End of summer pics

The big 30!

What a great 30th birthday! I talked with several family and friends, had a wonderful dinner at Pete's and Ben surprised me with a new iPod! Don't you just love the green? It's the 8G so I can fit tons of music and video...just in time for a new school year!

I'm ending this birthday with some blueberry coffeecake and coffee (compliments of Starbucks) and the latest episode of Mad Men. It's been a great day!

VB in July

The last week in July was very full, but in a very different way. Instead of doing projects around the house or working at school, we packed the XTerra and drove over to Van Buren for the week. Ben taught a drum camp all week so his days were full, and I did some cooking, shopping, sewing, decorating, playing, and reading with Hillary and Madelyn. We took just about everything from our house and moved in for the week. I told Hillary it was like we were camping at their house with free hookups for water.

Madelyn is almost 16 months old (will be tomorrow) so she is talking more and her little personality is really developing. I am now "Keiko" (we haven't worked on "Aunt" just yet) and Ben is "Beh". And I really think Madelyn believed we lived in her playroom. Maybe she's adjusted back to normal now.

So here are a few pictures from the week, starting with some from the birthday celebration with Mom, Dad, Kelsey, and Katie, too. They drove over on the first Sunday and we celebrated Mom's, Kelsey's, and my birthdays as well as Mom and Dad's anniversary...complete with Mrs. Sutterfield cake and homemade Butterfinger ice cream!

What a name...