eight years ago today, i married my best friend.  i can’t believe it has been so long.  i feel so lucky to have a great partner, and father for our children.  i honestly could not have ever imagined i’d get so lucky, and find someone who treats me so well, and loves me unconditionally.  and he was right there, all those years!  john and i met in high school, and were best friends.  we were totally platonic for all those years.  it wasn’t until a year after we graduated, and 9-11 happened, that things changed.  john joined the navy, and before he left, he kissed me.  in a not-just-friends way.  that was december of 2001, and the rest is pretty obvious.    i am so glad he took that chance.

i thought i’d share some pictures of us from way when.  man, we were just kids!  the kids got to pick our anniversary dinner tonight.  we’re picking up a salad and breadsticks from olive garden, and i am making lasagna!

causing trouble down in philly.  that was not soda in those big gulps!  we thought we were so slick.  haha!  i actually have this framed in our kitchen (cup ring and all, lol!)

we obviously did a lot of drinking as teenagers, lol.  i think that is why i’m so over it now.  i drank enough in my teen years to last a lifetime!

our senior prom!  we didn’t go together, but we might as well have.  both of our dates kind of stunk (and no, john was not in a gang, he is such a big dork )!

this is after we did start dating.  john was in school/training in florida and we’d fly to visit each other (i was still in PA) once a month.  we stayed in a hotel on the (pensacola) beach this time.

our first apartment!  this was in march of 2003. i was 6 months pregnant with kayleigh.

and from this june before he left.

and as a card i sent john said (gotta love urban outfitters, lol).  johnny, i can’t wait to grow old and disgusting with you!    wish you were here to celebrate!!

i am okay at multi-tasking, but ultimately some things get pushed into the “i’ll do that later” category.  lately, blogging is always falling into that one.  but norah’s birthday was nearly a week ago.  so i am making time.  even though my house is a disaster, and i have three loads of laundry in my living room calling my name.

norah picked the zoo for her birthday outing.  she looooves the carousel, and also picked a (unicorn) carousel cake for me to make for her birthday.    obviously, we did the primate side of the zoo (for all you denver people), so we could get on the merry go round!

i obviously have love for the fisheye lens!    we were actually going to go back to the cheyenne mountain zoo, but the giraffes were not out, so we just stuck with denver (and the bonus – it’s free with our membership – thanks grandma!)

see that little creature between kayleigh & charlotte?  it’s a giant elephant shrew.  ha!  we giggle about it’s elephant like size every time we go. 

this is totally not set up by me, lol. and totally blown to bits bc i wasn’t ready to take the pic.

the best part about the zoo on your birthday?  COTTON CANDY!  a rarity ’round these parts!

norah’s actual birthday was the next day, and pretty quiet.  the big kids were in school, and we just laid low.

we ran some errands in the morning, and i let her pick out a new unicorn.

i gave her free reign of lunch.  she decided on a peanut butter, nutella, and marshmallow sandwich, with kiwi and yogurt. see that snoopy spoon?  it was my baby spoon!

she asked for a carousel cake.  and we were actually going to do cupcakes, but the cupcakes were too weak for the unicorn cookies i made.  so i quick ran out and got box cake mix (gasp!) an hour before dinner, and made a quick cake.

a couple hours later … cake!  not perfect, but to her it was.

norah got some awesome gifts.  her favorite gift was lulu kitty from grandma kelly that was meowing all day in the wrapping paper.  it was a running joke all day to figure out which one of us was secretly meowing – ha!  she also got a super cute schwinn tricycle (that i got an awesome deal on before christmas!), some new craft supplies, an ice cream shop kit, and a few other super cool things.

all in all it was a good birthday week.  she already seems to much older and has picked up some new phrases in the last few days, and started calling me “mom,” instead of “mommy.”  she is hysterical, and such a little social girl.  i’m so happy to be her mom, even when she is hiding in the closet with the tub of cookies, scarfing them down right before dinner! 

my norah (aka nornado) turned three today.  we had a great couple days celebrating, and she couldn’t be more excited to finally be THREE!  we’ve been counting down the days all month!  i will post some pics this week of her birthday, but for now, a trip down memory lane!

norah’s wild birth!  she came fast and furious, born with only mom & dad (& a sick puking two year old ethan) in the room.  the midwife arrived 45 minutes later.

six months old, and living in a new state!

my little baldie was one!

TWO!

and sweet spunky norah, today, on her third birthday!   look at her all grown up!

all is right with the world.  i have my best friend back back on my camera.  the nikkor 10.5mm fisheye lens.  i got a free week rental and i am so excited to have it again!  i love the perspective you can get with this thing.  one day i will own it.  i think now with renting it three times, i know that i will love it when it’s in my small collection.  no doubt about it!   a wide angle she is!

i got a crazy idea that the girls needed bunk beds.  you see, norah has way outgrown her toddler bed, but two beds in that room would just be too much.  i didn’t want to be stuck with bunk beds forever, though, so we found a set that can be separated.  it will work great.  we’re keeping kayleigh’s old bed, because once we leave colorado the plan is that both the older kids will get their own rooms, and norah and charlotte will share.  that is, if norah has finally stopped trying to kill charlotte by then.  the house was crazy today since the beds were delivered and everything was all over the place!  the kids didn’t mind the mattress in the living room, though.  not one bit!

here’s a before picture of the room..  i’m hoping to get it all done in under two weeks – before i have to send the fisheye back!    they are sleeping in the bunk beds apart tonight, until we get friends to help stack them tomorrow.  norah looks so little in that twin bed.  it’s so cute!  i can’t believe she’ll be three on tuesday!

Just wanted to post about the awesome photography forum I’m part of,  again.  Clickin Moms has helped me have many “Ah ha!” moments over the last 3 years.  I’ve learned probably 90% of my photoshop knowledge there, and almost always have any questions I have answered quickly.  The board has grown since I first joined, and there are so many talented photographers there that share so much.  My favorite forum is probably the before/after photoshop section.   It makes me feel a little better about what is coming out of my camera initially, lol!  If you’d like to give it a try, click the picture below, and enter the code “FRIEND” for 20% off!  Hope to see you there!  Let me know if you join, and I’ll give you my user name over there!

it is hard to blog AND do that project.  so far, so good.  i am 9 days into it without fail, horray!

not much picture wise to share.  it was the first week back at school after winter break.  my girlfriend colored my hair thursday night, hopefully will take a self portrait tomorrow.  i’ve been plucking the gray’s for a while, but i think it’s just getting to the point where i should just get used to coloring it!  we’ll see.  it turned out nice, not much different than my natural color.  in fact, the kids said it looks exactly the same.  oh well! 

it snowed today, everyone was really excited.  it’s only the third time this season!  oddly enough, kayleigh was outside the longest this time.  ethan was first in because he left his winter coat at the library friday and his old coat just wasn’t cutting it!  the arms were too short and his wrists were cold/wet a minute into it.  hoping his coat will still be there when the library is open again wednesday.

and gotta have the token snowflake macro pic!  have to do it every time it snows!

you look adorable on my little (almost) birthday girl’s head! lol!  norah requested a short hair cut last week, so i took her in this afternoon.  it’s been so stringy and thin looking, and i am in love with it now.  it’s so healthy looking, and full!

and her new bathing suit came in the mail today.  she didn’t take it off until bath time!  she’s getting some air here!

don’t let the picture fool you.  she is not such a great eater.  she stuffs a lot in there, but it all get spit right back out almost immediately.  drives me crazy!  wonky color from the overhead light.  i was too lazy to go get my speedlight from upstairs.