Merry Christmas!
Published Date : December 25, 2013
We at the NewlyWoodwards hope you have a very special Christmas with those who mean the most to you.
We hope there is an abundance of joy and even a few fun surprises.
COMMENTS
Kim Woodward
Thanks so much. That means a lot coming from a photographer superstar like you. Hope you had a lovely holiday.
nikki@nikkisnacs
Merry Christmas! These pictures are precious.
Amy
Just catching up on all my reading! Hope you and your adorable little family had a wonderful Christmas! Happy New Year!!
Julia
Merry christmas! Love these pics so much.
Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication
Hahaha! I love Henry's little surprised face! :)
Darnetha @ ChippaSunshine
The last picture is priceless! Love Henry's expression!
Amber @ Wills Casa
LOL! Adorable Henry! Merry Christmas!
Justine
That last picture of Henry is awesome! Merry Christmas!
cassie
merry christmas!
Katja @ Shift Ctrl Art
He is so cute :) What a great picture of Henry. :)
(Toddler) DITKA!
Published Date : October 29, 2013
There are a lot of fun parts of Halloween.
Just kidding. There's only one fun part of Halloween.
Dressing up your kid in the funniest way you can dream up.
If you follow me on Instagram, you already saw this special brand of cray-cray. But, I would be remiss if I failed to share it here, too.
If you aren't a Chicago Bears or a sports fan, well, I guess we cannot be friends. Just kidding. Not kidding.
Henry insisted to dress up like his doppelganger, Da Coach Mike Ditka, of Super Bowl 1986 Chicago Bears fame. (Okay. He's famous for many things - NFL player, coach and commentator. But, Henry felt strongly that he should channel Ditka in his 80s glory. Who am I to question that?)
The kid was truly tapping into Ditka in all his glory. I can hardly tell the difference between the two.
(Ditka photo via MikeDitka.com)
I was having a hard time coming up with a costume idea this year (check out his Oh Henry bar costume from 2012). I wanted something that was unique, homemade, but not too time-consuming (because I knew I wouldn't have time to create something from scratch). I happened upon a Baby Ditka on Pinterest and when Ryan saw, he went crazy for it! We're huge Bears fans, and Ditka is a bit of a god in our neck of the woods.
As for the execution of Ditka, it couldn't have been simpler -
- Gold baby aviators (nabbed for $6 on Amazon). Henry is OBSESSED with these. I didn't think he'd want them on, but he loved them. He would take them off and then make us put them back on his face. They make the costume, in my opinion.
- Blue sweater vest (I couldn't find the true vintage version of the BEARS sweater so I bought a blue sweater vest on sale at Kohl's and used orange and white yarn to hand stitch BEARS and the lines. It took me a couple evenings, but it was a relatively straightforward project.)
- Khakis, white shirt and tie.
- Tweed jacket.
- A MUSTACHE - drawn on with eyeliner like a boss.
We left the cigar at home.
Ditka - I mean Henry - I mean Henry as Ditka - had fun at the Boo at the Zoo last weekend. He showed off his costume, checked out the animals, hung with his grandpeeps, and snacked.
Here he is with his dad and grandpa, working on his Ditka pose. Also known as a fierce scowl.
Here he is keeping people in line.
He let down his tough-guy exterior for a moment to pet the goats.
And he had to ride the lion - obviously. Ditka would totally tame the lions. Chuck Norris, who?
A little snuggle for grandma. Ditka is also a softie at heart.
…. And back to the scowl. Don't mess with him.
"You're never a loser until you quit trying."
Mike Ditka
COMMENTS
Jenny Kribs
And GO BEARS!!!
Jenny Kribs
I would love to but the sweater vest. I'm 100& serious. Please contact me if your willing to part with it. My email is jagillespie13@yahoo.com
Amy
KILLS ME DEAD!
Gretchen@BoxyColonial
Awesome. You are a costuming genius. I felt sort of paralyzed with indecision this year with Abe because I know there are so few years when I get to pick the costume!
Amber @ Wills Casa
This still kills me! So hilarious and genius! Halloween at this age is all about whatever you can dream up because they can't really disagree yet! Great job!
Vanessa
Pretty Epic costume! I showed my husband and he had to show all of his coworkers. Henry is famous!
Alison S.
Love this costume Kim...totally creative and cute. Plus, it seemed pretty easy to put together! Henry cracks me up in photos!
Carrie C.
This hurts my Packer loving heart a little bit. Good thing Henry's so cute!!!!!
Kenz @ Interiors by Kenz
this is HILARIOUS! How did you become the coolest mom ever?!
John @ Our Home from Scratch
Hilarious.
Kristin
Who knew such an adorable child could be turned into Mike Ditka! I am amazed.
Rebecca | the lil house that could
I think my comment got eaten yesterday, but since I came back to show the husband, I had to make sure you knew how awesome this was :)
claire
this is insanely amazing. i've shown the comparison picture to everyone i know. you and shannon should go into the toddler costume making biz.
and henry seems like such a fun kid. wish i could hang out with him in person!
Amanda S.
I LOVE this costume!!! It is so clever and CUTE!!! Good job Kim!!! ;)
Jordan@the2seasons
Oh my goodness I am dying laughing. This is a great costume. I just love it. Good idea and job!!
Julia @ Cuckoo4Design
This is so funny and adorable! You guys nailed it!
Rach @ Mrs-Adventure
I love it - you guys are just too much (cuteness!).
Kate Pohlmann
My husband's response, "We will be copying this someday!"
Love, love love!
Have a fun week!
Stephanie
so so so funny and adorable. and you freaking knitted his sweater!? you are amazing.
Joi
Hilarious! Seriously so funny!
Kelly @ Corner of Main
EEEKKKKK. I can't even get over all this cuteness!! I saw one on Facebook a couple weeks ago, and I told Kevin we would have been all over it if I didn't already make a muscle suit. He looks so precious!! And the side-by-side shot is amazing!!
Caitlin @ Desert Domicile
DA BEARS! Henry's costume is so amazing! I can't believe you made his sweater! You've got skills, my friend :)
daisy
Ah! Another classic! I think you should send a pic to the Bears' office. Enjoy your boy on Halloween!
Erin @ His & Hers
hahaha this is awesome! Look at your little man! He's way better looking than the actual Ditka, by the way. ;)
Rebecca | the lil house that could
This is so awesome. Not a Bears fan, or even a football fan (we can still be friends, right???), but a baby with an 80s mustache and aviators? You win at life.
Emily @ imperfect
Truly the best costume ever. Love it, and you know how I feel about the Bears of present day (ahem, Cutler, I'm looking at you), but Ditka is perfect and Henry pulls him off flawlessly. Well done!
cassie
best kid costume ever!!!!!!
michelle@decorandthedog
This costume is a total touchdown. (That's football related, right?) :P Seriously ridiculously amazing.
Kristen
This is quite possibly the best costume of all time. I love it!
Deb
That is HYSTERICAL! What a great costume - I laughed out loud - he truly does look like a little Mike Ditka
Mrs Limestone
I know absolutely nothing about sports but even I get the reference. Love it.
Pam E-P
PLEASE send the picture of him on the lion to ESPN's Sunday Countdown!!!!
Emily @ DavenportDIY
I feel like I've already said at least a million times how awesome this is...but seriously, this is amazing. I definitely think the aviators make the costume- well, those and the mustache. Amazing.
Kristin @ bliss-athome.com
this is hilarious!!! I love it Kim!!! This may be my fave little person costume this year! xo Kristin
Jill
OMG. This. Is. AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!
Membership has its perks
Published Date : September 20, 2013
Getting a zoo membership this year was a winning idea. We are always looking for ways to save money, but I also want to do fun things with Henry on weekends when we have uninterrupted time together. The membership is a great solution - it gives us something fun to do without spending a boatload.
Every time we visit, he gets more and more interested in the animals. His favorites stops at 15 months old - the giraffes and the elephants.
Oh, and the monkeys are pretty swell, too.
Our membership allows us to bring a guest for free. Which means our buddy Dylan (and baby brother Ethan and mom Shelly) got to come last weekend, too.
Did I mention there is a train?
There are some things that are just worth the expense. And we've really gotten our money's worth for the zoo membership this summer.
What are your favorite summer activities with kids?
COMMENTS
Kelly @ View Along the Way
We SO need to do this. We're going to the zoo with Mila for the first time this week. Those pics of your little man looking in the cages is TOO cute.
Amy
I just can't hardly handle all the cute in the little man jeans and sweatshirt! What a cuddle bug.
Julia @ Cuckoo4Design
What a cutie and what kid doesn't love the zoo! Awesome idea to get a membership.
Amber @ Wills Casa
So sweet. We did the museum membership because it's always hot here, so I knew the zoo was out most days. I think the zoo is much more exciting though. Something about seeing real animals is fascinating to kids.
cassie
love that last photo but i don't appreciate the giraffe mooning you guys.
Heather
I do like how the giraffe was able to squeeze his butt in your picture. I mean seriously giraffe? Have some decency!
Kenz @ Interiors by Kenz
SO cute. And I agree. The things that pay for themselves end up saving lots of money. Good call!
Gretchen@BoxyColonial
yay, zoo! I wonder if Abe would get into the zoo yet? Ours is kinda far and really expensive (unless you get a membership, but we might be all membershipped out for the year between the aquarium and the science museum). The libraries have passes you can check out to get in free, but they're always checked out of course. anyway--cute pictures--looks like he's having a blast!
Amanda
That first picture kills me.... too cute!
Kristin @ bliss-athome.com
I love it! Henry is such a cutie! I have never done the zoo membership thing. One summer we did one of their summer classes and thrat was really cool for my son. He got to feed the giraffes and meet a different zoo animal every week and learn about it. Have a great weekend! xo Kristin
Kristen
This is such a great idea!
Emily
We live down in Springfield and got a zoo membership when we first moved there a year ago. It was great at first because I would take my son to see the animals and play on the playground two or three times a week. But then we did some traveling with my husband (him for work and us tagging along for fun) and it really paid for itself. We've used the reciprocity discount to get into zoos and aquariums all over and it's been wonderful. I definitely recommend it to anyone!
michelle@decorandthedog
Save that sweatshirt to hand down to my child (DON'T GET EXCITED. I'M THINKING WAY FAR AHEAD.) I had to caps that.
They should just call it the train. That's all my nieces and nephew talk about when we go. Me: "What did you see at the zoo?" Them: "Choo choo" *forehead slap*