Happy 1st Birthday!

To this little fella: Who turned ONE on Saturday:

His mommy did a great job decorating for the special day:

The happy birthday family:

The birthday boy:

"Auntie RuRu" getting the birthday boy ready to walk! :)

Auntie RuRu and AuntieKat:

So happy opening up his gifts!

Birthday cake:

So sleepy after a big day! Trying our his new number ONE! I am so thankful for this precious little nephew and all the joy he brings to my life!

Keri's Wedding

Went to a fabulous wedding reception this weekend! The wedding ceremony was just a private, family affair, but the reception was one big PARTY! I am sorry I don't have more pictures, but I was busy chatting it up with friends and dancing the night away! :)
This picture is a little blurry, but just wanted to show you the cute bride with her pillbox hat and veil! So adorably retro! Catching up with my sweet friend, Dorothy:

Hilton Head Island 2011

Happy summer everyone! I just returned from a fabulous week with most of my family (two of my brothers couldn't make it--we missed them!) at Hilton Head Island, SC. We had a wonderful time together relaxing, eating, and making memories! Here are some pictures from the week in random order:

That little speck out in the ocean is the sailboat we rented. I had a blast learning to be captain!
Coming in close for a picture:

One of the highlights of the week is all of the yummy food and good conversation around the table:

My little buddy had such a fun time crawling around the beach and splashing in the water:

More yummy food:

Morning-time with Grandmommy:

All dressed up:

Sitting by the pool in the afternoon after a big lunch:

Happy to be at the beach:

I did a lot of this while I was on vacation! I read 3 books that were all 400-500 pages!

The infamous family photo shoot on the beach! Getting a group to all have their eyes open and smile is difficult enough, but when you add a baby and a gale force wind, it makes it even more challenging! :)

Can't wait to go back next year!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July! My sister, roommate, and I loaded up a picnic basket full of goodies and headed to the park with thousands of others for a night of music and fireworks. Here we are with some of our friends:

It was a great night!

Mary Elizabeth and I:

Sisters with friends from New Jersey:

We had some yummy food, and while I didn't get pictures of it at the event, here's some of what we had.

Feta Black Bean Dip:

2 cans black beans

1 can shoepeg corn

green onions

bell pepper

feta cheese

Whisk together:

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup vinegar (I only had red wine and rice...I think apple cider would do fine)

1/4 cup sugar

Mix ingredients and add dressing

Artichoke bites:

Pizza crust (store-bought or homemade)

*I was in a hurry, so I just found an easy no-yeast recipe online:

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

2/3 cup water

1/4 cup oil

Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and water. Knead about 2 min. until smooth and workable. Spread into pan. Coat with oil.

1 can artichokes (chopped finely)

1 cup cheddar cheese

3/4 cup mayonaise*

1/2 pkg Italian salad dressing mix*

*I substituted just some Italian dressing in the bottle for the mayo and powdered mix

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Mix ingredients and spread onto uncooked pizza crust. Bake at 400 for 15-20 mins. until bubbly.

Sewing Project

I had so much fun working on this project (except for the scare my little nephew gave us half-way through...we thought he swallowed a straight pin...thankfully he didn't!). This is my sister's chair that she got at a thrift store. She wanted it a more neutral color... So we made this little slip-cover:

I love how the sash brings it all together in the back:

Chicago!

A few weeks ago, two of my co-workers and I got to travel to Chicago for the annual Child Life Conference. In addition to spending about 8 hours a day in meetings, we managed to fit in a lot of sightseeing (and eating!). I feel so blessed that I work with such amazing people and we are friends in addition to being co-workers. We had a blast together!
A picture of me after we got off the "L" Ashley, Maggie, and I in Chicago's Field Museum Maggie and I with the big dino

A view of downtown from the museum:

It was so cold and VERY windy--we were a little unprepared! Here I am trying to keep my hair from flying in my face! :)

One of the highlights of the trip was yummy food. Here we are enjoying some Chicago style deep dish pizza!

Yum!

We took a jog down to Millennium Park to see the giant bean:

Taking funny jumping shots:

Holding up the bean:

After our run we were hungry for some amazing breakfast food at the Yolk:

Omelets:

Cinnamon bun french toast--amazing!

Pancakes and potatoes:

We went to see a Broadway in Chicago showing of Peter Pan--unbelievable!

Another fun part about conference is getting to connect with other Child Life Specialists. I was so glad to see two of the sweet friends from my internship. We got to spend a lot of time together, and had fun catching up in the airport while we waited on our separate flights home!

It was a fabulous weekend filled with lots of fun memories!