These Two!

Walking to the bus last week these two were so cute!  They were walking ahead of us and I was trying to get a picture. When I tried to take the picture they stopped and turned around.  This is the picture I got!  Too cute!

Freddie & the girls!

While Julie was traveling last week Freddie came over each morning before school.  The girls loved it!  They play so well together and the girls were so excited each morning when Fred dropped Freddie off.

Dinner with Friends

Fred and Freddie came over for dinner last week while Julie was traveling.  Quinn loves her time with Miss Julie and was missing her.  When Fred and Freddie walked in she kept looking for Julie and calling out for her!  So cute!  The kids had dinner first and then we sat down - but Quinn wanted to join us.  She wouldn't leave Fred alone.  And finally he was done and he could play with her!

Brunch!

We went to brunch a few weeks ago to end our Spring Break. We went with Fred, Julie, and Freddie.  While we were waiting for them I took a few pictures.  We had a great time as usual!  Who wouldn't like unlimited mimosa's!  We all came home and took a nap.

Quinn's First Friend Birthday Party

We went to a birthday party last weekend.  It was for Quinn's friend Lukas.  It was her first friend birthday party!  It was a train theme and it was so much fun!  There was a train set up with boxes and each kid got to decorate their train car and then they went to Baggage Claim to get a conductor hat, bandanna and train whistle.  They all then got in their train cars for a picture.  we all enjoyed the party!

 The birthday train - I couldn't quite get all of Sage in the picture!

Quinn really liked the engine!

 Quinn wouldn't put the hat on at first - but she finally wore it.

Enjoying the birthday cupcakes and ice cream!

Heidi's 40th

For Heidi's 40th she wanted to have a 5K!  It was so much fun.  Some walked and some ran the race but we all finished!  There were six stations on the race course:  Hot Flash Freeway, Osteoporosis Alley - all six having to do with aging.  After the race there was a pot luck and party!  It was held at the VFW Hall (the start/finish of the race) - can't go wrong with $4 pitchers of beer - good for the budget!!  Amy Sue planned the party and all the stations for the race and she did an amazing job.  After most the guests had left our crew stayed behind and cleaned up the party.  We then went to bar downtown to continue the party.  What fun we had celebrating Heidi!

The birthday girl and her hubby Tim!

Our crew:  Amy Sue, Shelley, Me, Jennifer, Heidi, Michele, and Elise

Shelley and Elise ran the race.  After they finished running they came back and walked with those of us that had ran/walked the race.

We had to have a little fun with the photo booth!  I am on the far left with the big green sunglasses.

CMU Visit

This past weekend I was able to get away for some fun with old friends.  Heidi turned 40 and on our way to the party we stopped at CMU for a visit.  We went to the sorority house and sat on the swing in the front yard and walked around campus a little.  Campus has changed so much and it was fun to see it!

 Elise, Jen, Me, and Shelley

Sitting on the swing at the Sigma Kappa house.  So thankful for these girls and to Sigma Kappa for bringing us together almost 20 years ago!

Tree Lighting

We went to the tree lighting in our downtown earlier this month.  It was on a chilly Friday night and it was way past the girls bedtime.  But they had so much fun and so did we!  We met our neighbors, Fred, Julie and Freddie downtown for the event.  It was fun walking around and seeing all the lights in downtown.  After the tree was lit we went in and warmed up with some dessert, hot chocolate and cocktails!  What a fun night with friends!

 Quinn and Julie, she loves her some Julie time!

 Sage, Freddie, and Quinn

 This was Sage right after the tree was lit!

Day at the Zoo

A few weeks ago Sage had a day off of school.  We went to the zoo with our new neighbors Julie and Freddy.  Julie's parents and twin nephews joined us as well.  It was a beautiful day and the kids all had fun.  We packed a lunch and ate at the zoo.  I like our new zoo but really miss the Indy zoo.  They have the same amount of animals but Indy is smaller.  I am always exhausted after a trip to this zoo. 

Quinn watching some animals - I think it was the camels. 

Walking Lucy

Most mornings after the bus takes Sage to school Quinn and I go for a walk with our neighbor Julie.   Julie has the puppy in the picture below.  Lucy is an 8 month old boxer.  Lucy and Quinn have become fast friends!  We all enjoy our walks in the mornings and usually go three to four miles.  Quinn rides in her car until the very end, then her favorite part of the walk happens.  She gets out and runs/walks and helps walk Lucy! 

Signature Room

After doll shopping we went to the Signature Lounge in the John Hancock Tower on the 96th floor.  The views of the city are amazing!  We decided after the shopping the Mom's needed a cocktail!  The girls really liked the views of the city.  The picture of the girls below is taken from the Women's Restroom.  It has the best views!   I should know as we visited the restroom three times while we were there.  Sage was still so excited she just kept having to go!

Finally got a good picture with Shelley.  We always forget to take a twin picture when we are together. 

American Girl Trip: Part III

After we bought the dolls and accessories we had some time before we had to be at the American Girl Restaurant for lunch.  Since the store is connected to the Water Tower Place shopping center we wandered around before lunch.  Our first stop was the Lego store for Shelley to look for gifts for the boys.  It was really convenient that the American Girl Store has a coat check service that you can check your bags and coats while you shop and eat!  We loved this!  We checked everything but the dolls!  They girls had to have them with them at all times on the trip!

Waiting for lunch and playing with their new dolls!

Lunch was actually really good!  It was a pretty small menu with appetizers and dessert included with each lunch.  The girls were both pretty tired at lunch.  Sage even curled up on Aunt Shelley's lap as we were waiting for our bill.  

American Girl Trip: Part II

After we were done walking through the store we ended up in this room to pick the dolls and go through all their choices from the store.  It was so nice to sit with the girls and figure out what they wanted.  It wasn't rushed and they could take their time choosing.  The girls had pretty much decided  which dolls they wanted.  Lydia chose Julie and Sage chose Kit. 

Here they are with their new dolls!

Here was Lydia making her tough decisions about what to keep and what to put back.

Love this picture of Sage as she is debating on what to buy and what goes back on the shelf.  She was debating between a music set for the doll or a telescope set.  Music set it was!

Our girls with their dolls and Ann!

Loved this day with my sweet girl!

Our happy shoppers!

Besides driving 2.5 hours each way to spend the day with us, Aunt Shelley also gave Sage money to spend at the store for her birthday and Christmas!  Lucky girl to have an Aunt that would take the time to come spend such a special day with her. 

American Girl Trip: Part I

We decided for this year to celebrate Sage's 6th birthday we would take a Girls Trip to Chicago.  We met our old neighbors and friends Rebecca and Lydia.  Lydia had a birthday in September and Sage's in November so we went in the middle in October.  We had an amazing trip.  We stayed the first night with Elise.  We had fun catching up and relaixng.  Aunt Shelley came in for the day and arrived early Saturday morning.  We were so glad she came to spend the day with us.  Sage was so excited.  It was such a fun day with memories that will last a lifetime.  Elise drove us into the city and we met Rebecca and Lydia at our hotel for the night.  Off we went to the store!

 We have arrived!

 The girls were so excited!

 This was Ann, our personal shopper.  We were so thankful for Ann!  She gave us a tour of the store and started off by showing the girls each of the dolls.  She had them each pick their favorites.  She then showed us the outfits and accessories.  She grabbed a bag and each time the girls liked an item it went in the bag.  She reminded the girls that the bag was a wish list and we would go through it at the end of shopping and pick out their favorites.  Ann was amazing!  The store is overwhelming to adults, let alone the kids.  Having Ann as our personal shopper was a free service they offer.  So glad we did that!  Made it so much fun!  We let her know what our budget was and we shopped accordingly!

Orchard with Friends

I was lucky enough to see some great friends a few weeks ago.  So nice with our move back that we get to see our dear friends more often - I love it!  We went to the orchard on a Saturday morning.  It was a very COLD fall day, we were all bundled up.  The kids ran through the hay maze, played on the playsets, ran through the obstacle course, and the adults enjoyed the bonfires that were sporadically placed around the festivities.  We all went on a hayride and then headed to lunch to warm up.  I look forward to many more outings like this!

 Who wants to run through a hay maze when you can run on top of it!

 Sage and Garrett checking out the tractor.  

 Loved seeing Elise and meeting her fiance for the first time.  

 Ethan and Quinn on the hayride.

 Amy Sue, Jen, Elise and I

Our whole group!