Curtis Orchard

On Saturday we had a great adventure, one Grace had been looking forward to all week. We got together with my college girlfriends for a fun day. While we were super disappointed Lindsay and Bethany and their kids didn't get to come, we had a lot of fun! Grace had been talking about picking apples constantly. We have never been to an orchard before. When we left early Saturday morning she was chatting about it with me and was very disappointed we were going to Abby's house first to eat. She declared that she wasn't hungry! But, I convinced her it would be very close to the orchard. She then decided she would just go out in the backyard and pick apples while we had lunch. (Nope, not that close!) She was trying to figure out who Abby was (she knows everyone by Sadie's mom, Hannah's mom, etc.) I was explaining that Abby didn't have children yet. She informed me she thought maybe she did and I just didn't know. (Nope no kiddos, but Grace loved the dog, so Abby is probably Lola's mom now!) I was so glad we go to go to Abby's house. It was super cute and she made us this delicious brunch. Faith LOVED the French Toast casserole. (maybe because in her sugar restricted world she thought it was like having dessert for breakfast) After brunch we headed to the Orchard.

I think Grace ate at least two whole apples while we were picking!
We had quite the crew with five kids and three strollers.
Faith also loved the orchard experience and proudly picked apples.
The closest thing I got to a group photo, Grace is still eating! Grace, Sadie, Hannah, & Faith

I was one exhausted pregnant Mama by the time we got in the car to go home. We didn't even do all the "extra" fun activities the orchard offered. But, the girls seemed okay with it considering the fell asleep before we even got out of the parking lot. Even though I was exhausted it was totally worth it to spend time with my girlfriends and see how much fun the girls had!
Grace & Sadie showing how big they are. I feel so blessed to have such awesome Christian girlfriends. It has definitely made me pray my girls will one day get to experience this type of friendship.

A Fun Weekend Away

Last weekend our family had a super fun 1/2 weekend away. We packed as much fun into 28 hours as we could! Our main reason for the trip was attending Matt & Elsa's wedding. Matt lived with Jeremy in college and we were so excited to see him because he is a missionary in Venezuela and we haven't seen him since I was pregnant with Faith!

On Friday night there was a shower for Elsa and a "bachelor" party for Matt (even though I think every guy there was married except one). Or as Grace referred to the evening, " A boy party & a girl party." At first she was not convinced her dad needed to go to the boy party instead of coming with us.
Faith really enjoyed the chocolate fondue!!
That night we stayed in a hotel a VERY rare treat for our family. When Jeremy went in to check us in she asked, "We are going to sleep here tonight?" I explained that yes we would stay here. She got all upset and was worried she would miss her yellow house! I explained it is supposed to be fun and she didn't need to miss our house. She replied, "Like vacation, when we slept downstairs!" (we slept downstairs in the condo in the Ozarks) After that she was calmer. When her dad returned she informed him, "This is where we swim, but not tonight! We have to wait until tomorrow." Apparently she thought her dad would have trouble waiting. She however woke up promptly at 7 a.m. the next morning and the first words out of her mouth were, "Mom, I see the sun. Time to swim."
And swim we did, for at least 2 1/2 hours! You can't really tell in the picture but this pool is really small, more like an oversized hot tub. Grace could touch in the whole thing. This was a huge success with our kids. I was glad they weren't older though or I think they wouldn't have enjoyed it too much.
For lunch we had found a dinner that was featured on one of our favorite shows, "Drive-Inns, Diners, & Dives." We LOVED it. The food was great and super cheap. Both of the girls ate for free and got chocolate milk (a huge bonus for them.) Jeremy and I had horseshoes and we ate for like $13!
You can't see it in this picture, but the walls are covered with records and memorabilia. Grace loved playing I SPY while we waited for our food.
After lunch we went to the mall to get Jeremy a new hat. He really needed one and we hardly ever shop in Illinois. And when you shop in Missouri they don't have a huge Illini selection of hats. The girls enjoyed playing at the mall indoor play area. Then I ran to Target while the girls caught a mini-nap in the van with dad.

The wedding was fun because we got to see a TON of our friends. And the girls had fun playing with all their children. There were lots of kids running around. They took a CSC picture, but I didn't get one. So if someone has one let me know. We were so glad we could be a part of this special day for Matt & Elsa.

(My camera died after we took the one picture of us in the hotel room, so they rest of these pictures are borrowed from the hotel, someone else who visited Charlie Parker's, and Christi Reed)

My Birthday

So my birthday this year was a very real day in a lot of ways. (And I'm not talking the kind of "real" where you go on a date to a tropical paradise on a reality show) I'm talking the kind of real where you: clean your house, cook for your family, have an all out battle with your 3 year old (clearly she forgot it was my special day!), and all that kind of normal mommy stuff. But, there were some GREAT parts to my birthday and that is what I want to remember.

-On Thursday Jeremy surprised me and took me out for dinner. It was SO lovely. We figured out we had not been on a date all summer, so we both loved the time together. I had this delicious "green" salad with lots of green things on it like spinach, green apples, green grapes, and avocado. It was awesome! He took me to a shoe store and let me pick out a new pair of shoes. Then we got ice cream and it stopped raining so we were able to enjoy a walk down by the river.

-On Sunday night my kids surprised me by making cupcakes with their grandparents while I was at youth group. When I came in the door they came running to greet me. Grace gave me a huge hug and said, "I love you, Happy Birthday Mommy!" Faith kept saying cupcake over and over. We all blew out our own candle and they even helped sing happy birthday. My mom also brought me a framed pic of the girls, which will look amazing in our refinished basement (hopefully sometime soon!)

-On my actual Birthday several of my friends called to tell me happy birthday. My mom-0 (grandma) called and it was one of the highlights of my day. After dinner we took a walk and took the kids to the park. The weather was amazing and it was great to have family time.

-Today Jeremy continued a family tradition a day late. When I was growing up my mom would make breakfast on our birthday and we would eat it on our family's china. Jeremy has always done this for me, even when it was just us. This year he had an early meeting on my birthday but still did it today. This was the first year we let the girls eat on china too- they loved it! (Try and ignore my bed head in this picture!!)

-Oh, and Grace made me a birthday hat!

I am very blessed!