Hannah's memorial dedication

After my beautiful, newly-17-year-old sister passed away from a horrible childhood cancer in 2001, half of her memorial money was given to her high school in Chicago.  The art teacher decided to design four mosaic benches to honor her memory.  The benches were finished within a year or two, but every time we contacted the high school, they told us that the benches weren't quite ready.  We did not forget about them, but eleven years later, the school contacted us because they wanted to install the benches and have an official dedication of them.  September 14th was chosen as the day, and friends and family showed up to remember Hannah and be a part of a beautiful tribute to her.  

 

Here were the benches, just before they were assembled.

 

 And now, all put together:

 

 

We had a good crowd of about 60 family members and friends.

 

My mother wrote lovely words to speak about Hannah. 

 

The current principal spoke as well.  Unfortunately, this dedication happened to be planned the very week that Chicago public teachers went on strike.  The art teacher who designed the benches was unable to come (almost all of Hannah's former teachers did not come).  But the principal read words that the art teacher had wanted to say herself, explaining the meaning behind each of the four benches.

 

Hand of support ;)

  Though it is a public school, we asked if it would be okay for my Uncle John to say a prayer, thanking God for Hannah, and for these new benches in the community.

Refreshments afterwards.

So grateful for all who came!

Three of my sister's gorgeous best friends. 

 Then Nolan stole the photographer's attention for a while.  This photo is with Great-Grandpa.

 

This visit was Nolan's first trip to Chicago, and the first time he laid eyes on my hometown and Aunt Hannah's hometown.   He will grow up to hear many stories about his vibrant aunt.

Nolan Bruce with Daddy and cousin Nathan Bruce.

 

My guys.

 

My mom and me.

 And then with my two aunts (Mom's sisters) Lori and Sally.

It was a very significant day in my life, and I hope that Hannah's benches receive many, many visitors, for years to come!

a nautical first birthday party

We had a blast celebrating our little man's ONE year back in September!

 

This is where he was when the guests started arriving.  He needed some rest in order to be the main entertainment!

 

Signs around the house.  Many are from my mom's amazing Cricut machine!

 

 

The invite, table runner that I sewed, and lemon boats!

 

The main cake.  Chocolate with buttercream frosting and raspberry buttercream filling.

 

A second shot.  Buoys over blue water. 

 

Delicious sugar cookies, made by my sweet mother.

 

Cupcakes that I made with Nolan's small smash cake's leftover batter.

 

I don't have a photo of the inside of this cake, but it was dyed teal, red, and dark blue.

 

Many important parties in my life have involved theme-colored M&Ms ;)

 

Lifesavers, Swedish Fish, and Twizzlers tied in knots.

 

Hamburgers, hot dogs, fruit salad, chips.

 

I drank a few Frappuccinos to collect glasses for punch and iced tea!

 

Some of the wonderful group.

 

Opening up new books, clothes, and toys!

 

He must have loved his new popcorn popper because he brought it to cake time.

 

It took a while to discover that there was cake underneath all of the yummy frosting.

 

 Mmmm!

 

Sugar overloaded.

 

Cleaning up!

 

 My friend Briana serving cake.

 

Photo props!

 

My family.

 Playing with some new birthday toys after the guests left.

It was such a perfect day for celebrating our little pride & joy.  Thank you to all those (near & far) who were able to make that weekend special for us.

Since it's getting late, and this post is already lengthy---tomorrow I'm going to post some links for where I got the ideas for the party (invite, lemon boats, cake decor, photo booth, etc.)  So check back again if you're interested!

in love with floral

My eyes gravitate toward all things floral.  It is so feminine and happy.  Here are some things that I adore ... from afar.

Knee-Hi Floral Sock from Lands' End Canvas
Lattice Headband by Garlands of Grace
Hipster bag by Vera Bradley in "Lime's Up"
Modal Lace Cami and Shorts by GAP
Floral Print Jeans by Mango at JCP

baby age photo prop

Last summer I posted about sewing fabric numbers and letters here.  I want to show you how they ended up in my photos!

This is my less-than-a-week-old baby last September!  I wish that I could go back to one day of holding him when he was this tiny, and still wanted to be cuddled for hours.

  

In June, he officially had been out in the world for as long as he had been inside me :)  This is also one of the best Nolan smiles ever captured on camera).

And these photos were no easy task after he learned how to roll over.  But I am so glad that I persisted every month on getting a good shot, because look how adorable they turned out:

dad

 This cute guy would have been 55 today.  Happy Birthday, Dad!

"Nothing can make up for the absence of someone whom we love, and it would be wrong to find a substitute; we must simply hold out and see it through. That sounds very hard at first, but at the same time it is a great consolation, for the gap, as long as it remains unfilled, preserves the bonds between us." 
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

  P.S. Dad, your namesake Nolan Bruce turned 13 months-old today!

starting up again

I go back and forth daily, wondering if I should start this blog up again.  I am leaning towards "yes", as I have many new ideas fluttering through my head.  Also, since a friend just told me that my sewing projects from last summer were encouraging her to sew, I decided to pull out my machine for a few new projects, which I just completed.

I am nervous though.  I am known to frequent Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, blogs galore, Youtube, Gmail, People.com.  I am not sure if my brain can handle one more site to visit, let alone be in control of.  We shall see!  Even though there were many things that I could have blogged about this past year with my new baby, I am glad that I took a break so that I could completely absorb him and not be distracted with one more thing.  I may have to updates some highlights of my year later on. :)

HAPPY OCTOBER!  Can you believe I almost have a 13-month-old?