EXPECTING: Cristina + Matt

It's always a pleasure to meet up with old friends.  It's an even greater pleasure when the reason you get together is to capture an incredibly special moment in their lives.

Cristina and Matt are a little less than a month away from the arrival of their baby girl, Sarah.  I'm so happy they asked me to snap a few photos of that sweet baby bump before Sarah makes her way into this world.  I know these two are going to be terrfic parents to this little girl and they are anxiously awaiting her arrival!

How great does Cristina look for 8 months pregnant?!

Ready to POP!

Mommy and Daddy love you already!

Penny wanted to get in on the fun!

Just beautiful.

Cristina and Matt have recently purchased a house and are in the process of renovating.  Pretty soon that room they are standing in will be Sarah's new nursery!

These two are so cute together and I know they are going to be awesome parents to little Sarah!

Soup - It's what's for dinner!

I had to share because it's too good for words!

Last night, I came home from work and headed straight to the kitchen to whip up this delicious soup for dinner.  Thanks to my crazy obsession with everything related to Food Network, I came across this recipe in their latest issue (which is actually on the cover).  I squealed a little more when I found out is was an Ina Garten recipe (love everything and anything that comes out of that woman's kitchen!).

I can't put into words how incredible this soup was.  I was transported back to my childhood days of having my Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Campbell's Tomato Soup on the side.  What better way to jazz it up then to chop up the sandwich and throw it into the soup (how have I never thought to do this before?!).

I did make a few minor adjustments to the original recipe.  There was no way this girl was dropping $20 on Saffron, so I substituted that for Goya Sazon seasoning, which basically has the same effect.  I also swapped out the white bread for whole wheat and since our household likes things spicy, replaced the Gruyere Cheese with some 3 Pepper Colby Jack to give it a little kick.

The result was something that instantly put a smile on my face and is going to make me a very happy girl this winter!

Cake Smash: Rocco Anthony

I can't believe how much little Rocco has grown since his christening this past March!  I had such a fun afternoon with Rocco and his parents, chasing him all over the house to capture this bundle of cuteness (this little guy LOVES to crawl around and FAST!).  And what better way to end a first birthday session than to smash a yummy cake to bits and pieces!

Like father, like son.

Rocco loves his Mickey!

I can't get over how cute this Tigger outfit is!

Sing us a song, you're the piano man!

Just look at that precious face!

Watch out - naked baby coming through!

Team Yankees for life!

Rocco's awesome and delicious 1st birthday cake made by Platinum Treats.  Too bad he's gonna smash it all up!

Mommy and Daddy love you!  And can we please talk about this tie?!  Too cute!

And let the cake smashing begin...

Messy face.

Might be the first time in history a child needed to be coaxed with Cheerios in order to eat a piece of cake!

And as if he didn't eat enough, we'll just end this feast with some foot.

Happy 1st Birthday Rocco Anthony!