Bloomington Trip Day Two

On Wednesday Brandon gave us a short tour of the campus of Indiana University where he is getting his PhD and is also an adjunct Professor. It was super hot but a very pretty campus.


The hubbies pushing the strollers.


The Chasteen Family


The Roland Family


Looking at a little creek that runs through campus.


Such a big girl!


Anna and I





Kaitlin sitting up so big in the stroller!


Jack and Abigail


After touring the campus Brandon and Anna took us to one of their favorite ice cream stores and I was excited to see that they served coconut milk ice cream! Abigail and I happily partook! :-)


Here is a cute picture of Abigail giving Jack a hug! :-)

Bloomington Vacation Day One

Last week we had some extra vacation time we needed to use up this month so we decided to take a little family vacation to see some of our good friends, Brandon and Anna Chasteen. I grew up with both of them from 11 years on. We played together at church, went to movies together as teens, hung out all the time, and saw each other get married! (They got married about 6 years before me though. I had to wait a little while longer for my Prince Charming! Hehe...)

In 2008, when I moved up to Kentucky, the Chasteens also moved to Indiana. Their new hometown is only a couple hours away from us here. Somehow, in the first three years of us all living up here, we never saw each other. Then, this past Christmas they invited our little family to come for a visit and we were able to go. We had a fabulous time together and Kyle got along great with them as well! We were excited to plan another trip back. However, it took a while since we moved and had a baby this spring. So this last week was the perfect timing because Abigail was finally old enough to enjoy playing with theirs kids.

We drove over Monday evening. Tuesday morning us moms got the kids ready and we went to their church's Mom's Playgroup at a park. It was so much fun!


Jack and Abigail
We piled all five kiddos into their mini van. I know some people will think I'm crazy, but I can't wait to own a mini van! It's so wonderful to be able to ride together with friends!


Kaitlin, Elissa, and Eliot


Abigail loved the slides at the park!!


She loves to be active and going!

One of the best parts about visiting the Chasteens is that Anna is a fabulous cook! We love to eat her cooking. She makes almost everything from scratch and it's all delish! I hope that one day I will be as good of a cook at she is! :-)


Anna and Elissa cooking together.


Us girls! (Minus Abigail who was already in bed.)

Kaitlin Jane Is 2 Months Old!

Ok, technically she is 10 weeks 4 days old. Haha... At least I'm writing this before she turns 3 months old, right? ;-)

Kaitlin is growing like a weed! At her two month appointment this past Monday (10 weeks), she was 11lbs 13oz and 25 inches long! She's grown 5 inches since birth! I'm pretty sure she has inherited her Daddy's height! :-)


She is definitely full of personality and TONS of smiles!! She is already "laughing" too. It's funny because it sounds like a cough. Haha... She is very much a people person and likes to be in the room where all the action is at!


It's adorable to watch her little face light up when Abigail comes over to her! She loves her big Sissy!


Kaitlin is big enough now to sit up in our stroller and look around while we're out for a stroll. She loves to constantly move her arms and legs. She's done that most of her life so I know I better gear up for a high-energy child! She will definitely be able to keep up with Abigail! Haha...


Kaitlin loves for us to talk to her and she can even coo in response! She brings our family so much joy and happiness! We are so in love with our baby Sissy! :-)

Family Photo Shoot

We are blessed to have some wonderful friends who are great photographers! One of them is our good friend, Jason Coobs. He and his wife, Jenny, and daughter, Anna Kate, are very dear friends of ours and have been apart of my life even before Kyle and I met. They have seen us walk through each stage of our life together (dating, engagement, marriage, and kids) and Jason has documented them all. He shot our engagement photos, wedding photos, and now family photos. He has a wonderful eye for photography and is gifted in his work!

Now that Kaitlin Jane has joined our family, we wanted to get updated pictures and some especially of her before she grows too much! In the following pictures Abigail is 18 months and Kaitlin is 1 month (5 weeks). I could post a ton because they are all so good, but I'll restrain myself to a few of my favorites! :-) Enjoy!

My Mom sewed this blanket for Kaitlin! It took her many hours and it turned out beautifully!

Farmer's Market!

This morning we enjoyed going as a family to the Farmer's Market! We decided to splurge and eat breakfast there too. It was so much fun to be able to partake in the festivities instead of just walking around (what we normally do).


It was really sunny but not too hot quite yet, at least not at 9:30am!


Kyle tried a crepe filled with nutella and blackberries. Yum!


Abigail and I shared farm-fresh bacon and eggs. They were AMAZING!!! Both had SO much flavor! It goes to show that free-range eggs and bacon are so much more yummy and better for you than those sad, pale, eggs from the store! :-)


Abigail enjoying a succulent fresh peach! Mmmm...


Kyle picked out some fresh corn for us...


...and Abigail chowed down on freshly popped kettle corn!

What a super fun Saturday morning!