Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Malcolm's 17-Month Photoshoot

This holiday season, we were lucky to get Marchet Butler back to shoot Jack and Malcolm (She'd previously shot Jack at one-month and Malcolm at two-months).

Can it only have been eighteen months? Little more than a year that Malcolm’s infectious laugher, the rapid padding of his hands and knees on hardwood, or his shouted “hi’s!” have echoed off the walls? A lot has changed in eighteen months. And in Malcolm, that change has been legion. First foods, first words, first steps. But no change has been greater than the emergence of a delightful, happy li’l boy with big bright eyes and wide open smiles.

And that boy suffers no shortage of love. His mom and his dad; his grandparents, great-grandparents, and uncle. And, of course, his brother. The warmth shared between Jack and Malcolm—especially in their frequent hugs and Jack’s constant doting—melts the heart. That it’s so often followed by a tackle or a tumble reminds us that they’re boys. Babies no more. Growing a little bit every day. And while Malcolm may be taking his time letting go of our hands, the li’lest sir is proof that lightning can strike twice.

Enjoy some of the pics:










Thursday, July 28, 2011

Christmas in July

It must be Christmas in July 'cause I just found time enough to sort through 45 minutes of footage and assemble this 3-minute look at last year's Festivus—Malcolm's first and the biggest one either family's ever had (11 family members were there, and that's huge from this only-child's point of view). Plus, it snowed. In Georgia. On Christmas!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Malcolm's Seven-Month Photoshoot

To celebrate the li'llest sir's 6-month-aversary, we reconnected with Alisha Robertson, a photographer we absolutely love who also shot Jack at the same age and again at one-year-old. And while we got pictures of Malcolm with his bother and his parents, of course, the focus was on the lil man, himself (who's not so little anymore!).

It still being winter, we shot in Alisha's Alpharetta studio. And, wow, did the li'llest sir turn on the charm! His big round face, his wonderful eyes, and that killer smile. What a li'l lady killer! He's changed so much in just the past few months, filling out from a (big) baby into a round, bouncy, happy little Jordan who just lights up when his big brother comes around. And, as ever, Alisha was wonderful working with the kids, capturing flickers of emotion and warmth that are so hard to get when working with kids this young.

But enough of me talking. Enjoy a sampling from the shoot.








Monday, January 31, 2011

Burns Night 2.0

After a few years' baby-induced hiatus, Burns Night is back!

The Burns Supper has been a Scottish tradition since 1796 that we woefully adopted as our own in 2000. It’s a night when Scots and scottophiles worldwide celebrate the birthday of Scotland’s national bard, Robert Burns (Rabbie Burns, to you and me), born January 25, 1759, and enjoy the company of good friends, traditional fare, and delicious scotch.

For the last 11 years (ignoring the years off) our Burns Suppers have been part bacchanalia, part poetry reading come together—an evening replete with questionable Scottish cooking, bawdy Scottish poetry and toasts galore, clumsy Scottish accents, and a few too many drams of Scotch. But this year we decided to mix up the format and the menu—abandoning the traditional fare and dinner party format for an updated, casual affair.

The traditional Burns night bill e' fare includes:
• Cock-a-leekie soup
• Haggis, warm-reekin’ rich
• (Meatloaf, the anti-haggis, is also available for wussies)
• Champit tatties and bashed beeps
• Tyspy laird
(our recipes for these traditional dishes can be found at haggisfed.com)

With thanks entirely due to Patrick and the Hardys' considerable kitchen-based talents, the revised menu we came up with was far and away the best we've tasted. So much so, we though we'd share its deliciousness:

• Roasted chicken and leek pizza (replacing the cock-a-leekie soup)
• Haggis stuffed mushrooms (replacing the haggis)
• Scottish meatballs (replacing the anti-haggis)
• Rutabaga and apple tarts (replacing the neeps)
• Roasted garlic potatoes (replacing the tatties)

We kept the typsy :)

Let us know if you try any of these recipes—they're fantastic!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Operation Mall Santa: SUCCESS!

"Christmas time is here / Happiness and cheer," indeed. After last year's less than successful trip to the evil man in red, and the previous year's santatastic fiasco, we lacked that special confidence other parents seem to enjoy on taking their children to see their local mall Santa Claus. We'd done a few flybys at Northpoint so Jack could see Santa—to which he often reminded us that Santa was not, in fact scary. But ever those pictures of Jack, arms wide, lungs wider, were front of mind. And ever the fear of a trashing, kicking repeat danced in our heads like pissed-off sugar plums.

So it was with cautious optimism that Ann secured us the first place in line for when Santa came back from his dinner break. And with JJ and Meme's help, the boys remained in good spirits throughout their wait. And—behold!—a Christmas miracle was witnessed under the rudy glow of the Great American Cookie Company's neon marquee: Santa descended the escalator smiling and waving at Jack who stood, mouth agape, at the bottom. And with their great-grandmother in tow (and threatened to also be seated on ole Kingle's lap) the boys skipped to the head of the line, got a little extra time with the jolly old elf, and—wait for it—no one cried, screamed, thrashed, or even drooled (the worst...shudders).

But my favorite part of this year's elfin pilgrimage was Jack's dialogue with St. Nick. It went a little something like this:

Santa: What do you want for Christmas?
Jack: (blank stare) I don't know.
Santa: How about ... some toys?
Jack: Oh, yeah.

Merry Christmas, everybody!