Christmas Card 2014

#TBT- Happy Birthday Gram!

In my first ever throwback Thursday post, I present last year's trip to Connecticut with my mom and kids to celebrate Gram's birthday.  Today is Gram's first birthday spent in heaven and it felt a fitting tribute.  For once I'm glad I'm a slacker blogger and never blogged about this trip as it provides new content for this post.  See not everything you do with me ends up online.

Despite the challenges of traveling with a just two year old and 3 month old, my mom and I shared lots of laughs.  Gram was thrilled we were there.  She knew who we were and genuinely took pleasure in our company and itinerary which included lobster lunch at Lenny's, a party on her birthday with Widdy, Jake and Colleen, a visit with Holly, and a trip to the beach- it really was perfect.  

If I'm being honest the trip took a huge effort- a drive to Chicago, a 2.5 hour flight, and once in Connecticut managing two little people simultaneously with a 95 year old presents many logistical challenges.  Hence maybe it's lack of immediate blog presence.  However, a year later I look back on this trip with incredible fondness.  It was the last time I saw Gram when she was mostly herself.  We didn't know it was her last birthday, but we celebrated like it might be.  Cue the cocktails and candles.  Her party was a fitting send off and I'm so glad I made the effort.  I guess the things that require the greatest effort often result in the greatest reward.

Happy Birthday Gram!  We miss you every day.

Snow Buddies

These two. . .Jameson and Fisher.

It has now been snowing for a week.  Yesterday we had a snow day and 10" of snow.  It is not even December.  Lake Michigan I love you, but can you freeze over all ready?  I can't handle much more of your lake effect snow.  Fisher on the other hand asks to play outside every second of every day.

October 2014

According to the blog, October never happened in this house.  In reality so much happened in October there was no time to blog.

Starting with an epic birthday week trip to Ann Arbor to celebrate Julianne and my birthday with Laura, Sarah and Julianne's sister Angela.   Angela happens to be marrying my cousin Andrew in August.  As you can imagine this provided endless entertainment.  The more wine I drank, the more I announced she was my cousin and the more we laughed.  Adding to the humor we ate dinner at the same restaurant as my graduation dinner 10 years ago.  At this dinner Julianne met my aunt and uncle, Angela's future in-laws.   This is all very confusing.   Why we never rode bikes in college is also confusing.  We discovered it is the only way to roll in Ann Arbor. We rode everywhere.  To the spa for facials and massages, to Dominicks our favorite pre game bar, through campus and to the house we lived in senior year, to the Minnesota game where we chained our bikes to a tree right by the entrance to the stadium.  It was awesome.  After dinner we hit up our sorority house and favorite campus bar.  An almost perfect day.

Inside Michigan stadium, three Wolverines, one Spartan (the sister friend/cousin hybrid)

Our brick inside the stadium

Sporty old sorority girls.  Young sorority girls are too cool for bikes

The cab driver told us we would last 5 minutes in our favorite bar due to our age and "classiness", we lasted several hours.  He clearly overestimated both our age and classiness. I blame Laura's pearls.

Typical Sigma Kappa stairway shot

There were many trips to the pumpkin patch. . . like too many to count.

Have I mentioned that throw yourself on the floor tantrums are a very real part of our every day life right now?  Girl drama starts early.

My 32nd birthday where I managed to convince 5 friends that going to Little Stitches studio to sew Christmas Tree skirts was a good idea.  I love them.  Thanks for humoring me and my desire to ABC (Always Be Crafting).

And a birthday cake that an almost three year old picked out.

I loved this cake.  Fisher picked it out for me.  Ugliest thing ever, and it tasted as good as it looked.

A trip to Chicago to meet Davis Gillig and celebrate baby McCutcheon and visit my parents.

A surprise cameo at Donielle's shower of my old NYC roommate Megan

Me, Donielle and Katie

Davis and Gracie.  Photographing kids is not my specialty.

And an epic Halloween birthday party complete with trick or treat, piñata and glow stick rave dance party for a little ghost who turned three!

Little friends, before the piñata

Gracie Bear sporting Fisher's Halloween costume from last year, since I left her custom monogrammed costume in Chicago the weekend before. . . bad mom

Some of the birthday gang

I was Cinderella, a bit hard to get from this picture

Fisher was obsessed with his cake.  He talked about it for days in advance and after the party.  Good thing, because this puppy took me three days to make.  It was five layers all different shades of orange in the inside. 

Ghost!

Chili bar!  White chicken chili and beef chili with all the fixings

When you go to lots of pumpkin patches you get lots of pumpkins

sadly I don't have any pictures of the completed decor, but it was one of my better efforts

An October to remember.  It took my almost all of November to recover.

Christmas Card Rejects 2014

Our Christmas card photography process was anything but merry this year.  Having agreed with Nick not to hire a professional photographer, organizing the kids and family proved near impossible.  Three different photo shoots, over three different days, 500+ photographs and little to show for it.  Unless you like a crying kid card . . .

And no, she is not cold.  We were outside for like 10 minutes and thats toddler Patagonia long underwear.

Pure kid torture.  Are we feeling "merry" yet?

We did get a few cute ones that didn't quite make the cut. . .

Fisher's cuteness almost makes up for Gracie's lack of excitement, but not the poor lighting.

Fisher looks quite handsome, but a bit boring

I mean, she is the cutest, but no Fisher.  Yes, I know I could combine this card and Fisher from the card above.  I thought of this.

Love this.  Nick liked our final choice better.

Our final selection, is not super traditional.  More Target than Neiman Marcus, but if you want Neimans you hire a professional.  I am remembering why people do that now.  Remind me of this next year.

. . . and yes it has been snowing here non stop for the last 4 days.  The village hadn't even finished fall leaf collection yet.  Dreading Spring clean up already.