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Quinn took an Introduction to Photography course this past semester, where she learned the ins and outs of editing her own photos.  It was fun for this photo loving mom to see her work her magic and edit her photos - even if Quinn didn't always love the assignments.  Her photos were too good not to share.

This photo is a collage of all the letters that Quinn found in nature...pretty creative if I do say so myself!

Here are some of her other amazing photos...

Sullivan got to be her muse for quite a few of her assignments too...   

Isn't Quinn super creative and super talented...!

I heart her work.

I Heart Friends...

We had an amazing weekend filled with friends and laughter and good times.  The Boyles came to Indy to visit us, and we couldn't have been more thrilled to see them.  A lot of the weekend was just filled with good conversations.  

We played a lot of games...

Sullivan and Lila made their fair share of Perler bead creations...

We did some taste testing too.  Lila is quite the baker and has researched the official dessert of every state. Turns out Indiana's official dessert is Sugar Cream Pie, and Lila wanted to taste the official dessert while in the state.  

Lila gave it a solid 4 out of 10.  Nate gave it a 5 1/2.  My girls wouldn't even try it.  So those numbers speak for themselves.  Sugar Cream pie is a no-go.  

The adults impulsively decided to open up this bottle of wine that has been sitting around (our many houses in many states) for lots of years and do their own taste testing. We got that bottle of wine on our first trip to Wine Country with the Boyles back in 2005 when Ab was pregnant with Nate.  We never got around to drinking it... until last night.  

We didn't have high hopes for it being very good, BUT it was actually FANTASTIC.  So, so good - a 22 year old bottle of Merlot.  We also opened another bottle from our second trip to Wine Country together, and that one was equally good.

We opened some Champaign and made some toasts.  Lots to be thankful for in the new year.  New leadership in the country, new jobs, getting back to in-person school, good health, and great friends to name a few.

Don't worry... the kids got sparkling grape juice!

Finally, we went to an escape room.  We were tasked with finding a cursed object in a mystery mansion.  With slightly more than 10 minutes left, we made it out!!!

Lila and Sullivan were so inspired by the escape room... they even created their own when we got back to the house.  So fun and so creative!

The weekend was exactly what we needed - food for the heart and soul.  Great friends have a way of doing that, and for that we are so blessed and so thankful!

A Quiet Start...

While Sullivan might have burned the midnight oil jumping and bouncing and having fun at a friend's house on New Year's Eve...

Q, Ryan and I were a bit more subdued. We watched a great movie (The Hate U Give) and watched the ball drop.  

All of the humans made it til midnight to see the ball drop.  The furry one did not.

It was unapologetically quiet...but exactly what we needed after the craziness of 2020.  I thought long and hard about calling it quits before the ball dropped and the clock struck midnight, but I couldn't wait to say that 2020 was behind us. The wait was well worth it.

And so far (fingers and toes and everything in between crossed), 2021 has been a great one. Here's to hoping that continues...!

Selfie World...

While we were back in SD, the girls were gifted a sweet experience from Auntie Mer.  Quinn and Sullivan, along with Halle, visited Selfie World.  

Selfie World is a unique experience where you book a time and can visit multiple staged sets and take selfies with yourself and friends.  The three girls had a blast taking pictures of each other and hanging out. 

They turned out SOOO good!  Check them out...

Here are Q's...

And some of Sullivan...

And a couple of Halle...

What a fun experience for the girls and one they are still talking about.  

Great friends, great times, and great memories made! 

Thanks, Auntie Mer!

A New Car...

 We went and did a thing this past week...

It was time to say goodbye to the Acadia.  She had been a great car,  but all good things must come to an end.  So far...

Christmas 2020...

Christmas is always surrounded with tradition.  Some of those traditions took place this year, and others will be anxiously reserved for 2021.

As has become tradition, Grandma Jane spoiled the kids with their matching pajamas. I just love this picture of the kids lined up in a row with Grandma.  The unveiling of the pajamas is highly anticipated.  

With matching pajamas in tow, we all loaded in the Big Blue Bus and tootled around the city looking at Christmas lights.  What fun times together. 

This was by FAR the favorite house we saw... SO many inflatables.  It was so mesmerizing we had to get out of the van to take pictures (twice!).

One of my most anticipated and enjoyed events of the holiday season is going to church.  To me it is a time of reflection and hope and a way to refocus.  Church looked a bit different this year...

Even though it was virtual, we were blessed with a great service, great music, and an even better message.  We were also blessed with Elsa being willing to sing and sign part of the songs to us.  Melt my heart.

Christmas morning brought gifts and gifts, and even more gifts. Everyone was blessed beyond measure.

The stockings were the first to get torn into...

Followed by a timeout for the traditional Christmas morning caramel rolls breakfast...

After everyone had a full belly, we retreated to the basement to tackle the remaining gifts...

Quinn was spoiled rotten, with the highlights of her gifts being new Nike shoes, leggings, and an Ipsy subscription.

Sullivan was equally blessed, but really enjoyed her new Vans, AirPod Pros, and arts and crafts galore.

Sulla was super sweet this year and made framed word art pictures for her loved ones.  She came up with words to describe each person and then put those words into a collage. They turned out adorable and were a hit by everyone.

The evening was capped off by seeing their dear friend, Halle.  I love how this friendship has grown and blossomed over the years.  Halle is less of a friend, rather just a great extension of the family.