Archive for the ‘Walter’ Category

Our 10 Year Wedding Anniversary!

Monday, September 8th, 2014

It’s been 10 years since we said “I do”! I can’t believe it! Some days it feels like a lifetime and some years it seems like we met yesterday. It’s been a wild ride that we are very proud of. We are so blessed and so grateful, I can’t wait to see what the next 10 years bring!

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Daddy Duty

Monday, February 20th, 2012

Walter was kind enough to take the kids out so I could do an intimate photo session at the house.  Not only was he on daddy duty but playdate duty too!  Noah’s friend (and crush) Adrianna came along to the park for some fun.

There is a dog park right next to the playground and the kids couldn’t help themselves.  They love puppies!

And because it was Walter with the kids, and the camera, all the wildlife was captured!

Noah and Adrianna loved pushing each other around….

… and just hanging around…

Wordless Wednesday

Wednesday, December 21st, 2011

Happy Da-Da’s Day!

Sunday, June 20th, 2010

What a difference a couple of kids make!  Celebrating Father’s Day is even more special now as I watch our children honor their father.  The love and joy they have and the excitement of getting to spend every minute of Father’s Day with their dad is priceless.  I have to confess that watching my wonderful husband parent is also one of the joys of our marriage.  He is the most incredible dad any kid could ever hope for!

Walter always holds us up and holds us together!  He is most definitely the patriarch of this family!

  

  

He is patient, loving, caring and makes each kid feel very special for who they are and how they relate!  I feel that any other person is going to have to compete awfully hard to fill the BFF role in their lives when they’ve “outgrown” their daddy!

He is an amazing teacher!  He engages them and enjoys it as much as they do.

And more than anything, he has an incredible sense of humor!

Honey, thanks for being such a great father and doing it with a smile and so naturally!  Our kids are so lucky to have you – and so am I!

Love you!

Magical Birthdays!

Monday, September 14th, 2009

Hello Internet Friends.  Why do I always feel like I’m apologizing for being absent?  My computer died – hard.  And as soon as it went and was replaced my monitor followed suit.  So now I am writing to you from a gorgeous new computer setup and I’m able to upload photos FAST! 

Unfortunately I’m behind in my updates, and boy have we been busy, but hopefully I can catch up and post more often.

In August Walter turned the big 4-0.  Two days after that I turned 31 (I’m officially “in my 30′s” and feeling old).  To celebrate we took the family to Disney.  For support we brought my mom.  We had no idea how the kids would handle the heat of Disney in August.  I wasn’t sure I was up to the challenge, but we had a blast, and mom got to squeeze in some relaxing while we checked out the parks.

Thanks to our great friend, Lauren, we got to stay at the Swan Hotel.  It was so great being a short boat ride to Epcot!

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At the hotel they had a dreamy restaurant.  It was outdoors (ick) but it was so beautiful and the food was amazing!

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The comfy seating got two thumbs up from Noah!

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And the rest of the property was equally as entertaining…

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And beautiful…

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During our stay we only made it to Epcot and the Magic Kingdom.  Both were incredibly hot!

Noah, who used to love giant characters, was pretty lukewarm about the whole thing this trip.  We even did a character breakfast and as far as he’s concerned, the highlight was the bacon.  He seemed to love the Under the Seas and Spaceship Earth (the big Epcot ball ride) the most at Epcot.

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We were at Epcot on Walter’s actual birthday.  For his birthday I gave him smiles.  Lots and lots of smiles, and patience.  If you know me and you know how I feel about heat you know this was an amazing gift and very difficult to deliver.  It came naturally to Kate though.

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And I also bought him dinner.  We left Kate with my mom at the hotel and went with Noah to Coral Reef, the restaurant at the Living Seas in Epcot.  The view was incredible, the drinks were delish, and the food was amazing!  It was a great dinner!

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Afterwards we watched the Epcot fireworks then went down to the boardwalk for ice cream and people watching.  It really was a magical day!

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Magic Kingdom was a little more fun for the kids since its pretty much geared toward them.  We didn’t have a lot of time but we enjoyed the time we had!

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Noah got a water bottle/fan/squirty thing that he is obsessed with.  He sprayed everything, and I mean everything, but at least it kept us cool!

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We rode Winnie The Pooh…

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And then Noah and Walter went on the Barnstormer, Noah’s first roller coaster!

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He loved it!

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And of course we went to see Mickey and Minnie.  Again Noah really wasn’t interested but Kate was in love.  She was so excited, I thought she was going to take her first step into Minnie’s arms.  She was also a huge fan of her giant ears!

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And of course we had to hit up the gift shop so Kate could get ears!

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And since we were so close we took a little detour to go see my Aunt Love and Uncle Kenneth.  They just finished renovating their new home and it’s amazing!  It was quite a project for them but I can’t imagine it turning out any better.  They really put a lot of work into this house that they decided to buy as soon as they saw the view from the front door!

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Noah says they have good taste in furniture too!

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We also took the opportunity of being with family to use the facilities!  Noah had a flood accident the first night in the hotel.  His poor monkey got soaked and was in desperate need of a bath!  Luckily we were able to make that happen.  Noah insisted on supervising the whole ordeal though!

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Here’s that view from the front door (looking in).  Let’s pray the hurricanes stay away!

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The kids made themselves at home.  Unfortunately the home wasn’t made for them.  I’m still so sorry about that figurine that Kate wanted to play with!

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What’s Up!?

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

What’s up and where have we been?  I’m going to answer it for you all right now.  Yes, we’re still alive.  Yes, we remember your phone number (or have it somewhere).  No, we haven’t fallen off the face of the Earth.  No we’re not mad at you.  Things have been busy.  Crazy busy.  I have been neglecting everyone.  I am very, very sorry.

I have been working tirelessly at launching a new business.  With the two kids always within earshot it has become very hard to plan weddings for clients who expect my full attention (and deserve it).  So until piss and vinegar, I mean Noah and Kate, are both out of the house for a chunk of time every day I’m trying to use my talents for other things.  I just opened “Oh My Bride” (www.ohmybride.com).  It is an opportunity for me to still make money and play in the wedding business without having to be on call 24/7 or at the beck and call of a bridezilla with a cell phone.  Sure, I still have “office hours” and plan to interact when I need to but at least the majority of my dealings will now be online and through email to keep me from having to screen calls and dance around nap schedules.  I am still doing weddings, at least until this new venture gains momentum, and I’m looking forward to a packed dance card this winter with events.

As I mentioned before, my sister and her children were in town for 10 days and we took every opportunity to enjoy their company.  We also did my niece, Natalie’s, senior photos while they were here.  With so many interests though it turned into a bit of a marathon and we are still editing.  Here are a few to enjoy for now.

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This is Natalie in her Junior Prom dress.  It was my sister’s (her mother’s) Senior Prom dress but has been reinvented.  Talk about vintage!  We also took some photos of her in her Senior Prom dress but you’ll have to ask her for those.  Wouldn’t want to give too much away before the big event!

Yes, that is a real train.  It was FLYING by.  I’ll spare you the photo with the look on her face that says “You want me to do what!?”.  We have so many beautiful ones to choose from, this is hard!

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This isn’t even a sampling of all the shoots.  Like I said, we’ve been busy!

And in the spirit of photos we have (finally) started to embrace our love for the craft and share it with others.  We used to do photoshoots back when film was in and we were still a little (ok, a lot) unsure about the whole portrait thing.  Then it was only for us, then we included friends and family since we’ve learned not everyone can take a photo without chopping heads off.  Fast forward 10 years and hundreds of practice shoots later and we find ourselves getting inquiries left and right.  Family and friends always pushed us to do this and we have seen the light.  To mainstream things a bit and have one central location for our favorite photos we’ve created Yap Originals (www.yaporiginals.com).  Our friend Lauren actually branded us and always bragged about how many “Yap Originals” she had hanging in her home.  Thanks Lauren!

Here are some photos from our most recent newborn shot.  Isabelle is a doll and she has an amazing family.  What a love!  We have so many other recent shoots that I wish we could share.  Oh, what I could do with free time!

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Isabelle’s dad is a firefighter… and she has her own boots!

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We were also MIA because we were off getting older.  Walter and I (who are 2 days apart) took the kids to Disney for our birthdays.  It was soooooo hot but also a lot of fun.  We have a million photos to share and will, soon.

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The one thing keeping us sane and us as with it as we are (which isn’t very “with” as it turns out) is Kate’s new BFF, Falan.  Falan is the newest addition to the scenery around here.  I hate to call her a nanny, because that sounds so snobby, but she’s so much more than a babysitter.  I don’t know what we’d do without her.  We originally hired her to help until I got Oh My Bride off and running but I’m not sure how we could ever part with her.  Hopefully things start running smoothly and prosperity finds its way to our door so we won’t have to worry about that.  In addition to being amazing with the kids she is ridiculously beautiful.  How lucky was I to talk her into modeling a few hair accessories for Oh My Bride?

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So we’re here.  I appreciate all of you who have reached out to us.  We are grateful for your love and friendship.  Hopefully things will slow down here just a bit so we may have the opportunity to get back into the social scene.

Love you all!

Holiday Road…

Sunday, July 5th, 2009

This 4th of July holiday weekend we took off for a mini vacation.  We headed south to my very favorite hotel, the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood.  It was everything we hoped it would be and more!  The weather was perfect, the pools were fun, the beds were super comfy, the kids were even well behaved!  We were lucky enough to have a lot of friends with the same plans and because of that we enjoyed many laughs and large meals.

Here are a few photos from our relaxing weekend, there are many more to come -

First, let me show you why I love this place so much…

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Yes, really.  And yes, really, these are photos from this weekend.  The pool and beach didn’t look like this for long but they were still very beautiful and very relaxing when other people showed up.  This is one of four pools at the hotel so you never noticed that the resort was bustling; there’s so much room to spread out!

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And this is how excited we all felt when the plans were made and we were on our way.  A family vacation was so overdue!

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The one photo we got of the kids together this weekend…

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She may owe that pole dinner.

At the pool…

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Our friends Bettina and Dan and their daughter Helena happened to be staying the weekend at the resort as well.  The kids loved swimming together!

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Rachel, Robby, and Ayla were also at the resort as were thier friends Nicole and Chris and their children Nicholas and Carsen.  You haven’t lived until you’ve looked for a dinner reservation for 11 people 30 minutes before you’re hoping to eat!

Nicholas is such a cool kid!  A lover boy with a little Dennis the Menace mixed in for good measure.  We had a blast, he has such personality!  At one point I was holding Helena (above) and Nicholas (below) was playing with us.  Someone joked about how easily I could pass them off as my own kids.  I’ll just have to borrow all the redheaded children and wish their parents luck with the stubborness and sass that comes with the color! 

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Chris and Carsen                                                                     Little Miss

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For the fourth we were unknowingly misinformed and decided to take our chances watching fireworks from Rachel and Robby’s room.  Little did we know we would have been much better off on the beach, where we originally planned to go, but then we would have missed this amazing view of the city and the light show.

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The city after a few cocktails…

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The monkeys…

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And a certain little someone learned a new trick while on vacation… she now STANDS!  Where does the time go!?  Buh-bye baby Kate, hello toddler land!

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And just for fun we relived a few moments.  I told you this place was my favorite!

(Noah at 4 months)

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(Kate at 9 months, who doesn’t know how not to smile)

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(Noah at 7 months)

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(Kate at 9 months who apparently heard she was going to be late for lunch)

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Still think they look exactly alike?!

Unfortunately when we got home reality smacked us in the face!  Monday was right around the corner, grocery shopping needed to get done and the laundry fairy never showed up this weekend.  Oh, and there was a leak in our roof that was flooding our laundry room because of all the rain.  Fun times!  At least we’re tan!

Happy Father’s Day!

Sunday, June 21st, 2009

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Happy Father’s Day out there to all the fathers and dads!  Walter and I are so fortunate to have great relationships with our fathers.  Today we honor them and of course the kids and I will be celebrating Walter as well.  We don’t have any big plans.  The only thing on the agenda is to spend the day together and at some point make it over to my parents’ for dinner and a dip in the pool.  Walter’s family is, and has been, working really hard on building a new home for his brother and unfortunately weekends are the only time they can invest at the moment so we won’t be seeing them.  Hopefully Ian is going to have everyone over to make up for all the missed Sunday dinners when the kids play and we all get to visit (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

Anyway, I wanted to blog and brag about Walter on Father’s Day.  Anyone who knows him, knows that Walter has always been a big kid.  He’s the guy that the little girls and puppies flock to.  He’s so much fun and he is genuinely interested and playful and full of useless knowledge about things kids love (like cartoons, planes, and action figures).  I never had any doubt in my mind that Walter would be an amazing dad, and he is.  And although he always finds himself a bit helpless during the newborn stage, he is the man with the infants and toddlers!  Always on the floor with them, making crazy faces, playing fun games, turning a temper tantrum into giggles – he’s a blast for the short people. 

It wasn’t until the past year or so though that I realized what an amazing man and father he is.  When things are great, so are people.  When things are hard, relationships can get sticky.  I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the best of company when the going gets tough and the stress creeps in.  During these hard economic times and patches of uncertainty and frustration, though, Walter has been amazing.  He takes all the worry onto his shoulders and still walks around with a smile on his face.  He is an amazing provider (if only I weren’t such a great spender), a true friend, a hard worker, a pillow fight, a bath time giver, a bed time book reader, a master of imagination, and an awesome housekeeper (again, if it weren’t for my bad habits).  Our family has never felt the stress and pressure.  We’ve never worried, although there is much to worry for.  I don’t know how things would be if it weren’t for him, nor do I wish to even entertain those thoughts.  Today is a day to celebrate the man he is and the amazing father he has become.

I love you huney and I am so grateful for everything you do!  Thank you so very much for being the father of my children and for caring and taking care of your family so effortlessly and happily.  I can’t imagine life without you and I wouldn’t want to ride this crazy roller coaster with anyone but you!

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Fun in the Sun!

Sunday, April 5th, 2009

So while spring has sprung around most of the US, it’s summer hot here!  It’s so hard to believe it can be in the 90′s here and we have friends snowed in in Denver.  Not to rub it in but we took the opportunity to take the kids to the beach.  While it’s technically not Kate’s first time, it is the first chance she’s had to take it all in.  Being the air conditioned girl she is, she only wanted to take in the first five minutes of the visit but Noah was having way too much fun!  The water was freezing but he didn’t mind one bit.  Here are some photos from our first beach trip in ’09.

This is how often we go to the beach – “I’m going to build a castle!” – Not there, buddy!

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Noah wanted to bring home every shell!  He somehow managed to sneak a pail of sand into the car!

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And Kate just soaked up the sun.  Complete outfit courtesy of Ayla.  Oh, how I love hand me downs!

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At first Noah wouldn’t let go of my hand.  The water was frrreeezzzzing!  He was a little apprehensive about the waves, but not for long.  Please excuse the fact that I ended up in these photos!  I’m still hiding behind “I just had a baby”, and I’m still carrying around baby photos to back it up!

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Before I knew it he wanted nothing to do with hand holding – he was off!

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Actually diving into the waves!  The salt water in his face didn’t bother him one bit!

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Family Fun Days and an update on Dad

Sunday, January 11th, 2009

Since I’m only averaging one post each week I might as well share the rest of our “Family Fun Days” with you.  Below are some highlights of the rest of Walter’s time off. His first week back to work went pretty well.  Noah was sad after one nap in particular when Walter wasn’t here but we kept busy and managed to keep his mind off of it.  We also had a house guest (more in a later post) which gave him something new to enjoy.

Here we are on a play date with our friends Beth and Aaron.  We see them at least once a week and really enjoy their company. 

 

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Noah has been a bench rider for the past several months but once again ventured onto the horses.  Two year olds are so weird.  And this one is so in love with his Daddy!

  

And another day we went to “Apoe and Agoon’s” Farm (Walter’s parents).  Noah loved it!  He checked everything out and did an amazing job supervising the work.  Kate on the other hand decided she’s not one for the great outdoors.  She complained the entire time, couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, she couldn’t figure out why anyone would go there voluntarily.

We, of course, post only the happy photos though so everyone thinks our kids are angels.  Just kidding.  We did work really hard for these smiles though so I have to share them!

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This is a tangelo orange.  You can’t do this with all oranges but if you peel the skin and cut the top off you have instant orange juice, there is none fresher.  You just squeeze the orange together and drink, and repeat, and repeat, and repeat.  I felt very outdoorsy doing this!

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It was a gorgeous day!

  

And here is a panoramic photo of the farm.  With such limited space here you can’t enjoy the full size photo but you get the idea.  Claire and Herbie work very hard growing all kinds of fruits and vegetables and have for years.  While it’s not my cup of tea I give them a lot of credit!  It really is a labor of love!

And then to torture Kate even more we went down the road to Lion Country Safari.  She didn’t like this place much better, the bugs were just a little smaller.  We did the drive through, which we haven’t done in over a year because Noah has never enjoyed it.  Well I think he’s finally old enough to appreciate the giant animals and interesting sights.  He really loved it.  We also did the water park (the only one open in January) but didn’t get any photos of it. 

Noah kept saying – “I want the rions to go ROARRRR!”  I love that kid!

And he was fascinated by the zebras!

If you look closely you can see the baby white rhino under the mom.  He was soooo cute!  There were also two giraffe babies but their photo didn’t come out so well.

On a more somber note, one of the reasons I’ve been so slack in blogging is my Dad.  He gave us quite a scare this week.  We’re not sure why but he experienced a seizure and brain bleed.  He’s still in ICU being poked and prodded and at the moment all of the doctors can only scratch their heads and wonder what happened and what should happen next.  I’d like to give a little public love to my sister, Nikki, who happened to stop by the house when my dad was home alone and all of this started.  Had she not we’re not sure this story would have ended as good as it has.

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He is the most amazing cook!  This is him cooking Thanksgiving dinner in 2007. 

And here is the moment we realized we don’t take nearly enough photos of him.  Because – well, that’s Noah.

And so is this.

And here’s a real oldie, unfortunately I’m not omitting much in between -