Twelve Months of Tommy

To say I've been busy this past year would be a huge understatement! Hence the lack of blog posts in, well, over a year. Oops! And if I didn't say how quickly it's all gone by, well then I wouldn't be telling the truth. Man, does time fly! Sometimes I wish I could go back to being a kid again, when time seemed to mysteriously linger and take forever. Just so I could sit back, relax and take in all the glorious moments of living and watching a little human grow before my eyes. Tommy is our sunshine! I didn't know how much I could love someone until he entered this world. He's one of the happiest babies I've met, smiling 95% of the time. He's brought so much joy and happiness to our family, especially during some of the saddest times with my father's diagnosis of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). I'm hoping to catch you up (if there's any readers still out there) on a few of my favorite Tommy projects and first year adventures. Happy Birthday Tommy! I love you! 

Nautical Maternity Shoot

Check out our maternity photos from a few weeks ago... Luke was a trooper at the session, only rolling his eyes at me a few times! Francine, from Lillybelle Rose Photography, was the woman behind the camera. A colleague referred me to her and I have not been disappointed. She'll be doing our newborn session with Baby D in September, can't wait! Since the nursery is going to be a nautical theme, everything has followed that lead... my baby shower (more on that soon) and now our maternity session. I absolutely LOVE the "Welcome Aboard" life preserver! Isn't it cute? And if you look close you'll see the little embroidered whales on Luke's shorts (Baby D already has matching ones for next summer so he can be just like Daddy). There's even a sneaky belly shot at the end. 5.5 weeks and counting...OMG!

©2012 Lillybelle Rose Photography

Ms. Thing

I'm so excited to introduce "Thing 1"... Ms. Audrey Anne. She was born two weeks ago to my dear friend Megan and I can't get enough of her. She came into this world a happy and healthy girl, weighing 8lbs 13oz. Mom is doing great. I can't wait for Baby D to arrive so they can become fast friends. She already attended his "first party" over the weekend (my baby shower) where he got more loot than I know what to do with! Seriously, babies require a lot of things! We love you, Audrey. 

Photos ©2012 Keg Design - Instagram Obssessed!

Red, White & Blue

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July! We were up in Wisconsin enjoying the week with family and friends. It was a HOT one! Temperatures in the 100+ degrees is not super fun, especially when you're pregnant. I shouldn't complain too much though since it was sunny every single day. We spent most of our time in the lake or the pool trying to keep cool. Today marks the start of my 30th week of pregnancy! I can't believe I only have 10 weeks (2.5 months) to go. I'm still feeling pretty good, but don't know how much bigger my belly can get (apparently much much bigger). My brother and I were HUGE babies (9 lbs & 10 lbs) so this little guy could be on the extra large size if he takes after us!

Photos ©2012 Keg Design

Engagement Session: Jordan & Ryan

Last year, I started blogging about my friend Jordan's wedding (remember these pretty bridal invitations?). Since I keep finding myself dreaming about tropical destinations, I thought I'd start sharing the rest of their details with you. It's never too late, right? Jordan and Ryan had a beautiful destination wedding in Punta Cana, Domincan Republic last May. Prior to the wedding, they had engagement photographs taken by Jessica of Jessica Stacy Photography in Chicago...

Four Seasons

As we continue to celebrate a record breaking winter in Chicago (high in the 50s this week), I wanted to share with you a little project I've been working on for the past year. When we bought our Wisconsin lake house in 2010, I set out on a mission to capture the following golf course shot during all four seasons. I went to great lengths to capture the same angle and view for each so they'd look consistent side-by-side. I love how they turned out! My favorite capture is autumn with all the beautiful colors. I kept the budget reasonable by ordering large format prints from Shutterfly, and buying the frames and custom matte boards at Hobby Lobby. My Mom and I hung the series on one of the focal walls in our living room - I love the personalized touch they add to our family get-away home.

Photos ©2012 Keg Design

Holiday Details

Photos ©2011 Keg Design

AEppelTreow Winery

A few weeks back I was searching for wineries in Wisconsin (why do most of them seem to be in Michigan?) and stumbled across AEppelTreow Winery in Burlington, Wisconsin. They're located on the same property as Brightonwoods Orchard and call themselves an artisan cidery & distillery. Upon further research, I found that AEppelTreow uses local apple crops to make hard ciders, orchard table wines, sparkling champagnes, fruit dessert wines and unique spirits. We were in! We went on a Saturday and between Luke and I, got to try 10 different products (sample policy = 5 per person for free, $5 beyond that). They offered generous pours and the staff was super friendly. We ended up taking home a 4-pack of Bunting Berry-Apple Cider as well as a bottle of Pommeaux Apple Dessert Wine. Both did not disappoint! I think I went through the bottle of Pommeaux in less than a week (oops) - I want to go back for more! I would highly recommend AEppelTreow to anyone in the Chicago/Milwaukee area looking for an aunthentic winery experience. For more info and photos, check out their Facebook page.

Photos ©2011 Keg Design

Brightonwoods Orchard

We enjoyed some festive fall apple "picking" a few weekends ago at Brightonwoods Orchard in Burlington, Wisconsin. It's a beautiful 15 acre property in southeastern Wisconsin that's just over an hour from Chicago. They don't actually offer "pick your own", but the abundance of different apple varieties surely makes up for it. Brightonwoods grows over 200 kinds of apples... many old-fashioned and European varieties you can't find anywhere else. My favorite was the Calville Blanc d'Hiver - a French apple from the 1500's - it was sweet and tangy with an almost banana-like taste. Yum! The other reason we headed to Brightonwoods was for the on-site winery. More on that next...

Photos ©2011 Keg Design

Love for Leaves

We headed up to Wisconsin this past weekend to enjoy the beautiful fall weather... and Abbey had a blast. She loved the leaves! She was running, rolling and diving in them whenever she could. I was able to capture a few of her escapades below. She's too funny and way too cute. We're also pretty sure she thinks she's a human (check her out on the golf cart). Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Photos ©2011 Keg Design