Stella's 1 Year Smilebox... a little late.

But, better late than never...

On June 28th, our little Stella Ryan turned 1. WHAT!!??!

During her 12th month, she was so close to walking. She would stand all of the time and get up from sitting to a stand by herself, but when it came time to go somewhere, she would always dive and crawl.

We went home to Utah at the end of June and we thought for sure she'd be walking by then, but she decided to continue crawling... apparently that worked just fine for her.

This month we had our dear friend, Nicole come and visit and we headed to NYC for a day.

Stella and Kenz went to the Jersey Shore again this year and this time was much different than last year. She was all over the place and sand got everywhere. She ate more sand than she did food that day.

It's been an amazing year and we are so happy to have little Stella in our family and we literally can't imagine life without her.

Another photo album by Smilebox

Here and there and everywhere

Life as we know it will never be the same:)

Home Sweet Home! (Stella's 1st Birthday and 4th of July)

We are so lucky that we had the opportunity to leave Philly and head back home to Utah for nearly 2 weeks!

It was another whirlwind of a trip, staying a couple of nights with each parent on both sides and it always seems to go by way to fast.  We wish we could spend more time with both families and of course, our friends.  We really do have the best families and the most amazing friends anyone could ever have.  We've been all over the country and no one compares to our friends in Utah.  We miss you all so much, thanks for dealing with our tight schedules while we were there.  We're thrilled we got to see most all of you, even if only for a few minutes.

At Grandma and Grandpa's in Park City...

 

Hanging out with Grandpa Day

 

Stella's Official Birthday and spending time with Grandma Sheridan

 

Oakley Rodeo

Stella's 1st Birthday Party

 

 

4th of July!

Happy 1st Father's Day to Mike

Mike is the most incredible person I have ever known and I feel so lucky to have met him and that he actually chose to marry me.  I never knew it was possible to love him more, but the moment he became a dad, it happened.  I somehow fell deeper in love.  He is the most amazing dad to Stella and I can't wait to watch them over the years to come. 

For his first Father's Day, Stella and I got him something every dad should have... a grill.

Beach Day - NJ

We headed to "the shore" for the Saturday of Father's Day weekend.  Our friend, Michael's uncles' had a huge party "down the shore", including a pig roast, a DJ and fully catered dinner for over 500 guests.  We headed down early on Saturday so Mike could go play golf with Michael.  Stella and I joined our friend, Meghann at her house in Ocean City and spent the day at the beach.  It was so nice! Her dad's house is literally a block away for the beach, which made it really nice with Stella.  We could bring lots of stuff and giving her a bath at the house afterward was a necessity.  She literally had sand EVERYWHERE.

Mike's 30th Birthday

Mike turned 31 on June 14 (aka, Flag Day.)  This year, I had to continue the tradition of surprising him with some fun and exciting experience.  Just because he's a daddy doesn't mean we have to sit at home and watch TV, right?  And of course, with me birthdays are never just a one day event.  So...
On Saturday morning, we had a babysitter come to watch Stella for the day and we headed down to Lewes, DE with our friends, Bryan and Meghann to experience Pints and Paddles at Dogfish Head Brewery. The kayaking was amazing, we saw lots of turtles and birds and for a minute, it almost felt like we were close to home.  After a long day of kayaking, we headed the brewery for a tour and of course to sample a few beers.  We ended up buying a bunch of random beers including a peach beer and a beer made with red and white wines.

On Sunday, we met up with Lauren and Mike and went to brunch at one of Mike's faves in the city, Jones.

The actual birthday was on Monday.  That evening we enjoyed guacamole and hint of lime chips, opened presents and ate Mike's favorite cake, Marzipan.  I couldn't find this kind of cake anywhere, so I made it, and promised to make it look prettier next year.  Although I have to say, it tasted pretty good.