Happy 5th Birthday Owen!

Last night we went over to my Sister-In-Law's house to celebrate our nephew's 5th birthday. I seriously cannot believe he's turning 5 already!

About a month after I started dating Gabe, his sister announced she was pregnant. And that was almost 6 years ago now which boggles my mind. So I've been around since Owen's beginning and it's hard to believe how fast those years have gone by! And yes, it scares me to think that Avery will be 5 in no time!

His birthday is really next Monday, but my sister-in-law is working all weekend and they are going to Aruba next week so she had his party early and on the same day as his kids party (hence the half-eaten cake you'll see!).

Here's Avery all dressed up and ready to party:

Avery with Grammy:

Lighting the candles on the cake:

"Happy Birthday to you!"

Make a wish and blow the candles out:

Our niece, Bianca, opening a gift Pa and Grandma brought her:

Owen in his new wagon:

Owen and Bianca in the wagon:

Opening gifts:


Happy Birthday Owen! Enjoy your special day next week!

Cuteness

How can you resist this face?

Apple Crisp

Yesterday I had my little sorority gathering and we had to bring a dish to pass. I'm always looking to make desserts, so this was another chance for me to bake! Believe it or not, I used a recipe that I made back in middle school home economics class! We saved some recipes from then because they were really good and I haven't made this one in a long, long time so I decided to do it!

Apple Crisp
4-6 Medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
dash salt

In a bowl, combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter using two knives until mixture is crumbly. Place sliced apples in an 8x8" pan (I used mixed fruit this time-apples, cherries and nectarines).

Top apples with crumbly mixture. Bake at 350 for 40-45min or until topping is golden brown. Serve warmed and, if desired, with whipped cream or ice cream.

Visiting

We went to Buffalo Sat-Sun this weekend for a visit. There were two reasons we went-one was that my sorority from college was having a little reunion and the other was that my childhood friend who now lives in Florida was going to be in town.

We left our house around 1pm on Saturday and drove right to my Dad's house. He hasn't seen Avery in a few weeks so we wanted to stop by so he could see her. We dressed her up in a dress that my Dad and Colleen got her and she looked so cute!




After that we went to my Mom's and just hung out the rest of the night. On Sunday morning my friend Megan came over with her husband Todd and son Noah. My friend Sara, who I've known since in our Moms' wombs, was in town from Florida so she came over with her husband Brian and her daughter Madeline who is about 18months old. Here is Sara holding Noah:

Madeline:

Sara and Madeline, Megan and Noah, Avery and I:


After they left, we went for a little sorority reunion. It was supposed to be at a park, but of course the weather didn't cooperate so a girl volunteered to have it at her house. I forgot my camera so I don't have any pics, but it was good to see a few of the girls from the old days. After the gathering we headed back home and just relaxed the rest of the night. Later at night I couldn't find the cat and heard a rustling in a basket next to our TV. It's a pretty tall basket and occasionally she hops in there and hops back out. Well, apparently this is her new place to hide out and chill. It's pretty funny so I snapped a pic of her!

Genuine Smiles...

...are the best, especially when you have your camera ready! (sorry for the rotated pic)

Bath Time!

I just realized after all of the baths we have given Avery, I never took too many pictures to document it. So last night was bath night and I had to grab a few pics. Usually I do the bathing, but tonight asked Gabe if he wanted to give it a shot and he chose to! Avery is just starting to somewhat enjoy bath time. She used to scream bloody murder each time, but now she is tolerating it more each time. I think we can get through an entire bath without crying now. She doesn't love it yet, but I have a feeling she will soon! At the end of her bath, Gabe admitted it was actually fun! And she's just so darn cute!
Here's Gabe lathering her up:

All wrapped up in her towel:

Getting dried off after on her changing table:

Squeaky clean baby:

Fun Filled Weekend

We had a pretty busy weekend once again. Friday night Gabe and I took Avery to Cobbs Hill Pizza for dinner-we were in the mood for pizza but didn't want to go somewhere too crowded. Avery of course did fine which is always nice :)

Saturday we met his parents at the public market. We haven't been there since Avery has arrived so it was nice going! I miss getting my good deals on fruit since I eat so much of it! It was crowded as usual, but we made it through and did our usual relaxing at Boulder Coffee afterwards. It was nice and a beautiful day for it! A little bit later in the afternoon, we went to the Park Ave. Fest. Gabe and I went a few years ago but haven't been since-we always had something going on the same weekend. So we decided to go this year and check it out. It is one of the largest festivals in Rochester-I swear we walked about 5miles (yes I mapped it out to see!). The only thing we left with was food in our bellies! I like going to the festivals, but never really go to buy anything. Not sure why that is, but it's something to do!

Yesterday we had Gabe's company picnic at Seabreeze. We probably wouldn't have gone except that it was free. I still can't go on rides because of my c-section plus we took Avery with us, so who would watch her if we went on rides?! We just went and had lunch then walked around the park and visited with a few people. We were only there maybe 3 hours but it was nice to get out and about. The weather was ok while we were there-just as we were heading out it started to rain so I think we may have missed the bad weather. After coming home we just relaxed the rest of the night. Overall, a pretty good weekend....although no pictures to show any of it!!