Sweet dreams...

Doesn't she look like she's having the sweetest dream? This is Allison, and she was only 3 weeks old in these photos. I got the cutest little beanie in preparation of this shoot. Obviously I have no perception of how tiny newborns really are because it was way too huge for Allie's head. Hopefully she'll come back to visit in a few months ;-)

Issues...

Why does blogger hate me so? I've been trying for the past few nights to upload new baby photos and it just won't cooperate. Is anyone else having issues??

A little randomness...

We're finally starting to get settled into our new place. It's so nice to be able to see 'us' in the house now. It feels like home. Here's a few random photos that I've taken of things that I love at our new home...

We have a fabulous deck out back... perfect for wine during sunset

I've always wanted a fireplace. I can't tell you how much I love it already. It just gives the room such a cozy feel. Friday night we lit it up and settled down to watch some tv. As you can tell, some of us got a little TOO comfortable. Kev and Chloe fell fast asleep. I love how in this photo you can not only see Kev's feet (don't make fun of his grandpa-style slippers!), but you can also see a reflection of Chloe sleeping on the right side of the fireplace. Click the photo to see it larger. Lucky accident! =)

Quite possibly the cutest glasses ever. These were a Christmas gift from my mother in law and I just adore them. They brighten up our mornings...

Oh, Photo Booth...

Why, oh why must you encourage my husband to do things like this...

This is the result of leaving Kev alone with the Mac. Scary...

3/4 Of a Year Ago Today...

We were getting MARRIED! Today is our 9 monthiversary. Time to celebrate... and time to start planning an anniversary trip, dontcha think? =)

Sick...

I'm ill. I'm achey. I'm exhausted, even though I did little more than sit at a desk all day today. I feel constantly thirsty, though I'm confidant that 98% if what I'm drinking is running out of my nose. My sinuses feel as if they're imploding. My nose hurts from the sandpaper tissues at my work. And I feel like complaining... I'm a bad sick person.

These nasty sick germs are half tempting me to use 1 of my last 2 sick days tomorrow... Must resist...

Sun seeker...

Chloe is in heaven. She absolutely loves being in the sun. And our new place gets beautiful morning light, so she's soaking it all up. That little sun whore has been so busy sunbathing all morning, she hasn't even eaten her breakfast. I think she's enjoying the new home... What do you think? =)

Homeowners!

That's right. It's official. We're homeowners! And this, my friends, is the first post from our very own office/study/den/still unamed & very unfurnished room. It's so strange to be sitting here, typing on the floor of what is now OUR house. We've been waiting a long time for this...

We had settlement on Monday, and I don't think it could have gone more smoothly. We were in and out of there in an hour and a half, at most. We've spent the past few days packing, moving, and shopping for all the first time homeowner necessities. By tomorrow, we should be pretty much moved and will actually get to spend the night! Wow. It has all been rather overwhelming. In a good way. I feel very, very blessed... as cliche as that sounds. Our parents have been a tremendous help, more than we ever could have asked for or expected. And I'm so grateful for all that they've done for us, I know not everyone is so fortunate. It makes me emotional to think about it, so I'll stop now before it gets too sappy. I just wanted to say thank you, although those words can hardly express what I feel right now...

Badass Boston...

Rockin' the new neckerchief. She looks FIERCE, don't you think? Chloe is often mistaken for a boy dog, and I'd guess that this little accessory doesn't help much. I guess it's balanced out by the fact that come wintertime, she's going to be wearing a pretty pink sweater. She gets cold, people! Don't judge... =)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTA!!!!!

Redheads...

have more fun! That should be how the saying goes anyway, so I'm changing it. Kiley was 'ON' the entire time that I was there... I don't think she stopped for a second. Being that I usually shoot younger ones, I'm not used to the mobility of a 3 year old. I had fun chasing her around though. How could I not? Look at this smile...

Something about this photo cracks me up...

a little different... Kev likes this one. It's always interesting to see which shot stands out to different people...

Loooove this one... the color (thanks TRAs!) and the look on Jodie's face is too sweet...


and lastly, my new favorite. She looks SO MUCH like her mom... what a stunner! =)

Future heartbreaker...

Her momma better watch out in 10 more years. Can you believe she's only 3?!? Simply gorgeous...
This was meant to be an attempt at sunflare. Failed, as you can tell. But I still love the way it turned out. Any sunflare advice is welcome.

Don't Blink...

I've been feeling like this more and more lately...

http://music.aol.com/video/dont-blink/kenny-chesney/1960750

I have one session to go through before our vacation photos, but I had to post this one of my husband. I love it...

Please let me know if the colors look all wacky... I'm still struggling with my new monitor =) We're off to begin packing, run errands, and all kinds of other fun chores to get ready for our BIG MOVE in 1 week, 2 days... and counting...

Little Lo...

Quite possibly, the cutest boy ever. I was first able to take some photos of him when he was only a couple weeks old. Here he is at about 4 months. I have to say, I love this age. They still have that irresistible baby chubbiness but are so much more cognizant than newborns. You first start to see that spark of personality. And those baby giggles are enough to melt your heart...

These are the first photos that I edited on my new iMac. Since the computer isn't online yet, I had to burn them onto a cd and post them from my parent's computer. Ah, only 3 more weeks until we'll be settling in to our house. The color seems like it popped a lot more on the Mac. And the black and whites here seem a bit muddy to me. Perhaps I need to invest in some calibration. How do they look to you? CC is always welcome.

And not to be outdone, here's a couple of Matty. Rockin' his army hat and giving his Momma some love...

Oh Happy Day!

Even after learning that I had to work on Saturday, I couldn't be in a bad mood after seeing this! I was not expecting it to arrive since I had tracked it the day before and it had just arrived in Anchorage, Alaska. Look at the crazy journey that my Mac has made. You'll notice that they tried to deliver it in the morning and no one was home to sign for it. So they left a little note that said that they'd try to deliver it again on Monday (you mean, I have to wait out the weekend?!?) or we could pick it up at their facility... 45 mins away. Not exactly what I wanted to do after an 11 hour workday and an hour drive home. Don't get me wrong, I would have! Luckily, the best husband in the world was able to contact someone, who sent a message to the driver, who was nice enough to stop back at our house again on a Friday evening when I'm sure he just wanted to get out of that friggin truck. Crisis averted.

I love it so far. And that's an understatement. When I got it set up, I felt like a new parent. All I could do was stare at it admiringly and wonder what I'm going to do with this beautiful new thing. It's so overwhelming though. I'm trying to learn how to use my new iMac, and how to navigate through CS3, and I feel like this process is going to take me awhile. I have a feeling I'm going to be a bit sleep deprived for the next few weeks...

On another note, I thought that I'd be able to connect to the internet wirelessly with my new computer, but after reading up on it it looks like I need some things that don't come factory installed. As you can see, I don't know much about these things. If can share some knowledge about this, I'll owe you one...

Home...

Back to reality. We made it home late, LATE Monday night after a 1½ hour flight delay leaving me a refreshing 3 hours of sleep before dragging myself back to work on Tuesday morning. I did little more than sleep yesterday after work and feel like I could do the same today. Vacations are exhausting. hehe. I'm anxious to post some photos from our trip but I think I may hold off until I can post them on my new computer. Which, according to FedEx, is currently in Shanghai! What?!? I was expecting it to ship from California so imagine my surprise after attempting to track my shipment as non-obsessively as possible and seeing CHINA as the pick-up location! I guess it's doubtful that it'll arrive today. =)

We had a woooonderful time in San Francisco. We got to see so much, thanks to our fab tour guides (aka: inlaws). My favorite day had to be when we biked the Golden Gate bridge over into Sausalito. We had lunch overlooking the water, then took the ferry back to San Fran. Ahhh. The weather was perfect and I'm so happy that Kev got to spend his 30th birthday in California. I know he loved it. More details soon, I promise...

I'm leaving, on a jet plane...

Tomorrow, that is. Early. We're headed to San Francisco to celebrate Kev and Mark's (Kev's stepdad) birthday weekend. Strange coincidence that they share the same birthday, don't you think? The boys are starting to get spoiled... last year they celebrated their birthday in Italy, this year in Cali... Though I can hardly complain, as I get to go along! I'm already excited to see where next year's birthday takes us.

Kev turns 30 on Saturday. And though I think he's a little sad about it, I know he's thrilled to get to celebrate it in San Fran. He has wanted to visit California for so long. A fabulous vacation is sure to soften the blow a little ;-)

and since I won't be able to post it this weekend.... Happy (early) Birthday, love!

Mac Watch...

Waiting... and waiting... and waiting...

They quoted 4 - 6 weeks for it to ship. Four weeks is this Thursday. Can you tell I'm getting anxious? I was hoping that they were lying about the 4 - 6 weeks and just exaggerating the timeframe to cover their butts. Doesn't look to be the case. With any luck there will be a bright, shiny, new favorite toy waiting for me when we return from Kev's birthday weekend...

Chaddsford Winery...

Last weekend Kev planned a fabulous outing for us. Don't you just love it when men take the initiative to plan something special? We headed about an hour south of here to the Chaddsford Winery for their annual Wine Festival. I'm pretty sure that by now you've noticed my affinity for wine. Twenty dollars got you a souvenir wine glass and as many trips around the wine tasting stations as you could manage. The weather could not have been more perfect. A jazz band set the mood. Kev packed a picnic lunch for us, so we sat in the grass and enjoyed our mixed greens salad, fruit medley, and sugar cookies. And then we took another trip around the tastings...

A sangria slushee. Whoever made this heavenly concoction is my new best friend...

By the way, do these photos look dark to you? Whenever I edit them at home they look good but when I check them at work they're always dark and blah... so please let me know what you're seeing! I hope everyone has a great week. It's a 3-day work week for me since we leave on Thursday for San Fran... woot, woot!

Birthday girl...

Happy Birthday Chloe! My baby turns 2 today. Oh, how fast they grow up. People probably think I'm crazy for making a big deal about my dog's birthday, and they might be right. But Chloe brings such an unexplainable amount of joy to our lives, her birthday deserves a celebration too. Here's a few of my favorite Chloe photos from the last two years, in honor of the Chloemonster's birthday....

The night we brought her home
Chloe's first Christmas
Kev and Chloe caught spooning... Don't tell that I posted this, I'll be in deep trouble! I love it though, she looks like a little piglet Clearly, being a wizard is hard work...
Last year's birthday. Her birthday ribbon reads: Kiss me, it's my Birthday! The card that I made Kev for our wedding day...

Logo...

I have a logo! Isn't it beauuutiful? It was designed by the amazingly talented Brianne Brose. Granted, there is no 'April Ziegler photography' as of yet but if it ever comes to be, I'm prepared (logo-wise, at least!). I've been seeing Brianne post logos for others on the Photo Board and quite honestly I wanted one of my own. =) I really just wanted to have a logo to start using on my blog photos. There has been talk of people's photos being stolen and posted by random freaks claiming them as photos of their own children. Sick. And I'm saddened by the fact that people who are trying to share photos their kids, friends, family and life have to worry about things like this. Such is the nature of the internet, I suppose.

I'm still holding out hope that my Mac will ship sooner than the estimated 4-6 weeks. I have photos from this weekend that I may try to post tomorrow, depending on how the computer is acting. It's so time consuming with the archaic editing program that came with the computer.

I hope everyone had a good Labor Day weekend. It was so wonderful to have 3 days off. We did a lot of relaxing, some shopping for the new house, and spent Sunday at a wine festival. Fabulous. More on that to come...