Friends and such

5 years? Had it really been that long since I'd seen my dear friend and college roomie, Amy? It had. It was entirely too long! Amy and I met up last week with our families halfway in between Columbus and here at the outlets. It was a great place to meet. The moms could shop and the kids could play on the playground they have there with their daddy's. It was like old times, except we now have post kid bodies and kiddos running around. We laughed, talked, talked some more, ate. It was just like old times, but entirely way too short of a visit. We vowed that never again would we go 5 years without seeing each other. I hope that's true! Love you Amy!

It was fun to have our kiddos meet up. Amy has the most adorable little boy, Noah. Isabel was fond of him and wondered why her visit with her new friend was so short.

Over the weekend "our" Laura got engaged. We are so excited for her and Josh! Not to mention, Isabel is thrilled to be the flower girl at their wedding, even though she has no idea what that really is. If anyone has any flower girl practice tips let me know.

Speaking of Isabel, when did my little girl all of a sudden start to look like teenager? I do love her spunk...for now:)
And then there's Ana...Mess maker, mess maker, make me a mess. She has been the best little mess maker lately, wherever she goes. I remember my parents saying Hurricane Candace came through my room when I was a kid. I think Ana might take after me.

Who me? Ana's mess in the kitchen...

Ana's mess in her room...

pretty much with anything, anywhere, she makes a mess.

Ana's walking - kinda, sorta, when she feels like it

Isabel's 1st movie

Isabel's first movie...and maybe her last with movie theater prices as high as they are (at least until she gets her own job). We had fun though!:)

Spontaneous Road Trip

Sunday afternoon Lee got home from church around 3:00. About 10 min. later we got a phone call from my parents saying, "Hey, we're headed to Shipshewana, IN for the night, wanna meet us there?" So...we said, "why not?" We packed in about 15 min. and left. What we thought would be a 4 hour trip took us 5, but what's one more hour? A lot when you have a little one-year-old saying, "Done, done," the entire last hour:)

We arrived at the hotel and Isabel was THRILLED to see see her Papa and Grandma. I was thrilled when she got out of the car and ASKED if she could run across the parking lot to my dad. She also LOVED the fact that she got to go swimming at nine at night and didn't have to go to bed.

A little someone enjoyed a Queen bed all to herself

So Labor day we went into the town of Shipshewana. If you haven't been there it's an Amish town that is known for their auctions and flea markets. It was fun for the girls cause they got to see lots of livestock - horses, cows, etc. We spent morning at a HUGE flea market and found things we never knew we needed...not to mention the most delicious Amish cookies.

Flea market buys: cute hat and rubber duckies

Isabel's flea market buy, which now resides in our flower bed

What's new?

Okay, this is the post where I kind of try to play catch up cause I haven't posted anything forever. We've had some changes in our life recently, some big, some little, but none the less they are change.

New thing #1
Probably the biggest one, is we have our dear friend, or as Isabel would say, "Our Laura," living with us now. She takes residence in our basement! We adore having here, even though we don't see her much, but enjoy the times we do. Most of the reason we don't see her much is because of the significant other in her life, Josh, whom Isabel has already claimed that she is going to marry. Lee and I both lived with families in our single days and feel so blessed now to be able to share our home in that way.

Here's an adorable picture of the couple!:)

New thing #2
We said goodbye to our dear small group leaders, Blair and Sue (and Katie) who have been called to share the gospel with the people of Albania. We miss them! This was one last group shot we got (although still missing a few) before they left.

New thing #3
Also, going along with the small group theme, we celebrated the wedding of one of the lovely couples in our group! Congrats Rob and Jess!!!

New thing #4
We got a new kitchen faucet! I LOVE it! Nothing was really wrong with our old one. It was just something we'd wanted to upgrade for some time and finally did! Now on to a new kitchen sink, back splash...ahhh...maybe someday!:)

New thing #5
The beginning of Fall. I know many who are thrilled about the Fall/Harvest season. It's their favorite time of year. For me, it's not. Not that I don't like it, but I just LOVE summer! It makes me sad to see it go! Maybe it's the fact that growing up in MI our summer was only about 2.5 to 3 months long, so when it came, it came fast and you really had to enjoy it. Anywoo, here was a fall-ish like morning we spent with friends at the Creation Museum gardens/petting zoo.

New thing #6
Here's a few new things about Ana: She loves to stand like this. It cracks me up every time she does it. She has two new teeth coming in, and she's still not walking, but will stand on her own now.
So...that's about us. What's new with you???:)