The Long Overdue Post

So really, this post is at least 2, probably 3 posts all crammed into one. I had the best intentions of doing a post last week about our weekend and Olivia's 1st birthday, and then another post about our week and the Discovery Museum, knowing I had a big post to do after this weekend and Julie's baby shower. I even uploaded the pictures to my online albums so that when I was in New Jersey, I could do a blog post. Didn't happen. So, now we are back home, and this post is feeling like a daunting task. I am looking back at the pictures and feeling like that was ages ago. But, I will slog through, get them all posted, and share - so get your scrolling fingers ready.

Pete's working hard through grad school. And Addy helps highlight.

Addy's best friend, Olivia, turned one last weekend. 

 I made the cupcakes. They were pretty darn yummy, if I do say so myself. I found the coolest icing recipe - it starts with a white sauce. I found it here.

Livvy and her big brother, Tyler.

Last week, we spent a forecasted rainy day at the Discovery Museum in Acton. We hadn't been there before, and the kids loved it. It's a whole new ballgame taking these kids out and about now - they are so busy and into everything. The three amigos featured in most of these pictures? Addy, Olivia, and Ava. We're not really sure who has more fun when we hang out - the kids or the moms - but you never hear anyone complaining.

Sitting around, gabbing and eating? Hmmmmm, I wonder where they learned that...

Then it was off to NJ. There was lots of baby shower preparation to be done, but I had the special treat of taking Chloe to one of her jumping lessons. It's a new skill that she is just learning, and she is soaking it up like a sponge. Watching her takes my breath away - her composure, her strength, and her raw talent combine into an image that I struggle to describe, and still do it justice.

Wow, right?

And, finally, the baby shower. My older sister, Julie, is having her first baby in early September. Instead of a traditional shower, they decided to do a family BBQ. Julie and her husband, Kip, decided to go old-school and not find out the gender of the baby - which made it a little difficult to find a theme for the shower!

 I made this cake, too. The buggy at the top is the team colors and logo for their swim team, and filled with baby-sized swim necessities - fins, goggles, kickboard, and suits.

 The baby 50/50 - $1 per guess, and you picked your gender, birthdate, and birth weight. The winner gets half the pot, and the remainder goes to a college fund for the baby.

And of course, the totally inappropriate "baby with an alcoholic beverage" picture.  Little girl, little Corona. Her new stance is to cross one leg across the other at the knee. While standing. We love it.