I have waited a long time for this: PRINCE!

I was driving home from the chiropractor a few weeks ago when this announcement came on the radio, PRINCE LIVE IN CHICAGO! What? How did I not know about this? The show was going to be in just a few weeks on September, 24th, which happens to be our wedding anniversary.

 Prince had booked a last minuet show and I was not going to miss it. Even though I was 5 minuets from home, I called my husband immediately. I was so excited. I told him all about it in my overly excited high pitched 13 year old girl voice and his response was not at all what I was hoping for. He was not excited at all. We already had big plans for our anniversary which included a Ben Harper concert on the 27th. He did however give me his blessing to go to the concert on our anniversary without him. Next phone call, Melissa. We have had many great nights out that included the music of prince. Melissa is always up for a fun night out and her response was exactly what I was hoping for.

 Now I just had to figure out the best way to get tickets. We were going to be in California the day that tickets went on sale which wouldn't have been that big of a deal except that they went on sale right as we had to head to the airport for our return flight. The show was at the United Center and I was not going to settle for tickets in the 300 section like I did for The Rolling Stones years ago. I was able to go on-line and try and get tickets the minuet that they went on sale and of course all that I could get was the 300 section. I passed on those tickets in hopes that I could find better on StubHub. Prince added two more shows. This was great for me because now I could go on another night other than my anniversary, and StubHub now had over 1,000 tickets. I found great tickets. They were the 1st row on the club level which was perfect for two girls with claustrophobia. I will be buying all of my future even tickets on StubHub, they are fantastic.

The day was finally here and I was so excited! This was the last show of his 3 nights in Chicago and I had all of his songs running through my head. I read mixed reviews about the first night, but I knew that I would love every minuet of his performance and I did. His 15 minuet version of Purple Rain rocked my world. White drapes and purple glitter/confetti dropped from the ceiling. This was how he closed the show, before one of two amazing encores.

After only a short pause, Prince returned to the stage and took a seat at the piano. The lights stayed very dark, and it was just Prince, his incredible voice and the piano. This man can sing. His voice sounds even better live. Encore #1 was something so special. You felt like you were in a small room with Prince serenading you. 

When he left the stage after his first encore you just knew that he would return again. The lights came on, the crowd started to thin and then a loud roar came from the fans on the floor. Prince was riding in on a glowing bicycle. He jumped back on stage, his entire band, back up singers, special guests and dancer joined him. They pulled up the crowd from the floor onto the stage and had a huge dance party celebration to end the night. Prince danced with the crowd and then rocked my world once again as he jumped onto the piano and danced on top of the piano as he continued to sing. The ending of the show was perfect. It left you with a happy heart and hope for a better future for our children. Prince's collaborated with a wonderful organization for this tour called Rebuild the Dream. Rebuild the Dream, in short, is working to rebuild our communities and make the world a better place. If you are interested, you can find out more about Rebuild the Dream here: http://www.rebuildthedream.com/blog/2012/09/18/why-prince-is-partnering-with-rebuild/

I hope that Prince doesn't wait another 6 years before he returns to Chicago. Next time he goes on tour, even if it is not local, I will be there. I am hoping for a large production in Vegas someday. If you ever have the opportunity to see Prince live, I highly recommend it.

Our 2nd Anniversary

Today is our 2nd Anniversary

On this day 2 years ago, we became husband & wife. Just like today, it was a beautiful fall day. So much has changed over the last 2 years with the addition of our sweet baby girl Delilah that it feels like we have been married much longer. 

On Saturday we got all dressed up and had a wonderful night out downtown. It was our first late night out without Delilah. It was very nice to have a date night out, but of course we talked about Delilah all night and we couldn't keep our hands off her when we got home. 

Since our actual anniversary fell on a Monday, we didn't plan for much today. My mom has been in town since Thursday and I had a lovely morning with her and Delilah before she got on the road to head back down south. To my surprise, Patrick got home from work extra early. We ended up having the perfect day today.

I was showered with a huge bouquet of beautiful fall festive flowers, a very sweet card and a spa day gift. A few months ago Patrick purchased Ben Harper tickets as an anniversary gift for us. The concert is this coming Thursday, so the anniversary celebrations will continue throughout the week. I like to stretch all celebrations out to a full week rather than just 1 day. 

We headed out to Naperville, had a lovely stroll along the river walk, checked out neighborhoods on our hunt for our new home, stopped into whole foods and came home and Patrick prepared a fantastic anniversary dinner. It was a sweet, simple, peaceful loving day.

I am very much looking forward to our next year of marriage and hoping that we have another blessed year.

September 24, 2010

Delilah: 8 months old!

Our sweet little baby girl is 8 months old and she has grown immensely over the past month. Trying to take her monthly photos has become more challenging the older and more active she becomes. She is constantly on the move and unless she is sleeping, in the car or on a stroll, she has no interest in sitting still. Delilah is crawling forward and backward, rolling all over, pulling herself up to stand and walking while assisted by an object or person. She does pull-ups on the bars of her crib and I'm seriously considering a toddler bed for her very near future. She practices all of her gymnastic moves and stunts in her crib which makes me very nervous. She is a fearless daredevil. 

She babbles, sings, dances, claps and waves. She has the sweetest giggle and loudest girly squeal. She is wild about the puppy and always trying to snuggle with her. Ellie-mae is still not to sure about the baby, but she is very protective of the baby. She loves her fruits and veggies and has yet to turn down a meal or anything new. She recently started picking up yogurt melts on her own and is still figuring them out as they dissolve in her mouth. I was terrified and certain that she was going to choke on the first one. She is becoming more and more independent and growing up way too fast. 

We are still waiting for Delilah to cut her first tooth. Her gums look ready and she certainly drools a lot. She chews on everything including my fingers and her bite is super strong. She moans in her sleep and even wakes up now in the middle of the night and seems to be in discomfort. Thankfully she is very easy to soothe back to sleep. Although some nights she decides to put on a show and giggle and babble for an hour. I cant help but find it adorable, even at 3am. She is a sweet baby girl full of so much love. XO

Dance Party in the SKY!

Delilah took her 1st flight and she was a dream baby to fly with. On our flight to LA she slept in my arms most of the flight.

On our flight home once again Delilah took a nice long nap. 

This time in Patrick's arms.

Everyone loves a sleeping baby on a flight right? Well when Delilah woke up from her nap she decided to become the in flight entertainment and our fellow passengers loved her performance. 

Let the dance party begin!

7 Months Old!

Our sweet girl is 7 months old and she is on the go! She is in constant movement. I cherish our morning snuggles now more than ever because the older she gets, the less snuggling time is in our day. She still wakes up with a sweet, sweet smile and wants to snuggle with momma. Patrick gets a little snuggle time in when she wakes up at 5am for a morning feeding and snuggle with papa before he has to leave for work. 

After her 5am feeding she goes back to sleep usually instantly. Some days she will stay up until 6 or even 7 before going back to sleep. Then around 8:30am she is up and ready to roll... Literally. This girl loves to roll around. She can crawl when she wants to. Mostly backwards, but once she starts to go forward she realizes that rolling gets her to where she wants to be faster. 

Between 9-9:30 she has breakfast. Usually consisting of some delicious fruit blends. Mango banana is currently rocking her world. After breakfast she stays in her highchair and watches sesame street while momma makes herself a protein drink, feeds the dog and gets ready for the day. 

Now that we have had a break in the weather, we have been able to once again enjoy outdoor activities. We love play dates with my girlfriends and their children. The older girls ages 1-3 love baby Delilah. We go to the children's museum, Morton arboretum, zoo and the little red schoolhouse. All fun, educational places where the moms can get some fresh air, exercise and some much needed girl time. 

Crib time is very difficult. ALL Delilah wants to do in her crib is STAND and soothe her gums on the iron bars. It doesn't matter how sleepy she is. She thinks that her crib is the worlds best playground and she is so amused with herself and all of her talents in her crib. Since the picture was taken, we have now moved her mattress down to the lowest setting. She can still stand up.

Delilah is an absolute joy to be around and I can not believe how quickly time is going by. She is hitting milestone after milestone which excites us but also makes us realize how quickly she is growing up. Next month is going to be another exciting month. Delilah now has a new baby cousin and we will be taking Delilah on her first airplane ride to California to meet my brothers daughter Easton Amiko! 

Easton Amiko May

6 Months - Professional Photo shoot

July was a very hot, busy, eventful and exciting month. July started off with little miss Delilah entering her 6th month. Six months old called for another amazing professional photo shoot with Gina Cristine. It was another hot July day. All morning Delilah was full of smiles and excitement. We arrived at Gina's studio and Delilah made an entrance with her big smile and extensive wardrobe. We got all of our looks together and headed outside in downtown Frankfort to start the session. 

These were the first few shots. I melted. This baby is the sweetest!

After all of the excitement over the first few minuets, 4 faces gushing over her and I'm sure the heat, Delilah decided that she was going to make the rest of this photo shot a little difficult. If we wanted a smile from now on we were going to have to work real hard for it. 

From the pink chair we went to the grass which Delilah is still trying to figure out. She isn't sure if she likes it or not. She really wants to eat it and isn't happy that I will not let her. 

Success! Next up... wardrobe change. This baby LOVES her clothes and thankfully loves wardrobe changes. 

When I came across this pale purple sunsuit, Delilah had to have it. Even though it was much too big for her, we made it work.

Thumb sucking has started which means one thing.... Delilah is ready for a nap. Oh no! We better get a move on. Time for our third look and Delilah's very special quilt that Grandmother Vicki made. 

Delilah decided that this was a perfect place for a nap.

Well that was absolutely adorable but sorry Delilah... we are on a tight schedule and I'm determined to get some more shots. Up you go. 

Since she was so sleepy I didn't push for a wardrobe change just yet. We took a little walk to a new location and crossed our fingers that Delilah would turn it back on and guess what, she did!

Well looks like we have a second wind coming on. Wardrobe change anyone? Here is her final look.

Oh wait... There is one more look. I had to have a naked baby shot.

These images are just a sampling of her 6 month photo shoot collection. It absolutely amazes me what Gina can do in less than an hour with a sleepy 6 month old who had four wardrobe changes.