I’ll never forget the first time Andy & I met Ronnie and Frank. It was at the wedding of Beth & Jeff, almost 14 years ago, back before we started the BelloBlog. Ronnie had come up to us during the cocktail hour to tell us what a good job we were doing, which was so nice, especially considering she hadn’t seen a single photo we had taken. She had been watching us all day, she told us, and she could see we were working super hard to capture lots of really wonderful moments. It was really sweet.

Ronnie is really sweet!! She is super effervescent, warm, engaging, fun with a capital F, funny, loving, generous and incredibly kind. She is the kind of person who goes out of her way to make others feel comfortable. She’d literally give you the shirt off her back! Well, maybe not if we were taking photos….like me, she’s not a huge fan of having her photo taken, but if our cameras weren’t going to be pointed in her direction and you needed a shirt, Ronnie would give hers to you!  I’ve been a big fan for many years now.

And Frank….Frank is Ronnie’s teddy bear of a sidekick. Not to diminish Frank and all the wonderful qualities he brings to the table, but Ronnie is a BIIIG personality packed into a tiny person. And, Frank is happy just to be near his wife of 40+ years. I actually don’t know how long they’ve been married and I may have missed the mark with that estimate, but I do know they have a poster from Woodstock and they can be seen together in the crowd, so it’s been a good minute!

We made a solid connection with these two sweethearts early in our Bello career and they’ve been folks we’ve kept close! We love them and their awesome daughters, Kim & Lauren, who are seriously my idols when it comes to motherhood. I’m guessing it’s because they learned from one of the best! But, with four and five kids each, they’ve taken the gig to new heights! Like their mom, they have amazing partners navigating life alongside them, and I just love it when we all get together!

This Thanksgiving, we met up at Ronnie & Frank’s swanky new pad in Stow, which is a really lovely town west of Boston, if you live in the city and are ever looking for a little road trip and some exploring.

Forecasters were predicting unseasonably cold temps on the Saturday we were going to get together, so Ronnie asked if rather than bundling everyone up in their bulkiest winter warmies, could we possibly do photos inside. I’ll admit, I was a little nervous….nine kids, under the age of 10, unable to really run free and play, which is how we like it when we do our outside sessions. But, the cold was not going to be our friend….no one wants photos of themselves bundled up and looking like Rudolph, so we moved some furniture around, set up some lights and everyone just went with it and, I gotta say, it worked out perfectly! Here’s a peek at our time together, starting with Lauren’s husband, T.L., and their son Bennett, as they arrive at CrayCray’s (that’s what the kids call Ronnie….it’s perfect!!!)

The gang’s all here…..love this wonderful family and I love how much beautiful love (in the form of beautiful children) they’ve added to what l, when we first met them, was a family of four!!!

CrayCray helping Finley put on some blingy earrings. Ronnie wanted to have some photos of the kids all wearing her mom’s jewelry. Ronnie tragically lost both of her parents this year (big hugs Ronnie!!) and I just love the beautiful sentiment in this gesture. The kids really enjoyed it too. And, below on the right is one of Lauren &  T.L.’s twins…Blake or Reid, I think it’s Reid, but I can’t really tell them apart. They’re both equally deeee-licious!

Lincoln & Hailey hamming it up with their Nana-jewels. I just love that Lincoln picked big pink & white earrings. He’s got his dad’s sense of fun!

Cray Cray and Grandpa with their grand babies.

Kim and her lovely hubs, Mark, with their sweet tribe, including sissies –  Hadley & Piper, who are tight!!! Love these munchkins.

Now Wake & Finley’s turn for their closeups. I just love how you can really get a sense of each of these love monkey’s personalities in these photos.

Next up….Lauren, T.L. and their brood.

Hey girls….

Bennett….hanging out on the couch and hamming it up for the camera, while momma gives kisses to Blake…maybe? Reid?

Hadley, we learned during this most recent visit, loooooves to dance and sing, especially if Taylor Swift is on the radio. See what I mean about the twins….I really can’t tell them apart. Sorry guys!

Remember how I said Ronnie is super fun? Well, like all fun people should, Ronnie has a pretty impressive collection of wacky hats, including this one Lincoln is modeling, that she made for a Kentucky Derby-themed party she attended…yes, she made it, and won a prize! Ronnie is also very crafty! To give the kids something fun to do, Ronnie whipped out a bunch of her fun hats and the kids had a blast playing with them, while Ronnie and Frank had a blast watching them!

Another fun and super sweet thing Ronnie & Frank like to do with the kids, is have them all gather in bed at the end of a long day and Frank plays guitar, while they all sing along. It’s pretty special!

The kids love it!! (So did this big kid!)

It’s a very collaborative process!

Hailey & Piper singing along gleefully!! Be still my heart!

Just love Hadley’s face as she sings along….Cray Cray & Grandpa Frank really know how to do grand-parenting!! These are some very loved and very lucky little peanuts!

We were sad to see our time together come to an end, but like all good things do, end it did. And, with hugs exchanged and new friends made (it had been a few years since we last saw the littles and they mainly didn’t remember us), we bid farewell…until next time. Thank you Ronnie and Frank for once again sharing your beautiful family with us in such a genuine way. We love all of you and feel really lucky to count you all not only as treasured members of our Bello Family, but also, as friends. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a blessed New Year!! With lots of love, Christine & Andy xoxo