The Mullins

10.21.2011

2011-11-15T07:50:00.001-08:00

family, a photo by Stacie_919 on Flickr.

So.In.Love.

More to come........

XO

31 Weeks!

2011-10-18T15:08:00.000-07:00

31 weeks and I think my back may be broken! This belly is getting BIG!!! Baby B has decided that stretching out underneath my ribs is the perfect place to spend his final weeks in utero. And, last Thursday at our ultrasound, we got to see Baby A's cute little butt cheeks hanging out and sitting on my bladder. :)

Measurements:

Baby A: 3 lbs 7 oz
Baby B: 3 lbs 14 oz

I smile every morning when they start their little routines of kicking, rolling, and shifting positions in there. But, I'm looking forward to the new routines we'll get accustomed to like crying, cooing and watching as they adjusting to their new little lives out in the real world. I now spend my days wondering what they will look like, how their personalities will be and what their little cute cries will sound like for the first time when they're first born. It's starting to become more real that we'll be parents in a few short weeks!! :)

I was a tad dilated at my last checkup, so I am now supposed to watch out for labor signs and hope that we go just a little bit longer! We're hoping 3-4 weeks so they can fatten up some more in there! We'll do a growth check up next Thurs, 10/27. Hoping they'll have put on another half to three quarters of a pound these past two weeks!

28, 29, and 30!

2011-10-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

You'd think being on bedrest would provide me with lots of motivation to keep my blog updated...... Not the case, clearly! I've officially been on bedrest for 3 weeks and it seems like 3 years!! We've had a few visits to the doctor's office to check on some aches and pains over the past few weeks. The first trip was up to the Antenatal wing to administer steroids for the boys lungs. This was precautionary as I was showing some signs of potentially going into pre-term labor. The other visit was for random muscle pains, which I thought was labor. Hurt like nothing I've ever experienced!!!! Since then, things have been pretty uneventful and quiet.

The boys are looking great and as they get bigger, so do their kicks!! :) They weigh roughly 3 pounds each now! Hoping that they'll weigh 3.5 next week although I keep reading that their weight gain isn't as rapid towards the end. Last week they were measuring at "average" size, between the 48th and 55th percentile, which is great! Today marked 30 weeks and our doctors are pushing for us to get to our first milestone of 32 weeks. Each day after that is great, but we really need to try and get to October 20th, at a minimum. I've been pretty good about the bedrest because I know how crucial it is for us to get to 32. They'd definitely be fine should they come earlier, but each day they stay in and bake really counts. I read that each day in utero is 3 days less in the hospital should they come early. I don't know at what point that theory applies, but I'm keeping it in the back of my head and willing these little men to hang tight!

Last Sunday, Kev's family threw me a surprise baby shower and we got a bunch of great stuff! It was so nice to get out and see everyone and we felt beyond blessed to have so many people there showering our little boys with love and gifts! A special thank you to my Mother-in-law, Patty and my Sister-in-Laws, Julie and Kristen! You three did a fabulous job and it was so appreciated! I love you all! :)

Also, Mr. Mom, as I like to call him these days, has really stepped it up and taken care of anything I've needed, done all the cooking, cleaning, etc. Love you, Kev!! :)

Continue to think positive thoughts for us all, we'll take all we can get :)

Here are our weekly pictures from weeks 28-30, I wasn't wearing makeup during week 28, that's why I look like the headless horseman! :)

(Excuse the vacuum)

Nursery Update

2011-09-17T09:02:00.000-07:00

Kev finished up the nursery painting and trim this week and it looks SO good. I'm so proud of what a handyman he is!! Now we just need the furniture, some decor and two sweet little boys to make their room complete!!

27 Weeks and some news.....

2011-09-15T18:38:00.000-07:00

Today marked 27 weeks and the beginning of the third trimester! It also marked Day 1 of bedrest ( waah, waaaaah!) This morning, at our appointment, I was told that for the next week, I need to act like each day is "a lazy Sunday." Which means no working, exercise, cleaning, cooking, running around, etc.... I was kind of bummed that it's happened this soon, even though it's just "modified" bedrest and precautionary. I was hoping to make it to at least 30 weeks without having restrictions. Oh well, whatever is best for the boys!

Work has been great about this recent development, I'll work from home this first week then we'll reevaluate after our next appointment on 9/22. You don't hear of too many cases where bedrest is lifted, but I'm hopeful! My mom sent me a list of "helpful tips" while on bedrest so you don't go stir crazy!! I'll definitely be referring to it!

The good thing about our appointment is that both boys look GREAT! Healthy little heartbeats in the 150's and they were moving around a ton! They're in the same position as our last appointment with Baby A breech and Baby B vertex (head down) Explains why my ribs and bladder are still being used as punching bags! :)

Baby A weighs 2 lbs 6 ox and Baby B weighs 2 lbs 7 oz. So, Baby A has almost caught up to his brother now! They put on a total of 1 lb 2 oz in 2 weeks, which is great!! I just hope they continue to fatten up in there at this rapid rate!! We got to see one of our little guys sucking on his fist/thumb, it was so cute!! Here are pictures from today. Please keep all 3 of us in your thoughts and prayers. We need these little guys to cook a while longer!!

A's Cute little arm!

B's sweet little face :)

Nursery: Before Pictures

2011-09-10T09:52:00.000-07:00

So, these aren't overly exciting but you can see there's a LOT of work to be done!! We replaced almost all of the trim upstairs over the past few years, but this room was neglected. Mainly because I used it as my walk-in closet and there was stuff everywhere! Now it's all cleaned out and ready for Kev to get going. Over the past few weeks, he's prepped the room filling in nail holes, ripping out old woodwork, etc. Last weekend he painted the room a tealish blue and tan to match our crib bedding, seen here...

Today, he and our brother-in-law, Jason, are installing the white chair rail and trim. I think it's going to look really good when it all comes together! Our furniture probably won't be delivered until October, maybe even November. So, getting everything else done now is key. Especially while I'm still pretty mobile and can pick things out and decorate.

More pictures and updates to come as the room progresses!!

Itty bitty closet!

Corner where our chair will go...

Yankees Suck :)

26 Weeks!

2011-09-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

At the end of this week, I'll officially be into the third trimester, YAY!! Now that Fall is arriving, I know I'm in the home stretch. I've always wanted to be pregnant during this time of year, you can't beat Fall In New England, that's for sure!!

College and NFL football are back, the Sox are making their run for the post season and who could forget "all things pumpkin?" I'm talking lattes, muffins, delicious Shipyard Pumpkin Ale (that I can't yet enjoy!) I was watching College Gameday this morning and was such a proud Coug when I spotted 4, yes 4 Coug flags and only one dinky Husky flag. :) Brought a smile to my face! There's nothing like being a Coug fan!! I was telling Kev that next year, we're going to Pullman. I don't care when or how, but, we're going!! We've been together 7 years and I still haven't managed to get him there! 2012 IS the year!!!

Okay, enough love for my Cougs..... Kev started the nursery last weekend! The "before" pictures to come!! Speaking of pictures, we're doing maternity / family pictures with the pups first week of October. Hoping to have lots of beautiful foliage as a backdrop!

25 Weeks!

2011-09-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

I'm a little behind in posting, whoops! Last week we celebrated our 4th anniversary and 25 weeks! I'm telling ya, the weeks are flying by now and I love it! One week closer to meeting these two babes! Check-up went well on 9/1 and feeling pretty good!! I noticed that over Labor Day Weekend, my feet started to turn into hot italian sausages. Nothing a little AC and elevation couldn't take care of, though. :)

4 Years......

2011-09-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

And I love him even more now than I did then! September 1, 2007 was the BEST day of my life! I married my best friend and partner in crime. NO ONE can make me laugh like he does! For example, this morning, we were waiting for our ultrasound and he said something that literally had me laughing so hard that tears were running down my cheeks and I couldn't catch my breath! If I'm not laughing hysterically at his "Kevin-isms," he's making me smile with his sweetness and charming good looks! :) I know he'll be the best daddy in the entire world and I'm proud to say he's my hubby. Here's to four years and many more, Kev. I love you! XOXO

24 Weeks and a new little nephew!

2011-08-26T10:03:00.000-07:00

I'm 6 months now, wow!! We got to see the boys yesterday and Baby A was finally laying on his back, see how cute he is? Look, he's waving! :)

I swear I'm bigger than last week, even if the picture doesn't quite capture it!

I'm feeling pretty good, sleeping has been rough, though! Especially on Tuesday night as I was patiently awaiting the arrival of my new little nephew, Kyler William Partridge! Congrats to my Lynnie and Joe, he's THE cutest thing ever! "Angus" and "Beef" can't wait to meet him! (Marge came up with this new nickname, it cracks me up!!)

Still going to the doctor every week for close monitoring. We're now getting an awesome test done each week that detects a certain protein that is predictive of pre-term labor. It's pretty accurate, it can tell whether you're at risk in the next two weeks. But, since everything looked great with me, my doc decided not to send the test off for results. Hoping this becomes the trend :)

Anyhoo, off to the beach tonight, a bridal shower tomorrow and hopefully meeting up with my dear friend Carrie on Sunday morning for breakfast. At this rate, though, I'll be hanging out with my new friend, Irene, instead! Maybe you've heard of her!???

23 Weeks

2011-08-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

Whoa! I guess this is what I look like when I wear a tighter shirt! My oh my, that belly is ginormo!!! I suppose this is a much more accurate representation of what I look like these days. I'm all about embracing it now :) It is currently measuring as big as a single pregnancy at 30 weeks, if that gives anyone a reference point at all.

Check up went well today, both boys look great! Baby A has been prett shy the last few ultrasounds and won't show his adorable face. He just likes to lie upside down and show off his little spine instead. Baby B was just hanging out so we got a cute profile pic of him. I go again next week just to make sure things are still going well with me. Each week that goes by is another week closer to meeting them and NOT being on bedrest! Of course I'd love to never be put on bedrest and I've made a lofty goal of trying to get to 30 weeks without it. They have their own agenda, though, so, we'll see!

22 Weeks!

2011-08-17T17:05:00.000-07:00

I'm about a week behind, but here's my 22 week picture!

Feeling pretty good overall. I have days where I feel VERY pregnant and others where I "almost" forget. That's until I catch my reflection in the mirror! :) Last weekend I headed to Seattle which is my last trip there before the boys arrive. I sort of pampered myself. Okay, I really pampered myself with mani/pedis, a massage and shopping. My doctor said to "take it easy," and I did what I was told :) Much more relaxed than my usual trips home!!

On Sunday, my mom and friends threw me a beautiful baby shower to celebrate the impending arrival of our little boys. It was perfect! Weather, food, company and of course all the goodies they were spoiled with! I didn't take any pictures but I will be getting some soon! (Coffey?) Thank you to all who came and to those who weren't able to attend but were extremely thoughtful and sent something, it's much appreciated! I headed to Kelly's later for a last minute BBQ, here's a pic with my BFF's!

Lynnie is due tomorrow with Baby boy P, isn't she darling?? C'mon "Pete", we want to meet you!!!!

23 weeks tomorrow, time is FLYING! We have an appointment tomorrow to check and see how "mama" is doing. I'm sure we'll still get to see the little guys as well!

21 Weeks

2011-08-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

Not a ton of energy or motivation to blog this week. But, here's a picture of me and my little "carrots" from this morning, at 21 Weeks.

20 Weeks!

2011-07-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

Bananas!! That is the fruit comparison of our little guys this week. Head to foot they each measure right around 10 inches. We had a appointment this morning and both boys look great! They were waving, kicking, doing somersaults and in general, just being cute. :) Both heartrates are in the low-140's which is perfectly normal. The tech showed us Baby B's "middle leg," as she scanned his body, funny to see! He's definitely a boy! :)

Everything is looking great with me, I was cleared to fly to Seattle in August for my baby shower, yay!! We will be having another ultrasound the day before I leave just to be sure nothing has changed and that I'm all set to go! I'm loving all this monitoring, it's so reassuring to be able to see them so often. Both boys are now head down with Baby A hanging out on my right side and Baby B on my left. They've seemed to move from their "bunkbed" position to being side-by-side.

Over the past week and a half, they've been really active!! While I have felt them since about week 17 or so, the first day I felt consistent movement by both babies was July 21st, the day I flew to Seattle. Either they really liked all the orange juice or the flying! :) Since then, they've moving a ton, but thankfully only during the day! Let's hope that doesn't change!! The other day, I felt one of them kick from the outside and last night, Kev got to finally feell his first kick. He had a big smile on his face, it was pretty neat for him!

Sleeping has become MUCH more difficult. I'm a total back/stomach sleeper so this "side sleeping" is for the birds! My mom got me a kick ass memory foam preggo pillow, but even with that, my back has been really sore. I know it's only going to get worse so I'm going to start getting chiropractic work again to help my body stay aligned. I hope it helps!!! Swimming has been really good for me since it's so low-impact. I've taken advantage of the 71 degree water down at our beach house and swam a ton! When not in the ocean, I head to a friend's pool for about 30 minutes of treading water or kicking with a ball. I know it's not a ton of cardio, but it does seem to help stretch and keep my muscles a little less tight.

A few weeks ago, at 18.5 weeks, we hit the halfway point! A twin pregnancy is considered full-term at 37 weeks, so we're well on our way into the "second half" of pregnancy! I can only hope/pray that the remainder goes just as well as the the first half has! If I was to deliver right at 37 weeks, these two would be born on Thanksgiving! That would be pretty neat, wouldn't it??

Here's my 20 week pic, I found this non-maternity dress a few weeks back at TJ Maxx for $24 and LOVE IT! I only wish they had it in more colors!!

19 Weeks

2011-07-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

Here's my 19 week photo taken this pastThursday in Seattle. Not the greatest since I had just gotten off a 5.5 hour flight from Boston! According to my preggo iPhone app, at 19 weeks, the babies are the size of heirloom tomatoes, which I love!! A few pics from the weekend and a 20 week photo to come!

We are having........

2011-07-20T04:44:00.000-07:00

We decided to find out what we're having!! We actually decided a few weeks ago when a friend in Seattle told me about a cute way that people have learned the gender(s) of their baby/babies. It was important to us to find out alongside our family, we knew it would make the surprise of it all that much more fun and memorable for us.

So, at last Thursday's appointment, I had our ultrasound tech write down the results and seal them in an envelope. It was hard not to open it and peek, let me tell ya! Good thing it wasn't in my possession too long! I immediately drove to a local baker and handed them the envelope. I said, "bake two cakes, one chocolate and one vanilla, but I want the inside frosting to match the results inside the envelope." So either pink or blue frosting, or one of each. I asked for the outside frosting to be neutral (white) with green icing identifying which cake was which. It was definitely weird to think that she would know the sex(es) of our children before we did!! I picked the cakes up on Friday afternoon and after a quality check to be sure the colored frosting in the middle wasn't leaking out the sides, I drove straight to our beach house.

That night, after dinner, we said my grandpa had brought dessert over and that we were anxious to dig in. Our plan was to Skype in my mom and step dad from Seattle for the big reveal. So, Kev and I sneakily ran a covert op mission setting up laptops, etc....

It was finally time.... We unveiled the cakes to everyone and when what we were doing sunk in, everyone was super excited! We all took a guess of what they thought they were then we were ready to cut into the first cake!!!

Here are the cakes, pre-reveal!

Twin B is a ..............................................

Drumroll.....................................................

BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How "wedding" of us :)

and

Twin A is a.................................................

another BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have TWO BOYS!!!!!!

We couldn't be more excited to welcome our TWO little boys this Winter. The thought of Kevin raising our two little guys to love sports melts my heart. He's going to be the BEST daddy and I'm so excited for our journey to begin with them. I will never, ever forget last Friday. It was the perfect way to find out for us and I'm SO happy we did it that way!

I, of course, have already started looking at nursery stuff, baby boy clothes and picturing what the little guys will look like! Will they have that infamous cutie Mullin nose? Blue eyes, brown eyes, or one of each? Will they arrive with full heads of hair? None of that matters I suppose, we just want them to be strong, healthy and happy! I hope these two know how much they are already loved!

18 Weeks!

2011-07-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Kev and I had our 18 week ultrasound which is equivalent to a singleton 20 week appointment. We got to see both babies moving around, dancing, waving their arms. Incredible! They've definitely grown a ton since our 12 week appointment! They're both doing great which makes us both VERY happy! :) I don't think either of us stopped smiling throughout the 1 hour and 20 minute appointment! I seriously could just lay there and watch them move around all day, it would never get old! Since we're so closely monitored, we may be able to see them again in two weeks! :)

Here are the pictures from yesterday, Baby A is on the bottom, head down. Baby B is on top in the breach position. The doctors assured me that they'll move around quite a bit in the next few months so not to worry about B being breached. Baby A has an anterior placenta which means that it's at the front. I'll probably feel him/her less than Baby B who has a posterior placenta, meaning behind him/her. They are starting to move around a lot, coolest.thing.ever! And yes, this was the appointment where we could find out the genders... But, we chose not to, at least yesterday! :) ! We do have them written down, should we crack! :)

I think they definitely look alike!

Cutie pie!

My heart melted when I saw this picture!!!! :)

SO excited

2011-07-13T08:04:00.000-07:00

My best friend, Katie, is in labor!!! I can't WAIT to get the text with his sweet little picture and hear what name they finally decided on. I have a good feeling of what it will be, but we'll see! I'm a total mess at work right now, I can't concentrate and am SO excited for them!!! I wish my trip to Seattle was starting tomorrow, not next Thursday! I can't wait to meet him!

Belly Pix Catch Up!

2011-07-13T06:33:00.000-07:00

Here are some belly pictures from weeks 12-17! I'm definitely growing despite what a few of the pictures show. I swear stripes make me look bigger than anything does but I love them! At some point you just have to embrace the belly, right?!

I picked up two cute lightweight dresses from H&M the other day. One is super colorful stripes dress and the other is a darker grey with little white polka dots. I have to say, H&M Maternity may have a small selection (at least in my local store), but, I love it! And at $29.50 each, you can't beat that! It's SO hot in Boston right now, dresses are the way to go!

Excuse the blurry self portraits, my iPhone's zoom feature is sub par! Kev took weeks 15 and 16 which turned out much better. Thursday marks 18 weeks, still undecided on whether or not we'll find out the sexes yet. We're VERY excited to see our little ones, regardless! It's been 6 whole weeks! :)

12 Weeks

13 Weeks

14 Weeks

15 Weeks

16 Weeks

17 Weeks

Tiny Blessings....

2011-06-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

I don't know if they always come in packages of two, but this time they did! Kev and I are ecstatic to announce that this winter, we will welcome two new little Mullins!!! Yes, TWO! They are due mid-December but we (read: me and my big ass belly) hope that they arrive around Thanksgiving. They obviously have their own agenda and timeline so all we can hope for is that they are happy, healthy and, if it's not too much to ask, I'd love if they got their daddy's baby blue eyes :) Things are looking/sounding great and I'm feeling pretty fabulous in the second trimester! Thankfully, I somehow avoided morning sickness alltogether, I've heard it's doubly awful with twins, too! I have had some wicked headaches and acid reflux, but all in all, I can't complain too much.

Today marks 16 weeks, time is starting to fly by!  We can find out the genders, if we choose to, on July 14th, at our 18 week appointment. . We're still undecided on whether to find out or not. Most people think I'm nuts to even entertain the idea of NOT finding out. We'll see, it may be a game time decision. We're very closely monitored and are seen every two weeks which is very reassuring!

Below are our Mullin beans at 12 weeks, or as they've been more affectionately called by friends, "2.0" or "Max and Mabel."    In this pictures you can see that they're comfy hanging out in their "bunkbeds" stacked on top of one another. Baby B is looking down at Baby A who is looking up. You can see Baby A's hand by its face :)

While following others' blogs through the years, I would always get SO excited to see the ultrasound picture pop up in the blogroll when someone would announce their pregnancy. Now, it's our turn and I hope you are all as equally excited as we are!  We got to tell my dad, stepdad and lots of friends last week while we were in Seattle.  It was so wonderful to see the surprise, shock and joy on their faces.

Speaking of, quick story...When Katie and Lynne came to visit in April, they knew I was pregnant but had NO idea that we were expecting twins. To this day, after all of the "reaction" photos I've taken, this one still takes the cake! I handed them a stack of pictures of the "baby" for them to look at over dinner... When they came to the last picture, which was one of both babies, I snapped this photo. It was like it clicked in both of their heads at exactly the same time. Lynne has a look of utter shock and Katie's about to say "Shutup!" in disbelief, as she often does when she's reallllly caught off guard. I will forever cherish this picture and will definitely be showing it to our kids someday. :)

Oh, and doesn't this just melt your heart? It does mine!

So, I suppose I have two really good reasons why I have to keep up to date with my blog now, don't I? ;)

WOW!

2011-06-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

It's been a while! Honestly, the rest of Winter and Spring were pretty boring, (with the exception of a few friend visits in April!) and I don't think I broke out my camera until last weekend! (tsk, tsk!)

This Friday, we're headed west to Seattle for an extended trip filled with lots of fun events and plans to see friends and family. I truly cherish the time I spend when I'm there, as I miss it SO much! As I mentioned above, we had friends out to visit in late April and that really helped with the friend withdrawals!

During this trip to Seattle, we'll be showering Baby B with loads of gifts as these two anxiously anticipate his arrival in mid-July. Katie and Derek will be wonderful parents and I can't wait to see them with baby "Bob" (as I like to call him!)

My sister graduates from HS on Sunday, Father's Day, and we're looking forward to seeing she and my dad who is in town for a few months.
Monday, we'll head up to the San Juan Islands for a little R&R, just the two of us. We're so looking forward to this, it will be nice to take in the scenery, go whale watching, get massages, and be "islanders" for a few days!

(View from our B&B)

Next Saturday, June 25th, we'll witness these two lovebirds get hitched! They've endured being apart for much of their relationship and I couldn't be more happy that they're about to start their new life, together! Kristi, you're an amazing friend and I'm so blessed to have had you in my life since high school, I wish nothing but love and happiness to you and Ben!

The rest of our trip will be planned as we go but no doubt will include lots of family and friend time! Perfect, if you ask me!

Florida Pics

2011-03-05T14:16:00.000-08:00

I'm finally getting around to looking through our pictures from Florida. To be honest, I didn't take very many! Here are just a few....We had a great time visiting family, it was a nice and relaxing few days away! Getting out of the freezing Boston weather was just what we needed! Can't wait to go back!!

Before dinner one night

Our Pelican friend from our airboat ride

A gator! Poor guy, he was shot in the arm at one point :(

R & R

2011-02-07T07:36:00.000-08:00

Going here. Promise to take pictures.

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-02T16:20:00.000-08:00

This NYE was as about as low-key as they get! We had a quiet dinner with J+J and the kiddos (my in-laws swung by around 11:30pm), drank yummy wine, played board games and rang in the New Year with lots to look forward to. While 2010 was a good year, I know 2011 will be even better! Each year I come up with at least one ridiculous resolution that never comes to fruition. So, this year, my resolution is really not to have one. I just want to live my life better, period. I think many of us strive for those unrealistic goals come January 1st... Why not do what you know you're capable of and concentrate on that? When I say, "live life better," I don't have one particular thing in mind. But, I think it all starts with your attitude. Looking at things with a positive attitude and letting the cards fall as they may is definitely something that I look forward to this year! So, here's to a kick ass 2011 filled with endless hopes, dreams and memories to be made!

Lucas, 6.5 months!!

Kev and Eliza

:)

Winter Storm 2010!!

2010-12-27T12:14:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been lazy.... I haven't picked up my camera in over a month and it's just so sad, isn't it?! The Holidays come and I feel like you're in a time warp. They always creep up on us and then in an instant, they're over! This year was no different... We've had a great Holiday season and to top it off, a HUGE snowstorm/ blizzard last night! Mother Nature dropped 16 inches on us and up to 2 feet on other parts of MA! Craziness I tell you! Here are a few pictures I took this morning. I hope to be better about posting. I wonder if there are any followers still out there ;)

Palm Springs!

2010-11-22T17:40:00.000-08:00

The weekend of 11/11 was one for the memory books! Four days of relaxing by the pool with five of your best friends, laughing, drinking and reminiscing is just what the doctor ordered!! When everyone gets caught up in their busy lives, you forget how important it is to get away and relax. How better to do that than with girls weekend with the girls to sunny Palm Springs?

Living in Boston will never stop me from spending time with some of my favorite people on earth. Girls I've known since junior high, high school and college. Girls who will always be by my side, no matter what. I wish we were back there, sipping our 10am Bloody Mary's and laughing about some random college memory and the good ol' days! I miss you all already.... Until Spring 2012, ladies..... XOXO

Picture by Shelby and her self timer :)

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T16:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we walked with our nieces and nephews in the Halloween parade that wanders around the neighborhood then makes its way to the park. There were a ton of kids playing on the swings, doing sack races, eating cupcakes and having a ton of fun! It was fun to see all of them dressed up! Enjoy the pictures!!

Eliza the little bee

Ryan the fireman

BFF's

Brady, the Magic Treehouse (Children's Book Series) - he won a best costume award at another party :)

Holly, American Girl Doll, Eliza, Brady and Ryan

Holly and Eliza

Eliza, Jason, Julie and Luke, the peapod :)

Eliza

Nantucket!

2010-10-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm in LOVE!!! Nantucket is seriously THE cutest place I've been to since living in MA. The downtown area is lined with cobblestone roads, local shops and watering holes and best of all, not a Dunkin's or Starbuck's in sight. I loved the unfamiliarity that the island offered. The anonymity it provided, we felt like "real" tourists!

We jetted over there Saturday morning to celebrate Kev's friend Jim's wedding on Sunday, 10-10-10. We took the ferry over with good friends Tara, Keith and Phil, walked around town and had lunch before heading to the welcome BBQ hosted by the bride, Kim's family friends. The weather was absolutely perfect; sunny and not a cloud in the sky!

Their house was quintessential "Nantucket," very warm, inviting, rustic and beachy all at the same time. The outdoor fireplace was a huge hit once the sun went down. Later on, we hit up two or three local bars before calling it a night. (Note: I reccommend flats when navigating the streets of Nantucket at night, those cobblestones are brutal in heels!)

Sunday was another gorgeous day and we continued to walk around the cute little town before heading to the church. After the ceremony, we headed to Cisco Brewery, the site of the reception. Now, Cisco isn't just home to beer, but also to Nantucket Vineyards and Triple 8 Vodka. You could say everyone had a reallllllly good time! :)

I'm already planning my trip back to Nantucket, now I just have to convice Kev! Thanks to Jim and Kim for an amazing wedding, we were happy to be a part of it!

Lisa's take the East Coast!

2010-10-03T19:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Kev and I had the Lisa's visit us from LA and Seattle. We had a great weekend with lots of laughs, food and PLENTY of beer!! :) I love these girls to pieces and am so thankful they made the trip out to visit us. We traveled to Mystic, CT for the day on Friday to check out the town and of course, try Mysic Pizza. Then Saturday headed to Portsmouth, NH to the New Hampshire Brew Fest where they had 30+ brewers and 90+ beers! What a beautiful, sunny day it was! Miss you girls, thanks for the fun, fun weekend!

PS, Our weekends have been jammed packed the past month with visits from my mom, dad and the Rinabarger's. Sadly, my camera didn't make it out until this weekend!

Spry and Margie in Mysic, CT

We loooved Mystic!

Oktoberfest in Portsmouth, NH

3 years....

2010-09-01T07:07:00.000-07:00

Three years ago today, I married the best guy in the whole entire world. I still look at his adorable face and piercingly gorgeous blue eyes and ask myself, "How did I get so lucky? Why on earth did he choose me?"

On the back page of our wedding program, we thanked our friends and family for all the support and love they have given us throughout the years; for helping shape us into the people we had become. We included a "special thanks" to my grandmother, who introduced us at age four and brought us back together twenty years later.

Whether it was fate, timing, or a little of both - I am forever grateful to have found someone so caring, genuine and funny. Someone who will always take care of me and who will always have my back.

Happy Anniversary to you, Kev. Here's to many, many, many more. I love you!

Photo taken by Erin Rinabarger, July 15, 2010 in Seattle

Time Flies!

2010-08-25T18:10:00.000-07:00

Yikes, has it really been a month since we've been home from Seattle??? We've been keeping busy with numerous house projects and lots of fun-filled family weekends at the beach. Since June, Kev has been slaving away remodeling our basement and it looks amazing! He's single handedly tiled, re-drywalled, trimmed and painted our entire basement. He's finally able to see the light at the end of the tunnel and I'm looking forward to decorating! :) It's going to be nice to have a basement that doesn't flood and smell like an old gym sock. The new and improved basement is a thousand times better and I can't wait to unveil it! (Pictures to come!) Meanwhile, here are a few pictures from a family wedding we went to last weekend. We're headed to the beach this weekend, celebrating our 3rd anniversary next week then enjoying a much needed visit from my mom over Labor Day. Hope everyone is doing well as the summer slowly winds down!

Julie and me

Randy, Patty, Julie & Kev

Lindsay, me and Jules

Seattle Recap: Part 3 {BBQ's, Babies, The Bite, Baseball + Beer}

2010-08-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures from other fun events while we were home including a BBQ at Kelly's,Fitz's, and also Coffey's, a Redhook Brewery Tour and The Bite of Seattle with Kate and Kev and the Sox vs. M's game we went to. Thank you friends for hosting us all week and to MarJe for hooking up those awesome seats!!

They're just mad because they dressed like twins...

At the Bite of Seattle

At Fitz's for a kick ass BBQ

Marje, getting cozy

Ann and Evan

Red Hook Brewery Tour

Payton!

Kel and Isabel

Go Sox!

Katie and baby Tyson

Lynnie and me

Cutie Jackson

LOL, the crazy Blyth's!

Jakey!

Miles!

Seattle Recap: Part 2 {Bridal Veil Falls}

2010-07-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, so these posts are more in the order I'm editing the pictures and not so much in the order I took them. We did an awesome hike the day after we got to Seattle, when jetlag hadn't quite set in and getting up at 6am was still easy. We packed up that morning and headed to meet my aunt before trekking out to Mt. Index for our hike to Bridal Veil Falls and Lake Serene.

We first hiked an hour in to a cutoff where you could either go up to the waterfall or directly to Lake Serene. We chose to do the waterfall first and it was SO beautiful, there's a reason they call it Bridal Veil Falls. It was over a hundred foot drop (I think) and we stared up at it from the bottom. The spray was just enough to cool us down. We hiked back down to that same cutoff and made our way up to Lake Serene. It was 2+ miles and about 1800 feet in elevation from that point and wow, were we feeling it! I may actually looked around for either a nearby helicopter or zipline to take us down, I was that tired! It took us a total of 2 hours and 45 minutes to get to the lake where we had lunch, threw the balls for the dogs and just relaxed.

We started to make our way down shortly after lunch and Carol and I switched boots. Mine felt too loose and hers felt too tight. It worked out perfectly until my lace broke and there was no salvaging it. Thankfully, my well prepared Aunt had thrown in a roll of duct tape as her "11th essential" and thank god she did. I don't know what I would've done! Although it was tight, it did the trick!

6 hours after we had set out, we finished our hike And, despite the extremely sore calves and feet that ached for days we'd do it again in a heartbeat! It was great to get outdoors and explore the beautiful PNW and also spend time wiht my aunt who I don't see too often. Next time, I'm going to come more prepared and have some icy hot awaiting my arrival for the car ride home!

Tucker and me, ready to hike!

Tuck, not lovin' his pack...

At Bridal Veil Falls

Carol and me

Trekkin' along!

Mt. Index

At Lake Serene

Beautiful!

My friend, duct tape!!

Seattle Recap: Part 1 {Happy Birthday}

2010-07-28T14:11:00.000-07:00

Kevin, the pups and I ventured off to Seattle in mid-July for an 11 day visit full of bbq's, girls dinners, golfing, Red Sox vs. M's game, a looong hike, a wedding, a 30th birthday party and lots of fun time making memories with friends and family. Every time we go home, I remember why I love Seattle so much! You can't beat the summers there and I'm convinced that I ALWAYS bring the sun!! The dogs did great on the plane and they absolutely loooved being able to swim and run around outside for hours on end. Pretty sure Tuck swam between 2-3 hrs each day!

I'm still uploading pictures, but here are a few from my best friend, Katie's 30th birthday! We started the day with lunch at my house followed by some sun time while the boys went and boated around Lake Washington and Lake Union. We all met up later to lounge on the boat and give one of my stepdad's ridiculous water toys a go! The "Aquaskipper" had everyone puzzled for a while trying to nail down the best technique to get it to not sink! Marge and I both got slightly injured, Jeremy sank, Derek did slightly better, but Kev "skipped" himself across the water looking ridiculous! Bryan was more than pleased that someone mastered it!!

Later that night, we took Katie to The Tap House Grill for dinner and drinks. Lots of drinks, laughs and friends popping in and out all night. I know we all had a great night, I hope she did too! It was a great night, I loved seeing one of the last ones finally turn 30, just as I'm about to turn 31! Yikes, Oldie Hawn!! Love you, Rauhie!! XOXO

One of Derek's attempts

Jeremy, faltering :)

Marge, prior to arm injury...

Marge, making a splash!

Our beautiful view!

How ridiculous is the aquaskipper?? Also, sorry for the wind interference and sideways video, apparently I haven't figured that out yet. Also, I say, "Marge, show us your arm," not something else! It sort of cut out :)

Me with the Birthday girl!

Rauh and her Bday Book, she hasn't changed a bit!

Me and Kel

Browsing through the pictures

So-Cal Girls pic!

Cute LoLo - 8 months preggo

Group pic!

54 Girls, minus one :( (missed you, Shel!)

More pics of our trip to come!

4th of July Weekend

2010-07-07T19:05:00.000-07:00

We had a great, relaxing weekend! So relaxing that I sort of forgot to break out the camera until Sunday, whoops! I got out of work at noon on Friday and headed down to the beach to hang out with family until Monday afternoon. Nothing better than a 3.5 day weekend :)

Eliza and her cool shades after her run with Jason

Intense game of Cornhole...

They LOOOOOVE Uncle Kevin!

So cute :)

Kev and Lucas (3 weeks)

Teaching them young :)

Happy 30th Birthday!!

2010-07-01T07:01:00.000-07:00

...To my Little!! I can't believe we've been friends since we were 16 years old! Some of my favorite memories of all-time have been with you and I hope you know how special you are to me! By the way, we realllly need to get some new pictures of us together, this is SO 2007!! ;) I hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy the fabulous weekend you have planned. Can't wait to see you in 2 weeks! XOXO

{Introducing}

2010-06-14T19:43:00.000-07:00

...our new little nephew, Lucas James Donahue Hobbs!!! I've been so curious to know what Julie was having and finally he's arrived, 5 days early! He was born yesterday, June 13th at 8:29pm, weighed 6lbs 10oz and was 19 inches long. He is SO cute!! I think he looks a lot like Eliza with the bright blue eyes, perfect little lips and cute button nose. His hair is a little darker and wavier than Eliza's was. (He had just had a bath in these pics) He has long fingers and toes and skinny little legs. He's a little congested and was making adorable little snorting sounds that made me laugh. SO cute :) Here's Eliza as a newborn He's perfect in every way and Julie and Jason couldn't be happier with their new little man. We missed Eliza's visit but saw pictures of her holding him, she's going to be a great big sister! I'll get those from Julie and post them.

Don't you just want to snuggle him?!

Big yawn!

Proud Auntie!

Jules and Lucas

Sleepy!

Eliza's 2nd Birthday!

2010-06-08T06:56:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, June 5th, we celebrated Eliza's 2nd birthday with a small family get together at Julie and Jason's house. We had a great time watching Eliza rip through her presents, inhale cake (the messy pics of her with chocolate all over her face are on Julie's camera), playing with her cousins and being utterly fascinated by what a fan can do to a birthday balloon. Lots of screeching with excitement each time the balloon was shot up into the air.

Any day now, Eliza is going to become a big sister to either a baby girl or boy! When Julie asked Eliza's preference between a brother or sister, she said, "baby sister" named "Ladder!" Interesting pick, we'll have to see if it makes the Top 3 :)
Julie's doing great and is more than ready for this babe to make his/her entrance. Her due date is June 18th but I guessed June 14th and Jason said June 11th! I can't even tell you how excited/anxious I am to meet this little one!!

Enjoy a few pictures from the party!

The Hobbs Family

Present time

The boys looking on

I think she likes the card?

Holly

Cake time!

Happy 30th!!!

2010-06-02T06:19:00.000-07:00

To my wonderfully sweet bf, Katie!! I'll post a picture later but wanted to wish my Fitz a very happy, happy birthday!! I can't wait to see you in 6 short weeks!! Have a fun day today and enjoy dinner and the movie tomorrow with the girls, I wish I could be there! Love you lots!! XOXOXO

Happy 30th Birthday to You!!!

2010-05-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

...to one of my BFF's, Shelby!! I hope you have an amazing day. From the sounds of it, Vegas and your hubby treated you right. I so wish I could've been there to help celebrate. But, I celebrated you from DC, that's for sure :)
Have a great day today, miss you!!! XOXOX

Kev's Bday - Part 2!

2010-05-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

Kev's surprise BBQ was more than a success. We all had a fabulous time celebrating the birthday boy. Here are some pictures from the night, thanks to all who made it over to help Kev ring in the Big 3-0! We're headed to DC tonight for I guess, Part 3? Geez - he's spoiled, isn't he? A weekend with great friends and family, the BEST Italian food ever at Filomena's, wine tasting in Virginia and canoeing on the Potomac River sounds about perfect to me!

Kev's Bday, Part 1

2010-05-08T07:05:00.000-07:00

Last night, McCarthy surprised Kev beyond belief!! Randy, Kristen, Julie, Jason, Sheri, Kev and I headed to a local burger joint in Brighton for dinner and drinks. Kev seriously had NO clue, you should've seen the confused look on his face when he saw Mike! (See pic below) He was like "What are you doing here???" It was great!!
Part two, our surprise BBQ is tonight. It's currently raining but is supposed to clear up by this afternoon, thank goodness!! I heard the rain at 4:30am and like a crazy woman, ran outside in my pj's to grab the chair pads off the deck furniture. They were soaked but hopefully they'll dry out before this evening. Stay tuned for pictures from tonight!! (PS, Kev NEVER checks "our" blog so don't worry - I'm not ruining the surprise)

A very confused Kevin!

I think it finally registered :)

Us

Happy 30th, Kevin!!

2010-05-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

Today is my sweet, adorable hubby's birthday!!! 30 You make me smile each and every day with your witty humor, stupid jokes and all-around fun and sweet personality. I'm seriously the luckiest girl in the world!! Today is a big milestone and this weekend will be full of celebration! Not like your 21st where you had a "16 candles" flashback because none of your family called and the McCarthy's took you to dinner instead ;) Love you, can't wait for many more birthdays together!! XOXO

Austin Love!!

2010-04-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

More to come from this amazing wedding and weekend!! Congrats to Z + Em!!

Headed to Austin, Yeehaw!!

2010-04-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'm off to Austin this morning to attend the wedding of my dear friend Zach and his gorgeous fiancee', Emily. I can NOT wait to get there; I've been dying to get to this city for like 8 years! Tomorrow night, we'll all hit up 6th Street and take in the culture, music and all that Austin has to offer. I plan on logging some much needed pool/sun time on Friday, hanging with my bestie and other great friends. Saturday will be gorgeous - the wedding is here,overlooking beautiful Lake Travis. I have no doubt that whoever they hired to photograph will capture the day perfectly! And I'm sure the groom won't be able to resist snapping a few photos of the bride himself, as he is a professional wedding photographer himself!

Stay tuned for lots of pictures! Zach and Em, so excited to see you two!!

*photo by Scott Andrew

Happy 30th!!!

2010-04-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

Happy 30th Birthday to my funny and fabulous friend, Stephanie! Or, Stephy as I like to call her!! I can't wait to spend your big day with you tonight, celebrating with yummy drinks, great friends and all the shenanigans that Austin has to offer! See you soon! XO

Steph, Me and Cute little Jakey - Boston, October 2009

Hey, Handsome!!

2010-04-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my dear friends Kel and Jeff welcomed the newest member of their family into this world. Evan James was born around 3:30pm and weighed 7.2 lbs. Isn't he cute?? He is the baby brother to little Isabel who turned one in January. Congrats on your new little guy, I can't wait to meet him this summer! XOXO

Go Cougs!!

Happy Spring!!!

2010-04-06T16:29:00.000-07:00

I love that it's finally Spring! That means lots of beautiful flowers like these lovelies, walks outside with only a light sweater on, BBQ's on the deck,and of course - baseball season! Anyway, Spring has arrived and I'm fully embracing it!! By the way, tomorrow is a super duper tease with temps predicted at a verrrry "summery" 85! You better believe I'll be outside enjoying it!!

Martin Wedding Pix!

2010-04-06T16:19:00.001-07:00

Here are a few more pictures from Ben + Brette's wedding!!

Ben + Brette

Awww!!

LOVE this one!

Us

Julie + Jason

Sheri, Julie and I

So Sweet :)

Weekend in Seattle Pix!!

2010-03-22T19:57:00.000-07:00

Thank you friends and family for another wonderful {whirlwind} of a weekend. Every time we come home, it's jam packed full of events. I wouldn't have it any other way... Here are pictures from our trip home. Somehow I didn't capture one of my mom, who celebrated her birthday while we were home. I'll see if I can find one to post that she took. Can't wait to get back in July!!

The girls at Canyons, chattin' it up...Don't know if this is before or after Lynne swatted a glass of wine that went all over Payton, ha! He took it like a true Coug :)

Payton, the cutest, sweetest little guy ever!! Said "car" like a true Bostonian, "caaah??!" :)

Kelly at her surprise shower, with cutie Isabel

Rauh's cute lion cupcakes :)

Kate, me, Kel

Little and Kristi

Katie with Ella, who has the most hair I've ever seen for a 6 month old!!

Celebrating Marge Madness!!

My college "pool shark" buddies!! Sus, Dee, Stace and me...just needed Max there!

Kev and Spry

Erin, me, Kate

Jamie and Lynnie...Lynne must've just tasted Jamie's amazing Girl Scouct Cookie "Samoa" cupcakes, tdf!!!

The Boys!

Happy 30th Birthday!!!!

2010-03-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

To Margie AKA Lisa!! Welcome to the club! See, it's not that bad!! :)
I hope you have a wonderful birthday, enjoy your dinner tonight with Jeremy and your parents. Here's to a new decade of great memories, lots of laughs and a whole bunch of general ridonkulousness! Love you lots and lots!! XOXO Oh also, Happy St. Patty's Day!!

Taken at "Marge Madness 2010" - 3/13/10

Happy First Anniversary!!

2010-02-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

To Erin and Steve Rinabarger! One year ago, we were celebrating you in beautiful Maui, Hawaii. Here's to many, many more happy years together!! XOXO

Happy 7th Birthday!!

2010-02-26T16:15:00.000-08:00

Happy 7th Birthday to our nephew, Brady!! This picture was taken in October 2004; crazy how big he's gotten!! We are looking forward to seeing you on Sunday! Love you!! XOXO

{Mr + Mrs}

2010-02-17T14:51:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, we celebrated the new Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin Martin. Ben is one of Kev's cousins and closest friends. Ben and Brette met at a hospital in Washington DC; he's a doctor and she's a nurse :) These two complement each other perfectly and are such a great team. It's been so fun getting to know Brette each time they come back to Boston. She's such a sweet, wonderful girl and great addition to our extended family.

Shortly after getting engaged in Napa Valley last November, wedding planning was underway! Joe, Ben's younger brother and Best Man is going overseas in March/April voluntarily as a communications specialist for the Navy. He's been working as a Lt. on nuclear submarines for the past few years; we're all very proud of him! In order to be sure he was there, Ben and Brette, with the help of family and friends planned their wedding in a mere three months! Ironically, a major snow storm that blew in last week almost left Joe stranded in Georgia, but luckily he was able to get a flight up.

Saturday was a perfect February day for New England, not too cold, plenty of sunshine and most importantly, NO SNOW!! Kevin was part of the 10-man wedding party (yes, 10!)so my date McCarthy and I headed over to the ceremony at the gorgeous St. Ingatius chapel on Boston College's campus. This church was beyond amazing with its stain glassed windows and grand entrance! Later, we checked in to the Boston Harbor Hotel where the fabulous reception was held. Hands down one of the most beautiful hotels I've ever been to!

I had never seen Brette look more beautiful! She was simply stunning in her cream silk gown. The dinner was amazing as was their band!! They ROCKED!! I swear on more than one occasion I looked up to see if Lady Gaga herself had made an appearance. They also ended on Journey; can't beat that :)

More pictures of the night to come! Congratulations, Ben and Brette! XOXO

Happy Belated 30th Birthday!!

2010-02-04T09:47:00.000-08:00

Happy 30th Birthday to this wonderful girl yesterday!! Lynds, I hope you have a fabulous time in Seattle this weekend, wish I could be there with you!!! Love you lots!! XOXO

Dude, where's my blog?

2010-01-29T14:32:00.000-08:00

Oh, there it is! Looking outdated and abandoned, right where I left you!!! :(
Shame on me - I have NO excuses, really. I've just put my dear little blog on the back burner for a bit. BUT... I'm back, for reals... Remember when I said I was going to be a better blogger? No? Well, it's in writing, here. This time around, I mean it, so hold me to it.

That said, nothing earth shattering has been taking up my time. Last weekend, we had a mini getaway up to North Conway/ Bartlett, NH to a family ski cabin. The weather was perfect - sunny and 30 degrees with amazing conditions. We have a few trips coming up, one to Seattle and one to Austin which will be fun! Kev's cousin Ben is getting married on 2/13 in Boston and we're really looking forward to that. I should probably find a dress already since it IS black tie and I don't have a thing to wear! Perhaps I'll begin looking again this weekend...

I hope you all are doing well!

XOXO

Her MIA-ness :)

NYE 2009 Recap

2010-01-10T08:11:00.000-08:00

We had a fabulous New Years celebrating with the Reynolds and Partridges! Probably my favorite NYE in recent memory. Lots of laughs and all around ridiculousness was had by all! With this bunch, it's a given!

Lynne and Joe arrived Wednesday afternoon and we took a quick hike to the top of the hill behind our house so they could see the views of Boston I always talk about. Then we headed out to meet Kev for lunch before heading back home for the rest of the evening for games and beers.

Thursday morning, Carrie and Erik arrived and we hosted a brunch in our new kitchen. Kev's parents, sister and her family and his brother and Brady came over to feast and check out the new space. That afternoon, the six of us headed into Boston for what was supposed to be an ice skating adventure. Unfortunately, they closed the rink early due to excess snow on the ice and to prep it for the NYE exhibition skate later that afternoon. I don't think anyone was TOO bummed because we wound up at Cheers (yes, where everybody knows your name) for beers and a late lunch. Lynne bought us all commemorative shot glasses so we'd always remember the weekend.

We rang in the New Year that evening with lots of drinks and a full on dance party!! It was the perfect weekend and it meant a lot to us that we were able to spend it with those four! Here are some fun pictures of NYE.

Lynnie and Me

The Reynolds

Kev and Me

Lynnie and Carrie

Lynnie, Adam (quick cameo appearance) and Carrie

Something was funny?

Mr. R and Me

Carrie and Lynnie with Peanut :)

The crew

Happy New Year!

New Years!

2009-12-30T06:58:00.000-08:00

I can't wait to spend New Years with Lynnie and Cares who are coming to visit from DC and Seattle, via NYC! It's going to be a fun couple of days hanging out with these two superstars and their hubbies! Can't wait! I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Holiday! See you next year!

Merry {Early} Christmas to Us!!!

2009-12-24T11:53:00.000-08:00

This morning our kitchen passed final its final inspection -- woohoo!! We began this project on November 9th and after being somewhat displaced, we're finally home and ejoying our new kitchen and couldn't be happier with how it turned out!! There are a few last minute touches that need to be finished up but other than that - its complete! Now it's time to find a dining room table and get decorating!!

My vision for this kitchen from day one was a very neutral space but cozy and inviting. I brought in warm beige tones from the granite to the tiled back splash to compliment our maple spiced cabinets and floors. I didn't want the granite or tile to overpower each other but I wanted each to stand out; I think it works!

Trust me, making big design decisions based on a 2x2 sample and trying to picture it in your kitchen is not easy! I definitely had the hardest time with the tile but as soon as I saw it installed in a picture, I was sold! The granite was pretty simple. I knew I wanted a lighter color with a lot of detail. The one we chose has black and garnet running through it, so I went with a brick colored accent wall to bring out the red tones. Painting everything that color would've made the room feel small, so I chose a creamy tan to soften it and tie everything together.

As far as the lighting, we went back and forth with how many pendant lights to do...2 or 3, 2 or 3....? Our island is 5 1/2 feet long and having 3 seems perfect. We splurged a little and had under cabinet lighting installed. I highly recommend it, it makes the kitchen look completely different at night {pictures to come!}

Contrary to what you might think, Kev did have a lot of input into our kitchen...he was on appliance duty :) His favorite part was picking out his "must have" beer + wine fridge that he was adamant about having in the island. At first I was against it but I'm glad he convinced me because let me tell ya, it kicks ASS!! I love to cook, but I'm no Ina Garten so having functional but not "over-the-top" appliances was the way to go. We went with the stainless steel look to keep the kitchen looking clean and high-end. For five years, our nasty old fridge didn't have a light due to some electrical snafu, so being able to see what's in our fridge now is strangely wonderful!! We went with Kitchenaid for both the dishwasher and fridge and GE for the smooth-top stove and microwave. We chose Grohe for our faucet and paired it with an undermount D-shaped Artisan sink.

We love having people over, so having a "bar area" of our kitchen was key. We wanted place we could fix drinks,store glasses, liquor, mixers - you name it! Since this area was sort of a seperate space from the rest of the kitchen, we threw in some honey colored crushed glass tiles in between the stone to give it some flare and stand out.

I'm very happy with all of the choices we made. It's everything we could've possibly wanted and more. We can't wait to host our first get-together this week with friends and family. I'll post pictures of the refinished hardwoods, new trim and paint in our bedroom soon! Enjoy the pictures!

Before:

After:

Happy Birthday!

2009-12-22T13:55:00.001-08:00

To my fabulous step-dad, Bryan and my adorable niece Holly! XOXOXOXO

Happy 30th Birthday, Lynnie!!

2009-12-04T10:09:00.001-08:00

Today is one of my very best friends 30th birthday!! Lynnie, I love you so, so much and cherish our friendship each and every day. You are the sweetest, most caring woman and I'm so fortunate our paths crossed freshman year of college. 30 is going to be your year and I know it'll be your best yet! We'll celebrate next weekend and then two weeks after that when you're here, can't wait! Love you! XOXO

* Pic from my 30th birthday :)

"Ryan Mullin, THE Washington State University..."

2009-11-30T17:39:00.000-08:00

Okay, so you know how on Sunday Night Football the starters from each team introduce themselves by saying their name, position and former school? Unmm yeah, that's going to be Ryan. I can totally picture him as one of those big beefy linebackers with far too much facial hair, a mean lookin' mug and biceps that could move a truck. This kid is destined to be famous!

These pictures were taken two weeks ago, one week before Ryan decided that stage diving off the couch onto the corner of a table was a good idea. Six stitches above his eye later.....low and behold he discovers that the couch is actually an indoor trampoline! He bounces from the top, to the cushion, to the ottoman to the floor. ...This little guy doesn't ever stop, god bless my bro and sis-in law! I keep saying he's that kid who will break every bone twice and will never learn; such a boy! That said, he is the cutest, funniest 2 1/2 year old I know!

We had a great time watching him go from the monkey bars, to the swings, to the suspension bridge, to the fire pole - which he did in true fireman style (see the boots?!)

House Updates!

2009-11-25T19:09:00.000-08:00

These past few weeks have been crazy to say the least! We moved everything into the basement and are currently staying with Kev's aunt and uncle who have graciously taken us in for a week or so while our floors are being refinished. Since beginning construction November 9th it's all gone pretty smoothly (knock on wood) and we're excited to start seeing it all come together!
So far we've had the wall taken down between the kitchen and office, had the new kitchen doorway widened, had the rough electrical, plumbing and framing completed, and are currently having the new hardwoods installed and refinished. Cabinets are being installed starting Friday - can't wait!

Here are a few pictures of the progress:

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!

Wall opened up

Wall gone and doorway widened

Expanding kitchen and shrinking hubby (he's lost about 30 lbs!)

New hardwoods before sanding and finish coats

Ready to be plastered!

More updates to come!

Happy Belated 30th!!!

2009-11-10T20:03:00.000-08:00

Kevin and I flew to DC on October 16th to spend our dear friend Erin's 30th birthday with her and also to visit Carrie, Erik, Ben and Mike. We flew in Friday night and headed to The Reynolds then out to a local bar near their darling condo in Arlington, VA. We drank delicious Hoegarden's out of mason jars and laughed our asses off all night.
Saturday was crappy weather but we made the best of it and headed to the Spy Museum, super cool. Later, we met up with Coff's cousins and headed to quaint little Georgetown to Filomena's to celebrate the birthday girl. Hands down THE best Italian food ever!!! It was such a great weekend, a nice change of scenery for a few days!
Coff, I just want you to know how much you mean to me. You're truly one of the most wonderful friends anyone could have. I hope your year is filled with everything you could ever want and much, much more! (Hopefully that includes a visit out here soon!)

LOVE YOU!! XOXO

At The Bungalow celebrating!

Operation: Kitchen!!!

2009-11-09T20:01:00.001-08:00

Wow, what a busy {crazy!} couple of months it has been!! The traveling and friends' visits have died down, but we're again right back in the throws of chaos!! For two years now, I've been bugging Kevin to take down the wall between our kitchen and workout room to open up the space and have a huge kitchen/eat-in dining area. It just makes a lot of sense... We'll be able to enjoy it, the resale of our house increases, etc... But for two years he's been telling me to politely, "take a hike!" :)

Well... (and I pat myself on the back as I type this) he caved - and has now admitted what a fabulous idea this was!! The past month or so has been a whirlwind of contractors, granite, cabinets and tile and today was "D Day!" Demoliton Day... We officially began our kitchen renovation!!!

Over the next 4-5 weeks, our kitchen will be transformed into the space that it was always meant to be. Somewhere where we can entertain friends and family and just be in a beautiful space where everyone gathers and feels at home. We can't wait for the everything to be installed and see it all come together. It's been a loooong time comin'!

As I said before, demolition started today. The "before" pictures were taken this weekend. Our contractor gave me a hammer this morning and said to take a few swings, which I obviously loved doing (see the smile on my face!) See ya ugly kitchen!!!) The plan was to take down a wall between the workout room and kitchen, making a 20 foot by 12 foot kitchen. As it stands, the view from our living room is two doors, one to each room. The new space will block off the WR door and widen the kitchen door. We're installing new cabinets, countertops, appliances, tile backsplash, hardwoods and a kick ass 5 1/2 foot island.

Here are the pictures - excuse the mess, we were packing :)

The Before - Kitchen

Another shot of the kitchen

Looking into the kitchen from the living room...wall on the left near the flowers is the one being removed

Workout room from the living room

Another shot of the workout room, wall with the painting is being removed

Oh yeah - watch out, mama's got a hammer!

See ya wall!

Workout room door framed and sheetrocked... kitchen door that has the plastic covering will be widened 18" to mirror our front entryway

View out to the back of the house/deck - these windows and slider will remain where they are

That area that juts out is the existing chimney - a 4-foot pantry will be built in next to it...
Here is the floor plan.....

Lots still to do - I'm currently in tile HELL! I can't decide what I want for the backsplash - the whole theme and color of the kitchen is dependent on it. This is a BIG decision and I'm definitely taking my time on it! Any suggestions on tile backsplash are welcome!

Stay tuned for more updates and pictures...

Margie!!

2009-10-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

I know I'm really behind on my pictures, posts, etc... I'm TRYING though!!! We have lots of fun house stuff on the horizon that we're trying to get accomplished by Christmas so it's sucking up a ton of time!!

Anyway, this past weekend, Margie came out to Boston for her annual visit. She is the one friend that really pushes me to explore more of New England as she always wants to see something new when she comes out. This year, I introduced her to the great states of New Hampshire and Maine! On Thursday, we took a quick trip up to Kennebunkport, ME and enjoyed a beautiful Fall day up there. We walked around the port, looked at shops, took pictures and just enjoyed how quaint the little town is. We drove near Walker Point AKA The Bush compound along the beautiful coast on our way out of town.

Friday she explored Boston, eating at her fave restaurant on Newbury Street - Stephanie's, did some shopping and mastered Boston's train system while I sat at work, blah! That night, we met up for dinner with some friends followed by a "Spooktacular" trip to Salem, NH for haunted houses and rides. Super fun night!

Saturday we lounged around before heading to the Harpoon Brewery in Boston. I love a good brewery tour but they're even better when they keep your attention by pouring you unfiltered beer from their barrels! :) That, followed by a ton of tastings on tap had us beyond "happy!". That night, we got a little crazy at our house with friends, pizza and a ton of 80's music!!!

Sunday was filled with football, a quick photoshoot at Bentley College to test out my new macro lens, our nieces and nephews Halloween parade and lounging at home. Its funny, when she comes out to visit I feel like she lives with us so it's always hard to see her go. I love that she's made her yearly trip a tradition, we always look forward to it!!

We hope you had as much fun as we did Margie - love you and miss you already! XO

Pics from our weekend:

Marge does Kennebunk!

Harpoon Brewery (something was funny!?!)

Marge @ Bentley: Deep in Thought

She's clearly VERY photogenic!!

Scoping out some Co-Eds!

A Fall Tradition!

2009-10-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

A few Saturdays ago, we ventured out for our yearly apple picking excursion! This marked our third (or fourth) year going. The kids get so excited to go and talk about it for days leading up to it! On our way there, I asked B+H what they were most excited to do/see and of course they said "Honey Pot Bear!" I mean, HPB is cool and all but he just sort of waves and takes pictures with kids all day long. Whatevs, they love him and it makes their day. We had a great time watching the kids ooh and ahh over the farm animals, enjoy their messy caramel apples and cider donuts, bounce around on the hay rides and of course the apple picking!! Here are pix from our day!

The gang, minus me

Waiting for the hay ride

The Mullin boys!

Holly and me on the hay ride

Eliza

Yum!

BIG fan!

Gorgeous fall foliage!

Me, Jules and Ryan

Headed toward the apples!

Ryan, getting the hang of it

I just love them :)

Eliza's first picked apple!

Us

New pix!!

2009-10-13T20:06:00.000-07:00

Here are a few new pictures I took of Eliza on Sunday. She's now 16 months old, talking up a storm and such a fun little girl to watch grow up.

Happy Anniversary!!

2009-09-27T19:16:00.000-07:00

To Rich and Shelby Clark! One year ago today you were tying the knot in beautiful Rancho Santa Fe!! Your wedding was perfect from start to finish. From the location to the South African influences, to all the love that was felt that day; it was truly spectacular. Thank you for letting me stand beside you both on your day. Here's to many, many, many more wonderful anniversaries. Miss you guys and love you even more! XO

Mr. and Mrs.

Bridey and her MOH's

Happy Anniversary!

2009-09-13T05:16:00.000-07:00

...to our dear friends, Paul and Erica Ferrini! Last year, we traveled to Wisconsin to see these two tie the knot. It was a beautiful wedding full of friends, lots of love and even more dancing!! I hope you two have enjoyed your first year with many more to come! Enjoy Maine and see you soon! XO

2 Years....

2009-09-01T07:45:00.001-07:00

Today we are celebrating our second anniversary. Hard to believe two years have passed since our fabulous wedding. I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful and perfect day to marry my best friend!

The week of our wedding was one I'll never forget. We had THE BEST group of friends as our bridal party and thank goodness "West Coast" loved "East Coast" and vice versa. The rivalry remains strong and I wouldn't have it any other way! :) Our families made it all possible and we are still so appreciative for everything they did to make our day perfect! Thank you!

Kev - thank you for being my husband. Each day I wake up and am reminded of how lucky and grateful I am to have you by my side. You are my everything, I love you today and always! XOXO

PS. Happy Co-Anniversary to Ashley and Troy!

*All photos courtesy of Christopher Dumas Photography

Pix

2009-08-27T17:23:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from when Kate was here in July. She hadn't seen Eliza since she was 5 weeks old! They were total BFF's! :)

Mid-Year Resolution...

2009-08-19T06:58:00.001-07:00

I, Stacie Mullin, solemnly vow to be a better blogger as of today, August 19, 2009.
I blame my "MIA-ness" on the 90 degree sunny days and the fact that sitting outside on my deck with a cold Sam Summer is much more enticing than sitting in the basement editing the thousand or so pictures I still have to go through from our trip to Seattle/Denver. My mom comes out this Friday to visit(yay!) so hopefully after this weekend, I'll have some time to devote to my mid-year resolution.

I have to say, I'm really looking forward to my yearly post about Fall; my fave season in Boston. Ashley already beat me to it! :) I'm super excited for the humidity and hot as hell temps to dissipate as we welcome Sam Pumpkin Ale, apple picking, cozy sweaters and "leaf peeping!" That said, we will be making good use of our new patio furniture (I should take pix of it...) and having friends over the next few weeks as Summer winds down.

See you soon!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-08-11T06:30:00.000-07:00

To Dan and Mariana Ross who are celebrating their 2nd anniversary! I absolutely LOVE everything about this picture!! I hope you two have a wonderful day enjoying each other and reminiscing about 8/11/07 - one of the best days I've ever had the privelage of being a part of. Happy Anniversary! XOXO

BBQ with Friends - July 19th

2009-08-02T14:20:00.000-07:00

I'm attempting to post pictures from our vacation in order so bear with me :)
On Sunday, July 19th we spent the day out at my mom's house for lunch and a few games of croquet with she and Bryan. She's done an amazing amount of work to her house and garden and it looks awesome!! I only wish I had half the green thumb she does! :)

That evening, we headed over to Jeff and Kel's who were gracious enough to host a BBQ to help celebrate Katie's bday and for Kev and I to be able to see everyone. Per usual, the kids were adorable, funny and melting down at the same time :) the boys chatted about whatever they talk about and us girls gabbed. It was a super fun, chill night, thanks again Gies'!!!

Here are some pictures of that evening... Cohen was a little MIA having a fit, but here are some of the rest of the kiddos :)

Isabel, 6 months

Caiden and Ryan Cox

Jake, 8 months - doing his best Michael Phelps impression :)

Payton on the prowl...

Maddy, 3 - you can dress her up....

Mariana and Kristi, staying cool in the shade

Isabel, already a tomboy ;)

Me, Lit, Linds and Krist

Steph, Matt and Jake

Katie, Fitz and Lynnie

Enjoying the sun...

Maddy helping Payton walk

Cares and Linds

Such a ham :)

Fitz, Trav and Payton

Annie's Wedding!!

2009-07-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

We were in Seattle a few weekends back to attend one of my oldest and dearest friends Anne's wedding. It was GORGEOUS and she couldn't have married a nicer guy in Mike or been a more stunning bride!! I kept picturing Audrey Hepburn when thinking about how beautiful she was going to look and I was soooo right! Here are some pics of the happy couple and a few of friends. It was a great night and I was so honored to be there and witness Annie get married!

Giving her away...

Gorgeous Lo

Annie

Mr. and Mrs. Balicki

Kate, me and Linds

The Bunyards

Me and Lindsay

SO CUTE!!!

Me and Kev

Isn't she gorgeous??

Katie, Anne, Lindsay and Kara dancing to the Beatniks

Happy Birthday!!!!

2009-07-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

...to my BFF Katie! I was lucky enough to have her here the past week visiting and we got to spend a good amount of time together which made me realize how much I miss her! We fly home to Seattle tonight and are heading to her birthday celebration as soon as we land so lots of Stacie/Katie time :)
I hope you have a wonderful birthday Kate, I love you more than you know!! XOXO

*7/9/09

Happy Anniversary!

2009-07-07T07:14:00.001-07:00

...to Jeff and Kelly Gies! 2 years, wowza!!! Such a great backyard wedding full of laughs, dancing and a whole lotta love! Love you guys, can't wait to see you in a week and a half!! XO

Also, my BFF Katie comes into town today - I couldn't be MORE excited to see her!!!

4th of July Weekend...

2009-07-05T18:25:00.000-07:00

...Can I just say, thank goodness for long weekends?? I totally needed it! We set out Friday morning to pick Kev's best friend Mike up from the airport before heading down to our beach house for the weekend. In Marshfield, they celebrate the 4th on the 3rd (I have no clue why) so the beers started flowing and cornhole games were underway soon after we arrived. Our friends Paul and Erica came down for the festivities and it was so great to have them there. We watched the fireworks from the seawall - not as spectacular as last years because the high tide took the beach, but still fun. Saturday was a great beach day and our family friend Sheri and other family came down for the rest of the weekend. It's funny, I am almost more tired when I come home from Marshfield than I am relaxed. Anyway, here are a few pics of the weekend...

Happy Anniversary!

2009-07-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

...to Carrie and Erik Reynolds!! They are celebrating four years today! Their wedding was so fun and special and just SO them! From the Scottish kilts to the crafty touches done by Mrs. R; it was truly spectacular!!

I have to say, these two were such a huge part of my early Boston life when I moved here and I'm happy to report they are OFFICIALLY moving back to the East Coast!!! Even though they'll be in DC this time, it's comforting to know we can take an extremely long road trip (8 hrs) or a quick 1.5 hour flight down.

We can't wait to have you back - enjoy your special day!! XOXO

Happy Birthday!!

2009-07-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

..to one of my favorite people in this entire world, Mariana/Little!! I love you more than words, you have always been such a wonderful friend who always has been able to make me laugh harder than I've ever laughed before. We've been friends for what feels like forever and I'm grateful each and every day. I hope you have the most fabulous birthday ever. I can't WAIT to see you in a few weeks! I love you tins and tins!!!! XOXOXO

Happy Anniversary!!

2009-06-24T10:25:00.001-07:00

...To the Partridge's - Lynnie and Joe who were married three years today!! Your wedding was spectacular and beautiful; I was so happy to be a part of your special day. Enjoy your anniversary with many many more to come!! XOXOXOO

Happy Birthday!

2009-06-20T17:50:00.000-07:00

...To our nephew Ryan who turned 2 today. This little guy is full of mischief but a TON of fun! He keeps his parents on his toes, that's for sure! Good thing he's adorable! We love this little guy more than anything, can't believe these two years have flown by so quickly! Happy Birthday Ry Ry!

Pictures taken today, 6/20/09

Eliza's Party!

2009-06-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday was Eliza's 1st birthday party at Julie and Jason's house. Mother Nature cooperated and it actually turned out to be hotter and sunnier than expected. Julie did a fabulous job with all the decorating. Everything matched the theme and colors of the butterfly/catepillar invitations and she thought of every detail. Eliza was a perfect host and didn't cry once the entire day. She looooved all of the attention, games and of course all of her presents. Especially her new hippo rocker, too cute! I think the highlight of the day was the potato sack races. They were supposed to be for the kids, but you couldn't keep us adults away from them. We had heats and then a winner's bracket; it was hilarious! I thind Kev's mom Patty won for funniest racer - she got about two hops in before laughing so hard she couldn't move anymore. LOL!! It was a blast; thanks J+J for such a great party!! Pics of the day :)

Eliza was obsessed with the colorful balloons!

Holly and Ryan during the singalong

Singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" with Ry :)

Someone loved being sung "Happy Birthday" to!

Fab homemade cake by Julie

Joanie, Lindsay and baby Isabelle

Not the birthday cake shot I was looking for, but oh well :)

Heat #1 - Austin won...pretty competitive though!

Old man bringing up the rear ;)

Heat #2 - The ladies :)

Patty and her two hops :) HA!

This pic cracks me up!!!

All of Kristen's s*** talking did NOT pay off... I made an incredible leap at the end to win :)

Eliza and her homemade "Bentley" wagon

Presents!

She was SO excited!!

Happy 1st Birthday!

2009-06-05T14:52:00.001-07:00

...to our adorable niece Eliza! I can NOT believe she's already one; where does the time go?? This little girl brings so much joy to not only her parents Julie and Jason but also to everyone that meets her. She's hands down one of the cutest and sweetest babies you'll ever meet. Her birthday party is next Saturday afternoon and I can't wait to see her indulge in her first birthday cake. I'm sure I'll have a million pictures to share. We love you Eliza Mae!

Eliza - May 2009

Julie, Jason and Eliza - May 2009

Eliza, just hours old

Happy Birthday!

2009-06-02T06:41:00.000-07:00

To one of my best friends in the whole world, Fitz. I love you and can't wait to see you in just over a month! I hope you have a wonderful day and are spoiled by your boys! XOXO

Me, Kel, Fitz

Spring Pictures...

2009-05-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

...I've been a bad blogger and am waaaaay behind in posting pics. But, here are some of the kiddos from the past month or so. They are all getting soooo big! Eliza is walking and talking and is 1 in a few weeks (I can't believe it!) Enjoy!

Ry at the park

Eliza playing with Tucker

Jules and Eliza on the swings in Marshfield

Throwing rocks...

Randy and his brood

Eliza's first encounter with sand :)

Hol and Bray swinging

Ryan playing with the sand...he later threw a rock at Brady's head :)

Happy Birthday!!

2009-05-17T10:44:00.000-07:00

...to my beautiful friend Shelby!! I hope you have a spectacular time enjoying whatever you do today! (hopefully buying a new house or car!) I wish I could be there to celebrate with you! XOXOXO

Happy Birthday!!!

2009-05-06T07:42:00.000-07:00

...to my wonderful and sweet hubby!! I love you very much, welcome to 29 honey!! Since we celebrated with the Celts game last week and dinner with his family last night, I'm just going to make him one of his fave dinners and probably be coaxed into watching a terrible movie on Netflix!! Oh well, it's his day :)

**At Ravenswood Winery, Sonoma - September 2008)**

PS, I think today marks one year since I started our blog :)

McLovin' the Celts!!

2009-05-02T16:37:00.001-07:00

Living in Boston we get spoiled with how great our sports teams are. From the Pats to the Sox, C's and even the B's this year - everywhere you turn we're in the playoffs. I never know what to get Kev for his birthday and thought a playoff game would be perfect! One of my besties, Margie hooked up Game 5 Celtics vs. Bulls tickets at The Garden for last Tuesday's game and I am forever grateful!

We took the train into town, grabbed beers and hotdogs and walked towards our seats. My ticket read "Floor" "Row A"... Hmm, as I'm walking down the stairs towards the court, I see numbers but not letters..could it be???? Ummmm yeah!!! Our tickets were right on the floor next to the tunnel behind the C's bench. Holy crap Margie, how on earth???

Look at KG's bling!

Paul Pierce

Once we were settled in, I got up to take pics before the game started and stood next to a kid who goes, "How awesome is this??" I agreed and looked over to see, the one - the only.... McLovin!! :) He was the nicest kid in the world, by the end of regulation going into OT, he was bear hugging me like old pals, pretty funny! :)

Best buds :)

We had the BEST time ever, The Garden was rockin' and the Celts pulled it out in OT -my throat killed from yelling so loudly all night, so worth it though. Kev had a grin from ear to ear the entire game; couldn't have been better. :)

Thanks again Margie, you're the best!! Game 7 tonight, GO CELTICS!!

Our TNT TV time that Michelle captured :)

Eliza's First Photoshoot

2009-04-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was gorgeous so we headed over to my sis and bro-in laws for the first BBQ of the season. Nothing beats good food, great company, a Red Sox game and one beautiful and happy 10 month old! Eliza was such a good girl during her first photoshoot - clapping and laughing and crawling up a storm. I took a gagillion pictures of her, here are just a few! She really is such a beautful little girl and sweet as can be! Thanks J+J for having us over, we had a great time! :)

PS, Yes, I did try to upload these earlier this week, sorry about the confusion!

Happy Birthday!

2009-04-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

...to my wonderful friend Steph! I hope you have a wonderful birthday and get to spend it with your adorable little family. Miss you Stephy! XO

Happy Birthday!

2009-04-18T09:54:00.001-07:00

To my lovely and talented friend Jamie! I hope your day is full of yummy cupcakes and you're surrounded by lots of friends and family. I can't wait to hear all about your crafting day! Have a fabulous birthday, love you and miss you!! XO

Congratulations!!

2009-04-13T06:15:00.001-07:00

To Meghan and Galen who welcomed their baby boy, Miles Duncan Blyth last night. I can't wait to see more pictures of him. He's absolutely darling!! Congrats again on your Easter baby! Love you guys! XO

Happy Birthday!!!

2009-04-03T06:52:00.001-07:00

To my dear friend Meghan!!! I hope you have a wonderful and fun birthday (without giving birth!) Enjoy your last year of your 20's!!!! Love you so so much!! XO

Before + After

2009-03-31T16:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of our living room. No, this is not an April Fool's joke, our entryway really was that dark magenta color :) It was fun for a while but it just didn't go with any of our Christmas decorations! That said, we've moved on to a more classic look of red... I picked up these adorable red pillows at C+B on clearance a while back and based the room on those. I love how the color really pops in the otherwise black and cream room. I'm still looking for the perfect piece to go in the corner underneath the double shelves...Leah, notice the framed greeting card on the top right :)I know I have an empty picture frame but that will be a pic of a lighthouse on Martha's Vineyard, just need to get it printed. Anyway, still a work in progress but does it really ever end??

Before

After

Lazy Sunday...

2009-03-29T09:11:00.000-07:00

It's noon and I'm still rocking my bathrobe and slippers..It's one of "those" Sundays :) Yesterday was beautiful, 65 and sunny. Today, rain, rain and more rain. Good news: Kev took advantage of the weather yesterday and planted our new grass seed so this rain is actually going to help our pathetic looking lawn! I bought a bunch of bulbs and flower seed and will plant them next weekend. Today we're FINALLY painting our entryway to match the living room accent color: red! (Pics to come!) Phew, this has been on the list of "to do" for way too long, I'm glad we're finally doing it. Here's a picture of Peenie, doing what she does best...She's so lucky she gets to lay around all day! And yes, Peen is getting gray but not showing her age a bit, yesterday she got four "is she a puppy??" comments on our walk. That's my girl!! :) Enjoy your Sunday!

The Kiddos

2009-03-27T06:28:00.000-07:00

Here are a few recent pictures of our nieces and nephews from a few weeks ago. Ms. Eliza is almost 10 months old and about to start walking, Holly is in dance class and finishing up preschool for the year, Brady just turned 6 (whoa!) and starts T-ball soon, and Mr. Ryan turns 2 in June and has recently learned how to unplug all of the cables to the DVR :) Happy Friday!!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-03-24T07:32:00.000-07:00

To Travis and Katie Kalamakis! They were married three years ago today and I was lucky to be part of their beautiful wedding. Love you guys, here's to many more years to come!!!! XOXO

Weekend...

2009-03-22T18:30:00.001-07:00

The weather was relatively nice for this time of year so we decided to take advantage of it and drive down to our beach house and Cape Cod. Saturday afternoon we headed to Dennis to Kev's boss Rich's beach house. They just finished putting on a second floor complete with two more beds and baths and a spacious loft overlooking a new family room with 20 ft. ceilings. The house was spectacular, I didn't want to leave! Rich loves taking his old Jeep Wrangler out on the local beaches to go clamming, so we hopped in with him and his wife and braffed over sand dunes to a beautiful beach lined with seagrass and sand for miles. I've honestly never seen such big seashells!! We were pretty much the only ones out there and it was so serene. We drove up to the waters edge and took pictures for a few minutes. Although the sun was out, it was pretty cold with the wind coming off the water. Here are a few pictures of the day:

After leaving Dennis, we headed for our beach house to meet up with Kev's parents and my grampa at our favorite local seafood restaurant. It was a long, fun day and we hit the hay shortly after getting home from dinner. This morning we took a leisurely walk up to the beach, watched some brave surfers and played with the dogs. It was the perfect day to just relax and take it all in. Hope you all had a great weekend as well!