I LOVE these girls!

Just when I think I can't take anymore and I need a break - Girls Weekend Rolls Around. Thank Goodness! Girls Weekend is something that my mom and her girlfriends started years ago. You take one weekend a year and get away..relax...enjoy the girlfriends that you never get to see...and simply take a break. A few years back we started the 2nd generation of girls weekend. We are all the daughters or daughter in-laws of my mom and her friends. For the most part we were raised with each other...we have know each other our whole lives. We don't see each other very often and if truth be told we may not have a whole lot in common out in the real world...but at the same time we have a lot in common - if that makes sense. Get us together for a weekend and we ALWAYS have a good time. Not only that, but each of these girls holds a special place in my heart. We have bond that cannot be broken. I truly feel that when I am with these girls I can be my most honest self, with no one casting judgement on me. It is no competion, the one with the most toys does not win, it is raw, true emotion that we share with each other. We share our fears, our past, our hopes, our dreams, our weaknesses, and our happiness with each other. Their is no judgement passed on these weekends...and what a relife to be among people like that!

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgement you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye. You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."

~Matthew 7: 1-5

We will always be there for each other, never judge each other and long live GIRLS WEEKEND!

Sarah K. - she is expecting baby #2 in January...doesn't she look GREAT?!?!

The Beautiful Erin...her and Sarah were not able to join us on Saturday night...since they were not in the group shot I wanted to make sure and get them in!

Ariel lived in India for a year and we all had the privilege of having her henna our hands

The Girls...and Daisy

We call this our Pink Floyd shot! :)

Some of the amazing food we cooked! (OK...so the last picture was before it was cooked)

The Girls at The Tea House...they had excellent tea and great food!!


Erin's feet...I just thought they were cute!

YUMMY Sushi!! Friday night we ate at Osaka's on Frankfort Ave. and it was wonderful!

Oakley's New Haircut

Well, I did it...I had Rhonda cut all of Oakley beautiful blond hair off! I loved his hair and loved it long! I didn't really want to cut it, but at the same time I was kind of curious to see what it would look like short. Finally, after tons of debate I told Rhonda, "just do it." I thought I might cry, but I held strong and didn't shed a tear. How do I feel about it now? I like it a lot. (As always, Rhonda did a great job!) Do I like it as much as I did before? I'm not sure yet...it is pretty cute on him, but I LOVE longer hair on little boys. Oh well, it is just hair and it grows back. I guess I just had a hard time letting go. Now he looks like a totally different kid...a kid...not a baby...not a little bitty boy...a kid. On second hand, I am not sure I am ready for him to look so grown up yet. Guess I better let that go too. Everyday he gets one day older! Where did my baby go!!!!

So what do you guys think? Long or Short?

American Girl Place

While we were in Chicago I thought I would surprise Avery and take her to the American Girl Place. Let me tell you, this is what little girls dreams are made of!! I took Avery to brunch at the American Girl Cafe and then I let her pick out a doll and an outfit for her doll. The Cafe was so neat and the food was delicious. Since we did not have time to pick out a doll before brunch we used one of their loaner dolls to eat with. Avery immediately choose Kaya to have brunch with. Once we were done eating we headed into the store to start the challenging task of picking a doll and an outfit. She loved Kaya and had a hard time choosing, but in the end Avery decided on the Just Like Me Doll. She picked out a cute little purple outfit for her (Purple is Avery's favorite color) and then we took her to the salon to get her ears pierced. When the lady asked Avery what she named her doll she proudly said "Pocahontas." I think she had a love for Indians!! Since then Avery has not let Pocahontas out of her sight. She went to every restaurant with us, the race, the expo, sightseeing...you name it, Pocahontas was with us! It was such a fun girls day and I hope Avery remembers it forever. Any of you out their with little girls, I highly recommend going if you ever get a chance.

These were the conversation cards that were on the table. Avery and I had so much fun with these. I would ask the questions and she would answer. I pray that I never forget our conversations that morning...they were so precious!

Avery helping Kaya with her drink! :)

Avery's Hot Cocoa

She said it was supper yummy! It was perfect for that cold morning in Chicago!

Avery's Breakfast

My Breakfast

Desert!!

Standing in line at the salon to get Pocahontas' ear's pierced

"American Girl celebrates a girl's inner star - that little whisper inside that encourages her to stand tall, reach high, and dream big." ~American Girl

Hanging out at American Girl Place reading to Pocahontas

One excited and happy little girl!!

Chicago

This past weekend we headed to Chicago to cheer on my little sister at the Chicago Marathon. Katie did awesome and finished in a little over 4 hours! I am so proud of her! We got to see her between mile 25 and 26 and she was bookin' it. She looked like she was just out for a 3 mile run. :) Even though she is my little sister, I completely look up to her and envy her determination and dedication. She is an amazing sister and friend! Way to go Katie...I Love You!!

Here are a few pictures of our weekend in Chicago!

The view from the top of the Sears Tower

My Family

Katie after the race

Sorry for the blurry picture...I was jumping up and down and screaming and then remembered to take a picture.

The Chicago Skyline

Beach Pictures

I wanted to get a few pictures of the kids while we were at the beach this year. I also thought it would be a good time to take Oakley's 2 year pictures. Needless to say the kids were not in the mood to have their picture taken...especially Oakley. I can usually get Avery to be a good little model for a few shots, but Oaks is a whole other story. He is at a very difficult age for taking pictures. I basically have to chase him around with my zoom lens on and pray for a good shot. In the end, I think I got several good ones and was pretty happy with them. My favorite of Oakley ended up being the ones where he is laughing and covering his mouth. A piece of grass kept blowing in his face and tickling him. It was so cute!

Vacation!

A few weeks ago we headed to Florida for a much needed vacation. We did nothing but sit on the beach all week and soak up the sun. It was so peaceful and relaxing! The kids had a blast swimming and playing in the sand all week. They both loved the ocean and of course the pool. Avery was so excited because we found two sand dollars out in the ocean - one for her and one for Oakley. Her and Oaks both loved being out in the ocean and jumping the waves this year. Of course I made time to hit the outlet malls to do a little shopping. We can't wait to go back! Here are a few pictures of our lazy summer days.