One and one-half years.

What an amazing adventure it continues to be.  We love you, Baby Girl.

Book Signing - Young House Love

Yesterday, the whole fam loaded in the car and drove just across the river into Cincinnati to attend the Books by the Banks festival.  There were all kinds of activities for kiddos, and great authors, blah, blah, blah.....

JOHN AND SHERRY PETERSIK WERE THERE SIGNING COPIES OF THEIR NOT-YET-RELEASED BOOK, YOUNG HOUSE LOVE!!!

Rachael and Margot drove in from NKy, and Audrey and Andrew drove up from Louisville.

The festival started at 10am, and we arrived pretty much right on time.  Rachael had gotten there a few minutes before us and saved us a place in line.  It wasn't very long at that point, but within 15 minutes or so it was around the room!  We started to get nervous that they weren't going to get to us before they had to leave to do their panel discussion at 11am (which we also wanted to attend), but they signed our books, and Audrey and Andrew's, and, a good 15 people behind them.  (Pete and Andrew stayed behind to pay for our freshly-signed-but-not-yet-purchased books so we could get good seats for the talk.)

Wait wait wait Mom, I want to hear what Sherry is saying.

I really think we could all go out for coffee and have a great time.

Sherry lovin' on Margot.

They were SO SO sweet and chatted with us about their trip, eating at Graeter's etc.

They were equally sweet to Audrey once her spot came up in line.

Thank goodness for snacks and quiet books and iphone apps and aunts and uncles or Ellie never would have made it.

We tried to play it cool, I don't think we appeared too enthusiastic, just supportive and happy to meet them.  John is a soda enthusiast, so I brought him an Ale 8 One.  Audrey reminded me that it is Aquatober, however, so he might not have gotten to sample Kentucky's finest before boarding the plane home.

I read most of the book last night, am hoping to try projects number 2, 5, 20, 152, 207, 214, 231, 240, and 242 (can you hear Pete groaning loudly?)  So glad we got to meet the Petersiks!!  What a fun morning. 

Jen's Baby Shower

Whew!  What a weekend!  I had so much fun hosting Jen's shower on Saturday.  We are so lucky to have such good friends in Matt and Jen.  It was great to see her and chat with a few of her friends and family members.  She and Matt drove home yesterday and she had a blog up about the shower before bed last night!  Talk about a productive woman.  Her blog is full of fantastic pictures that her sister Claudia took, so you should definitely head over to Bluegrass to Palmtrees to see more pictures.  Especially her answers on the Wishes for Baby - talk about a tear-jerker!!

The theme of the shower was pink/navy to match Baby Girl Wheeler's nursery.

There was a sweets table for guests to make their own goody bag to take home.  Assembling all of this was one of my favorite parts of planning the shower.  That and one of the games we played - Daddy Knows Best - you'll have to check out Jen's blog for those pictures.  If only we had video of OUR reactions to Matt's answers.  Who knew he was so into his hair?!?! (j/k Matt, you know we all love you)

Matt's mom, Peggy, Jen's mom, Susan, and Jen.  Can you tell they are over the moon about becoming grandmothers?!?!

The Mack Women:  Claudia, Jennifer, and Susan

A little after two o'clock I went upstairs to check on my litter napper.  Pete had picked her up from her friend's house just before noon and put her down for a nap in her crib before joining Matt and his dad for lunch.  (How did we not get any pictures of the dads?!?)  The party was long over and I started to take down the decorations.  The garland that hung from our front porch was Ellie's favorite.
 

Until Matt unpacked Jen's Snoogle in preparation for them to stay the night.  Then she was all about her Uncle Matt carrying her around in the duffle bag.

 So, again, not many pictures on my camera - check out Jen's blog for the real details!!

It's almost time!!

We can't wait for Matt and Jen (and bump!) to arrive tomorrow - here's to a weekend of family and fun!!

Olive You.

Last night we wrapped up another busy weekend, and I was digging around the cabinets to find something to make for dinner.  Pete was sitting at the counter while I put water on to boil and Ellie quickly appeared at his feet saying, "up, up!"

So, much, much sooner than I ever anticipated, we were eating dinner at the peninsula.  I got a little teary-eyed when I took this photo.  This is the exact kind of thing we imagined when we first discussed removing the wall between the kitchen and the dining room.

Ellie was more than a little pleased with herself.  She was also hungry.  Which equals grumpy.  So Pete began filching olives for her from a nearby bowl.

17 months.

Seventeen months old, practically a lady!  It seems as though everything about Ellie is growing like gangbusters these days.  Her hair, legs, appetite, vocabulary, tendency to stretch the rules - all on the rise.

Here's a little confession:  A few times in the last month I have picked Ellie up out of her crib right before Pete and I go to bed for the night.  I sit in the glider with her asleep on my shoulder because it's the only time all day that we get to snuggle.  From the moment she wakes up in the morning until we put her in her crib at night, she is on the go.  This morning, before her feet had even hit the ground, she was saying, "shoes? shoes? shoes?" and trying to get dressed for the day.  I requested a hug, and she complied, but then she was on her way downstairs for milk and cereal.

Ellie's seventeenth month was a busy one with her first cubs game, croquet tourney, our trip to the natural bridge, her first haircut, a trip to Shaker Village, her first sick day from school, and I'm sure many other things we didn't think to photograph.

Month eighteen has started out as busy as the past one - we've had the aquarium, bourbon chase, and, last night, pumpkin picking with our neighborhood friends!