Lo's Baby Shower

I absolutely LOVE to host showers. As a matter of fact, my neighbor (Michelle) and I have often tossed around the idea of starting a "party" company. We would do it all - plan, bake, cook, decorate, invites, etc. But.... reality is.... we would never make any money. We just LOVE doing it.

So when another neighborhood baby is closely on the way, what more of a reason to have another fabulous party? Well, "book club" party. I love these girls. And I couldn't be happier to see Loren with her little bump. So cute! Loren has the most adorable room for her little guy, and we tried to stick with it's motif.

I started obsessing over the diaper cake. How much fun are they to make?! I'm going to do this for every shower!

Michelle is the baker of the group. Yum, Yum, Yum. Her baking is amazing. She made (from scratch, of course) these red velvet cupcakes. They were adorable and loved by all. Probably the most deliciously cute cupcakes I've ever tasted.

standard water beverage display (thank you, Southern Living)

so funny. loren and michelle: this is a baby bouncer. you put baby in it and they will chill in it. a must.

these two crack me up. michelle (baker) on left. Lo (preggers) on right.

good stuff, mamma Lo!

The bump.

The friends. Love you girls. And Lo and Matt..... you'll be great parents! We can't wait to meet the little man. Enjoy this last month of quietness!

Oh that Dadda

There are times when Derek has to travel for work and we are left at home, wishing he was here. Luckily, this is not a week where he is gone Monday-Friday, thankfully! But last week, he was gone all week (thankfully, Nana was here), and we terribly missed him.

Here's what we do when we are waiting on Dadda to arrive home after a long trip.

Another note about this post.... I got an iPhone. Yes, I did. Jealous? Hahaha! Well, this is a girl who has always taken the "free phone" from Verizon every 3-4 years. Once I got a hand-me-down Blackberry from my sister-in-law and I had to give it up after a week or so because #1. I couldn't understand it and #2. the bill was ridiculous. So, when Verizon gave me the opportunity to get the iPhone a week early, I thought maybe I'd give it a shot. And it has been great. I now take more pictures than ever, because of its great camera.

Because I now have a camera with me everywhere I go, I can capture life's great moments.

Like this one. When my husband sat his "big" butt down on the lounge chair on the deck and split through the seat.

I can say "big" butt because if you've seen my husband.... you are aware "big" is not the right way to describe his backside. If he EVER said that about me.... it surely would not be near as funny. Nor would it be in a post or have pictures taken. Thanks for being a good sport, honey! I love you so much.... xxx ooo!!!

(if only you could have heard the sound this made & the laughter coming from our home when this happened)

Thanks Nana!

We had another visitor this week, Nana! It's always wonderful to see Derek's mom. We are so happy when she can come to visit. Her visit, like many others, was extended an extra day due to "inclement weather." This was funny, cause it was sunny and 70 here, and we heard Illinois was in the 50s. Oh well, turned out great for B and for mommy. I got to do some extra spring cleaning around the house while Nana and Miss B went on walks and played. Again, Nana, thank you for the wonderful visit. We hope to see you again soon....

When Nana comes to town, Bianca tends to get things "her way" a bit easier. For instance.....

Donuts at any time of the day

Fruit before meals (... and out of season!... mommy liked this, too)

Getting out of naps early for tunnel time

Playing in the dirt (this pic taken prior to chimney inspection... in her cute clothes before the damage was done!)

And her favorite, the "chase and scare me" game

Thanks again, Nans!

Surprise Visitor

Sometimes, living in Atlanta actually brings you closer to some family members. I got a surprise text yesterday, from my cousin, Nathan.

"Hey Liz! This is your cuz Nathan. I didn't know if you knew that i was close to ATL. Tom I have a day off and wanted to know if you would wanna grab lunch."

Yes!

And so we grabbed lunch. At the ever-famous Varsity restaurant in downtown Atlanta. It is actually the world's largest drive-in restaurant. Check it out Here. They have been serving people since 1928. It's a really cool place to go. We didn't drive-in, but rather went in so we could chat and catch up.

I'm so proud of Nathan. He's from the same small town I'm from - Brimfield - where the 2000 population census was 933. He packed up, moved outside of Atlanta, and lives here all by himself for a college internship. He came down here, not knowing anyone, and he's doing great! When I was on my way to meet him today, I pictured seeing the same little smiling, blonde boy I always vision when I think of Nator-Tator.

clearly, he's not little and he's not a "boy" - now he's definitely a grown man! but still, he's a cutie!

Nathan, I sure am proud of you, cuz! And thanks for asking me to lunch today. Before you leave I MUST show you more of this fabulous city!

Dee Dee and Papa Visit

Bianca has been such a lucky little girl with all the recent visits. Last week, we had planned on my parents visiting for just two nights. But then, the snow storm of 2011 hit Illinois, and they were stuck with 20+ inches of snow at home, so they stayed another two nights. It was a lot of fun to have them here. Bianca got pretty attached, and was asking for them when she would wake up.

My parents are so loving. They have three grandkids thus far, and when my dad talks about any of them, he gets a little choked up because he's just so in love with each of them. We all know they would do anything for any of them - just like they did for their own children. We are just so lucky to have such great parents - Derek and I can only hope and pray we do just as good of a job.

Thanks again, mom and dad. You guys can get stuck here anytime, we're ok with it.

Bianca is obsessed with my exercise ball. Mom and her had a lot of fun with it.

Where I spend at least 2-3 times a week going, the grocery store. Bianca's favorite place to go because of the "choo choo" that greats you. They got to be witness to Bianca's "HI!!!" she says to everyone who passes by us.

"Look Dee Dee and Papa, a choo choo train!"

Thanks again, mom & dad.

Snow Birds Visit

My parents have stopped by on their way home from their "snow bird" trip to Florida. They spent January outside of Orlando, Florida. It's official, they are snow birds.

And while they may have thought they were stopping by for only 2 days, they are going to end up staying much, much.... much, much...... longer! Yes, record-like blizzard conditions are occurring in Illinois. They estimate 24-30 inches of snowfall over the next 24 hours in our hometown. Craziness. I've never seen that much snow when I lived in Illinois - but I'm pretty sure I have a good idea of what the craziness will be like (2 feet snow in Illinois = 2 inches snow in Atlanta).

So, what do you do when you have Dee Dee and Papa here for an extra long time???

Coke Museum

This was hilarious. Bianca LOVED the huge bear. I mean... she LOVED it. We thought she'd be scared as ever - it was so tall and huge. The Coke Museum also has a 3D movie theatre that is kinda "scary." The chairs move, water sprays you, it's dark, etc. Bianca loved this as well. There was a boy behind us about her age, crying and screaming during the show. Bianca was laughing and playing. My mom said, "She's ready for Disney." (Susan.... get excited. I'm afraid my mother might be right.)

Illinoisians.... don't be mad. But the weather here is pretty decent.

More of these adventures with the g's to come!