As we prepare for Thanksgiving on Thursday my heart is full of joy and thanks from a weekend filled with the very best things...good friends, sweet memories, and even a precious new life!
Friday night Mike and I got dressed up for a night out (yeah!) and went to GE's Grand Event held at the
Hall of Mirrors in the Hilton Hotel downtown. It was lovely in the ballroom, the food was great, and we enjoyed casino games with a few of Mike's colleagues from work. I'm pretty lucky when it comes to roulette but I found I'm even better when the money is #1: not ours and #2: not real!
Saturday we got up early and headed up to West Lafayette, IN and our alma mater
Purdue University!! It was a windy and cold but we still managed a walk around campus and even took a few pictures with Luke. Mike and I enjoyed reminiscing about college life and I was reminded again how blessed we were to have such happy memories.
My favorite part of being on campus was visiting
Greyhouse, the coffee shop that
PCCH recently renovated and opened. It is AMAZING!! As soon as we walked through the doors I felt the same sense of peace that I had each time I walked into Campus House. There was something so wonderfully familiar and easy about being there it felt like coming home. I could have spent hours just sipping my tea. However, since we had Luke with us I ordered my chai to go! Seriously, everything is just perfect and the vibe is so cool...if you ever have a chance to stop by it is worth the trip!!
Our fun day was capped off with dinner at O'Charley's where we were able to meet up with some of our dear friends from Maryland (also Purdue grads...except Mindy) who were on campus for the Old Oaken Bucket Game, Purdue v. IU. Purdue won 62-10 Go Boilermakers! But, IU did score 10 points...Go IU! (That's for Mindy!) We loved spending time with all of our friends and their terrific kiddos...Maya has the sweetest disposition and Ryan is SO smart! We hope to meet Oliver in person soon too- I can tell by
Mindy and Larry's blog he is a very sweet little boy! We had hoped to meet for breakfast the next morning but after a rough night (i.e. sleeping away from home can be hard...for kids and grown ups!) we decided to leave before breakfast. Luke slept almost all the way home (good for us!) and we got nice naps in the afternoon too. We hope to see all of our MD friends again very soon!!
Sunday evening after a yummy dinner with Mike's family we ended our weekend in the very best way...meeting
Lauren and Ryan's new blessing Gwyn Addison born Friday evening. She is just beautiful and there is nothing better than cuddling a brand new baby!! Celebrating her little life was the perfect end to a wonderful weekend!
Gwyn sleeping peacefully.
Congratulations Ryan and Lauren! We agree...she is perfect!!
Mommies and babies : ).
Hmm...wouldn't we be cute as a family of four? Mike says not to get any crazy ideas!
Three tired kids at the end of the evening! We were trying so hard to get a picture with all three of them looking in the same direction. Next time we'll try taking pictures before dinner instead of afterwards!
Time for bed!
We had so much fun on Tuesday sharing dinner with the McClains. Luke was very sweet with Gwyn! I think they are going to be good friends. : )
Last Sunday after breakfast Luke was playing with his walker and discovered it has a great built in cup holder. Such a handy spot for holding his sippy cup!
Now if only it came with a bear holder...
The other day I was taking a quick minute to check my email while Luke was playing next to me in the office. He crawled around the corner into the living room and I could hear him beginning to play...there are toys in the living room and I assumed he had found a toy. When I joined him I discovered Luke and Lily enjoying an afternoon snack. He had taken the "puffs" out of his diaper bag and was sharing them with his fury best friend! Lily loves it when Luke shares...what a team!!
Waiting patiently for dinner to begin...
Aunt Linda carving the delicious turkey!
Mmm...these sweet potatoes are soooo yummy!!
Everything was beautiful and the food was excellent!
So sweet!
Working the crowd!
Luke, Mommy, and Uncle Bob...Luke LOVES Daddy's cell phone. (We learned the hard way it's important to lock the key pad after Luke accidentally called several people at GE, including Mike's boss, before we realized what he was doing!) One of Luke's favorite new games is "talking on the phone." This is an especially fun way to practice his new word "Hi!"
Saturday we got up early and headed up to West Lafayette, IN and our alma mater Purdue University!! It was a windy and cold but we still managed a walk around campus and even took a few pictures with Luke. Mike and I enjoyed reminiscing about college life and I was reminded again how blessed we were to have such happy memories.
My favorite part of being on campus was visiting Greyhouse, the coffee shop that PCCH recently renovated and opened. It is AMAZING!! As soon as we walked through the doors I felt the same sense of peace that I had each time I walked into Campus House. There was something so wonderfully familiar and easy about being there it felt like coming home. I could have spent hours just sipping my tea. However, since we had Luke with us I ordered my chai to go! Seriously, everything is just perfect and the vibe is so cool...if you ever have a chance to stop by it is worth the trip!!
Our fun day was capped off with dinner at O'Charley's where we were able to meet up with some of our dear friends from Maryland (also Purdue grads...except Mindy) who were on campus for the Old Oaken Bucket Game, Purdue v. IU. Purdue won 62-10 Go Boilermakers! But, IU did score 10 points...Go IU! (That's for Mindy!) We loved spending time with all of our friends and their terrific kiddos...Maya has the sweetest disposition and Ryan is SO smart! We hope to meet Oliver in person soon too- I can tell by Mindy and Larry's blog he is a very sweet little boy! We had hoped to meet for breakfast the next morning but after a rough night (i.e. sleeping away from home can be hard...for kids and grown ups!) we decided to leave before breakfast. Luke slept almost all the way home (good for us!) and we got nice naps in the afternoon too. We hope to see all of our MD friends again very soon!!
Sunday evening after a yummy dinner with Mike's family we ended our weekend in the very best way...meeting Lauren and Ryan's new blessing Gwyn Addison born Friday evening. She is just beautiful and there is nothing better than cuddling a brand new baby!! Celebrating her little life was the perfect end to a wonderful weekend! 
Gwyn sleeping peacefully.
Congratulations Ryan and Lauren! We agree...she is perfect!!
Mommies and babies : ).
Hmm...wouldn't we be cute as a family of four? Mike says not to get any crazy ideas!
My sweet alligator!
Madeline "Miss Monkey" smiling with Luke's Nana.
Aunt Sarah "Cinderella", Nana, and Papa stopped by to trick-or-treat and visit for a while. Then they went to Chipoltle for dinner...on a side note, Chipoltle gives out free burritos on Halloween if you come dressed in costume or as a burrito (i.e.wrap a little tin foil around yourself for free dinner!).
Looking for treats.
Winding down at the end of a fun evening.
Good night hugs for our next door neighbor Lorie. See you later alligator...
