Archive for the ‘Family’ Category

12 Jul

(Not exactly) a piece of cake

Posted by Rebecca in Family, In the kitchen, Rebecca.

I offered to make Katie’s wedding cake, assuming somehow that years of cupcake baking had prepared me for what is actually a rather monumental task. After a few months of testing recipes, I decided to use this very moist yet airy vanilla iteration. In a dozen trial runs (including four for a practice cake), I found Madagascar vanilla played better than Mexican, and that bake-even strips are miraculous.

My main concern was icing, knowing that I lacked the truly professional skill needed to create a picture-perfect cake. Thankfully, though, Katie liked this very easy rose treatment, and the swiss meringue buttercream stood up beautifully in the warm air.

My step dad made the cake base, and my mom tailored the ribbon. I used pearl pins to adhere the tiny twine bows, then the groom and my father-in-law helped me transport the cake from the house to the tent via golf cart. I was more nervous during those five minutes than I was throughout my own wedding. The bride and groom cut the cake with Gramma’s cake knife, and there was just enough for the entire party.

Tom and Katie’s cake top is tucked away in my freezer, awaiting their first anniversary.

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8 Jul

Air Owen

Posted by Rebecca in Family, Owen.

We celebrated Owen’s first birthday with an airplane theme at our house on July 4th. Many, many thanks to our family and friends who joined us in Kansas, and those who sent wishes from afar. Here are a few shots of the party decorations, attendees and, of course, the birthday boy.

Boarding pass invitations set the date:

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And a cockpit, bomber jacket and tiny aviators awaited our little pilot.

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Karyl and I made clouds (and planes) to float throughout the dining room:

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This little suitcase decoration was one of my favorites:

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I made cloud cupcakes topped with candy planes, and lots of number one cookies:

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We served Gramma’s strawberry lemonade and an Aviation gin cocktail from the “beverage cart.”

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Favors included map stickers, colorful aviator sunglasses, pilot’s wing pins and a few other goodies.

 

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I made a huge batch of honey roasted peanuts, and we served pretzels along with other appetizers.

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Bryan manned the grill, and we served up a traditional July 4th barbecue menu. We thought that would be better than typical airline fare…

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Our newly minted Uncle Tom:

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Gramma and Grampa Great:

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Grampa is a longtime pilot who provided the inspiration for the party, as well as many of the planes we used to decorate. To thank him, I made him a set of cookies in his Cessna ID number.

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Owen seemed to have a great time (after he FINALLY woke up from his late afternoon nap):

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My mom made Owen and angel food cake, and the girls politely helped him blow out his candle after we sang.

 

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We sang to Aunt Laura, too, who was also celebrating her birthday. So sweet of her to do it in Kansas with us.

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Owen wasn’t all that interested in unwrapping his gifts, but he’s had a great time playing with them since!

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Thanks, everyone, for making Owen’s first so memorable! We love you all!

 

 

2 Jul

Wedding wrap-up

Posted by Rebecca in Family.

Somehow, nearly a month has passed since Katie and Tom were married in Nebraska. The weeks that have followed have proven to be nearly as hectic as those preceding the festivities—seems to be the theme of the summer. So, with apologies for the delay, I wanted to share a few shots of the bride, the groom and this Smith family, all taken by my father-in-law, Doug. (You can see the entire set here.)

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I understand wedding-day rain brings good luck to couples. If that’s the case, Tom and Katie are destined to have a long and happy marriage, because it rained, and rained, and RAINED. And while not much went according to plan as a result, the ceremony and reception ended up being perfect in their own way, as these shots by Laura so beautifully illustrate.

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Katie and Tom, thank you so much for letting us be a part of this happy day. We love you so much!

25 Jun

Katie & Tom’s rehearsal dinner

Posted by Rebecca in Family.

 

 

Katie and Tom were married on June 8, 2013 at the charming Praire Creek Inn, just outside of Lincoln, Nebraska. The stone house below (relocated from Lincoln about 12 years ago), was our home for the weekend.

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The barn served as the venue for Friday night’s rehearsal dinner.

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We spent Friday afternoon setting up the decorations that Mom and Katie designed, enjoying gorgeous, sunny weather.

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The mother of the bride (and the blogger)…

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A bucket full of Sam, for our Boston-bred groom.

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Tom’s family traveled from thousands of miles away to join in the festivities.

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Ours came from a few miles down the road…

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Tom’s mom is on the left here, with her cousin.

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Katie planned to have the ceremony on the prairie below the big stone house (though the weather ultimately necessitated otherwise). The flower girls enjoyed picking daisies as we rehearsed.

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Here comes the bride! You can also see the tent in the background here–it held both the ceremony and the reception on Saturday.

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Following the rehearsal, Tom’s parents welcomed friends and family for dinner. It was a great crowd, and we had a fantastic time that evening.

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The father and stepmother of the bride:

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Following dinner, we took a hayrack ride to the nearby pond to roast s’mores.

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Katie planned a great evening, and we were lucky to have been part of it.

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More soon!

16 Jun

Dad’s Day

Posted by Rebecca in Bryan, Family, Owen.

Here’s to the best ever.

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Much love to my dad, Grampa Great, Grandpa Dankleff, my stepdad Dave and my father-in-law Doug!

6 Jun

Olivia at the wheel

Posted by Rebecca in Ava, Family, Olivia.

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29 May

Wedding bells

Posted by Rebecca in Family, Rebecca.

This month has brought a number of reasons for us to be happy—and busy. As I mentioned below, we have three temporary houseguests – my sister Katie, her fiancé Tom, and their cat Sophie. I still cannot believe that they have decided to move to Lawrence – I really could not be happier. They will be staying with us until they move into their own place after they return from their honeymoon in mid-June.

Of course, the wedding precedes that – and in just a week and a couple of days, they will get married on the prairie in Nebraska. As the matron of honor, I have a number of happy tasks associated with the preparations. Somehow, I lucked out – they all align with my hobbies. In the next week, I will make a large, multi-tiered cake, five dozen cupcakes, and a number of small design projects for the wedding. I also have a toast to write, and I’m doing my best not to put that off until the night before.

My task list pales in comparison to those around me – Katie’s, of course, is enormous. And, my mom and Dave have been working hard for months. The girls have gorgeous, handmade flowergirl dresses awaiting them, and our tiny ringbearer has a little bowtie and cummerbund. I neglected to lose the 20 pounds I had set out to, but while my dress doesn’t look exactly as I’d hoped, I am absolutely thrilled that I’ll have the opportunity to stand next to my sister next Saturday.

Katie has created an amazing event–
every detail is incredibly thoughtful, and I am genuinely looking forward to the time spent with family.

24 May

Aunt Katie Fix

Posted by Rebecca in Ava, Family, Olivia.

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14 May

Dance, done.

Posted by Rebecca in Ava, Family, Olivia.

After nine months of lessons twice a week, Ava and Olivia completed their respective dance classes. Ava’s ballet, jazz and tap instruction culminated in a tap routine to “Button Up Your Overcoat,” and Oliva’s introductory ballet and tumbling class sang and danced to “Genevieve the Giraffe.”

Both performances were part of a a two and a half hour recital at the Lied Center last weekend. They were brillant, per the performers’ mom, as well as the always unbiased Gramma Best and Grandma and Grandpa Lucky.

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6 May

Flat Ava

Posted by Rebecca in Ava, Family.

Ava’s second grade class participated in the Flat Stanley project recently. The resulting “Flat Ava” traveled to Philadelphia for a visit to our good friend Tom and his girlfriend Katie. Flat Ava returned to Quail Run via US Post with nearly 30 photos, a Pennsylvania state flag and a few other souvenirs. Tom really put so much thought and effort into this project, and I wanted to share a few of the photos and captions he sent along. From Flat Ava’s arrival at Tom’s front door, to a visit to the National Constitution Center and several other stops along the way, Flat Ava had quite the trip!

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Ava emailed Tom the moment the package arrived. I assumed it was to tell him how grateful she was, but as it turns out, she needed to know if Flat Ava was really with the President. I think, though, “Flat Barack” just happened to be visiting Philadelphia at the same time.

Thanks so much, Tom and Katie!

 

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