my top 10

This week's You Capture theme is top 10 favorite pictures of 2011.   This was incredibly hard to narrow down.  But I tried to keep in mind that they were my favorite, not the technically best.  Although sometimes those go hand in hand, right?  So here we go, my favorite from 2011.

 Not that great technically speaking, but way too cute.  I look at this picture, and just feel love for those two patooties.

I have a billion that showcase Rowan's brilliant eyes, but her pink cheeks in this one add to the sweetness.  It was hard to narrow it down, or else I would have 50 of just Rowan's eyes.

Bleeding hearts are my favorite spring flower.  And we left behind the most beautifully huge bush of it back in Illinois.  I would have loved to take it with me.  But I have this picture to remember them!

My kids.  I'm sensing a theme here.  Again, not that great technically, but I love the bare feet and colors in this one. 

I think I like this one even more than the one that made it on to msn from the same shoot.

I miss Chicago.  *sniff, sniff*

I miss going back and visiting NWI.  *sniff, sniff*

Luckily this ruggedly handsome man came with me.  Love.  Oh man, only 2 left???

I just adore the attitude here.  I love my mini-Frank Sinatra.  This one's gonna be framed, for sure.

Ok, so technically Brian took this one, but it is my favorite of me and the littles. 

organizer needed

I'm serious.  If someone would just come and organize my stuff, I would love you forever.  Really.  Forever.  But you'd have to come and do it all over again when we move to Missouri, ok? 

I am organizationally challenged.  I love the feeling of being organized, but I'm really really bad at keeping the organizing going.  So here's another resolution for me- to get organized. 

I write little lists in all sorts of notebooks, and then I can't find the notebooks.  Or I can't find the right notebooks.  I find a notebook with a list from a year ago.  I have to make lists of menus for parties or I will forget a part of it and just not serve it.  I've done it numerous times.  Here's my menu for Christmas.  I thought I'd snap a picture before I erased it.

I had to consult the menu, and STILL almost forgot about the grapefruit on Christmas morning.  And speaking about Christmas, I thought I had everything packed away, but here is my dining room full of stuff that I just didn't see to pack away.  Cause I didn't have an organizational PLAN. 

And here, I am almost ashamed to show you, is my office/crafting space.  It is utter chaos.  Especially in the aftermath of the holidays.

I'm a mess.  I keep walking into the office, and then just turning back around because I don't know where to start.  But now I'm adding it to my resolutions!  Get organized, Ruthie!  *someone send help, please*

charming Charleston

The Friday before New Year's, Brian said, "Hey, let's go to Charleston for the weekend!"  And I said, "Hey, that's a really bad idea!  We don't have reservations, we don't know anything about the city, I would have to pack all the little's stuff, we'd have to fight our way into restaurants since it's a holiday, oh, and our car dvd players stopped working, so we'll have to listen to screaming the way there and back."  I said something like that.  I may have used some cursing, too.  I know that one of my New Year's resolutions was to be brave, but it wasn't technically New Year's yet.  So I thought that ringing in the New Year at home and in jammies sounded just fine.

But I somehow got talked into taking a last minute road trip down to Charleston.  I think there were drinks involved, but I don't actually remember agreeing.  But Saturday morning I found myself being shuffled out the door with two sleepy kids and my in-laws for a trip to the coast.  I was grumpy, and pretty certain that the trip would be a disaster, and I prepared myself with a little "I told you so" speech for when things started going downhill.  It was going to be a good one, but I never got to use it!  The littles were great, and good little troopers all the way.

Why does Rowan look so happy?  Well, she kept shouting out "Jingle Bells*!" to the one man band, and he finally agreed and gave into her.  I'm sure it helped that they dropped some bucks in his bucket first. (*she technically calls it "Jingle Away")

Why does Brian look so happy?  Well, you can see what's in his hand there.  On our first day, we just got our bearings in the city, ate some good food, and then found the hotel for a quick naptime.  Our hotel was a lovely historic building, just like every other building in the city.  There are rooftop porches all over the city, and our hotel had a great view of the water and the city.

We took champagne, sparkling cider, cheese, and children in jammies up to the rooftop well before midnight to celebrate. 

Then we went back to the room and had a dance party!  For about 5 seconds before the littles dropped from exhaustion.

We were all sound asleep when the New Year came.  Brian and I tried to stay up, but when you're in a quiet room with two sleeping kids, it's hard not to give in to the sleepies!  The littles woke us up bright and early the next day for some sight-seeing.

I set Rowan down to walk so I could snap a picture of this building.  She promptly tripped and fell on her face.  When she looked up, her entire mouth was covered in blood.  I went into panic mode, grabbed her, and started shouting gibberish commands to Brian.  It was something like: ohmygodshesbleedingtoomuchcall911sheneedsstiches-andohmygodwhyareyoujuststadingthere????  Brian calmly wiped out her mouth, decided it wasn't too bad, and gave her a sucker.  This is why he makes a good Army officer, and why I would NOT.  My adrenaline finally went back to normal, and my hands stopped shaking enough to take about a billion pictures.  So here you go!  Enjoy!

Although Charleston is indeed very charming, there are lots of reminders that it wasn't always so charming. 

 Doorbells.  The temptress of any 3 year old boy.

 Reese, we hardly knew ye.  Just kidding.  Reese Witherspoon is alive and well, last I checked.

After lunch we decided to take a horse drawn carriage tour of the city.  It was supposed to be about 45 minutes, so we thought it would be ok with the littles.  They both LOVE horses.

 How clean is Charleston?  Well, when one of the horses pees in the street, the tour guides throw these little flags down and call sanitation to come power wash the streets.  Whoa, that's clean.

It was about this time in the tour that the hour mark passed, and Rowan started a full on melt down.  I mean, she FREAKED out.  She was screaming, crying, and kicking other passengers.  She threw out her balloon, threw out her sucker, and threw out my favorite pair of sunglasses.  Goodbye, sunglasses.  We had a special kind of love that I'm not sure I can find again.  Until I go replace you, that is.  Anyway, Rowan tried to throw herself out of the carriage, but I was able to restrain her.  She still screamed, and my mother-in-law urged me to get off the ride.  In the middle of a city I didn't know.  With a screaming child.  Alone.  That's how bad this melt down was. 

I threatened to leave her here at the old prison, and she quieted right down.  After that, I decided enough was enough and announced it was time to go home! 

It was definitely time.

We'd like to go back before moving to Missouri, but we also have Savannah on our list, along with a handful of other places, so we have a lot to squeeze in before March! 

welcome, 2012!

Happy New Years!  Did everyone have a great New Years Eve and Day?  We took an impromptu trip down to Charleston, and we ADORED that city.  What a beautiful place!  And full of history.  Here's a little peek.  I'm still working on all the photos, so bear with me. 

And that's just a small sample!  It was a paradise for anyone who like to take pictures.  And I do. 

Now I have to get back to taking down Christmas decorations.  Don't tell me if you've already gotten yours down and packed away.  I won't be able to stand the jealousy.  This is going to be a looooong day.