BOO! Grrr... don't wake the Tiger!

Happy Halloween! To the left is a picture of Braden a year ago, for his first Halloween, dressed a Yoda from Star Wars. He had just started walking the week or two before. This year I got him a Tiger costume. At the store I asked him to tell me what he wanted... that's what he told me. Well... putting it on this morning didn't go so well. But after some distraction we managed to keep it on and get through class this morning.

Ok... figured out real quick that the hood would NOT be staying on. Sorry you didn't like it Big B and your mean mom made you keep it on until she got a picture!

At class this morning, he's got new toys and kids to play with and that dreadful hood isn't on so the tiger outfit is tolerable.

Let me just tell you the weather today is horrible, it's chilly and pouring rain. Our plan this afternoon after his nap was to head into Squamish to trick or treat... but with weather like this and having to drive 20 minutes to do it (no trick or treat in our neighborhood)? Am I a bad mom if we don't? Is he going to even let me put the costume on again? Would I really let him eat more than 3 or 4 pieces of candy anyway? Will it just be terrible temptation to keep it here? I have oodles of guilt about not going... but I'm just not sure it's such a good idea... I guess we'll see what happens when he wakes up.

Tag... you're it!

Here is how it works... I'm going to do a post - 5 Things You May Not Know About Me - and I'm going to list 5 people on my blog list and then they post 5 Things about themselves! :) Feel free to elaborate on your points... obviously I did!
Some of you will know all or some of these... sorry I don't have deep, dark secrets!

1. I was born in Jacksonville,FL. My dad was in the Navy and my parents were stationed at the base there. My sister Jennifer joined us a quick year and three weeks later and she was born in Illinois because my dad was away at sea and my mom was staying with her family while he was gone. That was just the beginning of many moves in my first decade. By the time I was ten I had also lived in Georgia, Ohio and South Carolina.

2) I went to college to be a high school history teacher. Senior year, the semester before I was scheduled to start student teaching I changed focus and applied for graduate school for College Student Personnel Administration. I got my undergraduate in Social Sciences... not Social Science Ed. Looking back I think it was a mistake since I really believe I should have been a high school guidance counselor and can't because I didn't get my teaching certificate. So, a mistake, probably... but regret - no. I really don't since I'm happy with my life now and who knows how that may have changed things?

3) I am a terrible eater. I don't eat fruit, only a few vegetables and never eat breakfast. I enjoy Doritos and chocolate candy way too much. None of this was a big deal... until magically the day I turned 26 the metabolism came to an abrupt halt and a good 5 (and sometimes 10) pounds have stuck with me.

4) In high school I did two things. Cheerleading and Choir. Cheerleading was my life. Instead of homework I made locker signs... glitter, markers, stickers - I spent hours and hours every week trying to make them perfect. I wasn't a good student in high school and locker signs and endless hours of practice and extra hours in the gym learning how to tumble were my excuses. (by the time I was a sophomore in college and the next three years I averaged over a 3.5). My junior year the choir was going to Northern Italy to sing in beautiful cathedrals, I was put in the tenor section because 1) my voice didn't have the same high sound after my years cheerleading 2) I had such a loud voice (imagine that, huh?) the choir director told me it would allow 9 more sopranos and 9 altos to make Viking Choir and all those people got to on the fabulous trip to Italy.

5) I have been obsessed with the political coverage with this election. Chad is over it all already and I can't get enough. I'm not a political buff... but I'm trying to learn and my interest is peaked. I'm watching all the different news stations to hear the different perspectives. It's quite repetitive, but I'm still fascinated.

Some of this got me thinking... if I'm ever lacking for posts maybe I could go back in time and share stories from long ago. Maybe like a little series... Flashback Fridays? Well once a week is kind of a big commitment, but I'll think about it.

Ok... so who's "it" next??? I'm picking 5... no particular reason (well, maybe)- but if you want to do it to even if you weren't tagged, please do!
- Ben - Texas friend that hasn't posted in a week!
- The Boyds - giving you incentive and topic for another post! And there is two of you, so you an each do your own!
- Mitzi - you're newer to blogging and I don't think you've been tagged yet.
- Jessi - same reason as above
- Amy D. - it's been fun reconnecting through the blogger world... plus I think you'll participate!

Me = Cookie Monster

Do not be alarmed... this is not turning to a "baking exploration" blog, I just wanted to share what I've been up to. Wow... how boring am I?

Since I last posted about baking the Ginger Snap cookies (and some of my challenges as baker, or anything really cooking related) I was motivated to keep trying. (It doesn't hurt that after further consumption both Chad and I came to the conclusion that they were quite delicious). So... I have made three more batches of cookies. Two attempts with Sugar Cookies and tonight I tackled Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. You won't see any picture evidence of the first sugar cookie batch because it was horrible. I used the whole wheat flour and I'm convinced it was a bad recipe and of course not my lack of baking skills. They tasted like cardboard... seriously.

I remembered my lesson of cutting the recipes into 1/2 or even 1/4 to try and not make too many!!!
I hit up the grocery store Monday and picked up regular flour and other ingredients to prepare for another batch (and new recipe). I'll describe more in detail using the pictures...

I really thought I had everything covered... except cookie cutters. I tried to be creative and made my own pumpkin cut out with construction paper and used my handy little Pampered Chef knife.

The final product, with homemade icing on top. I wasn't happy with the pale orange, but it was taking a long time to get it darker and Chad was watching his favorite show (Heroes) and I felt bad running the electric mixer any longer. The icing was too sweet for my taste, but the kids at the playgroup today loved them and took all that was left... which I was thankful!

Tonight's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies - they turned out pretty good, although I need to add more raisins next time. Now I just need a big group of friends to share all these cookies with!

Falling Water

Yesterday Braden and I took a quick trip to Shannon Falls (the waterfall about 10 minutes from our house) to give Big B some time to run around and play in the leaves. It's scheduled to rain the next week or so, and it's starting to get chilly so I wanted to get it in while the leaves still covered the ground. Right before we left to go home we stopped to look at Shannon Falls (picture from yesterday is on the right)... I told Braden to say Goodbye to the waterfall and he said "Bye Bye Falling Water".





I was trying a lot of different things with my camera so some pictures are a bit fuzzy when he's moving, but it shows you the fun he was having.


Some of these leaves are HUGE! In Illinois we don't see things like this!



A picture of a tree in our neighborhood... I know, probably boring for most, but hey... this is my journal and I admire it everyday and wanted to capture it.

A Parents Diary for Their Little Boy

I was watching Oprah today (men... don't give up on me yet). I saw a moving Youtube video. Maybe you've seen it (although I think it's worth watching a few times) and maybe you haven't. If you haven't, please take a few moments to watch and listen. I don't usually post things like this so you have to know I was really touched by it. (there is a 16 second commercial before it starts to play).
http://www.oprah.com/media/20081001_tows_99balloons

Thank goodness for second chances

I found out today that my paternal grandmother, who is 79, (lives in Pennsylvania) was rushed to the hospital yesterday after passing out. She had two heart attacks, one Friday night and another Saturday morning. Her heart was almost completely blocked and she immediately went in for a quadruple bypass surgery. While she's had a bum knee and hip problems, she's always been in relatively good health. She has never been overweight, and she lives on fruits and veggies so there isn't a good explanation why this happened. The good news... although given a 1 in 100 chance of surviving the surgery... she did!!! She'll remain in ICU for the next week for close monitoring. I was also relieved to know my grandfather wasn't alone, his brother-in-law, his wife and another cousin came to the hospital to sit with him during the 5 hour bypass. They have been married about 55 years and are close life partners.

On other hospital news, my good friend that lives in San Fran is also in the hospital ICU. I don't want to broadcast all his business, but he has a serious head injury from a fall. It does appear now that things are beginning to get better, so I'm thankful. I look forward to getting good news about his recovery in the weeks to come. He'll have a long rehab in front of him.

I share this so maybe you all can take a moment and be grateful for good health for your friends and family... and also if you have people that live far from you to give them a call this week and tell them you love them. I don't call my grandparents and some far away friends nearly enough... and I am glad I have still have the chance.

Canadian dentistry

I had a dentist appointment this morning in Vancouver. It's been about two years since I've gone and either Canadian dentists are cutting edge or a lot has happened since I was there last.
First of all... they took x-rays and they immediately popped up on a computer screen in front of us. But what was REALLY exciting and different... when they sat me back and began to take a look around what did I see? A TV in the ceiling... and headphones! So when I go back next week for some work I'll be able to watch something instead of closing my eyes and bracing for pain!

Craft ideas from the "Un-crafty"

Along with my shortcomings in the kitchen... I'm not well domesticated in crafts either. But in effort to try and push myself into embracing the idea I came across another blog (saw this on Baby Center also). Braden is at that age when I really need to begin tapping into his creativity by setting up some art and craft time once or twice a week. Since I am lacking for ideas (I don't even know where to start) I think this will be helpful. Not only does this have crafts age appropriate - there are also videos of songs and book reviews (Braden loves books and I can look for some of these at the library where I'm going to get a library card instead of buying more books... do you know how much more expensive books are in Canada? From $2-$5 more a pop).

Anyway... here is the site and I'm putting up a link on the sidebar. It's called "No time for flash cards". http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/

How am I going to survive?

When I found out I was pregnant I signed up with Baby Center (http://www.babycenter.com/). Each week I got updates on what was going on with my growing baby. I found it comforting, particularly since none of my closest friends had been pregnant before and this was all new territory. After the birth you continue to get monthly updates and I always read them, lots of tips, developmental expectations, etc which just gives me a little something to reference, and it's always funny to me how right on things are. This site is also great if you're just trying to get pregnant, ovulation calendars etc. (So that's my plug for the site).

Anyway... I was going through the 22 month update and came across a section entitled "How to know if your child has broken a bone". I decided to read on just so I'd feel like I had some extra information as our son now is climbing higher and higher, jumping on and off of everything and running at full speed everywhere. Normally I'm not too anxious about things I read, but this one kind of freaked me out (ok, not kind of - a whole lot - why I am (over)reacting this strongly!?!)

- The first thing that jumped out at me... "you may hear a snapping sound" (ewwww)

- Complete fracture: The bone breaks all the way through. (Need another one?)

- Open or compound fracture: The broken bone sticks through the skin. (Is that not clear enough?)

- If your toddler has had an accident that caused a broken bone to pierce his skin, call 911 or take him to the nearest emergency room. An open fracture is the most dangerous type of break, because of the danger of bleeding and infection. If your child has an open fracture, don't touch it or breathe on it.

Is anyone else cringing???

Of course it all seems pretty obvious, but when I got to thinking this could actually happen and chances are I'd be by myself handling this... how am I going to survive? I can't watch replays of football plays that cause injury, I can't imagine seeing a bone poking out!?!? Ho do you comfort and calm a child without touching or even breathing on that kind of injury. Ahhh...I mean...what?!?!

Playtime...

Today we hosted a playdate with some of the kids in the neighborhood (some of the only kids in the neighborhood). It was nice to let the kids play (although Braden was particularly hyper) and have some girl talk. We has snacks, sandwiches and of course some of the cookies I blogged about... I really miss being a hostess! Mr. Braden pulled a disappearing act and I nearly had a heart attack. He had followed me up stairs (or so it seemed) and I thought he stayed downstairs playing. No... found him after about 3 minutes in the garage. Not a good place for him to be. I thought he had ran outside.. ahh.... it was stressful, another learning lesson - always keep the door to the garage locked! It's not usually a problem since he's either up or down the stairs with me and not on his own, but I'm not taking any chances!

I took some before and after pictures of the playroom (and if you haven't seen the playroom here's your chance -it's not any fancy decorating, but it's large and serves it's purpose). I also managed to get a picture of the kids sitting in one place together...but I wasn't going to push my luck to try and get one where they were actually all looking at the camera! :)

We talked and we're going to try and do a playdate every Wednesday morning. Yay!
THE BEFORE...

THE AFTER...

From L to R - Braden, Olivia (3 next month), Cameron (3 1/2) and Erin (21 months) -Cameron and Erin are siblings

Snow Caps and Sunrise

On Monday... no snow on the mountains. Tuesday mid-morning it started to stick. These photos were take this morning from our balcony about 7:15 as the sun was rising.

I'm no Betty Crocker

It's so disappointing... some people just have a knack for the kitchen. I desperately wish I was one of those people. Even when I follow directions exactly it never tastes like I had it the first time when someone else made it. But living out here with no take out or delivery has forced me to try over and over again... every day. I'm getting a little better and if nothing else, I'm learning at lot...

Tomorrow I'm hosting a play date for the few kids in our neighborhood and thought I would try and make a tasty fall treat, something pumpkin or spice... and I came up with ginger snaps. Here are a few of the things I learned from this effort:

- Read the label carefully when buying ingredients. When I got home I realized I ended up with whole wheat all purpose flour. At first I thought maybe it wasn't a bad thing - until I had to sift it...

- I remember being a little girl and helping my Grandma bake... she baked everything from scratch. My job was "the sifter". I loved it and I remembered it being pretty easy. I was excited to use the sifter we got as a wedding present for the first time. But... it wasn't like I remembered. This was kind of hard work and it wasn't really working??? Hmmm... I was stumped but I kept with it and about half way through I realize that it's because it's wheat flour... the bits of whole wheat will not go through the sifter.

- Aprons... now I know why bakers wear them. I made a bit of a mess on myself with the molasses. Maybe if I'm going to take this domesticated thing to the next level I need to add one to the Xmas list.

- Portions - I've been slow in getting this. I need to remember to cut ALL recipes in half. It's just really Chad and I, Braden really just tries things and I always wind up making way too much. For instance... I ended up with 36 cookies. Sure there will a total of 7 of us here tomorrow, but I could have had half the cookies and had plenty.

After all of that babble... I have a picture of the final product and actually, they taste pretty good...good enough I can actually offer them to our guests tomorrow.

Braden... I'm sorry but Lucy is spoken for already

Braden - Will Blakely already has dibs on Lucy, sorry buddy! :)

A quick post to share pictures of Braden and "Baby Lucy". Although quick, my friend Melissa and I were able to get the kids together for about an hour. When Melissa was pregnant and before we left for Canada she actually took care of Braden every day while we were at work. What's better than having a good friend take care of your child? Nothing... it was a great situation and we lucked out. Melissa had baby Lucy in January and had not seen Braden since, he's really grown up since then! And sweet, beautiful Baby Lucy was just so, so adorable. Big B loved her - and these pictures show you how huge this kid of mine is getting. I hope we can get them together again next time we're in town.

Lucy - 8 month, Braden 22 months

Braden giving Baby Lucy "hugs".

Bullies Already???

In effort to keep busy... and get Braden around kids as much as possible we have plans three mornings a week to have "class", a moms/kids play time and a playdate. It's good for him, he runs, he plays and he "shares" with the other kids (he loves to share... for now anyway). It's good for me too, not that I've met a ton of people, but it's better than nothing so we'll try to stay as busy as possible. Ok... that's not really why I'm posting. I had to document the first "bully" encounter. Honestly, I guess I just didn't think that it would happen this early, Braden isn't even 2 yet!

So at the mom/kids play in Lions Bay on Monday morning Big B was running all over. I was standing back just letting him go, well in all of his chaos he must have lost my placement so he was on the opposite side of the room and let out a scream kind of like "here I am, where are you?" Well... this kid (aka bully) ran over to Braden, put his hand over Braden's mouth and smacked him across the face?!?! I immediately began to calmly walk to Braden, he had a very confused look, but I didn't want to be over dramatic and make a scene, (and seriously... on my brisk walk withOUT another scream from Braden the kid did it again!?!) I mean kids are going to kids and some kids are better behaved than others. I do think this is a good example of obviously when this kid screamed this is how is parents thought to deal with it. I just took Braden away, told him it wasn't nice to hit. The kids mom wasn't paying attention and I was in a group of women I've never met, it just seemed better to let it go. Two more notes - 1) not even 5 minutes later the bully was shoving another kid off a bike 2) I know who he is and I won't forget, if he continues to be physical with my son, I'll take the next step.

Maybe I didn't handle it right, who knows? Braden was fine, he didn't cry and just wanted to sit close to me for about 10 minutes before he was set loose again into the world of playtime. It won't be the last time something like this happens. B is a tough kid, he'll be ok.

Homewood Family Shout Out

Our first weekend in Illinois my family in Homewood came to get Braden for the weekend while we went to Ali's party and the Cox wedding. He stayed with my mom and Uncle Jim - and they spent Saturday at my sister's because it was her (adorable) daughter, Raina's 2nd birthday! I'm very glad Braden was able to be there for that. I hear they did lots of playing in a sandbox and kicking the ball around. Mom and Uncle Jim also lent me a car for the duration of our trip, which I really appreciated.
My cute niece, Raina!

From L to R - Mom/Grandma, Raina, Jenni Lou, Uncle Jim, Braden and I
Big news in the family is that my mom is selling her boat and instead they are putting in an in ground pool (huge at 25x40 and with a slide). The bulldozer was sitting there a few days early before they started the dig.

Relief in sight...

Ahhh... cold beer? Margarita? Good friends? A pool? Warm weather? What's that all about you ask? Well I have officially redeemed some miles and have booked a flight to see one of my best, Ali. She's just moved to Arizona and I'll be visiting in 3 1/2 weeks! Two other friends from Illinois, Kristy and Lisa will be joining me. What am I looking forward to? Planting ourselves in the pool for 3 days, unlimited tasty beverages, take out so no one has to worry about cooking, girl talk until all hours of the night, SLEEPING IN!

Let's be realistic here... it is our hope that in the next few months I'll get pregnant again. So tell me when being pregnant for 9 months... then having 2 kids... then having to travel from Canada to meet up for a girls weekend - when really is that going to happen? Maybe 2 years at best? And even then - will I have a huge group of friends just having their first or second child? Will I have be having any more kids? Will we be able to just take a long weekend at our leisure? Who knows... hopefully, but there is no way to know for sure! My point - I need this weekend, I deserve this weekend and I'm doing it! Yay!

Also (and I'm not just talking myself into this, it's the truth) - this will be good for my sweet little boy. Braden and I spend so much time together and for the first time ever on our last trip showed quite an attachment to me, which is flattering - but not all that great for him really. A long weekend with dad in charge and no mom means that 1) it's good for me to get away and let Braden know I may be gone... but I'll be back 2) I'll need to stock the fridge with hot dogs and frozen pizza since that's really all Chad will cook 3) Braden will be excited since Chad will likely let him jump on the bed a few times while I'm gone 4) He really does love his daddy and will be 100% a-ok - which means I can leave GUILT FREE and enjoy what is sure to be a memorable girls weekend!

Oh... by the way...as I wrap this up it's 10:01pm - which is midnight in Chicago - and while Ali is on my west coast time now it's still midnight back home and that means it's ALI'S 30TH BIRTHDAY! Happy Birthday Als... see ya SOON!

I'm blaming it on the Margaritas

*** I apologize in advance for embarrassing any family that may read this and think... SERIOUSLY, Monica??? You're a mother!!! All I can say is, I don't get out much anymore. ***

While I was in Illinois I got the chance to have dinner with some friends. One night I got to see Jamie (Eisenburg) Trumbell. We were cheerleaders together for all 4 years in high school and lost touch after that... until the little website Facebook - maybe you've heard of it??? (haha). Anyway, we reconnected and went to dinner at the really cute Blue Line Diner in Bucktown and caught up as much as we could about life over the past 12 years... along with many recollections of our ridiculous behavior in high school. I also got the chance to go to my favorite... Uncle Julio's Hacienda with some other HS friends (I met up with them last time I was in town if you recall). Well... I blame this night on the fabulous and tasty sangria/margarita swirls. Different from our 3 hour dinner at Scooze last time we were served food and a bill in about an hour. Well that certainly wasn't enough catch up time so we wandered down the street until we stumbled upon a new bar, Sully's. It was so cute... just perfect for what we were looking for (that's my recommendation for it... check it out). What we weren't expecting was the late night-last people there-kept the bar open just for us until we were ready to leave kind of night. Whoa... they had a super tasty Canadian beer (it had a french name so I assume eastern Canada) so somehow... well I'm just going to let the pictures do the talking.

Jamie Trumbell and I

See... we look like nice and normal people, just some girlfriends getting together and talking about our grown up and SOPHISTICATED lives.

From L to R - Tammy Bartelsen Egglesfield, Melissa Georgi Cosgrove, Suzanne Kopulos and me

Getting rowdy... probably singing Bon Jovi... or Def Leppard - you know the Chicago crowd loves them some Livin' on a Prayer and Pour Some Sugar on Me

And we also like some old Britney... Oops I Did It Again - we are actually trying to do the dance from the video. I should have been sent home by this point.

Uh Oh... I'm behind the bar. Send me home... send me home!!!

Assuming the position... to do what? Try and drink out of the tap like a keg stand, upside down? No... that would be stupid... and impossible.

(Side note - my mouth is not on the nasty tap, the one in front of it makes it look that way... but it isn't, I promise)

Oh really... it got in your eyes, your nose, all over your face and clothes and you're laughing at yourself and serious lapse in judgement... shocking.

Sunday at the Park

Last Sunday (still in Chicago) after Katie's shower I met up with my two main men (B and Chad) at our friends place (Andy and Amy) where we would be spending our last night before heading back. After the brutal Bear's loss (11 second miracle drive by Atlanta) Andy, Chad, Braden and I went to the park for B to run off (some) of his endless energy. I was pleasantly surprised when Jay, his girlfriend Kristin and Goose (Mike) and his girlfriend Ashley joined us. It was THE MOST gorgeous perfect day outside. Things kind of ended early since Braden had tweaked his knee or this ankle and wasn't able to get around. We stuck it out on the swings for awhile but had to leave earlier than expected since I was worried about him and wanted to get him on solid ground (rather than playground sand) to further inspect his injury... but not before I was able to get a nice group shot. Thanks to everyone for coming to meet us and see our boy! The good news... Braden's leg is fine, it got better pretty quickly and by the next morning and he was jumping everywhere and back to normal (and he hasn't really stopped since). :)

Sonny Times...

Last Saturday, we were still in the Chicago area and our friends The Butschers (Staci and Jason) took us to Sonny Acres. It's this massive outdoor fun place for kids. Pumpkins, playground, petting zoo, pony rides as well as some other small rides. For treats... apple cider, elephant ears and the like. There is also an apple orchard but we didn't make it that far. It was packed - and with good reason - the weather was PICTURE PERFECT. Sunny and 80 degrees. Chad wasn't too keen on going to a "pumpkin patch" for the afternoon, but was pleasantly surprised once he got there and saw all the fun things for Braden to do.

Thanks Staci and Jason - great time at Sonny Acres... as well as a great dinner and sitting by the "fire" Jason built over some beers and good conversation. Also - embarrassing Monica story below.

Braden would have been content just climbing all over the pumpkins, but little did he know what more was in store for him on this day!

Horse Ride! Horse Ride! That's all B was saying the whole time. He loved it so much he got two pony rides. And he still talks about it, yesterday he was saying "Horse Ride, nicely please".

Staci took Braden on the "Fun Slide". He loved it... and I think she did too!

Ah... the petting zoo. Braden really enjoyed this, the cow was his favorite. I think Chad liked it too!

If you are a blog follower you would know that I have taken Braden twice... but I know I'm far too jumpy and I am nervous I will pass along my jitters to B. It was great to have Chad and Staci in there with me. And good thing Chad had him busy when I ran (literally... and screaming too) out of there after a llama was trying to attack me. Ok... it wasn't about to attack, but I'm telling myself that's only because I was smart enough to leave. I was laughably terrified when Staci said, "Mon, look out" and when I turned around there was a llama - coming at me full speed, staring me down. So I ran...I screamed. I then took pictures from the outside. I know I'm a wimp and that's why Braden has is Dad to teach him not to be afraid. In my defense, there were some other kids that had the same reactions to the animals. Wait? That's my defense... that I reacted like a 3 year old... yep, that's all I got.

Shower with Love

My dearest Katie, (she is also Braden's godmother) is the next among my closest that is going to be a mother. She's due mid-January and while it's earlier than most, we setup her baby shower so I could be there... it meant very much to me that I was able to share that with her, but I'm very sad I won't see her again until she's a momma to sweet Baby Boy Hager! I could go on and on like I usually do, but this is pretty emotional for me not to be around as all my closest friends begin their families, so I'm just going to leave it at that.
Thanks to Melissa for co-hosting with me and handing so much of the running around.
We did the shower at Vinci, an adorable Italian place in Lincoln Park. The brunch we had was amazing. We had our own private room and it was the perfect size! I had spent the earlier part of the week with Chad's mom in Quincy and she helped me make the blue eye pillows you see on the table as favors... let me be honest. I have NO clue how to sew, Paula did all of it. And when her reliable machine she's had since high school that has never broke down stopping working mid-project... she finished them by hand. I did the mixing, blending and stuffing. THANK YOU Grandma Ramsey for all our your hours late into the night of hard work!

A few of the ladies after the shower ended... can you believe the hottie to my right? That's Katie's Mom! :) And honestly, there was no memo to wear blues, grays and blacks... it's not the first time something like that happened. At Kristy's wedding we all showed up wearing black and white - ALL of us. We're just a connected group of gals!

One of the shirts I got for Katie... it's like the IPod logo, get it?

Proud momma and poppa. Katie is 26 weeks... how fabulous does she look?