seven years ago today.......

I love October. I love it for many reasons, but one of the BEST reasons is that my sweet baby boy, Tyson Kwaku was born on a beautiful Wednesday morning at 10:13 (7 years ago today). Who cares that he was born on Wednesday?...well, it actually has some significance to his middle name. You see, my husband's family is from Ghana, and in their culture, there is a special name given to children based on the day of the week that they are born. For my little Tyson.....it is Kwaku, because Wednesday= Kwaku (for boys).

tyson kwaku...just hours after he was born

I get all filled up with tears when I think about this kiddo because he is super special. So, in the spirit of 7, here are a few fun facts about my Kwaku (we actually call him by his middle name at home).

1. When he was a baby, he used to fall asleep by rubbing my ears, or my husbands....or basically any ear he could get his hands on.

2. When he was about two, the ONLY thing he would wear are his basketball shorts. If the occasion wasn't appropriate for basketball shorts, he wore them underneath his dress pants.

3. When we had Parker, his baby brother, he walked in to the hospital room and when he saw

Parker for the first time, he burst into tears. (he said because he was "happy" but also because he "wasn't the littlest one anymore"). talk about a tearjerker.

4. He is my middle child and often tells me how "hard" it is to be a big brother because it's so much responsa-sill-it-y.

5. He is fast, very fast. So fast, that he wanted his nickname to be "the jet" on the back of his football jersey.

6. He always tells me that "I'm perfect just the way I am"...I mean, who doesn't need to hear that every once in a while!

7. He is the infomercial KING! I mean, if anyone is looking for an easy sell....present your stuff in an infomercial and Tyson will be all over it!

I love you my sweet, sweet boy and am so proud of you! Happy 7th Birthday!

three of a kind

It's late (late as in...it's already the next morning). All my babies are tucked into their beds while I am working away and trying to get "caught up" on work (joke).

So, as I was looking through my photo library to update my homepage, these photos stopped me dead in my tracks. I found myself staring at these beauties (taken by wendy + tyler of blue lily fame) for at least 20 minutes.





I mean...I live with these three little heartbreakers and see them ALL the time, but there's just something magical about these pictures and seeing all three of them together (smiling + happy) that gets me all filled up with tears. My Nana used to have a "word" for the feeling you get when your heart literally skips a beat and it feels like you are going to explode with pride....and it is, nockus. I have no idea how to spell it, but I am definitely feeling it at this moment.

Sending love to all the mommies out there and wishing you a smooth start to the new school year.

xoxo

wendy + tyler = blue lily photography

I had such an amazing night on Friday that I was smiling for 45 minutes straight. What was so great? Well...here's a little background for you:

Although my husband and I have been together for 16 years, we got married when our oldest son was 7. Our wedding day was amazing...but the photographer/pictures were NOT. Makes me sad just thinking about it. Fast forward 8 years of marriage and two more children later and our "picture" situation hasn't improved (meaning we've NEVER had a family portrait). Never....until Friday night. Let me tell you...that this portrait session that we had with husband and wife team (Wendy + Tyler) of Blue Lily Photography was WELL WORTH the wait. We shot it at Humboldt Park in Chicago and I can't stop smiling with the anticipation of seeing the final images. Why am I so dang excited...and I haven't even seem them yet?? Well...take a look at their work here and you'll see what I mean.

They travel all over the country (world, actually)and if you're on the ball (& follow their blog), you might be lucky enough to score an appointment. I highly, highly recommend them. I only wish they lived closer because I'm sure we'd become fast friends....they are just THAT awesome.

(I don't think you are supposed to do this but I totally stole this photo from blue lily's twitter page)

a photo collage

Things have been busy around here....busy in a "let's get a new deck", "redesign a website", "have a fun summer with my boys" but "remain completely productive while working" kind of way.



See what I mean?

just because...

I have no particular reason for posting this other than it makes me giggle every time I look at it. These two little beans were born a week apart and they love eachother to pieces. My nephew, Mason, is on the left and my youngest son, Parker, is on the right. Too. Damn. Cute.

thankful thursday : 6

My mornings usually go like this...at around 6:45, I wake up to the sound of "moooommmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy" coming from my baby Parker's room. Some days his morning "call" is sweeter than others, but nevertheless...I look forward to him summoning me to his room to scoop him out of his crib and smother him with morning kisses.

Shortly after, my middle son, Tyson Kwaku...lazily walks down the stairs and cuddles with me for a few seconds before we start the tub to get him ready for 1/2 day kindergarten. My biggest boy, Devon, is pretty much on cruise control at this point....so I get a quick kiss goodbye as he's running out the door to catch the bus.

I am basically home with my children from the time they wake up...until I tuck them in at night. I get to experience the smiles on my son's face when he walks out of door #4 after morning kindergarten and I get to hug my 13 year old when he gets home and talk to him about his day. My baby is is my right hand man...you will often find him sitting on my lap with 300 snacks around him while I work away on my computer.

I am extremely blessed...I am living my dream. I am able to work and provide for my family doing something I love FROM HOME with my babies close by. I have not always had it like this...trust me. I TRULY UNDERSTAND the heartache and stress working outside of the home can put on a mother's heart. When I taught kindergarten...although I loved what I did, I missed my children terribly and almost mourned the fact that I was not able to be with them as much as I wanted. I am truly thankful for the path my life has taken.

I'm thankful that I had the ambition to branch out on my own and chase my crazy dream of designing stationery (which later lead to canvas prints and books, etc.)If anyone reading this ever has any questions about how I got started or if you're thinking about starting your own "thing" but aren't sure how...I'd be happy to chat with you. I'm NO expert, by any means, but I'd be happy to share some of my insight with you. You can always email me at stacy@nameyourdesign.com.

p.s. All the time I spend working in Illustrator has sparked the interest of my "almost" 6 year old. He sits on his laptop next to me for at least an hour a day and designs pictures. Today, he designed his OWN birthday invitation...ALL BY HIMSELF. I believe we have another "self taught" designer in the house, wouldn't you agree?