He squealed with delight the first time... and the hundredth time.

"I'm ready to go sledding now! Mom, can we man AND a snow penguin?"




Carter and one of his best friends, B.


This picture makes me happier than words can express. I was so proud of my boy today. Generally he's so very careful about new adventures. Yesterday I stood him in the snow and he screamed like a naked baby. Wouldn't walk because he was sure he would fall. It took a few minutes of coaxing just to help him feel confident he could take 2 steps in the snow, so for him to channel his adventuring side and have this much fun in the snow made me beam!




Our side yard thing has steep hills and shallow hills, so it's fun for all. But these boys were all about going faster! This is pretty steep for a 2.5 year old, especially after two hours of matting it down and polishing it up with all that sledding. Carter kept screaming, "I wanna go down da big one again!"

Guest Post - "A 2-Foot View" a.k.a. "My Grandma Gave Me a DigiCam 4 Christmas" by Carter (feat. commentary by Mom)

Wowee our ceilings are tall.


Whoa, buddy. You're scaring me. Focus on walking down the stairs. Do nothing else but walk down the stairs one foot at a time.

Reflections of bed and window.
Cousin RayRay
Ray!
Hey, who took your camera? Putting together your new race car track.

Cityscape


Rayder in a Raiders shirt.


Very picture worthy, indeed! Aww.


I think this is Ray's crotch? Or maybe aunt Meg's? Kris? Wait, why am I even pretending like I would be able to tell who's it is??


Hi, Uncle Kris!

Mommy and Auntie Mel getting supper ready.

Nice framing job, son! Through the chair back.


Hiyeee!!!


A low view of the party.



Nice job on this one! Uncle Chris!




Oh, the old leave-the-lens-open -for-a-sec-trick! Nice one.



Auntie Meg


Auntie Meg's rack new scarf from Uncle Kendall.



Meet the photographer.


Nice use of color!


Macro.


Self Portrat #1.


My fave: Self Portrait #2.




Happy Holidays!

the ring wraith

Steve was a Ring Wraith from Lord of the Rings for Halloween.

Our friend Marcia took this picture of him.

Generally, her photos are of a more cheerful nature. Like the time she took our family photos in the top banner of this blog.

Or the time she made me look less than horrible when I had to be placed front and center in a catalog for my company.

You really need to check her out at www.marsvasquez.com

Now, back to making holiday gifts.

WINNER! 100 holiday cards or letters from Kennalyn.com

WOW! Thank you for 263 entries to this contest! Holy moly, I wasn't expecting quite so many. They were coming out from everywhere - the blog, the website, Facebook. Super fun!!

Congratulations to Lindsay Clausse! YOU WIN!

For everyone else, check your email later today for a special holiday TREAT from me!

GIVEAWAY 100 Custom Holiday Photo Cards or Letters

Can you believe it's almost November already!? My first thought is to freak out a little bit that the holidays are just around the corner. But one of you can cross one of the biggest seasonal "to-dos" off the list because I'm giving away 100 holiday photo cards OR letters, completely customized for YOU. The winner can choose from a design on kennalyn.com or request a custom design (SERIOUSLY.)

Your name can be placed in the drawing multiple times. Here's how to earn entries:

1. Get one entry by visiting kennalyn.com and voting for your favorite design in the comments on this post.

2. Get 2 additional entries by signing up for the Kennalyn.com PERKS email list by clicking here.

3. Get 4 additional entries if you spread the word on Facebook by posting about Kennalyn.com holiday printables. (To get credit for this one, you have to let me know you've done it by commenting here.)

4. Get 7 additional entries if you have a blog and you post the HOLY CUTE Kennalyn.com animated button in your sidebar. Get the button from my sidebar. If that button is too big, use this button instead. (To get credit for this one, you have to let me know you've done it by commenting here.)

5. Get 10 additional entries if you actually talk about kennalyn.com OR this contest on your blog.

These entries can add up fast. If you do all of the above, you'll have 24 entries into the drawing. I have approximately 3 regular blog readers, so your chances of winning are pretty great!

Check out the collection of holiday cards, letters, and gift tags at kennalyn.com - new designs are being added regularly.

Time's a ticking, you have ONE WEEK. (Tues, Oct 27th @ midnight)

Good luck!!!

Tell me what you think, and don't lie.

I'm pretty sure everyone who reads this blog knows I've been a graphic designer for a decade, give or take. I mainly work in the realm of corporate identity: logos, catalogs, business cards, websites, etc., but every now and again I do personal-type items like birth announcements and wedding invitations.

For the last few holiday seasons, some friends and family have asked me to design custom Christmas cards, gift tags, etc. I'm happy to do it for my favorite people for free. (They just reimburse me for the cost of printing.)

The other day I was anticipating the upcoming design frenzy I normally experience during the next couple of months, and a great idea came to me. I decided to create a handful of designs (some with specific friends and family members' personalities in mind) for my best buddies to choose from this season. That way, I could very quickly implement their customizations and possibly avoid going bonkers this year! (Friends, I love you. You could never make me bonkers.)

As I was finishing up the last design, I realized that streamlining this process made it completely scalable. I could offer the same gift I give my closest friends to everyone, and it would require no extra work on my behalf. So that's what I've decided to do...

My holiday gift to my family's family and my friends' friends (and their friends and family, too!) is to give them access to my holiday cards, letters, gift tags and stickers for FREE! All you'll need to pay for is the cold, hard cost of printing. Annnnd, I've scored us all some pretty amazing prices with my long-standing offset and digital press relationships. I can KILL VistaPrint on pricing, as well as Costco, Heritage Makers, etc. Except that I'm giddy with gleeful glee (Do you watch Glee? It's my fave new show this season) to promise you that the quality of printing I'm able to offer is incomparably higher.

So now, please do the following:

1. Go check out the handful of designs I have put up at www.kennalyn.com and let me know what you think! I'll be adding more designs periodically, and if you are looking for a Christmas card with, say, a hippopotamus on it? Just let me know, I'll do my best to make a darling one available asap.

2. Feel no obligation to order your holiday paper goods through me. Remember, I created this process first and foremost to save ME time. But if you like what you see, by all means, take advantage. And share the love! Send to anyone you think might be interested.

NOTE: You can also design your OWN business cards, magnets, sitckers, bookmarks, envelopes, letters, cards and more using my online design portal. Just upload your own design and take advantage of killer prices.

Seasons

Sometimes life just kind of kicks your butt, doesn't it? How do many of the full time working moms I know do it all? Work, be a mom, cook dinner every night, shave BOTH legs, look hot and stay caught up on laundry? I fall short on at least one of these things each week.

Or, am I just seeing what I want to see? Maybe they don't get it all done like it appears. Maybe they look at me and wonder how I keep it all together. (That's laughable. If they were only to come take a peek in my fridge. Or under my couch!)

A week or so ago, cjane posted something I haven't stopped thinking about.

"I am not right. I am not right because I am not listening to what is right. Right for me, my body, my season of life."

Like cjane, my current season is not about house decoration, rather organization and cleanliness.

My season is not about fashion, rather simple items that are easily laundered.

My season is not about cooking elegant meals, rather green smoothies, sandwiches, and plain produce.

My season is for getting through. For working at the office and leaving it all there as I drive out of the parking lot. For soaking in every second of time I get with my son (and soak it all in, I do.) A season for growing with my husband and creating our family.

Though many women can do more, I cannot ask myself to do more than the above.

Another season may call for fashion-forward wardrobes, social entertaining and silk drapery.

Until then, this is enough. I don't need any more than this to be happy.

Some 4:14 a.m. complaining.

It's almost 4 a.m. and I still haven't fallen asleep...which makes me even more angry than it would in any normal situation (not that insomnia is normal for me), because I'm sick and I really need some rest. Dare I say more sick than I've been in years. I've worked myself to the ground and brought this upon myself. Not that I had much of a choice... when life puts a mountain in your path, the only choice in my world is to start hiking.

It's like one huge bump after another. Too much work, no choice but to hunker down and do it, got the cold/flu of death, which made me miss a day at the office, which made me even more stressed out about work, so I worked 14 hours Friday from home and 8-or-so hours on Saturday, which possibly made me more sick. I missed my anticipated 5k race which was supposed to be on Saturday morning, and at this point I'm asking myself, "Why can't you be like everyone else when they're sick and call it as it is? 'I'm sick. Can't work. Sorry 'bout that, guess you have to deal with my workload while I'm out.' Why?"

I can't take night-time Tylenol, or night-time anything for that matter. The ingredients that help most people sleep keep me up all night in a jittery, paranoid mess. So today I tried Tylenol Cold & Flu Daytime. And I took it... in THE DAYTIME. And here I am 12 entire hours later, with the identical freaky, shaky feeling I get with p.m. meds. So I got up to Google the ingredients and turns out, it's not uncommon to experience shakes and insomnia when taking Phenylephrine HCI, the third ingredient in these "relief softgels". I hate you, Tylenol.

I've already called in sick for tomorrow, but I have to work from home. And now I'm sitting here sobbing because I don't even know how that is possible at this point. The more time I take off, the taller the pile of work on my desk grows. I can't seem to find a way to dig myself out of this one.

Boo. Hoo.

Wah.

There, I got it out. Go ahead and tell me to suck it up, I deserve it.

Don't bust my b*lls

Can whoever taught him this please fess up? You'll have full amnesty, I swear. I just really need to know so I can T.P. your house.

Breakfast

Yum.

What is more fascinating than a developing mind?

Carter has always loved coloring. I love this about him, because I also love coloring. I find it very therapeutic.


You can get your frustrations out:



Or be very quiet and purposeful as you draw.


These pictures were taken several months ago. During that time, when I would ask him what he was drawing, he would say "Cars. I'm drawin' cars."


So this past week we've started a game that he now asks for every evening: "Mom, can we draw cars?" And here's what "drawing cars" means...

First, I hold his crayon-filled fist and together we draw two wheels, the bottom, and a front and back bumper. He narrates each part as our car begins to take shape. If he had his wish, we would repeat this 5,000 times per night, using every color in the box.

One night I asked him to try the top of the car himself. "Just connect one bumper to the other one. Up and over. See? Like this.":

His response was the sweetest, most humble and mildly embarassed, "Mom, I can't do it."

But by the next night, he found the courage to try, as long as the tip of my pointer finger touched the end of the crayon for moral support:(The second one down, he declared, is a "race car!" Indeed.)

By tonight, he is a pro.
Together we draw the wheels, the bottom, and the bumpers.
Then he draws the top and says (even on the 20th victory) "[gasp!] I did it! Look!"
And then, with nested hands, we add the windows.