Mr. and Mrs. Cooney

Last weekend was my sister and Greg's wedding.  It was so beautiful and everything was awesome.  I know they had an amazing day and everyone had so much fun.  In the morning we got our hair done at the salon, and then went to my mom's house to finish getting ready.  We ended up getting pretty lucky with the weather.  Even though it was raining a little bit on our way to the church, the sun came out the rest of the day, so they were able to get some outdoor pictures.  The ceremony was very nice (and short!)  Katie looked so beautiful and Greg looked awesome.  They both had big smiles on their faces the whole day. Kenley was so cute and well-behaved during the ceremony. She stole the show for a few seconds when she was wheeled down the aisle.  Then, we all went in the limo to cruise around a little bit before the reception.  It was a big wedding, so it was really nice to see all of our family and friends.  It was especially nice to see some of my cousins who had come in from out of town. Everything was great- the food, the drinks, the music, the chocolate fountain.  I think everyone had a good time. Katie and Greg are on their honeymoon in St. Lucia and I hope they're having a great time!
My parents also left for vacation this week to go on a cruise to Nova Scotia.  It has been wierd, especially since the weeks leading up to the wedding we were all calling and seeing each other a lot, to not have any contact with them and Katie and Greg.  But, I am looking forward to our vacation starting at the end of next week.  We are heading to Miami and then going on a cruise to the Bahamas.  We're going with our friends, Jim and Melissa Rose.  It will be very hard for both of us to leave our babies behind, but I know they will be in great company with their grandparents. I hope I don't get too sad, and that I am able to fully enjoy the vacation.  I am really looking forward to the excursion to the Atlantis resort.  I have always wanted to go there, and we will be able to use all of their ammenities the entire day.  I'm also lookng forward to Ray and I having some time together away from home.  It has been such an amazing, crazy, busy year and it will be great for us to be able to relax together. 

 

Lions, and Tigers, and Bears

 

Last weekend we went to Brookfield Zoo.  It was honestly one of my favorite days of the summer.  I had been looking forward to taking Kenley to the zoo for a while, and we just had a really fun time spending some family time together. It was a very warm day, but we stayed cool by going into some of the indoor exhibits, and eating italian ice.  One of the first things we did was go into the butterly garden.  This was one of my favorite parts and Kenley was looking all around.  She would really keep her eyes on the butterflies and where they were flying.  We also petted the stingrays, and even one of the little baby stingrays came over by me.  They were very soft and smooth. Kenley was a very good girl at the zoo, and like usual she didn't want to miss out on anything and stayed awake pretty much the whole time.  Of course, she only drifted off right before the dolphin show and then we had to wake her up because they didn't allow strollers in.  I tried to point out some of the dolphins right as they were jumping so she would look in that direction. 

This week has been very hot, so we have been getting full use of the baby pool!  Kenley could sit in there for hours and splash around.  I also took her to my Aunt Tammy's house to go swimming one day this week, and again she loved being in her floaty.    She is getting so strong and can now hold her body up into a full push-up posistion.  She uses this to help her scoot around.  It is so funny to see her like a little body builder holding all of her strength on ther arms and toes.  She seems pretty proud of herself and smiles and laughts when she accomplishes this.  I know it won't be long before she is crawling!  Only 2 days until Katie and Greg's wedding!  I am very excited and it's going to be very fun since we are all standing up.  I can't wait to see Kenley wheeled down the isle in her little wagon.  I know it is going to be an amazing day, and I am very happy for my sister and Greg who have waited a long time for this special day.

Happy 30th Birthday Ray!!

Thursday is Ray's 30th Birthday!  We celebrated this weekend by going to a White Sox game.  It was a lot of fun even though it was pretty hot out.  Kenley was very good and enjoyed her first Sox game.  Luckily, the grandparents all took turns keeping her in the shade.  It was a fun day, and they even won!  I gave Ray his birthday present, which was a Raymond Weil watch that he has been drooling over for a long time.  I think he was truly surprised to get it.  On Thursday Kenley and I are going to take him out to dinner.  Other than that, I have just been enjoying the summer.  We have been to a few pools, and have spent a lot of time outside.  This is probably why people tell me that Kenley has a tan!  She also loves that I take her in the jogging stroller almost every day.  Today we stopped at the park and she went in the swing.  We also saw a huge yellow butterfly that was flying around us and then landed and even let me touch it.  This is about my half-way mark of going back to school :( I try not to think about it, but I know the rest of the summer will go by so fast with Katie's wedding coming up, and us going on vacation.  I still have a few things that I want to do like get to Orland Park pool, stop by the farmer's market, take Kenley to the zoo, and go to the outlet mall.  I am hoping I will get a chance to do all of these things in the next few weeks.

                                            

Happy Birthday America!

This weekend was the 4th of July, and we had a very fun couple of days.  On Friday night, we had dinner with Joan and Mike.  It was really nice, and I think it was the first time the 4 of us have ever been able to get together!  Now that they live just a few miles away I am hoping we will get to see them more.  Saturday Ray went golfing in the morning at Cog Hill. He was looking forward to this since they only play this course once a year.  Later in the day Alison and Ken came over with Kyle and Jordan.  The kids had a great time playing around in the baby pool, and I was glad to finally use it.  On Sunday Jim and Melissa brought Caden over for a little bbq.  Then on Monday we wnt to the Cooney's for their annualy 4th of July party and spent some time in thier pool.  Kenley also experienced her first fire works!  She cried a little for a few that were really loud, so I took her inside to calm her down, but then we went back out and I covered her ears.  She was mesmerized looking up at the sky and her eyes got really big, but she didn't cry again.  I was really surprised because I even jumped for a few since they were only a few feet in front of us!  So, overall it was a really fun weekend and we got to see a lot of people.  It was so nice to be outside the majority of the weekend. We also just found out that my cousin Rob and Pam found out that they are expecting a baby boy!  I am so excited for them, and excited for Kenley to have a playmate at family get-togethers!