First Comes Love...

My baby brother is married - can you believe it?!? I suppose you should because I'm 37 and he's only 4 years younger than me, but gosh, it was so fun watching my little Vico tie the knot. Victor and Catherine were married on September 9th in Leavenworth, and just as promised, it was a laid back affair.  My parents hosted the rehearsal dinner at the house and the next day Victor and Catherine were married at Red Tail Canyon Farm (a place whose owners were good friends with my Grandpa - that sweet Leavenworth connection) . George and Abigail were both in the wedding as Flower Girl and Ring Bearer and were so excited about their roles. Here are some pictures from the big day: Checkin' for booze

I was downloading pictures last night when I came across some I had yet to share. Just a few rays of sunshine to get us through till next year... Hanging out in the tent at Matthew's Beach Abigail's first dip in Lake Washington. She didn't mind the beach, but the water was too cold for her liking In awe Sea Otter love Catching up with her BFF Rainier bound! Having the time of her life... Best friends and boyfriends The Portofino Hotel at Redondo Beach (our first "real" trip without Bitsy Girl) The  blurry (yet beautiful!) Annie Taylor on her wedding day The newlyweds! (and me) An example of why you shouldn't use an iPhone for good picture quality... Crusin' the Strand, Hermosa Beach Beverly Hills and I got along charmingly! Chinesse Theater, Hollywood This summer was a memorable one: great weather, fun trips, and best of all, tons of time with family and friends. Now w...

and enough Burlesque to make the bride blush! But I'm getting ahead of myself.... Let's start at the beginning. Annie and Mark are getting married in Redondo Beach this September! While most celebrations  are taking place in LA, I wanted to have a few celebrations for her at home.  So this weekend I hosted a bridal shower and mini-bachlorette party.  Both were a blast! Kevin and Abigail headed for the zoo before the shower started- Kevin dressed her  :) Proud Mama in her new shoes from Gwen! And while they enjoyed the chimp caves, penguins, and giraffes, we sipped champagne, played games, and opened gifts. Annie and her sister, Julie Cheater's corner! Trouble makers We got so wrapped up in the "who knows the bride best" game, that we almost forgot about "pin a kiss on the groom" Pucker up! Classic Kristin! After a quick redirection, she made it Annie practicing for the big day S...

Is it just me, or was last Monday an eternity ago? I loved the week full of parties, days off, and sun, but it sure threw off my idea of a typical week. We headed to the Clayton's on Tuesday for a fun "3rd of July" BBQ.  I had a cute outfit ready for Abigail, but she ran a fever over the weekend (which lasted until Tuesday), so she didn't make it- but it was great catching up with friends and staying out way too late like the olden days! The next day we headed over to my parent's place for a 4th of July BBQ, so Abigail got a chance to strut her stuff after all.... This picture cracks me up. Abigail has got to be one of the most stoic kids I've ever met.  And the most adorable... of course! We enjoyed a lovely evening with both sets of parents, Uncle Bob, great food, views of the Lake Union, Bellevue, Seattle Tennis Club, and Alki fireworks, and some hot tubing. On Friday, Kevin decided to work from home.  This is usually a bad idea (I hov...

Monday morning marriage 101.  Enjoy! Lydia Netzer: 15 Ways to Stay Married for 15 Years : Today is my fifteenth wedding anniversary. I really love Dan, and I am proud of how awesome our marriage is. We certainly haven’t killed eac...

Better yet, how about two... As many of you remember, we used birds in our wedding centerpieces (quick shout out to the "kev-kev" table!) and had a bride and groom bird as our cake topper (as seen above).  Who'da thought we'd be so hip to the trend  ;) After enjoying our wedding cake on our first anniversary , Mr. and Mrs. Bird came out of frozen isolation and back into our junk drawer lives. And what was I do to with them? Put a bird on it -- of course! So this morning I took out Mr. and Mrs. Bird, attached them to our ring pillow/nest, and tied them to our Christmas tree. A perfect ornament! I'm so glad I was able to put them to good use; otherwise they may have lived many years in the depths of a junk drawer, covered in dust. So there you have it: one of many way to...(wait for it)....put a bird on it!