I think it is a record for me to have my Christmas card order placed before the first of December. Some of you have gotten many of my cards the week after Christmas - but not this year! I may be speaking too soon, as we still have to address and stamp them and actually put them in the mail, but at least I'm off to a good start :)
And, for just a tiny preview - here are the mailing labels:
Today I did head shots for my business. In speaking with a couple of ladies who own High Wire Creative and are wonderful local web designers, I described my business and what differentiates me. One of the things I hear the most is that I am a programmer that people can communicate with. I also think that being a woman in a mostly male dominated business is a differentiator. Our conversations led them to believe that my image should be part of my 'branding' in re-doing my website, so I took the plunge and had headshots done. It seems a little weird and I feel kind of self-conscious about it, but these entrepreneurs have designed absolutely stunning business cards for a couple of other businesses using the logo and contact info on the front and a head shot on the back. And, in considering images to use on my website it seemed to make sense to have a decent business-related picture of me there as well. So, here are the results below, and I'll keep you guys posted as I get the final logo and business card designs and start to work on the overhaul of my website. If anyone needs something like this, I would highly recommend Korey Howell. She does family shoots and other stuff as well.
It was great seeing the family for Thanksgiving. We talked about Christmas a little bit and maybe this is a little tacky... BUT, we've been asked a lot about gift ideas for the kids and thought that with such a big family, this might be a good way to get the word out. So, here is a list. Maybe you won't mind putting a comment on the post if you get something from this list? We'll see how this works this year...
Can't believe it but he's already at the mall. We were there last night and there was NO line. Yes, you read that correctly. So, even though Kiley wasn't dressed up or fixed up and her shirt was dirty from dinner, we took the shot anyway. At this age, Sydney was TERRIFIED of Santa, but Kiley sat right down and even patted Santa's chest while she sat on his lap. Maybe Santa will be extra good to her this year... Sydney and Jake were there too, but I couldn't convince them to get in the picture. Sydney keeps asking me 'is Santa real?' over and over this year. I told her I think Santa is awesome and she's not satisfied with that at all. Jake's not saying anything - I'm sure he's afraid his big gift will go away if he's a non-believer. 
My wife is incredible! Our anniversary was really nice. She left notes all around the house for me to find letting me know how wonderful I am. She and the kids made me a pillow that says that im the best papa. kiley stamped her hands and feet all over it.
Courtney also found me the most wonderful towels (cotton is the traditional 2nd anniversary gift). she is very particular about soft towels and i try to make sure that she has the softest towels and bought her a set for last christmas to add to what she had already. Well my wonderful wife thought it was important for me to have towels that were just as nice and comfy. She got me the manly color of olive. VERY VERY NICE!! VERY SOFT!!!
I got her some girly pjs. She has plenty but none that are pink and girly. now she has a few other choices. :)
She also arranged to have megan watch the kiddos so we could go to dinner. we went out to one of our favorite spots. Corazon at Castle Hill (the name changed but the menu is mostly the same).
Happy anniversary love!! xoxoxo
The family is really all over the board in terms on staying on the go. Jake is going to be finishing up football this next week and Sydney will be doing the same with soccer. That means a couple of end of season parties to go to. It should be fun.
Kiley is continuing to amaze me with all that she is picking up and doing on a daily basis. The whole learning process is amazing. Children truly are miracles. She's walking but no talking yet. I continue to listen for that moment. There have been a few times where she has blurted out the word 'dog', 'ball', 'mama' and the other day, even 'papa' it was nice to hear those words. If you ask her where her tummy is she sticks it out and pats it with both hands. It's really cute, but then again, I'm her papa. :)
For her birthday she got lots of toys. Courtney kept books from when Jake and Syd were younger so we have plenty of those and we continue to get clothes from friends with children just a little older than Kiley. We are so thankful for that. So, yeah, lots of toys. Gran got her a beautiful bracelet. A keepsake that kiley will most like not wear for very long as quickly as she is growing. It's beautiful! She also got the cutest little pony that plays music when you wind it up from grandma and grandpa. It bobs it's head back and forth too. she loves it almost as much as her little black and white puppy. That says a lot! Her uncle Jeff got her a toy that she loves playing with too. it's one of those toys that has a character pop up when you push a button, or turn a key or toggle a switch. If you have little ones, you know what I'm talking about. We play with it enough that she is remembering where the lion and panda are. All in all I have to say Kiley is the cutest little girl in the whole wide world.
A couple of other things that she is getting good at. She can pat my nose when I say, "where's papa's nose?" She can also give you a high five. She has the cutest little grin and scrunches up her whole face with her mouth wide open showing 2 little teeth on the bottom of her mouth when she shows it to you. It sounds alittle scary but it really is cute.
I also like it when she snuggles with me at bed time. She'll rest her head on my shoulder when we are heading upstairs and give me a little hug. It's extremely nice and sweet.
I've said a lot about kiley but we have two other wonderful children getting all smart and precious. they fight tirelessly but i think that's what we did with my mom growing up too. When they are not fighting they are learning math and reading. Jake is reading like crazy. Since he finished the Lord of the Rings books he's moved on to others of the same caliber and enjoys them. We practically have to tear them from his hands at night. Sydney is not quite there yet but she loves to read too and she's playing with two hands on the piano now. She really owes me a concert. Maybe this weekend?
...So jake has his final game tonight. He has played incredibly well this year. Huge improvements that make the game so much more fun. He catches, throws, runs and plays defense really well but I think his running has improved the most. I think it was a good idea to encourage him to play flag football again this season so that his skills are more refined for tackle. That'll be a whole other game for him. I think he'll like it.
Sydney loves to play games and seems to be in a board and video game stage. When were not doing that she's asking us to play school with her. very very cute. She loves being a teacher and loves to correct us. i mess up some on purpose but I think she likes it. She still enjoys kicking the ball around in the yard and lately has asked me to go bump the volleyball back and forth. Neither of us are very good but she likes it so we do it. Her friendships are really developing now too. she has so many friends. Which isn't surprising as active as she is. Brownies, soccer, gymnastics, runners club.... all kinds of stuff.
Kiley turned 1 on October 21st. After tomorrow, we'll be able to update her stats - where she is in growth compared to others, etc. We actually missed her previously scheduled appointment. I kind of feel like I'm losing it lately trying to keep up with our calendar, and I've missed more than one thing like that, which is unusual for me. But, we do have lots of fun pics to show for all of our busy-ness. Here are some starting with the Birthday, which spanned actually a period of weeks as we celebrated with Martin's family at the wedding, then our little family on the actual day, and finally with my family this past weekend. I will post pictures of that final celebration next time. We know Kiley loves cake and chocolate and she's had way more than any one-year-old probably should, but surely she'll have her share of indulgences being the youngest of three.
The kids each picked out two things for her - Sydney got her a stuffed dog and another stuffed thing (not sure what you'd call it). Jake got her a talking Winnie the Pooh book and a Santa outfit, which we had to try on, of course.
Martin and I have been trying to have a weekly date night, and we went out with friends on Friday night. We went for dinner at Cover 3 and then to the Cool River costume contest, where we saw some amazing sights and got a few fun pictures.
For Halloween, Jake was with his Dad again this year, and again, we went to celebrate with friends at their house. Thanks so much to Karen & Bryan for another great year of tricks and treats!
