Old Friends

These gals are my old teaching buddies from what seems like a lifetime ago! We reconnected with one another to send Ann and her family off to Amsterdam. What an adventure! And what fun to reminisce about old times.

MND Families

I have a special group of girlfriends that I've known for years and years (and some of them even more years!) and we've been meeting for dinner faithfully one Monday night per month for the last 6+ years. I cannot begin to tell you how much of a blessing these friendships are! We recently got together with our husbands and kids for a pool party on a hot sunny day and it was SO much fun!! (Thanks to the Gucks for hosting us and providing this picture!)

Redlegs Run

I recently did the Redlegs run with some friends, a 10k that ended on the field at Great American Ballpark. It was a beautiful morning, perfect actually! We had such a fun time together. And, I'm planning to train for my first half marathon, here in Cincinnati in October! (This photo was passed to me by my friend, Laura)

Memorial Day Parade

We enjoyed the Memorial Day Parade in our neighborhood this year. Corinne and Brett actually participated by walking with some of the other Sycamore youth soccer players in the parade. Ellen and Sophie and I waited and watched for them to walk by. We had a blast and will definitely do it again next year!

Curly Heads and Flip Flops

E on left, S on right. This photo says summer to me!

Birthday Fun

Just a few pictures from the birthday celebration we had with family. The girls picked out the Rainbow cake for me to make with gelatin layers. Not my favorite, but it was exciting for the girls to surprise everyone with the rainbow inside.

Happy Birthday!

Ellen and Sophie are FOUR! They had a great day at school on their birthday, followed by a picnic lunch at the park with friends and cousins. We went out to dinner after a tour of the girls' fantastic new elementary school (where Corinne will be going beginning next year). And then we ended their special day with red popsicles! It's hard to believe we don't have "little" girls anymore. They are growing up! 

Muffins with Moms

On Ellen and Sophie's birthday their pre-school held a special "Muffins with Moms" celebration. They sang some sweet songs about moms and then we got a special muffin and lemonade "brunch" in their classroom. It was a nice morning and I was so happy to be there with them. They also made us some Mother's Day gifts and special Mother's Day cards. I cannot believe their first year of pre-school is already coming to an end. It's been a great year!

Early Morning Fun

Recently Ellen and Sophie were up early (this is happening a lot these days with the sun coming up so much earlier) and they decided to wait at the window for the garbage trucks. While they waited they began playing a game of "I Spy" together. By the time I started taking video they were winding down. But listen carefully and you'll hear Sophie say, "I spy with my little eye...I spy with my little eye something white, again". And Ellen responds "This is going to be a tough one!" I just had to laugh...!

The View

This is the view from Corinne's window. Amazing! Since this picture was taken one baby bird has hatched and we are now awaiting the arrival of the other two. It has been a constant source of anticipation and joy and awe for all of us. Truly. Corinne tells me that sometimes she stands at the window after we tuck her in at bedtime (we'll let that go for now) and she reports that she saw the mother bird bring a worm back to the baby! I thought that sounded pretty cool. Then I saw it happen myself and it was INCREDIBLE. To see that baby bird sit up and open it's beak as wide as it could go and to watch that mother bird drop that worm right in was downright amazing. It was really quite miraculous. One of the coolest things I've seen. It just reminded me how God provides miracles like this for us to see everyday, right there in His creation. We just have to notice the view. It's not lost on Sophie, she gets up everyday to check on that mother bird and her nest. Priceless!