Lainey-bug is 1!

Well, it was a successful Ladybug party!  I've uploaded plenty of photos for those unable to attend.  Here is the cupcake and drink table.  White and red velvet to choose from, and red kool-aid and water in the jugs.  The lighting wasn't great so it's hard to see the banners I made, but that was hanging above it.

Here is pin-the-dot-on-the-ladybug.  I think Alivia and Quinn managed to play before they left.

Here's one of the tables - favors included ladybug water bottles and ladybug beach balls!  Also we had to throw in some party hats for good measure.

Had to get a closeup of the red gerber daisies!  They went so well with the theme.

This photo was taken later on (again, I might have to get a REAL camera seeing how lousy these came out) but I did red Twizzlers, black and white M&M's, and red Swedish fish in tall glass canisters.

Here is the birthday girl in her new dress, reading her new book, on her new table!  She LOVES the chairs and is adorable sitting there just smiling away at us.  She and the girls were just gabbing here.

Elaine dons a party hat and chats with Quinn and Alivia.

Here is a couch shot of all the kiddos in attendence.  Left to right we have Elise, JD, Burke, Elaine, Quinn and Alivia!  It was nothing short of a miracle just getting them to sit still long enough for this picture.

One more closeup of these three - SO adorable!

The moment has arrived - for CAKE!!  Elaine has already ripped off her special bib that says she's 1!

Here is her "1" candle, which Eric helped her blow out.

Her first reaction was not necessarily one of extreme pleasure.  She tasted it out of politeness for the baker, using her dainty food eating mannerisms. 

I think she likes green peas more than cupcakes.  YAY!  I was able to Skype in my parents for this portion of the party, since they were unable to come at the last minute due to a death in our family.

Here is Eric at the tail end of the gift opening!  So many wonderful gifts from our friends and family!  We are so blessed.

Here she is having a ball playing with her newest toy from Aunt Amy. 

What a party!  Of course we had to dress theme too!  It was a really fun way to celebrate her turning one year old.  She will get to see her cousins and open a couple more gifts in Peoria next weekend, as we are heading back to mourn our family's loss. 

Fun in the Sun!

Well, the last two weeks have been scorching!  We've been making the most of the hot weather and enjoying these dog days of summer.  Last weekend, Eric shared one of his passions for art and finally gave Elaine a long anticipated "baby tour" of the Art Center.  She liked it so much there was lots of squealing and excitement.  Afterwards, we dined in the restaurant.  Delicious as always.

Here are the father-daughter pair outside by the sculpture in the reflecting pool.  Since we couldn't take photos inside, this was one of the only photos we could get.

We kicked off the 4th of July week with a fun little red polka dot number.  Somehow, I managed to find a whole week's worth of red white and blue outfits for our patriotic little lady.

On July 3rd, we had friends over for an informal little grilling and a visit to the parade that goes through our neighborhood.  We dined inside since it was so hot, and here is Elaine and her dinner date, AJ, who is one day older than her.  It was fun to see how they are doing all the same things!

Here is a photo (in age order) of a few of our little ladies all under a year old.  The baby on the right is one month old!

Wednesday July 4th, we suited up to meet the Thongvanhs at the pool!  We had a ball playing in the fountains, and we love how new it is and how much there is to do for Elaine.  I managed to go down a few waterslides and it was a great way to cool off from the heat!

Saturday, we were still thinking about how awesome our trip to the pool was on Wednesday, so we went back for more!  This time Elaine knew what her favorite things were, and she launched herself into the fun!

I just could not get enough of her reactions and laughter from these fountains.  She can walk holding our hands and just had a ball!

A few more of my absolute favorite pictures I know I will cherish for years to come.  My three greatest passions - my husband, my daughter and the water!

Here she is loving life on papa's shoulders.

I think we will be spending even more time here soon!

Stephen and Heidi got hitched!

On Saturday, we headed to Galesburg to attend my cousin Stephen and Heidi's wedding.  It was a beautiful backyard garden wedding, with so many neat rustic, romantic and homemade touches.  From the garden to the candlelight, to the flowers to the clawfoot tub holding beverages, to the kerosene lanterns on each table, the quilts as table coverings, and food all made with love by Heidi's family and cupcakes by my cousin Shannon, it was a spectacular event.  Even their first song was original - they sang a duet together while Stephen played the guitar.  Here we are waiting for the ceremony to begin!

Here are the girls having a little snack before dinner.

Had to get a picture of my table - Adam and Caleb entertain themselves at the table!

Here are my mom and dad, enjoying the wedding and visiting with their friends!

This might be my favorite photo from the weekend.  Elaine LOVED being on her daddy's shoulders, and was doing her hand flailing excitement move.  It just so happened to bonk daddy on the head, which only adds to the entertainment factor.

Here is a photo of the bride and groom as they were announced coming into the reception - we love you both!

Here are Missy and Connor at our table as the night went on.

The next morning, we had to squeeze in just a little more time with the cousins before we hit the road.  Elaine and Lauren love each other!  They would do a squealing screeching sound back and forth - whatever they were saying, it was pretty cute!

One last photo with Adam before we hit the road back to Des Moines!

We managed to stop for a brief visit to see Ashley and Mike Merrill's baby boy, Brooks Michael, who was born 3 weeks ago.  It was exciting to see such an adorable little guy!  Congrats to the Merrills!

Of course the weekend to Peoria would simply not have been complete without a stop at Steak N Shake!  For the first time I ordered Elaine's dinner off the menu!  (Kind of.)  She had mandarin oranges and some other goodies from the mama stash.  What a wonderful weekend with family! 

Thirty and Thankful

Over the weekend, I celebrated my 30th birthday by taking Friday off and going to Peoria to do some of my favorite things! First order of business was a swim at the pool!  We headed to Willow Knolls which is now a YMCA.  I spent many MANY hours at this pool, probably ever day of the summer as a kid growing up.  Here is her short visit to the baby pool.

We then headed to the adult pool, where we all enjoyed a splash and some sunshine.  Here are my parents with Elaine in the pool.

After we got home, we had everyone over for some dinner, and my birthday celebration.  Here is a self-photo.

Here is me while getting Happy Birthday sung to me.  Not sure what I wished for, because I really can't ask for anything else in my life!

Here is Missy and Elaine.  I have yet to meet a baby that didn't LOVE Missy - she just has that special quality that kids love.  I love seeing her with Elaine.

Here are the two girl cousins giving each other love.  Lauren would point at Elaine and say "baby", and immediately hold her hand or hug her.  Melt my heart! 

The next morning, we visited my grandma and grandpa.  It was a short visit, since we needed to get to a wedding... to be continued!

Eric's 1st Father's Day

This weekend Eric got to celebrate his first official Father's Day!  And celebrate we did!  The day started with Donut King donuts on the "You Are Special Today" plate.  This photo was taken Saturday, but I liked it so it gets a random spot on the blog.

After Elaine's morning nap, we headed to none other than Eric's favorite, the Cheesecake Factory.  We had a nice lunch and they even brought a plate of kid friendly banana slices and bread. 

On our way out, Eric HAD to show Elaine all the cheesecake options that make this place one of his favorites.

When we got home, Eric got to open his gift from Elaine, which was a Pinterest-inspired frame of her in 3 photos holding the letters to spell DAD.  This frame already has a prominent spot on his desk at work - he loved it!

Here is a picture of Elaine mid-giggle.  She is really too much fun, we love every second hearing that laugh.

Here is a video I took earlier in the week - highlighting some of her recent tricks, like standing up and crawling for the cabinets.  Throw in Eric tickling her, and it makes for a fun little video.  Happy Father's Day to the best dad I know!

Elaine's New Tricks!

Elaine never ceases to amaze us!  Here are some of her newest tricks!  Eric discovered that at daycare, Elaine feeds herself her own bottle - twice every day!  This is NOT something she has done at home, so we were pretty surprised, and excited!  Here she is showing off.

Here is Elaine trying out the whole "walking" thing.  She requires quite a bit of prodding, but we are happy to oblige. 

Another recent favorite of Elaine's is none other than Elmo.  Elaine lights up and even "sings along" from time to time.  Here she is watching Elmo's Song.

One other new development at the Morse house is the introduction to Elaine's first toothbrush.  This one's for you DAD!

I like it!