Birthday Boy

yesterday was sunday funday and we celebrated daddy's birthday. complete with decorations and presents. of course.

and funny cards too.

my favorite part was the family hike we took before the sun slipped behind the valley. behind the house, up the hill and around the bend...

muck boots for all.

muck boots most always lead to some messy mischief for em. and good entertainment for the rest of us.

we did it! whew....it was kind of hard. for me, at least. sheesh.

our reward was tacos for dinner....mmmmmmm.

and then it was time for silly party masks.



i don't know if we, as a little family, have ever laughed so hard. in fact, in this picture, mom's funny face and the camera shake are because we were trying to not to erupt in sheer, uncontrollable laughter.

we could hardly look at dad. it was too creepy. and when he chased us for a kiss, we all ran. fast.

and what is a birthday without a candle and a wish. and some amazing, sweet creation, made by mom with love.



happy birthday daddy. i love you so. so much, i fear you will never know.

and i can't say much more because i seem to cry at everything these days and i am already getting misty in the eyes at the mere thought of you.

and frankly, i just put on mascara.

i hope your day is as swell as you are.

*if you are inclined to read more about this man i call daddy, i will refer you to this post.

thirteen weeks

...but looking a little more like twenty weeks. hmmm.

dear baby:

*we got to see you in action twice this month.

*it was magical and breathtaking. we had smiles the size of melons on our faces.

*we particularly enjoyed watching you roll and jump around and throw a peace sign up at us with your little paw. i am also pretty sure there was nothing cuter than seeing your baby foot.

*you are our favorite thing already.

*and i can't stop eating all things fruit! smoothies, popsicles, apples, grapes. along with the occasional caving for a cup of frozen yogurt. for calcium.

*oh yah, and anytime you want to you stop making me feel like i am going throw up all day, well that would be fine with me. but if not, that's ok too. you are way worth it.

*stay cozy baby.

P.S. thanks for the photo shoot trev. i mean "dinha".

beach day

last week i took another trip to the beach. i can't get enough of this place in the winter. it is sunny, and so relaxing and lately, both of those things are pretty enticing. it really is my perfect place.

this time my companions included erika, ever and trevor. one of my favorite combination of humans.

in accordance with tradition, we stopped at genova's for food and drinks and chips. i always like chips at the beach. well anytime if we are being honest.

*ummm...isn't erika's hair color to die for?

ever loves this place as much as we do. we always wondered if he would. and he does. thank the stars.

i wondered what he was imagining as he played that stick. was it a sword? a baseball bat? maybe binoculars? or perhaps it was just a stick he found at the beach. fun in its own right.

we played with sand (some of which ended up in uncle trevor's pasta), played kickball, wrestled in the sand and watched the kite flyers.

and of course, the finale, a bit of beach ballet.

soon it was cold and damp and we headed to the car.

on the long ride home, ever and i shared an apple and then took a nap together in the back seat. usually the rule is that all adult passengers must stay present and a part of the conversation, but trevor gave me a pass this time. thanks to the wee babe growing in my tummy.

what a dreamy ending.

breakfast at the caldwell's

sunday funday morning included a trip to see my little logan. and dee and mitchell.


she said she wanted to cook for me and i happily agreed because a) i haven't been cooking lately, b) i love breakfast food, c) she said we could wear pajamas, and mostly, d) i simply adore this little family.

after breakfast, mitchell took me to the garage where boxes of chic maternity clothes and baby goods awaited me. i am so lucky to have such good friends and cousins who will let me borrow their "with child" wardrobe and precious baby items.

then it was time for the little logan show. he was quite the show off impressing me with his ability walk and nearly run on two legs and his giggle. oh that giggle. i could listen to it for hours.

special delivery

here i am.

three months (not three babies-i realize this picture is deceiving) along with little baby kelly.

eta: august.6.2011

i feel:

*love for our little soy bean
*love for my ryan

*excitement
*nervousness

*nausea
*exhaustion, too tired to type in paragraph form in fact

*pretty
*sometimes pretty gross

*admiration for mothers everywhere

*inexplicably, randomly weepy

*joy
*and mostly, gratitude

****

i have been waiting for this all my life.

down by the seashore

last weekend, my mr. kelly took me on a very lovely getaway. i needed it. bad. we have hardly had a day alone together in weeks, let alone two days in a row. and this lack of sunshine and the bitter cold have really been getting to me. maybe you have noticed my blog has been feeling less than "inspired".

the beach. with ryan. was just what the doctor ordered.

both possess such restorative powers for me.

*we ate out. i ordered pesto. surprise, surprise.

*we ate chocolate covered strawberries. fancy!

*we watched television in bed for hours. which is quite a luxury if you don't have a television in your bedroom at home.

*i blogged. fireside.

*i took a lazy bath and read magazines.

*we strolled on the beach at sunset.

*we hiked bodega head trail.

*we had a picnic lunch, complete with the most delicious deli sandwiches and kettle chips.

*and then we drove home and watched eclipse. yes, my man will watch twilight movies with me.

Birthday Girl

christy had a birthday. it was her golden birthday. and she is like a golden friend-always thinking of others, will make you laugh (hard), and will send you a cheerful text just when you could use a cheery text. i wish everyone could have a friend like her and i would offer to share her with you, but i need her. although i do sincerely hope you have or find your own "christy".

like always, we had dinner to celebrate our christy and tracey set a very fancy table.

we ate fireside, and enjoyed salad, rolls, chicken with asparagus and then for dessert....we feasted on Sara's homemade cherry pie. christy's favorite.

it was soooooo delicious. and was what i like to call, "a fine evening with friends".

christmas

christmas eve was spent with the kelly family. it is always a fun night and this year was no exception. like a little girl, i always run to the tree to look for mr. and mrs. claus who smile and sway to their own little beat. really! they move!

before our christmas supper and gift giving extravaganza, mama marsha brings us fun hats and headbands. festive!

and there is always a beautiful table set. this year, prime rib graced our plates. delectable.

my favorite kelly tradition: christmas crackers. we play with the little toys and read the jokes to one another. and i think the kelly parentals should wear these glasses every year. i couldn't stop laughing.


bright and early christmas morning we threw on our christmas pajamas and headed down to the abernethy's to wake up my sleeping sisters and discover that santa had come!

i was gifted with another another ina masterpiece...you know what that means.

my parent's christmas tree was a really beauty this year....i could hardly take my eyes off of it. and of course, this jolly old st. nick makes everyone feel the holiday spirit.

in between gift giving we enjoyed rachel's HOMEMADE cinnamon bread (which was the best we had ever had) and we admired my dear dad's wrapping and bow tieing (sp?) skills. and of course, what's not to love about ryan's ribbon suspenders?

christmas afternoon found the entire family at my grandparent's house where ANOTHER grand tree greeted us. this tree is a masterpiece every year: hundreds of vintage ornaments delicately placed by my devoted, christmas-loving grandma.

prime rib again! lucky us!

the dish washing crew...all wearing grandma's aprons. well, except alex. and emily showed us her bubble trick.

one of my favorite christmas traditions is exchanging names with my sisters and cousin and filling wooden shoes with little treats, honoring our dutch blood. the objective is for all the treats to fit in the shoe and as you can see someone cheated this year. but the best part was when hannah stuck a piece of coal in emily's shoe. we laughed and laughed...

and all were merry.

my mister had a birthday. a big one.

so we had a little party to celebrate. complete with balloons, streamers (courtesy of my Em), a keg filled with celebration ale and presents.

and of course, what is a party without food and spirits. beer, wine, and dirty shirleys. mmmmmmm.

the sisters made spinach dip and blood orange shrimp dip. ryan's mom made peanut clusters and rocky road, and my mama made ham and brie sammies. how lucky am i for all the help. major lucky.

if it weren't for my sisters, this party would not have happened. true story. they came the night before to help me tie bows, chop veggies and clean my oven. Yes, my sisters cleaned my oven for me. i could cry thinking of all that they did.

there also would be no pictures of this little party if my sisters weren't there. so thanks girls.

after trevor and my mom had some type of bonding moment while remininsing our high school years, he became the star of the show and we all laughed at him for hours.

mistletoe mischeif

and then there was dessert.

my mister loves dessert so i went to town the week before whipping up his favorites. coconut cupcakes, chocolate cake, and cheesecake.

and then we lit the candles, sang, as he contemplated his wish. the whole time i thought, "he is the cutest, sweetest thirty year old I know."

before the night was over we had a little fun with party poppers. ok, maybe a lot of fun.

my mister is thirty and he was so happy and grateful for his party.

it made me happy. really happy. and a little tired.

thank you to all of our friends and family for helping me "cheers" to my ryan.

birthday girl

my sister.


today, is her birthday.


and if you would have asked me last year, i would have said it was impossible, but this year, i can honestly say i love her even more than i did in years past.


i always knew i was lucky to have her, but she really just keeps getting better and better.


i would list a million things that are cool about her. but i think this picture says it all...she is good and pure, just as her sweet and tender face leads one to believe.


i can always count on her to pick up where i lack, she is positive when i am negative, sensible when i overreact, funny when i am morose, and excited when i am tentative.


and today, i will celebrate her all day long, and will find it hard to believe that the blond, freckled little girl who used to annoy me is now one of the greatest parts of my life. and tonite as she blows out her candles, she will wish for something secret but i will make my own wish: to one day become the sister she is to me.



P.S. sorry for the all the sappy-ness sister - I can't help it sometimes!

P.P.S. thanks for being my blog's biggest fan.

christmas cheer is here

we cozied up in the car.

hung a sparkly ornament from the mirror.

tuned into the holiday music station.

stopped at starbucks for cocoa.

and drove through ritzy neighborhoods, to look at all the shiny lights.

much to ryan's dismay and poor ears, i yelped, quite loudly, when i saw the canopy of twinkle lights that continued for a block. it was just so full of magic.

our last stop was to see this mighty tree, glowing in all it's glory.

my heart was silently singing, "o tannenbaum".

fearful that my ears would freeze and shrivel up, we headed back to the car where our cocoa awaited and duty called. our own little tree at home stood naked, quietly waiting for the night when ryan and i would disagree about lighting techniques, reach a compromise and then plug it in to see the room suddenly become awash in a golden glow. at that very moment, i will whisper...."ooooohhh", as i do every year. these christmas trees get me every time.

***********************************************************

last night, i smiled remembering this night.

and today i smile, remembering this night, and the memory of starting this little journal one year ago.

golden goose

last night, i came home to a specific mister of mine in the kitchen with oven gloves on both hands. let's be real: my mister and i have a lovely division of labor worked out and he is a very capable man, but cooking usually falls on my side of the chore list.

mister had roasted a beautiful chicken and made garlic mashed potatoes. He proudly opened the oven and said in his irish brogue, "a golden goose for my golden lady." I beamed.

we ate in between smiles. and i felt warm inside.

we bundled up and began a loooooong walk and he held my mittened hand the whole time. we admired and critiqued christmas light jobs and stopped at rite aid for candy. i got andes chocolate mints. i adore those little rectangle mints that you find tucked in with your check at a restaurant, i always wish i had ten more just like it. but then when you have a whole box at your disposal, somehow they lose their lustre. isn't that funny?

we trekked home and hopped right in the car to find our christmas tree. i love a big tree, but for some reason, this year, i wanted a little tree for our little house. so after much deliberation, we found our little 2010 tree. a humble little four foot noble fir. and i couldn't love it anymore.

tonight, we will decorate that tree. and all will feel right with the world.

sister slumber soiree

one my favorite things in the world must be a slumber party, and of course sister slumber parties rank pretty high.

we did a lot of snuggling, some bickering and A LOT of laughing, mostly because emily is a riot and also because we watched the hangover. i had a sore throat for two days afterwards. from laughing.

we decided to make breakfast for dinner after we discovered that the chicken i had taken from the freezer and had planned to roast was still half frozen - typical. luckily, it all worked out because rachel makes some mean eggs, melt in your mouth bacon and this night, she also made hash browns from scratch! yummmmm...

after a random late night run to mcdonalds for cokes, a katy perry dance party in the car and an attempt to watch elf we finally walked our sleepy sister bodies to bed...

the next morning we lazied around, but we didn't feel too badly because it was sunday after all. we piled on one bed, played nintendo ds, read magazines, and emily beat my fruit ninja top score on my iphone. stinker.

then we made breakfast. again. what silly girls we are! this time we had french toast and fruit...and a little bubbly.

after some more lounging, we soon got to work making a dish we could take home and enjoy all week. this lasagna recipe is special and amanda gave me the recipe at my bridal shower. i had yet to attempt it until today because....well, in short, it seemed tough and i needed rachel, who i equate to be my own personal pioneer woman. while rachel interpreted the four page recipe, emily kept us laughing. hysterically.

we chopped and stirred. and my favorite part was showing the girls the magic of shredding cheese in the cuisinart. its like magic.

we took brief breaks to "dance it out".

and soon it was time to begin stacking all that goodness...

three lasagnas for three sisters.

speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil.

and just when i thought the day couldn't get any better, my mister came home and we ate by candlelight and ryan had seconds. which is always my cue that i made something pretty alright.

and then he did the dishes, while i put my feet up and talked incessantly from the table. awesome.