Good Times

Leah really put me through the ringer her first year of life, but she is pure delight now.  This is the golden age.  I am taking Leah to Massachusetts this week to show her off to my old colleagues and friends.  

This past Saturday we had fun spending the day at Brant and Amie's house.  The kids had fun jumping around in Dylan's new bounce house.  Amie considered renting one for his birthday, but since the purchase price wasn't much higher, she just bought one.  Last night we had some Sterling friends over to brew and we made our first fire of the season.  I didn't take any pictures this weekend, but we had a lot of fun.        

Sarah and Greg's Wedding

Sarah and Greg had a beautiful outdoor wedding at a Ski Resort in Wisconsin.  The weather was absolutely perfect and the ceremony was very special.  Some highlights were the personal letters they read to each other before reciting the traditional vows, the music which was lead by Charity, the communion taken by Sarah and Greg, and of course the reaction of Greg to Sarah coming down the aisle.  She looked gorgeous!  After the ceremony we rode the chairlift up the hill and had a champagne toast.  Then we went back down to the lodge for dinner and dancing.  We hung out with Jeff and Charity most of the night, but also reconnected with some old friends.  We especially enjoyed seeing Jessica again, catching up with Carrie from Augustana, getting to know Heidi and her boyfriend David better, and sitting around talking with Sarah's small group from Chicago.  The next day we got to see the apartment that Sarah and Greg will be living in and visit some more with Julie and Jessica.  We even did a little furniture rearranging because that's the kind of friends we are.  Congratulations Sarah and Greg! 

Carly's 1st Birthday

The Fab Five, the five babies born to us Augie friends in 2008, are now all turning 1.  We went to Carly's birthday party this past Saturday.  It was nice to see Kim and her family.  Leah and Carly didn't interact, but Jadon had fun playing with the other kids that were there.  The highlight was finding and playing with a real frog.  He also enjoyed eating dirt and worms (dirt dessert).  Leah had fun climbing on Carly's new sandbox and watching her open all the presents.

Jadon Takes his Cousins for a Ride

The Sackett's Visit

Stephanie and her family came all the way from Grand Rapids to Sterling for a visit.  They stayed for 2 days and we went swimming a few times at their hotel.  We also had a tea party, played in the back yard, walked across the pedestrian bridge, went out for Spaghetti pizza, and went to a couple parks.  The kids had a lot of fun and I really enjoyed time with my sister.  We had some good conversations and even went out for a drink one night.  I wish we lived in the same town so we could do it all more often.  

Sarah's Bachelorette Party

On Saturday Charity and I drove into Chicago to celebrate Sarah's last week of being a swingin' single.  We met up with everyone at the D.O.C. Wine Bar in the Lincoln Park neighborhood.  We had a private room with a fireplace in the back and enjoyed some wine flights and delicious food.  Thanks Heidi and Julie!  Then we went to La Taberna Tapatia for tapas.  We enjoyed lively conversation, especially reminiscing about how God brought Sarah and Greg together and how their relationship progressed.  We didn't get too crazy, but we definately had fun girl bonding time.  One week from today Sarah will be walking down the aisle!  

Ms. Independent

Leah is almost 15 months old, but she's convinced she's a big kid like Jadon.  She follows him around and tries to do everything he's doing.  Her favorite activity is climbing.  She's quite the little daredevil. She's a proficient walker and now tries to run.  She loves to do backbends, especially when you hold her close and ask for kisses.  In this picture she's feeding herself.  Leah has definately entered the toddler phase and keeps us well entertained.