed.

 Sadie was so excited the day of the party!  She had some great buddies join her.

 I love this picture on so many levels!  You might be wondering where her little girl friends are.  Apparently she prefers to hang out with the boys.  And what sweet little boys they are!

 We were so excited to have PeeWee Herman Ryan be our host at Chuck E. Cheese.  He was really nice to the kids and super attentive.

 I like this picture primarily because the last time we were at Chuck E.'s both my children wouldn't get within 50 feet of him.  Jackson is still not a fan of large costumed animals, but Sadie figured since he was throwing a party for her, she might need to show him some love.

The last great party moment was the Ticket Blaster...Sadie let Jackson join her in this wind tunnel full of tickets.  Let's just say they didn't quite get the memo about grabbing the tickets while you were inside.  They thought it was super cool, though, and PeeWee Ryan helped them out in the end.

It was a great day, and baby girl got exactly the party that she wanted, which was all that mattered anyway.

Christmas 2010

We had a great Christmas this year. 

 The hardest part was getting three kids to smile at the same time.

 It's getting easier to get two kids to look like they like each other, though.

 We got out money's worth out of Annabelle's Santa outfit...it was so stinkin' cute on her we wore it everywhere!

 This is my nephew Josh.  He's "the cool nephew."  Annabelle likes him already.

 The thing I love most about Christmas is how excited my kids get about every single gift.

 The celebration ran a little long for my dad... ;)

...and to all a good night.

Angel Fire 2010

After Christmas last year, Kevin and I were talking about how we really wanted to spend Christmas somewhere in the mountains, surrounded by lots of snow.  We started looking around the internet for potential cabins that we could rent during Christmas break the following year.  We went to http://www.vrbo.com/ and entered the words "Angel Fire Cabin" and this is what came up:

To say a cabin like this would be our dream home would be an understatement.  It was awesome.  But it slept 22...a tad on the big side for our little family of four.  That's when we got the idea of rounding up the whole Peden gang for a family vacation...once we sold Mom and Dad on the idea (which took very little selling since vacationing in the mountains is one of their very favorite things), the rest is history.

Of course, the year brought about a few changes...Annabelle came along, and then Jones.  Annabelle was old enough to travel, but since Jones was only a few weeks old, Kim, Jed, Cody, Karen and Josh stayed in Oklahoma...which made us really sad, but we totally understood.  And then Mark got a new job the week before we left, so he couldn't go either.  But the rest of the crew made the trek, and boy was it worth it!

 Sadie was not a fan of skiing, but playing in the snow around the cabin was right up her alley!

 Jackson loved skiing!  Okay, maybe loved is a strong word.  He did great.  Sometimes the wind was a little too strong for him, and sometimes it was a little too cold, but he was a trooper and had a great time!

 Just like the rest of the Carter clan, Eli picked up skiing right away!  I think Jackson was inspired by his cousin's enthusiasm!

I wish I had more pictures on my computer, but we loaded the rest on Kevin's laptop, and it's at work with him.    If you're ever looking for a wonderful place to house a large group, this cabin is for you.  It's ski in, ski out, has tons of room and the owner is very easy to work with. It was a great vacation.  One we hope to do again soon.

The Magic of Photography

About two weeks before Annabelle was born, I received an email from the mother of one of my students.  We'd emailed back and forth before, and in the midst of our communication she mentioned that she was a professional photographer.  Of all the talents I wished I possessed, being able to take beautiful photos is at the top of my list.  The very  top.  So when she told me she took newborn  pictures, I jumped at the opportunity...because let's all just be honest here:  newborns typically don't photograph well.  No matter how beautiful you think they are, the photo doesn't do them justice.

So when Chanda of Chanda Holter Photography arrived at our house when Annabelle was nine days old, I tried to keep my expectations/hopes at a reasonable level.  Chanda and I had never met face to face before that day.  She is such a nice person!  She was on time and completely prepared, but she took a couple of minutes to scout out my house for additional props.

Then the magic began.  I handed over my baby and stepped back to watch.  Annabelle was sound asleep, and Chanda handled her so carefully and talked to her so sweetly. She would wait for the perfect moment to take each picture, and sometimes that required a lot of patience (poop, hunger and general fussiness are workplace hazards in her line of work).  It was wonderful to watch.  But the amazing thing was how she took everyday objects and turned them into this:

Or this, in which she took some fall garland and pumpkins I had laying around the house...

And then, to satisfy the girly girl in all of us...

But the two that I love most are the ones she took at the very end of the session.  Annabelle was hungry and fussy and not very cooperative, but Chanda somehow managed to capture these moments...

As I look at these, Annabelle is sleeping in her bassinet nearby.  She is six weeks old this week, and she has already changed so much.  I am so thankful to have these pictures to remember that very fleeting moment of her life.

I can't even begin to say enough nice things about Chanda and her business. Be sure to check out her website, chandaholterphotography.com, and see some of her other beautiful images. And if you do book a photo session, ask about the "brag book"...it is a fabulous way to carry multiple images with you--a great gift!

On this day in history...

When I was in junior high and high school, I was one of those girls who marked every significant (or insignificant, for that matter) moment either in my journal or on my calendar.  To this day, I can tell you the birthdays of people I haven't seen in 20 years as well as various other blips on the radar of a lifetime.  I don't know if I owe this quirk to my Papa, who would start every story with something to the effect of, "Back on July 15, 1937..." or to my mom. 

A few years ago I decided to make my parents a calendar using family pictures, and in the process I snuck Mom's calendar off the wall and wrote down all the dates that were important to her.   Let me just say that there are LOTS of dates that are important to her.  If you've crossed her path more than once, you're probably on the calendar.  Deaths, births, anniversaries, firsts...they are all on there.  Sometimes I wonder why she puts some things on there. Other times, I get it.

At some point after high school, I stopped marking my calendar.  I don't know if I just got too busy or just found fewer things worth commemorating, but I stopped.  I still kept a journal, but with less frequency and enthusiasm. I did start journaling again when I met Kevin.  And although I can't tell you the exact date, I know it was the first day of inservice, 2002.  What I realized with him was that it isn't the date that matters. It's the moments.  Like how on my birthday, only a week or so after our first date, he brought me my very own birthday cake.  Or how after he met my parents for the first time, we drove up to the spot where as a kid I wanted to build my house, and he thought it was as amazing as I did.  Or how he would leave little Post-It notes in my make-up drawer so I would find them in the morning when he wasn't there.

Or how, on November 15, 2003, he proposed to me under the stars, surrounded by candles, in the middle of the North Meadow.  How he read a letter to me that he'd written years before we met...to me..to his future wife. How my entire life changed in that one moment, because from that point on, I had a partner to walk with me.  No matter what, I would never be alone.  No matter what, I would be loved.  No matter what.

So to my husband on this day in our history:  I love you.  More today than that day way back when.  Life isn't always sexy or pretty or even fun...but I'm always glad to be on this adventure with you.  I'm so glad you asked me to join you!