Christopher's Golden 1st Hungry Caterpillar Birthday

Who would have thought one year ago, how much Christopher Camille would eventually grow? Our Very Hungry Caterpillar turned 1 on July 1, 2011!

Christopher began his day with a birthday breakfast!

Christopher got to smash his first birthday cake!

He LOVED playing in the cake more than actually eating it.

Christopher had a Very Hungry Caterpillar birthday party!

All his guests signed a copy of his birthday copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

On the mantle we hung a 12 Month Photo Caterpillar of Christopher.

We served all the foods that the Very Hungry Caterpillar ate through in the story.

including chocolate cake & ice cream cones!

Mae Mae made Christopher's Very Hungry Caterpillar birthday bubble.

Christopher loves his Nanny Nat!

Time for my 1st birthday party!

Everyone sang Happy Birthday & Christopher loved the red icing!

All of Christopher's sweet stroller friends came to celebrate!

We are EVER grateful for all of the prayers & support that were outpoured onto Christopher when he was born prematurely! We are so thankful for his growth & development over his first year of life. He has done so well! Thank you to all of you for your prayers & support!

Much love & many blessings,

Mauree

11 Month Recap

I'm so behind on my blog post! Our summer has been quite busy the past few weeks; however, I'm going to try to catch up! June seemed to fly by & I feel terrible, but I can barely remember what Christopher started doing in his 11 month of life. As I look back at our June pictures three stood out to me. The first is a picture of Christopher facing forward in his new big boy car seat. We had the safety council install his car seat mid-June (a few days early, but the next appointment opening wasn't until August). He loves facing forward & being able to see out the windows & of course Mommy can more easily access him, if he needs tending to. Secondly, he is pulling up on everything and walking along side things. So I guess some steps might come in the near future : ) Papa went to Honduras on a mission for almost two weeks in June. However, we managed & did very well! Christopher was VERY excited to see his Papa when he returned home though. We were very excited that Christopher's first birthday was approaching & we could not wait to celebrate his GOLDEN/FIRST birthday!

Much Love & Many Blessings,

Mauree

Wedding Weekend in NOLA

On our way to NOLA (forward facing...YAY)

Papa & Christopher at the Zoo!

Checking out the baboons!

Looking at the peacock

Attempt at a family pic

French Bakery Pit Stop to perk us up before a long night at the wedding!
Evidence of my stamp from a member of the band!

Mommy & Christopher on the street car

Papa & Christopher on the street car

The Monkey Man & Christopher
Christopher hoping he will catch some sugar : )
Jackson Square Pic

We spent this past weekend in New Orleans for Steven's cousin's wedding. Dorie & Jamie got married on Saturday night at the Academy of Sacred Heart Chapel. It was a sweet & beautiful wedding. Steven received the honor of serving as a Eucharistic Minister in the wedding. We attended the rehearsal dinner on Friday evening at Ralph's on City Park Ave. We enjoyed New Orleans' Pimms Cup & a delicious meal! It was a wonderful evening to visit with many of the Briede family members. On Saturday we spent the day visiting with Steven's grandparents & visiting the Audubon Zoo. We also made a shopping & French Bakery pit stop on Magazine Street. The wedding reception was a Le Troebe's downtown. We had a BALL & stayed until the VERY end! The band was amazing. We danced the entire night & I left with a stamp on my arm that said I heart the Bucktown All Stars! I kind of felt like we were in undergrad again. The food at the reception was so delicious. They served everything from soft-shell crab to grilled veggies. On Sunday we took Christopher on his first street car ride from Uptown St. Charles all the way to Canal Street downtown. We strolled to Cafe Du Monde. On the way we ran into Uncle John who is my mom's brother. He is an artist & only paints the Three Wise Monkeys. Therefore, he refers to himself as "Monkey Man". Christopher loved the beingets & the street car ride. It was a great way to start off his Golden Birthday Week! We had a wonderful & exhausting weekend!

Much Love & Many Blessings,

Mauree

We love you Papa!

Papa is on mission in Honduras for his first Father's Day! Oh how we miss him! We are counting down the minutes until he returns home. However, we are grateful that he is there spreading God's love to all those in Honduras. Here are the top ten reasons we love our Papa:

1. He makes us laugh!

2. He makes us smile!

3. He has such an amazing & strong faith!

4. He provides for our family!

5. He is SO positive!

6. He always makes sure that we enjoy delicious meals!

7. He places serves the Lord with all his heart, his family, & manages to serve so many others!

8. He doesn't let a minute of the day go wasted!

9. He is strong when we are weak!

10. He LOVES us!

We love you Papa! Happy Father's Day! We are thinking & praying for you this weekend!

Much Love & Many Blessings,

Mommy & Christopher

10 Month Recap

His favorite hiding spot!

He loves to stand & hold on to chairs, tables, etc.

He loves to splash!

He now has 8 teeth & likes grilled cheese!

Went swimming for the 1st time!

Began to crawl & of course goes straight for dangerous things!

Still loves Strollfit!

Started wearing separates : (

Loves to play with his cousins!

Happy 2 Year Anniversary!

This is why it was very hard to leave!

The slice of chocolate cake : )

Christopher & Papa @ Ma Mama's

Mama & Christopher @ Ma Mama's

Papa & Christopher in the RELAXING hammock

Christopher soaking up some sun

Today is Steven & I's two year anniversary. It's hard to believe! Wow, lots has happened in those two years. We spent the weekend on a little get away to New Roads, LA. We stayed at our dear friend's, The Sherman's beautiful camp on False River. They are such a generous & hospitable couple. They so graciously allowed us to stay for the weekend. We brought Christopher along with us. We spent Saturday just relaxing and looking out onto the water. It was a beautiful day to be outside. Saturday evening we enjoyed a delicious dinner at our favorite, Ma Mama's! We were treated wonderfully! Steven's groom's cake was a Chantilly Cake from Whole Foods. Since, we no longer had a cake topper to enjoy, I brought along two slices of Chantilly Cake with us to enjoy over the weekend. Well, Ma Mama's is famous for their TALL three layer cakes. The couple seated next to us heard it was our anniversary, so they sent a slice of chocolate cake over to our table. Then our waitress overheard it was our anniversary so she packed us a giant piece of strawberry shortcake to go. Needless to say we still have yet to put a dent in the piece of strawberry cake! We had to bring it back with us to Baton Rouge. It was a very "sweet" evening. Christopher did great at the restaurant. He slept half the time & ate goldfish for the other half. That evening we watched our wedding video. We LOVE to watch it! I think we pick out a new favorite part each time we watch it. In a way we are able to relive that most special & sacred day of our lives. Sunday we woke and went to mass at St. Mary's. We then went back to the camp, put our swimsuits on, & relaxed again. We made a delicious lunch. Then by that time it was already time to pack back up & head back to reality. It was such a sweet & peaceful weekend. It was very much needed! We thank you again Steven & Jane for sharing your little piece of heaven with us! We appreciate it so very much.

Much Love & Many Blessings to my dear husband. I love you Steven...Happy Anniversary,

Mauree