Delicious Fall

Autumn seems to have finally arrived! What more fitting welcome than a yummy pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting. And some fun white chocolate leaves and acorns, of course!

Sleeping Beauty

Here's a sneak peek of Charlotte in her big girl bed. We had it all ready to go when we returned from the beach back in August and she has been enjoying sleeping like a princess ever since!



I plan to post pictures of her newly arranged big girl room, but for now, here is a glimpse of her (four poster) bed and posh bedding.



I have recently cut out her daily nap time and it has made bedtime much more of a pleasure. The days are a little longer, but by 9pm she is ready to pass out until 7:30 or 8am. This new change has allowed our family to get a full night's sleep and it has been worth its weight in gold! Stay tuned for a future post of her precious room, as well as some other house projects that I have been chipping away at!

Summer in September

Silly faces on the deck from my half naked Charlotte help me deal with today's summer weather when what I really want is FALL!

Colton Scott

Welcome to the world, little one! Born August 31st and simply adorable. Congrats, Michelle & Justin!




For more of the tiny new bundle, click below:

Colton Scott

Sunday Funday

My birthday week ended with a great Sunday of relaxation and fun. The weather was lovely, so we enjoyed time just playing in our yard. Charlotte was a peach. She even practiced her photography skills, check out the picture she took of me below!

Magnifico!

The celebration continued the weekend after my birthday. Chris took me to Aldo's in Little Italy (a favorite spot for us) and we enjoyed exquisite southern Italian cuisine.





For the food lovers who read this blog: We started with escargots and shiitake mushrooms sautéed in lemon-garlic butter with puff pastry borsetta.


Then I had a caprese tower with fresh mozzarella di bufala (air-shipped from Campania, Italy). Chris had a Caesar.


For dinner, I ordered fettuccine with diced Maine lobster in tomato-cream rosé sauce. Chris ordered wood fire grilled swordfish with saffron and risotto infused mashed potatoes and wilted spinach.


Dessert was on the house for me! Caramelized open faced apple torte and Chris enjoyed Belgian chocolate cake.


Needless to say we left stuffed and satisfied! It was fun to indulge a little for my special day. You simply MUST visit Aldo's next time you are in Little Italy. Perfection!

Tiny Ballerina Turns 2.5

Today was a VERY special day. Not only did Charlotte turn two and a half, but she also attended her very first ballet lesson. We have several friends who are part of a wonderful local dance company, and this season they offered Teeny Tiny Ballet, so we enrolled Charlotte without batting an eye. Several of her girlfriends take the same class. She LOVED it. Mommy loved it, too. Just seeing her in a tutu and ballet slippers was enough to melt my heart, but then to watch her enjoy it as much as she did, well, it made me so proud!

I danced for many years in my youth. One of my favorite moments from today was having my mom there, watching me watch Charlotte. I can only imagine the precious memories that must have come rushing back to her. The sweet tears in her eyes certainly said it all!

Here are some of my favorites, with many more in the album below.

Teeny Tiny Ballet

Sandy Vacay

Words can't describe the insane amount of fun we had while on our little family-of-three vacation in early August. Best week we've all had in a long while. Relaxing. Satisfying. Just overall perfect. Being together was precious. We really kicked back and soaked in the sun. Charlotte had a blast! This is such a fun age, she was simply adorable. Enjoy the pictures!

Ocean City August 2009