I have this vision in my head of the perfect meal in our home. It’s December and a wicked cold front has threatened even our hearty palms. There is a fire crackling and the kids are hovered over a board game in the living room which is radiantly illuminated by a kaleidoscope of colored Christmas tree lights. Ingrid Michaelson is humming from the speakers at the perfect volume and there’s a football game on somewhere, the sound of announcers and cheering fans balanced perfectly with the music, with the laughter, with one of the kids rolling the dice and tapping their game piece against the board. I am in the kitchen…peeling potatoes, chopping carrots, peering over my shoulder to check a pot that is quietly boiling on the stove behind me. There is a baby slung to my chest, sleeping soundly with jammied feet dangling just so outside the edge of the sling, and the sounds of a toddler are cheerfully echoing from around the corner. The table is set, the candles are flickering and we are waiting to hear a doorbell which will activate the welcoming chain of dogs barking, kids yelling, bodies running toward the door where throngs will gather to hug arriving grandpas, grandmas, cousins, aunts, uncles. Someone will comment on whatever delicious scent happens to be wafting through the house at that moment and another will beg to steal the baby. I’ll wipe my hands on my apron and happily oblige. Moments later, the all-call will ensue and everyone will gather as littles search small tables for their name and biggers will settle into comfy seats along a long stretch of table. The good dishes are set. Candles are lit. And there will be Grace. During prayer, little eyes will peek to see who’s not really praying. “Amen,” we’ll say, and for the tiniest sliver of time there will be blessed silence when all who are present will hold back tears and think of how very precious this moment is. And then, like the second after the stock market bell rings when purposeful, necessary chaos follows, it begins. The passing of the dishes, the small-talk, the heads-tipped-back-in-laughter as life takes center stage. It is perfect. And it is beautiful.
Is it really like this in our house? Um, no. But, I believe in this dreamy scene, whole-heartedly…even if it’s only in the movies and even though our efforts toward these kind of family meal moments seem to fall short right now. I still believe in them. Presently, we do a lot of telling each other how much we’re going to get better and dreaming of what it looks like. When it happens, it is so very good. In the meatime…we have something to work towards. And, with the holidays coming up, it just might happen. A girl can dream, eh?
So, how do meals really work in our home? Check out Brooke McLay’s article over at Babble on Our Family Meals.
Last Christmas:
Sharing our favorite recipe too…check it.
And, oh…can I just say thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support for our Buddy Walk. I watched the donation graph climb higher and higher yesterday and at one point was just completely overcome with gratitude. Tears. There is so much love…thank you for sharing it. You are making a difference. We’re still raising money here, and every dollar counts.
Busy days ahead. Friends and family coming in from out of town today and a very meaningful weekend in store. If you’re in the area, we’d love to see you at the Buddy Walk! Oh, and I do believe a nice little giveaway will make its way before then. Stay tuned!
beautiful prose!
Have a wonderful weekend!
~Debra at http://ourimperfectlife.blogspot.com
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Family dinners are wonderful. These last few months I have been discouraged. Dienheartened. Upon learning this, my sister organized weekly family dinners. Every week my family descends onto our home on Thursday night. There is turkey or ham. There is apple pies or cakes. And there is love. Always love.
I’m praying God will surprise me with some unexpected money for your buddy walk.
Family dinners are wonderful. These last few months I have been discouraged. Dienheartened. Upon learning this, my sister organized weekly family dinners. Every week my family descends onto our home on Thursday night. There is turkey or ham. There is apple pies or cakes. And there is love. Always love.
I’m praying God will surprise me with some unexpected money for your buddy walk.
Oh that dinner. I could see it, smell it. We have a couple opportunities to make it happen coming up: Thanksgiving and Christmas.
What? Why just those days? Seriously?…with dance, karate, Buddy walk planning, boys weekend out, cub scouts… we are lucky we eat at all!
Enjoy your walk this weekend. I can’t wait to see your post. I predict it will be grand.
Phil
http://www.deedahandme.com/blog
kelle,
you described a beautiful family celebration, it was so perfect it brought a tear to my eye.
id a love just one perfect holiday dinner like that.
but my family sadly is more like the stage of jerry springer.
jerry! jerry! jerry!
oh well,what can ya do.
cant choose your family
so you just gotta love them anyway.
Thank you, Kelle.
Your house looks so festive already. There can’t be any cold fronts though until I’ve been over (nov 5th to 13th) for my pre Christmas dose of sunshine and shopping in the Sunshine State!
A fortnight ago I cooked “weekend dinner” for my husband’s birthday, midweek – do you know what I mean by that? Food that would have taken an hour to cook instead of 10 minutes which is ok at the weekend when you have the time. There were candles, mood lighting, best crockery and cutlery . . . there was romance in the air . . then he was late coming home and turned the lights up saying he couldn’t see his food, wolfed it down in seconds and beetled off to watch the TV! And who said romance is dead?!
Have a great weekend and a good Buddy Walk,
H xx
Best wishes this weekend Kelle! I know it will be so special!
STUNNING! Enjoy your weekend! ROCK it out!
Reading your description I got goosebumps… because that scenario sounds exactly like how I’d like to be welcomed into heaven! The smells & sounds & dance of a family together… loving, nourishing.
Enjoy your Buddy Walk… it really is an amazing experience to feel all that love, support and acceptance in one beautiful moment. Soak it up… looking forward to hearing your stories.
xo
Kate
Beautifully written. I, too, have the lovely family meal dream you described. For now, I would just settle for a meal where there isn’t a hint of a grumble from the children over what I have prepared for them- where they sit in gratitude for the food and family provided to them. Perhaps that, too, is a pipe dream. But, truly, we are lucky that each night all six of us are together at the table for dinner. It’s more than what many families we know can manage.
Best wishes this weekend! I am looking forward to holiday meals, beautiful!
Dinner exactly how I pictured it! We’re having dinner here on Christmas Eve for just US for the first time since Bob and I married 17 years ago. Usually it’s gathering with family, but this year that’s reserved for Christmas Day. I’m in the throes of planning and dinner as you described it is what I hope for.
Many blessings to you and yours 🙂
Such a beautiful description in the first paragraph! That sounds like heaven.
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Best of luck on your Buddy Walk this weekend! Our version of the Buddy Walk in NJ is the Polar Bear Plunge in February where wonderful, yet slightly crazy, people jump into the 33 degree F Atlantic Ocean to raise money for the Special Olympics! We have a team for my best friends little one who has DS. The love that we have for him keeps us warm enough that day! Sending our warm love your way!
PS Your family dinner sounds lovely!
Oh your pork carnitas sound delish! Can you believe that we haven’t even used our formal dining room or china YET? (it’s been unused since we moved into this house about a year ago lol) Your post has inspired me to christen it to it’s first formal family dinner…enjoy your special weekend!
Love that Christmas table. Our family dinners usually take place with my husband and I eating, our son sitting with us, chirruping his own language, and the baby either asleep or next to the table in her jumperoo.
It ain’t perfect, but it’s ours.
You inspire me. daily.
Last night I made pumpkin bread. I pulled on an apron and baked and danced in the kitchen and it was heaven. So was the bread!
I to dream of these family meals one day… just gotta get through our wedding in 16 days! Then can plan for huge family dinners too because they are just like a movie.
I hope that you have a wonderful weekend!
http://www.mycrackinthegrigsbylife.blogspot.com
Katie
I love the pictures you paint with your words.
Big family dinners and all of the prep leading up to them are one of my all-time favorite things about holidays!
P.S. LOVING all of the Ingrid Michaelson, Greg Laswell, & A Fine Frenzy on the playlist!
You are good. Oh My Goodness, you are so good!
Inspiring as usual. This blog is like my daily tranquility. Thank you Kelle!
We have a family dinner every Saturday. By that I mean big deal dinner. My daughter, a speech pathologist to kids with DS, posted about it here: http://communicationskillsforlife.wordpress.com/2010/10/02/31-for-21-family-dinner/ I am off to get out my crock pot. Have a blast at the Buddy Walk. Susan
I dream of a meal like that too, especially after browsing through the latest Pottery Barn catalogue. In the background I can hear my kids telling me that they don’t want to eat this and that, but then remember that it is about teaching them a tradition (eating a meal together) that is important, not necessarily that we get to enjoy it quietly.
Have a great weekend!
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The dinner sounds wonderful. Do you feel let down when the real thing doesn’t meet up with the expectations? I feel it is good to have goals, but also important to not be discouraged when my expectations aren’t met. Something for me to work on.
Good luck with the Buddy Walk!
Seriously!? that was GOOD! Dang!
And p.s. is your house really decorated for Christmas already?! Tree up?!
xo,
Lori
HAHAHHA Nevermind. I missed that little two word sentence between the pics (last year). LOL! I just noticed the same table cloth and the girls sitting there, and then it all came together 😀
You took me to a place that I often fantasize about too! You just wrote it more eloquently than I ever could have. You left out no detail and in my mind, this is the perfect day too. I’d only add that there would be some men, both young and old, playing football outside. Oh what a glorious day!
Love this post. I love to cook for family and friends. This could involve complicated gourmet or a frozen pizza who cares! Whatever. But in this big world the simple, lovely things like sitting down with loved ones over a meal are really what it is all about. Good conversation, good food, good wine! My idea of perfection.
Bikini by 30, I really think if you walked with us Saturday, wearing that bikini, our numbers would quadruple! Your’e all walking with us…every day!
Beautiful post! I think I have those same “good” dishes!
Oh, holy Cow, I LOVE your posts…they just make me want to jump up and down with joy at the sheer celebration of life within them. It makes me just so very happy…ahhhhhhh…..
It’s like you read my mind when describing the perfect holiday and put it into words as I’d hope to be able to write. Have an amazing weekend, Kelle!
What a beautiful vision!! I could see it all in my mind. Have a fun walk this weekend!!
What a beautiful vision!! I could see it all in my mind. Have a fun walk this weekend!!
Just catching up on the last few posts…your writing is magical! I’m all over the coloured Christmas lights; although I’ll admit there was a moment last year, shortly after my husband, “Griswolded” (that’s a proper verb, eh?)the entire roof with coloured lights, that I inwardly moaned and coveted the perfection of tiny white lights on our neighbours’ houses. That is, until I saw my son’s face when we plugged them in. Pffffft on perfection…yawn. Although I also have your same vision of family gatherings….and might I add, I’d likely shit my pants if it actually turned out that way! I’d totally think everyone was putting me on and I was on candid camera or something….xo
Another beautiful, inspiring post…someday I hope to host meals like this for my family too. In the meantime, I’ll attend them (our version of them) whenever I can. I love nothing more then entertaining…whether we grill out, make spaghetti from jarred sauce, or have a full-fledged gourmet meal. It’s the best feeling ever. Now, I just need a dishwasher to make it complete. 😉
Good luck in the Buddy Walk!!
Hey Kelle! Just wanted to tell you how inspiring you are to me. I also have to little girls close to the ages of your two. I think it would be awesome if you were to put out something that had your recipes and crafts etc.. in it. I would LOVE to read that. 🙂
Hi lady! You have such a way with words i often sit here with tears rolling down my face reading your words. Checking your blog every day and reading your posts are my daily therapy it seems to just make everything …..better. Anywho on a different note i am also a photographer in minnesota and i am in the process of building my webpage. In my about me page i would love to gush about my favorite photographer and what a rockstar you are! Would that be o.k? If you would like to check out my pictures (not quite as wonderful as yours)and give me some of your feedback http://www.flickr.com/photos/melissarosephotographyphotos/. This is my flickr page. Thank you so much for doing all you do. I could never say how much you inspire me to live life like a rockstar, forget about the laundry in the washer and dance around my house like a crazy lady. P.s. im totally cryin right now.
That description of the family meal was just perfect. Actually gave me goosebumps!
Enjoy your weekend! x
Love the post… I too, crave for those magical family moments….We do try to have as many family meals together as we can but with 2 boys in sports and a baby…it is sometimes a challenge but I have to admit I do love the hussle and bussle of our lives…
Good luck on the Buddy Walk this weekend. Hope you raise lots of money. Go Nella 🙂
I may not have the traditional family dinner as a single mama but I too believe in making family memories which include dinner together and all the special touches.
Good luck with the Buddy Walk this weekend, you will rock it out as always!
Oh Kelle- So many things I want to say. . . I’ve been reading your beautiful words and envying your gorgeous photos since just a few days after sweet Nella was born.
Even though I am deeply, madly in love with my husband of ten years, I find myself with a teeny little girl crush on you:) Or maybe I just wish I lived next door and I could bring my own little girl and her totally unique designer genes over and have coffee one morning.
You say what is in my heart so often, I’m just left nodding and “Yes! Yesss!-ing!” as I read and I am in awe that you find the perfect words to describe these feelings. . . I used to write a blog- then life got in the way, and that’s o.k.:) For now.
My Avery Elizabeth has tuberous sclerosis complex and autism and she is just, well, awesome! Between seizures, and brain surgeries, and meltdowns, and stimming, and head banging, there is so, so, much love and life. That other yucky stuff? Well, it’s just part of the package and we’re o.k. with that. Our sweet girl has changed our hearts, for the better, in the most amazing (yes, I love me some amazing too:) way!
From one mom to another. Thank you. Thank you for saying what I would love to say, if I could just find a minute in the filler to write it down:)
You rock girl!
Oh man… I am TOTALLY making that carnitas for dinner Sunday. We will be spending all day Saturday at my oldest child’s school walkathon and probably going out for a well-deserved celebratory dinner out afterwards. I think a crockpot meal and perhaps a cerveza or two for the grownups will be *just* the thing for Sunday. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Must be in the air…tablescaping has been on my mind as well..more of an autumn motif, but still…..enjoy the buddy walk. Own it…there is power in numbers and in your words…Rock on!
WE have Thanksgivings like this at my house. I kept wanting this kind of dinner and 5 years ago, my husband and I decided to host Thanksgiving fro both sides and fill the house with love!Totally worth all the effort! You will have it. My favorite part is all the kids running around afterward, spinning and dancing while the grown ups indulge in a Rock Band marathon. Lots of love and good foods make me very happy!Happy Mothering! Happy Holidays!
Oh you captured my holiday dream better than I could! I have always had the dream of warm family gatherings. Gatherings where someone walking on the street would look in through the glowing windows and think, “Man, I wish I was celebrating with them!” The joy would be contagious. I have been trying for years but with inlaws that don’t like my family it has been less than easy to fulfill my dream. When I shared my dream with my mother-in-law she said “That is NEVER going to happen.” Well you know what, now I want it even more! It will happen and my Littles will remember the holidays with the same fondness that I do.
My dream scene too, and we try extra hard to pull it off for the holidays. Day-to-day dinners never make it, but having flowers as a weekly mainstay on the grocery list makes the every day dinner table seem a bit more special. Fresh flowers amoung the leftover meatloaf and frozen pizza dinners…always makes me smile.
Looking forward to hearing about your Buddy Walk. Enjoy the weekend ahead. 🙂
Kelle,
I love that photo of Lainey and Nella sitting side by side eating and the way your dog Sophie is sitting companionably alongside them.
All the very best for all the preparations for the Buddy Walk.
xo
Been reading your blog for a few months now and absolutely love the stories you tell and the pictures you take. My 26-year-old cousin, who is more like a sister to me, has DS and reading about Nella always makes me think of her.
I too also love Ingrid Michaelson. I went to a concert that she had last night here in NYC and it was incredible. She did the MOST AMAZING cover of “Nightswimming” by REM. In case you haven’t heard it, you can watch/listen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heq6bR6niGw (I did not take the video – just shamelessly shared it).
Hope you enjoy and thanks for making my days a little happier with your posts.
Oh, it’s great to dream! I love to read what you have nestled in your mind for what the may (or may not!) hold. You provide an outlet for me, even if just a few minutes a day where I nestle in my chair, read your post and smile from the inside out. I wish you lots of love and happiness this weekend! I so wish I lived closer and could show my support by being there! You are an inspiration, girl!
Oh, dreamy dinnertime! Read your the articles over at babble – congratulations to you. You’re amazing! – Carrie
Your table inspired me to dress mine up for the holidays!!
we have a nightly tradition of candles and music…something to counter the cacophony that a table for 12 produces:)
P.S. Poppa- thank you for your kinds words on Lily’s blog:)
What a great post! We can all dream, but should really try to take time out and make them realities.
What a beautiful post & I can’t wait until our holidays. We go to Grandma Toots’ house & she has all these old vintage ornaments & decorations all over the house. We give kisses under her mistletoe & laugh until we cry. Love her house at the holidays 🙂
Awesome news about the Buddy walke & tell Nella’s papa thanks for stopping by and for the encouragement!
God Bless!
Love this post. You have such a beautiful writing style and I needed the dinner time encouragement! Bravo!
Do you have one favorite crockpot cookbook that you would recommend? I love using mine as it makes mealtimes much easier and less chaotic! Thank you for the delicious recipe and keep up the fantastic work!
I always kind of feel like Clark Griswald at Christmas time. Completely optimistic that this year will be the “perfect” Christmas and then reality sets in and everything goes to pot, but that is what I have come to love about it. Its not perfect, its my family and we are making memories and that is what its all about. And mixed in all the chaos are some of those “perfect” moments I wish for.
Loved the article.
Can’t wait to hear about the Buddy Walk.
You are so inspiring. You truly have a gift. Also thanks for introducing me to Ingrid Micaelson. I simply can’t be in a bad mood when I listen to her beautiful music. <3
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You are SUCH an inspiration in so many ways to me – as a mother, wife, photographer, writer, and a whole hearted person in general! Love it always!!!
andreadeannneal.blogspot.com
Dear Kelle,
Sometimes as I sit here wanting to comment, my words escape me. You say it so well and I don’t know how to thank you for reminding me of all I have to be thankful for, to hug my littles tighter and love the beauty around me.
You are truly an amazing mother and writer.
Love,
The Prairie Hen
P.S. LOVE your featured playlist (kascryder) SO MUCH I put it up on my blog!
Someone sent me this link on this HBO special that is airing tonight and I thought you might be interested.
http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/television/reviews/view/20101014hbos_monica__david_disables_down_syndrome_stereotypes/
so excited about the recipe!! sounds delicious. i laughed out loud at the pic of your “running shoes” yesterday when i read that post. hysterical! have an amazing time at your buddy walk.
Your writing paired with this song makes my heart jump for the holidays to come. Thank you for sharing your gifts, Kelle!
family dinners are soooooo important! it must be done every night if possible. it’s the bonding moment for the family. i love it! i look forward to it everyday. plus, it’s the only time i can try new recipes and praised for it! haha! i love this post!
http://www.karylbartel.blogspot.com
I felt like I was watching a movie as I read your opening paragraph. I saw the ornaments twinkling, and I smelled the roast cooking. Your writing is inspiring and so beautiful. THANK YOU for sharing!
Thank you for making us reader feel for a few minutes we are the guests ringing your doorbell taking Nella from you with the flicker of the candle as we pass you a bottle of wine. You are a guest in my home, too, for a few minutes as I read and in the ways you inspire!! 🙂
I LOVE your vision. It got me all excited for the holidays quickly approaching. And although that vision might only be a vision because sometimes it doesn’t completely happen, I think it does for our children. I think we had memories of that exact scene, because it did happen for us, as kids. And we might not see it as adults because of the commotion…it actually IS happening. Our children feel just as what you described.
Cool. And when they are grownups they will talk about how great a cook you were and how they remember waiting for the first of the company to arrive….it’s totally happening.
Tears…I just checked you fundraising page…It’s like a fast beating heart..I can feel the love and support…Absolutely amazing!
It is “our” Buddy Walk. You are going to be walking for Nella, for Lainey, for your family and also for my J, my family and all the other children and adults with Ds, their families and friends. My heart and spirit will be walking with you on Saturday. 😀
Sending you lots of love~
“Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity.” ~Edwin Hubbell Chapin
I think you just perfectly articulated the ideal dinner scenario!!! BEAUTIFULLY said.
TO MRS MASON- TOO FUNNY, I loved it~ ANd to LISA- you sound like an awesome mama to your Avery Elizabeth!! KELLE- loved this post, as always – oh what a dreamy dinner scene. From your Blog Mama
Mmmm…that meal looks really yummy! Have a great weekend!
I’ll be with all of you in spirit!
Hopefully you will be with us, in spirit, as well at The Light the Night Walk for my Cody for The Leukemia & lymphoma Society on Sunday , too xoxox
Yay, a crock pot recipe! Cheers!
Thank you so much for including music on this blog — you have introduced me to such great stuff. My husband and I call your blog “Noisy Blog” because, unlike with most other websites, I crank up the volume when I hit your page. 🙂
I will be right beside you…Happy Buddy Walk!
xo, Bug & Ruby’s Gram
Speaking of Ingrid Michaelson, she has now become my soundtrack at work and at home! I ended up getting 2 of her CDs from our library!
Thanks Kelle! 🙂
I am LOVING watching the donations grow. Hey Kelle blog fans – if everyone who comments when she has a giveaway gave just $10 to the DS charity, imagine the money Kelle could raise? $20K? Let’s do it!!!!!
I was lucky to marry into a family that has Thanksgiving and Christmas meals just as you describe. We rotate through each home each Holiday and it’s amazing to be a part of the joy and love they share. We’ve been known to take in friends for these gathers…..if you ever happen to end up in Iowa for a Holiday, all of the Hampton clan is welcome! 🙂
-Jenny in Iowa
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Our buddy walk was last Saturday. It was so much fun. We were humbled by all of the support and love. I guess I had pushed away the reality of the future as a coping tool. Seeing some of the older kids with Downs was a real reminder of what the future will probably be like. I had kind of convinced myself that somehow we would be different. It’s been an emotional week, trying to cope, accept and keep moving forward. I was talking to our developmental teacher yesterday and she said, “One day you’ll look at her and you won’t even see the Downs. Just her, a unique, special person, a gift from God.” I’m on this fence between fighting and accepting. But I think it’s that fighting that pushes me to reach for the stars and help her reach as high as she can. Sending you all the love and support for your Buddy Walk. It really is an amazing thing to see.
http://teal915.blogspot.com/
We will be there walking with you in spirit, and looking forward to the day you “ROCKSTARS” join us in Central Park for the NYC Buddy Walk.
But, like I said in comment to your last post…..it may feel a little strange, even uncomfortable at times to be around SO many people with DS at first. Don’t feel bad if it’s awkward, and don’t compare, or think that Nella will “be” like other people you meet on Saturday. Nella will be Nella when she gets older!
Our first Buddy walk was strange, and I left feeling uneasy. But as the years go on, and my awesome son continues to flourish, I know that everything will turn out the way it should. Que Sera, Sera!
I hope my ramblings make sense, and I wish we could be there to join you all on this monumental occasion. Rock it out Hampton Clan! 🙂
http://nowimamom.blogspot.com/
Today I just want to say thank you for doing this. I came across a few mum-related things on the net this morning that were critical and belittling of the SAHM / attachment parenting lifestyle… I don’t know why they hurt but they did. So I hightailed it here, knowing that a dose of perspective Kelle-style would cure my doldrums. I missed a few days of reading your blog and was rewarded with having three posts to binge on! And now I go on with my day re-fueled. So thank you!
TO Jdray – YES! GREAT idea. I have noticed, too, that the number of commenters, goes WAY up when there is a giveaway. And Yes, if each of that high number of people donated just $10 (or more if they can afford it), wow – tons of money would be raised!! Let’s do it!
Hi! Love your blog! There’s a high school senior in our community who has Down Syndrome. She’s a varsity cheerleader at our local high school and was just nominated as Homecoming Queen. We’re all waiting for the results on Friday night. She has her own website:
http://www.prettyspecialworld.com
I thought you’d enjoy it :o).
Oh that table is just gorgeous! I am so excited for Christmas! 🙂
I love love love that post! You are a beautiful writer, and that paragraph totally described all of my holidays growing up! I would love to recreate that in my own home also! I am definitely passing this onto my family!! Christmas is my favorite holiday, so much so that I named my baby girl Holly (even though she was born in April!)
Kelle… I have just finished reading your blog from the VERY start… I was introduced to your blog by a friend and was linked to to Nella’s birth story and after crying all the way through, I knew – I just KNEW I had to read it from the start.
I have laughed, cried, and celebrated each and every milestone as I’ve read…
You are my inspiration. I’m not yet married, I have no children, but when I am married and having babies, you can bet your bottom dollar that I’ve found my role model.
You’re an amazing Mum and I can hardly wait to walk alongside you as you guide your beautiful family through life.
May your days be filled with love, light and happiness xox
I believe in that scene, too. Even if it doesn’t always look the same. Those efforts add up! (But of course, you knew that.)
Beautiful! Our Thanksgivings are like that. Tables full of food and family. I love it.
We just celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving with my extended family. I love when we all get together and make wonderful noise around the dinner table!! I’m a lucky one, as my hubbie is American, so we get to celebrate two thanksgivings…woohoo!!!
Ok, I just donated, and it felt good! 😀 Have a great walk!
Those carnitas sound sooo good, I love me my crock pot haha.
You’re so right too, about how the little details mean so much with meals. In fact I was just talking with my great gram last week about the memories of breakfasts at her house when I was a kid. I used to feel like it was sooo special that we each had our own separate little plate for the bacon and sausage, like at a restaurant. It was so not needed but made it feel so fun, and I remember it fondly all these years later. She also did all the condiments in little bowls and always had the little spoons, love it 🙂
you know i love those carnitas seeing as i had THREE of them last time you made them…soooo good.
i can’t WAIT for tomorrow. it will be amazing. an experience and i will remember where we all started…the unforgettable night she was born.
okay, already ready to cry…
flood gates are officially open and ready to overflow.
xoxoxo
Ha, I felt like I was at the family dinner with you when reading this!!
Loved your dinner description! 🙂 And I can’t wait to try the recipe… can Lainey really eat that much?? LOL.
I love family dinners, it was always a very big deal in my home growing up. We would all sit at the table, TV turned off, no distractions and we would talk about our day. And we couldn’t leave the table until everyone was finished. Fast forward to present, and my own “family dinners” now consist of us all sitting on the couch, watching the TV and eating off TV trays. We do not have a dining area and it kills me! I have tried in so many ways to rearrange our living room to accomodate a dinner table and it just doesn’t work. So I will have to settle for this for now, until we can someday move into a larger home. I do feel that my children are missing out on something wonderful though, it breaks my heart.
Have a great weekend!
xoxo
Hello!
I just wanted to let you know how AMAZING this blog is. I follow this girl who actually posted it on her blog for everyone to look at. I read Nella’s birth story (since that’s where you suggested new readers start!) and I was just so amazed at everything..and by the way your girls are so adorable!
I’m only 22 years old and not a mother yet..but from what I’ve read so far (maybe about 10-20 posts), your daughters are the luckiest girls ever to have! you seem like you guys have so much fun.
This blog is one of the best I’ve read and I absolutely love looking at your photos as well! Keep up the writing I LOVE reading it!
xoxo follow my blog
Kelle, thanks for this post. Can’t wait to make the Carnitas for my family of 7. I would LOVE THE PUMPKIN BREAD RECIPE you have talked about lately. You and I are so much alike. I live for the Norman Rockwell moments and often wish I lived in one of my Dept 56 villages or a Thomas Kincaid painting. I love that even though you live in Florida you can make it sound as though you live in Vermont.
I found your blog through Germama today & I will definitely be a diligent follower. Not only is your blog beautiful & your writing so captivating, but I have a special place in my heart for children with Down’s Syndrome. Both of your daughters are beautiful.
I found your blog through Germama today & I will definitely be a diligent follower. Not only is your blog beautiful & your writing so captivating, but I have a special place in my heart for children with Down’s Syndrome. Both of your daughters are beautiful.
Does Lainey seriously eat that healthy? If so, I’m truly in awe. 🙂 Have a wonderful Buddy Walk this weekend! Hope your weather is beautiful.
I first found your blog after reading your beautiful birth story in my Parent’s magazine and was immediately hooked. I check every day for updates and on the days there aren’t one, I go back through your past posts. You write wonderfully and your photography inspires me. I bought a new camera just before finding your blog and I hope one day to be able to use it as colourfully as you. Practice, practice, practice 🙂
I gave birth to twin baby girls (my 3rd and 4th girls!) 10 weeks ago – just before your article was published and it did not go to plan, so although our stories are different, your birth story touched me very deeply. I read it and cried, then read it and cried again. And again. I still go back and read it.
I really just came here to say thank you for inspiring me to be better. A better mum, a better photographer, just a better woman. I do more with my kids – more crafts, take more photos (although I take 100s already) just take more time with them. So thank you.
I hope you have a fabulous weekend 🙂 I’ll be trying your carnitas for sure 🙂
Sasha
That recipe looks wonderful. I’m adding it to my ever growing list of things I-must-try. 🙂 Just wanted to pop on and wish you lots of luck and love for this weekend. Enjoy!!
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Family dinners are a lost art – thanks for sharing this. I love your family photos :}. I’ve been trying to make more meals at home instead of eating out. This can be a challenge, but I did find a really great cookbook by Gigi Centaro called, “Let’s Cook Tonight,” which has quick and healthy ideas and recipes that so far I’ve really enjoyed. You can download free menu items from the author’s website as well.
what pretty holiday photos! my mom does a similar setup for our dinners everything down to the holly napkin rings its so festive! i love it!
xoxo
KC
Your blog is wonderful! It always reminds me of what is truely important. I also love seeing pictures of your daughters! They are precious. Enjoy the Buddy Walk!
It’s Friday…
Everyone is asleep…
My two beautiful children…
Lovin coffee and joyful blog reading.
Lovin too much honey on my toast, getting it all over my fingers, and typing anyways.
Lovin my baby humming herself to sleep for her morning nap and my 4-year-old yalping and giggling downstairs with her Daddy while they build a zipline across the living room for Diego.
Have a wonderful Buddy Walk!
Have you heard the song “1,000 Miles” by Mark Schultz? I heard it this weekend and it made me think of your buddy walk. I hope it went well!
We tried your carnitas recipe yesterday and it was so tasty. Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you for sharing this story. I found it to be very inspirational and I share the same desire. Accept, my dream involves naples patio furniture and a beautifully warm day with my family.