1. My nephews – okay, so maybe they will ALWAYS be on my ‘favorites’ list, but this month they have been so amazing. Jonas is learning his syllables (this video is the cutest thing EVER!!) and Isaac is working his baby abs by rolling over and sitting up!!

2. Walking – It’s been so nice here the past couple weeks that I’d rather be outside walking than sitting at my computer uploading photos. But then again, I can’t put off work for other people without feeling rotten. So instead I get my photography work done, put off exercise and let my muscles turn to flab. :-) And yes, this is my attempt to make walking shoes look beautiful. I don’t think it worked.

3. Keeping busy – I might have been a hermit the past week, but I did edit an entire wedding, photograph and edit a newborn session, and unpack my suitcase from St. Louis. And yes, the unpacking of my suitcase was probably the most rewarding thing I did for myself all week. That and treat myself to Armadillo’s. Twice. Key Lime with Candi on Wednesday and Strawberry Cheesecake with Lance on Friday.

4. Adele – ‘Rolling in the Deep‘ is stuck on replay on my iPod. The song doesn’t really apply to my life. At all. Her voice is just that good.

5. Being a tourist – This photo was taken with Lance’s fabulous camera phone skills after church at the Old Cathedral last Saturday while we were in St. Louis (hence the arch…). Also, expect to see a blog post from our trip to the arch in the next couple days!!

Today I am soaking in the luxury of not traveling in snowy weather.

Today I am enjoying spending little nuggets free time with my boyfriend in between work.

Today I am answering emails and fulfilling print orders before I’m away from the computer for two days.

Today I am eating the last of my stash of Thin Mints.

Today I am mentally preparing myself for my very first ‘destination wedding’ in St. Louis this weekend.

Today I am looking at photos of my two favorite boys.

That’s what my Fat Tuesday looks like. How about yours?

“sayWHA?!”

Yes, that’s right. This past weekend my family celebrated Christmas. And Thanksgiving. And my birthday. And it was FABULOUS! Lance and I got home just after my brother and his family, and just before the ‘bad weather.’

The next night, we opened presents. Because someone kept asking “When can we open presents? When can we open presents?” And it wasn’t my three-year-old nephew. :-)

Since Jonas got a train set for his birthday, I gave him a train conductor outfit for Christmas!! When I was little, I had a McDonald’s outfit and I played restaurant ALL the time.

Thank goodness Lance has so much energy to entertain Jonas all weekend! :-) In between helping everyone open their Christmas presents, Jonas would come over to Lance and they would pop the bubble wrap used in some of the boxes.

Jonas also likes to snuggle and giggle with grandpa.

Isaac is already three months old!! Did someone say ‘time for a photoshoot?!’

Baby burrito!! :-)

Time to go sledding!

This is how Isaac felt about being outside in the cold:

“Aunt Laura, what does this do?”

“Hold it up to your face and find out.”

Snuggle time with grandma!

And of course I got some snuggle time in as well. Whenever I sat next to the Christmas tree, Isaac would stretch to look at the lights.

Caramel bourbon spice (birthday) cake.

It’s okay to be jealous. :-)

Apparently mom doesn’t keep birthday candles around the house.

“Aunt Laura, how many numbers are you?”

Me and my nephews! What more could a girl ask for on her birthday?!

I want to thank everyone who sent me birthday wishes! I had a fabulous day and it was a great way to finish up the holiday weekend with my family!

I hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving! This year I was thankful for good health, family, my wonderful boyfriend, new friendships, and everyone who has trusted me in the past year to document their marriages and growing families. And caramel bourbon spice cake. :-)