whistler

  kevin whisked me away to vancouver for a long weekend for our anniversary 

and it was the loveliest time. 

 he told me just the night before where we were going, although i had a feeling.  

so gramma and cc came to stay with the kids, and we were off! 

i love the snow and mountains, especially this time of year. 

so beautiful and romantic. 

we spent two nights in vancouver

and two in whistler. 

kevin skied, 

i spa-ed (i just made that a verb)

we slept in,

and it was all such a treat.

what's better than sleeping in and waking up to snow covered mountains?

it was really nice just being on our own clocks

and having nothing to do.

it was beautiful, relaxing, quiet, slow. 

perfect for us.

maybe next year we'll pick up the pace :)

it was also soooo fun coming home to the kids 

who seemed 14 and 4. 

(how does that happen?)

ivy was so giddy to show me all the fun stuff she did and made. 

i know they had the best time.

 mom and cindy decked the halls

and had our house perfectly cozy and festive.

as well as a minor house-lift 

and total car clean-out.  

i can't thank you enough!

tis the season to be jolly!! 

happy 5!

this picture has potential.... if we were 8 feet closer. 

oh well, it looks like we are about to say our vows again, so it's kinda appropriate :)

five years!

it's hard for me to believe it's only been five. 

it's just hard to remember my life before kevin. 

we met when we were 15. 

so we've known each other for 13 years! 

that's crazy. 

i guess it's hard to separate our knowing each other from actually being married. 

plus it's been an eventful ride. 

2 countries, 3 states, 4 cities, 5 residences

plus 2 adorable children

 and a bazillion plane rides.

i'm glad it's only been five though-

we are still young

with hopefully a lot more to come.

i love him so very much.

i always knew i'd marry him.

i'm glad he came around and made me his wife.  

i'm the luckiest!

five things you probably didn't know about us:

1. we slept in a double bed for 2 years, thinking it was a queen

2. we almost moved to idaho

3. we met at kevin's 16th birthday party, which i wasn't invited to

4. kevin has a pacemaker, i had a hearing aid, making us the oldest young couple :)

5. i can't think of any more! this is hard!  

happy anniversary us!

father/daughter day

last night i asked kevin if i could "stay in bed all day" saturday.

being the amazing man he is, he said "sure!" 

and it wasn't even sarcastic. 

well, that's not exactly how today went,

but it was close.

maybe even better.

kevin took ives to the children's discovery museum in san jose. 

those two have a thing for museums.

they came home for a pit stop,

then headed to palo alto's junior museum & zoo.

ivy's favorite parts of the day were

dancing with kevin in the disco room, 

 "the HUGE tortoise", the bats and peacock,

and telling me what they each ate.

(she's fascinated by what animals eat, especially when it's other animals.)

it was really nice 

hanging out with just e,

then reading outside during his nap

all by myself.

in the peace

and quiet.

but my favorite part

was when everyone was back home.

being in the kitchen getting dinner ready

kevin grilling

garth brooks playing really loud

the kids dancing around us

the weather perfectly cool

and knowing i'll think back on times like this

in the sweetest possible way. 

later on, ivy came running in my bathroom and told me

"mom! i just played basketball and golf. can you give me that?!"

(pointing to the deodorant).

then she flipped her shirt like that and did her thing.

ooh ivy.

happy weekend one and all!

happy birthday kevin

twenty-nine.

it was simple.

but i think he was happy.

chocolate cake and presents with the kids.

ivy was more excited than at her own birthday. 

when kevin rode up on his bike after work

she couldn't contain herself!

it was sweet.
that cake was good. 

eli refused to touch his bite.

he'd reach his fingers close to it and then pull away.

ivy shoveled it in.

then a burger date at the stanford park hotel.

kevin stayed there while interviewing for his job a few months ago

and said they are the best.

yum.. agree.
we planned on bowling, ha.. but we're old and tired.

so we walked & talked with hot chocolate 

(weird to be cold and drinking hot chocolate in august)

and that was that.
thank you mary. 

happy birthday kevin!

i sure do love you.

father's day

i love kevin as a father.

he maintains such a long-sighted vision for his children
and the way he is raising them,

and is ever so patient and calm. 

so with my daily worries and little goals, 

we make a great team. :)

kevin already started his new job in california, (living in a totally empty house)

while we're waiting in houston until the movers deliver our stuff.

 i told him our absence is our present this year :)

(but i know he wishes we were there.) 

actually, it's a perfect picture of what a father should be doing:

providing and sacrificing. 

missing his babes.

and eagerly anticipating our arrival. 

of course i'm thankful for my own dad too

and all the good things he stands for and teaches us

even still. 

happy father's day! 

out + about

charleston aquarium 

paddle boats - james island park

 cupcake on king

piggy wiggly

chicken + dumplings @ virginia's on king

young picasso - children's museum of the lowcountry 

we love eli too.. he is just usually home sleeping with nana :)

happy graduation!

HGSE Diploma Ceremony - Radcliffe Garden 

congratulations kevin andrew mcconnell!

Ed.M.

harvard graduate school of education

may 24, 2012

i am so proud of you! 


tonight is our last night in cambridge. 
i got slightly sentimental late last night packing,
but i'm pretty much over it
and ready to move on.


things i will miss:
-our sweet friends & community group
-ivy's classes around the neighborhood
-fall in new england
-broadway marketplace
-daily strolls thru harvard yard
-yoga across the street
-our cute apartment
-i'm really struggling here...
kevin just said "the best thing about living in massachusetts is that, when filling out online forms, you don't have to scroll all the way down to TX for Texas."
so there you have it.  


it has been another little adventure
i'm grateful to have experienced.


california, here we come! 

9 month check-up (last week)

stats:

weight - 20.4 pounds

height - 28.5 inches

healthy, happy and crawling everywhere!!!

this was our last doctor's visit here in cambridge which i'm not terribly sad about. no one compares to dr. fitch in san antonio- that's all i'll say about that! 

{he took a little tumble off the couch the morning of his appointment, explaining the bright red nose and bump on his forehead. i felt like a horrible mother, 

and i think kevin was embarrassed of my lack of parenting skills in front of the doctor.  darn it!}

california

this morning at the ferry building in san francisco 

          kevin is finished with classes (woohoo!)

and has two free weeks until his actual graduation.

we left the kids in texas and came to san francisco for a few days.

it is beautiful and we're having so much fun. 

actually, we are here to find a house!

kevin accepted a job offer in palo alto a few days ago, 

so we are here to find a place to move to in just a few weeks.

crazzzyy!

i am sad to still be far from my nieces and family, 

but so proud and happy for this opportunity for kevin 

and excited to live in such a beautiful place with my little family. 

we arrived yesterday and found our house within a few hours of landing. 

i can't believe it. 

it was the first & only house we looked at -
just something i stumbled upon online,

and we both LOVED it. 

it is old, small and so charming.

it has a wonderful backyard (ahhh!) and no stairs!!

we walked through, got so excited and DONE.

i can't wait to start decorating and get settled in.

since that is miraculously done, we have the rest of the week to chill.

we spent all day around san francisco, eating and walking and soaking it in.

it's nice to have some free days to get a few more things done:

--find the market

--visit kevin's office

--visit a preschool for ivy

--get kevin a bike

--maybe a piano for me?!

i can honestly say i did not anticipate moving to california

but i feel so blessed and so happy. 

God is good. 

father/daughter outing

where do you go when you want to get out of the house, it's too cold to be outside, and your dad is kind of a nerd? why, the Harvard Museum of Natural History, of course! ha. it's basically diagonal from our building, so like a 3 minute walk. that's about as far as they could go in the freezing snow! kevin said she liked it pretty well, but got a little scared of the huge dinosaur skeletons. when she came home, i asked her what she saw and she said "big monsters!"   (kevin!!)  he's excited to take her back and check out more things.  i wouldn't mind going sometime to see the glass flower exhibition. it was created by a father and son in germany - they started in 1887 and it took them 50 years! kinda cool, no? 

happy anniversary us

officially, december 1st.

if we weren't both holding a baby,

we'd have our arms around each other....

here's to many more!

(years and babies)

and trying to take atleast one picture of just us.

i love you

kevin.

thanks for marrying me!

grill guy

so kevin's been grilling pretty much every night.

and it never gets old.

in fact, it gets more awesome each time.

i'm thinking about an indoor grill for his bday (hello boston winter!)

because the best part is, he loves it as much as i do.

lamb kebabs {bottom right} from everyday food magazine

1 lb boneless lamb (i bought 3 lamb chops and had the butcher de-bone and cut them into 1-inch pieces... awesome)

2 tsp fresh lemon zest

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 pint grape tomatoes

bunch of fresh mint leaves

s+p

heat grill or grill pan to medium-high.

in a large bowl, combine the lamb, lemon zest and spices. season with s+p and toss to coat.

thread the lamb, tomatoes and mint onto 4 skewers.

grill kebabs, covered, 7-8 minutes for medium, turning occasionally.

serve with lemon wedges and grilled naan!

(i added some baby potatoes too -just boil them a few minutes first)

green rice {top right} from everyday food magazine

1 cup cilantro leaves

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves

1/4 cup white onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 3/4 cups water

1 cup long grain white rice

1 lime

in a blender, combine all ingredients except the rice and blend til smooth.

season with s+p.

in a medium pot, heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium -high heat. add the rice and stir to coat.

add herb mixture and bring to a boil.

reduce to a simmer, cover and cook about 15 minutes.

remove pan from heat and let sit , covered 5 more minutes.

add a squeeze of fresh lime juice and fluff with a fork.

pork chops {bottom left}

2 boneless thin cut pork chops

brush with olive oil.

season with fresh thyme, ground sage, s+p.

grill em up and serve with grits & peaches.

soooooo good.

enjoy!

trip for two

we are here:

Culloden House

Inverness, Scotland

(in case anyone was missing us.)

we miss you ivy!!!

mind your manners and be sweet to your cousins.

see you in a few days!

we love you to the blue blue sky.