Monday Morning Musings

Yesh, this weekend flew by!  As was to be expected, the holiday craziness has set it and we are going 50 miles per hour.  I am going to work really hard this year to be intentional with the time I spend.  I want to enjoy this season with my family, just the way it is.  Kaitlyn was talking this weekend about "next year Kamdyn will be able to pull ornaments off the tree" or "will we be able to take our annual trip to Chicago, even with a baby?" - these things tugged at my heart because for as much as we have prayed for this baby and as ecstatic as we are for her to finally be here…the reality is that the way we do business as a family will be changing drastically.  Those of you reading who know me in real life know that this doesn't bother me one bit as far as day-to-day life…but holidays - OH BOY.  I am a creature of habit when it comes to holiday traditions.  I think there is nothing more important than those special family traditions around the holidays - and two things are about to happen 1) my traditions are about to be changed {WHERE is Kamdyn going to sit in the seating arrangement at my parent's house on Christmas night?!} and 2) Our family unit {Kevin, Katie, Kaitlyn & Kamdyn} is going to develop our own traditions {these are hard to develop when we only have Kaitlyn every other year for every other holiday}.  The thought of this makes me a LOT excited and a little LOT anxious.  Anyway, here's the point - I want to cherish this year with our family just as it is, because I know it won't be the same ever again - that's not bad, just different.  :)

On Friday night, I enjoyed a blissful night of scrapbooking.  I just love this time with my friends working on Kamdyn's scrapbook.  :)

Festival of Trees was the perfect kick off to our holidays :)  The studio always performs the weekend before Thanksgiving and it always, always, always puts me in the holiday spirit.  Speaking of holiday traditions, we have a few photo traditions before the show, as I looked back at these I got tears in my eyes.  Sometimes I wish I could just stop time.  Stop babies from growing up.  Or even just re-visit these days.  But since I can't - pictures serve as the perfect way to remember.  Freeze time.

The top row of that collage is 2010, the bottom was this weekend.  3 years.  The blink of an eye.  Impossible to believe.

We also decorated our home for the holidays this weekend.

I just love my house at Christmas time.  It puts me in my happy place.

Speaking of my happy place.  My fabulous, talented husband took pictures of Kaitlyn, Sam & Maicey this weekend.  {I'll also put in a disclaimer that I took many of these because Maicey refused to cooperate for Kevin!}  I'll leave you with a few of my favorites.

Have a beautiful week, friends!

Mother/Daughter Weekend 2013

What an amazing weekend.  Each year for the past 3, my amazing mama has given my sister {Kim} and my might-as-well-be-sister {Jenny} a weekend away.  We shop, eat, drink, and laugh - it's so wonderful.  Our first year we went to Chicago, last year we went to Minneapolis, and this year we went to Des Moines.

*Warning, picture overload. :)*

Jenny couldn't come up until Saturday afternoon, but Kim, my mom and I left on Friday afternoon.

On our way, we stopped at a wonderful little outlet mall.

Yes, I'm one of those people who enjoy beginning to Christmas shop early.  Last year, I didn't begin early - my December was not even a little enjoyable because I was running around like a crazy person {along with the masses of other irresponsible procrastinators :)}  Then to top it all off, I got extremely sick and my poor husband had to go out and do his own shopping as a result.  It was awful.  So, I've pledged that I will not be doing that again.

I made a big dent this weekend.  Thankfully, my mom and sister also have this same plan...although they both admitted, I got the most done this weekend.  :)  This is all of our packages from the outlet mall...not just mine - I didn't go out of control.  :)

After we checked in and unloaded, we decided to run to Michael's (yes, there is one literally 3 minutes from my house, but it was out of the prized gift).  My nieces are both wanting The Loom...them right along with everyone else evidently because I couldn't find it anywhere.  Clearly Friday was my lucky day because the Michael's we stopped at had gotten a shipment earlier that day!  Behold the goods...

Two people's Christmas gifts...check, check.

That night, on a whim we picked out this Mexican restaurant

I had the most delicious brisket tacos (such a strange combo I would've never put together...but so thankful someone else did!)

As you're all well aware, we're expecting a baby in April...but Margarita, don't mind if I do! {perhaps this surrogacy thing isn't so bad :)}

On Saturday morning, we headed to Buy Buy Baby - OH.MY.OVERLOAD.

We were able to find some adorable stuff in the {extremely overwhelming} baby superstore.  But after more than an hour in there, I was definitely ready for a little

After lunch we did more shopping and Saturday night, we went to a dueling piano bar - ohmygosh, it was so fun!!  :)

And this, my friends, is "Jeffy" {I'm nearly certain this isn't his real name, but whatever}.

You all, I'm telling you - he was tore up.  He was sitting at the table behind us and we became quick friends through our love of the Iowa Hawkeyes and 90's pop music.  Wow, he was ridiculous...and hilarious.  Totally made our night.

This morning, we got up and did a bit of shopping, then tried to go to Scratch Bakery...not open on Sunday's.  FAIL.

Here's where our weekend took a U-turn...Jenny lost her keys.  Not a clue where they could be...anywhere in the mall we walked all the way thru, the restaurant we had breakfast in, the parking lot, no clue.  I felt so bad for her.  Basically, she had to have her best friend grab her extra set of keys and meet her in Des Moines.  Not good at all.

Anyway, now I'm home in my quiet house getting ready for another week, feeling overwhelmed with gratitude for the amazing women in my life.  What an amazing weekend.  :)

I hope you all have a wonderful week -

Surprise...!

I have never claimed to be the best blogger there was, but this schedule I have been dealing with has just been plain ridiculous.  Between work, grad school, the studio, Platinum, and being a newlywed - I just really have had ZERO time to blog.  But, I have made a promise to the many few regular readers of this blog that I will be better - and I have been trying to take more pictures.  I blog because I want people to keep up with our lives, but also because I want to always remember this time in my life.

So this weekend has been filled with fun for me!  Friday night I spent the night scrapbooking with my dearest friends.  At work on Friday one of my friends was like "ugh, I cannot imagine doing that - I would rather just slit my wrists - doesn't that just stress you out?!"  No, really it's just the opposite.  It is theraputic for me.  I love cutting, and laying out, and cropping pictures, and matching papers, and cutting out letters on my beloved Cricut.  Did I mention the company is fabulous?!

me, Jenny, Kim, & Jamie - these are my 3 best friends...I majorly love them! {Please disreguard the fact that my vest is all puffed up and makes me look pregnant...which I am NOT.}

Jamie completed her very first traditional scrapbook on Friday night - and it was ADORABLE.  :)

Saturday night my sister and her husband went out for a nice dinner and we got to watch their adorable children.  These are the people who make me smile.

And today, we went down to the Festival of Trees which is my favorite kick-off to the holiday season.  Our dance studio performed today on the mainstage and the kids absolutely loved this toy train village - it is pretty beautiful!

This is a picture of my neice Emma and I - it's a tradition!  We've taken one every year since she was a baby.  I LOVE this child - she seriously says some of the funniest things I've ever heard and I am SO glad I'm not her mother because I would not be able to discipline her through my laughter.

And both Sam & Maicey performed this morning - so here is a picture of them with Kim.  All my favorite people!  :)

I am blogging from my car while we drive Kaitlyn back to her mom and then we are having dinner with my family - this is the best weekend I've had in a LONG time. 

Hope your weekend was filled with blessings.

Much Love,
 Katie :)

Kevin's Birthday...

...was in February. But we just got done celebrating this past weekend! His favorite restaurant is Outback Steakhouse, but every single time we go there the wait is more than 2 hours and we just simply refuse to wait.

So, 4 months late, Happy Birthday to the love of my life. I can't wait to marry you this weekend! :)

Easter Preparations

Our family enjoyed coloring Easter eggs tonight! Somehow this simple tradition turned into coloring one of Kaitlyn's shirts...

A Little Picture Update...

Hello friends! I finally found my camera cord and would love to share a little of our summer through photos. I hope you enjoy!

Here is Kaitlyn & I enjoying the Taylor Swift/Keith Urban Concert! Before the show, we were blessed with the opportunity to meet Keith Urban!! He hugged her and said "Hey Beautiful, what do you wanna hear tonight?" To which, she very promptly replied "Taylor Swift". Ohhh, the joys of innocent childhood. :)

My future neices, Rachelle & Kristina came to the concert with us. We had so much fun!

We had a great time with our dear family friends: Jenny, Mike, Emma & Aiden at the 4th of July at the Red, White, & Boom Celebration Downtown

The 4th of July was a rainy and kind of chilly day here in Iowa (notice our sweatshirts and jeans!) But, we have a long-standing tradition to have dinner as a family and enjoy the fireworks - this year was no exception