Sunday, June 26, 2016

Surprise Greg! It's Your Birthday Pizza Party!

This week we headed up to Pizza King to celebrate Greg Gilbert's Birthday!
It was supposed to be a surprise, but Greg's too clever for all that!


We all get situated at a long booth table and started in with reading menus and feeding kids!


Greg got some pretty great gifts, including this drone!


Jack showed off his shaker skills!


Victor gave Greg a birthday High 5!


Smiles and Gregs for days!


Natalie baked a special cake and Jack helped with the decorations!
She baked it over a week early and hid it in the freezer!


The cousins were so happy to see one another!


Jack and aunt Emily had a few snuggles and a lot of rough housing to catch up on!


Victor was more interested in daddy and Uncle Ross!


Of course the cousins had big kisses when they had to say goodbye!


Natalie did a great job planning a surprise for Greg!  
If it wasn't for her putting on makeup and earrings, he might have never figured it out!  HAHA!
Jack was loving all the family time!


The Schwindlers of Avon had a wonderful time with aunts, uncles and cousins!


The Marshalls got plenty of snuggles from the nephews!


Everyone had a great time with the birthday fun!
Great twin night!

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Swimming in Avon!

It's June and it's hot in Indiana!
We received a bit of reprieve from the heat in this beautiful, private pool!


A friend in Avon is on vacation and allowed pool sitters to make themselves at home!
The smallest pool sitter is less than one year old!


Victor loved his float and being in the water with his family!


Of course, swimming can really exhaust those little legs!


Soon Victor was ready for a snack and some cuddles!


After a few hours at the pool, we were ready to head back home for a long night's rest!


It was such a nice day to be outside, enjoying the pool and each other!


Ashley came over to the house afterwards to check out our new firepit and seating top!
It is really looking good!


Great twin day!

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Ben Franklin Dinner at ARN

Emily hosted a dinner for the Central Indiana Community Foundation's Ben Franklin Funds initiative!

The foundation's website explains the funds:

INTRODUCING CICF’S BEN FRANKLIN FUNDS

In celebration of The Indianapolis Foundation’s 100th anniversary, CICF is creating two special funds modeled on Franklin’s endowment. Both are designed to harness the power of compound interest in order to help our community for many years to come.

100 DINNERS

Donors of both clubs will be invited to participate in an exclusive evening of 100 Dinners
The host may have the dinner in their home, a restaurant, a park, or anywhere else. No two dinners will be the same. Over dinner, you will have the unique opportunity to meet other people who love the Circle City as much as you do. Everyone will share their stories, wishes and dreams for the future of Indianapolis.


The night had finally arrived, and we were so excited to meet other leaders of the community!
What will your legacy be in 100 years?


The table was set and Rick's Cooking School was on hand to cater the meal!


The dessert and thank you gift were My Little Pies from Zionsville's My Sugar Pie.
The Indiana State Fair winning recipe for cream pie was a hit!


The Indiana themed dinner got underway with gazpacho soup.
Then we moved on to corn confetti salad and chicken/potato kabobs with avocado cream dressing.


The attendees had a wonderful time sharing their dreams for the future of Indianapolis.

Our wish list included better public transportation, a focus on education and removing the stigma of associate's or training programs, connecting all people of the community, and having all voices heard and represented.


We capped off the night with some wine and toasted to the many people who make our city great!
What a wonderful evening!

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Pearl's Pizzeria, Pinot Noir, and Precipitation - Oh My!

On this rainy Wednesday night, we grabbed our umbrellas and headed to a new adventure!
Ashley scoped out a new restaurant for us to try - Pearl Street Pizzeria & Pub!


Due to the inclement weather, it took about 1 1/2 hours for Emily to get downtown!
But, the place was nice and quiet due to the downpour!


The brand new menus had everything we could want for an evening of tucking into a quiet pub!
The decor was just the type of place we enjoy relaxing and talking the night away in!


We ordered a bottle of Pinot Noir from Black Ridge Vineyards.
It was perfect!  We both loved it!


Emily had just come from work with her purple blazer!


Ashley was heading in from working at home in this cute summer outfit!


The decor was like a classic pub with new twists!


The Stuffed Portobello Mushroom pizza was incredible!
Sliced Portobello Mushroom Caps, Sausage, Ham, Bacon, Red Onions & Mozzarella!


The amazing pizza, perfect wine, and rainy, relaxed atmosphere made for a great night!
We had a great time talking about graduation, Ashley starting new classes, and her new job!

We talked and talked and talked!
We never run out of things to say to one another!
Great time together trying something new in this great city!

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

The Jungle Book comes to Life!

On this sunny Wednesday, we decided to cool off at the movies!
We checked the showtimes and Studio Movie Grill had just the "ticket"!

Ashley picked up some Groupons to save a few dollars, and we were off!


The dining/theatre room allows you to chose your seats!
We love being able to sit in a more isolated place!


Our pick for the night: JUNGLE BOOK!
Ashley really wanted to see this the moment it came out!
Of course we ordered a bottle of wine and their 2/$25 menu!
Perfect for twins!
We had some pretzel bites to start.
Then Emily ordered a mushroom pizza and Ashley had a classic burger.


The movie was really great!  We both fought back tears at one point or another!
That little Mowgli has heart!


We talked all the way home about the realistic special effects, the surprising voice actors, and how great it is that all our childhood favorites are turning into live action movies!

It was a great twin night!

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Jack is 2!

Jack turned 2 !!
We were so excited to go to his Sesame Street party!


The garage was decorated down to the last detail!
The whole scene was a colorful spread of fun!


The gift area also had a Hooper's Store tent for the kids!
The handmade bean bag toss was so perfect!


When you walked into the room, the hanging decorations and table settings really popped!
There was plenty of all your favorite characters to go around!


Each table had it's own character theme!
The table featured a pic of Jack along with some other character items!


The MaMaw's cake was absolutely wonderful!
It featured four characters and had Jack's name prominently on the Sesame Street sign!


When Jack came into the party room, he couldn't stop pointing and giving thumbs up!
Aunt Ashley was happy to scoop him up!


They were so excited to make the connection that Elmo was at the party!
Jack kept saying, "Elmo?"


A GIANT party sub was labeled with themed toothpicks!
It was the perfect choice for a large group!  Everyone got what they liked!


Jack was great at greeting guests!
He was happy to give cousin Victor a high five!!  So sweet!


Of course, it isn't a party without games!
Little Victor and Jack played together!  Jack was so patient when offering Victor a turn!


Natalie had special coloring sheets printed for the guests to leave a message for Jack!
What a fun way to get the adults involved!


Even the smallest reveler enjoyed the bright colors and all the friends!


After dinner, it was time to make a wish!
Jack did so great blowing out the candle!


And he had his own special way of enjoying a cupcake!
Can you say,"Sugar High"!


Mom expertly cut the cake while Jack made a mess of his face!
Birthday fun!


After cake was present opening time!
Jack was concentrating so hard he had to put his tongue out!


Rip that Elmo paper!
He got some really great gifts!


Jack took time out of his busy party to make each guest feel welcome and appreciated!
Here he is sharing his toys with cousin Vic!


And of course, Jack had to help feed Victor!
He loves to be useful!


Once daddy had his trike together, it was time for a spin around the drive!
Go, Jack, Go!


What a natural!
(Still concentrating too hard to put his tongue in his mouth!)


Another highlight was his new John Deere vehicle!
He was riding around like a big shot!


Jack was generous in letting other kids enjoy his new ride!
Cutie Casen was all too happy to jump up in the passenger side!


The birthday boy had a big day full of fun, family and friends!
The party decorations were over the top amazing and everyone had a great time!

Loved every minute of this great kid's birthday!
Can't wait to see what the future holds for him!