Erin's shower

On Sunday, we went to my cousin's bridal shower. It is always great to see the family, and we are very excited for the wedding in November!

The bride-to-be

Angela even made it in from Memphis!

The girls encircle William.

Mom with her grandkids: Lily, William, Courtney and Abby

Week with Mary and Katie

These pictures are far overdue, but better late than never I suppose! They are from our whirlwind week in June when Mary and Katie came to visit. We packed so many activities in that one week that everyone was exhausted by the end and needed a vacation to recover from the vacation. Included among our activities were: a trip to Missouri Botanical Gardens, two trips to the pool, a "Mad Science" program, a ducky program at the library, a picnic lunch at Faust Park, a birdwatching program at the nature center, an afternoon at the Magic House, William's naming ceremony, and my cousin Maria's wedding (and Katie's spa birthday celebration which I already posted). It was a lot, but we really had a blast.

So, after only a mere two months, here are the pictures. As you can see, I took the easy way out by creating a slideshow. I also got tired of doing the captions after the fifth picture so Carl volunteered to do the rest (well maybe volunteered would not be as accurate as conned into it). So this is a disclaimer that the majority of captions were created by Carl. Proceed at your own risk.

Make a free digital slideshow

Aunt Kathy's 60th Birthday Party

On Sunday afternoon, we went to my aunt's 60th birthday party at the park. It was a big family gathering because after all, big family celebrations are what Italians are all about!

From left to right: Uncle Vito, Aunt Kathy, Grandpa, Aunt Chris, and mom

(missing siblings are Uncle John and Uncle Sal)

Just the girls - Mom, Aunt Kathy and Aunt Chris

Aunt Chris & family

From left to right: Cousin Maria, her husband Dan, cousin Patrick, Aunt Chris & Uncle Tom

Aunt Kathy & family

From left to right: Cousin Jenny, her daughter Kailey, Aunt Kathy, Uncle Ron, Sammy (Andrea & Brian's daughter), Brian (Andrea's husband), and cousin Andrea

Swingin' Sammy

William with Aunt Chris & Suzanne

The four of us (notice how William is gradually losing clothes as the day goes on)

Trying to keep the baby cool & hydrated on a hot August afternoon

Finally Grandma strips the baby

Angela attempts to entertain the baby

I love my Aunt Angela!

Two tired, hot and sweaty kids at the end of the day - all in the name of good family fun!!

Mary's Golden Birthday

We had three birthday celebrations this past weekend. The first was for my niece Mary. Mary turned 6 on the 6th this month - wow! We had a very fun "girls only" tea party. The Tea Room that we went to was adorable. The upstairs "attic" was filled to the brim with every imaginable dress-up item for girls (and even adults). The girls got to choose their tea party attire from their endless selection of dresses, gloves, bracelets, necklaces, wands, tiaras/hats, sashes, wings...and the list goes on and on. The girls were in princess fairy heaven!

The girls in one of many combinations of outfits that they had on that afternoon

Mom gets diva-licious

This Yankee-turned-Southerner is right at home at the tea party

Mary opens her presents

Mary beams behind the glow of her teapot birthday cake

Making an extra-special wish

Blowing out the candles

Happy birthday, Mary. May all your dreams and wishes come true.

At the homestead

After returning home from Jeff City on Friday, we celebrated Mary's golden birthday - 6 years old! My parents decided that such a festivity called for some festive gear. Their zest for life is what I love about them most.

Dreams fulfilled

As long as I can remember, my dad has been talking about owning a log cabin on a large lot of land in the middle of the country, along with his hunting rifle (with special scope) and his Big Horn Dodge Ram. He is truly a country boy at heart. However, with four kids (spaced 16 years apart), these dreams were put on hold for a long, long time. Finally, after so many years of working so hard, my dad has retired and put his energy into seeing his dreams realized. We stopped by my parents' cabin on their 10 acres on our way back from Jeff City and took a few pictures to share.

The road that they cleared leading up to the pond and cabin.

The stocked pond

The porch of the cabin

The girls standing in front of the cabin. Unfortunately, as I was taking this picture, the key broke off inside the lock! so we were unable to take pictures of the inside. However, I'm sure that we will have a few family get-away weekends in the upcoming months, and I'll take more pictures then.

Congratulations to my mom and dad! After so many years of putting us first, we are so happy that you were finally able to make this long-time wish a reality.

Journey with a Capitol "J"

William, Lily, my mom, and I journeyed to Jefferson City (our state capitol - hence the "Capitol J") on Thursday. Suzanne had a conference there so we met her, Mary and Katie and watched the girls while Suzanne attended meetings. As you can imagine, a political hub (in the middle of nowhere no less) does not exactly have a lot of activities for children. So we spent most of our time at the hotel pool and at the indoor playgrounds in the mall due to the excessive heat.

A shot of the capitol from the road

The girls at the play area in the mall

Mary & Katie

Lily - 4 years, 9 months

William - 9 1/2 months

My big boy at the pool

The girls take a dip

Beauty and the Beast

On Saturday night, we got to see Beauty and the Beast at the Muny. This is the first time that Lily has been to the Muny, mainly because the shows do not start until after 8:00 pm. The Muny is the oldest and largest outdoor theater in the country. I was an usher there when I was in high school, and Suzanne worked in concessions when she was in high school. My parents now have season tickets (with rockin' seats). Obviously, we are big fans of the Muny. If you come to St. Louis, and don't see a show at the Muny, you've really missed out on one of the most amazing places in the city. I am so glad that my parents took us to many theater productions when we were young and instilled in us an appreciation for this art form. I was so happy to be able to share this experience with Lily and hope to create many more memories with her there in years to come.

Pre-show excitement

Unfortunately, the late start time was just too much for Lily. She fell sound asleep shortly after the intermission. This is not surprising since she is asleep by 7:30 on most nights, but I was hoping she would be able to see Belle in her "yellow dress". (She really wanted to see the yellow dress.) Maybe next time!

Mother's Day

Mom with some of the grandkids

Mom with William

We celebrated Mother's Day at my mom and dad's house. We were fortunate enough to enjoy great weather and walk to one of their playgrounds. I love holidays that celebrate family because that's what it is all about after all. And what better way to celebrate a family holiday than with family? We are so grateful for all the mothers in our lives including my mother, Carl's mom, and Carl's grandmothers.