the Holiday.

I know Christmas was so "4 days ago" but since my birthday was yesterday, everything between Christmas and today is kinda a holiday blur, today is my first day back to reality.It still feels like Christmas because most people don't take their lights down until mid January. Or..for the select few...they don't take their lights down until August...(we all know someone like that.) There is always something depressing about kickin your Christmas tree to the curb when the festivities are over. We usually wait until the New Year to do so, but our tree has been dead, well, pretty much since December 1st..so we stripped it of its paper chains and tiki lights on the 26th, and it has been sleeping amidst the gutter leaves ever since. Christmas always comes and goes so fast for me..the holidays are always crazy with the Photography business,rush orders, Christmas cards( which we have YET to do for ourselves:), trying to get pictures back in time for gifts..just CRAZINESS.Between that and finding time to wrap the toys without the kids knowledge, I'm always up til 3am on Christmas eve, trying to finish things up. Christmas was at our house again, as it has been for the last couple years..which is great, cuz I don't have to get out of my pajamas...ever. This was Hayden's first Christmas, which was cute..although he really just wanted to chew on all the wrapping paper..at 9 months he hasn't quite wrapped his head around gifts yet,..he was just excited to rock his new Christmas pj's and to mooch on sissy's new things. I'd like to take credit for the knockout smile on my little Ky Ky's face this Christmas morning... However, I would have to pass that award to the beloved Milton Bradley, for creating the game "Hungry Hungry Hippo's" which stole her heart. That's really all she asked Santa for....but her new princess bike was a close second to the hippo's. Her and and I can now do cardio together around the block:) Christmas was a great blend of family, ebelskeivers (a family breakfast tradition), and relaxation..as always. I have 2 days to come up with realistic resolutions. Hence the realistic:) We'll see..Hope your Christmas was Merry and Bright:)





The Grahambini Brothers and I..

Kylie and Isaac's Engagement Session..

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Oh my girls, how I love thee...

Tonight I had a bit of an empty nest on the homefront...Jason is in Sacramento for a few days with his best bud Walter, and Kyla is having a sleepover at Landons...( because ever 3 year old needs to celebrate with a buddy when they get a new bunkbed..DUHHHH!) So I had myself a girls night..plus Hayden of course...he's always my "plus one". I decided to call it a Cookie Exchange, well, because I thought if I gave it a title it would somehow give people more of a reason to show:) :) Everyone brought 2 dozen cookies, that way when they'd go home, they could have a variety of different kinds..you know... to taunt them in the kitchen for the next few days:) I had a whirlwind of a day leading up to the girls coming over, with a million errands, a wedding concelltation, vacuming, baking cookies, making appetizers, cous cous, and salad...but somehow managed to pull it together. Although a few girls were sick...it was soo wonderful having the few that could come..I realized tonight that I need to have these simple kind of girls nights more often. Life is full of distractions, and schedules, and we all have loved ones:) Girls nights are food for the Soul:) Sitting around my table tonight I realized that I have the most amazing friends ever..hands down. I am so grateful for every moment I get with them. Whether we see eachother every week, or not for 10 months, we never seem to skip a beat. A few things I learned about the group tonight:

1. ME- I am a very messy cook..you can almost guarantee that if I am making things from scratch, I will use more pans and ingredients and utencils, that there is counter space...things will overlap, ingredients will fly....so please enter the kitchen at your own risk....:)
2.) Amanda- She is always so thoughtful..she always offers to come early and help out anyway she can (even with having a newborn to care for)...tonight she came an hour early..brought the coffee I forgot to get, and held Hayden while he ate blueberry waffles off the kitchen floor....Hey, it allowed me to cook! She is always the first to ask how I'm doing, or see when I'm struggling..The sister I never had:)
3.) Danielle- Always goes above and beyond for her friends..tonight she brought enough cookies to feed a small country..which were each frosted differently I might add...and there were like 5 different kinds!!! (thanks for the help Carlos!) Oh, and she brought the sweetest Christmas gifts for my kids....YEAH...it's no wonder they love her to death...she's just a big kid at heart...my little half pint...always the extra mile..I LOVE YOU!!
4.) Betsey-Oh Bets.....She can ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS make me laugh. I hadn't seen her in probably 8 months..and didn't think she would come, but I am SO glad she did. I have known Bets since the 6th grade, and she has always had the BEST sense of humor. Its contagious really. Everything is just more funny when Betsey is around, its a sarcastic-nonchalant-ness about her, and the way that she tells everyday stories, that is just incredibly amusing. Wish I could just bottle her up:)
5.) Emily- OH PEMREY. GIRL. Emily is in a word, just SOLID. Not in a "buff way"-well, that too, very much so..( shes our very own Marissa Miller:) but Jason and I always seem to describe her as just "solid". She is probably the most sincere and genuine person you will meet. She just has it together, and is one of those friends who you don't have to ever question about. She's loyal and endeering, and just seems to always be a good balance for me. Why oh why are we separated by HWY 17?? :)

Between Mad Gab, and peppermint hot cocoa..and seeing my little Hayden nuzzle and cuddle with these girls, I decided that girls nite needs a permanent residence on the calender for the new year.... January anyone???

D.I.Y Christmas Gifts..

Oh Martha Stewart...once a criminal, yet always a genius. The woman we love and envy above all others. The woman who gets paid millions to do crafts all day.  Poor Martha. I'm not bitter. It's Christmas time, I'm not allowed to be bitter. I'm turning my bitterness into gratefulness, because she has the greatest website ever. Considering that Christmas is only 13 days away, and I have YET to do any shopping, nor can I even think of what I would buy if I were brave enough to steer my car anywhere near the mall....I decided to ask myself the inevitable question..... The question that comes to mind for every domestic goddess on a budget. WHAT WOULD MARTHA DO? Thankfully, she had nearly 10,000 pages on Christmas. As I browsed through the gingerbread recipes, the million ways to wrap a present, and how to  Martha-ize your dinner table, I came across a couple "NO-DUH-DO-IT-YOURSELF" ideas for gifts..there were a ton, but here were a few faves, which I'm sure I had thought of subconsciously in some form, but I always appreciate a creative Muse like my dear Martha.

                                                    *Velvet ribbon belts* & Vintage tea cup candles*
                                             *Home baked goodies*    &  *Make your own blend coffee*
                                                *Home made bath Fizzies* &      Do it yourself  Lip balm*
                                                   * Home made Marshmallows     &    Cute boxes:)       

              It doesn't really matter what you give, if you wrap it pretty enough...plus, anything short of diamonds inside this gem of a box, will only be a let down. 

.Baby Love.

Just a few pics of me and my little man from Thanksgiving...Although he has tested my patience more than ever these last 2 weeks with his two top teeth coming in..He still manages  to make me melt with his adorableness:)

BBQ, BOYS, and Brothers..

"Step brothers" that is.  Yes, tonight was movie night at the Maxwells, and our couches were bombarded with boys and buns. Hamburgers, that is. We decided that in honor of Will Ferrel and the sake of comedy, that we would celebrate the release "Step Brothers" and have some friends over. ( The movie, Hilarious BTW)...Will Ferrel and John C. Reilly humor is most appreciated among the male gender, so we invited over my brothers and some other favorites. Jason fired up the barbie, my brother Tyler made gourmet rosemary potatoes..I made some DE-LISH madeline cookies (papa paul recipe-of course)..and we just enjoyed one of the first nights of actually having people over. We had the adults watchin the movie in the front room, the kids playing in the back room, and the little babies playin somewhere in between ..I feel like this was a major break through for Jason and I. We are always moving, packing, unpacking, painting, decorating, un-decorating...I never seem to want people over because I never feel like we are "set up" or fully decorated..However...Jason has spent countless hours over this last month re-doing our floors, hanging pictures, moving furniture, and "cozying up our pad". Between him, and our fireplace, I feel like we are finally ready to entertain:) There was a moment tonight as I was in the kitchen, where I was filling up sippy cups for the kids, and making coffee for the adults, and all I could hear was laughter throughout the house...and I just felt so "AT HOME". We've been in many houses that we have tried to make home, but this one just suits us so well. I could get used to hosting things at our house.. I feel a movie night tradition starting at the Maxwell Pad...

Good food.Good Friends. Good Times...

Will and Liana's Wedding..

Black Friday..

The day AFTER thanksgiving...a day to..

1.) Recover from food coma.

2.) Reflect on the time you had around the dinner table, realizing that     you truly do have the best family in the world.

3.) Be one of those people who gets up at 4am, doesn't shower, and waits in the dead of winter outside of their favorite department store, coffee in hand,shoes laced, anxiously waiting to knock down anything and everyone who stands in the way of them and their BIG SALE. It sounds revolutionary and awesome and all, but that is SO not me. I prefer to casually wake up at a decent hour, eat a few bites of leftover stuffing and pumpkin pie for breakfast...but I do love hearing the stories..YAY for the $5.00 you saved!!

We hosted Thanksgiving at our house this year...it was  a great motivation to clean, decorate, and shove things in closets (which is 90% of of what real "cleaning" is, right?) My dad cooked up an amazing menu yesterday..which YES, was as delectable as it sounds...I thought I would post the menu so you could all start scheming  for next year, on how you can end up at OUR table for Thanksgiving...Thank you Daddy, It's the meal that keeps on giving..

Maxwell House - 2009 Thanksgiving Menu

Appetizers
Joyful Corn Salsa w/Blue Corn chips
Harvest Polenta Bruschetta
Antipasto plate
Spicy Pumpkin Soup

Dinner
Spinach-Apple Salad with Maple-Bacon Vinaigrette
Cranberry-Mango Chutney
Butterscotch Baked Yams
Garlic-Asiago Mashed Potatoes
Artichoke-Parmesan Stuffing
Traditional Grandma T's Stuffing
Garlic- Rosemary Roasted Turkey with California Riesling Gravy
Honey Baked Ham
Baked Artisan Rolls

Dessert
Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream

I have some great pictures from the day, that I will post later...my coffee and pie is waiting:)

Quote of the Day..

My little Kyla (3 1/2) has been sick since last Tuesday..the kind of cough that keeps you up all night.....o.k....and  everyone else in the house as well...no sleep in the Maxwell house this week. Every day we assess how sick she is, and plan our day accordingly..of course she negotiates with us, and says she is too sick to pick up her toys off the floor..but she is most definitely NOT feeling sick as she sneaks 2 packs of Dora fruit snacks from the cupboard into her room. Tonight as she was getting ready for bed, A.K.A "purple medicine time", she walks into the kitchen as the night time coughs are beginning, and tells me,

"I'm not sick mommy, my ADAM'S APPLE is just sore" ..

CLASSIC. Jason has tried to tell her a million times, that girls don't have Adam's Apples in their throats, only boys do. But she has made it very clear that she is Right, and we are wrong. And when it comes to kids you have to pick your battles...and at the end of a long day, I was happy to smile and nod:)

Something Pretty 4 Jazzy...Baby Caden too..

As I mentioned before, I went to Arizona for my cousins baby shower this last weekend..I just wanted to  show what I gave her...Here is the card that I made her with left over newspaper from a vintage film magazine...and grandma's old buttons..OF COURSE! Then my latest gift envy..the purse..because every mom gets tired of the same diaper bag, and can use a sassy bag in the mix to lug around the diapers...I atattched the brown flower, it is actually a pin/hairclip.
So, I know it is somewhat reserved for "weddings", but I decided to use the "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue" for the gift...well, just cuz..its fun, and shes having a boy:) The Something Old..was three of my favorite onesies of Haydens....one with a guitar that says "rock me to sleep", the next, a "mom tattoo" one from House of Blues in Las Vegas..Thanks Daddy! And the third,  an Oh-so-cute Dr. Seuss onesie.. The "New"..a fuzzy hoodie:)
The "Something Borrowed" was two great books of mine...1.) What to expect *The First Year 2.)Porn for New Moms.... ITS NOT WHAT YOU THINK!!!! My mom gave this book to me when I had Hayden, and I was like "what the heck is this!!" But is actually just a book of scenarios of Dad's and the dreamy things that new moms would all love to hear like, on this page this cute dad is saying "No, you relax for awhile, I've figured out how to fold everything one-handed". Its very entertaining:) 

 The Something Blue...well, Blue Shoes. Everything is cuter when it's miniature:) Good luck on your remaining weeks Jazzy....stock up on your sleep now..

Preggo Little Jazzy J...

After 5 years of promises, I FINALLY made it out to Arizona to visit my bubbly little cousin and her sweet "Corona Family"..Jazzy is having a baby in a few weeks, I was sooo happy to make it out for her shower..We had an amazing weekend filled with tamales, dear friends, and much needed family time around the table..Jazzy and I had great plans of doing a photo shoot the day before I left, but being 8 months pregnant left her napping til 2:00 in the afternoon...(I was SOO there 9 months ago!!) So, we had to improvise and cram our session into 15 minutes alongside the road, on our way to the airport this morning..yay for Hayden holding our hair clips and pumpkin bread by my feet.. while I snapped pics in hyper speed, and pulled cactus needles out of my leg....Jazz, you are unbelievably cute pregnant, no matter WHAT you say:) LOVE YOU!!

Daddy and Kyky Adventures...

This was one of those days that you wished the whole family could have been there... but sometimes a little Daddy-Daughter Day is just what the doctor ordered. After dropping Mommy and baby-boy of at the Airport we went to Milbrae so we could take b.a.r.t. aka loud train in to the city. This was Kyla's first ride on a real train and as you would probably guess she was a little excited. The train dropped us off on Mission and 16th, a part of San Francisco which I had never been before. I wanted to check out some of the shops in the Mission District but Kyla was not having it. Maybe that is something that Ashley and I can do on a Mommy-Daddy Day adventure! After a quick stop at a book store that I had read about on another blog, we were on our way to the CA Academy of Science. It was such a beautiful day outside that we decided to walk to the Museum so we could see all the cool stuff on the way. After about 100 yards Kyla decided she was tired and that I needed to carry her on my shoulders. So that is what I did off and on for the next 3 miles. Let me tell you that there was a lot more on than off, and don't forget this is San Francisco and there are not a whole lot of flat streets. After a quick bite to eat we finally reached our destination, and was it ever worth the journey. It would be safe to say that she saw some "cool stuff". If you have not been since it was redone I suggest to make a day trip and check it out, and make some extra time so you can walk around the park. It is a little bit of peace and quiet in a not so peaceful city. After another loud train ride and a quick nap on the car ride home, Kyla and I grabbed a slice of pizza and some banilla yogurt ( I meant to misspell vanilla because that is how Kyla says it) and took it home so we could relax, eat and watch icarly goes to Japan. It Was A Good Day!!

The Allard Kiddo's

I love photographing kids....You never really know what you are going to get. They are never predictable, and always adorable. I'm reminded of what it's like to be little, and to not want to sit still, or to be too serious about myself.  It's the one time where silliness and climbing trees is actually better than a perfect smile. Because being a kid is all about having fun...and I think we accomplished that here:) Talk about cute little kids. We're talkin pinch- your -cheek- cute..the All-American-poster-kind.  And all just as sweet as the ice cream we spoke of, when in need of grin:)
                                                                           .Being seriously silly.