Hanging with Audrey & Jillian

On Tuesday Eli and I met one of my old college friends and one of her daughters (she has 5 kids!) in Michigan City. Audrey was my best friend at Valparaiso University (the first college I went to). I hadn't seen her since graduation in 1994! It was so nice to reconnect. She lives in Valparaiso now, so we decided to meet half way at the Lighthouse Outlets. We did a little shopping and then had lunch at Applebee's. Eli and Jillian got along great! It was such a nice day and hope we can get together again soon....definitely not wait another 15 years!

A Morning with Grandma and Paw Paw

Last Saturday Grandma and Paw Paw picked Eli up to go to the Lowe's Kids Clinic. They were building a helicopter. Eli was very excited to also see his friend, Drew Krause, there.


After Lowe's they headed to Hubbard Hill to visit Great-Grandma Jean. Eli had lots of fun entertaining Grandma Jean. She even gave Eli a dog stuffed animal, which he named Coupon (don't have any idea where that came from).
They then ended their morning by having lunch at Wendy's....one of Eli's favorite places. Eli came home so happy and excited from his morning. Thank you Grandma and Paw Paw!

An Evening at the Fair

We went to the 4-H Fair this past Saturday hoping to go see the Demolition Derby, however, we didn't get their early enough....they weren't letting anyone else into the stands. We ended up just walking around and, of course, eating all the food. Eli got to ride some of the kiddie rides, too. It really hit me this year how grown up Eli is now, watching him get on the rides and buckle himself in. Time goes so fast! Eli also played a fishing game and won a little motorcycle (pretty much junk, but he loves it). Also, Eli got to ride the toddler cars around a course and he earned a driver's license....so cute! (Daddy wasn't too thrilled that he picked the pink car though.) We finished off the night by letting Eli take a pony ride, which he loves. Next year we'll definitely go on a different night so we can see all the animals and enjoy it a little more.

Eli's First Date

On Friday night we met Scott, Micki and Grace Kidder for dinner and a movie. We went to Logan's Steakhouse, then headed over to the theater to watch "G-Force". Another couple that are friends with the Kidders met up with us, too, with their daughter, Lilly and son, Caden. Eli loved hanging with the girls....he's a big flirt. (Uh oh....please say we won't have another Scott Coryn on our hands!) We then ended the evening with some yummy ice cream from Culvers. Fun time with friends!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

This Thursday was Grandma's birthday! We celebrated by going to Heinnies for dinner. Scott and both of his brothers went together to buy Grandma a laptop computer for her birthday. Also, Eli picked out some pretty flowers for Grandma. It was a very nice evening.

Happy Birthday Grandma! We love you!

Poor Riley

Last week our dog Riley tore her ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament), so on Monday we had to take her in to get surgery. Today we picked her up.....poor girl. She came home with a cone on her head, but it didn't stay on for long. She hated it and whined all day. We decided to put one of Eli's shirts on her leg so she couldn't lick her sore. So glad it worked. She's pretty drugged up and is pretty much living in our closet for the next 6 to 8 weeks. This is going to be a long recovery (could be up to 8 months)....breaks my heart seeing my baby like this.

South Bend Silver Hawks Game

Monday night we went to the Silver Hawks game with Paw Paw and Grandma. Many of their friends also met us there. Eli enjoyed watching the baseball players, but enjoyed eating all the stadium food even more. Mommy even caught a hot dog (was thrown into the stands)!!! Eli also really enjoyed watching Swoop, the mascot. It was a fun night!




Eli is trying to catch a hot dog.








Hanging with Grandma.





Looking at Shelley's cell phone.

Cole's 3rd Birthday Bash

On Saturday one of Eli's best buddies, Cole Good, had his 3rd birthday party. He had a Mickey Mouse theme which Eli loved. The kids spent time playing on the swing set and with Cole's toys, especially Cole's new birthday John Deere Gator. Eli loved it! It was definitely a huge hit with all the kids. After eating, Cole opened all his gifts, and then we sang and had cupcakes...yum! The party was lots of fun. Eli (and we) had a great time!


Happy Birthday Cole!!!

An Evening with the Krauses

On Tuesday we went over to the Andy, Laura, Drew, Abby and Ellie Krause's house for dinner. Was a nice evening of good food (yummy ribs) and fun! Eli and Drew love playing together (check out the video below of the Belly Bump...love the giggles)! And the twins were SO good (and adorable)! Thanks Krauses for a nice evening! Love you guys!

It's A Boy!!!