Brewing: Bottling

Ten days and they'll be ready for enjoyment!

Sleeping Babe

Captured by dad. 

Pots and Pans

Grass. And Bubbles

Birthday

We spent the day eating leftover cake, playing with Isaac and then wandering Pearl Street enjoying the shops and The Med. It was a nice quiet day spent with the family.

Thirty

A birthday weekend full of surprises. Ben, his family and a couple of my best friends pulled off some awesome planning to make my thirtieth birthday so very special.

I awoke Friday morning to a card perched on my nightstand. Immediately, I recognized the handwriting, "Leah, open as soon as you wake up!" My cousin Jessie flew in for the weekend! She got in late on Thursday night and decided not to wake me. While I worked on Friday, Jessie readied the house for a surprise party Ben planned for Saturday. After work, we all enjoyed a late dinner on our patio, then Ben insisted we paint the front and dining rooms--at 10:30 pm. If I hadn't already suspected he was up to something, this insistence would have given away Ben's plans.

I'll admit it, as hard as Ben tried to keep me in the dark, I knew--or at least suspected--that he was planning a birthday party. In my defense, he didn't make it particularly hard to see right through him. Whether I know him too well or he's just a terrible liar, the birthday party secret didn't last long. I think it was a couple of months before my birthday when I asked him if we should have a barbecue to celebrate. He responded with his token awkward yawn--the one I get when he's uncomfortable with the conversation.  I let it go for a while, but no talk of birthday plans came up again which is unlike Ben, so I brought it up one more time. This time, he insisted we have a party on Sunday instead of Saturday, the day I suggested. Then there was Veronique. God love her, she's also a terrible liar. She casually brought up my birthday and suggested we hike on Saturday. When I told her I was hoping to have a barbecue she stumbled through a response and then hung up shortly thereafter. Suspicious.

On Saturday, the day of the party, Jessie and Veronique whisked me away to Denver for a girls' day out! We had a delicious lunch, drinks, shopped some boutiques and then finished things off with mani's and pedi's. It was lovely.

Then we headed back to my house where we were welcomed home by thirty or so friends and family!

Surprised or not, the weekend was perfect and made me feel loved. What a great way to start my thirties!

Girls Day:

The "Surprise":

The party:

Photos courtesy of Jess. Awesome party courtesy of Ben. 

And what matters most to me in this world--the best gift I could have ever asked for--here's a blurry picture of Ben and me with Isaac:

Little man, I love you more than there are stars in the sky. I am so blessed to be your mama.

Everything is Funny When You're Tired

We had a long day at Uncle Tom's wake followed by a family gathering at Aunt Marianne's house. Isaac was a trooper but showed signs of exhaustion when we finally made it back to Grandpa's house.

Unpacking

That's right, we're still at it. 

Morning Play

Ikea

Well, he loves Ikea. And the way his voice echos throughout the warehouse.

Grocery Shopping

Such a big boy now, sitting up in the grocery cart.

(Taken with Instagram.)

Meeting Aunt Beth

In Grandma's Garden

Four Generations

Meyer Park

The playground may not be the same, but this is the park that I grew up in. The towering shade trees, the East river on the backside with its brown water and big, nasty carp. And the beautiful wide open spaces. Oh, the days of teeter-tottering and flips over the monkey bars, piling of leaves to jump in, and then the days of making laps around the perimeter, intervals as fast as we could go with the cross country team. Such memories this park holds.