My Friend Kelli

This is my friend Kelli.  She is pretty great.  She's a very talented photographer, but the most important thing you should know about Kelli is that she's super helpful.  I tell you, this girl is just looking for ways to help you out!  While she was in town, Kelli took some great family photos of us (which deserve a post all their own) and she and I went on a little walk through Central Park.  Being the helpful person that she is, Kelli let me borrow her sweet lens to take some photos of emerging spring.  I posted all of them on my photography blog, but here are a few favorites if you'd like a peek.

Not only did she let me borrow her lens, she even let me borrow her friends for some fake engagement photos.

That's Kelli for you - willing to jump in wherever you need her.

See what I mean?

So for all these nice things Kelli does for me, I say thank you.

And I try to help her out by taking sweet photos of her.

Because that's what photographer friends do.

Thanks for everything Kelli!  It was a blast as usual.

Website Issues

Hi everyone.  Please accept my apologies for the lack of new content.  Oh, and I'm sorry the old content cannot be viewed either.  I post my images through a website called Photobucket and some of their accounts have been down (including mine) for more than two days now.  Ridiculous!

Needless to say, frustration abounds.  There are lots of posts coming, just as soon as this gets fixed. 

In the meantime I'll be busy crafting a Photobucket voodoo doll.

Fashion Friday: wear what your heart desires

Today's tip is inspired by Eleanor's St. Patrick's Day outfit.  Choosing an outfit that day was tough.  We knew there was a requirement to don green or risk being pinched.  The neon green skirt was an outlandish choice - one she has never worn before.  And since we were being bold, why not go all the way and pair it with some striped tights and a fashion onesie?  It was a complete break from Ellie's usual conservative outfit and boy was it refreshing!

Some days you've just got to throw caution to the wind and wear whatever your heart desires.  

Dress happy my friends.

Eleanor LOVES dogs right now.

And she is very serious about her pigeon stalking.

Thwarted again! 

That's alright Ellie.  You look like a million bucks and you lived to stalk another day.

**For those of you who frequent the blog for photography tips - here's a good one:  DO NOT take pictures in middle of the day.  Portraits shot in harsh sunlight do not look good.  Period.  For best results, photograph your kids playing outside in the late afternoon/early evening, when the sun is at a lower angle.  Or look for a well lit but shady area (known as open shade) for more even lighting.  Good lighting will make all the difference.  Just compare these photos to the ones posted below to see what I mean.

Ellie at 15 months

Just a quick word of explanation.

Let's all be perfectly honest.  I know why you're here.  You come to see photos of the girl.  I get that, I really do.  And I appreciate that you humor my wordy stories and wandering theories when really you're thinking "cut it out and just show the photos."  Because I love you all and want to please you, I try to keep the posts photo heavy.  And I tend to shy away from braggy-brag posts about all her latest statistics because that stuff kind of annoys me.

That said, I'm going to make an exception today and just list a few things about Ellie at 15 months.  I do it because 1. my mother-memory can't be trusted and I don't want to forget what she was like at this age and 2. because frankly, I think she's awesome and I'm dang proud of her.   I know most of you don't care what milestones she's reaching and I'm sure it sounds a lot like what a lot of other babies are doing at her age, but you should still read it.

Because I read yours - even if I groan inwardly first.

Quick Stats:

20 lbs (finally) 31" tall

20 spoken words

15 signs

11 teeth

Activities that fill her busy day:

peek-a-booing around the couch

emptying and refilling her Citibank lunchbox-purse

climbing the stairs at the playground

pretending to talk on the phone

busting into giggles all the time (especially after nap)

remaining terrified of the buzzer

obsessing over dogs and cats and birdies

rejecting bananas but consuming large quantities of oranges

flipping through favorite books

nurturing her sense of humor - she's really a silly goose

insisting on wearing her new sandals (which are far too big) around the house

saying her own version of "bless you" whenever someone sneezes

giving kisses to everyone and everything, but not mama - apparently I've had too many

getting very frustrated when she can't accomplish a task

sitting on my lap to watch TV (yes, I am that parent)

being so dang cute it forces me to make these braggy lists

Don't believe me?  See for yourself.

(please excuse the post-nap crazy hair.  we can't be fancy all the time)

She loves this finger puppet so much it hurts.

I was wondering where she learned to impersonate a monkey.

Then I realized.  Monkey see and all that.

Here's another sign Joe taught her.

"Cheerio"

No, it's not ASL.  But I think it should be.

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Guess who had 3 disgusting dirty diapers in a 10 minute period?

Rock on, Ellie.

*This photo was taken in December, and I cannot believe how different she looks now.  She's much taller and lankier and has real live little girl hair.  She doesn't even look like a baby anymore.  It blows my mind how fast she changes.

Living room tour

A few people have asked to see photos of our apartment and I am happy to finally share a little tour of our living room today.  We've put a lot of work into this part of our apartment since we moved in and I think it's coming along nicely.  It's amazing to look back on what it was like when we first moved in.

This is what it looks like today:

A list of things I love about my living room:

- so much sunlight

- great view all the way down the street

- love, love, love the gray walls

- happy curtains (my friend Megan helped me make them and they add so much to the room)

- Ellie has a presence in the room, but it doesn't feel over run with baby stuff

- the little reading couch is my favorite place to curl up with a good book

It's still a work in progress.  Here are some things that could use improvement:

- giant blank wall (visible in 4th photo) needs family photos hung

- big space above the couch is begging for artwork

- place a mirror over the leafy chair (serious lack of mirrors in this house)

- do something with all the computer cords - they drive me bonkers!

- remove stuff from top of bookshelves and replace with plants

- some shelves need serious organization and styling

- we could use one more light source at night

I'll be sure to do another tour when the finishing touches are up.  You know, so you can get the full effect.

These two shelves are a major thorn in my side.  Unsightly.

Oh yes, I also have a major dust bunny problem, even though I clean compulsively.

And in the spirit of full disclosure, look at all the stuff I had to shove into the hallway for this tour.

Awesome.

Yes, we painted the hallway deep purple.

It was supposed to be a little more plum-y, but we've grown to love it.

Thanks for being my virtual home guests, hope you'll invite me to your place soon!