Fall Break in Nashville

We headed south to Nashville for the girls' fall break.  It had been nearly six years since we had been back to visit the city that stole our hearts.

We took a stroll down memory lane and visited all the places we called home.  

First, our apartment...

Then, our townhouse....

We toured the area and showed Quinn where she went to daycare...

Where she was born....

The mall that we shopped at near our house that is FINALLY being torn down, seven years after they closed the doors.

We trekked out to Fairview to see the school that I started my teaching career at...

Ryan and I reminisced and shared a lot of "remember when..." moments throughout the weekend.  Quinn was half interested in all that sights, perking up when something peeked her interest.  Sullivan responded to all the reminiscing like this...

Let's just say, she wasn't entertained!

We took some time to play miniature golf...

We ate at a few favorite restaurants that we had really missed...and the girls LOVED the fried pickles that I had raved about for ages!

We enjoyed happy hour back at the hotel, where Ryan fell in love with a new kind of beer.

Sullivan liked it too...

(Oh wait... that's just apple juice!)

We wanted to take the girls to Vanderbilt too and walk around.  It was great to walk around and see how much it has changed over the years.

Ryan spent many, many hours in that building behind them, back in the day.

It happened to be homecoming weekend at Vandy - which means the campus was alive and hopping with people.  I loved seeing Ryan tell the girls all about the campus and the school.

We stumbled upon the Pi Beta Phi house on the way to the bookstore and had to take a picture for Auntie Mer...!

The baseball team was having their annual inter squad scrimmage game.  We joined in on the action and watched a couple of innings.  We really enjoyed that.

Then on the way to the car, Ryan saw the tunnel leading to the football field was open.  He said we HAD to try and get on the field.  The girls were not so sure about that idea, but went along with it anyway.

Turns out the nice Vanderbilt man allowed us to run on the field and take pictures and have the run of the field.  We had the place to ourselves (for awhile 'til others joined us!).

Being on the field was pretty amazing!

The girls cartwheeled across the center star and throughout the end zone - they had a blast!

Everything about Vanderbilt and Nashville was so fun to see and do, but the very best part of our time in Nashville was having supper with these amazing people...!

We were able to have supper with my dear, sweet friend Cynthia and her husband, John.  Cynthia has played a HUGE part in Quinn's life from the time she was a teeny tiny baby and we feel forever blessed by that!

Words can't describe how much we love (and miss) this family!  Can't wait to see them next time!

An amazing fall break!  Words can't describe how great it felt to be back in Nashville.

Carving Time

It is more than hard to believe that Halloween is upon us this week!  November is knocking on our doors.  Holy moly!

In the spirit of Halloween, we carved pumpkins tonight. It's an annual tradition - and one that we all enjoy!

Scooping out the guts is always a messy, gross, fun, yucky job.  

The final product?!

Sullivan's is the one on the left - "Enter if you Dare"!

Quinn's is the minion on the right.

Such a fun, Halloween tradition.  Now bring on the trick-or-treating!

Birthday Celebration....

There were birthday celebrations to be had 'round here this week.  It was Ryan's 38th birthday on Monday and we tried to celebrate him and his special day!  

We had previously celebrated with Nana and Papa when they were here.  But let's be honest, Ryan's birthday would not be complete without a Dairy Queen cake.  He would be beyond disappointed without one.  The two are almost synonymous - much like peanut butter and jelly.

Here is the birthday boy with his cake...

And because Ryan only has about two serious bones in his body, life wouldn't be complete without some goofing around...!

I love that I captured this moment... Quinn was super excited to sing to Ryan and her body was in great motion dancing around.

While Sullivan on the other hand is sitting calmly taking it all in.  It's as if Quinn and Sullivan switched bodies!  Poor Sullivan was coming down with a little bug and wasn't feeling her normal pepping self.  She didn't even want to help blow out the candles.  You know you don't feel good when you don't even have the energy to blow out some candles!

We hope that Ryan had a great birthday!  We love him beyond words and are grateful for him and all that he does for us!

Friday's Happenings....

Quinn went on a field trip on Friday, and sadly I wasn't able to attend because of work.  But I have some sweet friends that were able to go and sent me a couple of pictures.

Quinn's class went to the statehouse where they learned about the ins and outs of the government and how it is run.  It's one of those field trips that I think I would even enjoy as an adult!

Here is the cutest Indiana Representative there is...

Quinn enjoying lunch with her friend, Cole...

Quinn's class ran into some good luck while at the statehouse.  It is said that it is RARE for a field trip group to get to meet the governor, let alone take time to pose with him for a picture.  But Quinn's class was fortunate to do both...

Quinn's class outside the statehouse...

(It's hard to see Quinn - she is in the shadow in the middle of the picture!)

Quinn really enjoyed this field trip and came home with so many stories to share - everything from the significance of the light fixtures to the role of the most important people in the government.

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Sullivan's class stayed back at school, but now without excitement of their own.  Friday was "Career Day" at school, where they could dress up like the profession they want to be when they grow up.  Some of you may remember that last year Sullivan was a cheerleader.  She wanted to cheer for her friend, Carter, who was going to be a football player.

So we had a chat before Career Day this year to see if she had possibly changed career paths!  After ruling out "princess", because let's face it, she didn't draw the "royalty" straw when she was born, she settled on her next career.  

Sullivan has decided to follow in her sister's footsteps and be an art teacher...

We are moving on up in the world!  Sullivan will make a fabulous art teacher.

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Our neighbor was in need of some help on Friday night - she had a work function to attend and her husband was out of town.  We were happy to step in and help out, especially when that "helping out" involved taking Carly to her volleyball game!  

The girls had been wanting to go to one of Carly's games all season and we hadn't had the opportunity to attend yet.  So this was the perfect excuse to be able to see her play!

Here are the enthusiastic cheerers rooting on Carly...

Friday was a busy, but fabulous day!

Nana and Papa's Visit

Nana and Papa made the long jaunt out to Indianapolis to see us last week. We were so looking forward to their visit and soaked up as much time with them as we could!

On Saturday afternoon we took advantage of the beautiful weather and went to the apple orchard. Going to the apple orchard is something I love about Fall. We shared the apple orchard with Nana and Papa last year, so it was great that we were able to share it with them again this year!

Sullivan eating her body eight in apples while picking...

Sunday was another beautiful fall day, so we were looking for an activity to get us outdoors. The zoo was hosting its annual Zoo Boo so we made it our day's destination. We shared this event with Nana and Papa last year too, so it was fitting that we shared it again. Looks like there is a pattern here. Sounds like the event coordinator needs to come up with some new activities!

The girls' Halloween costumes for this year are not quite done being made, so we went with Plan B and used last year's costumes for the Zoo Boo. 

The girls enjoyed it and got lots of comments and compliments on their costumes!

Here is the dolphin trainer feeding some dolphins...

The dolphin looking for her dolphin siblings....

Hanging out at the zoo...

(at only the best exhibit of all - the walrus!)

Such a great event!

We spent plenty of time hanging around the house too.  Papa was lucky enough to get to color and do crafts with the girls! 

And Sullivan got some snuggles in with Nana.

We celebrated Ryan's birthday while his folks were here. We enjoyed a nice meal out and some cupcakes at home.

Each of the girls got a chance to blow out his candles, because after all, when you become a parent birthdays are no longer about yourself!!

Such a nice visit with Nana and Papa. We wished their time could have been longer, but we are appreciative of the time we had with them and their willingness to venture across the country to see us!!!