Summer In Chicago '09

We had just 3 days between our trips to Chicago and the Poconos, so I didn't have time to edit and post pictures of our wonderful trip home - I'm finally just getting to it now. We had an absolutely wonderful visit with our family and friends. Here are some of the highlights from this year's visit:

An Oker/Shimer/Clark family BBQ:

My sister's family:

A morning visit to the park (with doughnuts, of course):

The splash park:

The Arboretum:

Kiddieland:

A photo shoot with P-lope:

Happy

Happy to be home.
Happy to finally have some summer weather here in Boston.
Happy to be back with our friends - at the splash park this morning!

We're Back. Again.

And oh-so-happy to be home. We've just spent an amazing week on a lake with our dear friends the Cobbs and the Shertzers. I'll let my two talented friends share their sure-to-be amazing pictures from our vacation, but in the meantime, here's one of the few shots I took. And I love it. :)

Probably As Close As She's Going To Get!

When Steve and I were married 8 years ago, my two sweet neighbors served as our flower girls. I had babysat both girls since they were babies, and I was so excited that they were going to be a part of our wedding. Kate and Lizzie were everything flower girls should be: sweet, bubbly, and absolutely adorable - they definitely stole the show that day! The pictures from our wedding that include the girls are among my favorites. After Caroline was born, their mom (a dear friend) told me that the girls wanted to give Caroline one of their flower girl dresses. I thought that was an unbelievably generous and thoughtful gift. As many of you know, Caroline is obsessed with all things wedding related (and flower girls in particular) so she is VERY familiar with these dresses and the stories of Katie and Lizzie. The dress has been waiting for her in my mom's closet, and she has been counting down the days until she could try it on. Here she is, absolutely tickled with herself. . .

And the original girls at our wedding - I told you they were cute.

Caroline with Lizzie - the younger of the two girls. She was 4 at the time. She'll be in 7th grade this fall. Katie is 16 and looking at colleges. Sigh.

A Whole Lot of Clarks. . . .

Get ready for Clark overload. I'm posting about a billion pictures because I just couldn't leave any out, and even then I'm only showing you about half. Words are simply not adequate to thank you, Erin.

Me and my babies. . .

My two best guys. I have a really similar picture of Caroline and Steve when Caroline was just a little bit older. My kiddos are so incredibly lucky to have Steve as Daddy.

Still looking good after 14 years together (8 happily married) right????

This is my favorite one. . .

Daddy's girl. . .

Our sweet Caroline. . .

Not happy to be sitting in the grass. . .

Did You Miss Me?

We've just arrived back home after a great 2-week visit with our friends and family in Chicago. I'll have lots of great pictures to share from our trip soon, but right now I'm so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. And I've got laundry to do, grocery lists to make, and a whole other vacation for which to get ready. Sigh. In the meantime, I'm thrilled to share these amazing pictures Erin took of William while she was visiting in May. She's been a teeny, tiny bit busy with her business lately, and she sent me the cd's of our photo shoots while I was home. I am so excited about these pictures! And I've got more to share tomorrow! Don't hate me because I've got an amazing bff. :)

Happy 4th of July!

I hope you all have had as much fun this Independence Day weekend as we have! We're exhausted from partying with friends, cheering at the town parade, and staying up too late to watch the fireworks (Caroline's first time!). Here's how William spent today's parade:

Crying when the fire trucks went past. . .

Falling asleep on Daddy's shoulders. . .

Fast asleep in Daddy's arms.

It wasn't exactly a hit. :) Oh well, maybe next year. The big girl, on the other hand, had a blast (excluding the minor meltdown this morning when she realized that her one-and-only 4th of July dress was too dirty from last night's party to wear again today. Note to self: make sure there are enough Caroline approved outfits for ALL holiday festivities in the future). Happy Birthday, America!