A Busy End of August

This past week has been a whirlwind in our household. I spent Wed-Fri in Boston for a women's leadership conference. It was a jam-packed few days. I learned that I don't like to facilitate, but did enjoy the opportunity to explore Boston, even if it was just for a few hours. My favorite was listening to Jennifer Hudson peform at the conference and going to the North End for delicious Italian food including gelato and a chocolate mousse cannoli - yummy!! Mark and Keira did fabulously well at home even though Keira did wake up at 4:30am one morning and didn't go back to bed - ouch! As the folks in Boston say - it was wicked awesome!

I stayed at the Marriott Copley (in the heart of some great shopping) and this is the view from my window - spectacular!

These are my colleagues and friends - me, Kirstin, Britt and Blake.

Dinner at a small restaurant in the North End. I think it was called Cibo. We followed our delicious meals with gelato and a cannoli from Mike's Pastries. So yummy!

Tim Gunn from Project Runway was on hand to present a design award to one of our employees for the best accessory design.

Here's some video of Jennifer Hudson's performance. She got right down into the audience and had everyone up on their feet dancing! She sounds even better in person - her vocals are absolutely incredible!

I got back late Fri night and the rest of the weekend was a blur. We had dinner with our friends, Mark, Lisa, Matthew and Ryan Sat evening. They were great hosts as usual and we really enjoyed our burgers and fresh fruit - peaches from North Carolina - yummy! Keira had a great time trying to keep up with the boys.

Mark, Matthew and Ryan horse around. Ryan kept trying to hook his daddy's pants and finally succeeded. It was pretty funny!

Here's Ryan in part of his Batman costume. Yes, the boys are ready for Halloween! I can't believe we're thinking about Halloween! Keira didn't quite know what to make of the costume.

Sunday we enjoyed a GORGEOUS day at the MN Zoo. Here are some photos from that. It's only been a month or so since we were last there, but the difference in how much Keira takes in is amazing. She's really aware of everything now and seemed to enjoy the freedom of running around when we let her get out of her stroller to run around the paths.

She enjoyed watching the dolphin swim back and forth.

Of course we found a nice playground with rocks for her to play with. I can't believe how long she can stay occupied playing with rocks!

Sunday evening we hosted the family to celebrate all the August birthdays...Happy Birthday Dad, Mai and Fan!!

Mai got a kick out of the tea set from Steve and Linh...Hmmm...Tea for...one!

Keira got a hold of someone's birthday card. I think she claimed it as her own.

Time to Catch Up

The time has gotten away from me again. Here's a quick catch up of what's been going on during the month of August. Forgive me for the vomit of information, but that's what happens when I try to use memory recall - not so sharp thes days.

During the 1st weekend we joined our friends, Chi, Polo and Katie for a BBQ at Chi and Polo's home. The food was delicious and we couldn't have asked for a better day to kick back, relax and catch up on each other's lives. Keira had a great time too!

For those of you who have known me for a long time and even for those who haven't, you may already know this. I was a HUGE New Kids on the Block (NKOTB) fan when I was 12 or 13. I lived and breathed NKOTB day and night. I think I drove my family and friends crazy with how fanatical I was. I even entered a LIP SYNC contest w/some friends to try and win tickets in front of thousands of people. We didn't win, but that's how desperate I was. Anyway, many of you also know that I've vowed for years and years that if they ever reunited, I'd be one of the first to be in line to get tickets. Well, my dream has come true. I'll be going to the concert in October - whoo hoo! To wet my appetite, I attended the appearance at the MOA a little over a week ago w/fellow blockhead, Heather. I was surprised with how many people were there and was slightly annoyed by their taking the stage so late. But, as soon as they did, I was transported to a time when I was young, happy and totally carefree. It was so much fun! Can't wait for the show!! Here's are a couple of photos and a video...

Just a few of the boys - Jon, Jordan and Joe - whoo hoo!

I couldn't believe the number of people that turned out to see them!



They performed one of their old songs, "Tonight". Yes, I know they aren't the best singers/musicans, but they were great and it's going to be great to see and hear them again. I am crushin' all over again. Hee hee, giggle, giggle...

More exciting and important that all the fanfare, my friend Kelly and Paul, welcomed a little girl into the world - little Rachel. I had the privilege of meeting her a few days ago. She's absolutely beautiful and is just a doll. Congrats Kel, Paul and Max! Here's one of her first photos.

And, finally, we just got back from Osh Kosh, WI. We attended Kevin and Rachel's wedding. It was a gorgeous day and the wedding was one of the most entertaining and unique - definitely not a cookie cutter wedding. We are so happy for the two newlyweds - congrats again! We had a great time and enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with old friends and meet new ones too. 

Keira had a good time w/her Aunts, Linh and Mai, and her Uncle Steve while we were away. Apparently she had a difficult time for part of the weekend, but we think she's teething big time. She's cutting molars and other parents tell me their kids got really cranky w/these teeth. I suspect that's what's going on with her too. A special thanks to my family for taking great care of our little girl so we could have a fun, no-worry weekend away.

Keira's Fun Times in July

Keira has had a great July. In addition to having fun on outings, hanging out with family and friends, etc she's also achieved some big milestones including:

• No more bottles. She gave them up about a week or so ago and hasn't turned back. She's doing really well with sippy cups and still drinks her milk pretty well.
• She's finally eating table foods. Don't get me wrong. She's still super picky and will only eat when and what she wants, but she's definitely doing better than a couple of months ago.
• She's learning more signs and babbles all kinds of words. It's slightly frustrating that she still doesn't say, "Mom," specifically, but instead screams, "Dad," all the time. Well, it's more like, "Da," but still...
• When we have the right music on and she's in the mood she enjoys pumping her fists and shaking her butt - we got a little dancer on our hands.
• She'll often sit at the piano and pound the keys. Sometimes she lets us play and will hum along. Perhaps we have a musician?
• Her hair is starting to come out. But, as you can tell from the photos - she's still got a ways to go before she's no longer classified as bald.

It's definitely been a big month for our little girl. We're so proud of you Keira!