The Doherty Clan

Harper's BFF

2011-11-13T09:41:00.000-05:00

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that Evan and Declan are BFF. As a matter of schedules and craziness, the little sisters (Harper and Lauren) haven't been able to spend too much time together. Today, the boys went fishing...(another post that I'll make Sean write) and while they were out...I had Lauren over for a playdate. The girls were AWESOME and got along so well. Stacy had a cute little dress on Lauren and ironically, I had just bought the same one for Harper. Needless to say, I had to take some pics of their matching dresses.

I definitely need to set up the next set of photos and I'm not entirely sure if I should be proud. Lauren and Harper were learning to share and take photos of each other. I don't think that either actually got a photo but what I captured was priceless. I was only a spectator but every time Lauren pointed the camera at Harper, she struck a pose. This set of photos was in sync to how they were taking them.

And this is a bit sweeter...Harp was "reading" her Halloween book to Lauren.

And I'm convinced that if I ever had twins, I definitely would dress them alike :)

Happy Veteran's Day

2011-11-11T22:49:00.000-05:00

I couldn't get Dec to pose for me today. So...here's Harp all decked out in her red, white and blue.

Thanks to all of our Vets both past and present. We are so thankful for you. And a very special thanks to Sean's dad who was in the Air Force for 34 years!! We love you.

We LOVE Ms. Stacey!!!!!!!!!

2011-11-11T22:44:00.000-05:00

There are not enough exclamation points in the world for me to explain how much we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Ms. Stacey. This is a long overdue post...I've been wanting to do this for a year...at least.

Stacey has been the kid's sitter for almost two years. We found her through an online site called Care.com. I know...it sounds weird but it's actually a really great site and after interviewing a number of people, there was something about Stacey that made us feel comfortable and like she was going to be the perfect extension of Sean and I. And we were right! Stacey is the perfect mix of a friend to the kids as well as an enforcer of the rules. I'll admit it's not an easy job...she watches the kids while I'm still in the house/office and yet she's amazing. It's not uncommon for me to hear her playing "Save the Princess" (a game they totally made up) and running around the house, playing some version of Batman, Legos, etc AND she knows more about Disney than I will ever pretend to know.

As if that wasn't enough...she keeps me on the ball. She knows when the kids have school and when they don't. She'll remind of things that the kids need for school, she's helped me with birthday party set ups, stayed late when I have photoshoots and everything in between.

It's not easy being a working Mom and I CONSTANTLY wonder if I'm doing the right thing...but with Stacey I feel like we have balance and no matter how much I tell her, I'm not sure she'll ever know how much I appreciate her and will appreciate her.

So...Stacey's amazing but her hubby is pretty awesome as well. It's been at least 4-5 times that he'll take the day off from work so he can go with Stacey and take the kids somewhere fun...they've been to the Clearwater aquarium, Children's Museum, Sea World and today, the kids had off for Veteran's Day so they took them to the zoo. Yes...I told you they were amazing!!

Nick wasn't excited but I kinda forced them into a couple of portraits :)

Without me asking, the kids jumped into the pics too. They LOVE them so much. Harper especially adores Nick :)

This pic of them is so sweet. I love it.

We love you Nick and Stacey! Thanks for everything.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T01:19:00.000-04:00

SO. MUCH. FUN.

We had a blast with the kids this year. They were excited about everything. We went to Mamma Stacy, Matt, Evan and Lauren's house again. Their neighborhood is wall to wall houses, kids, decorations and fun. We had a blast trick or treating and then had a pretty awesome dance party.

The theme was born from a couple of ideas but ultimately became really fun. We were the "Saturday Morning Cartoons of the 80s"

Sean = He-Man
Me = She-ra
Dec = (old school) Optimus Prime
Harp = Strawberry Shortcake

Hope you enjoy the pics!

The cute little Minnie Mouse is Lauren! She's a cutie!

Harper (Strawberry Shortcake), Dec (Optimus), Evan (Batman), William (Thomas, the Train)

William rocked the Thomas outfit but not as much as Trick or Treating. He was leading the pack house to house!

HOLY BATMAN! Evan!

Harp. Yes, I dyed her hair. I couldn't make myself buy a red wig. So...we used Kool Aid and it worked pretty well. Two days later and I'm hoping it comes out SOON :)

BFF! Evan and Dec. This was their FIFTH Halloween together. So, so sad they'll be moving to the Panhandle. We love them so much.

So...I love the pics we got on Halloween but they weren't quite everything I wanted. The kids didn't argue when I asked them to put on their outfits again for a little photoshoot. Bribery = candy! :)

Road Trip, Alligators and Broncos!

2011-10-30T00:57:00.000-04:00

Miami vs Broncos. Too close not to go. And why not make it Dec's first NFL Broncos game. After a crazy couple of weeks Sean talked me into going to and I'm glad I did. We had a great little road trip and a ton of fun.

On our way down to Miami, we stopped for an Airboat ride. It was super fun and Harper literally had this smile on her face the whole time.

Declan was interested in EVERYTHING. Lots and lots of questions.

This is Junior and yes, he swam right up to the boat. No zoom needed.

We saw a bunch of babies. This guy is about a year old. Also...we learned that the temp of the eggs is what determines the sex of the baby.

How many baby alligators do you see in this pic?

Dec was having much more fun that what it looks like in this pic. I promise!

Family shot :)

Dec got to hold a 4 foot gator! Seriously...that thing is real.

And then he wrestled him...haha.

Harp decided just to give him a high-five. I can't blame her.

Here are a couple pics of Harp in the hotel room...does she look 16 or what?

Here are a couple movies Sean took. Enjoy!

Date Night

2011-10-16T00:18:00.000-04:00

Chick-fil-a had a Daddy/Daughter Date Night tonight. You had to register ahead of time and from the sounds of it, it was a really nicely planned event. Sean said the place was decked out in pink decorations, the cow mascot was a princess, they had a photographer, live music, employees serving you once you ordered from a menu, they were doing really cute glittery fake tattoos and gave out goodie bags! Have I mentioned that I LOVE that place?!!!

Dec and I of course used the opportunity to have a Mom/Son date night to the location of his choice...McDonalds. Ewww, but we did it and we had a blast.

I (of course) used the opportunity to take some pics and we got some good ones :)

Neena!

2011-10-15T23:52:00.000-04:00

Neena was here for a week while our sitter was out of town and we're so, so thankful! She definitely took the cake for the best playdough scene maker. Seriously, she's got some amazing creative talent with that stuff. Dec and Harper loved having her and Demi (one of her dogs) here. Thanks Mom for all your help!
Love you.

BACK TO SCHOOL

2011-10-15T20:53:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I'm just getting around to posting these on the blog. YIKES. Kids started school at the end of August. Dec's rocking it...making new friends, spelling, writing, rhyming, telling jokes and totally confident he takes after his Daddy as class clown. Harper also LOVES it and if anything she loves the actual learning part...reading, coloring, crafts, etc but she is not getting the hang of going number 2 in the potty -- we're still working on it. Say an extra prayer...it's been another stress on top of the craziness.

Reason #548 why we love the LaFons...

2011-10-15T20:52:00.000-04:00

Many of you blog readers/friends know the LaFon Family. Dec calls Stacy, Momma Stacy because she watched him for us as he was growing up. And Evan is Dec's BFF. No really. They are.

They also have a little girl that's just a few months younger than Harper but due to schedules we don't get to see them nearly as much as we like. Somehow the stars aligned and we worked out a Sunday (a few weeks ago) to skip church and head out into the beautiful gulf on their boat.

I know...it's a rough life we live to see this kind of back yard. Really, it was GORGEOUS.

GPops and Grandma D

2011-10-15T20:51:00.000-04:00

They were here for three weeks and we're SO, SO thankful. Between Sean and my travels it's been a little...okay, a lot chaotic and having some extra hands with shopping, running the kids around to school, birthday parties, etc, as well as, cleaning and just staying sane has helped out more than words can describe. Thanks GPops and Grandma D for ALL your help! Love you!

This first pic is Harper's personality all summed up. She's as girly as she can be and she's sporting a dress that used to be mine.

She kept calling GPops her "Prince"...this is definitely on of those priceless pics to me!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this one. Definitely a favorite.

Declan's face is pretty classic. Definitely wishing his Mom wasn't crazy camera person!

It's been a long time...

2011-08-14T21:40:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I didn't blog in July at all! Wow...I'm a slacker. It's been really, REALLY busy with work for both of us, photoshoots, travel, etc. In between, we've done some fun stuff with the kids, celebrated Sean's birthday and now, we're preparing for school to start for both Dec and Harper.

Here's a little bit of a catch up. Note: all of these pics were taken with my iPhone. Now that I'm doing more photoshoots I find that it's easier (and fun) to take every day shots with my phone. I still bust out the camera for some stuff but generally, I'm not lugging it around as much which is actually pretty nice.

Enjoy the marathon blog post!

In June, Dec and Sean went to the USA Soccer game versus Panama. In true Doherty fashion, they dressed as Captain America and got lots of attention. The loss was pretty impactful to Dec -- he still talks about it and when ever we play soccer the opposing player is always Panama.

Took this of Harp, one Friday night. It seemed to be a good representation of how we all felt after a long week.

Sean went to VA for Shan Shan's 30th. While he was there, the kids and I checked out AirHeads. This is the kids with their game faces on :)

Just happened to be a good capture of the melt down that occurs at least once a day. She is drama.

Cow Appreciation Day at our VERY favorite place. Need I say more :)

Just looking cute before church :)

I was in Boston for work and got to see my second cousin, Jack. We figured that we hadn't see each other since I was 6 or so. We had a fun time touring through Boston and catching up.

In NYC for work and saw the Manhattan "Hinge" -- the sunset lines up with the East/West streets exactly. Pretty awesome!

We went to an Arena Football Game and got awesome seats. Kids had a blast and ended up on the big screen a couple times (dancing).

Kids sporting their shades and pretending to love each other.

This is one of my favorite shots in a while. We went out in rain jackets expecting a standard afternoon thunderstorm. When it didn't happen we busted out the hose and it led to this.

Date night for Sean's birthday. Dinner and Captain America. (I paid extra for the rainbow :))

We spent the rest of Sean's birthday weekend in Orlando. Things didn't go exactly has planned due to weather but we went to SeaWorld and Aquatica. I HIGHLY recommend Aquatica...it's definitely the best water park I've ever been too. The kids LOVED it! And our hotel had their own little water park with an amazing pool. Lots of water and lots of fun.

Captain America cake, of course. Kids helped me decorate.

We've been teaching Dec about thinking of others, sharing, being grateful, etc. He had a chart where he earned stickers and when he got to the end he could pick out a toy. He got a Transformer :)

Jen and I have been trying to skype FOREVER. It finally happened. Loved seeing Susannah and Nicholas. Love them!

We spend most Saturday/Sunday afternoons (when we're home) in the pool. These kids are fish. Seriously.

One Friday night, Dec REALLY wanted to wear Christmas PJs. It just so happened that the Saturday morning following we randomly decided to go to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast (not something we've ever done before). Yes, we let him wear Christmas PJs to DD and eat a donut FULL of sugar. It really was like Christmas.

Another random Saturday or Sunday but I LOVE tis pic.

Funny story behind this pic. As Declan was playing with his logos, we had this conversation:

ME: "Dec, what are you building?"

DEC: "A meeting"

ME: "A meeting" (perplex and suddenly concerned that Sean and I talk too much about our day jobs in front of our 4 year old)

DEC: "Yeah, a meeting"

ME: "Who's at the meeting?"

DEC: "You and Daddy...and your friends"

ME: "What are we doing at the meeting?"

DEC: "Praying"

ME: (thinking...thank goodness we took the kids to church that day or knows what he would have said) -- "What are we praying about?"

DEC: "God"

ME: "That's nice, Declan" (and walking away...thought I'd leave while we were having good thoughts about meetings :))

Dec's been working on his name...he's getting better and doing an good job working on it! (Sorry, I don't know how to rotate the pic)

If I can find more time, I'll try to post fourth of July pics and some recent ones of the kids (that I didn't take with the iPhone). Stay tuned.

Hope everyone is having an AWESOME summer :)

Father's Day

2011-06-20T09:54:00.000-04:00

We hope all the Dads (and people who are like Dads) had a very special day yesterday. To both of our dads, we're sorry we couldn't be there to help celebrate you but know that you were in thoughts and how special you are to us.

And to Sean, thank you for being Super Dad to Declan and Harper. They are so lucky to have a "Daddy" that loves to...

PLAY with them...transformers, dolls, cars, kitchen - i think this is your favorite part of being a Dad!
TEACH them...to swim, to count, to tell jokes, to pee in the potty, right/wrong - you have a way of making everything fun!
LOVE them...in a way that says I love you forever and ever, no matter what!

Our plans yesterday ended up not being exactly as planned...Harp woke up not feeling well so we skipped church and lunch. Dec and Sean went and saw Kung Fu Panda 2 and then we spent some time in the pool.

Love this one :)

And this one makes me smile every time...

Dec being silly but those BEAUTIFUL eyes are killer.

Happy FOURTH Birthday, Declan

2011-06-04T23:55:00.000-04:00

To say he has a personality like his father, would be an understatement. The two of them are two peas in a pod. And now that Dec is into legos and transformers I think Sean is loving the excuse to play will all the toys. :)

Here's a quick interview with our 4 year old:

Why do we love America?

It's our country and we love our flag. And it's where we live.

If you could have any car in the world what would it be?

MonsterTruck called Iron Man

If you were having a dinner party, who would you invite?

Evan, Tyler & Cyrus

What's your favorite color?

Blue

Favorite restaurant?

McDonalds

Favorite food?

Chicken Nuggets

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Transformer

Favorite thing to wear?

Batman costume

Favorite book?

Transformers

Favorite thing to do at school?

Play in block center

If you could run the world, how would you solve world peace?

Take everyone to Autobot City

Three Buddies

2011-06-01T10:41:00.001-04:00

I found all these pics and had to post...Dec, Tyler and Evan have been buddies since birth. Look how sweet they are and how they've grown. Makes me happy and sad at the same time.

First Birthday

Second Birthday

Third Birthday

Fourth Birthday

the day after...

2011-05-31T00:41:00.000-04:00

The day after the double header birthday parties, the Doherty side of the family decided to spend the day at the beach (my Mom had headed back and Grandma stayed back with Madison). We went to our favorite beach, Honeymoon Island. It was crowded but perfect. The weather was AMAZING and the kids had a BLAST in the water and in the sand. Ah...looking at these pics make me want to go back RIGHT NOW.

Declan's 4th birthday PARTY!

2011-05-31T00:19:00.000-04:00

We did a quick "theme change" immediately after Harp's party since a lot of our friends and family were at both and drove over to "Jump Zone". The kids had a blast while we decked the place out in "Monster Truck" everything! We had the coolest Monster truck cake (thanks Sean!), pit passes, MonsterTruck coloring stand ups (directly from the GraveDigger Dungeon :)) and a homemade head cut-out Grave Digger! :)

Harper's 2nd Birthday PARTY!

2011-05-30T22:58:00.000-04:00

We had Dec and Harp's birthday parties on the same day this year...Harper's was a pancake breakfast (with Chick-fil-a minis, of course) and Dec's was at a indoor jump arena. I had a fun vision for Harper's party to have tutus (since she was turning TWO) but of course most of her friends are Dec's friends so I had to have an option for the boys. So, we had tu-tus and ties party. After some research online and some help from Mom with the tutus, Stacey with the crafts and Sean for the cupcakes it came to life. I think Harper had fun and now we have lots of dress up stuff :)

Thanks to Wolff Fording for the tu-tus!! And thanks to Stacey for helping me make the ties...you rock!!

We painted bird houses as our craft. The kids LOVED it!

Found the matching napkins, plates, etc on clearance at Target!

Sean made the flower cupcakes! They were cupcakes that tasted like sugar cookies...YUM!

I made the tissue paper pom poms and then Stacey found lanterns at the dollar store that we spray painted!

This last one is definitely one of my favorite images ever. I love the smile on Sean's face, the big hug from Harp, the two candles showing her birthday, her beautiful long hair...so many things that make me remember this moment at this time! Perfect!

In b/w too because I love it that much!!

how old is...?

2011-05-24T02:31:00.001-04:00

Conversation tonight at dinner:

Me: Declan, how old are you going to be?

Declan: 4 (with a look that says...duh, mom -- haven't you been paying attention, i've been talking about my upcoming birthday nonstop for weeks :))

Me: How old do you think I am?

Declan: I don't know?...16?!

Laugh.

Me: How old do you think Daddy is?

Declan (without any hesitancy): 5

HA HA HA HA HA!

And since it's too hard for me to do a post without a photo, this is one of us at Samson and Jen's wedding. Hopefully, I'll get to blog more about that soon!! :)

Happy Birthday Harper!

2011-05-20T23:38:00.002-04:00

She can say and recognize every letter in the alphabet.
She still uses sign language for juice, thank you and more...even though she's putting two and three words together at a time.
She knows just about all her colors and shapes.
Her best friend is Madison (and probably our sitter, Stacey)
Her favorite toys are her dolls.
Her favorite food is anything green...seriously! Guac, Green beans, Peas, Lettuce, etc - she eats it all.
I used to sing "you are my sunshine" every night and now she won't let me...it's either ABCs or Zip-a-dee-do-da! (Side note: I'm not sure how I know the words to this song...Mom, any idea?)
She loves for me to comb her hair every night (and I love that she loves this!)
Her favorite book: 'Oh the places you'll go' and anything Dr. Seuss
She loves Elmo and her brother at equal amounts...just kidding, she REALLY loves Dec.
Daddy can make her laugh faster than anyone else.

Harper Grace, you have brought us two years of sweetness, love and terror. You are going to be a force to be reckoned with and I'm certain you will break all the rules while remaining respectful, thoughtful, sweet and loving to everyone you cross. I've seen you throw yourself on the ground like there's no tomorrow and I've watched you love on little babies like you were meant to be a Momma and either way, that smile of yours will always stop me in my tracks and melt my heart.

I love you sweet girl and Happy 2nd birthday!!
momma

Her birthday party is next weekend...we're doing a tutu and tie themed party, here's the invite. If I can ever get caught up on pics you'll see those at some point :)

Easter Comparison

2011-04-24T22:20:00.002-04:00

I'll post some pics of our weekend soon but had to post this comparison pic and a pic of the four of us at church. I can't believe it's been a year since we took this last pic but we went back to the same railroad tracks after church. The kids were up for it as long as we bribed them with jellybeans!

the bed...

2011-04-19T23:46:00.000-04:00

...there's something that the kids LOVE about our bed. Especially right after we wash sheets and are putting them back on the bed. They love to run, jump, bounce and in Harper's case, read books :)

I captured a couple images that I thought were fun and especially cool to see how much they've grown since that big canvas in the background.

And just in case you're interested...canvases are awesome and they are BEAUTIFUL on the wall.

Benefits of living in Florida...

2011-04-19T23:00:00.000-04:00

...swimming in April! Just saying....

The kids have been so excited to get in the pool. As it got warmer outside, the more they asked. The water was still cold. We spent a few weeks just putting our feet in and then about two weeks ago, Dec REALLY wanted to get in the pool. After testing the water with his feet, he was convinced it wasn't too cold. He had the blast!

The following weekend both kids got in and you literally couldn't wipe the smiles from their faces. Dec has pretty much picked up swimming from where he was last year and can swim almost across the pool with no vest. Harper was doing amazing with her vest and has mastered the "wall crawl".

I'm the wimp. I still haven't gotten in :)

Hoarders Welcome!

2011-04-17T08:20:00.000-04:00

Hello there, it's Sean. I've done a terrible job in sticking to my New Year's resolution last year in contributing to more blog posts. However this seemed like a great opportunity for my to jump in with a 'guest post'. Last weekend we had a garage sale. Some people also call it a yard sale and if we combine it with garage sale, it sounds like what our Spanish speaking friends call it, so I'll refer to it as our 'yarage sale'. We are attempting to purge some of the marvelous items we've collected over the years, mainly because we are going to try to sell our house. Here are some observations I noted in our preparation and execution of our garage sale;

- No matter what time you communicate your garage sale being, some weirdos will show up well before that time. This one guy showed up an hour before our 'go live' and I asked him if he was looking for anything in particular. His answer was 'old stuff, stuff your mom would have'. I was happy to tell him that I didn't live with my mother and he split. I'm sure he went on to enjoy a day of chain smoking.
- Some of these people are hard core. This one dude was so hard core, he was wearing a custom-made t-shirt that said 'I buy toy train, car, and airplane model kits.' Luckily I was wearing my 'You are a huge nerd.' shirt.
- For some reason, every other person who came to our 'yarage sale' left their car running when they jumped out to check out our stuff. Several of these people had handicap tags as well, but they all could walk. Tattoos were also common amongst our potential buyers, and they were all terrible. Just sayin.
- It is obvious that people who frequent 'yarage sales' also wear what they buy at 'yarage sales'.
- If people bring their young children to your 'yarage sale', they will allow them to put all your stuff in their mouths.
- If people bring their dogs to your 'yarage sale', they will allow them to put all your stuff in their mouths.
- People will haggle on the most inexpensive crap you have. We heard, 'this says a dollar, but will you take 50 cents?' a lot. Odd how no one offered us a dollar less for my Playstation 2. Enjoy that 50 cent salt and pepper shaker.
- Maybe it was because we are in Florida, but I felt like I needed a translator for several of our prospects. I even found myself counting in Spanish as I added up some items for a couple of buyers. I was so desperate to sell our desk as we were closing down that I just said 'Ocho!' to this hispanic couple that showed up as we were tearing down so that they were sure to to buy it. The truth being is that I would've given them 8 dollars to take it off our hands.

It was exhausting and I got a decent sunburn and mild dehydration, but we bypassed our sales goal although we were disappointed that we didn't get rid of more stuff. Leading up to this and going through it, I felt like I was on the Apprentice with Carmen being the Project Manager. She busted her butt, got us in a good place and we were able to deliver. Trump couldn't fire anybody on our team. That being said, I'll be happy if we don't have to have another 'yarage sale' in a very long time.

Note from Carmen: Pictures to come (once I get them loaded) but this was too funny not to publish :)

this week...

2011-04-16T03:15:00.000-04:00

...has been crazy. I was backing up some photos and found this one. I thought it was a good representation of this week. we're behind on blog posts but some good ones are coming...soon!

Our soccer star!

2011-03-26T21:50:00.000-04:00

Declan finished another soccer session today. It's hard to believe that since he's been three he's been in three soccer sessions but he seems to enjoy each one and with his love of running I think he'll be playing for a while. We've been really impressed with Soccer Shots so if you're local, we definitely encourage you to check them out. They have a really great program with talented coaches (talented with the kids as much as soccer).

The last three weeks for Dec have been really impressive. He's been really into the scrimmages and going after the ball to score.

Sean and I have enjoyed watching him get excited about playing and how well he listens to the coach. He's been really well behaved and it makes us so proud.

Harper has been teaching herself the moves and does the "stop airplane" (this is what they call stopping the ball) really well. Most weeks the coach will even give her a stamp which she is VERY proud of :)

Enjoy the pics :)

this photo makes me laugh every time...

Love

2011-03-19T23:46:00.000-04:00

This was totally unposed...I promise. We were playing outside. Dec threw his arms wide open for Harper to hug him and she ran...ran into the comfort of her big bro.

Yes they fight. Yes they pick on each other. But they clearly love each other and I hope and pray they have a close relationship forever!!

We take St. Patrick's Day VERY seriously...

2011-03-17T21:17:00.001-04:00

Dec's First Communion

2011-03-09T21:54:00.001-05:00

At our church, our Pastor believes that once you're baptized that you can technically take communion so most of the kids start fairly young with Communion. Although Dec has been super interested in the bread and wine for a year or so we've always waited until he could have some "formal" lessons.

Thankfully, Sunday School decided they would incorporate it into their teachings the last few weeks and introduced it to the kids. They had an official first communion with a little celebration last week but we were in Iowa so we were pretty bummed that we missed it.

But, everything happens for a reason and I was pretty pumped that tonight, on Ash Wednesday, Declan got to experience his First Communion. He was very excited and when he was done he asked, "Can I do that at church everytime now?"...when we said "Yes"...he said, "That was AWESOME!".

So cute.

*I should add that the ashes had nothing to do with Communion but he was proud of that too so when we took pics after service, we decided to show his sweet forehead. :)

Sneak Peek from Our Trip

2011-03-08T23:24:00.000-05:00

It's been a long day but I was uploading pics while working tonight and LOVED this one so I had to share....

We had a fun trip to Iowa for "Great Papa's" 80th Birthday Party. It was fun to see the family and we're so thankful for all of their hospitality. With that said, it's nice to be home...kids in their own beds...and WARM weather. We went from 20 degrees in Iowa to 82 degrees here at home.

Anyways, enjoy the pic! There are lots more to come :)

Out of my comfort zone...

2011-02-27T15:29:00.001-05:00

There's something that happened about two months ago...I needed something that got me away from the computer...away from work, away from editing photos, away from email, away from Facebook. I was looking for something that meant more than what I was doing and I needed something for myself. So, the day after Christmas I threw on my sweatpants, old grass mowing tennis shoes and ran around the block. I walked back into the house feeling like my lungs were collapsing, coughing and thinking...holy crap, I need to do that again! And, I did. Each time it started feeling a little better and a little more fun. I went from admiring the Christmas lights on the houses to wearing shorts in the 70 degree weather. I won't say it's gotten easier but I think that's part of the enjoyment.

Sean hooked me up with new shoes and lots of gear that made me "look" like a runner. He watched the kids and encouraged me to not worry and go. I had a close co-worker/friend/marathon runner that helped me with logistics of how to run and how to love running and one day he said, "you should sign up for a 5K.." -- I laughed at him. But then as I ran each night it sounded more and more like something that was so out of my comfort zone that it might be fun to try. Still not convinced, I started increasing my distance...gradually. I literally remember asking my friend, Randy if I should be able to run the distance before I participate in a run thinking I'd never be able to hit 3 miles.

I started working towards a race scheduled in March thinking I should be able to increase my distance enough by then and then my friend, Heather mentioned running in the Gasparilla Distance Classic. It sounded like fun but it was in February. How would I ever be ready then?

On my birthday in January (after being on a work trip for 3 days) I came home from a pretty amazing Japanese dinner and ran 3.1 miles...and felt amazing. I was pumped and signed up for the Gasparilla 5K the next day. That was it...I was going to do it...some how...some way...no matter how freaked out I was of all the unknowns.

Since then, I was running longer runs (longest 5 miles) and I was picking up speed (went from a 12+ min mile to somewhere between 9:40-10:30 mile). I never wanted to put too much pressure on myself because it was still hard but more importantly, I wanted to enjoy it. And I have. I honestly don't think I've ever done anything so out of my comfort zone and it's been rewarding, empowering and inspiring. I've set little goals for myself and so far I've been able to hit them...for example, earlier this week while training I ran the 5K in 29:50 minutes which met my under 30 minute goal.

Anyways, the race was yesterday and I had a blast. Not only was it fun to run but I enjoyed doing it by myself and overcoming all the fear of so many unknowns. Think I'm a bit a of control freak?! :)

My bib...I NEVER thought I'd ever wear one of these :)

At the expo where you pick up your bib they had a huge wall that listed all the names of the folks participating in the various runs over the weekend.

Walking to the race...

My self portrait after the race. It was so HOT!!

My final time was 30:43

The finish line :)

(I took this as the 15K runners were finishing but I finished in the same place)

I'm so thankful for Sean, Randy and Heather for supporting me and encouraging me. I think I'll continue running and hopefully do something a little longer in the future :)

Weekend in Orlando

2011-02-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

Last year we found out that my favorite band in the whole world was coming to Orlando, GUSTER! I realize that Guster isn't a household name to all but we've been following them since college and I've always loved their music, their energy and the humor they put into just about everything they do.

For my birthday, Sean planned a little get away to Orlando for us to see them and stay overnight. Our amazing sitter, Stacey kept the kids and we had a blast.

(THANK YOU SEAN for an amazing weekend!!)

If they ever come you're way...GO SEE THEM...you won't be disappointed. I promise.

I can't believe these pics are her...

2011-02-26T23:58:00.000-05:00

The other day Harper and I stopped on our way home from Target for a little 5 minute photoshoot. I still can't get over how old she looks.

We also finally took her in for her 18 month appointment...I know, I know we're late but hey, it got done. Anyways, she's 24lbs 8ozs and she's 83.5 inches tall and smart little girl. Seriously, I really, really hope she continues to love books as much as she does right now. She's already trying to use the potty and has even been successful a few times and she's picking out a few letters and knows what they stand for...H for Harper, D for Daddy and Dec, M for Mommy, S for Stacey, etc.

Amazing how fast they grow!

First Sleepover! (tear...)

2011-02-17T02:35:00.000-05:00

I'm a little behind in blogging...so sorry!

Momma Stacy and I have been talking about a sleepover for the boys for months and she was the first to brave the event...Amen to her :)

She was so fun and began planning by giving Dec a "Cars" themed sleeping bag for Christmas so all that was left was planning the date. So, a couple Fridays ago Dec got to stay the night with Evan.

Not sure if Stacy was just being nice but she said it went well. As expected, the boys had to be separated to actually go to sleep (due to Dec wanting to talk all night) but otherwise, they seemed to have fun.

I can't wait to have the boys over here...I'm just not that brave yet :)

a VERY excited little boy

carrying his sleeping bag and ready to go

the boys...

it's so sweet to see them together...and to think that they've literally grown up together.

and of course...the girls :)

it won't be long and we'll be doing this with them too!

happy valentines day!

2011-02-14T00:57:00.000-05:00

A girl and her dog

2011-01-29T00:44:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T10:04:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a fun and safe time bringing in 2011. We set up a little dance party in the living room for the kids and I think they got a big kick out of it and then Sean impressed us with some fireworks in the streets. Even the neighbors seems to enjoy it. Madison...not so much.

2010 was a year of learning and growth for me in the photography business. I'm go grateful for the opportunities and the incredible support I've had by friends, family and mostly by Sean. There is no way in the world I could be pursuing my dream without his support with everything from watching the kids to preventing me to have mental breakdowns. I have some personal goals this year that I'm looking forward to accomplishing and with those, I hope that we're in store for good stuff in 2011.

As a family, I know the kids will continue to bless us with super fun but equally challenging times. It should be exciting and we may have to invest in another quote book for little D. The things that come out of his mouth are priceless. And I think Harper's right behind him on trying to talk (and likely say some pretty creative things).

And probably most importantly, I really hope that Pat Bowlen has some good stuff on his New Year Resolution list because the Broncos need to step it up so we can have a winning Bronco season and a happy hubby/daddy!

We wish you a happy 2011!

Lots of love!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T23:55:00.002-05:00

While I LOVE being with lots of family and friends at Christmas AND we missed many of you, I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed having my kids have good night rest, staying in my pjs all day, taking a nap and not going anywhere.

We had a wonderful Christmas and the kids had a blast...especially, Declan. We are so very blessed to be able to celebrate Jesus' birthday together and with lots of extremely generous gifts!

Here are a few photos of today. I admittedly didn't take very many as we were skyping a lot and I was taking time to enjoy the kids.

You'll see in the pic below that Dec wrote his letter to Santa. It was funny...here's the translated version:

Dear Jesus,

I've been good. Thank you for today and Thank you dear Lord, it all comes from you. Amen.

Dear Santa,

I'll be a good boy and hope you like the cookies.
Please tell Frosty to come back to life so I can play with him.

Love,

Declan

(Note: we didn't coach him on any of the above...not even the part addressed to Jesus! funny!!)

Before Harp woke up (we actually had to wake her up)...Dec opened part of his stocking...an ornament (pic to come).

I made the kids sit in front of the tree for a pic before opening any gifts...I know, I'm a mean Mom! You can see Harp is thrilled!

Not super clear but I thought it was a sweet pic.

Still opening....

Harp liked the boxes more than the gifts. Here's our little Stinky! :)

THIS is what our son calls a MonsterJam. This thing flings cars around the track AND around the room!

Knight Declan (you know...for the dress up box :))

Harp liked it too :)

Guess who's ornament this is :)

Our little present...

This one was taken with my phone but i love how it turned out...

I think it's a great representation of our Christmas :)

Love this one!

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and Santa was good to you.
Lots of love!!

Happy Birthday, Gramps!

2010-12-24T16:53:00.001-05:00

In addition to enjoying all the Christmas Eve festivities (we're making dinner now and looking forward to church later) we took a few minutes to celebrate my Gramps' birthday by taking some pics. As many of you know, we lost him unexpectedly earlier this year but I can't help to think of him and how he's probably running the show up there with the Big Guy.

Love and miss you, Gramps!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Oh my goodness...

2010-12-23T16:54:00.002-05:00

I wanted so badly to get the kids in their Christmas outfits but knew that trying to get the pics I wanted on Christmas Eve between dinner and church would NEVER happen. So, I bribed them with McDonald's for lunch and I owe "Old McDonalds" (that's what Dec calls it) HUGE!! Seriously...HUGE.

My kids worked with me for 45 minutes and took some of the most amazing photos that I will treasure for the rest of my life. I'm literally almost in tears looking at these photos...

Of course, halfway into the whole process Harper found a can of Coke and dumped it all over her dress! Lovely. That's in the wash now but it was worth every pic!

We're loving this time of year...all the things the kids are saying and doing...there's nothing better!

(I know there are lots of pics but I couldn't help myself...)

Note: this isn't our church :) actually, I wasn't even really sure where we were going to take the pics and just started driving. I found this little church on the side of the road. Admittedly, it was pretty shady and I was a little nervous as it doesn't even have a paved driveway or anything but I loved, LOVED it!

This was the 'Batman' face :)

Thank you Doherty's for these AMAZING eyelashes!!

I promise that I didn't touch/enhance their eyes in any of these photos...not one.

I'll end on a funny story. Dec found some ribbon earlier today and wrapped it around him a few times. He came in the living room with the tree and said, "Mom, I'm a present" and then proceeded to lay under the tree. As I'm laughing he says..."And you can't open me till Christmas". I said...wow, you're going to lay there until Christmas? He waited a few minutes and says "okay, it's Christmas now". And then, I opened the best little gift ever...a little, precious boy named Declan (and made a secret wish that I could have a superpower to stop time!!)

December Happenings

2010-12-20T11:24:00.001-05:00

It's been busy so unfortunately this blog has felt the effects and not gotten much love. Sorry. Things should lighten up a little starting this week as we get ready for what is sure to be a super fun Christmas with the kids. They are both really excited...love doing their Advent Calendar and are counting down the days.

Anyways...before we get too involved in Christmas I wanted to post some pics...all of these probably deserve their own post but we're just going to have to take what we can get :)

My mom was down a couple weeks ago and we were able to celebrate her birthday at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. It was crowded but ultimately you can count on Disney to make everything larger than life and pretty fun for all ages (just don't ask Sean).

We also spent some time at Ballast Park in South Tampa. It was a foggy morning but we had fun and Mom taught Harp the 'ballerina'

We had Declan's school performance which was AWESOME. The theme was Candy Cane Hop and they rocked it singing JESUS (to the theme of BINGO), Happy Birthday Jesus, Joy to the World, We wish you a Merry Christmas and more!.

We also had some fun visitors this past weekend. :)

Tommy and Matt Klump were in town visiting a sick relative (extra prayers for them) but we had a great time visiting and they were super great with the kids...although Harper never really warmed up. This pic makes me laugh because Declan LOVED them and entertained but Harper was a bit on the shy side.

At church on Sunday, Dec had his Sunday school performance of 'Away in a Manager'...he did a really great job! Harper ran around acting like one of the big kids which gave me a complex to think that she'll be old enough to participate next year!

The angels

The FOUR (?) Kings (I know, I questioned it too :))

Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus and two Shepards

Our little angel :)

Meet Abby. Abby goes to school with Dec and they are so precious together. Get used to Abby...we're working on the arranged marriage :)

SOOOOO Cute!

Poor BabyJesus ended up on the floor.

I think that's enough for one post :)
Hope everyone is ready for Christmas!!
Love ya.

Santa Visit 2010

2010-12-08T01:33:00.002-05:00

I know I've been terrible on posts lately but the dashing life of a working mom with a photography business during the holidays means for a pretty insane schedule :) Things are great and we're all feeling better. There's not a shortage of stuff going on but we were able to get the kids out to see Santa tonight. Declan was totally into it, super excited and had his list ready. Harper on the other hand wasn't so sure of it from the very beginning. The fact that we got what we did was a miracle to me. It's actually pretty awesome to see the phases kids go through and I love the screaming...'I'm-totally-terrified-of-this-crazy-old-man-in-a-red-suit-that-you're-about-to-leave-me-with turns into the sweet conversation that Dec had with Santa.

The best part is that not only do you have the token photograph from the very talented International Plaza photographers..haha but my mom was there to video the whole thing! Enjoy :)

Please ignore the fact that you can see my back...aurgh, I hate when happens.

Harper Thinks Hallmark is Funny

2010-11-30T03:06:00.000-05:00

A longer post coming soon but I thought this video was too funny not to show immediately.

The set up:
Harper had a pretty stressful afternoon and after three nebulizer treatments, chest x-rays and a trip to both the pediatrician & an After Hours Pediatrician (alternative to the ER), we found out she has bronchitis. :(

So, Harper and I went to Walgreen's to fulfill the literally armfuls of prescriptions and while we were waiting she seemed to enjoy looking at Halmark's cards and holding Mickey Mouse.

Enjoy:

On a proud Momma note, I was not only entertained by her sweet enjoyment of the cards but impressed that she was putting all the cards back in the right places. What a smart 18 month old?! :)

She's doing okay. Still wheezing but in good spirits.

Pearls

2010-11-28T01:25:00.001-05:00

I've been thinking of trying to get some shots of Harp for a while but never really planned it out. The kids were getting bored so I quickly grabbed the stuff I could fine...beads, headband and bloomers and dragged the kids out side. I thought it turned out pretty cute :)

Dec was in his pajamas but I thought it was cute because it showed their sweet personalities!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T23:32:00.000-05:00

I hope YOU had wonderful Thanksgiving! We are so blessed and so overjoyed with gratitude it's hard to put into words. I spent most of the day on the verge of tears....between the St. Jude's commercials during the Macy's Parade, the GM commercial about falling and getting back up, the military shout outs, the numerous heartwarming stories, etc. I'm so thankful to spend Thanksgiving with my immediate family and some wonderful new friends. We missed those that we couldn't celebrate with and hope you all enjoyed today.

Sean kicked today off with homemade Danish Pastry and Fruit soup. It was awesome. We watched the Macy's parade and the kids loved watching the singing, dancing and of course the floats. Can you guess Dec's favorite? .......of course, Spiderman.

Then, we had some new friends come over. They just recently moved here from VA Beach and their oldest, Cyrus is 4 and in Dec's class. They have a little girl, Daphne who is about 5 months older than Harper. And a little guy, Phoenix who is about 3 months. They kids had a blast running around, playing, coloring, eating, etc. It was lots of fun.

And of course, it's not a post without pics :)

AWESOME GOD!

2010-11-19T15:54:00.000-05:00

There are days where I will drop Dec off at school and think I'm a terrible Mom, I should be staying home and spending time with my kids. Not because of the school but let's be honest, I'm just a little jealous of the stay at home moms. And then there are days like today where I walk away from Dec's school feeling so fortunate that Sean and I have jobs and can afford to send him to our church preschool. And I dare you to watch this video and not get chills and/or cry. I do both! (Sorry it's small...recorded it on my phone)

Dec's school had a Thanksgiving Pow Wow today. Pics to come but it was an awesome performance and the kids were really amazing.

Long Overdue Post: Busch Gardens with the iPhone

2010-11-15T00:14:00.000-05:00

Whenever we go to Busch I always struggle with the decision on whether or not to bring the camera. I don't want to miss opportunities to document the day but at the same time having the camera comes with responsibility and pressure to document it. So...a couple weeks ago, when we decided to spend the afternoon at Busch, I decided to ditch the camera and enjoy the day with the family and my trusty iPhone. To make the day even more fun...the weather was PERFECT and there was no one at the park.

Enjoy pics from our day documented by the iPhone :)

Dec's first roller coaster ride...he LOVED it!

Happy Veteran's Day!

2010-11-11T22:22:00.000-05:00

We have lots of folks to thank and specifically, Sean's dad for serving our country! We are thankful for them everyday but today we get to really show it. I had big ideas for these pics but ran out of time (and patience) so maybe I'll be ahead of the game next year.

Ears Pierced

2010-11-04T10:35:00.000-04:00

More pics to come but Harper and her best friend, Lauren got their ears pierced last night and they look ADORABLE!

(I haven't taken a bunch of photos yet but here's one from my iPhone)

BFFs!

As you can see, both girls are fine and look sweet as ever.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T08:33:00.000-04:00

The Doherty house has turned into Gotham City :) I tried really, REALLY hard to convince Dec not to be Batman (since we had a Batman birthday party and all)....we had a lot of other ideas but he was absolutely certain that Batman was it. And once we got the outfit he has been even more excited convincing us to try it on multiple times. Friday night we decided to do a quick run through...all went well until my camera battery died. Imagine...all of us decked out, hot and me running around trying to get the batteries to work. I have more than one but I guess my other battery is dead and won't charge :(. We busted out the point and shoot. Attached it to the tripod to capture this pic! (And then I went inside to order another battery!!)

Before the battery died, I did get these...(oh and I'm sure more are coming after tonight)

Sweet, Sweetfield Farms!

2010-10-25T22:30:00.003-04:00

There hasn't been a place or time (recently) that I've mentally checked out...I didn't answer the phone, check email, check text messages, FB, etc. I'm not saying that I'm addicted and I do this constantly (okay, maybe a little) but after being at this certain place for a few hours, we got back in the car and I realized for those few hours I didn't think one time about anything else except...sunflowers, hay, kettlecorn, hay rides and my family (and a couple friends). It didn't even hit me that maybe I missed an important phone call, email, etc....I didn't even think about it.

The place was Sweetfield Farms and my only disappointment was that I didn't know about it until now. AMAZING and so much fun. We planned on going after church on Sunday and invited Heather and Tyler to come with us. We had heard that it can sometimes reach capacity and they will turn folks away so it was important to call ahead. On our way (the farm is about 40 min North of Tampa), we called and we got the message that they were full. We were a little crazy with 3 kids but we thought we'd chance it.

Fortunately, after about 15-20 minutes wait to get in the parking lot and Declan's potty break outside the van we got in and had a BLAST. If only we could get that cooler weather back...it was 90 degrees and steaming...especially with our "fall" clothes on.

Here are some pics:

And one last pic...Sweetfield Farms, we hope to see you again soon!

Good Taste in Girl's Name...

2010-10-15T22:37:00.000-04:00

Bubble Wrap

2010-10-15T22:00:00.000-04:00

WHAT A WEEK?! I'm so glad to see this week come and go and I'm hoping for brighter (AND SAFER) days ahead. We had an eventful week with Harp to say the least. I wouldn't consider Harper a clumsy child but she's definitely fearless and tough...I guess that comes with having an older brother.

It all started on Monday evening. Sean was out of town and the kids and I were playing on the couch. Harp and Dec were doing their regular wrestling...yes, they wrestle. I was sitting right next to them. Harp was just getting up from a tackle when Dec went after her again. She lost her balance and fell off the couch...HEAD FIRST. She bumped her head, started crying. I comforted her when she passed out on me. Literally out. Completely. I've never been so scared in my life.

Let me back up a week. Dec was learning about emergencies in school, when to call 911 and that the firetruck comes with a call to 911. The firetruck even made a visit to their school.

Back to my panic. Harper was out long enough for me to realize she was out, have enough sense to grab my phone and dial 911. Trying not to scare Declan but calm him down because he's still playing I ask him to be a big boy, sit on the couch and Mommy had to call 911 (this is all while I'm waiting for them to answer and about the time that Harper wakes up moaning). Declan's face is something I'll never forget...it was like Christmas morning...he says "THE FIRETRUCKS ARE COMING TO MY HOUSE....YAY".

Looking back it was pretty funny. At the time, I was doing everything in my physical power not to totally panic. I repeated my address about 6 times when the operator instructed me to put our dog away, make sure the lights were on outside and unlock the front door. Harper was super pale and not really responding. She kept trying to fall asleep and I kept waking her up. I hung up with the operator and realized Sean was on a layover in Houston so I dialed him. I know he's never felt more helpless in his life. I can't imagine being on the other side of that phone call. Thankfully he was thinking enough to get me to call our friend, Stacy to be prepared to grab Declan if I needed to go to the hospital.

While we were waiting (what seems like FOREVER) Declan could hardly control his excitement and right before the EMTs arrived I got Harper to touch her nose. I can't tell you the miracle that was for me and how I felt a sense of relief at that very moment. Amen!

The guys arrived in the trucks and Harper was responding to the lights and I had even more comfort she was going to be okay. They were generous and reassured me that I wouldn't be turned over to child protection services and that Harp should be okay. She hadn't fallen far enough and she was responding as they would expect. About that time, our good friend Stacy arrived and I can't thank her enough for rushing over...she was a life saver!!

Dec got to give all the guys high fives and see the trucks. But I immediately turned into bad Mom again when he realized he wasn't going to go to Momma Stacy's house for the night. :)

It was a long, long night as I checked on her more times than I can count but she seems to be okay...at least from that accident.

Fast forward to Tuesday...

Our sitter is amazing. She's wonderful and I'm so grateful for her. After Monday night she was being super sensitive to my panic and keeping a much closer eye on Harp. She had decided to get her out of the house and take a quick trip to the mall to walk around. Unfortunately, in the process of WALKING Harper fell flat on her face and busted her lip! Seriously!! It was bad enough that it bled a lot and the security guards had to come over with the first aid kit, etc. My poor girl.

Unfortunately, the story doesn't stop there...

TODAY, Harper was running around the house with a toy (Optimus Prime if you're wondering which toy)..trips on Declan's train track and scratches her tummy.

So I decided that she needed to be bubble wrapped...seriously:

Her battle wounds:

She's still in good spirits and isn't holding back from anything. Just say a prayer that this is the worse we'll have to deal with. I'm not sure I can handle much more!

Beautiful!

2010-10-08T23:44:00.000-04:00

The weather has been BEAUTIFUL this week so we've been spending the afternoons outside in the yard. The kids LOVE it. I always drag my camera out and today I was thankful since I caught these sweet pics.

Here's what they look like in action:

Fun with iPhone Pics

2010-10-03T21:17:00.000-04:00

Found a few new iPhone apps that I LOVE...ShakeItPhoto, CrossProcess, and MillColour have given me more fun today than Sean watching football. Okay, maybe not that much but they've been really great alternatives to Hipstamatic.

Here's a few to enjoy!

We dug out some of our Halloween stuff. The kids helped me put out the skeleton and Dec named him "Bob Skeley Bones"

Dec and Bob having a very interesting conversation :)

funny kids

2010-10-02T23:27:00.002-04:00

After bath tonight the kids were more funny than usual and dancing like a leprechaun. Of course they did it continuously for probably 10 minutes and as soon as I went to get the camera they started getting distracted. But you'll get the idea...

Harper had turned off the overhead like so it's a little dark and a lot annoying but Dec was planning the "pans" while Harper was making herself dizzy. If you hear snorting...that was me :) If it's too much to stand, turn the volume off but wait till :36 second in. :)

saturday funday

2010-10-02T22:55:00.000-04:00

Dec had a great time at "soccer school" today...it's interesting and we're really pleased that this is much more tailored to Dec's age than the previous school we were working with. With that said, I HIGHLY recommend Soccer Shots in Tampa. The coaches are fun and really good about working with kids and relating it to them.

Here are some pics of this morning:

This little girl was super cute. She and Dec "warmed up" together.

Dec practicing the stop and airplane move they learned to stop the ball.

They have to stress the importance of not using their hands so they play a game where they touch the ball with elbows, noses (as see below), etc.

...and their stomaches...

And it ends with a stamp and a hug from Daddy! :)

too funny not to share...

2010-09-28T00:17:00.001-04:00

This came home in Dec's book bag today. I don't think it needs any other explanation.

it's these little moments...

2010-09-26T21:23:00.000-04:00

...that I will remember and cherish. Both kids had gotten up from their nap, we spent an hour in the pool, Broncos game was on when it POURED down rain. But there was something that made it a little different...the sun was still shining as bright as can be. We ran for our rain boots, umbrella and camera...unfortunately, we missed the opportunity for a rainbow but got these cute shots that will forever make me smile about playing in the rain.

Don't worry. Harper has my rain boots on...guess we'll have to get her a pair too:)

We had a busy weekend with Dec's soccer school (I'll try to get video up soon), our church's Blessing of the Animals event (I took photos of all the animals getting blessed), church, cleaning and preparing for a busy week of traveling. Thank to my mom for coming down and helping out!

We'll close this post with a pic of Mads getting blessed by Pastor Keiser.

Recap of our VA Trip

2010-09-13T00:48:00.000-04:00

Okay, I totally should have been sleeping but this was way more fun. I just published a massive number of blog posts to cover our VA Trip. Because I just posted so many, I feel like I need to do a little recap with links...

Post 1: Visit with Jennifer Cope and kids
Post 2: Family Fun
Post 3: VT vs Boise State
Post 4: More Family Fun (pics from a couple different visits)
Post 5: Mandy! (a post about my bff, mandy)
Post 6: Trip to JMU (we took the kids to see the campus)
Post 7: Drill Field at VT (visit with friends the day before the game)
Post 8: VT/JMU Game photo and video

Enjoy!

VA Trip: JMU/VT Game

2010-09-13T00:40:00.000-04:00

This game became something we didn't expect....at all. We were super excited to tailgate with our friends and watch the Dukes play the Hokies. We were excited to take Dec to his first JMU game and his first game at Lane Stadium and what better time than JMU versus VT.

We had a great time tailgating with friends. We were fortunate that Sean's mom was willing to watch Harper so we didn't have to worry about taking her in. Declan was super excited (and a bit confused). He kept saying "I want to play for JMU Tech"...haha. He also was equally cheering for both the Hokies and the Dukes which made things interesting since he had both a JMU football jersey and a VT sweatshirt.

But...with all that said, there were two main things we didn't expect:

RAIN, RAIN and more RAIN!

JMU WIN!

Declan was a trooper and even being both wet and cold he cheered all the way to the end (with a small nap during the second quarter and half time).

And although we're disappointed for the Hokies, it was pretty exciting time for the Dukes! GO JMU! And Sean's already planting the seed for a trip to TN in December :)

Anyways, here are some pics and video. Enjoy.

A video from the end of the game...I'm a terrible videographer and was trying to take video and photos at the same time.

VA Trip: Drill Field at VT

2010-09-12T23:59:00.000-04:00

After our mini tour of JMU and an expensive trip to the bookstore we headed down to Blacksburg (about 2 hours) to meet up with some friends and play on the VT drill field. It was a gorgeous afternoon to play outside with the kiddos.

VA Trip: Trip to JMU

2010-09-12T23:43:00.000-04:00

We haven't been back to JMU since Shannon's graduation in 2002. We have talked about it often but it just never seems to work in our schedule....until this trip. We knew as soon as the Tech schedule came out saying that they were playing JMU that we had to be at the game. And since we were going to make the drive from Yorktown we couldn't pass up the opportunity to drive North on 81 for 20 minutes and show the kids the beautiful James Madison.

I'm so glad we did...these photos are priceless to me.

Sean and I enjoyed walking down memory lane and being completely stunned about how much it had grown with new stores, restaurants, etc and the kids definitely had a blast running around the quad and climbing all over kissing rock (where Sean proposed to me). I can't wait until we can go back regularly!

A note about Mandy...

2010-09-12T23:22:00.002-04:00

I'm using my blog as an outlet but it's really because just about everyone (that I know) reads this blog also knows Mandy. Mandy and I have been friends since elementary school. I don't remember exactly when I met Mandy but I know that I don't remember much of my childhood without her.

Mandy is the perfect balance between a friend that you can trust with your life and a friend that makes you do the most fun and unexpected things. You know that quote that says something to the effect of..."a friend is someone who bails you out of jail but a best friend is sitting with in jail saying that was awesome"....that's Mandy!

And the reality is...we have Mandy (and Betty and Dave) to thank for Sean and I's growing relationship back in the day. We sat on their dialup connection (hogging their phone line) for hours after school talking on AOL IM and Mandy would travel with me just about every other weekend to JMU (by car, by bus and by train) :)

Anyways, in just a few days Mandy will be leaving with her wonderful hubby, Matt to Bulgaria. Yes, Bulgaria. I've know this day would would come for over a year but for some reason it never felt like reality..until now. I know they will have an amazing time and experience things but I have to admit I'm selfishly pretty bummed. I don't get to see Mandy as much as I wish but I've always known that we're only a plane flight away and now...well, it's still a plane flight but a very long one!

Mandy (and Matt), I love you more than you'll ever know. I know you'll have an amazing time and I can't wait to hear of your adventures...ahem, start that blog :) I love you! xoxoxox

VA trip: More Family Fun

2010-09-12T22:58:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, we got to get a nice tour of Shannon place in Richmond. We had fun hanging out and having a nice lunch sans kids and therefore, we actually had complete conversations with her and Jason.

On Wednesday, we had a nice dinner with my Dad, my Granny and CD.

On Thursday while I was working, Sean and his parents took the kids to President's Park in Williamsburg and then Pierce's to meet up with the Walker Family. Based on pics and stories, it sounds like they had a great time.

Dec and Taylor

VA Trip: VT vs Boise State

2010-09-12T22:41:00.000-04:00

I didn't originally plan on going to the game but you'll see in a future post that it was a great opportunity to spend some time with my best friend, Mandy. I'm glad I ended up going...it was fun and even though the Hokies couldn't make it a "W"...it was a good game and I enjoyed being a part of Hokie Nation for the night.

Sean and the boys had tickets for a while and were pumped for the start of college football. Pics:

Sean and I celebrated 7 years on the same day as the game.

VA Trip: Family Fun

2010-09-12T21:40:00.003-04:00

Our trips are always fun but this time seemed to be a bit more packed with fun things. Thanks to all of our family for always coordinating with our crazy schedules. Love you!

Four-wheelin' with Brett and Grandpa Hicks

Climbing trees with Brett

Norfolk Botanical Gardens with Neena, GPops, Grandma D, Auntie Shan Shan and Jason

Pic with Neena (she did the logo for the Enchanted Storybook Forest)

Butterfly Garden!

Our kids don't like the water at all! :)

This is a series of pics where Dec and Harper would be running around and stop mid-stream to hug each other. Super cute if I say so myself :)

VA Trip: BFF since 1st Grade

2010-09-12T20:49:00.000-04:00

I somewhat remember being transferred from Petsworth Elementary in Gloucester to Dare Elementary when my family moved to York County in 1st grade. Memories before then were a little fuzzy being so young but I distinctly remember my first day at Dare with a teacher that had purple hair (Ms. Mize) and the coolest girl in school asking my name. That cool girl ended of being one of my best friends for life...Jennifer Osborne! She was beautiful both inside and out and I grew up having sleep overs at her house, playing dress up in her dance costumes and eating more nutri-grain bars than ones body should eat in one night. We went to the same elementary, middle and high school and even attended the same college. As with life, we live states apart and don't get to talk as often as either of wish we could but this part week we had the opportunity to catch up for a few hours as our four kids got to play on the same playground where Jen and I met. I'm so thankful for her friendship and I love her and her adorable family so much.

Here are the pics:

For our YC friends!

2010-08-25T02:37:00.000-04:00

One of Sean (Maymi) and Sam's bridesmaids put together a cute book of well wishes from their friends and family for their wedding. So, we found all the YHS and tennis stuff we could find and of course, headed to the courts. Sean has a serious game face, Declan is controlling the camera remote, Harper is watching the people playing tennis next to us try to hit us with their tennis balls and I'm clearly trying to keep it together.

Congrats Sean and Sam! We love you!!

Here are a couple funny outtakes :)

BAILEY FAMILY

2010-08-24T02:54:00.002-04:00

This photo makes me laugh, laugh, laugh. This photo is some of my very best friends in the whole world...Bryan and Mandy. I told Bryan that I found this photo one day and it's been on my bulletin board for over a year with the intention of showing it to them. I fortunately had the opportunity to visit Bryan last week but I forgot the photo! So, why not share it here :) (Hey, it's better than FB)

(Oh, and a special post on Mandy to come...)

Anyways, about a year ago Bryan married a sweet Wisconsin girl that is one of the most sweetest, amazing people not from York County. Haha...we know there are lots of people like that in the county but when you expand beyond, it become questionable :) And the two of them together are pretty awesome AND about 3 weeks ago they had a sweet, sweet little girl named, Addisyn.

I was fortunate enough to be able to go visit and take photos of there new family and wanted to share them here...they'll be on the CDP blog soon too but here's a peak.

Happy Birthday Grandma D

2010-08-23T22:05:00.000-04:00

We did a little photoshoot tonight for Grandma D's birthday. Unfortunately it rained a TON today but we found about 15 minutes to get some of these quick shots in.

Happy Birthday Grandma D and thank you and GPops SOOOOOOOO much for watching the kiddos while we were out of town. You're the best!

And my favorite....

Reason #132 that I'm glad I work from home...

2010-08-23T22:01:00.000-04:00

Pics from last week are still to come but wanted to blog this one...

We got home yesterday after a great week of wonderful memories. I visited with the expanded Bailey Family and got to spend some precious time with Baby Addisyn (pics to come) and then Sean and I met up with lots of high school friends for our friend, Sean (the coach) and Sam's wedding. We had a FABULOUS time.

We were so thankful that Sean's parents were able to come down and watch the kids. They did a fabulous job!!

Today, things started to get back to normal as we took Dec to his preschool open house, etc until this afternoon. I heard Dec start crying like I've never heard him cry before. I ran out of my office (I typically don't come out when they cry but I could tell this was different) and saw him holding his bloody chin in the bathroom. He had fallen while standing on the stool washing his hands. Stacy had made it in the bathroom before me and we could both see a pretty good gash. After a little clean up, we thought it would be best to call the doc for possible stitches. The doc said that we needed to go to the ER. Thankfully, we called the Urgent Care instead and they were able to see him.

We were so relieved when the doc said they could use glue instead of of stitches...so, here we are...I'm sure the first of many but Dec thinks he's Humpty Dumpty and was glued back together again.

He was a tough, brave little boy!!

This is a pic of them looking up so you could see his chin :)

And a close up because we wouldn't want you to miss it :)

Who's playing today?

2010-08-15T14:23:00.002-04:00

iPhone Fun!

2010-08-14T20:52:00.002-04:00

If you have an iPhone and you don't have Hipstamatic app, you're missing out! I've had the app for over a year but I go through phases of using it and not. Today, I was a little addicted so I thought I'd share some pics. Enjoy!

Saint Declan

2010-08-13T23:31:00.000-04:00

Many of you know but some may not....Declan's name has a lot of meaning to us. First, Declan is a little souvenir from Sean and my trip to Ireland in 2006. Declan was the name of one of the farm house owners and we liked it a lot. After doing some research, we found out that Saint Declan was one of the first to bring Christianity to Ireland and ironically, St. Declan's Feast Day is July 24th (Sean's bday) so we knew if our little blessing was a boy, his name would be Declan.

Anyways, I share all of this because our very dear friends, the Schoonovers live in England took a trip to Ireland recently. During that trip, they visited the St. Declan Church...how awesome is that?! Not only did they visit but they also sent us awesome photos of it that we could show and print for Declan.

THANK YOU KEVIN AND JENNY...YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME.

Declan loved the photos and he keep saying it was "his church". I can't wait to take him to visit one day.

If you'd like to read about Kevin & Jenny's trip, click here.

Thanks again Kevin and Jenny (and Charlie and #2)! We love you guys!!