Today is Royal Wedding Day...

Today was the Royal wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton...coverage here started weeks if not months ago, but the non-stop coverage began at 4am! I didn't get up, but I dvr'd it! By the time I got around to watching some if it, it was already this evening.

I didn't think that I was that interested in it...I was actually annoyed by all of the coverage on my show Access Hollywood every night), but once I started watching, I was ridiculously curious!! Being a wedding photographer, it was so interesting to watch their formal and stiff tradition during the ceremony and the curtysing to the Queen, but overall, I was so intrigued by the information! At first I was surprised by Cate's long-sleeved gown choice, but then they said that it one of the rules...arms must be covered!

As I was watching, I thought back to our day trip to London back in 2003. We left for Paris on Chistmas Eve and returned on December 30th. Only one day was spent in London and I was watching, I was curious as to what I had seen! I pulled out the Shutterfly book that I had made and found a few pictures of West Minster Abbey and Buckingham Palace!  I had LITERALLY bought my first Digital Rebel the day before going on the trip so it was trully the beginning of my photography journey....I wish that I had been deeper into my journey (so that I would have had a better eye and better equipment) and I WISH that I had understood a little more!! I knew the name West Minster Abbey, but mainly because of the Beatles! I didn't know the significance of it or that ONLY Royals can get married there (which I learned today)....I just wish that I had a better context of what I was seeing...I think that I would have appreciated it a bit more!!

So here are a few of my pictures of West Minster Abbey...The first few are from the side - the general public entrance...The picture of Douglas and I are in front of those side doors...not a great picture, but it says to me, "I have been there!".

This is what we saw as we turned the corned to view the front of West Minster...I believe they are the cabs, and they were all lined up...one of my top 10 favorite pictures from the whole trip!

The front of the church...

Next we got on the top of the tall red buses and took a tour...we drove by Buckingham Palace and this was on of those shots that I grabbed as we moved by! This the quick view that we got of the palace...the fountain matches the fountain that all of the people were surrounding so that they could view the kiss on the balcony!

 

These are just a few more pictures that I pulled off the Internet of what we saw today...I literally got teary eyed watching Cate's family...It has to be amazing to experience your child's wedding day, but to also have your commoner daughter grow up to marry a prince and become a Royal, it is trully unfathomable....I was teary in happiness for them...just amazing!

In London, there were large screen tv's for viewing parties...I came across this picture and realized that I had taken a picture of that exact fountain!

One last picture of Harry...He is actually my favorite...always such a happy looking guy...seems to like to party and just seems so down to earth...Not his best picture, but all that I could find!

Baseball Ready...

 Baseball ready...that is the pose Tyler is doing below...It was something he learned at the first practice a couple of weeks ago...He came home from his first practice with his hat and shirt and loving his new sport. We have been on a baseball hiatus because of the rain, and haven't had a practice until last night (pictures of that to come soon!)...

Last week we did have the Little League of North Attleboro Opening Day Parade though! Tyler (#9) and Douglas walked with the team from Community School down to Mason Field...a pretty big hike! Tyler giggles because everyone kept tripping and falling...including him!! Kelsi and I headed down towards Mason Field to watch for them....We spotted them coming down the hill and I was laughing hysterically....Tyler was waving and looking for us as he walked...He was just so cute!!

When we got down to the field and he spotted us again, he came running over to kiss and hug Kelsi...It was his way of showing how proud he is of his sister...absolutely adorable (I won't mention that she freaked and didn't want a hug...totally classic!).

Kelsi at 3.9...

SHE wakes up happy just about everyday and almost always asks where Tyler is right away.

SHE has made such progress with her swimming. She moved up to Eel with Tyler and can now jump in the water without holding a hand...from the big blocks!! In Florida a couple weeks ago, she even learned to swim underwater and loved it!!

SHE really likes skirts and dresses...I really need to put them on her more...I tend to dress her in jeans and a shirt because it is easy (especially for school).

SHE loves to change back into her pj's in the afternoon but now that she naps the new rule is NO changing!! we had clothes ALL over the house from her changing!!

SHE loves imaginative play... that is based in reality. She plays the mommy or the teacher to her babies and stuffed animals. She will care for them, clean them, feed them, give them naps, talk on the phone etc. She does everything out loud and sometimes doesn't even want you to hear it. She will ask me to close the door if I surprise her in her room. Every time I hear her creating a conversation my heart feels good.

SHE is taking after her mother and older brother in the friendly department...She enjoys saying hello to everyone as we walk around the grocery store or Target!

SHE cracks up at stuff. She finds lots of things funny and laughs with her whole body. I absolutely love that giggle and always think back to her seriousness as a baby...she has changed so much since then!

SHE picks up behaviors and imitates them. They are not necessarily things we want her to be adopting – upset noises and facial expressions of disappointment and frustration seem to be common ones lately. She loves to imitate exactly what I am doing and I am finding frustration happens more often than I would like! She stands behind me and copies the motion of putting cream on my face, hand gestures while I am on the phone and uses my exact wording when caring for her babies (super cute!).

SHE likes books (not as much as Tyler though). She is doing better listening at night and has even started to fill-in-the-blank, when I leave repetetive words out. At school, she learned to “read” Brown Bear, Brown Bear. It is amazing to hear her "read" it to me, and she is SO proud!

SHE says “mine” a lot. She has found her independence and fight in her to battle against her brother. She stands her ground, can be a BIG instigator, and screams and cries if he takes what she thinks is hers.

SHE no longer says "spetti-ghetti" but I think we will always remember it and call it that often!

SHE talks A LOT. She has more and more to say everyday and her memory is getting better! She can retell dreams, shows and books now!

SHE talks A LOT with her hands!! Just the other day at breakfast, Douglas said, "Look at her...she is just like you!"...Even though I had noticed it, I never made the connection that it is something I do! I just don't even think about it!!

SHE is an awesome little three-year-old (well 3.9 year old).

Tyler at 5.5...

HE has some funny names for things...Like "heat conditioner" when he wants the be cooled off with an air conditioner and "K'" for his new favorite Special K cereal.

HE LOVES the Power Rangers. He actually told a lady at the grocery store yesterday, that it is his new favorite....It used to be dinosaurs, but now it is Power Rangers.

HE is a confident kid. I am SO happy about that because I believe confidence is extremely important in your school years and also in your adult life! Things seems to come pretty easily for him (for now!) but when they don't,he is quick to get upset....We are constantly working on that!

HE is going through a talking-back phase. He likes to say NO a lot and he thinks that he is always right (hence the confidence!). He has a lot of faces that he makes to tell you that you are wrong and he isn't going to listen....it has been hard to get through to him that you do not talk to grown-ups in that way....a work in progress.

HE is on his first baseball team (t-ball really) and Douglas is one of the coaches! He is loving the practices so far and has his first game this coming Saturday (last week's game got cancelled because of rain)! Go Cubs!

HE loves his Leapster right now. Plays it everyday and honesly learns so much from it!

HE is getting smarter by the day (with a little help from Leapster!)...He actually soaks in everything that passes him by...there is rarely something that he misses! He actually has a better and more detailed memory than me!

HE is sympathetic and empathetic. He loves other people and trully wants to help them. He says "Hello" to everyone at the store, and will run over to help them if they drop something.

HE loves his sister! They play so nicely for about 80-85% of most days and then have their fights and squabbles the rest of the time. Just the other day, he walked in the Little League parade and he ran from his spot when he saw Kelsi. He wanted to say hello and give her a hug and a kiss...He was so proud of his sister (she of course screamed and didn't want a hug and kiss right then)!

HE devours breakfast....any kind of breakfast food. Right now Special K is his favorite and he has 2 bowls easily!!

HE got a CRAZY good report from his teacher...he is a perfect model student...I am in love with that!

THEM...

THEY look like twins. Tyler is still a bit bigger, but everytime Kelsi catches up, I get asked if they are twins. It just happened at the airport last week and it always happens when they are in the cart at the store!

THEY tan up very nicely! Tyler's teacher pointed that out! She couldn't believe that we were there for only 5 days! They were even wearing 50spf for the first 3 days and then 30 for the last!

THEY both love Power Rangers! It is of course loved by Tyler but Kelsi watches it intently everytime!

THEY both love the water! They LOVE swim lessons and were in heaven at the beach and at Noni's pool!

THEY giggle together ALL the time! They are quite silly together and constantly make each other laugh.

THEY love to chase each other all over the house (against my yells to stop running).

THEY always want the opposite food. If I say strawberry milk or chocolate milk? Whoever speaks first gets that kind, and the other one will say the opposite!

THEY like to get the SAME thing when out of the house...Last night at Friendly's, Tyler chose a blue balloon, so Kelsi said blue too!

THEY play Power Rangers in the yard. They each have swords, fight the air and then fall down. They go over to help the other one up!

THEY both love school!

THEY both got great reports from their teacher's at the spring conferences last week!

THEY both love swim lessons and child watch at the Y (on most days!).

THEY both loved having their cousin Demi over to babysit them today. They were screaming because they didn't want her to leave after 4 hours!

THEY both love the sandbox!

THEY both have some sounds that don't come out clearly when speaking...for example, Kelsi calls a boy named Noah, Nolah, and today she kept saying that Demi was Denny. Tyler calls his Leapster a Leapcher and Kelsi is still Telsi most of the time. They seem to be improving but it is still a work in progress.

THEY both go to bed at 6:30/7pm and they both fall asleep FAST.