Winter ONEderland

What a whirlwind December has been! Tyler had a ONEderful 1st Birthday celebration!

The weekend kicked off with Johanna's (Tyler's Godmother) arrival on Friday night. We grabbed sushi after I picked her up from the airport.

Saturday was insane! The morning consisted of full party prep mode! Nana and Papa and Aunt Kelly and Uncle Travis arrived early to help decorate. Plus, Travis made the cake which was SO Amazing! He took the Winter ONEderland theme and ran with it, making a cake complete with snow, trees, and a snowman. Tyler also had his own cake!

At 1pm the guests started to arrive. It was a packed house with 13 kids and about 30 adults. There was tons of food and booze...but the real fun began when Papa started the snow machine in the backyard! The kids were AMAZED!!! Then after Tyler's cake and presents were eaten and opened, Santa arrived at 3pm to visit! Tyler was not a fan...again...but most of the kids loved him!

It was a great time and Tyler had a blast at his Winter ONEderland celebration!!!

However, I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to look back on the past year! I can't believe that my little man is 1. When I think of how far we've come and how much my love for my Baby Tyler has grown, it literally brings tears to my eyes! I have to say that NOTHING in this world can prepare you for how much you love your child. My heart melts every time I see his little face and hear his sweet little laugh.

Ben and I count our blessings every single day that we have such a beautiful, healthy, energetic, bundle of joy!

Tyler, if you read this one day...know that Mommy and Daddy love you SO very very much and there is nothing in this world that we wouldn't do for you. Happy Birthday Baby Boy! You bring more joy to our lives than you could ever imagine!

Happy Anniversary!!!

After our crazy weekend on the 4th, we had a pretty quiet holiday weekend on the 11th.

We got lots of Christmas shopping done, had dinner with Steph and Pat and Andy and Angela on Saturday night and I took Tyler with me to Book Club on Sunday...in the snow!!

Our nanny Lina left to visit her family in Colombia on the 9th, so we have been on our own with regards to child care ever since. We are managing just fine though. My workload is pretty light these days since I'll be done at the end of December, and Ben has taken a few days off as well. Plus we'll have family on hand for the holidays too!

The highlight of the week was that Ben and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary on Wednesday. We had a lunch "date" just the two of us, and dinner with Baby T in tow!

It was a wonderful day and I couldn't have asked for a better husband. Ben and Tyler are the lights of my life and I am grateful for them always!!!

Breakfast with Santa!

We had quite the wild week/weekend in the Sullivan house!

I know everyone out there is with me when I say the Holidays are insanely busy!

Last Tuesday, Ben went out to a swanky dinner with his boss at Craft in downtown Atlanta!

Then I headed to Tuscaloosa for work on Wednesday and Thursday. It was my last work trip EVER! Hooray! Although, it's kind of bittersweet to say that!

When I got home on Thursday I hosted Book Club at my house on Thursday night. The book for the month was, Christmas Jars but alas, I didn't even start it. I'm still trying to get through Eat Pray Love that I started when Tyler was a month old! I've been stuck in India for quite some time!

Friday, I had a great interview with a company and am waiting to hear back from a few others. Things are definitely looking up in the job department but as the 1/1/11 deadline approaches, I'm starting to stress even more!

Friday night my parents came down for our Breakfast with Santa event on Saturday morning. We ordered Chinese and my mom stayed with Tyler so that my dad, Ben and I could go to the SEC Pre-game Party at Tavern 99. We tried to get in the door but the place was PACKED. Six tour buses of fans pulled up at the same time we did. So we ended up going to Fado and having beers on the rooftop. It was a good time all around!

Saturday morning we headed to breakfast with Santa which was so fun! Tyler had a blast...until he met St. Nick! He screamed his head off the minute we sat him down! After a few laughs and classic pictures we grabbed him up and calmed him down! All he needed was some Chocolate muffin and a hug from Mommy and Daddy and he was fine!

Saturday evening my sister (Aunt Kelly) arrived in town to babysit Baby T! Ben and I headed over to our friend Roberta and Mike's for their annual gingerbread party! We had a great time and were able to catch the crushing SEC Championship (my poor gamecocks) and the ACC Championship...GO HOKIES!

Sunday we had Dunkin Donuts and bid Aunt Kelly farewell! Then the family decorated the house for Christmas and had Tyler's 1 year photo shoot at Lenox Park with Danielle. It was freezing out but we got some great pics!

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a GREAT Thanksgiving we had! It was Tyler's first and I believe he's a fan!

The week was a busy one! There were tons of errands to run before we headed to Spartanburg. Tuesday night Aunt Amanda came to visit little Tyler and we all had pizza and wine after he was in bed!

Ben, Tyler and I headed to Nana and Papa's on Wednesday to spend a few days with my parents.

Tyler spent Thanksgiving dancing to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and stuffing himself!

He wasn't the biggest fan of Turkey but he loved Mac and Cheese!

Friday, Tyler went to visit his Great Grandma Bobbie and Nana and Papa babysat on Friday night so that Ben and I could have a date night. We went to Thai and then to the bar for a couple of drinks. It was a lot of fun! Our bar experience at Wild Wings definitely brought back memories of our wedding weekend!

Saturday we went shopping while Ben watched some football and Saturday night we had a tailgating party with the whole family and watched the SC vs. Clemson game! Good times all around.

Sunday, we headed back to ATL after church and crashed!

We definitely battled some holiday traffic going to and from Spartanburg but it was good to be home!!!

The Sullivans are VERY Thankful for everything that we have been blessed with in 2010!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Happy 11 Month Birthday Tyler!

Happy 11 month Bday Tyler! I can't believe that in just one month our little Tman will be a year old! Plans for his Winter ONEderland celebration are in full swing! I cannot wait for the party!

Tyler is trying REALLY REALLY hard to walk these days. He's into anything and everything! I'm hoping he'll be taking those first steps by December 18th but if I've learned anything over the past year it's that kids do things when they're ready...not when we're ready.

The past couple of weekends have been a lot of fun. We've stayed here in ATL and done our usual Saturday morning walks to Dunkin Donuts and Waffle Sundays.

The weekend of the 13th I attended Roberta's Bridal Luncheon and we had Steph and Pat over for dinner! We also watched the SC vs. FL game which clenched South Carolina's chance at an SEC Championship for the first time...in forever! I'm so excited for my Gamecocks! Sunday's play date to the zoo was derailed by the pulled muscle in my back...you should have seen Ben, Tyler and I walking into the ER at 6am decked out in our PJ's! But a few muscle relaxers and I was back to business within a day or two.

Last weekend Nana and Papa came to visit so that Ben and I could go see Harry Potter! We tried Studio Movie Grill...a bar, restaurant, movie theater kind of deal. It was neat, and convenient for those of us that don't want to stay up too late (lame I know). We were fed, movie'ed, and in bed by 11. That's what happens when your up at 6am everyday!

Saturday evening we went over to Steph and Pat's for chili. Andy and Angela were also in attendance and it was nice to catch up with them! Tyler had his first ear infection on Saturday though, so we called it an early night.

Sunday Tyler and I went shopping while Daddy watched the Skins play.

Next blog post will be Tyler's first Thanksgiving!!! Happy Turkey Day to us all!!!

Frustrations

That's exactly how I feel right now...frustrated! For those out there that know me, you know that I'm quite the organizer "Type A" personality...I'm one of those people that likes to have all of my ducks in a row! For things to be out of whack...well it bothers me...a lot!

Forgive me while I vent, but it's my blog and I'll do what I want! I do know that the Sullivans are very VERY blessed. We have a beautiful home, friends and family that love us, a happy marriage and a healthy son! But when you are jobless...or jobless effective Jan 1st, the pressure to find something fast is a bit intense! We will be fine financially for a while but the stress of "will I find the perfect job again?" is looming in the air.

I've definitely gone through the different stages of grief over losing my job...

Anger, depression, denial...all that good stuff. Thank goodness for Ben and Tyler! Having a son and husband that love you have really helped me through this. And it's times like these that you know who your true friends are!

I think what some people don't realize is that losing your job (something that takes up 40+hours of your week) is a huge loss! Not to mention the friendships with coworkers that (let's face it) won't be the same once you don't speak with each other everyday.

But now that I'm actually getting interviews things have started to get better! A lot better!

However, I never knew such physical ramifications that can come with stress once you pass 30! Yes, I'm blaming it on age...I certainly don't remember these types of things happening when I was studying for finals in college!

In the past week, I've popped a blood vessel in my eye and thrown out my back...not to mention the fact that I'm breaking out like a 13 year old!

Goodness gracious, I'll be glad when I can look back on all of this as a learning experience!

But until then, I know that I have family and some good friends to get me through!

Bachelorettes and Birthdays

The Sullivan clan laid pretty low after Halloween but we did have some fun last weekend here in Atlanta!

Friday night was what we've designated as "Family Pho Night"!!

Tyler has made friends with all the waitresses in the restaurant...they love him!

Saturday Ben stayed with Tyler so that I could attend the Bachelorette party of our good friend Roberta. Ben had just been to Vegas for her fiancee Mike's party, so he was on Daddy duty for the night while Mommy hit the town.

We had a great time! The night included dinner at Loca Luna and stops at The Three Legged Cowboy and Swinging Richards....no I'm not lying...that's their names!

Sunday I wasn't feeling so hot, but we still managed to make it out next door neighbor's birthday party for their daughter Maddie. She turned two and her mom Melanie created a "make your own" grilled cheese sandwich buffet. Tyler had a great time hanging with all the babies and tore up his first grilled cheese sandwich!

Happy Halloween!!!

What a fun Halloween weekend for us! It was Tyler's first Halloween and he had a blast!

Our week started off with a work trip for me. I was gone to Raleigh and Fayetteville on Monday and came home Tuesday night.

I met with some executives about job leads...now I'm just hoping and praying constantly that I get a bite before the end of the year.

Wednesday night I made stuffed peppers and we carved pumpkins...correction...Ben carved pumpkins. But he did a GREAT job and we had some of the coolest pumpkins on the neighborhood block! Thursday Ben headed off to Vegas for our friend Mike's bachelor party! He was there for two nights and had a great time gambling, sleeping in, drinking, watching sports and visiting the store made famous on Pawn Stars! He also brought me home a gorgeous necklace and two onesies for Tyler! I'm a very lucky girl.

While Ben was playing in Vegas, Tyler and I had some great quality time together. On Thursday night we met our friend Emma and her little girl Isabella at Gymboree for a Halloween party! Saturday morning we met our friends Jill and Josh for breakfast at Flying Biscuit in Buckhead. They were in town from DC for the weekend and it was great to catch up. After breakfast Tyler and I headed to Spartanburg for trick or treat in Nana and Papa's neighborhood. We all dressed up as chefs and went around the neighborhood collecting treats. Tyler was fully decked out in his lobster costume and loved every minute of it...which really surprised me. He normally HATES things on his head but had no problem this time! Aunt Kelly came along too dressed as a pirate! We got lots of compliments on our costumes and my parents ran out of candy from the massive amounts of kids who came by the house.

Sunday, we went to church then Tyler and I hit the road back to Atlanta. When we got home daddy was there to greet us!

Sunday night Roberta came over to hand out candy to the trick or treaters so that Ben and I could take Tyler to our neighborhood Halloween party and go trick or treating as a family. It was a great night, and we too ran out of candy from the massive amounts of kids in the neighborhood!

So, Tyler's first Halloween was a big hit! We had so much fun with him...I'm already brainstorming ideas for next year!

PS- I would be the worst friend ever if I didn't give my friend Amanda a shout out! She came home for a visit from Chicago last weekend and I completely forgot to update everyone on our fabulous lunch in Historic Roswell on Friday (we ran into Steph and Pat too) and her visit with Tyler on Sunday! We miss you and love you Aunt Amanda!!!

Date Night Out and Chateau Elan!

This weekend Nana and Papa came to Atlanta so that Mommy and Daddy could have a date night out! They stayed the night at our house and watched Tyler, while Ben and I stayed downtown at the Marriott Marquis and then headed to the Tabernacle to see Daniel Tosh! Tosh.0 is one of the funniest shows on TV right now, and he was hilarious live! We had a fun night out complete with dinner at the Marriott (FYI, the food there is nothing to write home about) and drinks at Pulse Lounge. Good times all around!

Saturday we slept in and were back to our house by lunch. After we fed Tyler, we headed to Chateau Elan with my parents and Baby T.

We had a great time. We ate lunch at an Irish Pub and then Ben and Dad headed into the winery for the tour. Meanwhile my mom and I hung out with Tyler by the fountain outside. It was a beautiful day and he loved watching the water. I was able to come back inside the winery for the wine tasting though!

After the tasting we headed home with a very tired Tyler!

Sunday, we walked to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast and went to Cold Brew to watch the Redskins play!

A very fun weekend indeed!

This weekend is Halloween and I can't wait to dress Tyler up for some trick or treating!

Happy 10 Month Birthday Tyler!

This week was Daddy's week to travel for work. Ben headed to TX on Tuesday and returned on Thursday...this time with Grandma in tow! Ben's mom flew in for the weekend to spend some time with Tyler and they were able to time up their arriving flights perfectly.

Friday, Grandma babysat so that I could work, but we squeezed in a quick shopping trip too. Friday night we grilled a big dinner after Tyler went to bed.

Saturday we did our walk to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast and then went to Taste of Roswell! It was a really cool event with lots of good eats! That night, Grandma babysat again so that Ben and I could have date night. We went to 5 seasons brewery for dinner and then to see the Social Network. It was a great night and awesome movie (did I mention my boyfriend Justin Timberlake is in the movie?....HEEEEYYYYYYYY). Sunday we were able to make it to the pumpkin patch after getting lost for awhile. We ended up having our picnic outside of a gas station somewhere in the middle of Dawsonville, GA...but FINALLY made it to the pumpkin patch and Tyler had a ball!

I can't wait to take him next year when he's walking. He will tear that corn maze apart!

Monday marked Tyler's 10 month birthday! His monthly photo shoot is definitely getting harder to manage now that he's crawling and pulling up all over the place.

But it really is unbelievable to see how big he's gotten over the past year. Hard to believe that his 1 year birthday is just around the corner!

Tyler is getting really close to walking these days...I predict that he will taking those first steps any day now!

Happy 31 to ME!!!

Yes, I'm officially in my "early thirties" as of Oct 6th! It was a great Birthday! Thanks to everyone for the well wishes. I was able to spend most of the day with Tyler which was great! We met Steph and Baby Dylan out for lunch and Ben took Tyler and I to sushi for dinner! He also gave me a gorgeous blue topaz bracelet to match my ring and earrings! I'm in love!!!

Thursday, Tyler and I ventured to Jacksonville to see Rienna, Aaron, Bo and Bianca! I had to be in Jacksonville for work and Rienna was on maternity leave and available to babysit, so it worked out quite nicely. I have to admit that flying alone with a 10 month old was....well...challenging. Tyler was well behaved but just WIRED to the max! He was quite the wiggle worm on both flights but we survived! Luckily we sat by gentlemen on both flights that were fathers and happy to help me! And my social butterfly son loved greeting everyone on the plane... My apologies to the bald man directly in front of me in 12C that kept getting his head rubbed!

We were home by Friday evening and CRASHED! I was so exhausted...flying with a 10 month old can be equated to running a half marathon...I know...I've done both!

Saturday was a great day!!! We had my birthday party complete with tailgating food and ice cream cupcakes from Cold Stone! We had 8 friends over to the house to watch the Gamecocks play and WIN!!! We ended up beating Alabama (#1 team in the country for anyone that's been living under a rock) and actually have a shot at the SEC Championship this year! I'm so excited for my team! It's about time we ROCKED!!!

Goooooo Cocks...fight...win...kick ass!!!

Sunday was a wash due to too many celebratory beverages on Saturday. We did make it to Babies R Us to load up on Tyler supplies, but that's about it!

Here's to another fun weekend!!

Oktoberfest!

Wow! What a week it's been....

There are definitely interesting times ahead. I was informed on Friday that I'm getting laid off from my job effective January 1st 2011.

I'm still coming to terms with everything and trying to get my resume out there again, but needless to say, it's been a rough few days for our family.

I'm confident that a job will present itself by the end of the year, but it's still hard to let go of a company that you gave 4 years of your life to.

Many thanks to the family and friends that have reached out to offer kind words and support. The Sullivan family will survive and conquer, I have no doubt!

This weekend I needed to keep my mind off things, so we decided to move forward with our plans. Saturday morning Tyler and I headed to Spartanburg to spend time with Nana and Papa and go to the Kislik Oktoberfest! My best friend Johanna's dad is German and hosts a large Oktoberfest at their home every other year. This year, I went with Tyler and he was the hit of the party! I should have dressed him in lederhosen for the occasion now that I think about it!

But good times were had by all.

Sunday we attended church, had lunch with the fam, and visited Great Grandma Bobbie before heading back to Atlanta.

Ben had to work on a couple of large deals with BOA this weekend so he wasn't able to come! Hey...somebody's got to keep a job in this family! :)

This week is my birthday! I'll be 31!

Stay tuned for a birthday update....

Happy FALL to us ALL!

Birthday Parties Galore!

This weekend was lots of fun for the Sullivan clan. Friday night was Pho night...date night as a family. What can I say? We are Pho-a-holics.

Saturday morning we walked to to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast, then Nana and Papa came to visit and brought lots of new toys for Tyler. They were happy to babysit so that Ben and I could sneak away and watch the Virginia Tech game at Hudson Grill with our good friend Roberta. It was a great victory for the Hokies...finally!

Saturday night Andy and Angela were trying out new recipes and watching football so Ben and I headed over. When my parents needed to get on the road, I headed home to play with Tyler and get him off to bed. Ben stayed and brought me home some yummy treats!

Sunday, was Waffle Sunday and even Tyler had one! It was a first for him and I think he liked them. I'm pretty good at making waffles if I do say so myself!

Sunday afternoon was spent going to the birthday party of our nanny's son Nico and our friend Emma and Mike's daughter Isabella.

It was a rainy and exhausting Sunday but lots of fun! Enjoy the pics!