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An Ode to 2013

Shockingly, 2013 is officially over! The time just seems to be slipping by us so quickly and I think the more kids you have, the faster these precious moments go by. 2013 was a spectacular year for us, we became a family of five, welcoming our second daughter, third child, Gemma Kingsley Skye into the world on March 25. I’m still baffled that she is already 9 months old, babbling, cruising, and just being the cutest thing ever! Ryder and Siella simply adore her and each have their own unique relationship with their little sister.

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It seems that every holiday season arrives with such a bang, and each year I am adding more and more onto our annual traditions. We visited, our usual, four different Santa’s {ABC Carpet, Macy’s Santa Land, World Financial, Rock Center}. But I think next year we are going to have to limit this as Ryder was asking questions this year. I just love the pictures we have with each Santa year after year. Our favorite being the ABC Carpet Santa. He’s the closest thing to a “real” Santa. And in fact Jason worked with him this year, so when he saw us he knew Jason’s name and the kids flipped he knew their Dad’s name.

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This month we visited the grand Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, followed by Breakfast with Santa at the Rock Center Cafe, took Ryder ice skating at Bryant Park, drove to Brooklyn to see the Dyker Heights Christmas Lights, and visited Macys Santaland. This was the first year we didn’t see the Rockettes at Radio City, but felt that next year will be better since Gemma will be able to enjoy it. I actually had the opportunity of seeing The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center, and have to say was blown away. This will #1 on my list of things to do next year with the kids.

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Our Christmas Eve and day were spent with our families. We did wake up in our house Christmas morning. The kids were so excited about all their presents and it took hours for them to open up everything. Something I never did as a kid, they stopped, played, and looked at each and every present they were brought. I remember when I was a kid opening presents so quickly that we were done in minutes, but this way was just so joyful.

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Following Christmas Day, we set out to another yearly tradition of spending the week out in the Hamptons. It’s so peaceful out there this time of year. We all took in the spacious house, and enjoyed the much needed relaxation. Jason and I did make it out for NYE without the kids, the second time in 6 years, but I have to say, never again. I much rather spend it with my kids, at home, tucked away whether they are sleeping or not. Maybe I’ll change my mind a few years from now, but we are perfectly fine not hitting the town on the eve.

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To end our 2013, we actually cut our trip short and headed home because Gemma wound up having a really bad cold. Plus there is a major blizzard headed our way so the mother in me wanted to be home safe and sound rather than stranded with a sick baby. And it turns out my intuition was right, Gemma has a double ear infection and needs to be on a nebulizer because of chest congestion. Always trust your instincts mamas, first lesson learned in 2014.

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I looked back at my New Year post from 2012, which read:

And finally for 2013, I am looking forward to our new daughter and becoming a family of five. I hope to have no more natural disasters, a change in gun laws, more date nights, less travel for my husband, enroll my kids in more activities, live in the moment more, health, happiness, only the best, peace and love for all. And I hope to continue this unplanned yet amazing journey with my blog. 

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For 2014, I am looking forward to more adventures as a party of 5 in New York City. I will continue to live in the moment, take more risks, make decisions based on what I want and not necessarily what is the right thing, trust my instincts more, cherish these precious moments with my children, and learn how to unplug from social media. For my shared space, this blog, I have many things lined up for 2014 I can’t wait to share them all with you. Wishing you peace, love, and happiness for a prosperous New Year. Cheers friends!

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13 thoughts on “An Ode to 2013”

    1. Steve, I just found your blog on technorati. Really great work. I relaly enjoy your style and look forward to following your blog. I am still pretty new to wedding photography and live in a relatively small city in Texas. I can not even imagine having the opportunity to shoot a wedding or anything for that matter with New York city as a backdrop. Very cool! Congrats on getting published.

    2. I simply want to metinon I am very new to blogging and really loved your web-site. Most likely I’m going to bookmark your blog post . You actually have remarkable well written articles. Thanks a lot for revealing your website.

  1. HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I love that you looked back at your older post. What a smart idea. Nice to see what has changed. Keep up the great work with the kids, this blog and your hair (it always looks so awesome!! LOL). I hope G gets better fast!!
    xx

      1. I’m SO excited to see the start of Tennille & Chris’ pitecurs and can’t wait to see more now that you’ve teased us with some great shots! There’s something unique and special about each of the shots on the blog so far WONDERFUL work and what a great memory of a fantastic day! Thanks for taking the time to capture every moment of that special day for Tennille & Chris and for all their family and friends. Maybe you can capture my own children’s weddings someday

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