Our visit to Alaska was great, but way too short. As always, we packed as much in as we possibly could: a baby shower for Patrick, Julie, and their new baby girls, catching up with friends and family, a marathon relay, and Conor was even able to go through his old childhood He-Man collection to get it ready for Ebay (anyone interested?). Collin, who is only a few months younger than Lillie, greeted her with open arms and they had a ball giving each other hugs and kisses.

This was the all-star marathon relay team who ran the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon, consisting of Jenna, Catherine, Conor, and Terrill. They called their team "The Why-Nots," which was very appropriate since they didn't really form until a few days before the actual race. You may recall that Conor ran this very marathon back in 2005, so of course he was excited to be back in it, but this time as the anchor to the relay. They all did really well and ended up having a great time.

Before we left to head back to Chicago, we were able to enjoy the Sullivan June Birthday and Father's Day party, and on such a short trip, it was nice to be able to see so much family at one time. It's always fun when our trips coincide with these get-togethers. It was sad to say goodbye since we're not exactly sure when we'll be back. Most likely it won't be this year, but we're hoping for a trip early next year.

Next up in our busy summer was a trip out west to Sonoma/San Francisco/Anchorage. We packed a lot into just over 9 days. Our friends, Annie and Brian, got married in the middle of wine country, in a beautiful outdoor ceremony. I'm told the wine was amazing, and I can certainly vouch for it smelling delicious! We spent the weekend in Novato and did a lot of catching up with friends and family. We were able to see both Kelly and Erin from the Sullivan clan, our friends Chris & Jess with their son Auggie, and of course all our friends that were also there for the wedding.

We took a trip to a redwood forest called Muir Woods which was jaw dropping gorgeous and cool! It was an easy hike on all of us the morning after the wedding. That night we met up with cousin Kelly and her boyfriend, Greg, for some great burritos.

The next day we made a go of as many wineries as we could fit in before meeting up with cousin Erin in St. Helena for dinner. Lillie was such a trooper through all of this and loved being around so many new people.

On our last day, we checked out of the hotel and drove into San Francisco and did mostly a driving tour of the hot spots while Lillie slept. We were able to squeeze in a little picnic at Crissy Field, and oh my, was it windy and cold there! I highly recommend heading over to the Warming Hut for some hot chocolate and sweet treats after spending some time on the beach. Afterwards, we had just enough time to make it to the airport and hop on an airplane (or "airbee" as Lillie calls them) on our way to Anchorage. It was all so great and I cannot wait to find another time to go back to San Francisco.

Back in May (yes May!) we took a little trip to Ohio where Lillie had her first overnight with Mamaw and Papa. Conor and I stayed in a cabin in Hocking Hills for a couple of nights as a sort of "babymoon" before Baby Boy Sullivan arrives in September. Lillie had a blast hanging out with her cousins, climbing trees, attending baseball and soccer games, and celebrating Carter's birthday.

Conor and I had a wonderful relaxing time hanging out in the beautiful Hocking Hills. I was even able to start catching up on reading Harry Potter, which has been an ongoing to-do for a couple years now! (Yes, I still haven't finished the series, but I'm getting there!) We felt like we were all by ourselves in the middle of nowhere, which is exactly how we wanted it. I highly recommend our Inn to anyone who finds themselves in this area of Ohio. Very nice people and great food!

Hope you all had a wonderful day yesterday. It was rainy here, but we were outside most of the day anyway. Conor and I went to the Cubs game while a friend of ours babysat Lillie (how nice on the 4th of July)! Afterwards, the three of us hopped in the car to stay out of the rain for a bit and headed downtown to the Taste of Chicago in Grant Park. It was the perfect time to be there since most people were leaving, making it easy for us to find awesome parking and to maneuver the stroller (equipped with a rain cover) to find a great spot to watch the Guster concert that had just started. It was really great to see them live again, and Lillie loved "singing along" with music and dancing in her stroller. The rain died down right after the concert, which meant the dinner rush was a little more crowded. We tried so many delicious dishes from area restaurants and left very satisfied with full bellies! Thank you rain for actually making our day easier!

Still haven't forgotten all the make up posts...I promise they're coming.

We've been silent for a while here on the blog, but get ready for a slew of updates over the next few days! We've had a very busy couple of months with trips to Ohio, San Francisco, Alaska, and Boston. Whew. It's so nice to be back home and not living out of a suitcase.

In between all of these trips, I was asked to design a birthday invitation for a bowling party. Here's what they looked like before being sent off. Birthday invitations are so much fun to put together. I used my home inkjet printer for these instead of my press, but I still really like the end result.