Bizarro Nick

This summer while shooting a wedding with my friend Cydil I couldn't believe how much one of the groomsman resembled Nick! I kept staring at him all afternoon while the wedding party was getting ready and then during the formal pictures! I whispered to Cydil at some point during the day that Nick's twin was in the wedding party, and because of my fascination with this twin, she would probably have 200+ pictures of this guy from me. Eventually the wedding was over, and we were snapping pictures of the wedding party in the house after the ceremony and of all the guests at the reception. Nick's twin was always in the center of the group, making jokes, giving toasts, and being ornery. The likeness of the two kept getting stronger and stronger.

However, eventually the music started, and that's when I had to laugh. The music signalled the end of the likeness! At some point before the music started, Nick's twin changed out of his tuxedo shoes and into something a little more comfortable: tennis shoes. This guy was ready to bust a move...and with every girl on the floor! He twirled, he twisted, he shouted...he was the main source of entertainment at the reception, and that is when I started calling him 'Bizzaro Nick'....so similar, yet so different. In any case, I've been saving these pix for a special occasion, and here they are.

Introducing Bizarro Nick!!!

Bizarro Nick with all of his buddies after the ceremony was over and before all of the toasts between the couple and their wedding party.

Bizarro Nick and some of his college buddies.

Bizarro Nick warming up the dance floor....

...getting ready for the twirl...

...twisting...

...planning his next dance move...

....and checking out his woman's moves to make sure they're up to par.

In the end, it was fun to watch Bizarro Nick 'shake his groove thing' on the dance floor with his girlfriend (and every other girl that would dance with him that night!); however, I'm pretty sure Bizarro Nick doesn't fix his woman a hot breakfast every morning (eggs made to order!), start his woman's car (complete with seat warmers turned on!), and drive all fourteen hours both ways to spend four days with his four sisters-in-law and the entire extended family over Thanksgiving (complete with walking breaks every three hours for his 8-months prego wife!). I'll take these moves over some lousy pair of dancing tennis shoes anyday!

Happy Anniversary, Nick!

Preparing for Baby McCormick - Part 1

Well, it's ten weeks and counting until Baby McCormick, or "Baby Mac" as my mom calls it, is due. Personally, when I anticipate the timeline, I personally count the weeks until January 1st, because for some reason, in my mind, the baby could come anytime after January 1st. Now, if I go over my due date, that is going to be horrible! In any case, I am very glad for the holidays to make the next two months pass by quickly.

Two weekends ago some wonderful friends of mine threw me and Baby Mac a baby shower, and so I thought I would share some pictures of the beautiful shower and the generosity of my friends and family. Thank you to Erin for making the trip and for being the official photog for the event!

Me talking with some of my new friends in Nick's home area. In the center is Lisa, who is also pregnant and due in April. She's in my Sunday School class, and was responsible for keeping me moving during the first six months of my pregnancy by being my walking partner. She tries to still keep me active by calling me to to go Pilates class, but I'm not as dedicated as she is!! To the right is my friend Del Rae, and to the left in the black is my friend Shannon, who is due with her second child in February.

Some of the goodies for Baby Mac!

And even more! By the time the shower began, the table was full, and it took us three vehicles to get everything home. So many things for such a little baby (fingers crossed on the 'little')! People were so nice!!!

The fam! My sisters bought me my bedding (picture coming in Part 2 of this posting coming at a later date), and the cousins all got Baby Mac books! I am SURE that Baby Mac is going to be an avid reader like its mom!

Here is a picture of my friend Jennifer, one of my good friends who hosted the shower. She and Allison are both awesome cooks and awesome friends! She is due with their first baby one month before me. Her mother, seated next to her, came to help out with the shower. Thank you, Shary!

A table of friends...Sarah, on the end of the table on the right, is due with her first baby at the end of December too, like Jennifer. Anyone notice a theme here among my friends???

Me opening gifts. This pic is in black and white because of my horrible double chin while I have my head like that! I had to find a way to minimize it...and now I'm pointing it out to the world. Please note Miss G sitting next to me. The kids all took turns being my assistant and helping with the garbage as I unwrapped gifts. On a side note about Miss G, notice she doesn't have shoes on. That's because she was taking a break from her high heels. She is more comfortable in heels then any adult I know. She is freaking Flo Jo in them...running, leaping, hurdling toys. And the best part about her heels is that that particular Saturday she had them specially decorated with a multitude of "I Voted" stickers!

Amelia was SO over the whole shower scene since hers had been the weekend before!

This pic is a little out of focus, but I wanted to include a picture of all of the kids waiting for their turn to help out! Everyone was given a card to fill out with name suggestions for Nick and I and also advice to give. Emma gave us the advice of "sharing the baby!" I think it was her way of making sure she gets her fair share of holding Baby Mac!

Me thanking everyone....once again, this one is b/w for a reason!

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALLISON AND JENNIFER FOR THROWING ME SUCH A FABULOUS SHOWER! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR THE WONDERFUL GIFTS FOR THE BABY! AND, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR SHARING IN ME AND NICK'S EXCITEMENT AND ANTICIPATION FOR BABY MCCORMICK!!!

It's a Girl!!

Sorry it's taken me a bit to get the message out, but I just wanted to let you all know that Erin texted me last week, and she, Eric, and Auggie will be adding a baby girl to their family in March!

Hehehe! I bet you thought I was letting Baby Mac's gender out of the bag, didn't you?!

Nicole and Eric

This past weekend was not just a great weekend...it was a PERFECT weekend. For the first time in almost two months, I was home for the entire weekend. And, could I have ever wished for a better weekend?! There was beautiful weather, beautiful fall colors, and a beautiful couple to spend a few hours with on Saturday.

Nicole and Eric are getting married next September, and they've asked me to document their day by being their wedding photographer. On Saturday we met for their engagement session, and I was so excited that the weather and fall light were so perfect for their shoot. They were both raised in this area, and Nicole clued me in to some really great scenery that I didn't even know existed just miles from my house!

Nicole and Eric, thank you for choosing me to document your wedding day. I hope you enjoy your engagement portraits as much as I enjoyed shooting them. Below are just a few of my favorites.

Kelly

The serious portrait....which I LOVE. In this one, I think they look like they belong in an ad for Banana Republic.

The laughing portrait....which I also LOVE. I think they busted out smiling at the view they had of a six-month pregnant lady laying on the ground in front of them snapping her camera button like a crazy woman. :)

Amelia Bedelia!

I know these are a month old, but Kori was going to post them on Amelia's site and is having some issues postem them. However, Amelia's public is SO tired of waiting for new pictures, Kori! So, I'm jumping the gun and posting just a few of my favorites of my new niece! I'm sorry, Kori!


This is SOOO interrupting my nap and swing time, Aunt Kelly.



"I don't care if you like the brown, fluffy blanket, Aunt Kelly! I like the white furry one better!!!"


You look really silly with that huge flash on top of your camera, Aunt Kelly.



This is SO boring...are you almost done, Aunt Kelly?



I'm SO over this whole picture thing...I'm going to call one of my cousins to entertain me while you finish, Aunt Kelly.

Introducing Baby Rebekah!

I received an email today that Angie and Jarrod welcomed the newest edition to their family this week!

Rebekah Dawn Stock was born on October, 13th at 11:36 am. Just like her three older brothers, Rebekah was born almost a week later then her due date (my personal nightmare at the moment!). She was 7 lbs 4.5 oz. She was 19 3/4 in long. She has dark hair that is already 2 in long.

Congratulations, Stock Family!!!

The Irish of Arthur, Illinois

This weekend we had a full house! Karen, Emma, Anna, Ella, Kori, Ben, and Amelia came to visit! They came Friday evening, and for the most part the little girls spent the evening reacquainting themselves with Aunt Kelly's small toy colllection while the older girls caught up and talked about the Rankin girls that weren't there (Just kidding, Kim and Kendall!).

Saturday morning we went to Arthur to the Pumpkin Patch....60 acres of all things pumpkin and autumn. Karen wanted a few pictures of her girls; so, we dodged the other visitors and tried to get a few, but it was difficult. My favorite part of the day was on the drive up there. Emma and Anna rode in my car, and after passing a horse and buggy we discussed the Amish and how they lived similarly to Mary and Laura off of "Little House on the Prairie," one of their favorite TV shows. The girls were very astute in their observations: Mary and Laura lived in a log cabin and the Amish lived in white farmhouses...Ma's dress went all the way to the ground, but the Amish mothers' clothes did not, etc. Although they were good at spotting the Amish by the end of the day, they had more difficulty remembering what they were called. Until Emma actuallly saw the word spelled, the Amish of Arthur, IL, were affectionately known to the girls from Manito, IL, as "the Irish." I love them! :)

Here are a few of my favorite pix of the day!

Visitors!

Half of my family is here visiting this weekend, including Amelia! Let's just say, despite her being six weeks premature and not even being officially 'due' until October 7th, she's filling out quite nicely. Here's a picture of an outfit Grandma Cooper got her. We've titled it, "Do these stripes make me look fat?"

Kori and Amelia

Last weekend I got the chance to spend the day with Kori and baby Amelia! She is SO sweet! She never cries and is so content swinging in her little swing after eating. I will NEVER have a baby this sweet and quiet.

While there, Kori let me take Amelia's baby pictures. Amelia gave us a full hour of good pix and then let us know she was ready for a nap...in her quiet way, of course. I'm still in the middle of editing them, and I promised Kori that I'd let her pick her favorites to put on Amelia's blog and on her baby announcement cards, but Kori did let me take a few pictures of her and Amelia together. She said I was free to post those. So, here are a few of my favorites!







By the way, this picture is straight out of the camera...no editing! That's how blue her eyes are! Mom, Dad - why did you love Kori so much more then the rest of us that you'd give her such blue eyes and not the rest of us??? It's so unfair!

Thanks for checking in! Kelly

Phil & Sarah's wedding

Two weekends ago I helped my childhood friend Cydil shoot a wedding in Lexington, KY. I really enjoy shooting weddings. There is so much emotion and energy throughout the entire day for everyone involved. It's so much fun to get to be there for the formal poses and to also catch the small emotional events that happen on the side when people think no one is watching. Those are my favorites. I'm very thankful to Cydil for her inviting me to help her at many of her weddings this summer. I have been working steadily at editing them so that everyone can see what I've been driving to Kentucky for all summer!

Here is the slideshow for Phil and Sarah's wedding. I love the federal-style church, Sarah's dark complexion (I have pigmentation-envy!!), and Phil's ornery spirit. I must also say that I absolutely loved Sarah's dress.

Click here for the slideshow.

Although it didn't make the slideshow, this was one of my favorite pictures of the night. This girl had the best dancing hair, if there ever was such a thing! She be-bopped all night, and in every single picture her hair is flying just like in this one! I laughed and laughed as I edited those pictures!