little people | big places

We spent the past week hanging out with good friends who came up to visit from North Carolina.  We took our eight little people to some great museums, spent several long evenings over Settlers of Catan and cooked a Thanksgiving feast to remember (like in March when we're still eating it out of the freezer).
As we walked through the air museum, there was a moment when I watched Shawn and Kurt walking together, each pushing a stroller, and thought about all they have been through together.  I doubt those two high school boys in Houston so many years ago would have ever predicted days like this.  What a blessing to have so much history together and to be able to share in making future memories for our kids!

thankful

for the sweet words of thanks on each of those leaves

for the beautiful colors still clinging to trees

for good friends visiting and the sound of kids at play

for the planned turkey bowl (oh please rain, wait a day!)

for parent and grands, siblings, nephews and nieces

including one new one, I already love her to pieces

for my husbands presence at the table today

and for his fellow Marines still in harms way

for a turkey in the oven and pies of pecan

for a list that could go on and on and on and on...

Happy Thanksgiving

catch us if you can...

Anyone seen Kenna?

Oh, there she goes.

Where is Kate and what is she climbing now...?

Hurry, take a picture! She's being still!

Tristan is a blur of neighborhood sports these days. I should probably switch to video.

And now you know where I've been.
Just trying to keep up with them.

(p.s. there are a bunch more of these on flickr!)

in the leaves

"How silently they tumble down
And come to rest upon the ground
To lay a carpet, rich and rare,
Beneath the trees without a care,
Content to sleep, their work well done,
Colors gleaming in the sun.

At other times, they wildly fly
Until they nearly reach the sky.
Twisting, turning through the air
Till all the trees stand stark and bare.
Exhausted, drop to earth below
To wait, like children, for the snow." 

~Elsie N. Brady, Leaves

more Gracie face

Since I'm still working on Grace's photos, I just had to share this adorable shot.  I LOVE those roly-poly arms! I actually made that blanket for Grace last spring, well before her birth (and that, people, was the last time I managed to finish anything ahead of time). So far, all my kids and nieces and nephews have received an Auntie Kelli blanket and I really do hope I can keep up with this prolific family of mine (0 to 9 Grand kids in 7 years -sheesh!)  I was so excited when I finished Grace's swaddler that I mailed it off to Lisa with a matching purple hat right away, forgetting to take a picture.  This shot, however, is the one I needed since really, the blanket wasn't ever about the blanket but that sweet girl who was to be wrapped up in it.
I have a few new crochet projects in the works...well, in my head anyway...and after finding some gorgeous wool yarn on sale today, I might actually start them this week!

p.s. Today is the big 3-0 for Grace's mamma, Lisa! You might want to go on over and wish her a Happy Day (or make old lady jokes and offer to buy her next round of Metamucil.) Love you, sis!

a weekend recap

What day is it? Monday -what? How did that happen? Why is my house so messy? Who put the cheese on the stairs?
Life seems to be flying past me these days and these are the typical thoughts in my head at any given moment.  It's a good thing I take pictures of everything because lately it seems to be the only way to pause life and take it all in.  So, here's a photographic re-cap I've been sifting through today...

We're still enjoying those fall leaves both inside and out.  Today we collected bags full for a special project that I will share with you later (if it works!)

I'm kind of drowning in photos-to-be-edited-and-shared-with-sisters.  I do so love being able to give them great family pictures, but since I refuse to share them until they are perfect, it kind of takes a while. Yes, I'm kind of a perfectionist (or maybe kind of slow. or both.)

Saturday, Shawn and I got all cleaned up and shiny to attend the Marine Corps Birthday Ball.  I love those dress blues and the chance to get pictures like this one...

No ball would be complete without our one traditional grainy, blurry, flash-faced, long-arm shot.

Then of course there are the handed-the-camera-to-a-friend shots that usually turn out better.  I think my colorful dress choice this year was a result of the plain black maternity dresses I've worn to the past three!

So, that was our weekend. Are we caught up a bit now? Sort-of? What day was it again? And why is my house so messy...?

in Honor

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.  


                                                                           ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Happy 235th Birthday

...and THANK YOU.

Especially YOU.

the Day girl dress | Grace's turn

Do you remember that dress? The "Day Girl Dress", as we've come to call it, was the dress my sisters and I wore for portraits when we were each three months old. My mom passed it on, and I took Kate's 3 month photos in it and Kenna's before that, as did my sister with her daughter, Lily.

Now it's little Gracie's turn and with her sweet pudgy legs and perfectly round face, she looks like a doll.  Her bright blue eyes somehow make that old, yellowed, ric-rac dress that we love look, well, lovely.

And I'm not kidding when I say this niece of mine looks like a doll.  I have proof-

Next in line for the dress is Nathan and Amanda's baby girl, Rori, who should be making an appearance some time around Thanksgiving!

miss them already

We had a great week with Joey and then a great weekend with the rest of his crew. It is so hard to say goodbye to these littles knowing they will change so, so much before we get to see them again.
I have photos to share (including baby Gracie's Day Girl Dress debut!) just as soon as I can find the time to sit here for more than half a minute...

the view today

I think the first thing I took a picture of when we moved in here was the view from our back deck.  I have loved watching the colors change with the season from this hill-top and I rarely walk into my kitchen without a glance out the back door towards those woods.  They are starting to match the houses!

November begins...

...with me realizing I took zero good pictures of the kids on Halloween. This is all I've got (at least it's documented).

...with freezing temperatures and plenty of fallen leaves for this year's Thankful Tree.  Kate's warm-but-kinda-too-bright outfit yesterday was making me a little dizzy.

...with a visitor! My nephew, Josiah, is staying with us this week while his mom, dad and baby sister are at a conference in D.C.  Joey has been happy and easygoing, and my kids love having another cousin around to entertain. When you already have three wild things running around the house, what's one more?  (I'll let you know at the end of the week if I still feel that way.)