Catch-up... again.

It's August. That means I only wrote once on the blog last month. What was the deal?!

Looking back, I guess July was one of the busiest months we've had in a long time. Let's see, I hosted two baby showers, two family dinners, and Juan's birthday party. Also, we partied all of the 24th of July weekend as well as at a HUGE family reunion in Burrville, UT this past weekend. It's been a whirlwind of events, but it's been fun. We really are trying to maximize the amount of time we spend with family since we probably won't be living near them next year.



Triana's baby shower was super cute. It was golf-themed! The stupid Stacia that I am forgot to take pictures, but someone pulled out their phone and snapped some. I'll have to track them down....

Here's Tristan's baby shower:






Four Generations


Little notebooks (a la my mother.)




















Some of the cutest kids came...


Oh my CUTIE-PIE!








(I am obviously NOT a food photographer!)











These were super fun to make, but I don't think I'll ever do it again. I finished frosting them after 2.5 HOURS! Oh well, Max was totally worth it. :)

And good ol' Juan ripened to the age of 28 this year! Here's the small Diner-themed party we had for him:

The birthday boy in all his cheesy glory


The crew (so nice of them all to dress up, eh?)


Ilse and Sandra


Ryan and Triana


Messy and Lovin' It!


The birthday boy was so happy when he opened his gift from the girls. We were at the Dollar Store getting crepe paper for the party and Siena just kept begging me to let her choose something out for Papi for his birthday. Finally, I gave in and these are the two things she chose: a party hat (very appropriate) and a bottle of dish soap (also very appropriate, in my book.) :) jk








Reminds me of Happy Days/Grease


Matt and Tatum





The records were a nice touch, and as I bartered the seller down to 25 cents a piece, I couldn't pass them up!


Yeah, the speakers and iPod were supposed to be hooked up to this, but time escaped me.


The menu (and ultimately the entire theme of the party) were based on one of Juan's favorite places to eat in Philly: Bobby's Burger Palace. Bobby Flay, of course, is one of the best burger-inventors of the century, so we couldn't pass up the opportunity to revel in his delicious creations. (You can find nearly all of the recipes for the menu on foodnetwork.com.) The food makes a party, in my opinion, so I planned for a lot of it. Unfortunately, there were a few things I did not anticipate the day-of, so when people got to the house, we put them to work peeling sweet potatoes and making burgers. All-in-all, it was a really fun time, though. Thanks to everyone who helped with dinner! (Leftover dipping sauce was a perfect addition to last night's dinner. Recipe to come!)


The Diner setup (and all under $10!)













I really lucked out with the tray. Pier One had a $10 off coupon for your purchase of $10 or more, and this awesome textured pleather serving tray was on clearance for $13! My motto is (generally) "BUY IT USED, ON SALE, ON CLEARANCE--OR DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!"



Now for the Big Kahuna of them all: THE CAMP FAMILY REUNION 2011!

If you think you've seen family reunions before, this will blow your mind. It was planned down to the very hour, and I'll tell you that it was one of the most entertaining reunions for kids and adults alike. Brad and Julia, the hosts, deserve a LOT of praise for how it went down. In my estimation, I don't think that ONE person got bored the whole time, a feat in and of itself. (Of course, this is in no way to slight any other family reunions I've been to; they are all noteworthy and enjoyable. It's really just all about being with those you love.) Now, some of these pictures may need an explanation, so as usual, just click a pic, and it will take you to the whole album.








For most of the day, we had great weather, but there were a few showers to cool things off around 3 pm. Luckily, Siena saved the day....