the minute her wispy blondes were pulled taut into two fine little sprouts, it happened. i turned her tiny frame around to take it all in, and there standing before me was…a girl. and i’m not sure what the hype is about pigtails being all little girlish because they very much are not. they are indeed very big girlish. in fact, i don’t see pippy or punky. no, i see gilligan’s maryanne, except blonde and trapped in an almost-two-year old’s very small body.
which may be why brett gasped when he saw the cover of her two year book.
and then it went something like this:
brett: no.
me: what, you don’t like it?
brett: i don’t want that on her book.
me: you don’t like the picture?
brett: i want a baby on the cover. that’s not a baby.
me: but she’s two. and that’s a two-year-old, babe.
brett: she doesn’t even know how to ride a tricycle, kelle.
which, might i add is true…however, i love, love, love these pictures we took to finalize her book and somehow, we convinced him that the book stands as finished.
…and then, as i followed her around the lawn last night as the sun began to set and the bottoms of her bare feet blackened, i caught this little moment where the sun danced through all golden on the loose strings that escaped from her pigtails as she found these flowerish things, picked them…and tried to blow the imaginary seeds off. and i don’t even know where she learned that because, sadly, we don’t have dandelions here. and i kicked myself after the whole thing because my camera was on the wrong settings, but…nevertheless. it works.
shall i mention that looking at these pictures accompanied by eva cassidy’s kathy’s song (which, might i add, just might be my favorite song of all time)…evokes stomach lurching. and wellings of puddles of the salty sort in the eyes.
moving on… this ain’t the big fat post for nothing.
being that this last little photo shoot for her book cover has been checked off…
…we are finished.
yes, the book is done.
all one hundred pages of it.
all i-really-don’t-want-to-know-how-many-hours-i-spent of it.
but it was all a divine pleasure. from the night of her first birthday party when i dragged, cut, pasted and saved the very first page in her second year book. and since then, dropping page after page with each blessed month to create a memoir near and dear to our hearts. and, while i’d much rather take the title of album designer over scrapbooker, i can’t deny the fact that…well, yup. i’m a scrapbooker. i scrapbook. there, i said it. and, when i do it, brett calls me scrappy. …and that makes me laugh.
and i won’t let him look at any of the book until it lands in our sweet hands in a couple weeks, but if you’d like to flip through this little work of art, click on twelve months of hard work here.
as for my new favorite additions (here’s where the big fat post part comes in)….
the delicious back cover…
the homage-paid-to-the-bruh-bruhs 2-pg. spread…
the newest easter lovins’…
a shout-out to her homies… (nici, spot a familiar face?)
my favorit-est page in the whole book…the title page…
and the answer to all my stress over leaving out so many photo gems… one year of favorites crammed into 4 small pages…
oh, laud have mercay! the big fat post is gunna burst!
i shan’t tell about the amazing, fabulous woman i met today who inspired me in so many ways…she’s so gettin’ a chapter in my book someday, but no, i’ll leave that for another post.
for now, that should be it.
yes, that’s it.
…enjoying the big & fat things. ~k
will draw for giveaway later this week, so there’s still time.
P.S. Super great Mother’s Day photo/gift special to come! And a refer-a-friend bonus. Details to come!
pure love. i needed that.
thanks for sharing her smiles. and yours.
Just looked at LL’s 2nd year book! There are no words to describe it…it is SIMPLY BREATHTAKING. My words would not do the book justice! YOU ARE UNBELIEVABLE! Jason pulled up a chair & looked with me. His eyes bugged out, then he asked me, “Are you going to do this for Baby Miller, can you do this, do you know how?” He made me laugh! To which I replied, “Honey, combined we don’t have the amount of talent that Kelle has in her ‘lil pinky finger!” Which BTW, is so true! You are SO GIFTED….you need to be featured in a magazine, on Oprah or Ellen or something! OK, I’ll stop rambling. This book, along with her 1st year book, is such a KEEPSAKE for generations to come. You and Brett have given her such an AMAZING gift, by creating the memories you have. This is like the “Cherry on Top”.
such a BEAUTIFUL book!!! i bet you are so proud and looking at such a labor of love makes all the sleep deprivation so worth while i’m sure!! can i ask what site you use for your layouts??
Unnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnbelievable…and I knew it was being built, page by page. What cherished moments–how she will call you blessed someday when she has this record of year two in her life. Amazing…I am afraid you are a genetic mistake–because this certainly was not in your mother or my chromosomes. I want to order one!
oh my….the second year book is completed. i love the pages you posted here and can’t wait to see the rest and how how exciting it will be when it comes in the mail. love the collage of favorite pictures throughout the year…precious! now i feel inspired to get moving on samantha’s book. ahhh! xo
Love it.
Love it all.
Amazing. seriously. i love the color blocking, the simplicity, the detail, all of it.
thanks for including jonah in the birthday pages. 🙂
xoxo!
oh my Kelle… simply beautiful.
It needs to be asked — what digital scrapbooking program do you use?? 🙂 I want details, babe!
starting with the pigtails…i ADORE them on her. yes, a true toddler they do make…but that’s okay. growing up was bound to happen one of these days.
i’ll miss the little fuzzy headed baby with the shy smile, but i know she’s still in there somewhere, hiding behind bowed pigtails, budding independence, and a fierce pair of shoes!
there really are no words for this book. a.m.a.z.i.n.g!!! p.e.r.f.e.ct.!! i know how hard you have worked, how meticulous you have been in getting it just right, often redoing whole pages bc it didn’t feel right. at the time, i thought you were nuts bc i wouldn’t had changed a thing, but it has turned out so beautifully kell.
can’t wait to hold it in my hands and go through each page!
xoxo
While I use some Adobe products for a lot of my editing now, I use Microsoft Digital Image Suite for all my scrapbooking because it is SO user friendly, especially if you’re already used to using Microsoft software. They don’t make it anymore, but you can buy it on ebay…or google it. Pretty inexpensive. Every single shred of scrapbook embellishments, texts, letters, etc. in the book was free on internet sites (www.shabbyprincess.com is a great one). The program is all drop, drag, insert, cut and paste. Easy peezy. Key is ORGANIZE YOUR FILES! Make a folder for digital scrapbooking and then make subfolders for different colors/papers/sets/letters, etc.
Amazing how time passes so fast ,glad to share these time with you . have a nice day and keep enjoying your time . [please come to visit at my blog …. i am missing your visit ]
Malu
OMG!!!! Absolutely breathtaking words and photos of miss lainey love. Inspirational is what you are Kelle and Lainey! You make me want to be a better woman and mommy. Lainey is so lucky to have you as her Mommy and have Brett as her Daddy! Amazing are you all and incredible that I can call you my friend. I so look forward to Cameryn & Lainey growing up together as best girlfriends!!!
Trisha
Holy shiv! You hit this book out of the park! I love the 4 page collages! What a great way to keep it to 100 pages and not the 350 pages it could’ve been!
I LOVE the ones of her crouching in the grass picking dandelions! There’s something so captivating about those!!
HOMERUN!
Oh my, this book is absolutely beautiful!! Thank you for sharing…and inspiring….I had tears reading your sweet words to her. Your sweet little daughter is simply adorable!
Oh holy shit. How am I only seeing this now? The convo with Brett is hilarious. The pages of her brothers started me getting teary AND THEN little bug’s cute face on Lainey’s pal page?! oh.
And your words are lovely. And the mama’s favorite shots pages rock. Off to check out the whole dang thing now. xo
Kelle, can you tell me where you found sweet lainey’s jean jacket? I have searched and searched for a cute cropped one like this for my daughter…..
The jacket is Baby Gap last year. It’s 6-12 months, but I’ll be forcin’ her in it for months to come! ha
Wow Kel, how in the world can you choose your favorite pictures from all the ones you have taken in the past 2 years. They are so amazing. I can’t imagine when Lainey grows up how many pictures she will have to look back on. What a priceless memory. PS…love the pigtails!!
I am going to look for that Microsoft program. This is amazing. You take fantastic photos and your little girl is so lucky that you make the books, too! How inspiring!
May I ask you this…once you make a page like the ones you showed here, do you save them and upload onto a blank page on snapfish for ordering the book? THANKS!