A short little video of the last few hours before we all fell sick

Christmas Eve 2012 from Mary Kate Anthony on Vimeo.

~Mary Kate

A Different Sort of Christmas

I have an end of year post coming up, but for my last post of 2012 I'm sharing about our not-so-normal Christmas. 

It was one of those Christmas's that in a few years - heck - probably even next year, we'll remember and laugh about. We'll laugh about the fact that two days before Christmas, my parents spent 8 hours wrapping gifts in their room because what they usually do over several weeks, was forgotten about until then. We'll laugh about the fact that none of us went to pick out the tree with Dad, partly because it was freezing, and partly because he had a secret errand to run for a special Christmas gift for Mom. We'll laugh when we remember how huge the tree was that Dad picked out and how he had to saw off the top of it so it would fit, and as a result our poor angel looked like it was drowning in the tree. We'll remember Christmas Eve, the day we decorate our house, when, due to lack of sleep from last minute shopping, wrapping, and cleaning, our tired parents took a two hour nap when we were going to the earlier mass for the first time in several years.  We'll all remember the purely magical feeling of watching the snow fall around us, giving us a White Christmas for the first time in a long, long time. We'll probably have a good laugh too, because we all were feeling that it was set up to be the most perfect, wonderful Christmas ever.

We would open presents, while eating pumpkin bread and drinking tea. We would have our traditional Christmas brunch of Eggs Benedict, followed by Dad's family coming over. The rest of the day would be filled with good food, exchanging more gifts, games, laughter, and a big ham dinner. Just like always. We even had plans for Wednesday morning, all the girls in my Dad's family were going to go see Les Miserable together. Thursday we were going to my mom's family's annual Christmas party/reunion.

But none of it happened that way.

I'm sure next year we'll find it hilarious that it took us to 3:30 in the afternoon to finish opening gifts - not because we had a million - but rather because in the night, half of the family fell prey to a violent stomach bug.

As a result, none of  Christmas plans happened, nobody came over to house, we didn't make the Eggs Benedict or the ham dinner, we didn't see Les Mis Wednesday (have no fear, I did get to see it on Friday), and we didn't go to my mom's family party Thursday.

But you know what?

It's okay. In fact, despite it being an extremely messy Christmas Day (quite literally), it was a great day. We watched Brave and Bedtime Stories together before crashing into bed. And over the past week, we've hung around the house, resting, recovering, enjoying new gifts, watching new movies, and being together.

It was a different sort of Christmas, but it could have been worse, and we still have the rest of the Christmas Season to make up for our somewhat crazy and definitely abnormal Christmas Day.

And today, on New Years Eve, we're finally having our Christmas Dinner with my dad's family, and later we'll open gifts and play games and talk and welcome in 2013.

I hope you all had a blessed and merry Christmas!

Happy New Year!

~Mary Kate

17

Today I turned 17. A year ago I wrote about my sweet sixteen birthday party. I can't believe this year has gone by all ready. I don't know what it is about that small change in digits, but seventeen just seems so much older than sixteen. It's like I've crossed this invisible line between the very end of childhood and the beginning of adulthood. I've crossed over to the second-half of my teenage years.

Maybe it seems so different is because I know this is my last birthday I'll be celebrating at home (at least for the next four years). Or because I know my mom met my dad when she was seventeen. Maybe it's because I know that while I'm seventeen I'll graduate high school and go to college.

So much happened in one year. I learned how to drive, I saw NYC for the first time, I took my first newborn, senior, and family pictures, navigated five airports by myself when I flew to CA and back home again all alone, rode a 10 hour train by myself, took both the SAT and ACT, learned stick-shift, got my driver's license, started shooting in RAW, made some new amazing friends, bought two new lenses, began editing with LR3, saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time, and visited colleges for the first time. All the new experiences gave me new confidence and independence. I learned to break out of my shell quicker, be less shy, have more fun, worry less about what people think of me, and overall try to do my best at following God's will and trusting him with everything I am.

I'm excited for this next year and all the changes that will happen. I'm excited about the places I'll go, the people I'll meet and all the new things I'll do. I'm excited to see where my photography goes, what I'll do and how I'll grow.

And now because I can't publish a post pictureless...

~Mary Kate

One Year

Today marks the one year anniversary of this blog.

 I can't believe it's already been a year. I had no idea of the amazing online community of Christian teen bloggers (and a lot of them photographers).

My dear followers: Thank you! As fellow bloggers, you know how exciting it is to gain a new follower, and I was excited when each and everyone of you became a follower. Whether you're my newest follower or were one of my first few, thank you!

I can't wait to see what the next year brings to this blog! :)
~Mary Kate

This Boy is Two

Two years ago we were in the midst of two blizzards, one after another. Record snow and upwards of 5ft drifts (maybe that doesn't qualify as a blizzard for some of you but here that is definitely a blizzard :D). For the kids it was the best weekend ever. Right before the first blizzard hit our parents drove up to the hospital that my mom loves (it's 45 minutes away) and our Grandmother and Aunt came to stay with us. We waited all day for the call to tell us we had a new brother or sister. And finally at 10pm my dad called to tell us the news. Joseph William was born at 9:17 pm weighing 6 lbs 13.6 ounces and being 19 in. long.

John Paul & Joey
Left: When Joey came home from the hospital         Right: This past December

He is so cute! It's hard to believe he is already a two year old.
His birthday fell on the Superbowl this year so it was a combined Superbowl/birthday party.

He was so excited to sit at the table for his birthday dinner instead of his high chair.

Do you see how long his eyelashes are?

 Joey loves books and loves it when his older siblings read to him:

 I love this little boy so much!


~Mary Kate

Lotsa Goodies

I don't usually enter a lot of giveaways and I think I've posted about giveaways once (maybe twice) before, however I have stumbled upon 4 terrific giveaways today and I had to share them.

First up is hosted by Elisha:

She has five gorgeous necklaces for five lucky winners. So go enter!

Second is found at Unsinkable:







They have four prizes for 1 lucky winner.

The third giveaway is over at The Color Issue:








The prize is a Ona camera bag in the color or your choice (retailed for $329).

I'm the most excited about this next one. It's hosted at Beautiful Photo Props






And the prize is an Epipanie camera bag of your choice. I have had my eyes on an Epipanie camera bag for almost a year but they are between $150-$200 each and so they keep getting pushed down on my list.

And since I'm in the topic of giveaways I also wanted to share this giveaway which is going to end in a week:

My favorite item from her giveaway is the

The Weekend

This weekend was busy.

I got my drivers permit (YAY!!!) and have been driving at least a little bit every day.

My sister turned 14 and is now allowed to wear make-up. {Our family rule is that you can't wear make-up until you turn 14}.

My newest cousin {the one that was adopted from China} was baptized.

I had lots and lots of school work to do before Monday.

I've seen these eos lip balms before and I've wanted to get one for awhile. I got it Saturday and I love it so much!

And I've been trying to edit the pictures for the family session I did last week.

It's been so cold these past few days that I haven't ventured outside. So I've had to come up with creative indoor pictures.

Like goofy selfies:

And peacock feathers:

And since Christmas is officially over it's I set up all my Christmas earrings for a few last christmasy photos:

Did you all have a good weekend?
~Mary Kate

It's all the Simple Things

It's all the simple things that make holidays so special. The precious moments that could never be recreated. The cuteness, the beauty and the craziness.

So it's time to share the last of my Christmas pictures.

My Christmas outfit:

I wore the white and black dress in the left picture.

The family got MarioKart as a Christmas gift which we played all the time Christmas week.

And since I'm sharing the last of my Christmas photos, I might as well go ahead and show you the New Years Eve ones as well:

Don't worry all us under-21-year olds were drinking sparkling cider, not wine :)

See! I told you it was sparkling cider!

I hope you all had a great first day(s) back at school!

~Mary Kate