we're home!

We survived our trip to Chicago with the Bentonville Children's Choir (we took them up there to perform in The Windy City Choral Festival) and we had such a great time! The whole trip was just amazing and we have a gazillion pictures to share, but I need to get caught up on sleep and laundry first... but I'll upload more photos soon.

on the road again

I think Audrie fits perfectly...
I'm sure we'll have a few photos to share from our trip when we return! :)

too many to choose

We're still trying to sort through all the wonderful photos that Kim did for us and it's impossible to pick our favorites. (I told Jamie we just need to move to a bigger house with more wall space so we can hang all these photos!)

It's sort of becoming a tradition to go to Andy's for ice cream after our yearly photos with Kim.

I sometimes still can't believe we have such a talented sister-in-law in our family! Is this really the same girl I met at summer camp 15 years ago??

blond baby

If I don't put a hair bow on Audrie's head when we go out there is a good chance she will be called a boy. (I'm not sure if it's because of her lack of hair or because she looks so much like Jamie, but she has been called a boy a few times.) Yesterday Jamie got a wig out that I wore for Halloween a few years ago and put it on Audrie!! It was really funny but also a little disturbing...

summer deck party

We threw a deck party this weekend in honor of "the start of summer and the end of my youth". So it was sort of a belated birthday party but we just thought it was good excuse to get some friends together for a party on the deck.

Daisies are my favorite flower so I put a couple bouquets outside.
Jamie fired up the grill and we had a feast of way too much food!And our favorite summer drink, Sangria!
It was nice having everyone over even if it was a little warm outside!

Finally the sun set and it cooled off enough to start up the fire pit.
and a competitive game of washers!

Emma made a new best friend.

Crazy things happen when you let Jacob stay up til midnight, but it's not every day your aunt turns 30.

Thanks everyone for helping me celebrate my old age!

tennis and bluegrass

Jamie competed in a tennis tournament today and so Audrie and I went along to be his cheerleaders! Audrie actually was pretty interested in watching the courts.
And she had to wear her new tennis dress of course!

Check out this smokin' hot tennis player...!

And he even does that proud tennis fist pump when he aces his opponents...
And then this evening we got cleaned up from our hot day in the sun and went to Jim and Rhonald's gradutation party (they graduated from the hospital residency program and are "real" doctor's now!). The party was at Whole Hog BBQ and they hired a live bluegrass band- so fun! As the band was getting started I took Audrie up front so she could see the instruments and watch them play. She seemed to really enjoy the music!

She's used to being surrounded by music throughout my pregnancy, so I like to think that she already has an "ear" for musical sounds.
Even though bluegrass isn't my favorite music style- this band was really good! I was very impressed with their music!



This is what little Ben thought of the music...

Cole was a happy guy in the sling with his momma.

Of course the food was amazing. I'm not sure who ate more ribs- Jim, Jamie or Rhonald... but it was all so tasty we all ate too much!
Audrie had a great time even though she was so tired from a big day.

She smiled and put on a happy face for awhile.

But then she crashed. She loves being in this sling and slept like a rock (even with lots of people and a live band playing in the room).

Poor girl has to get her sleep. But I knew how she felt... I was pretty worn out myself.

I think we'll all sleep in tomorrow...