Keeping up with Kelly Manno.....: ~ Baby Evy 9 months old...and Baby Cameron on his ...

Keeping up with Kelly Manno.....: ~ Baby Evy 9 months old...and Baby Cameron on his ...: "My sweet baby Evy is getting so big. I've been taking her photos since she was a newborn. Her Mom and Dad have faithfully hired me every 3..."

4 Seasons to the Perfect Man!

I have now spent over 3 years with the most amazing husband and father! I am so lucky and blessed to have someone who is so truly dedicated to his family! I couldn't have asked for a better husband!! There definitely is truth in the saying "patience is a virtue!" I can't believe in the past 3 years we have married, traveled, and had a daughter and it seems like yesterday we just met....or remet! I truly believe in being with someone for all four seasons before getting engaged or married!!! It definitely showed me a true picture of the amazing man I chose to be my husband. Plus it allowed us to have fun and enjoy each others company for that much longer! I know I'm late, but....Happy Anniversary to the most wonderful man in the world! It's be a great ride so far and I'm so happy we took our time! We still have so much more to experience in life!

Evy's 9 Month Pictures!

Here are some of our sweet baby's 9 month pictures! We just can't believe she's growing up so quickly! She has such a sweet demeanor, vibrant personality and a contagious smile! We just adore her...all 23+ lbs and every roll we can find! There's nothing better than a chunky baby! They're the cutest:) It's so wonderful to have so many wonderful pictures of her as she has changed and become her own little person. She takes our breath away every minute of every day! We love you Evy!

And of course we have to thank our wonderful friend and photographer, Kelly Manno, with Kelly Manno Photography. She has been there every other month to help us capture Evy as she grows. We can't wait to share more moments with her in the future:)

Evy's 1st Easter

For Evy's 1st Easter we went to Bellerive to see the Easter Bunny! She loved the bunny! It probably helped that my parents bought her a bouncing bunny so she had a general idea of what was going on! haha It's so wonderful being able to celebrate all the 1st holidays at Bellerive! They make everything so special for all the children and families! Beats going to the mall!!! And I should probably mention that we were forgiven for Evy pulling the bunny's ears and hair:)

Mom & Dad's Surprise 40th Anniversary party!

On April 12, 2011, my brother and I threw my parents a surprise 40th Wedding Anniversary party! It was amazing! They were more than surprised! When they walked in the room, it took several seconds for them to notice that 75 of their closest friends were there to celebrate this special day. Granted their wedding anniversary wasn't until April 13th, we figured if we told a little white lie...that my brother and I were taking them to dinner....they couldn't refuse! As most people knew, April 12th was our 3rd wedding anniversary! It truly was one of the best ways we couldn't spent the night. It's crazy how our 3 years have flown by so quickly. I can't imagine 40 years:)

I couldn't be more happy that my parents are STILL married. They have set such a great example for us and what the scrament of marriage means. It's so rare that people stay married anymore so here's to you Mom and Dad! We hope you enjoyed every second of your surprise! Love you!

Evy's Duck Time - Quack Quack

It was time to move out of her little baby tub, so Evy graduated on to her big girl quacking tub! She absolutely loves it! While splashing around, she sings along and laughs with the quacks:) She even tries to squeeze the duck to make it quack! She doesn't quite understand the concept yet, but it's fun to watch her give us the "confused" look! It's so amazing watching her grow and see her get excited about bathtime! She's such a waterbaby...just like mommy and daddy!

Evy's 1st St. Patrick's Day

EVY's FIRST ST. PATTY's DAY

For Evy's frist St. Patrick's Day we met Grandma & Grandpa Inkley at Duffy's, an Irish restaurant/Pub. They had Irish bagpippers (in Kilts) & a bunch of green beer....which Evy was clearly not allowed to have....although she tried:) The place was packed, it was a true celebration! Evy sure was the hit of the night with her Irish beads & hat & we can't forget her "KISS ME I'M IRISH" shirt! It truly amazes me that Evy is the social butterfly of our family! She couldn't be happier than in a crowd of people. She loves looking around and soaking up all the new and exciting things in life! What a little observer!

Just that simple.....a favorite life message

There comes a time in life when you walk away from all the drama & the people who create it! Those who are out to hurt you, are malicious. Those who are jealous, are insecure. Those who backstab you were never really your friend. And those who you thought were your friend & turned on you, lost a good person in their lives. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh, forget the bad & focus on the good. So, love the people you treat you right; pray for the people who don't! Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life; getting back up is living!

Evy's First V-Day & 7 Month Birthday!

On February 14th Evy celebrated her first Valentine's Day as well as her 7 month birthday! As we all know, I have celebrated Evy's birthday every month because she deserves it:) I'm going to venture out there & say that 7 months was one of the best...at least from a cake eating perspective!! This little girl stops no where when it comes to food.

I was always hoping for a chunky baby, since they're the cutest:) And Chunk is what I was blessed with several months ago. At 7 months, Evy tipped the scale at about 20 lbs! She is sooo stinkin' adorable carrying her little rolls along with her wherever she goes! I'm sure you won't wonder why after you see this video! Cheers to Evy for such a wonderful for having such a wonderful appetite:)

Here We Come Virgin Islands!

In about a month my parents are taking Evy, Durbin, & myself to the Virgin Islands for Evy's 1st big vacation! That first baby vacation should definitely be a big one:) Durbins parents got a house, but unfortunately won't be able to make it:( Grandma and Grandpa Inkley have gone bonkers with "swim/summer attire" for Evy. Grandpa even got her a few pairs of pink shades! She isn't sure what to think of them, but they make for adorable pics:) I bought a ton of swim suits, all of which Daddy approved. And then what happened.... Daddy went and bought her the most adorable BIKINI:) He said he wouldn't back down & she didn't need a bikini at 8 months, but sure enough......he did! Shocker, right! Evy sure has him wrapped around that little finger:)

We can't wait to get Evy to the beach & even a little trip in the ocean. She loves water so I'm thinking a little swim tube is essential! This will be such a special & memorable vacation. I wouldn't go without her!!!! I've had 33 years to be me & there's no reason to leave her at home. Why have kids if you're gonna take off & vacation without them? And I'd never just leave them with my parents.....the Grandparents should be part of the fun:) That's part of the fun in becoming parents & Grandparents...vacationing with the kiddos! Life has never been so enjoyable & fun since Evy's come along!

I'm sure I will have tons of pics to share when we get back, but until then I'll just keep you all up to date on everything else!

GREAT FRIENDS:)

I have been so blessed with the most amazing friends...I just love my girls...& even the boys:)! To find TRUE friends these days is often near to impossible. The wonderful friends I have are always dependable, never judge me, are never two-faced & most importantly are always loyal to me! I've had my fair share craziness with friends.....they backstab, lie, are constantly negative, fake, hypocritical & judgemental. My least favorites are the jealous and insecure....Debbie downers:) Gotta love the big moments in life where you find out who you once thought was a friend, really isn't!! I'm too old for all the drama. It's just a shame that too often friendships are one-sided & I found out too late:(

My friends have made my life so much more meaningful! I love sharing all the wonderful moments with them & creating memories to last a lifetime! I can honestly say that I have all the friends I need. There isn't anyone I've lost that I'd want back & I surely couldn't find better friends than I already have...you guys are the BOMB:)!!!

Thank you to all my friends for just being YOU!

Proud of my Illini:)

GOOD JOB ILLINI! You guys put up a big fight! It was definitely a much tighter game than I thought! My boys played their hearts out! Despite the few bad calls, the game was even more exciting than the braggin' rights game! Can't wait to see who wins the final game! March Madness is such a fun time! I can't wait for 2012 March Madness.

BOO HOO MIZZOU! YIPPY ILLINOIS!!!

Looks like Mizzou is out of the races!!! Oh well:) Guess you gotta be BIG TEN to WIN:)

Yippy ILLINOIS!!!

Those little fighting ILLINI are awesome! Can't beat being BIG TEN and kickin' some butt against UNLV! What about winning 73-62!!! Tight game....not:) LOL It's great to be an ILLINI.....HAIL TO THE CHIEF!!! What is the CHIEF???? It doesn't matter...who cares..... but the CHIEF beats the TIGER!!!:) Too many tigers out there anyway!

Can't wait to play KANSAS....hopefully!!!

HAIL TO THE ORANGE AND HAIL TO THE BLUE..................ILLNOIS WILL ALWAYS BEAT YOU!!!! {AT LEAST IN THE IMPORTANT GAMES:)}

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR ALL PARENTS!

I received an email the other day with some disturbing news. Watch the video and please pass it on! I know how many pictures I take so please be careful!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2vARzvWxwY

My Baby's 6 Month Pics:)

Thanks again to Kelly Manno (with Kelly Manno Photography), we have the most adorable 6 month pics of Evy!! She's getting so big & starting to truly develop into her own little person! She has the most amazing little 6 month personality. She loves to laugh, giggle, & occassionally squeel when she gets extra excited!! She's just a bundle of joy & makes us smile every day....especially with her adorable little laugh!

For Evy's 6 month "photo shoot" we went to the Butterfly House. We captured some of the most amazing pictures. Despite the 100 degree temperatures, Evy was so excited to watch all the butterflies flying around her head. She even tried to catch them....but with those little hands, she wasn't very successful:)

After the Butterfly House we came back to our place to get a few more of Evy in her everyday setting! She just loves to pose for the camera....especially with those beautiful piercing blue eyes!!!

We can't wait for the 9 month session!!! By then Evy will be running the show for sure:) LOL

We love you Evelyn....you have rocked our world in the most amazing way! You truly are an ANGEL!

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Evy's 6 Month Birthday Party!

We can't believe Evy is already 6 months old! Time is flying by so quickly, but we are enjoying every second. Watching her grow and hit milestones are some of the best moments of our lives. With that said, we thought we should throw Evy a 6 month birthday party....every kid should have one!!! Durbin and I decided to get a little cake and maybe see if she was interested in it! We were actually looking forward to eating some ourselves...until....

The discovery of the cake

Stage 2...digging in a little deeper:)

This doesn't taste like my normal food:)

That was so yummy, I think I'll dive in head first!

What???.....is this not normal mommy and daddy?

Going for round 2:)

And round 3:)

This is absolutely delicious.....I want more!

So...I'll just take another handful...this sure is messy!:)

Hmmmm....I'm exhausted! I think I did pretty

well and it sure was fun!

The pictures speak for themselves!! Evy had a blast and we're so happy we caught it all on video and snapped a few pictures.

We love you Evy! Happy Birthday:)

One Amazing Birthday!

WOW! I had the most wonderful birthday this year. It was amazing spending it with Evy, Durbin & the rest of my family. Evy & I watched the Barbie Channel (which she loves) & played with her new toys:) I never thought some of these baby toys would be so difficult to figure out:)

In the evening we went to Bellerive for dinner. (I always leave feeling like I'm going to burst...but it's sooo yummy)

I didn't really want gifts this year. I wanted to spend time with the ones I love. However, those loved ones gave me great presents, so I thank them:)

My brother, Melissa & Jack gave me my home depot needs, which I was so thankful for...it will come in so handy. My parents/in-laws gave us our vacation to the Virgin Islands where my parents will come along with Durbin, Evy & I in April-May. I definitely wouldn't leave Evy at home!!! I'm so excited to see her on the beach for the very first time.

Even though I told Durbin I didn't want anything, being the wonderful husband he is, he surprised me with gorgeous flowers. He signed the card "John" so I almost thought it was my brother:) LOL He also gave me a little box....The pictures don't do it justice....I absolutely love it. There is definitely some truth when they say diamonds are a girls best friend! This was in honor of my little girl!