Diana Krall at Ravinia

Julie Roper treated me, Sarah, Charity, Julie, Heidi, and Charity to a fun evening at Ravinia.  We enjoyed a yummy picnic and good conversation.  I found my parents and visited with them for short while.  I also ran into Jordyn's sisters, Alyssa and Megan.  I have fond memories of going to Ravinia with my family and yesterday I got to enjoy it with my friends.

Ravinia in the Rain

...and then it started to rain.  We took cover under a couple umbrellas and a tarp.  It was a comical situation which some found funnier than others.  The rain added an adventurous feel to the evening, but distracted us from the music which was so good.  It was a memorable evening with friends.  Thanks Julie!

Krista's New Baby

On Friday morning I got a call that Krista was on her way to the hospital and about an hour later I got a call that the baby had been born.  They had waited to find out the sex, so Krista informed me that it was a boy and they named him Micah Dane.  Yesterday I visited them in the hospital.  Micah was the spitting image of Brecken when he was a baby- so adorable!  Brecken kept running over to Micah saying, "I want to give my baby a kiss."  How sweet!  We are so excited for our dear friends!  (These are Krista's pics from her Facebook announcement.)

Little Heroes' Teatime

Krista was due on Father's Day, so we are anxiously waiting to hear when she goes in labor.  In the meantime, she and Brecken came over this morning for a little playtime. The kids had fun playing dress-up and putting out pretend fires.  Jadon was hilarious as he ran around shouting, "I'm Fatman!"  All that running must have made them thirsty because when I returned from switching the laundry, they were setting up a "tea party".  I guess our little heroes aren't too manly to have tea parties.  

Along the Canal

This past Friday night, newlyweds Sarah and Greg, and our good friend Julie came out for a weekend visit.  It was great to debrief the wedding and hear about the Gunderson's honeymoon in Italy.  Brian and Greg spent Saturday morning working on a house with Habitat for Humanity.  Us girls took the kids in the jogging stroller and got a little exercise.  I took them on one of my favorite running routes across the pedestrian bridge and along the canal.  Brian and I always enjoy hanging out with this group and I appreciate how attentive and fun they are with the kids.    

Bottling Beer

OK, these look like some incriminating photos, but I can assure you we were having good clean fun.  Brian enjoys making beer and involving his friends in the process.  As far as consuming goes, it's about quality- not quantity.  Jeff and Charity came down for the evening to join the rest of the group.  After bottling the beer we hung out in the backyard.  The kids enjoyed the "beach"experience- playing in both the pools and the sandbox.  Then we had a yummy BBQ dinner.  What a great weekend with friends!

Picnic with the Attigs

If you asked Jadon, "What do you want to do today?", a likely response would be, "Go to Eli's house!"  Eli and the rest of the Attig family live in Walnut, about 20 minutes south of Sterling. Lori is one of my good friends in this area and we enjoy getting our kids together for playdates.  Jadon particularly likes going to their house because of their extensive car collection.  This past Friday we had a picnic in their backyard and enjoyed playing outside on the swingset, in the sandbox, and on the trampoline.  Lori was getting little Alex to giggle quite a bit in his swing.  It was so cute!

Last Soccer Game

Jadon had his last of 6 soccer games tonight.  It may be his last for a very long time.  Brian and I are eager parents that want to provide our kids with lots of stimulating experiences, but we are learning that some things can wait...like organized sports.  Jadon was a reluctant participant who would rather run around and play freely than get in line, do drills, and join an intimidating game.  Brian finally succeeded in getting Jadon to participate in the last 2 games by running out there with the team, getting Jadon to pretend he was a race car chasing the ball, and rewarding him each time he kicked the ball with a big throw in the air.  That is a lot of work.  However, I am proud of Jadon for getting in the game and, as you can see from his red face, getting some good exercise.  I think in another year or two this would have been a great experience.      

"Brecken's My Best Friend"

Today Brian and Jadon went to "Touch a Truck".  Jadon had fun exploring and playing in the trucks with Brecken.  He and Brecken do just about everything together, soccer, swim lessons, preschool, Sunday School, Awanas, and playdates.  This past Thursday when Jadon spotted Brecken on the soccer field he said, "Brecken's my best friend."  They really do get along well.  

More Pics from MA

Dave Holuk captured some fun moments and group shots from our cookout with Calvary friends.  Leah and I had fun playing with each other's soes.  She put on my shoes all by herself and walked across the room.  It was pretty cute.  You may be wondering what Jadon was doing while we were away.  Deb watched him while Brian was at work.  One day they bought a goldfish and set up a fishbowl to have at grandma's house.  Brian took Jadon bowling for the first time.  He said that Jadon was excited to put on the special shoes.  They put bumpers down in his lane and gave Jadon a ramp.  He would set the bowling ball on the ramp, push it, and watch it roll down the lane to knock over the pins.  Jadon insisted on selecting the heaviest balls and Brian said that he was all sweaty by the end of the night.  That made me laugh.  Brian also took Jadon to his first movie at the theater.  They saw "Up".  Jadon had a hard time with the 3-D glasses, but enjoyed the whole experience.  Brian and Jadon came to pick us up at the airport on Sunday night.  They were hiding and jumped out to "scare" us as we were walking through the baggage claim area.  Jadon ran up to me, wearing his Lightening McQueen pj's, with a big grin on his face and gave me a big hug and lots of kisses.  I think it was the most affection he every displayed toward me and I have to say it was a wonderful mom moment.  It was a great trip, but also nice to get home to my guys.  

Visiting Friends in Ipswich

I took Leah to Boston for four days this past weekend.  I was invited to a Retirement Reception for my former principal and I thought it was a great opportunity to go back and visit all my old colleagues and friends.  On Thursday we went to Dr. Cooper's reception in the Doyon library.  I also visited with my friend Linda who replaced me as Doyon's art teacher.  I miss teaching art and it was fun walking around her room and down memory lane.  That night I went over to Kathleen's house for dinner.  We became friends when I used to teach her daughters and we started running art camp together.  I enjoyed catching up with them.  On Friday night, Sue and Sharon watched Leah while I went to dinner with my friend Aimee.  Aimee taught art at the other elementary school in my district and we became good friends and art buddies.  For old times sake, after dinner we went to Dunkin Donuts for a coffee.  We had great conversation.  I'm glad I went back to maintain the relationships that mean so much to me.

Catching up with Calvary Friends

Sue and Sharon hosted a Cookout on Saturday night and some friends from Calvary Baptist Church came over to visit and meet Leah.  We saw the Coffeys, DosSantos', Broughtons, and Holuks.  I got to meet Alex and Christine's son Nathan who is just a month older than Leah.  He was a real cutie!  I also got to visit with my dear friend Nancy who is undergoing cancer treatments. The next day I went to church.  It was great to see Calvary thriving and the worship service was great.    

Enjoying Boston

Staying with Sue and Sharon was one of the best parts of our trip.  They were very hospitable and fun.  On Friday they took Leah and me downtown.  We ate and shopped at Quincy Market, which was a mob of school groups, but still fun.  Sharon and Leah tried on some Lobster hats.  Then we walked over to Boston Gardens.  Leah had fun climbing on the "Make Way for Duckling" sculptures.  On Saturday we went to Salem Willows.  Leah especially enjoyed walking on the pier.  She wasn't too happy taking a picture with Sue and Sharon.  I think she was afraid I was going to leave her again.  Thanks Sue and Sharon for all you did to make our trip special!