Dinner at John's club

My Mom, Sue, Tommy and I went shopping at the mall and my Dad and John went to John's club to see the new stuff they've been doing there. Afterwards we met for dinner at John's club and again had a great time at dinner. Tommy was cracking us up. He was laughing and putting on a show all night. We will be very sad to leave. Thanks John, Sue and Tommy for such a great weekend! We can't wait to see you for Christmas!

Happy Birthday Tommy!

Today we celebrated Tommy's 1st birthday! Happy Birthday Tommy! John and Sue had about 20 people over to celebrate his big day. The kids played with Tommy's new car and they all had a blast. The theme of the party was monkeys and Sue did such a great job with the decorations! We grilled out and then watched Tommy eat his cupcake, which was hilarious! He wasn't too sure at first, but after his cousin Alexis showed him what to do he started playing and making a mess. I love the picture of my Dad and Sue's Dad (Dave) drinking out of their favorite teams' cup (Illini for my Dad and Rutgers for her Dad) and then Tommy trying to drink the beer. Tommy was so pooped (he didn't have a nap) so he passed out as he was eating dinner. After his nap we opened presents and he got a lot of cool toys. After a long day both John and Sue passed out on the couch and of course I couldn't resist taking a picture! What a great party John and Sue!

Trip to New Jersey

My Mom, Dad and I went to New Jersey to visit John, Sue and Tommy. Craig stayed home with Julia and Bella, but they all (including Ethan) wanted to go to NJ. We left on Thursday and Sue picked us up at the airport. John and Tommy met us at home. It was amazing to see Tommy walking in person (we saw it on video)! He is so cute! He points at everything and it's like he wants you to tell him what it is. Friday my Mom, Sue and I went to get a manicure/pedicure and then had lunch and went shopping for Tommy's birthday presents. We had so much fun picking out toys for him. After lunch we went to Tommy's school for the grandparents tea. He was so excited to see us and we had fun meeting all of his teachers and classmates. My parents had to get their hands painted for a project so that's why their hands are red in the picture. Next we went to dinner at Squan Tavern, which is a favorite of ours. Tommy did such a great job at dinner. He is such a flirt and loves to watch what everyone around him is doing (other tables). He will definitely be a social little guy. Tomorrow is Tommy's birthday party...more pictures to come.

Sue's Baby Shower

My Mom and I threw a baby shower for Sue (and John) on Sat. They are having a boy and my Mom and I are so excited for his arrival. Sue and John will make wonderful parents. They are both amazing with kids. It's so great to have Sue as my sister-in-law, especially since I don't have any sisters. We all had a great time at the shower. The whole family came in town for the shower so the guys hung out outside while the ladies played shower games inside.

Here are some of the pictures from the shower (Click on the picture to make it bigger):

We played the dirty diaper game, baby word scramble, and the items on the tray game. I think the best game was the dirty diaper game. The diaper mess looked pretty realistic. Luckily I had my awesome cousin Mia there to help me. At first I put the chocolate in the diaper and put it in the microwave, but realized after it started to burn that diapers should not be put in the microwave. What was I thinking! Next, I tried to put the chocolate in a bowl and melt it that way, but the chocolate started to burn. Finally, I added a little water to the chocolate and Mia stepped in and helped me do all 5 chocolate bars. Thanks, Mia!