Being Nostalgic

There will always be people that come and go in your life... some that stay longer than others, some that come back after you thought they'd be gone forever.  And of course, some that never really "go" anywhere because you carry them around in your memories constantly.  Some friends are good influences.  Some friends are bad.  Some don't do much at all but provide you companionship when you need it.  And some friends change your life.

I've been so blessed to have a handful of friends like this in my life over the past 30 years.  Some of these friends came and went after totally rocking my world, some are still by my side, and some simply moved away at different periods of our lives making it harder to stay in touch.  I've been thinking a lot about these friends lately.  Friends who I may not have told (ok, probably didn't) how much they meant to me, how grateful I am for the laughs, the fun, the tears, the love.  [Some of you may even be reading this now.]  And I just want to say I LOVE YOU.  You have been a friend in good times and often in bad.  You have pushed me to be a better person, a better friend.  And you have pushed me to challenge popular ideas about who I should be by believing in who I am, who I can be, and what I can do.  There are a lot of friends whom I want to point to and say, "Thank you".  You helped me see God in awesome ways, you helped me love him, myself, and others, and you loved me.  I apologize for being a terrible friend sometimes.  For not calling, for not writing... you know, for just being lazy.  I'm sorry that I too often let our friendship feel less important than it really is. I owe you yet another thank you for sticking it out with me.  I'm working on all this...

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So.... one person in particular I'm thinking about this morning is a friend from college who turns 30 today.  Nevermind that she is quite possibly the kindest, most sincere and genuine person you'll ever meet, she is also one of the most fun.  She was the person who shared MANY laughs with me during college - be it memorizing the lyrics to Eminem songs, taking roadtrips and annoying all the occupants of the vehicles, dancing to Britney Spears during snowstorms, staying up all night cramming for tests yet still getting nothing done... she is the kind of person who can make just about anything fun.  Her heart is so full of love for others and Jesus, and even though we met when I was her Bible Study leader through FCA at CU, she has always shown me how to live a life full of God's love.  I wish I had half her passion and zeal!

At any rate, this sweet girl does not have Facebook... so this is the closest thing I can do to say a public and embarrassing happy birthday.  She lives far away now with her beautiful family, and I've been really bad at keeping in touch, but I hope she knows how much she means to me and still inspires me to this day!  (I love you K-love!)  BUT, she's moving back to CO soon!!  :) 

Lucky me.

almost ten years ago!

when she moved back to Cali (and only had one baby!) :)

Another first!

Well folks (like I haven't said it enough) my boy is getting big!  Drum roll please... today I felt his first tooth coming in!! (WOAH)

Since I can't actually take a picture of the teeny tiny tooth that broke through his gums (believe me, I tried), I figured I'd share a few videos of his eating habits as of late.  It's pretty funny.  He LOVES him some _____ (fill in the blank with anything that is not formula).  Lately, though, his most favorite thing is banana.  He hated the "real" banana that I mushed up for him one morning as I was eating mine, but when I gave him some of the puree/baby food kind, he couldn't get enough.

So, here they are (Suzie, the Baby Swede bib is just for you, our faithful reader!) :)  Watch in particular how he communicates with his tongue.  Silly boy.

His very first veggie: squash (despite his dad's wishes that we ban this food from the house) :)

And now, some time spent wanting nothing but bananas:

And a little more banana love for you:

The face he makes when he doesn't get any more bananas:

Welcome Baby Emmeline!

My beautiful, sweet, dear friend Rachel had her beautiful, dear, sweet daughter yesterday!  Her name is Emmeline, and she's simply perfect!  I snuck over to the hospital this afternoon to snap a few quick pics of the doll :)

She's such a sweet combination of her mom and dad (and at times a dead ringer for her daddy!).  We are so happy for them and their new family!

Benjamin looked like a giant next to Emme - it's almost comical :)

Oh, and in case you didn't know how beautiful this sweet lady is, check out these pictures I got of her during her last trimester (at the beautiful Sloan's Lake).  Such a gorgeous family :)

Welcome to the world Baby Emmeline!!

While Matt was away...

My grouchy 6.5 month old :)

Well, first of all, the week started off with major construction in front of our house for several days.  Construction + Naptime = Fail. 

But, the rest of the week while Matt was gone ended up going great - the calendar was full, and Benjamin and I survived it.  (Don't ask about Lincoln.)

Here are some highlights (i.e. things I remembered to snap pictures of):

Celebrating Noah's 2nd birthday!  We LOVE that boy, and I know he and Benjamin will be fabulous friends as soon as Benjamin can do something other than sit up and chew on things :)  Noah is such a sweet and kind boy... <3 He loves holding "behbeh". :)

Benjamin's been LOVING eating solids.  So far he's a pro with squash and peas... but he can't get enough!  (After tasting his formula, I can see why!  YUCK)  It's pretty cute to watch him eat since it's such a new thing for him... he basically sticks his tongue out to say "give me more!".  :)

Wednesday morning I met up with the Turrill crew to do a little thrift store shopping and lunch in Cherry Creek.  Our boys just happened to both be adorned in CU attire (because they happen to have awesome moms) :)

That night we met up with my parents for a delicious dinner at Rackhouse Pub.  Benjamin (i.e. the Mini Grampa) shared lots of smiles and loved all the hugs and kisses!

We also sent lots of pictures to dad!  (Awake, and during naps!)

AND, we got a new ride!!  It's a long, long story, but let's just say this crazy frugal momma worked her way into an amazing deal that started and ended with Craigslist (with a few stops in between), and now we have a sweet ride for the little man (and a friend or sibling; it has a second seat that can be attached)! The sheer man hours I put into finding this stellar deal may not have totally been worth the effort, but at least I can feel accomplished.  Oh, and BW loves it :)

What week isn't complete without a trip to Target?  (With the recent heatwave, BW prefers to NOT sit in his carseat whenever possible... so he's been a big boy in the cart!)

And by LATE Thursday night (well, it was technically Friday morning), Matt finally got home.  We were so happy to have him back!  We celebrated with a walk down Broadway and drinks/dinner on the patio at Crimson Canary with Lincoln and Amber (and the new stroller of course) on Friday night.

Saturday we headed up to Longmont to celebrate little man Bode's FIRST birthday!  Mackenzie was a terrific host (with an adorable Frank Sinatra theme since Bode has the cutest blue eyes ever seen!), and it was fun seeing the gaggle of kids play while the adults tried to stay sane, er, I mean, chatted.  We love you Bode!! (M- I totally brought the wrong lens so pics didn't turn out very good... bummer.)

the sweet playroom

And some other random pics for now:

I love my momma!

Snuck in a few pictures of Benjamin and Boaz to get ready for their dedications at church next month!  (Neither was in a photo-shoot kind of mood unfortunately)

  Lean On Me

 We watched Boaz for a little bit on Sunday morning - Matt wanted to nap too!  Looks comfy :)

And yes, I watched the Bachelorette finale with Kristyn... Yay Jef!!!  :)