Thursday, December 29, 2011

2011 (Part 2)

Welcome to the 2nd half or edition of my 2011!!
Let's see what the 2nd half of the year had in store for us...


JULY




I loved these 4th of July pictures... so simply & yet so cute.

We made lots of trips to the beach in July, along with going to every park within a 100 mile radius, playing in the sprinkler in the back yard and just loving our Summer!

Abbie was FULLY potty trained in July... woooohoooo!!! Big milestone!

Chelsea from The Paper Mama was a guest blogger. Love her! She is one of the funnest bloggers in blog world! Please go check out her lovely blog & give her some love.

We went swimming over my Brother & Sister-In-Law's house frequently... I discovered this wonderfully delightful drink (thanks to my MOM no less!)


Don't Blink joined the world of FACEBOOK!
Have you liked me on Facebook? Well, you really should!
How about Twitter? Yeah, do that too!! :)

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AUGUST

I had an awesome giveaway from The Homemade Way and took some CUTE pictures of Abbie!




We had many, many late Summer nights playing outside. Exploring the backyard, taking pictures & just being. It was nice. AND HOT! I do love Summertime!



We had some very, very terrible flooding in August from tons of rain. See some pictures of it here. I remember worrying about how to get to work on someday because all the roads were either shut down or blocked!

We made some yummy cupcakes waiting out hurricane Irene...
which, didn't really do much damage. Thank God!


Another evening of playing... riding bikes... love it!

We celebrated Jaelyn's 4th Birthday at the end of the month! Ahhhhh... 4??? Such a sweetheart.


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SEPTEMBER

What a busy month September was!!! A wedding... A bachelorette party... WHEW!

I took some very cute pictures of a friends little boy. ♥ Lucas!
Hubby & I celebrated 14 years of marriage. Here is to 14 more....

Jaelyn started Pre-K and rode a bus for the very first time!
Yes, I cried putting her on that bus. Yes, I still cry seeing her turn into a little lady.

Our best friends were married at Yankee Stadium.
By far the coolest weddings ever. We were so honored to be a part of it!



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OCTOBER

Fall was upon us quickly! Brisk weather, leaves falling, and the Harvest Festival was back in town!



I discovered the world of Pinterest. Oh boy. LOL!

We visited a pumpkin patch to pick out some really awesome pumpkins!
The girls really enjoyed it... such fun with cousins & friends!





I discovered the world of iPhone and my life hasn't been the same since. haha!
Oh my.. I.Love.My.Phone. ♥
oh and we got a new washer & dryer too but pfft... who cares about that nonsense?

My hubby turned 41... haha.. he'll always be older than me & I love it! :)

My girls had the coolest Halloween costumes on the planet. Maybe I'm partial?
Strawberry Shortcake & Lemon Meringue




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NOVEMBER

We played in the leaves....




Mandy from A Sorta Fairytale was a guest blogger. So much to learn from her!

I tried to get some shots of my girls for Christmas cards.... it went 'ok'.. lol!

I did take some VERY cute pictures of my Sister & her family - RIGHT HERE.
This was by far my favorite....

Two very sweet friends got married so we were off to another wedding!

We found out for certain that Abbie is 100% allergic to tree nuts. :(
My poor babe will never know the sweet joys of peanut butter on a spoon right out of the jar... unless, she outgrows it, which I really hope she does!

We celebrated Thanksgiving with family.
We all got super cut haircuts!
I did some crazy Thanksgiving Night/Black Friday morning shoppping!!

We went to a PARADE!!


I got this AWESOME new layout which I love, love, love!!!


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DECEMBER

We prepared for CHRISTMAS!!

It was our first official Christmas as a family of 4.

The girls had their first gymnastics show... The Peppermint Twist!
So cute seeing them jump around, walk the balance beam & be little gymnasts!
Read more & see more pictures, HERE!


Had a photo shoot with some ADORABLE girls! Devyn & Laurie


We celebrated Abbie's 3rd Birthday!!! Oh my sweet baby girl, still can't believe you are 3!!!



We had the best Christmas ever.... ♥


I am so looking forward to 2012!
We will be ringing in the New Year with our dear friends, in pj's, having dinner, a few drinks
and probably coloring with our girls until the ball drops. I know, be jealous of our super exciting party!
I can't think of any other way to celebrate it though with people that I love!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!


Wednesday, December 28, 2011

2011 (part 1)

  I can hardly believe a new year is right around the corner. Crazy isn't it!?
2011 was a good year for us - lots of fun, memorable things to look back on.
Here are some of my favorites, month by month!
I like seeing how my pictures improved too... thanks to my fellow bloggers for that!
You guys rock at teaching me how to be a better photographer!

JANUARY

Silly girls playing in the snow.... we got hit with a lot of snow last year. We have yet to see any so far!


My pretty neighbors red bar in the snow... loved this picture.


Playing Play-Doh with my girls. Gosh, this was really a year ago???

On January 21, 2011  - I announced my BEST FRIEND was getting married.
Well, let me just announce now... my BEST FRIEND is pregnant!!
So, so happy for her! I can't wait to spoil her little one like she does mine. ♥

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FEBRUARY

Another favorite picture. Went on a much needed walk with hubby in early February for some fresh air.


I wonder how many candy conversation hearts we will get this year... ♥

I read & finished an excellent book last February -  I highly recommend Delirium by Lauren Oliver.
I still recommend it, wonderful book! If you want more reviews & recommendations on books, please check out my friend Gingers Blog - GREADS! She is the queen of books!

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MARCH

On March 1, 2011 my post read: A Day to Remember.
and so it was. Please feel free to read it again, here.

My little St. Patrick's Day cuties!!!


My Mom-Mom's Gold Necklace & Jaelyn = Love.


This picture speaks for itself. I love her so much.


Cruising in the Jeep! Meep! Meep!

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APRIL

Could she be anymore beautiful!!!????

We signed LOTS of Adoption Paperwork in the month of April. LOTS & LOTS... but, all worth it. ♥


Yay for playtime at the park! Looks like the weather was breaking finally....

Pondering....

I had a pretty awesome guest blogger in April...
who is a pretty awesome girl. Check out her blog!!

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MAY

May had to be the MOST WONDERFUL month in 2011 for us!
ADOPTION FINALIZED!!!!!

Playing with bubbles. Yay for warm weather!

My daughters! ♥

Courtney from Click it Up a Notch was kind enough to do a guest post!
Her blog is GREAT for photography tips, tricks & how-to's!

My lovely friend, Ginger was a guest blogger. The book queen!


Adoption day in a collage!

On May 25th we took the girls for a fun day at the zoo!! They loved it!
I can't wait to go back again this year!! :)
See my ZOO post HERE!

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JUNE

Ashley from Rambling & Photos was a guest post in June.
I loooooove her blog. She is a WONDERFUL photographer!
Check her out!



We had our adoption party........ FUN FUN FUN!!!

Some very good friends of ours, Julie & Anthony were happily married.
Beautiful wedding for a beautiful couple!!


This little cutie pie went to a birthday party with me. I loved this dress!!

Jaelyn had her FIRST ever dance recital!!!
Details & pictures - HERE!!!


We celebrated my BEST FRIEND getting married once again & showered her with happiness!!


I love this girl!!


Whew, we are only half way through the year?
Goodness, I was a busy little bee!! Looking back now, I loved every minute of it!
It's so nice to reflect back & remember what you filled your life with.
Mine was most certainly filled with love, joy, happiness, family & friends!

Stay tuned for part 2....