The Sullivan 5

The Girls

2011-11-06T19:39:00.000-08:00

Poor Adele, she doesn't have many photos posted on here yet. We've taken a ton, but haven't put them up yet (we're trying hard not to let that whole the-third-baby-has-no-photos syndrome take over). I was able to catch a moment of the girls hanging out together and snap a few shots. Lillie loves holding Adele...she's been a little sick since this shot and does not like that we won't let her get near to her little sister.

Lillie also loves being silly for the camera. Here are a couple of shots that pretty much sum up her personality these days: sweet with a super silly twist. I can't believe she'll be four in a couple of weeks!

Quinn's School Bus Party

2011-11-03T20:08:00.000-07:00

Quinn's second birthday party was a school bus theme, one of his most favorite things in the world these days. We invited a few friends to the park near our house and had a picnic with all the kids and parents. The cake was a yellow school bus, complete with mini-chocolate doughnut wheels, JuJu Be lights, and Tic Tac headlights! I used what is becoming my go-to yellow cake recipe, and simple buttercream icing.

He was so excited to eat his cake!

It was very windy that day, so the candle never actually stayed lit. But that didn't hold Quinn back.

Quinn loooooved his cake so much, he sat patiently at the table and ate no less than three pieces! Everyone else had gone back to playing, but nothing could tear Quinn away from his cake and ice cream.

Happy birthday to our sweet, sweet boy.

An Apple a Day

2011-11-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

Apple picking is becoming a tradition, and we love it! With four people filling bags this year, we came home with A LOT of apples. We made apple pie, apple oatmeal, sautéed apples, apple pancakes, and apple sauce. Whew, I think it took over a month to get through all of them! This year Lillie really got into finding perfect apples to fill her bag.

And Quinn just wanted to eat the apples!

There were some breaks for running around and hugging, of course.

See you next year, apple trees!

Fashionably Late

2011-10-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

Adele Grace Sullivan is here! And no, she was not late in joining us, I am just very late in posting about it! She was born on August 19 (a week early), and shares a name with two of her great-grandmothers. And of those great-grandmothers, she shares a birthday with one. Our sweet little girl has been welcomed into the family by all and big brother and big sister love hugging and kissing on her! Now that she's two months and some change, we're getting our groove back, so start checking the blog more often!

Every Little Thing She Does is Magic

2011-10-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

Yes, there is always a lot going on here in Chicago, but tonight the theme is magic. Here's a glimpse into our evening and the fabulous show Lillie performed in the middle of our kitchen.

Quinn the Comedian

2011-07-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

Quinn learned how to tell a knock knock joke after watching Lillie practice on us (over and over), and in the process he learned to laugh at his own joke. It takes a while for him to get there, but it's so worth it!

Who Knows How Long I've Loved You...

2011-07-05T09:20:00.000-07:00

Lillie has memorized the song "I Will" from The Beatles and decided to sing it to her baby sister. Talk about a tear-jerker moment! Don't mind me, I'm certainly not looking my best, but hey, I'm nearly 8 months pregnant!

The Evolution of a Haircut

2011-07-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back, Conor tried his hand at giving Quinn his summer cut. He looks so grown up now, and it's definitely grown on me!

Happy Birthday Conor

2011-03-12T11:53:00.000-08:00

Since Conor's birthday fell while we were on vacation, we decided to have his celebration before we left. He requested a healthy-ish cake (huh?) and this was the best I could do! It's the Ultimate Flourless Chocolate Cake from Cook's Illustrated. Not so much a traditional birthday cake, but Conor was happy so I was happy too. I think we were all proud of ourselves when we were satisfied with one piece of the cake and then shared the rest with our neighbors. Not a bad idea to have a party the day before you leave so that you have to give the rest away and not waste a perfectly good cake...I think we're on to something here. One piece is really all you need with this super rich cake anyway.

Lillie was the most excited about all the festivities and could not wait to get a piece of that cake. Only three and already a strong appreciation for chocolate!

Quinn was a big fan of the cake too.

We had a nice little party that got us excited to have even more fun on vacation in Florida. Happy birthday, Conor...here's to another fabulous year of life!

A Rootin' Tootin' Good Time

2011-02-16T11:01:00.000-08:00

Let's take a trip back to November, when Lillie wanted to have a cowgirl party for her birthday. I was happy to oblige! We found stick horses for each of the kids, made a stable out of a cardboard box, played pin the tail on the donkey, and had a special pinata shaped like a cowgirl boot! Whew! I think it was a successful party, with lot's of playing and running around. Lillie has already started making requests for next years party, with the top two being Cinderella and a pajama party. It will be fun to see what she decides!

Before everyone arrived, Lillie got a little tired of waiting...I mean, it started at 11...it was like waiting an entire week!

All the horsies in a row...

Of course we had pom poms.

Inside the stables...the place to be during the party.

Conor handing out the stick horses for horse races.

Getting the pinata ready, they were all so excited!

Lillie requested a Jessie ice cream cake (of course she did!) It was one of the easiest cakes I've ever made.

Quinn's 1st Birthday

2011-02-16T06:38:00.000-08:00

We're going way back today to September when Quinn turned one. We had a small get together, just the four of us with Mamaw and Poppy Doc. Quinn was just like Lillie when it came to the cake, a little too dainty with not much mess at all. Boo! We still had fun and he loved his first taste of cake. (Oh, and if you couldn't tell, each cake has a Q on the top, although Quinn's looks like the duck might be swimming in it's own hot tub or something.)

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T19:22:00.000-08:00

Hope you all had a great day and felt very loved. I know we did. Lillie and Quinn both got into the spirit of the day - so fun!

Love Letters

2011-02-14T19:09:00.000-08:00

We're baaacck! We pulled out my old childhood typewriter from a box in storage and Lillie latched on to it immediately. She's been busy writing all sorts of letters, just in time for Valentine's Day!

'Tis the Season

2010-12-02T13:43:00.000-08:00

Technical difficulties have prevented me from updating the blog with some much needed photos from the last few months, but thankfully most of you are able to keep up with us on Facebook. I'd love to say that I'll get to posting from the last few months before Christmas, but chances are it's not going to happen. So in the mean time, enjoy the season, spend time with your loved ones, and give thanks for all the blessings in your life.

These felt Christmas trees are too cute - I thought I'd share some Christmas fun for you all. I'm guessing a pretty simple version of these could be made at home lickity split. Enjoy!

One Year

2010-10-04T19:06:00.000-07:00

Quinn, at one year you:

can walk

love to chase your big sister

play peek-a-boo with your hands over your ears instead of your eyes

laugh ALL the time

love to get everyone else laughing by snorting

aren't a big fan of eating if it's not what everyone else is eating

refuse cow's milk

can play independently

have started swim class and have really taken to it

are beside yourself excited when dad comes home from work...it absolutely makes your day

have eight teeth

can sign one word, and it's an important one: "more"

love to play pat-a-cake and make us put our arms in place to get started

light up when taking a bath and splashing with Lillie

love giving out kisses

are wearing some 2T clothes

can kind of say lillie (yee-yee), da-da and ma-ma

are a beautiful little boy with a big heart

Apple Picking

2010-09-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

We ventured out on a very cloudy, rainy day and chanced that the farm would be open and we could go apple picking (a must do in the fall.) An hour or so later, we arrived to find it just opening after a break in the rain. We had a lot of fun running around picking apples and taking wagon rides. Because of the rain, the pumpkin patch was closed during our visit, but we came home with a lot of apples, pears, and cider donuts. Yum!

Baby Steps

2010-09-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

Take a peek at what we caught on tape yesterday!!!

I ♥ Ina

2010-09-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

My love for all things Ina Garten continues...

Conor had a craving for some meatloaf, and since we mostly don't eat red meat any more, I found this recipe for turkey meatloaf. (I say "mostly" because while Conor never eats red meat, I occasionally find a pulled pork sandwich or steak on a menu that I just can't resist.) This is not your grandmother's meatloaf, but it is ultimately very easy to make and the reviews? Two very enthusiastic thumbs up! Both the boys were members of the clean plate club while Lillie remains as picky as ever. Sigh. I also made these smashed potatoes, and um, I will be making them again. Soon. Yum. Yum. Yum.

A few weeks ago some new neighbors moved in next door so I tried out these outrageous brownies to give as a welcome gift. While they were good, the process of making them was a bit involved and it makes a lot! The recipes also calls for walnuts, so I set aside some batter to make a sans nuts portion for Lillie. I recommend making these when you're craving chocolate...and lots of it!

Update: I realized that I forgot to post the recipe for the meatloaf! The original recipe called for five pounds of turkey (?!!?) and I'm not sure we could have gotten through all that. So I used a three pound "roll" because it was the biggest roll I could find and because it's 85/15, which I think it cooks up much better. I modified a few of the other ingredients accordingly. We had enough for seconds, enough to give to our favorite babysitter, and enough for two days of leftovers. Oh, and the leftovers just might be better than the first night!

Recipe: Adapted from Barefoot Contessa
Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (1 large onion)
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
3 pounds ground turkey breast
1 cup plain dry bread crumbs (I used Panko crumbs and it seemed to work well)
3 extra-large eggs, beaten

For the topping:

3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 cup catsup
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a medium saute pan, over medium-low heat, cook the onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme until translucent, but not browned, approximately 15 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste and mix well. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, and onion mixture in a large bowl. Mix well and shape into a rectangular loaf on an ungreased sheet pan. Spread the topping evenly on top. Bake for 1 1/2 hours until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F. and the meatloaf is cooked through. (A pan of hot water in the oven under the meatloaf will keep the top from cracking.) Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold in a sandwich.

This Preview is Approved for All Audiences

2010-09-07T19:14:00.000-07:00

Coming soon to a neighborhood near you. See Lillie in costume on 10-31-2010.

Eleven Months

2010-09-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

Quinn is 11 months now. He loves to talk, especially to Lillie, and it's pretty clear that his first word is "Lillie." She has started to really enjoy playing and interacting with him, too. Quinn is standing for long periods of time without assistance and loves playing pat-a-cake and putting our hands together to get us to clap. Walking? Not yet, but our money is on him walking by his first birthday.

I Yuv You Daddy

2010-08-23T14:29:00.000-07:00

I have so many updates to post from the summer, it's hard to figure out where to start. While I was going through our hundreds of photos from the last few months, I came across this one and couldn't stop smiling at it. This was one of the sweetest moments between Lillie and Dad (well, and baby doll too). She cozied up to him on the floor one lazy afternoon, with the cutest smile, and couldn't stop saying, "I yuv you daddy!" While we may be smack in the middle of the "terrible two's," these moments come around and remind us just how sweet our little girl is.

Ten Months

2010-08-23T08:17:00.000-07:00

In just a few days, Quinn will be 11 months old, and then ONE YEAR. I don't think I'm ready to have him turn one, it's just too fast, and I'm not sure I believe that it is really here. I guess these monthly pictures of him prove that it will soon be here. Ah well, we'll just cherish each moment of the next month before his big first birthday!

At ten months, Quinn worked very hard and successfully cut four teeth (all at the same time.) He's cruising really well, but hasn't taken that first step yet. He also mastered the ma-ma-ma and da-da-da sounds, and it's music to our ears. He weighed in at a whopping 25 pounds and measured up at 30.5 inches. We love our big boy.

More from Ohio (the first trip)

2010-07-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about getting out of Chicago and visiting Ohio, is that we can spend all day outside in the backyard. Lillie loves to be outside and realized that she can have fun with Quinn too. She felt like such a big girl being able to push him in the swing!

Nine Months

2010-07-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

Although I'm writing this very late, at nine months, we were just getting ready to head back to Ohio for the birth of cousin Camden! Quinn is getting very used to all the long car trips, and is very patient with mom's driving. He loves to stand and look out windows (in the house, not in the car!), still says no to anything on a spoon, and just can't stop moving for one second.

MJ Would Be Proud

2010-07-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

Lillie visited a house with a keyboard and microphone over the weekend. Dance lessons? Not needed, but certainly in order!

Beep Beep

2010-07-10T23:22:00.000-07:00

We've had quite a bit going on the past month or so, and I'm way behind on the posts. Here's something to get you through until I can get back to regular updates.

Lemons

2010-06-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

Conor got his new iPhone last week and has already been busy doing fun things with it. This morning, Quinn had his first lemon, and Conor took the video, edited, and uploaded it all using his phone. Check it out, so fun!

Memorial Day

2010-06-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

We spent Memorial Day in Ohio and decided to have a BBQ and spend the day outside...it was great weather. When cooking out on the grill these days, our go to main entree is grilled chicken marinated in this barbecue sauce. It never fails to turn out delicious (even when the master griller starts a fire and they get a little charred....ahem, ahem...not mentioning any names). Anyway, we make a good team, I make the sauce, and Conor cooks the meat.

As hard as we tried, we couldn't get the pool up and running for the holiday. Turns out it wasn't on flat ground and kept collapsing once it got to a certain depth. What a happy accident that was because it ended up making a perfect wading pool for the kids to be in by themselves.

Quinn didn't get to play in the pool with the big kids, but he got his turn with playing with Lillie. It's so cute to see them playing together - now that he's getting bigger.

After a wonderful day of playing outside and spending time with family, this is how the day ended. About as perfect as it gets.

Summer Grillin'

2010-06-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

Can't it stay warm all year long? We're loving being able to make breakfast outdoors and eat it there too. There's nothing better than eating warm, syrup-y hotcakes on the deck while being in our jammies and feeling the wind blow all around us. Hello summer...won't you stay a while?

Eight Months

2010-06-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, life has been busy the for the Sullivans. Quinn turned eights months old while we were in Ohio (almost a month ago), so again we found the best chair we could to add to his monthly photo series. He is crawling like a champ, has 2 teeth, would rather eat with his hands than with a spoon, and isn't quite sure what he thinks of his sister making scary monster noises to him.

Play Ball

2010-06-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

Lillie got her first baseball glove and LOVES it! She's fielding grounders like a pro and hitting home runs with her imaginary bat. Thank goodness for summer and playing outside...before we know it, Conor will be teaching her how to throw a knuckle ball.

A New Chapter

2010-05-25T16:42:00.000-07:00

Lillie at one month

Wow. Just wow. Lillie is officially registered to attend preschool one day a week this summer. Our baby isn't a baby anymore. The excitement in the house is just overwhelming right now. How do you explain to a 2.5-year-old the concept of time so that she understands it won't start for three more weeks?!

Grass

2010-05-20T14:52:00.000-07:00

This is a letterpress project I've been working on since January! I signed on to work with a client who is getting married at a golf course and wanted to incorporate grass in the design, as well as using green and navy blue as her colors. I was excited to have designed and printed all of these, but now I'm itching to get a bigger press. Mine is very small which means I can only do small bits of printing at a time.

Teeth

2010-05-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

Numbers 1 & 2 are here. Loving this sweet, sweet smile of his.

Two and One Half

2010-05-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

Lillie, at 30 months you:

have chosen Mary Poppins as your favorite movie and when you want to watch it, you request Mary Muffins or Mary Puffins

love to sing all the songs from the movie, but supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is your favorite (with spoonful of sugar coming in a close second)

dance (actually, it's more like march) around the house with your purple umbrella while singing "super-cali-docious! um diddy aye, um diddy aye!"

play "dr. lillie" and look forward to going into the real doctor's office because you get to lay on the paper

give mom massages and call yourself a "moose" instead of masseuse

sing "rain, rain go away, come again another way"

would much rather run places than ride in the stroller

find matching colors in the world around you

have an imaginary friend called magic man, and he's everywhere you are

have successfully potty trained

constantly want to know "what dat noise?" and "what we doin?"

can write many letters, and can write an L better than you can say it

say upside down as "right side down"

are waiting for Quinn to get bigger to give him your full attention

have had your first haircut and you were so brave

have all but one of your three year molars

can get dressed all by yourself

love being outside

love to help do anything in the kitchen

have come a long way baby!

Mother's Day Flowers

2010-05-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

Here's how the planters look full of flowers. I really like how they turned out - it's so nice to sit out on our deck and enjoy looking at them. This is my first experience with outdoor flowers...well, anything more than a hanging basket...and I feel so grown up! Now, if I can just successfully keep them alive for the summer.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T19:31:00.000-07:00

Hope all you moms out there had a great day...I know I did!

My Garden

2010-05-08T22:24:00.000-07:00

My mom, Lillie's Mamaw, has been visiting us for the past week. I've been wanting to spruce up our deck with some flower boxes and planters since we moved here a year and half ago, and I finally started the project with my mom in town. We found an awesome nursery and she helped me find some beautiful flowers. Since it's supposed to be 39 degrees tonight, we decided to keep the flowers in the garage to escape the frost, but I couldn't wait to do something with it all. So I put up the flower boxes on our deck railing and filled them with potting soil. I found some toddler size garden gloves at CVS so Lillie could dig in and help with the whole process. Now we're both giddy with excitement and looking forward to actually planting the flowers!

Lillie's First Haircut

2010-05-08T21:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, it was an emotional, fun-filled day here. We said goodbye to a bit of that baby hair Lillie was born with, but she had so much fun getting it cut. When we arrived, Lillie got to sit in this Jeep, and watch her most favorite movie: Mary "Puffins." She was instantly in heaven. I'm happy to say the curls are still intact and cuter than ever. Here is our rock star when it was all over, isn't she fabulous?

Peek-A-Boo

2010-04-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

Collin and Lillie were having fun playing peek-a-boo in the curtains. Today we head to the Cubs game with the whole gang. Two games in one week for me?! I love it.

Seven Months

2010-04-28T15:22:00.000-07:00

At seven months, Quinn has gotten two teeth and is closer yet to crawling. He's mastered pushing backwards and doing the downward dog, but no forward crawling yet. He's eating solid foods now and would prefer to eat the good stuff that we're eating over that silly "baby food." He is still as smiley as can be and loves to be happy.

My Birthday Cake

2010-04-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday and I had a fabulous day! Conor told me I could pick any cake I wanted and he would make it for me. I had to think long and hard about this one...any cake I wanted?! The possibilities, oh the possibilities. I finally decided on this Strawberry Country Cake and it was so good. Conor really outdid himself this time. I had to go back for a second piece, and am already drooling thinking about eating the leftovers tonight for dinner.

After cake and ice cream last night, Conor and I went to the Cubs game, he surprised me with the tickets earlier in the day. It was great to get out of the house just the two of us and enjoy the (chilly) baseball weather. And yes, I did help myself to a beer and hot dog even though we'd just stuffed ourselves with yummy cake, and I'd do it again!

Cousins II: The Alaskans Visit

2010-04-26T05:11:00.000-07:00

We're loving that this week, the Sullivan Four are the Sullivan Eight! Everyone arrived a couple nights ago...a little tired and hungry, but ready for fun.

It was a full room with these three bunking together. The little ones really enjoyed Shanleigh's reading of Goodnight Moon before hitting the hay.

Definitely His Father's Son

2010-04-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

Wow...in case you're wondering where Quinn get's his knack for furrowing his brow!

Fun with Cousins

2010-04-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

We found ourselves in Ohio for a last minute visit a couple weeks ago, and I think Lillie wanted to stay there with all her cousins (and of course, Quinn is always up for anything!) She couldn't wait for them to get home from school so they could all go play on the trampoline...not so much jumping on it, as drawing on it with chalk.

More fun with cousins is just around the corner, as our Alaska cousins will be visiting us all next week. We can't wait!

Under the Sea

2010-04-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

We took an underwater disposable camera with us on vacation back in February and I just got around to getting it developed yesterday. It was a little weird to have to go drop off film and pick it up, I didn't know how it worked these days. But it's just like riding a bicycle, it all comes back to you! We got these awesome shots and I absolutely adore the old-time feel the film camera adds. Poor Quinn, this is the only photo we got of him...he's not quite the fish that Lillie is these days.

Fashionista

2010-04-20T10:42:00.000-07:00

Today, for the first time, Lillie picked out every piece of clothing she's wearing. She did it all by herself! She was the best-dressed girl at the playground.

Can You Taste Them?

2010-04-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

These turned into these...

...and they were delicious! Loving our Pancake Sunday on the grill, wish you were here.

Lillie's First Sleepover

2010-04-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

Oh my, is she really getting this big? Yes, this is Lillie's first sleepover with her friend Katie. All day long, Lillie could talk about nothing more than Katie spending the night tonight. To be fair, it wasn't a sleepover in the true sense of the word (at least as I know it.) There were no movies and popcorn or late night gabbing. Katie's parents were going to be back late, so we offered to have her sleep over and have a slumber party! Quinn is bunking with us for the night so the girls can share the room. Sweet dreams girls.

Happy Easter

2010-04-05T06:24:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter yesterday, and hope you did too. Lillie found all the eggs the Easter bunny left and enjoyed eating all the candy he left behind! We also spent a lot of time out back playing with an awesome bubble machine sent from Ohio. The weather was beautiful during the day and then our first thunderstorm of the season rolled in at the end of the day. Spring is here...hooray!

Six Months

2010-03-30T15:38:00.000-07:00

Quinn, at six months you:

are rolling over like a pro

have started scooting backwards, on your way to crawling

sit in a high chair

loved your first time eating solids (yummy bananas)

think everything and everyone is funny

love to talk, sing, and laugh

are not sleeping through the night yet (much to mom and dad's dismay)

adore your big sister

have such a strong curiosity about the world around you

can sit up by yourself, but still fall over a lot

enjoy eating mom's chin

have tickle fests with dad

love to pull hair (much to lillie's dismay)

have traveled to ohio, indiana, miami, turks & caicos, new jersey, new york city, connecticut, and boston

are an extraordinary little boy

Happy six month birthday (two days ago.)

Our First Family Vacation

2010-03-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

Last month we embarked on our very first family vacation, and our very first trip to the Caribbean. Wowza is all I have to say! This photo was from our first morning in Turks & Caicos. We were eating breakfast, trying to get the lay of the land and figuring out what to do for the day when Zoe and Elmo walked right by our table on a "walk about." Lillie spotted them first and made sure she got my attention quickly so we could go say hello to them. It was right then that we knew this was going to be one vacation to remember!

Lillie fell in love with Camp Sesame, the daycare with loads of fun things to do, and different events each day. From cooking with Cookie Monster to storytime with Elmo, she was in heaven. And even though Quinn won't remember much from his experience there, I think the wonderful ladies who cared for him will remember him! His giggles and big smiles won over the hearts of many of them, and he had a "girlfriend" by the time he left. One night, Conor and I decided to have a date and have dinner on our own so we dropped off the kids at Camp and when we returned to pick them up, Lillie promptly said, "no, you leave...bye Mom and Dad." Hey, we're on vacation, right?! So we took Quinn back to the room to put him to bed and when I went back to pick up Lillie, this is what she looked like! Lillie had talked a nice lady, Barbaralynn, into pulling out the face paints and making her into a cat. (She could have spent 24 hours there if they'd been open and we let her.)

This trip was full of firsts. First time to the Caribbean, first time to get passports for the kids, their first time out of the country, Quinn's first time to see the ocean and sand, Lillie's first time down a water slide, and Quinn's first time in a pool (and it was heated!)

There were something like 5 pools and 16 restaurants at the resort...awesome. The food was great, every type of cuisine you could want...there was even a Japanese steak house. Lillie was the star of our table, interacting and being super cute with our chef. The weather was great. Even though we had a few days of rain and clouds, we could have cared less - we still had fun. I guess we had another first: our first family portrait. It was windy, close to dinner-time, and Lillie refused to nap that day. Don't judge.

We saw some big fish, and a few tiny ones. We saw a lot of waves, sand castles and spent a lot of time burying each other in the sand. It was hard to pack up our things and come home, so for now we'll keep reliving our trip by looking at our pictures and look forward to going back again.

Birthday Cake

2010-03-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

Since we were traveling back from our vacation on the day of Conor's birthday, we waited a few days to do a full celebration with cake and presents. After getting very little direction on what kind of cake Conor wanted, I decided to make this very cool looking zebra cake. It turned out to be very tasty and easy to make...just a little time-consuming. We were all big fans of this one, and I think we'll see it again for birthdays to come. Of course it's not a birthday cake without ice cream, and I tried out a recipe for a VERY easy chocolate ice cream. It was only okay, I still have some kinks that need worked out, so I'll write more about that later. I'm working on a good summary of how our vacation went, we had so much fun. I'll be working over the next few days to get everything updated on the blog...stay tuned!

Recipe: From Baking Bites
cake

4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk (low fat is fine)
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp almond extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9-inch round cake pan with a circle of parchment paper and lightly grease the bottom and sides of the pan.
In a large bowl, mix together eggs and sugar until mixture is light and creamy and the sugar has mostly been dissolved. Stir in milk, vegetable oil, vanilla and almond extracts.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Pour into wet ingredients and whisk to combine. Measure out just over two cups of vanilla batter and place it back in the medium bowl. Sift cocoa powder over the bowl and whisk until fully incorporated.
Put 3 tbsp of vanilla batter into the center of the pan and let it spread slightly on its own. Put 3 tbsp of chocolate batter in the center of the vanilla. It will push out the other batter and, as it sits for a moment, will also spread itself. Alternating spoonfuls of the two batters, repeat the technique until all the batter has been used up.
Bake for 38-42 minutes, until the cake is light gold and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then turn out the cake and remove the parchment paper. Reinvert on to a wire rack and let cool before slicing.

Serves 10.

buttermilk chocolate frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2-3 cups confectioners’ sugar, divided
6 tbsp buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

In a small, microwave safe bowl, melt together butter and unsweetened chocolate. Heat in 30-45 second intervals, stirring frequently, until mixture is smooth. Cool for 10-15 minutes, or until mixture is at room temperature.
Transfer butter mixture to a larger bowl. Beat in cocoa powder, 2 cups confectioners sugar, buttermilk and vanilla, beating until frosting is smooth and slightly fluffy. Add additional confectioners’ sugar to thicken, if needed (depending on the weather, you may need more one day and less another). Frosting should be at room temperature before using.

Five Months

2010-03-05T08:37:00.000-08:00

Quinn turned five months young while we were in Turks & Caicos. So I thought it only fitting that his monthly photo be a on a beach chair in the sand! In the past few weeks, he has started consistently rolling over from back to front, in fact he immediately rolls over anytime he's put on his back. He also seems to be teething something fierce, but we haven't seen anything poke through those gums yet. Quinn is very close to sitting up on his own, which means crawling really is just around the corner.

Happy Birthday Conor

2010-03-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to my dear, sweet husband.

Even MORE Rolls

2010-02-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, that's right, Lillie loves to eat sushi now. She even has her own chopsticks and can use them quite well! Yep, our daughter eats sushi and loves shopping at Whole Foods...we love it.

Valentine's Goodies

2010-02-24T10:00:00.000-08:00

All the cousins got special deliveries for Valentine's Day. Lillie helped me make heart-shaped crayons and then I packaged them up to send along. We put the broken crayon bits into heart molds and baked them at 200 degrees until they melted. Until Lillie came along, it had been a very long time since I used crayons and I didn't remember how easily they can break. Now I'm glad I could never bring myself to throw the little bits away!

The hardest part was waiting until they cooled to play with them.

Heading for Warmer Weather

2010-02-22T08:40:00.000-08:00

Our bags are packed and we're ready to go! Forget this cold, snowy Chicago weather, we're off to Turks and Caicos for a week, staying at the Beaches resort. We've been so busy getting ready for the trip that I haven't been able to post much to the blog. So I've scheduled a few posts to keep you all happy while we're gone. Happy snorkeling!

Valentine's Recap

2010-02-22T08:07:00.000-08:00

Every Sunday is Pancake Sunday in our house, so when Valentine's Day fell on a Sunday this year, you know Conor (the pancake maker) had to make pink heart cakes. Aren't they cute? You should all be very jealous because they were delicious! We had a great day full of hearts, flowers, and yummy treats. Lillie and Quinn gave me a perfect bouquet of cala lillies and Conor gave me some beautiful roses.

Lillie, Quinn and I worked hard to make Conor a very special Valentine's cookie. These are heart-shaped, homemade Samoa's. I found the recipe here, and oh my, you can find more homemade versions of Girl Scout Cookies here. I strongly encourage everyone to make these cookies when you need a little sweet in your life.

Recipe: From Laura Rebecca's Kitchen

cookies

1 cup butter, soft
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
up to 2 Tbsp milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (it’s possible you might not need to add milk at all). The dough should come together into a soft, not-too-sticky ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough is very sticky.
Working in two or three batches, roll out the dough between pieces of wax or parchement paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or slightly less) and cut out shapes using a 1 to 1 1/2 -inch cookie cutter.
Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. If you'd like to make your rounds look just like samoas, use the end of a wide straw to cut a smaller center hole.
Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set.
Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

coconut caramel topping

3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels (like Werther's)
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)
8 oz. semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Meanwhile unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with salt, milk, and vanilla. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
Using a small spoon or small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 tsp per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it gets too firm to work with.
While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.
Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Yields 3 1/2 to 4 dozen cookies.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T08:32:00.000-08:00

True Love. All Mine. Angel. My Baby. #1 Fan. Awe-Some.

Sending candy hearts your way, love Lillie & Quinn.

More Rolls

2010-02-08T08:04:00.000-08:00

Just look at the proud look on Quinn's face. Here, he just completed his first rollover from back to front! Hip, hip, hooray!

Snow Day Adventures

2010-02-02T11:17:00.000-08:00

When life gives you snow, make a snowman! We've had a fairly mild winter in Chicago, so when we woke up to snow...snow that was accumulating, of course we got geared up to play outside. Here is a little summary of how it went:

Head outside and bask in the falling snow. Ohhhhh, it's so cool! Run around as fast as you can until you fall down. Again, and again.

Help Mom shovel the snow. The more we shovel, the more we have to make a snowman!

Meet Mr. Snowman. (Hey! Don't judge.)

Nice snowman. "Baby snowman!"

Hmm. I wonder. If I can just...

Hee, hee, hee. Yes! I got his head.

Take that Mr. Snowman!

Take a quick break to check on Quinn.

Make snow angel.

Smile for Mom.

Now get out there and make a snowman for yourself!

Dishwasher

2010-02-02T08:23:00.000-08:00

Lillie is a big helper - she loves to help with everything. So last night while I was getting dinner ready, she decided to pitch in and help with the dishes. Not only did she do a great job of getting the dishes sparkling clean, she also did a fantastic job of washing her hair at the same time!

Meanwhile, Quinn wasn't so patient and decided he couldn't wait for dinner. He was quietly munching away on his feet while the girls were busy in the kitchen.

You Don't Say

2010-02-01T14:45:00.000-08:00

Quinn is getting really good at pushing himself up and building those muscles he needs to roll over and eventually sit up and crawl on his own! Here he is last night chatting away with Dad during belly time. And look, you can even see the hair that's starting to grow back (and very blonde it is.)

Foggy Goggles

2010-02-01T08:13:00.000-08:00

In a few weeks, we'll be heading for warmer weather and spending a week in Turks & Caicos. I've slowly been gathering the essentials for the trip, and found some pint-size goggles perfect for Lillie. When she saw them, she insisted that she eat her yogurt with them on to get used to wearing them. She was satisfied to take them off only when we assured her she could wear them during her next swim lesson. Swim lessons are still the highlight of Lillie's week - not only does she get some one-on-one time with her Dad, but she gets to play in the pool too! With her goggles on this time, she couldn't have been more excited to go under water. Dad says that when she popped up for air, Lillie exclaimed "see everybody's feet!" Our little fish.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

2010-01-29T17:52:00.000-08:00

This has become a favorite in our house, and it's the perfect soup to enjoy on such a cold day. I think we hit a low of 5 degrees in Chicago, not that I would know since we didn't venture out today. I try to stick with recipes that are not difficult or complicated with lots of strange ingredients, and this one is no exception. It's another easy one with great results. I've made it a lot and have tweaked the original recipe...it seems to work well for us!

Recipe: Adapted from Real Mom Kitchen
Ingredients:

2 split chicken breasts (or 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 onion, chopped
2 qt. chicken stock or broth
1 qt. water
½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
3 large carrots, sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
3 teaspoons salt

For the cream sauce:

¾ cup butter
1 cup flour (sometimes I use 1/2 white with 1/2 whole wheat flour for a nuttier taste)
4 cups milk

Directions:

Boil above ingredients for 1 hours. When chicken is tender, remove from broth and remove from bones. Cut into 1 inch pieces and set aside(I like to tear mine so it's in big chunks).
If the liquid has reduced too much you can add some more water at this point. Add 2 cups of uncooked noodles and continue to boil for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt butter in large sauce pan. Whisk in flour, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until thickened (get it pretty thick). Add salt and pepper.
Add cream sauce to broth/noodle mixture. If the soup is too thin after adding the cream mixture, continue cooking until desired thickness.

Note: Once your cream sauce has thickened, do not allow to boil as it may separate. Also, if cream sauce has a strong white sauce flavor, add ½ to 1 tsp. lemon juice.

New Play Area

2010-01-28T19:50:00.000-08:00

With Quinn's arrival, we had to pull a bunch of stuff out of storage and our living room was quickly taken over by toys and such (not to mention all the toys acquired from birthdays, Christmas, and Santa.) So we decided to spruce up a corner just for the kids to go crazy, and I think it turned out pretty cute! We upgraded the play kitchen to this fun "full-size" one from Ikea. Lillie has made countless batches of pancakes, birthday cakes, "oni-oni & cheese" and cookies - you'd think all we feed her is sweets and pasta! She definitely takes after both of us on that. I found a cute upholstered ottoman to store the toys that don't fit in the wood chest anymore, and Lillie loves to sit on when it's closed. That has led to using the couch as an obstacle course for climbing over. It's pretty cute to hear, "Ninnie did it," upon her successful landing on the cushions. My favorite part is the alphabet decal on the wall. I bought it when we first moved in with the intention of putting it in the office by my letterpress (appropriate, I thought), but it's so much better here. Since some of the letters are within other letters, Lillie has fun trying to find where they all are. For now, Lillie has full run of the corner, but soon enough, Quinn will be right there beside her, wanting everything his big sister has.

Four Months

2010-01-28T08:51:00.000-08:00

Four months have already passed since Quinn was born. Huh?! Today marks his 4th month birthday, and he's getting so big. At this point, Quinn is close to rolling over from back to front, but he's very content to just roll to his side and hang out there. He has a favorite toy and loves to play with it (well, mostly drool on it.) He's decided that we still shouldn't get a full night sleep, but we're not holding it against him. And just like his sister, he loves to laugh. A lot. At everything. We're heading to his check up this afternoon, so I'll have an update with vital stats later.

Update: Quinn is a healthy 18lbs and 2' 2.5". I couldn't help but go back and look at Lillie at her four month check up.

Homemade Oreos

2010-01-26T15:39:00.000-08:00

photo from Sugar Cooking

Ok people. I'm going to be trying something new here on the Sullivan Four. I have a great collection of cookbooks, great websites bookmarked on my computer, and some wonderful family recipes at my disposal. My problem is that I often make something that is family(Conor)-approved and if too much time passes, I forget about it and never get to making it again. So, to help myself keep track of it all, I'll be writing about recipes that I try and want to make again (and maybe the recipes that don't make the cut too, just so I remember that too.) This way I have just one place to look if I need inspiration to make something tried and true. Hopefully it gives you some inspiration too!

I hosted a play date at our house today and wanted to have a little something on hand for some snacking, especially since the other moms in attendance are pregnant. So (against Conor's advice) I decided to try a new recipe. I saw this recipe on Sugar Cooking, and the result: thumbs up from all! These cookies are SO easy to make and they really are tasty. It is absolutely essential that you enjoy these with a glass of milk!

Recipe: Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients:
For the chocolate wafers:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg

For the filling:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F.
In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.
To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream. Dunk generously in a large glass of milk.

Sibling Revelry

2010-01-18T07:34:00.000-08:00

By Conor
Contributing Editor

Perhaps the most frequent question we get lately regarding the kids is how well Lillie is adjusting to having Quinn in the house. At this point, nearly 4 months in, I wonder if Lillie even has much of a memory of life without him. Still, something happened two nights ago that I thought illustrated pretty well how she's adapted.

Lillie and Quinn share a room, and while we were given assurances from many parents who had two little ones as roommates that it worked fine, we never quite understood all the logistics. How would we keep Lillie, who isn't exactly the soundest of sleeper, calm in her crib when Quinn gets up crying multiple times in the middle of the night? How would we keep Quinn asleep when Lillie has a complex bedtime routine that involves her babbling and singing herself to sleep for up to an hour?

The answer, it has turned out so far, is to implement things bit by bit. We've moved Lillie's story and song time to our room while Quinn nurses to sleep. When Quinn wakes, we've been quickly going in and bringing him to our room to calm down. We've also told Lillie she can sing a song to Quinn if he's crying and that might help him go to sleep.

Which brings us to two nights ago. After a good six weeks or so of limited nighttime interruptions, Quinn's been having a tough time sleeping this week. Is it gas, teething, hunger, growing pains? Who knows, but it's been exhausting to shuttle him out of the room over and over, which probably wakes him up even more. Lillie had been surprisingly okay with all the crying, and in fact, she's often singing "Too Ra Loo Ra Finn!" when we walk in. So two nights ago, I decided I would just rock him in the nursery, and let him cry it out.

After about 15 minutes of Quinn's inconsolable crying, I looked over in bleary darkness to see how it was that Lillie wasn't crying like crazy herself after all this disturbance. I was startled to see her, sitting up, her Elmo doll in her arms in the same position Quinn was in mine, rocking back and forth just as I was doing in the chair.

This, I thought at the time, sums up just how she is as a big sister. She has her moments of revealing that she is, after all, a two year old, and wants her share of attention, babying, and playtime with everything that Quinn touches. But in the end, Lillie's natural instinct as a big sister is to care for her brother as best she can (which she shows with big hugs and shoves of pacifiers in the mouth), and when she can't help, she's mimicking the care with whatever substitute works. Sometimes it means she hilariously nurses her baby doll by lifting her shirt up, and sometimes it's by being up at 3 in the morning with Mom and Dad silently trying to get Elmo back to sleep.

And for any of you who wonder how Quinn likes having Lillie around, this happy baby looks at his big sister with nothing but wild adoration, even when she tackles him with a hug.

Quinn's Rolls

2010-01-14T14:12:00.000-08:00

Need I say more?

Piggies

2010-01-14T14:08:00.000-08:00

Just couldn't resist posting these cute pics of our Lillie. I love piggies of all varieties! (On a side note, I'm also loving that Lillie is finally starting to be more comfortable in front of the camera instead of behind it looking at what we just took!)

Quinn Rolls

2010-01-14T13:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas in Ohio

2010-01-13T13:08:00.000-08:00

We spent a great week in Ohio for Christmas. Lillie and Quinn had so much fun playing with their cousins and learning all sorts of new things. (Thank you Sydney for showing Lillie how cool it is to use the big girl potty!) Our message to Santa must have made it successfully because he found us with no problem and left some great presents. We were waiting for the snow to come so Lillie could use her new sled, but of course Mother Nature had other plans. Pataskala was hit with a big snow storm the day we left to come home. Not to worry though, Chicago has had it's share of snow! Christmas is my favorite time of year, but I'm glad that the new year is here and life has finally gotten back to a more normal, calmer pace. 2010 has already been very exciting...and it's just getting started. I can't wait to see what's in store for us.

The Big Guy

2010-01-13T12:53:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas, the kids and I met up with Conor downtown. We went to Macy's to see Santa and have lunch and yummy hot chocolate by the ginormous Christmas Tree in the Walnut Room. Lillie was so excited and couldn't stop talking about Santa all the way there, "ho, ho, ho, Merry Santa Claus!" As we rounded the corner to Santa and his chair, all that changed, and panic and fear took over. The best we could get was to have Dad hold her and get a family photo with Santa. Maybe next year won't be as scary, but perhaps we'll still get a family portrait...I didn't realize how much I missed talking to the Big Guy!

Zoo Lights

2010-01-07T06:12:00.000-08:00

Back before Christmas, we headed to the Lincoln Park Zoo to check out all the lights they put up for the holidays. Lillie absolutely loved it, while Quinn slept through it all. Our favorite part was the area where they synchronized the lights to a soundtrack of holiday tunes...we couldn't get Lillie to move on! They do a great job of setting up a wonderland of fun, and hopefully we'll have time to go again before it closes this month.

Lillie's Purple Birthday

2010-01-04T07:24:00.000-08:00

Back in November we had Lillie's birthday (the same weekend of the baptism.) Since purple is her favorite color, we decided to have a purple theme. Mom, Dad, and Lillie all wore purple, we decked the house in purple decor, and had a purple birthday cake. It was a lot of fun, especially the part when Lillie blew out her candles. Just check out the video!

Three Months

2009-12-29T09:33:00.001-08:00

What a busy few weeks we've had. I'm a little behind on the posts (what's new?) but I wanted to get Quinn's monthly photo up. He's now proficient at finding his thumb, has lost most of his hair, has started sleeping in his crib in the same room as Lillie, and has rolled over a handful of times!

2009-12-09T06:43:00.000-08:00

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, Lillie and Quinn were baptized with Father Sergio at St. Andrew. It was a very special occasion since we had so much of our family in town to be present. A special thanks to the godparents, Kelly and Timmy (to Quinn,) and Moira and Mike (to Lillie.) It meant a lot to see you standing up there with our kids. After, the whole gang traveled back to our house for a little celebration and for Lillie's 2nd birthday party.

2009-12-08T07:29:00.000-08:00

Here are Quinn's monthly birthday pictures. I plan on adding to these each month to see how our little guy is growing. At his two month check up, he weighed in at almost 15 pounds! Quinn is loving to sit up whenever he can, and almost rolled over on the doctor's table!

2009-12-07T13:13:00.001-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving here in Chicago! We decided to host, for the first time, both our families this year...just look at this handsome group. (Yes, that's Conor on the right running back into the frame after setting the timer on our camera.) With 16 people to feed, we had so much good food, I'm going to post the menu so that I'll know where to look in case we do it again.

For starters, Conor worked hard to perfect the brined, grilled, turkey, and it was awesome! If you've never brined a turkey, it can be a lot of prep work, but it's sooo worth it. He cooked a 12 pound bird on the grill and a 23 pounder in the oven. (Oh, and thankfully our ovens were in working order...that's a whole other story.) The turkeys were the real winners of the menu, as they should be. Our moms took care of the pies: two varieties of pumpkin and a tawny apple, all family recipes. Moira made the Berry Mallow Yam Bake, a staple at Sullivan Thanksgivings, and did a wonderful job at keeping the marshmallows from catching fire (I can't say the same for the bread I toasted for the stuffing!) The rest of the menu consisted of:

This holiday punch. It was light and refreshing...I'll definitely use it again.
The fondue pot had to make it's yearly appearance from out of storage, so I made this queso dip. It was a huge success based on the constant circle of people around it.
Ina's buttermilk mashed potatoes. They were yummy, but I'll make more next time. Lesson learned, mashed potatoes are the first to go!
These carrots are so easy, and I loved the subtle ginger flavor. Yes, I love the Barefoot Contessa.
Of course there was GBC. What Thanksgiving is complete without a Green Bean Casserole! I made my Aunt's modified version of this recipe.
And I attempted to make my cousin, Scott's, favorite cornbread & sausage stuffing. I don't think I quite pulled it off, but I did keep things exciting by forgetting to pull out the toast from the broiler!

We ended the day with our annual Christmas craft, which did involve a little sewing, but I think everyone did a great job on their Gingerbread houses. I'm very proud of you all!

So there it is, our first Thanksgiving! Can't wait for next year!

2009-11-18T20:34:00.000-08:00

Another birthday. Lillie, at two years you:

are almost three feet tall

love your baby brother to pieces

have started jumping off of everything, with no fear

are miss independent

can do somersaults over and over again

still love swim class

can identify most of the letters in the alphabet

sing songs by filling in the blank

recognize most numbers

still have a love for Elmo

can name many colors, but purple is still your favorite

love to run and fly kites

can climb up the jungle gym and slide down all by yourself

are talking in sentences

miss dad when he's away or flying on an "airbee"

love to talk on the phone (can with mom's iphone)

insist on taking the stairs all by yourself

love to draw and finger paint

get excited for pancake sunday (and who wouldn't!)

have brought two years of joy to your proud parents

2009-11-16T10:43:00.000-08:00

Check out our weekend activities. Lillie turns TWO on Wednesday...stay tuned.

2009-11-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

We had gorgeous weather in Chicago over the weekend, 70 degrees on both days! We took advantage and went for a long walk along the lake and found a great spot for flying Lillie's kite. It's a beautiful butterfly kite and she loves to be outside and run around with it. In fact, we were along the running path and after seeing all the runners pass by, she decided to join in. I think we have a Forrest Gump on our hands...she could have kept running, and running, and running. I hope this isn't the last of the nice weather, but part of me is looking forward to that first snow so we can build a snowman and have a snowball fight.

2009-11-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

Quinn has started staying awake for longer periods during the day and we've started seeing him smile. Luckily, we caught this one on camera to share with everyone. Isn't he the cutest?!

2009-11-09T06:25:00.000-08:00

It's a little late, but here is Quinn's one-month-old picture. Today he is six weeks...what?! Two months is creeping up on us, and we already can't imagine our lives without the Mighty Quinn.

2009-10-25T18:14:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween! Our neighborhood held it's Halloween festivities yesterday and we all had so much fun. Quinn was a skeleton baby and Lillie was Elmo. Of course she was Elmo, he's her best friend! We walked up and down Southport and Lillie learned to say "trick or treat" very quickly to gather a pumpkin full of candy. And how perfect that Elmo saw Elmo and the two shared a big hug! We ended the walk with some pumpkin decorating and a fun play session at the park. Meanwhile, Quinn slept in the stroller the entire time. Next year will be a lot of fun...especially if Quinn is walking (no pressure)!

2009-10-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

Purple is all the rage in Lillie's world these days...the color purple and finger painting! She loves both, and although she does indeed know how to identify other colors, she'd rather everything in her world be purple. We started using the finger paints a lot in the past month, and she can't get enough. This is great news given the weather is getting colder and we may be stuck inside more often. Now we have to figure out how to keep and display all those cute masterpieces!

2009-10-20T08:17:00.000-07:00

Quinn turned three weeks old yesterday, and while it's only three weeks, my how time flies. It's a little sad to think about how fast he's growing...just look at this photo and all his rolls! He had such a full belly when we snapped this pic, I think his diaper was about ready to pop off.

Once we were finally done taking in all his cuteness, we gave Quinn his first bath. We're hoping he's like his big sister and will learn to love the water, but for now this momentous occasion ended with tears.

Comfy and cozy again, here's Quinn with his first hairstyle, complete with a part. Isn't he handsome?!

2009-10-12T16:30:00.001-07:00

He's here! We're proud to introduce Quinn Russell Sullivan born on September 28 at a whopping 10 pounds 5 ounces! It's been way too long since our last post, we know. While things are understandably a bit busy right now, we're hoping to be much better about letting everyone know what's going on here in Chicago.

Quinn is a rock star already, sleeping very soundly for most of the day. We're getting more and more chances to see his eyes open as the days go on, and they are looking to be blue just like his big sister. Lillie is also a rock star of a big sister, helping Mom and Dad with his burping and being our diaper changing aid. Everyone has settled in nicely in the last couple of weeks, and we're so glad to be the Sullivan Four...finally.

2009-07-09T18:39:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-07-09T12:26:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-07-09T12:07:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-07-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-07-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-05-22T05:10:00.000-07:00

Lillie, time is going by too quickly for Mom and Dad. You're becoming a beautiful little girl in every way. At 18 months you:

have a red furry best friend, who's name you love to say

love to laugh

are running full speed ahead

are very generous and share when playing with others

get more curls in your hair everyday

love to have a dance party when daddy gets home from work

love to eat grapes

want to do most things that we do, and all by yourself

have to sleep with both elmo and bunny

are more and more excited to go to swim lessons with daddy

can relax on your back in the water and scoop, scoop, scoop

have almost all of your teeth

are an iphone/blackberry expert

love to swing and go down the slide by yourself

push every button you can (including all of daddy's)

want to be outside all day long

can kick a ball like a soccer pro

are going to make an amazing big sister

2009-05-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

Thank you Aunt Kelly for sending this adorable outfit. Lillie really is kind of a big deal, don't you think? The weather here is nice and warm and we have the windows open today...perfect for wearing a tank top and tutu! Weekend here we come.

2009-05-07T09:35:00.001-07:00

Seriously. Just look at how cute Lillie is in her swimsuit. I just can't get enough. Our Saturday mornings are now the most fun of the entire week. Lillie has started taking swim lessons each Saturday and is absolutely giddy from the time we pull out her suit until we make it to the pool! She loves to run around the house in her swimsuit and nothing else...as it should be, I think. Then she gets to spend some quality one-on-one time with dad at the lessons, and she rocks! BUBBLES. She loves to blow bubbles and lay on her back in the water (not at the same time, of course)! Our little fish. I'm sure she'll be a pro at butterfly in no time.

2009-05-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

My birthday was last week and Conor made me these awesome red velvet cupcakes from Sprinkles. Don't you just love the signature circle sprinkle on top? Red velvet is my all-time favorite, it's just so sad that Lillie couldn't enjoy these tasty treats (the whole egg allergy). Still, we didn't let any go to waste, I am eating for two after all! I had such a great day, Conor even made one of my favorites for dinner: creamed salmon on texas toast. It was all perfect. I'll be dreaming of those cupcakes until next year...

2009-05-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

For the past few months, I've been working on a very exciting project...my very first letterpress job! Annie and Brian were kind enough to ask me to make the invitations for their wedding coming up in June. It was so much fun and I really think that they turned out great. (Especially for being made on my little 5x8 Kelsey tabletop press.) I got to know my press up close and personal and can't wait to print more projects on it. I have a million ideas swirling around in my brain right now, I'm not sure how to choose which to do next. I'll post more photos of the invitation suite later...just want to make sure all the recipients actually receive them in the mail before seeing it on here!