Chicago Christmas

We spent Christmas in Chicago this year. We headed to Plainfield the night before Ryan's birthday. It was a week full of fun activities!!! For Ryan's birthday we went out on a triple-date for all-you-can-eat sushi followed by a chocolate fondue dessert at The Melting Pot. We had such a fun time eating and chatting with the Chans and Clarkes. The following day, we had yet ANOTHER date night. Ryan and I went out to dinner at Joy Yee and then went to see Jim Brickman in concert. He was playing nearby in Aurora, IL for his Christmas concert series. I think Ryan and I were one of the few couples there that didn't have white hair but Jim Brickman's music was such a joy to listen to. We played several Jim Brickman songs at our wedding so it was neat to hear several of those songs live in concert. On Christmas Day all 3 kids had a blast opening up all of their presents! The Barnett's also drove down to spend the day with us and we went to the Clarke's for a Christmas dinner. We got to play Alan and Melissa's new XBox360 Kinnect and got many laughs out of watching Catherine and Justin do a dance-off. We headed back to Michigan the day after Christmas. Here are a couple pictures to highlight our trip:

The boys sledding...


The gingerbread train that Carson, Ethan, Aunt Melissa, and Uncle Alan put together...

Happy Halloween!

We had a great time trick or treating with Johnna and Tori this Halloween! Kadence dressed up as a lady bug and Carson was Buzz Lightyear. We went to several of our friends and family's houses that night collecting candy and wishing them all a Happy Halloween.









Look at this cute little family!

Kadence is 6 Months Old!

Kadence turns 6 months old tomorrow. She went to the Dr. this morning and got 3 shots. Here are her stats:

Weight: 17 lbs. 5 oz (75%)
Height: 27 3/4 inches (98%)
Head Circ: 17 cm (75%)

Her favorite pastimes now are making loud noises, giggling, and drooling like crazy (but no teeth yet)! She has become quite a good eater and loves cauliflower. I haven't fed her anything she doesn't like yet, but she really goes to town when I feed her cauliflower!

The best way to soothe Kadence when she is crying is to have Carson sing her a song. It works EVERY time!

Just for comparison, Carson was 22 lbs. 12 oz. and 28 1/2 inches long at this age!!!

Here are some more pictures from her 6 month photo shoot.

Kicking Out Cancer

On October 23, 2010 Ryan and I had the honor of participating in the 1st annual Megan S. Ott Kickball Tournament. We had so much fun and what a great way it was for all of Megan's friends and family members to honor her. Megan was a friend of mine from the Fishers MOMS Club. She died 6 months ago, at the age of 34, after her 21-month fight with breast cancer.

The kickball tournament was followed by a dinner and silent auction and they were able to raise over $18,000 for Megan's foundation!!! We look forward to playing again next year!

(Thanks Mom and Dad for watching the kids so that we could be a part of this amazing event! :)

Here's a picture of Megan's husband and two daughters as the get ready to roll the first pitch.


Here we are - The Innies & Outies!!! 1/2 the team was from Fishers and the other 1/2 was from out of state, hence the name. We came in 11th place that day. (I guess I should also mention that there were only 12 teams, but hey, at least we didn't come in last! :)


Ryan in action...


Taking a break after one of the games...

Family Fun Day

We had a fun family day today! This morning we went hiking at a local park and took in all the beautiful Fall colors. I just love looking at all the tress this time of year. Here are some pics from our walk.















We ended our day with a game of bowling tonight. We did not take any pictures there but it was a lot of fun. Carson was so happy that he scored 42 points! :)

Fun on the Farm

We had a quick, fun trip back to Indiana this past weekend. We got to spend some time on the farm, celebrate Tori's 7th birthday, and go to a baby shower for my cousin. Here are some pictures from our trip.























Happy Birthday Tori!!!

Labor Day Weekend

What a fun Labor Day Weekend it was! Alan, Melissa, and Ethan came to visit from Chicago. The boys had so much fun playing together. We went downtown Ann Arbor to walk through the Farmer's Market and Kerrytown. We also made a pit stop at the wonderful Cupcake Station. I made several of my new favorite meals for them while they were here too: Cheese Fondue and Churrasco Steaks! We went to two different parks to let the boys burn off some energy and we also got to have date nights and go to the movie theater. Here are some of my favorite pics taken last weekend.













We also got to see Carson's best friend from New Jersey! They stayed two different nights with us while they were in Michigan visiting with their family. We were so happy to see them and catch up. Carson was so excited to see Isaac and Ben again. He (all the time) asks me to go to New Jersey to play with them. If only he knew how far away it is! :)

Here's a cute picture of the boys taken after their baths and right before bedtime.

Carson's First Day of Preschool

Yesterday was Carson's first day of preschool. He was so excited to go and had been asking me if he could go to school for the past 2 months! Here are some pictures from his first day.



Here he is showing us "Little Carson". When we went to Meet the Teacher last week, the teacher gave him this poster board cutout and told him to decorate it so that it looks just like him. He had to take it with him to the first day of class. It's hard to see but "Little Carson" does have a nose and mouth.



Showing off his new Lightning McQueen backpack!



When I picked him up, I could tell he had so much fun. On the car ride home, he talked non-stop about school. "Mommy! I cut circles, played with trains, ate Goldfish crackers, applesauce, and drank water. There are 2 girls and 5 boys....." I was so happy to hear all the details and know that he had a wonderful 1st day. Tomorrow he goes back for Day #2.

Kadence is 4 Months Old!

We went to the Dr. last week and here are her 4 month measurements:

Weight: 15 lbs 9 oz (87%)
Height: 26 inches (96%)
Head Circumference: 41.5 cm (50%)

Her favorite past times right now are blowing raspberries and playing with her feet. She's also started eating cereal and some fruits and veggies that mommy made for her. So far she's had zucchini and apples. Up next are pumpkin, yellow squash, and sweet potatoes!

This girl has been blessed with an abundance of hair! I always thought Carson had a lot of hair when he was a baby but not even close to the amount that Kadence has. We always get the cutest comments out in public about her head full of hair!

Below are Carson's 4 month pics and stats just for a fun comparison.





Carson's 4 month stats:

Weight: 19 lbs 6 oz (98%)
Height: 26 1/2 inches (91%)
Head Circumference: 44 cm (88%)