No Words...

The Big 3.

love, kerry- you've been neglected lately. 

I mean, seriously, how has it been almost a week since my last post?

My apologies. 

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You know what else has been neglected? 

My journals.

I saw this coming, even though I hinted to the opposite in my very first love, kerry blog post HERE.

My journal time has become blogging time, which I actually prefer more and more, but still... I thought I might be able to manage enough quality time with all the fine writing outlets in my life...

It's time to let my journals go...Or, just revise the routine.  

love, kerry, is after all a journal, but better because it can include pictures, videos, comments, and offers spell check, linking opportunities, and sharing functions. Sweet! I've got to keep this blog going strong!

But for now, Kerry, try to work on getting back into the BIG 3.

1) Mommy Book

2) Husband Book

3) Baby Book

These are too good to let go, and not keep up regularly.  

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My Mommy Book is helpful.

Sloppy, unedited, creative, quick lists and reminders like...

YES! A celebration plate would be fun one day...Someone has a good day at school/work, wins a game, scores an "A" on a test, etc...They deserve special treatment during family dinner...The CELEBRATION plate. LOVE!

{Jill, thanks for AMAZING idea!}

...

Photo Albums to Make Next:

9-8-10

Audrey's 1st Year

2010

Audrey's 1st Birthday Party

2011

...

Painting with squirt guns sounds fun. Must try one day.

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My Husband Book is special. 

John's 1-year-wedding-anniversary gift to me. A place to "write all good things about our relationship" like...

And all I got you for our anniversary was a bottle of champagne?! Bad wife.

...

I'm so proud of my amazing husband, and will honesty be thrilled no matter where he finally matches. 

...

It's positive. And, I'm positive that John will be a perfect dad.

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My Baby Book is joy.

How you make us smile, Audrey Lee, with short notes from Mom and Dad like...

Love how you play with your feet, and suck your toes.

...

What's that doggie doing?

...

You really seem to be enjoying that book, Audrey.

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These books, and this blog, are all so important to me and worth the extra time and effort. 

I'll be better. 

love, kerry 

Forts-R-Fun

This BIG little girl needs to be entertained.

She is SOOO unbelievably good, seriously. Other moms would be jealous. 

But, she's getting bigger and I think it's time that her toys start growing too...

I'm on the hunt for something fun like a kitchen, or rocking horse, or shopping cart, or something that would keep her entertained for longer periods of time. 

Yesterday, I made her a fort in the hallway before work. 

And, that kept her busy for about an hour or two...cumulatively. 

Need something better...suggestions?

love, kerry

tOO sOOn? maybe.

REPEAT...

Live in the moment.

Live in the moment.

Live in the moment.

I try to remind myself that life goes fast enough. I mean, Audrey's already the BIG 1.

Enjoy every moment, every stage and every age. 

This blogs helps me to do just that, actually.

But yesterday- despite knowing deep down that it may have been too soon- I took Audrey to the library. We needed to get OUT!

And, I have great memories being a kid, and visiting the library at Old Towne Mall.

I thought, this will be fun.

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And...well, it was a BLAST!

The library is beautiful inside and out! The children's section was HUGE, and Audrey really enjoyed all the kids, books {paper}, fish aquariums and fountains, toys, giant stuffed animals... It was so cute. 

Now, could we cuddle up on a rocking chair and read a new book? No way.

Too many new people and things to watch. 

Reminded me of being in college, and "studying" at the UNR library.

Oh and, did I qualify for a library card? 

No. 

It's been awhile {embarrassed} since I read a book that didn't start with "What to Expect"...

God, that sounds bad. 

You understand.

But, I finally have an interest in a new book,

Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin and sadly, I couldn't get it (or anything). 

But, that's another story for another day. 

love, kerry 

On My Love List: Nod Chairs

Yay! Our birthday gift for Audrey finally arrived, and we are in LOVE! 

This ADORABLE chair is from Land of Nod, and she loves it! 

Super cozy for snuggling (I've tried it myself), easy to move around the house, and so cute...

Just like Audrey!

These Nod Chairs come in all sorts of fun colors, patterns, designs and most can be personalized. 

CLICK HERE to check them out. 

I also found this gem at Anthropologie. 

PERFECT birthday book, don't you think?

love, kerry

Good Thoughts...

I was thinking about our conversation last night. 

And, although it was brief, haven't we discussed this same scenario so many times? 

Let me just say, right here, right now, AGAIN- I'm serious.

Give me the word, and we're there.

Until then, thank you HGTV House Hunters: International. You are the reason we continue to pay for cable.

love, kerry

Audrey's First Year...

Feels Like Fall

Don't get me wrong...

It's beautiful.

But, the air feels a bit cooler and the sky is looking less clear blue, and more mellow gray. 

We had a great Saturday morning back home, playing at the beach, and enjoying the day OFF. 

Audrey is such a Daddy's girl.

Those two missed each other, and had some important catching up to do. 

Is it just me, or is she the most beautiful, perfect little baby girl you've ever seen?

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On your mark...

Get set...

GO!!!

It's good to be home.

love, kerry

Mission: Camp Sutherland

While I was in Reno last week, I helped Jason to organize and decorate a NEW bedroom/playroom for the boys... It was a lot of {fast} work, but honestly so much fun!!!!

As you know, it's all girl around here, and I had a blast coming up with non-pink/garden/princess themes and ideas for a very fun, personal, all-{sutherland}-boy room...

The concept- Camp Sutherland- couldn't have been more perfect. 

The boys (adults included) are in love with the great outdoors. Be it camping, hunting, hiking, exploring, rock collecting, fishing, swimming, fossil hunting...you name it- nature is number one. 

It took approximately three full days of planning/work/cleaning/painting/organizing/shopping/decorating/admiring, but it was totally finished before I left on Friday afternoon. 

Whew!

Allow me to give you a quick tour...

First, check out this handmade (thank you Grandpa Steve) camp sign...So personal, so cute, and the anchor of the boys' room theme. 

LOVE.

My other FAVORITE personal element- all the family photos, sporadically hung around the room, depicting the clan enjoying the outdoors and adventure. 

Judy, how many prints did we buy???

At least 50, I'd say. 

Here's a great group of guys...

{minus three very special boys who couldn't fit in this particular shot}

Even though I wasn't there to see their reaction, I hear the boys LOVED their new outdoor room. It's my guess that in addition to the Camp Sutherland sign and the family photos in the room, the boys loved their new:

Twig lights strung from the ceiling, 

outdoor-green painted walls, 

camping/fishing themed bedding,

organized toy boxes and dresser,

and clan tartan bow on the door outside. 

Love those boys.

Loved this project. 

love, kerry

Thank You!!!

I feel bad that it's taken soooo long for me to post this update, but family and friends- 

THANK YOU SO MUCH 

for sending me your memories for Grandpa's 79th birthday gift! 

I delivered our notes on my first night back in Reno, last Thursday. I can tell you that he was 

surprised,

touched,

teary-eyed,

cracking up,

enjoying...

They were a hit, and thank you again for contributing. 

love, kerry

My 9-11

I was living in Milan.


We had to report each morning to the agency to get our schedule for the day. I was usually among the first girls to arrive. It was only my 6th day in Italy.

As I was getting comfortable on the waiting room sofa, flipping through a fashion magazine, one of the other girls walked through the agency doors and said, "someone blew up the World Trade Center".

I was the first person in the room to respond, simply saying, "no, you've got that wrong. Check your facts."

She said, "seriously, there was a bomb at the World Trade Center, and it blew up the building."

Again I couldn't help myself, from what I'd seen the last few days, these girls {sorry} were a little stupid anyway...

"I was just in New York (literally like 2 weeks before) and actually AT the World Trade Center. It would take more than a bomb to blow up the building...Are you sure you've got that story right???"

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Such a tragic day for our country, and I felt so disconnected not being in America that day/week/month, watching the same media coverage, sharing the same stories, discussing the tragedy with loved ones, peers, strangers...

Can't believe it's been 10 years.

A sincere thank you to all those who risked their lives to save others that morning, and my deepest sympathies to those who lost so much...

love, kerry

Happy Birthday {Party} Audrey!!!

You are perfect.

love, mama

Happy 1st Birthday Audrey!!!!!!!!!

Audrey!!!!

Happy 1st birthday baby girl!!!!!
Or, should I say- TODDLER!!!!!!

You are AMAZING. We love you so much, and just can't believe you are 1-year-old! It's gone so fast. Seems like just yesterday we were at Renown...

I hope you had a perfect day, and can't wait for your BIG birthday bash on Saturday!!!

Thank you for making this the best year of our lives...

love, mommy and daddy

Wow...

Audrey,

I can NOT believe that when you wake up in the morning, you will be 1-year-old.

At exactly 6:14am, on Wednesday, September 8, 2010- you came into the world, and brought so much 

joy,

laughter,

happiness,

entertainment,

humor,

amusement,

affection,

personality,

sweetness,

beauty,

L-O-V-E

into our lives...

and more...

We are so lucky and proud to be your mommy and daddy.

You are THE BEST. 

Happy first birthday, and sleep tight.

love, mama and dada

Thank You!!!!

A BIG thank you to everyone who sent memories for Grandpa's joint birthday gift. 

All 79 notes are numbered, packaged and ready to be delivered! 

I'll be giving them to Grandpa tomorrow after I get off of work, probably around 6pm. 

I'll let you know how it goes, but it's going to be a hit!

Talk soon.

love, kerry 

Happy Birthday Jason!!!

Happy birthday Jason!!!

Let me guess, you're working today...No!!!! You deserve the day OFF, to have fun, and do whatever you want!! You're such a hard worker, give yourself a break once in awhile! A birthday is a great excuse to just relax and have fun!

John, Audrey and I are looking forward to seeing you Thursday and celebrating all the birthdays this week! Say hello to the boys for us, and have a great day!

love, kerry

Good Thoughts...

A Virtual Tour

I'm not really sure why I stopped at the living room, photo wall plus couch yesterday...

Not too many of you have seen our place in HB! I know, we've been here over two months and I'm still not totally unpacked/decorated. 

We've been a little busy!

But, our condo is really great for us! A great size, really nice, and has everything we hoped to find in a rental close to the beach. I'm getting more and more decorating done, and this long weekend was very productive! It's feeling more and more like home everyday!

Let me show you around...

Here's our private backyard! 

Yup! We have our very own backyard, and a weekly gardner included! John and I have dreams of planting more, particularly a lemon tree...We'll see how it goes. One project at a time!

And, this is our kitchen! It's small, but just right for the three of us. Nice appliances. Gets the job done...

The view from inside the kitchen, looking into living room. 

Love this Ikea gem! Great toy storage along the bottom, and so pretty! Nice work Steve for assembling this monster!

So, I'm not sure if it's totally obvious from these pictures, but because I work full-time at home {with Audrey} I actually made the condo's "dining room" our living room, and we use the larger, open, carpeted "living room" as my home-office/Audrey's playroom. It's actually great because OUR living room is between the kitchen, and the backyard- the most lived-in areas of our house and it's very bright.

Speaking of office, here's a shot of where I work, and Audrey plays.  

And, I just love Audrey's room. So precious! So Audrey!

I'm still working on decorating the rest of the condo, so stay tuned for more photos soon! Hopefully before Christmas. ;)

Note: We have THREE queen beds in our two bedroom, one bathroom condo. Oh yes, and a great pool across the street! Visitors welcome!

Enjoy the short work week, friends!

love, kerry

We Have a Living Room!

It's been over two months that we've been living in HB, and we FINALLY have a living room!!!!

So long patio chairs! Back to the backyard for you!

Our amazing, comfy couch arrived last week and today...the framed photos/art have moved to the wall {where they belong} from the floor in our bedroom. YAY!!!

I love photos...See previous posts if you don't already GET IT. But, I'll take family photos over any other wall art, or painting any day! More personal, and photos of people you love NEVER get old!

Here are a few shots of our new collage, family photo wall with beautiful new couch! So comfy, and so homey! FINALLY!!! We love it!

Hope you get a chance to see it in person! The pictures don't do the room true justice. ;)

love, kerry

Hit the Gym!

Haha...I thought "Little Gym" would be more of a "little-gym" with little baby weights for lifting, agility and flexibility equipment (just baby size), and well- lots of balls!

Is that not YOUR gym? 

Well, I was wrong. 

Little Gym is Little GYMnastics... 

Duh, I know. But, to be honest, I don't think of gymnastics...ever.

Let's just say- I've never touched my toes, and I can't do a summersault. 

Sorry, Audrey. You'll probably never be a gymnast. 

For now, let's try to enjoy it and fit in. Maybe Mommy will make some friends? 

{scared}

{that's my girl, go for the ball!}

Turns out, Little Gym wasn't really for us. It was a CD directed class (I'm pretty sure I could buy the CD online for $15 and save myself the $85/month plus my time and travel to listen to a CD in a padded room). And, it'd be more worth it if I could make some friends for both myself and Audrey, but- that's not gonna happen at Little Gym either. 

No biggie. I'll find something better for us...eventually.

love, kerry 

PS- Sad to be missing the lamb roast today. Enjoy without us, I guess. See you on Thursday!