Photo Shoot

Here a few photos of Madeleine from her recent 1-year old photo shoot.  We were so blessed to have our friend Joel Mills take these wonderful photos for us!  Madeleine had a great time playing around in the leaves and running all over the place, and we are grateful to have her personality at this age captured so beautifully.  On a different note, she is also modeling my first big sewing project ... a dress that I made for her with much help from my mom (but more on sewing adventures later).

A Few Fall Photos

Here a few recent photos taken for my class.

 

Happy Birthday Madeleine Joy! (10.18)

I can't believe it has been one year.  One year since I first saw her face, heard her voice, held her in my arms.  How can it have gone so fast?  It seems like just yesterday that we could only wonder what she would be like, what she would look like, how she would change our lives.  The memory is all to fresh of waiting and hoping that she would come, longing for her arrival.
Now, one year later, I can't imagine my life without her.  In many ways it seems like the time has flown, but in others it seems like it has been forever; like she has always been in my life, like I've always been her mother.
I love her radiant smile and her dramatic pout.  I love how she giggles, and how she will run up to me and nuzzle her head in my chest.  I love how she will pull on my skirt so I will pick her up, only to squirm to get back to exploring if I hold her too long.  I love how she runs all over the place and is so curious.  I love how she makes me laugh almost every day with a funny face or sound, (and how I usually tear up at least once a day because I am simply amazed by who she is!)  I love how she has given me new eyes to see the world around me.  I love the wonder she has upon seeing something new, feeling the grass beneath her feet, or tasting something yummy.  I love how she rests on my shoulder when she is tired, and how she quietly goes to sleep snuggling her doll baby.  I love peaking through the door crack at her while she is just waking up and playing in her crib.  I love how she will wave to complete strangers and win them over with her coy smiles (in France we made so many friends of every tribe, tongue and nation on the metro!)  I love how she gets excited about knocking down a tower of blocks, or playing with a box .... and on and on and on ... 
Quite simply I love how she has changed my life, and I love being her mom.  I am so grateful to the Lord for knitting her together, and for allowing Dan and I the privilege to be her parents.  She is such a beautiful little girl, and she brings us so much joy.

Happy birthday ma petite fille, je t'aime mon coeur.  I can't wait to see what this next year brings.

Wonderful Weekend with the Witmers!

This past weekend we had the great opportunity to visit some of our best friends Andrew and Moe.  They recently moved from Charlottesville to Media, PA (just outside of Philly) because Andrew is working on a post-Doc at UPenn.  They live in the cutest house in a great neighborhood and are even walking distance from a Trader Joe's!  They are so hospitable and generous and we had such a great time with them, reminiscing, laughing and eating (they are such good cooks!)  On Saturday we went to Lancaster county and enjoyed walking around a large farmer's market, eating fresh Amish-made ice cream, and visiting with Andrew's kind grandparents.  Madeleine loves her Aunt Moe and Uncle Andy and we are all so excited for their daughter, Katie, to arrive in the next few weeks ... and as a side note, Moe is one of the most beautiful pregnant women ever!  We had an awesome time with our dear friends and we can't wait to see them again once Katie is here!

 

Thanks anyway Starbucks, but I'll be keeping my $5.00.

I love the fall.  The changing colors on the trees, the crunch of leaves beneath your feet, the appropriate weather for scarve-wearing, and leisurely enjoying a warm drink.  I don't know how they do it, but Starbucks seems to have the market on making seasonal drinks, and I am a sucker for their pumpkin spice latte.  I don't know how they do it; this latte seems to be flavored with all the feelings of nostalgia that generally accompany the autumn season for me, and sipping on one of them feels like sitting by a warm hearth with friends (perhaps a bit dramatic, but I really do enjoy them).
Anyway, the other day I had a hankering for this special drink, and it occured to me that perhaps I could try and make one myself.  I did, and it was awesome.  Improvising on another recipe here is what I did:

In a saucepan combine:

1 cup milk

2 T pumpkin puree (I used canned pumpkin)

1-2T sugar (depending how sweet you like it)

mix with a wire wisk

remove from heat when steaming and add:

1/4tsp. nutmeg

1/4tsp. cinnamon

1T vanilla

wisk until frothy

Add 1/2 cup brewed coffee

pour into big mug, and top with whipped cream if you want! 

Sip leisurely while contemplating the beauty of life.

How Bono got me a husband, and other stories about me and U2.

Ever since I have known Dan he has been obsessed with U2.  In the early days of our friendship I distinctly remember him coming over to my house and commenting about a U2 poster I had hanging on my wall. The conversation probably went something like this:
Dan: "Awesome poster, I didn't know you were a U2 fan.  They are my favorite band. "
Kristin: "Oh really.  Yeah I am like a huge U2 fan.  "
Dan: "Have you ever seen them live?  I just got back from camping out over night with my buddies in Philly so that we could get front row seats to their Elevation tour.  It was awesome.  Bono was practially sweating on me and Adam Clayton is my hero."
Kristin: "That's amazing!  I've always wanted to go to a U2 concert ... wait ... who is Adam Clayton?"
Dan: "he's their bassist ... you didn't know that?  I thought you really liked the band?"
       And there you have it - I was found out.  The truth was that at the campus poster sale I had randomly chosen the black and white of Bono et al descending the plane over the close up of Dave Matthews and guitar simply because I thought it was a cool photo (and maybe some guy might think I was cool for having it.)  I knew all the popular U2 songs and it wasn't like I didn't bop my head when "Elevation" came on the radio, but I certainly didn't know all the band members names besides Bono, and I wasn't yet familiar with Bono's character of the "fly."
      As I started to have a crush on Dan I decided to become a more avid U2 fan, you know so we could have something in common.  I even bought a Rolling Stone magazine simply because Bono's face was on the cover and left it out in a strategic place when I knew Dan was coming over for dinner.  When he noticed it I said, "oh, you haven't read the newest Bono article?  Feel free to borrow it."  And that, ladies in gentleman, was how our blossoming romance began.  And it grew, quite quickly, to a soundtrack filled with Bono's soaring voice and meditative lyrics, who also supplied much of the background music of our wedding reception.  
      Over the years Dan has introduced me to pretty much all of what I know about U2 and has expanded my knowledge of their music to include many of their obscure B-sides songs and "Rattle and Hum" performance.  So, as you can understand, when it was announced that U2 would be coming to our little town of Charlottesville, it was no small deal for the Moore household.  Dan was not going to let this incredible opportunity pass with out prime, floor, so close you can touch the band, tickets.  He was so serious about getting these tickets that he quickly signed up for U2's fan club so that he could order tix before the general public (and who cares that it costs $20 to sign up, we'll get yet another rare, never released CD with the membership.)  At least an hour before the presale started he had two computers set up on the website (in case one decided to freeze) and ten minutes before he kicked Madeleine and I out of the room because "he needed complete concentration."  Man, oh man.  20 minutes later he came walking down the stairs completely dejected ... "we only got lawn seats."  "Oh, too bad honey," I feign disappointment, and then hopefully ..."can we sit down there?"  Turned out that we could bring a blanket and sit and enjoy the show from the grass.  Not good enough for my husband.  Not for a U2 show at least.  The next day he tried again and was able to "score" the general admission, there goes my personal space, can't see a thing, mosh-pit, floor seat section.  I was sad to let go of my picnic vision of the concert, but for the love of my husband I agreed.
      On U2 day in Charlottesville (just last Thursday, Oct. 1) you could feel the excitement in the air, and Dan was like a kid on Christmas morning.  As soon as work was over, and Madeleine was in the safe care of our friends the Henriques', we were off on our normally 5 minute drive to the stadium.  Dan had printed out 3 maps and marked at least 5 different routes for how we could get to the stadium that we have nearly walked to in the past .... he was quite excited.  The route he chose was great, though, and I was really thankful that we didn't have to join the many others stopped behind the redlights on cars in front of them.  (if you want to know the route he went, just ask him, I'm sure he'd be glad to tell you his ingenuity.)  I had to eat my bagel while we sped walked, knee popping and arm pumping in all, over to the stadium.  When we descended the 10 check points to show that we did indeed purchase tickets to the elusive sardine section, Dan speedily raced to the left side of the giant spaceship-like stage.  He spoke with a yellow-jacketed ticket holder and turned and ran toward the right side of the stage providing a nice breeze as he ran past me yelling "hurry follow me!"  To the right side of the stage I followed, and to my surprise the pretend velvet rope was lowered and we were ushered into the inner circle just feet from the stage.
      There we were in the less cramped than I thought inner section.  Surrounded by fellow eager fans I couldn't help but get swept up into the palpable excitement of U2 mania that was pulsing all around me.   And boy did they not disappoint.  It was the best show I have ever seen and it was such an awesome experience getting to be so close despite not having seats.  I've never been to a big show like that and not had to look at the jumbo-tron to see the band, and there was so much energy at the show that I wouldn't have wanted to sit even if I could.  Bono is one of the most exciting performers to watch and I was moved nearly to tears several times as he sang songs like "Magnificent" and "Where the Streets Have No Name."  God has given him such a gift and a voice to speak so much truth. 
      So, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that my experience of the show would have been nowhere as awesome if it wasn't for my awesome husband who suffered much joking and ridicule from me over the past few months regarding it.  So, here is my public thank you and apology to my persistent and smart husband who has taught me so much about an awesome band and worked really hard to make sure that my first experience at one of their epic shows was great.   And thanks to his mentoring I actually knew every song (except one) that they played.  I think I can officially consider myself a fan and it would be honest if I hung a poster of U2 on my wall now.     However, I still guess I have a little to learn because when the bassist came strutting out into the crowd, 10 feet away from me, I shouted to Dan  "Larry Mullen is amazing," to which Dan smugly and humorously replied, "Kristin, that's Adam Clayton."

The excitement is what's causing the haze.

 

Dan and his friend since Preschool, Daniel Son (who was also at that aforementioned Philly Show).

 

Adam Clayton playing bass (surprisingly not drums:))

Madeleine and Eliza

I love getting to spend most of my day at home with my sweet girl.  Nannying has been the perfect job for me during this season and I am loving getting to watch Madeleine and Eliza interact.  They are so cute together and though they are a far way from sharing nicely, they play together really well and make each other (and me) laugh a lot.