Christmas Photos

I have often lamented that it is much easier to take pictures of other people's children than my own, and that is certainly never more true than at this time of year. Even with a little help from Rob to try and wrangle the boys into sitting still and looking at the camera (both at the same time, no less!) it is nearly impossible. I've had a couple of sessions with them recently in an effort to capture the perfect image, and I think I've come as close as I'm going to get. I've given up hope of the "perfect image" and settled on one that is "pretty good". I committed to a design and image today and sent it to my printer, so there's no going back now. I thought I would share a few outtakes just so you can appreciate the one I chose when it arrives in the mail.

So cute - if only his brother wasn't hiding behind the tree.

Again, adorable - if only his brother wasn't around the corner climbing the stairs.

Letter to Santa

This morning Casey & I worked on his letter to Santa. He colored a picture for Santa, and then dictated to me what he wanted to write. He asked for a Spiderman, a train table, and in a very sweet gesture, something for his brother. We folded them up and put them in an envelope, and his letter is in the mailbox waiting for our postman to take his letter to Santa. If you'd like to write jolly old St. Nick a letter, you can send it to:

Santa Claus

P.O. Box 1

Santa Claus, IN 47579

Make sure the return address is clear and legible, as Santa will write back!

Post-Thanksgiving Post

I do love Thanksgiving - it's my favorite meal of the year. But, whew! After all the shopping and cooking and cleaning and eating, I'm a little glad Thanksgiving is over for another year. The four of us had a nice quiet meal together on Thursday, and we all wore our best PJ's to the occasion (Hey - don't judge! I was too busy cooking & watching 2 kids to get dressed!). By some small miracle Rob's pager didn't go off during our dinner, and he actually managed to spend the majority of the day at home.

I stuffed our bad boy with a bunch of citrus and fresh herbs and rubbed sage butter under his skin, and man, it was good! And I tried the Barefoot Contessa's recipe for a Pumpkin-Banana Mousse Tart, and it turned out even better than I expected - kinda' zingy for a pumpkin-pie dessert. I wish I had taken some photos of the boys enjoying everything, but I was too busy stuffing my face to pick up the camera. I think Casey & I are going to tackle putting up the tree today - we have to strategically place it somewhere in the house where Connor will not try to climb it.

Fashion Fantasy

I'm pretty excited about the new season of Project Runway premiering tonight on Bravo, and to celebrate I'm playing the Project Runway Fantasy game on www.fafarazzi.com. You pick three designers each week, and receive points based on their performances (6 points for winning a challenge, 3 points for crying, 2 points if Tim Gunn has to tell them "Make it work"). I love this show because, as someone who sews strictly by following a pattern, I can appreciate the talent it takes to create something out of thin air. Plus, I love all the bizarre backstage drama that takes place when you toss 15 crazy creative people into a small space and make them compete!

Walk Tall

What's up with the strange furniture configuration in my kitchen? Has some random poltergeist invaded our home and moved things around? Uh-uh. Are we going for some sort of new Feng Shue arrangement? Nope. See that fuzzy little guy in the corner of the photo? That's Connor, and he's been walking tall for a few weeks now and wreaking havoc ever since. He climbs from the chairs onto the kitchen table. He scales the couch and the coffee table. Just this morning he realized he was tall enough to reach door handles and opened the kitchen pantry and began to climb the shelves inside ("If I want those animal crackers, I'll just have to get them myself, damn it!"). We thought Casey was an active toddler - my Mom once likened spending the afternoon with him to trying to care for a spider monkey - but he can't hold a candle to Numero Dos. I can't believe that when we brought him home from the hospital I thought he would be my "laid-back" child. I guess there's always hope that the new baby will be the one to play quietly in the corner and take no interest in pulling out electrical plugs or digging in the garbage can (both current faves of Connor). In the meantime, I guess we'll just continue to try and lock this place down like Ft. Knox and keep saying prayers that our future holds a little less activity and no trips to the ER.

Quick Business Note

For anyone who has found themselves here from the link on my website and are considering a photo session for Christmas cards or gifts, keep in mind that the holidays are rapidly approaching! The USPS deadline for cards is December 20, which means that my deadline for card orders will be December 10. I have lots of great ideas for photo cards, so contact me soon to schedule your session!

Label Me

My brain is already working in a bit of a Christmas overdrive (how can I help it - Lowe's had Christmas trees on display in September!!) and I'm elbow deep in a few projects for Christmas gifts. Now I can't stop obsessing about ordering some of these cute personalized labels to sew into all my handmade gifts. I'm also lusting after this site's personalized wrapping paper and ribbons, but am still in enough control of my sanity to not pay $25 for a single roll of wrapping paper that will only find it's way into the bottom of a trash bag come Christmas morning.

Tricks & Treats

Halloween 2007 was a raging success, and we have a pumpkin jar full of candy to prove it! Our brave knight and cookie-inhaling dragon had a great time at their first Halloween block party in our new neighborhood, so check out the photos here of last night and Casey's preschool Halloween party to see all the fun.