Showered with Love and Friendship

Now here's taking it to the next level: my sweet friends hosted a baby shower for me and my SECOND baby! It's just the most touching, generous gift. Last weekend Lauren and Katrina went all out and put on such a cool party. I don't know which was better...the homemade macaroni and cheese 'muffins' or the amazing gathering of family and friends. OK. Totally kidding. I DO know which is better, but it might have been a closer call a few months ago! Both grandmas-to-be-again were in attendance as were my sister-in-law Jennie all the way down from Connecticut and my pal Whitney up from Richmond. We got lots and lots of great, fun stuff, including beach and surf themed gear for our California baby. Lots of laughter, advice, badgering to reveal the baby's name...it was an awesome night. Thanks, friends.

Lauren, Katrina and 'The Belly'

Wowzers. Great food! Note mac & cheese delights in the upper left corner.

Babies galore! We're all pregnant! Anna, in the middle, is due in November. Michelle is due in January.

Up to this point, I haven't allowed myself to be sad about the thing I cannot change: we are moving away from here very soon. This is the life we've chosen (the military) and we will make the best of whatever comes our way. But these last few weeks have shown me just how much I'll leave behind when I get on that plane to San Diego in a few weeks. We have been blessed with a church that challenges and sustains us; we have found friends who have become like family to us and to Millie; and we have known the depth of comfort and love that being so near to family can bring. Now I'm getting sad and trying not be scared. God has blessed with more than we ever knew we needed or wanted, so I need to find the faith to know He'll do it again and again. So if you happen to catch me in a quiet moment with tears in my eyes, it's probably a safe bet that the pregnancy hormones have kicked in. But it could also be that I am feeling overwhelmed with gratitude and love and searching for a bit of hope for the next leg of our life's journey.

Busy Weeks!

It feels like we've really been running around lately. Maybe it feels that way because my endurance and energy have just plummeted. The great part of these last few weeks and months has been the time that I've been able to spend with my girlfriends from college (and their families). There's a core pack of us that have stayed close and this season has brought us together again and again -- two weddings (which means two bridal showers and a bachelorette party) and two new babies (more showers and visits) within two months. So here are a few shots of our latest trip to Richmond for our friend Laurelyn's wedding.

Millie has a new love...my friend Jean's youngest son, Kieran. He's 3 years old and was her best friend the entire weekend. She screamed "Kieran" when we walked into a room, and they held hands all night long. So sweet. Here they are dancing with Christopher and Jean's husband Marty.

Friends for half our lives! Most all of us met each other the first week of our freshman year in college. And most of us have lived together at some point in our lives. Missing from this photo is Sandy. She just had her first child, Gavin, two weeks ago, so she was excused from reception partying activities.

Birthday Extravaganza!

Whew. I am recovered. Thanks to some extraordinary planning by my super-thoughtful husband and a marathon day of babysitting by my parents, I celebrated my 36th birthday in style. It was my perfect day. Here's how it unfolded:

Christopher made nine cards spelling out "HAPPY B-DAY" to tell me about our day's activities. He made breakfast for us (stuffed french toast!) and then arranged for my mom to come down to stay with Mils for the day. I've been wanting to invest in a nice digital SLR camera, so he found a great one to us to rent for the day. We had lunch at one of my favorite spots, Teaism, and then...get this...he hired a professional photographer to give me a two hour private lesson! It was awesome. I learned how to use the camera, about aperature and shutter speed, how to set-up and frame shots, and how to catch Millie (and eventually Baby GII) on the run. After the lesson we caught a movie and brought take-out dinner home to share with my parents. Wowzers. I only had one small blood-sugar-related melt-down that was quickly solved with popcorn, coke and an air-conditioned movie theater! It was a day that was tailored to my favorite things and for that I am so grateful to Christopher.

A sample of my early photography efforts.

So many friends sent cards, text messages phone calls and lot of well-wishes. Thank you for making my day so special

The cousins are growing up!

A couple of photos from our recent trip to Rhode Island & Connecticut...

Millie and her cousin Kaitlin playing on this cool toy on the back deck. They are just four months apart and it is so fun to watch them together.

The two of them could not get enough of this wagon, making Jennie pull them around the enormous back yard over and over again. My poor city girl LOVED exploring the swing set, slides, wagons, see-saws and all the other luxuries of a suburban yard.