Love All

Derek is begging us to enroll him in a tennis program. He has to wait 3 more years until he's old enough, but he is just itching to join! Just look at that face....Can't you just hear him saying, "...but Mommy, pleeease??" Ha!

An Evening Out

One of Ryan's high school friends had a surprise 30th birthday party over the weekend. It was so much fun to have a night out on the town. The party was held at The Upper Room Martini Bar in Broadripple. What a classy place! Apparantly Peyton Manning and his buddies claim this as their hangout, which only added to my excitement. :)

It's always a good time to get together with Ryan's high school friends. They're great people, and it's always a treat to see them. Happy 30th Birthday, Brian!

Brian the birthday boy and Ryan
Ryan, Jeff and Justin

Just us

This DJ was so great, and he absolutely cracked me up ;)

Play Date

My friend Amanda and her son Zackary came over to visit Derek and I last week. It was Derek's first real play date. Too bad he didn't last very long before he got cranky and needed a nap. Zackary didn't mind too much. He is the most content baby boy! He is such a sweetie complete with an adorable smile.

Amanda and I had a nice time chatting over warm tea. It's so comforting to have another Mom to discuss baby topics with and to have a few laughs with, too. We can't wait for the next play date!

One Year Old!

Happy 1st Birthday, Derek Reid!!! To celebrate his big day, we threw a birthday party for him over the weekend. We had a fun time with family, and boy did they spoil him rotten!

Derek Fun Facts:

-His way of greeting people is with a fake cough
-He can climb a flight of stairs in less than a minute
-He is already exercising selective hearing
-He loves to play catch
-He is such a happy boy
-He loves attention from the ladies
-He is a social butterfly just like his Daddy
-He is a fast crawler, but hasn't attempted that first step yet
-He has 2 bottom teeth, and 1 upper just poked through yesterday
-He kicks his legs and laughs out of excitement when he knows it's bath time
-He thinks every object should roll like a ball

A Little Dab'll Do Ya

An apple orchard, a 60 degree and sunny November day, late night conversation and laughs complete with dessert and wine. Does it get any better than this? When it's being shared with Daren, Angela and Isaac it does!

We met Daren and Angela during our college years and ended up moving to Colorado within a month of each other and then ended up moving back to Indiana within a week of each other. We are blessed to call them our friends.

Their 8-month old son Isaac was such a great host as well. He greeted us with a huge smile, a wave, and even little kisses. He is already really good at sharing, and he let Derek play with all of his toys. It was so cute to see the boys interact together.

Before heading home we were able to visit Ryan's parents, Gary and Debby. Gary took Derek for a mower ride, which he wasn't too sure about. Debby found all kinds of kitchen utensils to keep Derek entertained, and he loved all the different gadgets. Ryan's Granny, Uncle Jim, Uncle Jeff and Aunt Glennda were also there, so it was great to get to visit with them as well!

Togetherness

It had been 2 years since we were last able to be with my brother and his family from Arizona, so we were beyond elated to have Jake, his wife Kim and their 3 kids (plus 1 on the way!) here for a visit! We were finally able to meet their youngest, Selah Hope, and they were finally able to meet Derek Reid. It was so great just spending time with them and watching Derek play with his cousins. We treasured our time together because we don't know when the next time will be that we will all be together again. What fun we had!

Fall Walks

What a most beautiful time of year. Yesterday we took advantage of an autumn walk with Derek and Collin, too of course. Derek absolutely loves being outdoors soaking in the sun and fresh air while he's bundled up and cozy in his stroller. This time next year he'll be walking with us!