a great reunion

i love getting together with my college friends. we try our hardest to get together every summer... out of the 9 of us, usually at least 5 or 6 can make it. now that babies are entering our lives, some summers are just out of the picture for some of us! last year, i stayed home because it was 3 weeks till ethan's due date, and i was not up for traveling. it killed me not to be there. this year, 3 girls had babies to tend to. anyway, whoever can make it comes, and we always have a great time catching up and telling the same stories...looking at christie's perfect scrapbooks, and shuffling thru the mental file of everybody's most embarrassing college moments. :) we even make a few new memories every year.

christie's parents hosted us at their house this year, and can i just say that i was pampered? the minute i walked in the door, i eyed a chocolate cake... not just any chocolate cake, but one with pudding and melted chocolate chips inside.... mmmmmmm.... i got there a day early, and by the time the other girls showed up, i'd had at least 3 pieces! (most of you are not surprised.) christie's mom had to make another cake by mid-weekend because we all devoured the first one (yes, i had help!). every morning, i was served eggs and bacon (or whatever else i would have wanted), and i had tons of hands to help with ethan. he loved all of the attention and i loved not having to carry him! we really didn't have much on the agenda except talking and laughing, and it was all worth the drive. though we've all gone different directions, some of us married, some with kids, it takes only a minute together to feel like we're back in our college days. we are blessed to have stayed close these last 6 years, and i pray that we'll continue these summer reunions. soon, these girl weekends will turn into family weekends... and we will love every minute of those, too. here are some shots from last weekend with the girls.

me, ethan, christie, lynsay, ashley, christy

they got a big kick out of ethan saying "please"...
ethan style (two hands)

a vicious game of mexican train

ashley's husband, cary, was determined to get ethan to like him!
peekaboo will always do the trick!

christy lovin on ethan

i told you ethan was spoiled!

he did so well on the road trip...
he loved facing forward where he could see what was going on!

i was also able to spend some time with my grandmother and brother while i was there. my mom drove up with me and stayed w/ my grandmother during my reunion weekend...so that was a huge help, too! grandmother was amazed at how much ethan had grown and how mobile he'd become since march! she just moved to a smaller apartment at the assisted living home, and ethan enjoyed exploring her knick-knacks and furniture. i think i told him "no" at least 100 times in the short time we were there! he especially loved her butler's table that has plenty of hinges to tinker with... and he just about wore out granddaddy's chair that helped him get in and out so easily. with the push of a button, the chair basically catapults you out so you don't have to strain to get up. ethan gave grandmother quite a ride in that chair!!

ryan was sick during most of our visit, but we were able to eat with him and his friends at cracker barrel on our way back home. since he still had a fever, i made him sit as far away from me and ethan as possible... sad!! i couldn't even give my own brother a hug or let him hold ethan! but we still enjoyed visiting with him and his friends.

4 generations

hang on grandmother!

his new favorite toy

until he found this suitcase...

uncle ryan and gram with ethan

amber, josh, and chip
(amber is a faithful reader of my blog!)