Friendship Reunion

Our little town swells in size during the Kansas' Biggest Rodeo event that takes place every year. More than the rodeo, I look forward to reuniting with friends that travel back home for the event.

This past Saturday, I hosted my best friends from childhood and their daughters at my home for lunch. It was so much fun to get to reconnect while our kiddos played.

(I really need to start using my real camera and not my camera phone. The quality of these photos make me sad. :( )

The kids had a great time playing, even if Cami (on the left) doesn't appear to want anything to do with the other kids. It made my heart soar to see the 2nd generation of, what I hope can be, life-long friendships being made. These mamas and their little ones are like family to me.

We've been friends for as long as I can remember. These women have played a vital role in my life. 

From childhood to those dramatic teenage years:

Through the college years and our budding romances with our soon to be spouses:

Through 4 weddings within 8 months of each other:

And now through the beginning of parenthood and discovering together of all the joys and challenges that come with being a mother.

There's just something about friendships that have spanned through so many years and so many milestones. I think it ties to the fact that they already know your back story, your faults, and your strengths. There's no use in pretending to be someone you're not or needing to explain your quirks...they already know.

I can't wait until our next little reunion! 

Breakfast Party

On the 23rd, I hosted a little breakfast party for my childhood friends and their children that were back in town for the holidays. It was so nice to get together for a bite to eat, some coffee to drink and some girl talk while the little ones played. We missed those that weren't able to make it this year but they were included in spirit.

Most importantly, I finally got to meet my good friend Monica's little girl. I posted a couple of months back about hosting her baby shower and now it was time to get to meet baby Tenley in person. Our good friend Samantha's daughter was fascinated by the baby and loved holding her and taking pictures with her. Ethan, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with the baby and refused to take any pictures. But aren't these two little girls adorable?

It is so nice to get to spend time with people who have had such an impact on your life for so many years. Even though miles, schedules and years have come between us, it's always so easy to pick up where we last left off. Love you gals...and your little mini me's.

Baby Shower for Miss Monica

"Sprinkles" Baby Shower

Way back in August, I had the honor of co-hosting a baby shower for my close friend, Monica. She and her husband are expecting their first child in about two weeks and I am so thrilled for her little family.

For the shower, we kept the theme pretty simple with just lots of pink and some accents of brown to match the nursery colors that Monica had decorated with. We held the shower on a Sunday afternoon and Monica's Aunt, another one of the hostesses, had the great idea of having a dessert buffet instead of just a large cake. We ended up with two long tables crammed with desserts!

I made some chocolate covered strawberries that had a drizzle of pink tinted white chocolate on top.

Can't have a party without my favorite, cupcakes! I decorated with pink sprinkles to pay tribute to the guest of honor, little Sprinkles.

We held the baby shower over Rodeo weekend, which is our largest community event out here in Phillipsburg. We proudly host Kansas' Biggest Rodeo and knew we'd have a lot of people in town already so it would be a great time to get everyone together for the baby shower. Samantha, another close friend and co-host, found this Rodeo Princess sign - it was just perfect for the event and this special little girl!

Here's a picture of the expectant Mommy, Monica, with myself and Samantha.

Monica - Hopefully these next couple of days will go by smoothly and quickly for you. You, and your family, are in my thoughts and prayers. I can't wait to hear the news of the little girl making her appearance into the world!

First Day of Preschool

Ethan went off to his first day of preschool this morning. Last night, I prayed that God would give my baby boy wisdom, patience, kindness and courage to take this big step. God answered my prayers, as Ethan was beaming with joy to go to preschool today and his teacher gave me a glowing report on his behavior. I'm such a proud Mommy!

After taking the customary "first day of school" photo, we set off walking to the Gingerbread House Preschool. It's located just around the corner from our home, so it makes for a nice little walk for us.

Upon arrival, Ethan was greeted with big hugs from two girls that Ethan use to attend daycare with. I'm not ready for the girls to be swarming around my innocent little boy yet.

Good Friends...and such cuties! I'm so thankful that Ethan has friends that he already knows and can play with on his first day.

Ryann, Hannah & Ethan

In his element - digging in the dirt.

This is how I left him this morning. I was glad to see him having so much fun and ready for me to leave. I somehow managed to not even shed a tear while walking back home. I think knowing he was there with friends, great teachers and fully prepared for this journey, made me excited and filled with joy for my baby big boy.

Gossip and Beignets

This weekend was the perfect combination of relaxing and activities. We weren't running around too busy but we also had enough things planned to keep us from getting bored and restless.

On Saturday, I had some childhood friends over to my house for a chance to catch up and, of course, do a little gossiping. It's always so nice to be able to reconnect with the people who are truly important in your life.

Blast from the past - I think we're improving with age.

My friend, Monica, is busy traveling all over the world, flying planes and other cool stuff so it was great to have her in town and hear of all her adventures. Her jet-setting lifestyle is so fascinating to me - especially in comparison to my slow paced, small town life on the range in rural Kansas. Maybe someday I'll have the opportunity to visit her on one of her exotic adventures. (oh - good idea for a future friend's get together.)

Ethan had a lot of fun hosting the little girl at our house. They attend daycare together as well, so it was nice for them to be able to play in another setting and spend some time together. It worked out really well for them to be familiar with each other and play so well together so that their mommies could gossip and visit.

We headed to Shelly Ann's Cafe for breakfast. The food was filling and just how a country cafe should be and it always looks like a scene from a parody of small town life with old men having their coffee break and telling stories. It hasn't changed much since I was a little girl. I remember loving to sit and spin on the stools at the counter and I'm always glad to see that they are still there.

We headed out of town later in the afternoon for our monthly shopping trip. The closest Wal-Mart is over 60 miles away, so we try to plan ahead and go monthly to stock up on household basics and grocery staples. We drove 90 miles and into Nebraska so that we could go to a town that also has a Target and a large hunting/outdoors store for Jim.

We decided to try Eileen's Colossal Cookies for an afternoon snack. Jim and Ethan choose M&M cookies and I opted for a classic chocolate chip cookie. They were big, soft and rich. Yum! The cookies provided the perfect pick-me-up for getting through our marathon of shopping we needed to get done and the drive back home.

On Sunday evening, I took Ethan to his first movie at the theater and we saw Disney's The Princess and the Frog.

The local movie theater doesn't start movies until 7:30 p.m., which is Ethan's bedtime, so I wasn't too sure on how he would do being out so late. He behaved so well and I was a proud mommy. He stayed in his seat the entire time and the movie really held his attention...as did his movie goodies. Ethan and I both enjoyed a Kiddie Combo of a small drink, popcorn and mini candy bar. At only $2.50, I think it's a great deal for a movie theater treat.

The Princess and the Frog movie review:

I wasn't really looking forward to this movie but I didn't know when another little kid geared movie would be coming to Phillipsburg and I figured Ethan was finally old enough to enjoy a movie at the theater.

I'm really glad that I decided to see the movie. The beginning of the movie really shows New Orleans and its diverse culture, music and food. It reminded me of our honeymoon (we took a cruise that ported out of New Orleans so we stayed a couple of days touring the city) and all of the delicious beignets that I ate while there. (The title character in the movie is famous for her "man getting" beignets.)

I appreciated that the main character in the movie was an independent woman that was working two jobs to make her dreams come true of owning a restaurant. She knew that working hard and being honest to yourself was the best way to get your dreams.

Along the journey of the movie, she learns the importance of love and balancing that with her ambitions of owning a restaurant. I think this is a theme that many women today struggle with, especially those with career ambitions that are also trying to juggle being a wife/mother.

In classic Disney style, she finds her prince and lives happily ever after. However, I liked that their happily ever after wasn't in a castle but working together as a team to make their dreams come true and opening the restaurant.

Road Tripping in Western Kansas

We started the year out with a small road trip to visit some family members that also live out here in rural Kansas. My parents picked up Ethan and me early in the morning and we headed out on our adventure.

There isn't a lot of scenery to look at out the car window.

flat plains of western Kansas

trees are few and far between out here

The scenery inside the car was much better.

After about an hour and a half in the car, we arrived in the small town of Beloit. My Grandma recently relocated to Beloit from Phillipsburg, where she has resided all her life. She's 92 years old and has just moved into an assisted living facility. I think she's got a really good setup in Beloit; however, I do really miss her living in the same town.

Visiting with "Great Millie", Ethan's name for her, in the hospital.

After visiting with Grandma for two hours, we hopped back into the car for another hour to travel to Clay Center, where my sister and nephew live. The snow and road conditions prevented them from getting back to Phillipsburg for Christmas so we were eager to have our delayed Christmas together.

My sister, Shannon, welcomed us to her home with the smell of yummy Baked Potato soup bubbling on the stove. By the time we arrived at her house, we were all pretty hungry so we eagerly sat down to lunch. The warm, thick soup was the perfect dish to warm up with on the 18 degree day.

Ethan and my nephew, Austin, played with their new puppy. He was a little shy, so the boys crawled under the table to join the timid little puppy.

After exchanging presents, (Thanks for the Ann Taylor Loft perfume! I honestly love the scent!) we once again climbed into the car and headed back to Beloit to visit my cousin Brad and his family.

The red barn located at Brad's home.

We stopped at their home for a quick visit, where Ethan and his cousins immediately headed outside to check out the chickens.

It was bitterly cold so we quickly said hello to the chickens and then scampered back inside to warm up. Ethan's older cousins were kind enough to drag out their dinosaurs and play with their little cousin.

Playing dinosaurs quickly builds a hunger, so my cousin's beautiful wife, Renee, treated us to some delicious homemade cinnamon rolls.

The warm cinnamon rolls were served plain and an assortment of frostings were provided for us to choose from and put on as much as we wanted. I love the idea of serving cinnamon rolls this way!

I slathered on this yummy peanut butter frosting.

After piling into the car one more time, we made the drive back to Phillipsburg. Ethan and I took much needed naps in the backseat. Unfortunately, I kept waking up from drooling - ick!

As soon as we got home, we got in our car and headed to a local restaurant, Willers, to meet up with one of Jim's childhood friends. Cody and his wife, Laura, just welcomed their first baby.

Ethan got to "hold" the baby and is still talking about that today. I also quickly took the opportunity to hold the precious little one. Ethan wasn't too keen on me holding the baby and wanted me to return him to his Daddy. After I was done holding the baby, Ethan crawled into my lap and reminded me that he was my baby. I think we'll be in trouble if we ever add a baby to our little family. ;)

After a long day of rushing around, I took advantage of the peace and quiet and relaxed with a glass of wine. It was the perfect end to a wonderful day with family and friends.

Lifetime Friendship

This week, my childhood best friend stopped by the house with her adorable one year old little girl. I'm so thankful for this special friend in my life. Our friendship goes back to elementry school and was solidified when she named her pet cat after me in 3rd grade. (I've also had a cow named after me, but that's another story.) We have so many instead jokes and stories, the kind that just aren't in friendships that haven't lasted the ages. It's so nice to have a friend that knows you so completely and thoroughly.

Making dinner for our dates in high school. On the menu: Hamburger Helper and No-Bake Cheesecake.

Isn't her daughter just the cutest thing? Those chubby cheeks are just irresistible! Ethan enjoyed playing with her and has looked at these pictures over and over again and keeps asking about his "baby friend."

Thank you for the years of friendship and make sure you bring those adorable chubby cheeks by to visit again soon!