Spring Break, Surprises and Sickness

Ryan and I have both been on Spring Break this past week and I have two words to sum it up..."MUCH NEEDED!!!" We have both been mentally and physically drained and were in desperate need of some REST and RELAXATION!!!

Spring weather in Indy is very unpredictable...in the past week we have encountered snow flurries, tornado warnings, 70 degree weather....you just never know what's going to happen...LOL


Every day that we had decent weather, Ryan took the opportunity to "swing the clubs!!!" He has been soooooo excited to golf. In fact, he even took on the role of assistant coach of the golf team at his high school (they do not have a baseball team, so this is the next best thing).

Here are some pics from a day of golf he spent with our friends Eric and Brian at Woodbend Golf Course in Westfield...

Here is Eric about to hit a shot...
Here is a pic of Brian going for it...Brian and Ryan also played Purgatory Golf Course in Noblesville this past week and Ryan is playing at Eagle Creek Golf Course in Indianapolis today (yes- the man eats, sleeps and breathes golf...)The Friday we began Spring Break, Ryan and I drove over to Indianapolis International Airport to pick up my mom (she flew in from California to spend the week with us) and to our surprise she wasn't the only one there to greet us.....

These two girls were there...And so was this little man...

Yes....my mom, sister, Heather (Alyssa's BFF) and my nephew Dylan all came out to see us!!!! Ryan and I were sooooooo surprised!!!! It was awesome! Here is a pic I stole from Alyssa's camera of Dylan on the plane.He is so cute...he earned his wings!Since Ryan and I were under the impression that we were only picking up my mom....the ride back to Noblesville from the airport was an issue....here is a picture to capture the moment (yes that is me sitting on the floor of the backseat of my car...not too comfy or legal...LOL). We were very happy to see my mom, Alyssa and Heather....but we were absolutely elated to see our nephew Dylan!!! The last time Ryan and I saw him, he was only 9 months old!!! Now he is a year and a half and talking up a storm!!!!

He can say "Uncle Ryan".....

and "love you"....

and "Auntie Brooke"....

And TONS more!!!! I can't believe how much this little guy says. He can count to 10, say the alphabet, speak in sentences... It is amazing!!! My favorite thing he did was point to the big wrought iron spoon on my kitchen wall and say "spoon- scoop it.'" Then he saw the big wrought iron fork and said, "fork-stab it!" We love him so much and are soooooo glad we had the opportunity to bond with him this past week.

On Saturday, I took everyone to the BEST fast food in Indy...."Steak and Shake."

My sis Alyssa and mom:

Heather and yours truly:
Dylan and "Jack." Jack is this boy doll my mom bought for Dylan at LAX just before they flew out here...the kid could NOT go anywhere without this thing...HILARIOUS!


That evening we had some pretty crazy thunderstorms. Alyssa and Heather sat out on the front porch to check them out. They were laughing so hard, that I went outside to see what all the commotion was about....

And this is what I saw...Yep, this is what those two do for fun...heeeheee!!!Ryan had to get in on the "Shakey Face" action too....I finally let my hair down and joined in the craze....they all 3 said I was doing it wrong! What do you think??? I think I look just as stupid as the 3 of them--don't you???I love my little sister. We have ALWAYS butted heads since we were kids...but I hope she knows that I care about her more than anything and I would do anything for her!

Lyssie-- you are crazy girl!!!!On Sunday we spent the day at the house relaxing.

Mom, Alyssa and Heather took Dylan to the park in our neighborhood...
Here he is on the swing with grandma...and behind bars with Heather....Later that afternoon, we took a drive around Geist Reservoir...

When we got home, some of our neighbors came over and Dylan got to play with Layne. Layne is Zach and Kristen's little boy. They are only 3 days apart!

It was so cute to watch them play together! As Dylan gets older, he will always have a friend to play with when he comes to visit! :)The next day, I took the girls and Dilly to Downtown Indianapolis....Ryan went golfing again with Brian (I know you all are shocked, I'm sure....).

Here is a pic at Monument Circle. Dylan is pointing to the War Statue. It is SUPER tall!!!!

See!!!!There are fountains surrounding the statue. They are drained in the Winter and refilled in the Spring! Here are some pics of Dylan playing in one of the fountains....he LOVED it!!!I love you, little man!He also took some time to smell the flowers...

And point out some things to us...

Sister-Sister :)
Group shot!On our walk back to the car, we saw the remnants of the RCA Dome next to the new Lucas Oil Stadium. The dome was demolished a couple months ago....
A shot of the capitol building..

On Tuesday morning, I had to take Alyssa, Heather and Dylan to the airport to go home. :( Good thing Dylan left supporting the right football team! I am so glad the 3 of them surprised us like that!!! It was so much fun to see them!!! If anybody reading this ever wants to make a surprise visit...FEEL FREE...HINT HINT!!!! We LOVE having vistors!!! See you three this summer!!! xo

Since my mom was staying until Friday, she offered to help us faux paint our dining room!!! I had been wanting to do this for weeks and had been talking to my mom about it for the past month or so.

First we had to tape everything off...Then we had to put the first coat of plaster on with a trowel...

We went to bed that night with the first coat done. The first coat did not have to cover the entire wall. That was the night I got sick with the flu!!! I was so sick I thought I was going to keel over. My mom and Ryan got up on Wednesday morning and did the 2nd coat of plaster all by themselves. I laid in bed, sweating and praying that I would not throw up all over my comforter!!!Later that afternoon, I got up and helped with the 3rd and final coat which was a top coat/gloss. Please excuse the HIDEOUS pics of me!!! I was in my pajamas the entire day sick as a dog...Check out those pajama bottoms....damn I'm sexy...LOL!The ENTIRE time we were working, I kept thinking of my best friend Erin!!! I know she is going to love this room because she LOVES color and decor...these pics are for you honey!!!

Here is the final result!!!

I think the faux paint turned out sooooo neat! Our walls look textured, but are smooth as a baby's bottom....

I bought a wall decal from Kohl's and put it above the entry way from the dining room into the foyer. Do you see it????

Here is a close up of what it says...

When I bought these candle holders at Pier 1, I thought of Erin again!!!

Mom, thank you SO SO SO SO much for helping us do this!!! We know it was a LOOOOONNNNGGGG and tedious process, but we are so thrilled with the outcome!

We LOVE our dining room!!! It brings the room to life and has so much more personality now! We can't wait until we have people over for dinner!

We took mom out to dinner at the new Olive Garden in Noblesville on Thursday night. It opened last week and Ryan and I were sooooo excited....LOL

Mom, I love you sooooo much!!! Thank you for coming to visit us! We had a wonderful time and are so blessed to have you in our lives!!!!

We can't wait to see everyone this July!!! I especially can't wait to kiss those chubby checks again!!!! Auntie Brooke loves you, Dylan!!!!
Until next time...xo