end cmv silence gala

CYTOMEGALOVIRUS (CMV):

a common virus that can infect almost anyone. Most people don't know they have CMV because it rarely causes symptoms. However, if you're pregnant or have a weakened immune system, CMV is cause for concern.

 my freaking awesome friend, jill, invited me to come as her plus 1 to the end cmv silence gala.  

our friend, annie, was one of the people in charge of the event.  she had lost a sweet baby to the virus and that's when i first heard about cmv, which is a shame because i learned that so many babies were born with birth defects or have died because of it.  the gala has helped me to learn so much more about cmv and to be more aware of it the next time i'm pregnant.

the gala was held at the utah state capitol and was such a fancy event!

(pic from the utah cmv council fb page)

jill and i with the cmv council.  

and i later found out that the lady in blue next to me was in the high school musical films! (which i was too cool to watch those movies back then so i totally didn't know who she was.)  But she performed a really beautiful song at the gala.

(pic from the utah cmv council fb page)

jill and i lookin fancy on the red carpet!

after taking pictures we headed on over to the silent auction.  we bid on some of the random items (that we didn't win) and munched on some delightful Hors d'oeuvres.  i was feeling classy!  it was really fun pretending to be super rich in my gaudy walmart jewelry.

oh my gosh the dinner was amazing!

the menu

salad: tossed green salad with an abundance of garden vegetables, served with peppercorn ranch & vinaigrette dressing.

cheese palmiers: flaky puff pastry rolled with parmesan cheese & spices.

entree: tender grilled beef with mushroom demi-glaze, creamy risotto and roasted root vegetable melange, lightly tossed in olive oil & fresh herbs.

dessert: grapefruit sorbet or a chocolate cake

i took pics of all the food like a n00b who's never been to such a fancy event before.

i'm so grateful to be jill's date and for the opportunity to learn more about cmv and hope to spread the awareness!

i seriously felt like a princess in my best friend charlene's military ball gown.  

thanks again for letting me borrow it, girl!

i think all moms should have opportunities to get really gussied up in fancy outfits, their hair did, and a little more makeup than usual every now and then!

it definitely helped boost my self-esteem.

Charlotte's glam birthday party

how grateful am i to postpone this party!?

tremendously grateful, knowing that i needed to stop and take a breather before i got back into party planning.

best decision i've ever made.

i got myself together, got charlotte feeling 100% better, and got right back into cookin and decorating.  i even hired out some of my young women to help me with stuff.

the party came together splendidly.  thanks be to pinterest for awesome party ideas!

while this may seem a bit much for a one year old who won't remember crap from this party, this party was more like a celebration of making it a year with 2 kids!  a year of many sleepless nights and stressful days.  we've made it.

the party menu consisted of lumpia (duh!) glazed kielbasa pineapple bites, bbq lil smokies, pita chips with a spinach artichoke dip, assorted fruits and veggies, red velvet and vanilla cake pops, and some pink lemonade.  we also had a little melted pink chocolate dipping station to dip your marshmallows, strawberries, and apples in!

charlotte got so many cute presents!  our house was lacking in the girly toy dept so these cute gifts helped that out.  she got little outfits, cuddly animals, pretend makeup, and a super sassy singing purse.

i can't believe my baby girl is 1!!

then it was time for the birthday cake massacre.  charlotte didn't take too long to dig deep into this delicious red velvet mini costco cake!  cleaning this messy girl and high chair seemed to take forever.

and the count up is done.  i had forgotten when i did everton's count up how annoying those last few months were!  it's such a pain to get charlotte to sit still.  she keeps getting up to come touch the camera or to play with the tape that's keeping the fabric down.  i love the outcome of these pics but i'm sure glad i'm done with them!

now to figure out what i'm gonna do with all this fabric laying around!

thanks to all those who helped with the party and my sanity.

charlotte is 1!

charlotte turned 1 year old on jan 31st.

my sweet baby girl was still recovering from her awful sickness so her birthday was spent taking naps and getting lots of tlc from brett and i.

we looked back on some of her pictures from a year ago when she first joined our family.

my little dolly!

and here's my sad and miserable baby, i mean, one year old!

i'm happy to say that she's doing a whole lot better now, she has more energy and is eating more.  she was making me so nervous with how lethargic she was!  but she's getting back to her normal silly self and i'm so glad.

 happy 1st birthday to my silly blue eyed girl.  can't wait to party it up this weekend!