fall on the farm with friends!

friendships can be funny, you know? i feel like i've tested out every kind in the book at this point. i've had friends that are nice to your face, but you kiiinda wonder what they'd say behind your back. i've had friends that you never quite figure out how to read, that seem to never quite figure out how to read you. i've had friends that are straight up crazy, but you think you're supposed to support them, anyway. i've had friends that come and go when it's convenient for them, eventually fizzling out for good. and then! sometimes it takes a while... but eventually you realize that you can't actually call these situations friendships, at all! but they're valuable learning experiences that teach us how to really see and love and appreciate our truest of friends... the friends that you know and trust, because they know you, and somehow, despite that, they still love you (?!). and you love them! and even on your worst day, you can send them ridiculous email diaries about nothing that's even at all important in the big picture, and they're totally okay with that and send you one right back. and even better, when your head is all foggy, they still see the real you and speak the words that you had no idea you needed to hear, and you only hope you can semi-return the favor one day. that is a friendship, right there! i love friendship!
even so, i feel like it's often difficult for couples to find other couple friends where the girl likes the girl as much as the guy likes the guy, and all that... so, steven and i really do not take for granted the fact that we actually have a bunch of really wonderful couple friends. but with our kuypers it gets eeeven better, because not only do i love maggie as much as steven loves matt, but maddalena is just crazy about their little girl, lucy. they are true friends that God placed in our lives when we were just newlyweds, and now they are like family to us.
so, so, sooo, anyway... when maggie's sweet friend of some years, the lovely and talented lindsay, asked if maggie and i, with our little ladies, would join in on one of her photo projects, i was so excited to get to have one of our most beloved friendships captured! and in my very favorite place, no less. (the farm, duh.) :) so, thank you again, dearest lindsay! we love these special photos with our precious girls (and casey!!) so very much!

(photos by lindsay farrer. ps. i tried to narrow down to favorites, i did, i tried!)
also! lindsay has her own line of beautiful, handmade jewelry called simon and ruby that is really fabulous! we got to wear several of her beautiful items to play in that afternoon, and when the time came to part ways, i was prettttyyyyy hesitant to part with the lovely jewels i'd been donning. ;) some of my favs are totally the gypsy in gold and pepper in ivory and the griffin in ivory!