Timeless.....

Thanks to my cousin Jessica, I was able to waste hours of valuable time playing on a totally useless website. Well....it actually wasn't totally useless. It did provide plenty of laughs for Chris, Jacob and I. Basically you upload a photo of yourself and then it will transform you into yearbook photos through the years. So....here is what Chris and I would have looked like had we been born a little sooner. Try not to laugh too hard......and be sure to share your photos when you play along (come on Lori.....I figured you would have played by now!).

1960s 1970s

1980s

1990s

First day....

Today was the first day of school. For the first time in 5 years, Jacob did not go to school with me. That was a little weird. He goes to a different building which is just for 5th grade. He had a great day though and really likes it so far! Jenna still gets to come with me. She is very excited about 1st grade. Her class had a little excitement today though. As they were lining up and getting ready to head to the gym for the welcoming assembly this morning, Jenna noticed a bat hanging from the ceiling in the hall and quickly told her teacher. Both 1st grade classes ended up staying put until the custodian captured the bat in a big container. Yuck!


And now, the traditional first day of school photos.....

Love this girl....

I was so excited when Cheryl moved back to NW Ohio. She had been in Chicago for the past 2 years and I really missed our times together. Since she got home, we have been getting together at least once a week - sometimes more - just to hang out, scrap, antique shop or whatever we feel like doing on that particular day. When I stop and think of all the ways we are different, I am sometimes amazed that we are such good friends.

She is 20 something ...I am 30 something.
She is hair with a red streak...I am hair with subtle highlights.
She is getting ready to be a first time mom....I am a mom to a 7 and 11 year old.
She is antiques and thrift store finds....I am more contemporary and modern.
She is Mt. Dew....I am Diet Pepsi.
She is mix-and-match....I am matchy-matchy.
She is bright, vibrant colors....I am more subdued colors.
She is spontaneous....I am carefully planned out.
She is creative and artsy....I am symmetrical and more reserved.

But regardless of all those differences a friendship developed and we just clicked. We both are obsessed with photography and scrapbooking. We both love to explore antique and vintage stores. We both love Sonic. We both text each other, just to check on the other one. We both love our families more than anything. We both can spend a ton of money in Archivers. We both have fibromyalgia and deal with the same pain and exhaustion. We both want to be amazing moms.

Cheryl - THANKS for making my summer a little more fun. I really needed some "Amy time" this summer.

Down on the Farm...

Several weeks ago, Cheryl took Jenna and I to her brother and sister-in-law's farm so we could take photos. The farm was the perfect place for photos....it had so many fun photo spots! Here are just a few of my favorites....

{Kade}

I can't believe I never posted these photos! Kade's mom contacted me in late June about taking his 2 year photos. I took photos of him when he was six months old and he was such a happy, easy going little baby. He hasn't changed much....except along with being happy and easy going, he is also a very active 2 year old little boy!


He was a bit shy at first....

...but his personality quickly came out!
I saw a lot of this.....
...until Mom helped distract him with his tractor...

THANKS for spending the evening with me, Kade and Mom! I had a lot of fun.

Camping

This past weekend we went camping in Indiana with the Chiles'. As we were getting the camper parked and starting to set up, I had flashbacks from 20+ years ago and our camping experiences. We spent a lot of time just relaxing around our campsite. The kids loved hopping on their bikes and going to explore the campground. We also squeezed in campfires, a wagon ride, lots of walks, fishing, swimming, a family kick ball game, and lots of eating. The weather was great - except for rain on Saturday. It was just enough rain to make everything soggy and muddy - including the boys' sleeping bags and pillows in the tent. Somehow we managed to cram 9 people into the camper for Saturday night!

THANKS for the fun camping weekend, Chiles!

We are family....

On Sunday we had a Lehman family get together at my cousin Denise's house. We were celebrating a mix of occasions- anniversaries and birthdays. They live in the country and have a great farm house with lots of land and all the fun stuff - a pond, a trampoline, a 4 wheeler, rock band, and corn hole. We spent the day eating , talking, and playing. The kids were in the pond most of the day....and when they weren't, they were carrying around one of the barn kitties. Jenna was pretty sure we were taking one home with us...but that just didn't happen. THANKS to Denise and Roger for having all of us at their house for the afternoon. We had a great time!!



Jenna and her kitty - she really, really wanted to take this one home and spent most of the day carrying it around Jacob and Devin battling on the float in the pond. Seeing them out there really brought back memories of my cousins, sisters, and I doing the same thing at John and Nancy's pond when we were younger.
Grandma
Lori and Quinn.....right before I took this photo, Quinn was looking right at me...and then he turned as I took the photo. I still like how it turned out though.
Jacob and Devin's "muck monster" . Brenda and Jill.....does this bring back memories of the "muck" in John and Nancy's pond???

Baby Quinn.....I could sit and take photos of him all day. He has the silliest expressions and is such a good baby!



Mom and Aunt Barb playing cornhole (Jill....this is cornhole). They were quite entertaining to watch. :)

Their opponents....Aunt Becky and Aunt Nancy....
Deb and Howie playing poker.....It is good to see that trademark Deb smile on her face again.
Steve and Austin playing "hillbilly golf" (at least that's what we call it). Jill....I'm betting you don't know about this game either. You really need to make a trip back to Ohio so we can teach you all these fun games.
And...my favorite photo of the day. The story is too long to write. Let's just say that if you have a stuffed bear in your bedroom then you're just asking for it to be messed with. :)