Happy Birthday to...

My best friend of 15 years: Leslie!

We met in 7th grade French class. And after I invited myself to her birthday party (inside joke), we've been best friends ever since. As Anne of Green Gables would say, we are "kindred spirits." We roomed together in college, both married boys from our single's ward, and are now both blissfully happy raising our families. (I wish I could say we lived next door to each other as we always joked, but we don't.)

After 15 years of friendship, I still call her every week, solicit her advice on various topics ranging from decorating to marriage, and laugh hysterically with her about the insanity of our lives.

A few photos:

We were rock stars for Halloween our Freshman year of college. We have at times been mistaken for sisters, and I can totally see why from this picture.

She was also one of my bridesmaids at my wedding.

We've been through a lot together and I am so grateful for her willingness to always see the best in me. You've been the very best of friends, Leslie. Happy Birthday!!!

My Growing Boy

We finally got Preston's 2-year old portraits taken about a month ago (almost two months late). Every time I was about to go get them done, he would get a new goose egg, bruise, or scratch on his face and we'd postpone it another week. Not even an hour after I made the appointment this time, he cut his head while playing on the swing set. Fortunately, it didn't bleed much and he didn't need stitches. I know is sounds vain, but I would have been devastated if they shaved his head! Anyway, we were able to fix his hair so the scab didn't even show--thank goodness!

This one captured his personality quite well.

He did a great job, but if you look closely at this one, you will notice a little tear mark on his shirt. He started the photo session crying and refusing to smile. The photographer was great though and had him laughing within a couple minutes. He even gave Preston a sticker for every good picture. And as you can see, he took plenty and got lots of stickers.

Cute and cheesy.

An artistic profile shot.

The proud two-year old.

Gardner Village

We have made it a tradition every year since Adelyn was just a baby to visit Gardner Village every October. It is a cute little place year round, but in October they deck the whole place out in Halloween decor and witches of all kinds. We love it! It so fun to walk through the cute shops and just enjoying the beautiful Fall weather. Here are a few pictures from our day.

A family picture in front of the water wheel.

My boys.

The kiddos.

Playing on the rocks.

Annalise's Blessing Day

We had the opportunity to bless Annalise today. Ryan offered the blessing and we were grateful to have many of our family there to enjoy it with us. My Grandpa Douglas, Annalise's great-grandpa who is 93, was able to participate in the circle as well as my dad, my brother Doug and several brothers-in law. It was a great day. The blessing was beautiful. It is always humbling to be reminded of how fortunate we are to welcome such precious and noble spirits into our home. Annalise has already brought so much joy into our lives. We are so thankful for her and don't know what we'd do without her.

A great little family picture. If only Adelyn were smiling, we could use this for our Christmas picture. But alas, we will probably still have to visit the studio.

This one shows off her beautiful blessing dress. Ryan's parents bought this dress for Adelyn and we were so glad Annalise could use it too.

Sweet sisters! Adelyn loves her baby sister so much.

I love this picture because I think Annalise looks a lot like her cousin Abby at this age. What a sweet little face. This day was also a first for Preston--his first day wearing a big-boy tie. We think he looks quite handsome.