Art & Design of Kelli Murray

Sweater - CausewayMall / Boots – Steve Madden / Hat – Forever21 / Leggings – French Connection

It’s true….the dreaded 27 has finally come.  December 19th marked my 27th birthday and my baby girl’s 4 month birthday.  I’m not sure why but 27 has always scared me…..it just sounds so much older than 26 in my mind..  I am now categorized into the upper 20′s!  Whew…I never saw that coming. Ha!  (I apologize for those of you who are older and rolling your eyes at my silly comments).  I suppose I’ve got to face the facts and embrace my age, because 27 is…..well,  right where I’m supposed to be.  Growing up I always had this plan for where I would be at each age in life.  I would be married at 21, own my own card/stationary company by 25, have 3 kids before 30, and live in a small house by the ocean and wake up to the waves crashing outside of my window every day.  While not all of those things happened exactly according to plan….my life as I know it has been pretty good to me.  I think about this last year and all the changes that have come to me and my family.  Things that once seemed scary and unpredictable, all turned out for the best. The biggest blessing of this year, as I am sure you can guess, has been Rylee.  She was once one of those “unplanned events” for Sam and I…and yet we can’t imagine it any other way.  She has brought a new joy to our lives that we never knew possible.  And when I thought I could never love my husband more than the day I married him, Rylee has somehow allowed us to love each other even greater than we did before.  So much so that I think I am ready for another one! (just kidding…kind of).

Her days have officially turned into months.  3 to be exact….but these photos take her back to 1.  They were shot by my good friend and uber talented photographer, miss SARAH SHREVES 

It’s funny how one day I am a kid, and the next I am a mother…..and how quick that transition from childhood to adulthood really feels.  I remember my childhood so vividly, it’s amazing to think how long it has really been since those playground days.  I can still picture my mom at that time….playing with my sisters and I, reading us stories and teaching us all about the world.  Now it’s my turn.   Seeing Rylee grow makes me think so much about life….it’s fragility…..and really,  it’s wonder.  How intricately and thoughtfully we were created and how amazing the human body is.  It blows my mind every time I look at Rylee’s  itty bitty hands and feet, knowing they will one day grow to be as big as my own.  And it makes me so incredibly thankful for  my own mom and the part she has played in my life.  She has taught me what it means to love unconditionally and to give sacrificially.   I have realized there is nothing bigger than the love a mother has for her children.  I had heard that many times before, but  I don’t think it’s something I fully grasped until I became a mother myself.

We hoped to capture Rylee with a few of  those sweet sleeping baby photos I love so much, but she wasn’t having it.  She was wide eyed and alert the whole time, so we just went with it. A few old suitcases, a sheepskin rug and a my favorite ivory blanket from Scotland (gifted from Dear Darling) made the perfect props!  Ohhh…if only baby knew how hard we worked to get a few good photos of her! ha. Thankful to have these marking her one month birthday.

You can find this hand knit diaper cover and others similar over at etsy shop, Titch.

I was soooo looking forward to this Halloween!  I think more than any other before.  Duh…I had a tiny little baby to dress up! I searched high and low for a Halloween costume to buy Rylee, but I was just not satisfied with the selection.  Everything looked the same and nothing was little enough to fit my itty bitty 10 pounder.  So out came the sewing machine! I found this animal print spandex and “spider web-like” black lace at the fabric store down the street.  It made for the perfect cave baby outfit.  Complete with a one shouldered onsie (with snaps!), a layered lace and leopard zig zag skirt, and a mini cross bones headband.  (I think I just might ebay this thing)  And yes, I went a little nuts and made Sam and I costumes too.  Although much less effort went into those!  I know it’s all kind of silly, but well, I couldn’t help myself.  Rylee posed so sweetly for the paparazzi!  Such a little model baby!

Halloween night our cave man family headed to my parents house and met up with my sister and her kids for some trick or treating.  Her boys were the cutest cowboys ever (age 1 and 3).  We feasted on chili and cornbread and all fell into a sugar coma after all the pumpkin pie, ice cream and buckets of candy.  One night…it’s allowed.  Right?  Nights like this make me so thankful for the love of family….and for my baby girl that makes my life just that much sweeter!  I hope you all had a great Halloween as well!  I am going to blog bounce a bit to check out all of your costumes! xoxo.

What’s October without a visit to the pumpkin patch? Last weekend was our official Fall kickoff.  We bundled up and headed to Julian to visit the pumpkin patch and get some apple pie.  It”s kind of tradition with our family, and I want to keep it going.  There is something about the “countryside” that I think is just beautiful.  The expanse of green and the rolling hills….no big buildings blocking the view or smog clouding our way.  Looking out the window on the car ride up is half the fun (unless you are my mom and those winding roads make you sick).  When we got to the pumpkin patch the temperature had risen to 90 degrees! So much for our scarves and beanies!  The weather report was just slightly off predicting low 60′s.   Oh well.  We were a little warm but at least we looked cute. Ha! Rylee was such a trooper.  It’s fun capturing life with her now a part of it.  Everything is just better with a little one to share it with.  Every week comes new “firsts”….and I don’t want to miss a thing.  Monday will be her first Halloween, then will come her first Thanksgiving, and then her first Christmas!!  I’ve never been more excited for the holidays! I’m already wanting to make Rylee a custom stocking with her name stitched on.  Am I crazy? Maybe a little.

I stumbled upon this drawing by one of my favorite artists, Julianna Swaney of Oh My Cavalier.  I thought it fitting for this post. Just perfect.  You can see more of her incredible work HERE.  Browsing her site I was more inspired than ever to pick up my sketch pad and get to drawing again.  I have missed creating art just to create it.  With no purpose other than to draw for the love of it.  Time is a funny thing with a baby in the mix….but I do know I want to find a way to fit in more time for my personal art than I have been allowing.  Life is a game of balance isn’t it?  I’m not sure I will ever get it just RIGHT…..but I know it can get BETTER!

Ha! That last photo kills me! So last week a heat wave came through San Diego and I thought I’d better bust out Rylee’s itty bitty bathing suit and take her to the pool before the Fall cold really set in.  We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day.  Rylee loved dipping her toes in the water.  I think she is going to be a water baby just like my sisters and I were growing up.  My mom taught us all how to swim about the same time we learned to walk.  I think i’ll do the same with Ry if she takes a liking to it.  I really can’t get enough of that round little belly in a swimming suit.  She is turning into quite the little chunker!  I’m looking forward to next summer when she and I can go down to the beach, play in the waves and watch dad surf!