September 2010

Hello friends!
So the last couple of months have been a little busy :) and I have neglected our blog. Here's what our September looked like:

AU soccer season started at the beginning of the month! Now (November 1st) the regular season is over, and the team plays in the conference semi-finals on Wednesday. They had a GREAT season! (see link to AU men's team at right)
Benny on the sidelines during one of the first games:



At a high school football game with the Daughertys. Benny and me with Aden and Owen. We LOVE these precious boys! (and their parents :)



Benny and Owen:



Benny and I are super blessed to be able to live life alongside a great group of couples in a small group. They surprised us with a baby shower!



Jonah and Sarah



Our awesome small group!! Sarah and Jonah McDonough, Troy, Katrina and Ian Canfield, and Cherilyn, Jason and Eyla Horning!



One of Benny's favorite things to watch: Ian eating!! We love the way he opens his mouth SO wide for every bite!



Troy reading to Eyla and Ian.



The AU men's team, watching the women's game.



My incredible husband, helping the guys get warmed up:






The starting lineup:


Benny and I with Matt Young, our fun neighbor!



Some of the girls at work hosted a shower for the THREE nurses who were pregnant at the same time! Jacole (due October 3rd...the day before me!) and Courtney (due at the beginning/middle of November.)






39 week belly shots!






Andrew's Room!! The awesome painting above his crib and changer dresser was made by our good friend Lainie Deerman.


(The wall space above the organizer is being saved for two drawings that my dear friend Jill Tanana is working on!)





(There's actually a shelf on the wall to the left of the rocking chair with some picture frames...just can't see it in this picture!)

Baby Shower in Noblesville, IN

Sunday, August 27th Leslie Galema and Jess Daugerty hosted a PRECIOUS baby shower for me!

Here's the creatively decorated food table:








Opening gifts:











Leslie and Cassity Galema (Leslie's hubby Adam and Benny have been friends since 2nd grade and were college roomates.)


Jessica and Brenda Daugherty (Brenda is Jess's mother-in-law. Brenda's son Travis was one of Benny's college roomates.)


Wendy Fridley (AU head soccer coach's wife) and Sue and Katie Rocholl (Katie plays on the AU women's soccer team and Sue is her mom!)


Elizabeth, Laura and Abigail Tully (Laura and Benny are cousins)


Alison Bachtel and Betsy Reiff (two of the AU students I mentor.)


Megan Uselton (she's dating Benny's cousin Eric), Allison Jonas (married to Benny's cousin John), and Pat Jonas (Benny's aunt).



THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU Leslie and Jess for hosting such a great shower and to everyone who was able to come and for the gifts. We are so humbled by your friendship and love!

Rachel's 28th Birthday

So for the record, I have the most amazing husband in the world. He did such a great job honoring me for my 28th birthday (which was August 23rd).

Sunday night (the 22nd) he made me stay in another room for a few minutes while he set up the kitchen table. What I came out to was this!


Next, he had me open the flowered box on the left side of the table. Inside was a scrapbook that he had actually started last year, and just finished last week. (He's so cute!)

The next morning (my birthday), he made me breakfast before leaving for preseason soccer training.

After training, we had lunch together and he had me open two of the gift bags. Inside were t-shirts from two really great local restaurants: Geene's Rootbeer and The Lemon Drop. I have a thing for t-shirts from local places where we live, so this was perfect!! Then he had me open one of the cards. Inside was a gift card to Target. He didn't actually load the card, but he used it to explain that he was taking me on a shopping spree there! Target is one of my most FAVORITE places...even if I am just walking around and looking, I just love BEING there. So, a shopping spree was SUCH a fun idea. (He did give me a couple of rules...I wasn't allowed to buy anything for Andrew, him, or for the house...they could only be things for ME...this was tough!)

So we left, went on our shopping spree, and then had dinner at the Olive Garden.
I dropped Benny off at soccer training, went back home and awaited the final portion of my gift.

When he returned, I was able to open a really sweet card from Alison, one of the girls I mentor. Then I opened the final bag on the table. Inside were lotions and bubble bath from Bath and Body Works. He drew me a bubble bath and then gave me a massage. How heavenly!! It was the perfect end to a really fabulous day.
Here's the table at the end of the day!


(ALSO, lovingly sprinkled throughout the day were phone calls, text messages and facebook posts from my wonderful friends and family...you guys are the best!)

Anniversary Trip to Phoenix, AZ

Benny and I went out to Phoenix August 13th-17th. September 3rd is our 5th anniversary, but we thought that'd be a little late to travel (and Benny has already started preseason for soccer).

Our first night in town, we stayed with Benny's older brother Shaun at his new house. We loved getting to see his beautiful home, and we always love time with him!
We keep trying to convince him to move back to the midwest, so buying a house out there was a step in the wrong direction. :)

The classic pose Benny and his brothers strike when I say "okay, time for a picture." Silly boys...


Then I always make them try again...


Me and Shaun.


Me and my awesome hubby!


Saturday night Shaun dropped us off at our resort. We found out about this resort from Chris and Sarah Boddy's blog, and we loved it!!! It was called the Point Hilton Squaw Peak Resort. It's a great place for couples, and would also be a fun place for the whole family.
We had dinner each night at one of the resort restaurants. This one was our favorite!


The resort was beautiful! Here, we're standing on the other side of one of the pools, and next to one of the restaurants.


This was the quiet, peaceful pool we relaxed at Sunday and Monday. It was right behind the fitness center, so both mornings we worked out, spent a couple of hours at the pool, went in to eat lunch and then went back to the pool. You'll notice in the bottom right hand corner a blue raft in the pool, on which I spent a lot of time. (It's hard to lay out on your belly when you're eight months pregnant!)



Benny working on his tan.


Reading and getting a tan...fabulous.


The resort also had an awesome lazy river!


Our last night in town, before dinner.


Shaun came out to the resort and joined us for dinner!


For a couple of years, Shaun has been telling us about this mexican drink called "horchata," which is best described as cinnamon-y milk. He was really excited for us to try it, so we drove around after dinner Monday night and finally found a place that served it. Here's Benny taking his first sip:


It actually was pretty good!! Thanks for culturing us, Shaun!


We most definitely had an AWESOME time on our vacation. While we were gone, I asked Benny, "when do you think the next time will be that we'll take a vacation like this without kids?" We both agreed it would probably be a while.