{life's lessons through ferris bueller}

The Golden Globes are tonight. I've seen just one of the films (which I find amusing because usually I haven't seen any of them and if I have, it's an animated film because of the kids) and it just happens to be nominated for Best Motion Picture. It's a bit eye opening because it tells me that Erik and I need to go out for date night more often! TrainWreck is hysterical, I loved it and I love Amy Schumer who is also nominated for Best Actress. As much as I loved the movie though, my heart belongs to 1987. I was nine years old. 

 In 1987, Matthew Broderick was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Performance in my all time favorite movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I'm pretty sure I saw it when I was nine years old too, which makes me laugh because there are certain parts that I wouldn't want Kieran to see now! And though there are countless movies that have come after Ferris Bueller with far greater depth, complexity and everything else, it's still my favorite movie and it always will be.

Maybe it's because I think of life in its quotes...

"Life moves pretty fast,

if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

Life can be pretty tough, and around our house (especially lately), 

it's not always sunshine and rainbows.

I'm a glass half full kind of girl though, and I try my best to pass this along to my kids.

What better way to release tension than a snowball fight?

"The question isn't "what are we going to do", the question is "what aren't we going to do?"

Anna was pretty excited about hitting Kieran with some snowballs made with the snowball maker.

 "Les jeux sont faits. Translation: the game is up. Your ass is mine."

Liam thought it was pretty great, too!

And though I was able to capture some of these images...

which are pretty much pure joy,

I put down my camera to sled with them, laugh with them and connect with them.

It's like the scene in the art museum, where Ferris, Cameron and Sloane are walking hand in hand with school children-I get weepy every time. Childhood is so fleeting! Cameron then finds himself staring at (what is also my favorite painting) "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte". The creator of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, John Hughes, was once interviewed saying, "I always thought this painting was sort of like making a movie, the pointillist style." "You don't have any idea what you've made until you step back from it."

It's so important, even amongst the chaos, the crazy, the stress of life as we know it, to take a step back. Just like a Sunday Afternoon, just like Ferris Bueller's Day Off, I'm reminded...

to be present,

to take a look around,

to take it all in,

to experience the glass half full,

 instead of half empty.

I'm reminded to take a step back when I look at my husband and my children, to revel at what we've been through, what we're going through, and what is yet to come, good and bad.

To be thankful.

To know what we've made...

and I'm not going to miss it!

the magic of christmas

The magic of Christmas-it's my favorite time of year. I start listening to Christmas carols the day after Thanksgiving and continue listening to only carols the whole season. I don't get tired of them-the fun ones, the silly ones, the ones that give you chills. My favorite carol? I can't say that I have just one because I love so many, but I can say that I love any Christmas song by John Denver. Hokey, maybe, but I don't care. I still love a good John Denver tune.

 I grew up surrounded with folk music from my parents. Either listening to folk artists or listening to my parents playing the guitar, the piano or singing. Growing up, they were the head of the choir at church. They were the ones that were hired for weddings and funerals, they even sang at my wedding. Erik calls my mom the "church lady" ala Saturday Night Live. I have to admit, I get a good laugh from that, but I promise she's a lot better and I am thankful every day that my parents instilled in me a love for music. My only regret is that I don't play an instrument!  If you haven't heard any Christmas songs by John Denver, go listen.  Afterall, December 25 may have come and gone, but it is still the Christmas season! 

Our Christmas season is most complete for me when we travel to visit Erik's family and see the lights at CALM. This picture doesn't do it justice, it's only a small fraction of what you see and it's absolutely gorgeous!

"The light that shines for all to see...

the peace of Christmas day." -The Peace Carol

Anna, of course, was the first one up Christmas morning! She is usually one of, if not the last to sleep in on a regular morning, but Christmas? Where's the party?

"Find your heart...

open up both your eyes." -It's in Every One of us

Sometimes the sisters bicker, and other times be still my heart.

"See how much there is to give, see how strongly you believe...

see how much you may receive." -Aspenglow

Christmas would not be complete without tears (of joy, of course) from my mom.

"The season is upon us now, a time for gifts and giving...

and as the year draws to its close, I think about my living." -A Baby Just Like You

I decided this year we'd use the remote shutter to document that we were here without anyone having to have a camera in their hand. I need a lot more practice, but it's a start! It's the only one that has the six of us and we never did take a whole family photo other than our card-that's life.

"I don't know if you believe in Christmas, or if you have presents underneath the Christmas tree...

but if you believe in love, that will be more than enough, for you to come and celebrate with me."

We actually had a Christmas Eve Eve with my parents before they headed to my sister and brother-in-law's house this year. We have "big Christmas" every other year.

"Christmas is a time to come together, a time to put all differences aside...

and I reach out my hand to the family of man, to share the joy I feel at Christmas time." 

I just happened to steal this moment from my dad and Tatum. According to my mom, she knows Tatum loves her, but she'll drop her in seconds flat as soon as she sees her Nonno.  They have a really special bond.

"For I have held the precious gift that love brings, even though I've never saw a Christmas star...

 But I know there is a light, I have felt it burn inside and I can see it shining from afar."

We had a fairly quiet and calm Christmas morning and celebrated with Erik's parents. Liam loved seeing Papa in his space age ski goggles.

"For the truth that binds us all together, I would like to say a simple prayer...

that at this special time, you will have true peace of mind and love to last throughout the coming year." -A Christmas Wish

And of course, what would Christmas (or any day for that matter) be, without Liam getting into something he wasn't supposed to. I think he ate everyone's chocolate from Santa. #liamstrikesagain

"Perhaps love is like a window, perhaps an open door...

 it invites you to come closer, it wants to show you more". -Perhaps Love

Liam's big gift from Santa was his John Deere tractor, which everyone but Kieran and Erik have ridden so far. I may or may not have ridden it in the garage yesterday.

"It's tall in the saddle we spend Christmas Day, driving the cattle over snow covered plains...

So many gifts have been opened today...

ours is the sky,

 and the wide open range."

Okay, so no wide open range or snow, especially not inside the house, but riding an electric tractor was as close as I could come to riding a horse. ;)

When I was just a wee little boy, full of health and joy, 

One Christmas morning I received The Marvelous Little Toy.

A wonder to behold it was with many colors bright...

And the moment I laid eyes on it, it became my heart's delight." The Marvelous Little Toy 

(lyrics by Tom Paxton)

"That Peace on Earth fills up your time, that brotherhood surrounds you...

That you may know the warmth of love and wrap it all around you." -A Baby Just Like You

Our priest at our church spoke to all of us at family mass on Christmas Eve, he even wore a Christmas bow on his head for part of the mass. His message simple, but so powerful. While presents we give to others at Christmas can signify the gifts that were brought to Jesus by the Wise men, the true presents, the gift, the magic of Christmas is us. It is YOU! Jesus lives in us, in our hearts. We share this love and we give this gift to others. Father gave each child a Christmas bow to take home and instructed them to put the ribbons on their heads Christmas Day.

It's my absolute favorite picture...

"Music makes pictures and often tells stories, all of it magic and all of it true...

and all of the pictures and all of the stories, all of the magic, the music is you." -The Music is You

...it's the magic of Christmas.

"Live, Jesus, in our hearts! Forever"-Lasallian Prayer

it's one of those ones...

It's one of those ones...

it's not perfect, it's me holding the camera at arms length. It's the fourth of July, one of my favorite days of the whole year.

It's one of those ones...

that reminds you that even when it seems like you're bickering over the most stupid things far too often, 

 solidifies the reason that you said 'yes' all those years ago.

It's one of those ones...

 that captures the moment that quickly becomes a flash in the pan, yet helps to take that walk down memory lane years down the road.

It's one of those ones...

that reenergizes you to want to do better, be better, love better to have the kind of relationship that you hope your children will someday have as well.

It's one of those ones...

that reminds you even when storms are brewing, love shines.

It's one of those ones...

that even though the soft focus, I'll never delete.

It's one of those ones...

that means everything to me.

spring in our step

I loved our sweet little house... 

 I still miss it. We visited the new owners not too long ago and when we got out of the car, Tatum said, "Oh! We're home!" It made me a little teary eyed, I felt as though I had taken something away from her  that she had loved and never bothered to give it back. I have so many memories in our sweet little house that I am ever so thankful I found my love for photography and documented so many of them. Those memories are ours forever.

I'm also ever so thankful for my sweet husband, Erik. He worked so hard to make our little house a home. We had more to accomplish there to make it what we wanted, but we just grew too big to keep it. I am so thankful for the sweet family that lives there now as they are treating it with such love and care and it looks adorable. I know that they will continue to bring love and happiness there and make changes to the house itself that will bring it new life.

As for us, our new home is so different. It's bigger, has quirks that we knew about and others we are uncovering. Some, just small issues, others eerily similar to the time we had to zip wall the house. Somehow, water does not like us. I stop there though, because we've hit our limit of three and that's that universe!

There's much to change decoratively, but that comes with time. As of now, Erik is once again working endlessly, tirelessly, day in and day out to give us the backyard that we never had in our sweet little house.  It was just a small patio. It worked when Kieran and Anna were really little, but as they grew, there was only so much sidewalk chalk I could convince them to play as I feverishly cleaned the house.

We have beautiful parks where we live, and we frequent them, but there were those days that I longed to send them outside if I was too tired or couldn't join them just then and say, "Have fun! Go play!" and have it last more than twenty minutes.

Our little dream of a backyard is becoming a reality. I say dream because I don't take for granted, not for a second, the hard-earned money, time, effort and love that Erik has given that has brought us to this point. 

Enter the in-ground trampoline.

 So

 much

 fun!

 Even for

the big kids.

There's no fence to the yard right now, so it's a little strange with people walking on the trail and seeing into our yard. Thankfully, it's only for another couple of days. Until then, if they were looking in, they would have seen a group of siblings (sorry, Liam, you were eating in the high chair at the time of these pictures) giggling and jumping with pure glee with their daddy.

You would have seen a little girl learning that along with her new home, 

comes new memories and comfort as we settle in.

You would have seen,

that love lives here too, and that's all that really matters.

goodbye, halloween

Growing up, I loved Halloween.

Somewhere my mom has pictures of me as Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan and as a self-invented blue conehead martian.

Can't quite put my finger on it, but it's not my favorite holiday as an adult. 

I can't remember the last time I dressed up, it's been a while. I really don't love all the candy, well, actually I do and that's the problem!

Erik wondered where the candy went. I seriously mowed it all down. Yuck.

I can't say I love the battles of a 7 year old boy wearing or not wearing his costume at the parade.

He feared that he would be made fun of and wiped off the awesome beard I drew, but at least Captain Jack Sparrow made his appearance. And, wouldn't you know, just like last year, he had a great time!

That said, I loved the heart of his expression...

the child in him that I hope remains forever.

I loved the excitement in her voice when she said, "Next house, Mommy, Next house!"

I loved the pitter patter of her little feet as they hit the pavement 

 with intense desire to keep up with her siblings.

I loved that even when her big sister has moments where she's not always nice,

 there's more moments like these where I ask to take their picture and their sisterly love radiates. 

It truly melts my heart.

I loved that this big sister made sure to include her tired baby brother as he had no choice but to ride from house to house wondering what was going on.

I loved his cute glow in the dark skeleton jammies.

No, I can't say that I'm sad to see Halloween go.

My very favorite holidays are ahead.

Gratitude, love and joy await us as Thanksgiving and Christmas draw near.

Time to pack it up,

and call it a day.

Still, I realize that there will come a time where trick-or-treating will come to a screeching halt. There won't be anymore elementary school parades (not until I'm a grandma anyway), or Halloween art projects. 

It may not be my favorite holiday, 

but I loved that Erik and I got to spend it with them.

I loved sharing in their playfulness, silliness, and fun. I can only imagine that that is what it was like for my mom watching me paint my face blue, strap on rainbow suspenders and put on some boxer shorts in my conehead glory. 

No, this holiday is not at the top of my list, but making memories with my family, now that's number one.

Goodbye, Halloween,

see you next year!

you need to know {father's day 2013}

Dear Erik,

This Father's Day, more than any other, 

you need to know so many things.

I think of these things daily and I know that I don't say them enough.

So, it's important to me to write it-when you're having a rough day and need a pick me up, 

I hope this will be enough...at least for a moment.

You need to know that I never dreamed that a date at Giorgio's would have led to a marriage and four beautiful children.

You need to know that your love and sacrifice for our family is immeasurable. 

You need to know that Kieran, Anna, Tatum and Liam think that you are the bees knees, even when they are constantly calling for me. As soon as you are out the door, they are asking for you!

You need to know that you don't give yourself enough credit for being a great dad.

You need to know that even though you think it's silly I have to take a picture of everything, that these four sweet babies will not be little forever and you will cherish this when we are old.

You need to know that I cannot imagine my life without you and I am so blessed that you are my best friend, my love for life and father to four little hearts that we created.

And, I know you know...

that you

are so very, very, loved.

the honor of my life {pinewood derby}

The highlight of the weekend, well Kieran's weekend anyway, was the Pinewood Derby.

This is his second year in Adventure Guides with Erik, and the Derby is one of the signature events of the year. I loved Friday night because Erik and I were actually able to break away from all four kids and go to a dinner party with all the Adventure Guide moms and dads! Even though it wasn't a date all by ourselves, it was still with adult company and it made me realize how important it is to have that time, we need to go out more often!

As for the Pinewood Derby, we had to prepare Kieran that even when you don't win a trophy, participating is still memorable and a lot of fun! I think it's great the kids get a participant ribbon, and equally great that not all the kids get a trophy. Last year, Kieran cried and I was determined to have it sink in with him that no matter what, it was about having fun with his daddy.

Well, he definitely had fun as evidenced by the smile on his face...

 oh, and the fact that he won not one,

but two trophies!

Second place out of 35 or so cars for speed, and sixth place for design. I was a proud mama and wife of my two boys! 

He pouted just a little before receiving them because he wanted to win first. For a moment I thought, "Here we go again!" We talked about the Olympics and how winning silver is an amazing accomplishment, even just being in the Olympics is an amazing accomplishment!

Then after receiving the trophies, I had to laugh just a little when Kieran announced, "Winning these trophies is the honor of my life!"

Obviously we're still working on it, but for now, I'll let him bask in his trophy glory.

He's asleep with them in bed.