When did my baby grow up???

After taking these pictures of Riley the other night on Sharky's pier, I had to ask myself "When did my baby grow up"? He looks so much older than he is. I love you big guy.

xoxo

nikki

Me and my Hubby

Sean and I wanted to get away for a couple of days, so I made reservations at my favorite little place on Anna Maria Island. It is so nice to be able to drive 45 minutes north but feel like you are in a different place entirely. We spent the weekend fishing, reading, sitting by the pool, eating out at some nice restaurants and just enjoying each others company. (When you have two young kiddos you can hardly have a normal conversation let alone enjoy each others company.) I finished "Nights in Rodanthe" in one afternoon/evening...it was so nice to read without any interruption. Sean and I shared some really good laughs, but most of all we came back refreshed and ready to jump back into the swing of things. Looking forward to our next getaway....

xoxo

nikki

Crazy Girls

These girls have been my friends for over 15 years...we have shared so much together, but it seems like since we got married and started having children those times are fewer and further between. But we decided that we would try and get together one afternoon a month to catch up and just hang out. We leave the kiddos at home with the dad's and we take some time to ourselves... the last time we met we decided to "brown bag" it and go to Fort Desoto Park. It was the best! We sat around a picnic table, eating dinner and laughing so hard we were all crying. I am so glad I brought my camera...even if it captured some crazy, goofy girls.

i love you guys.

xoxo

nikki

Bad Hair Day!!

xoxo

nikki

Did you get out and...

VOTE!!

I did!
xoxo
nikki

A special dinner...

My mom graduated from USF with her master's degree this past summer. To celebrate, my dad wanted to take us to dinner at Burn's Steakhouse. (Since I wasn't feeling so great then, we waited till now.) It was worth the wait. I would recommend Burns over any steak house around here! We had so much fun. Our waiter was hysterical and kept us laughing through dinner. Then we had a tour of the kitchen as well as their amazing wine cellar. After that we went upstairs to the dessert room, where we ate inside of a wine barrell or cask (each dessert table is very private...you can hardly see anyone one else)...very cool. Over all, we all enjoyed our meal, the dessert, but most of all the company.

Congratulations Mom!!!! We are so proud of you and we all love you so much.

xoxo

nikki

IT'S A...

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
xoxo
nikki

Brody

I shot this with my new Canon Rebel Xsi... love it!

xoxo

nikki

Superman and Buzz

I took the boys to a Fall Festival this past weekend...they wanted to try out their costumes before Halloween (it was a little too warm for Riley to wear the gloves and the head mask) . It was perfect, the games were geared exactly to their age range and we all had a ball. Riley's favorite game was popping the balloons with the darts, and Brody had fun scooping the fish out of the kiddy pool...

xoxo

Nikki

Boy or Girl???

Yes that is the question. I was supposed to have the answer at my ultrasound yesterday, BUT THE US MACHINE BROKE an hour before my appointment. Can you say bummed!!! I just want to know...well, they scheduled us for later in the week...pending the machine is working....
keep you all posted.
xoxo
nikki (and the mystery baby)

Holiday Angel

Each DT member at K2 is creating a "kit" to sell for the holiday season. I created this angel using a Creative Imaginations dress form and pearls, Anna Griffith papers, bling and decorative ribbon tape, feathers and metallic paint! The kits are for sale now at K2. (It comes in two sizes.) I made it to use a holiday decoration in my home...what will you use yours for??? a gift, home decor...what? I can't believe that the holiday's are right around the corner!!
dream.design.create.
nikki

Thanks.

Just a quick thank you for all the phone calls and Happy Birthday messages left on my Facebook profile! I had a great day...filled with family,balloons, cake and ice cream. It was a great 33rd birthday...couldn't have asked for anything more.
xoxo
nikki

Are you getting ready for Christmas???

This past weekend at K2 scrapbook studio I taught a fun class making an advent calendar...using a cookie sheet that we decorated with the new line of KI Christmas papers. We created 25 magnets using little wood cut outs, KI chipboard, KI soft gellies, and assorted ephemera. Then we stamped out our title...too FUN!!! I will be teaching this class again the second Saturday in November so if you missed it this past Saturday, here is your chance to get a head start on Christmas!! The class is 35.00, call the store 941-926-1744 to reserve your spot!
dream.design.create.
nikki

Summer Vacation LO's

I finally got around to scrappin some picts of our summer vacation in Wisconsin. TFL.

xoxo

nikki

A fun digi LO

xoxo

nikki

Dedication

This past Sunday morning we had the boys dedicated at our church Sarasota Alliance. Our Pastor Ron prayed a blessing on Riley and Brody and over our entire family, it was beautiful.
We were able to share this special day with my whole family and Sean's parents.
xoxo
nikki

birthday party fun...

We were invited to a birthday party at Acrofit this past weekend and the boys had so much fun. Sean was jumping into the foam pit right along with all the kids... It's a perfect location for a party during the summertime heat.
xoxo
nikki

aperture

aperture f/1.8, ISO 400, shutter 1/800, 50mm
aperture f/22, ISO 400, shutter 1/6, 50mm

...well, I am taking an online photography class and this week we are experimenting with aperture. I understood aperture before taking this class, but wasn't sure how to apply it effeciently to get the results I wanted...now I feel like I can.

xoxo

nikki

vintage photoshop action...

I thought these photos of Sean's birthday turned out so cool when I applied a vintage action to them...I love it. I can't figure out where I got this action besides the fact it's called "Ally's vintage"...If I run across where I found it, I will post the link...TFL.
xoxo
nikki

Girls Weekend

I always look forward to my yearly girls weekends...but expecially this year. With me being pregnant the thought of me only having to worry about myself for four whole days was paradise. It was a refreshing break filled with sun, fun and so many laughs! We filled three rooms with 13 girls, tons of food and stuff everywhere! It was great. I am already looking forward to next year...

xoxo

nikki

{buds}

I got this digi kit a while back and just sat down and played with it...the name of the kit is Naturally by Annie Manning (Paint the Moon), found at http://www.oscraps.com/ . TFL.

dream.design.create.
nikki

Chuck E Cheese's

We took the boys to a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese's and they had so much fun. I wasn't feeling well, so i had to rely on getting some picts of the boys from others...this is the cutest one I ended up with.
xoxo
nikki

My friend Amy...

...looks so great! She is 5 months prego and all she has is a cute little belly! I wanted to post this picture of her as inspiration to me to keep eating healthy- LOL! Thanks Amy...you look fantastic!
xoxo
nikki