Christmas 2008

It always seems like we have a million Christmas celebrations, which is wonderful and exhausting at the same time!

We started with a wonderful Christmas Eve service at church and Noah loved all the singing and stories.

Christmas morning we woke up as a family and opened Noah's gifts.

We got him a great wooden kitchen play set because he loves all the kitchens everywhere we go. He got right to work making us sandwiches and eggs. He kept putting everything in the fridge and saying that it was cooking!




After some playtime we headed to my mom's house in Reading.


We had a great brunch and headed downstairs for more presents! It was quite a whirlwind but Noah did so incredibly well. He never got greedy and was polite and excited about every gift. I was also really happy with the gifts that he got... both in size and quantity. Lots of puzzles and challenging things for him. My brother got him this thing called a billibo which is a European toy that children are supposed to do whatever with... they can sit in in, use it as a hat, or twirl it. It was designed to encourage creativity among children. We all played with it....

We also got the Elmo Live which, I must admit, was much cooler than I had anticipated.

After my mom's we headed to my grandmother's house where he proceeded to be gifted with a keyboard and an indoor t'ball set.... the loudest and most dangerous gifts! yipppeeeee! My cousin Kris played ball with him forever and everyone loved watching Noah giggle with delight.

We left there and headed home for the day. Friday we got up and headed to the Waters house for Christmas there. Noah got a great easel and we had a really great lunch with them.

We left that house to go to my mom's family's Christmas! I know, are you exhausted? I am! My cousins got a new version of Monopoly that you don't have to use money for.. it's all credit! Noah thought it appropriate to come over and move all the pieces every once in a while and everyone called him godzilla.

We got home late Friday night and crashed. then we got up Saturday morning to go to Paul's sister's house to see their family and exchange gifts with them. Nina's boys are always SOOO good with Noah. They play with him and take care of him and it was wonderful!!!!!


We came home Saturday afternoon to be greeted by the FedEx man who brought Noah a gift that arrived late from my grandmother... his first big wheel. He loved riding it around the house!



Then today we welcomed our friends the Evans who we see once a year or so. We were glad to be at home! The kids played so well together but when it came for gift exchange time, the lion I got for Gavin scared him and he started screaming and then his older brother started chasing him with the RC car we got him which made him cry more... i definitely bombed in the gift department!

So, here we are, finally relaxing and basking in all that we know as friends and family. We are beyond blessed and so thankful for all that God has provided for us. It was a really, really great Christmas.

Chrismtas Eve 2008

It is the glad season. . . .
Hope is born again in the faces of children
It rides on the shoulders of our aged. . . .
Hope spreads around the earth. Brightening all things. . . .
In our joy, we think we hear a whisper.
At first it is too soft. Then only half heard.
We listen carefully as it gathers strength.
We hear a sweetness.
The word is Peace.
It is loud now. . . .
We tremble at the sound. . . .
It is what we have hungered for. . . .
At this Holy Instant, we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ. . . .
We, Angels and Mortals, Believers and Nonbelievers,
Look heavenward and speak the word aloud. . . .
Peace.

Maya Angelou
Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem

You hear over and over not to get caught up in the details. Not to be overwhelmed by wrapping and baking because it isn't about those things. I would love to say I have achieved this peace, but alas I have not. We had an ice storm Sunday that canceled church, which in turn canceled our cantata which also canceled my confirmation class that was supposed to go shopping for the family we are helping. So, we went shopping Monday instead but it took forever and I was late getting Noah, late getting home, didn't make dinner... on and on and on. Already a day behind schedule the anxiety set in. Still more presents to buy and wrap. All of the homemade things I wanted to do.... Tuesday went by with getting the gifts to the family, organizing all of my readers and ushers and making it, albeit late, to a Christmas party for Noah. By the time we got home last night I was so incredibly tired and yet I continued to wrap and organize. Earlier Tuesday morning the dog was walking around with my favorite hat (the only hat I liked in all of Iceland that I almost missed my flight to buy)... she had chewed a huge whole in it. I was devastated. Then as I wrapped Tuesday night I looked over at her laying on the floor only to realize that she had chewed a large whole in the new shag throw rug I bought LAST WEEK! I was furious and Paul carried the dog away quickly. I melted at my inability to perform all the tasks required of me. I was teary eyed that Christmas Eve was supposed to be a holiday and my to-do list was too long to even think about enjoying it.

I tossed and turned all night dreaming about all the work I had to do. The dog woke up barking incessantly at 4 and Paul went and threatened her life which made her stop finally. At 5 Noah climbed into our bed and we tried to convince him to go back to sleep but he just sat up in a jolly voice reciting "I wake up Mommy, Mommy, you wake up!" We trudged down the steps to begin our morning ritual.

Paul looked at Noah and declared that he was slimy and threw him in the shower. But, he refused to come out, so we spent forever dragging him from the bathroom screaming and then pinned him down to get him dressed. He wanted nothing to do with his carefully selected Christmas sweater.

Almost ready to get out the door, Noah was sitting quietly on the step waiting (always a sign of danger) when Paul realized that he had his hands in Sophie's crate which was filled with doggie diahrrea, hence the 4am cry. I tried to clean it up but I just couldn't so, trooper Paul washed off Noah 100 times and then cleaned the crate and took out all of the evidence.

Paul went to turn the car on only to find more ice and another 20 minutes of scraping.

So, here I am, trying to write my last sermon for TONIGHT plus complete my baking and wrapping and letters and make sure I have a clue about the worship services this evening. All of this in the next 3 hours. And then, I have the flurry of Christmas Eve that will last until 12 am tonight. Then, I will finally find breath of fresh Christmas air as I leave the doors of the church alone, greeting the Christmas morning, hopefully with peace. Thanks Maya Angelou for the heart check.

Merry Christmas Eve.

11.5 weeks

Today was my second appointment, the first one with the OB. I hadn't been feeling quite right and so she wanted to do an ultrasound to make sure all was well. It was amazing to see the huge difference between last time and this time. The baby was moving so much and even though it looks alien-ish, it was really awesome to see it squirm and wiggle. I know it's only a few more weeks until I can feel movement and I'm REALLY looking forward to that again.

The doctor was thrilled with my progress. She compared my chart with last time and I'm 15 lbs less than I was at this point with Noah. She had to do some tests to monitor some of the issues that I have been having over the past few years and they will continue to monitor where my placenta implants. If it implants on one of my fibroid tumors there is a high probability of low birth weight. I'll have two more ultrasounds.... one with an early screening for some disorders and then the normal 18-20 week ultrasound which should show the placenta as well.

My nausea is pretty much gone, though I do have to take my pill every morning. I can finally stomach some real food and proteins. I'm back to the gym and running again as well. Because nobody knows most of the time I even forget that I'm pregnant! Except for the fact that I am completely and utterly exhausted every second of the day, I wouldn't remember at all. Oh, and the REALLY weird dreams have returned. Last night I dreamt about spending hours showing one of the older women at church all of the functions on my iPhone. Weird.

Say hi to the little alien Templin Ashford!!!!!

11 weeks -- It's A......

It's a baby!

Hilarious, I know. Well, most of you know that we are not ones to wait to find out the gender. I've got painting and shopping to do! So, we read online about this urine test you could take as early as 10 weeks to get conclusive results about the gender of your child. -- The ad said for Moms who just can't wait -- that's me!


So, it was cheap and there was free shipping so we ordered it, just for fun. We were fully aware that it was not going to tell us anything for sure but we thought it would be fun to play along. The website said it was 90% accurate for a girl reading and 85% accurate for a boy reading. Paul said the website had a typo and that it should have all said 50% accurate, just like every other gender predictor!

So, this morning we decided to test it out. We followed the directions and we got absolutely nothing! The cup is labeled so that when we looked at it from the girl side it looked like it was girl colored and when we looked at it from the boy side it looked boy colored. I'm actually sort of happy with the results and even a bit amused. I have no more expectations than I did yesterday. Tell me what you think!?

Passing on Traditions

I've always had a Christmas Tree. Even when I was in an apartment I had one. We have set up a tree each year in our house, but this year it seems so much more special. Last year we thought Noah would knock stuff off the tree but he pretty much ignored it. But this year, he helped put the ornaments on and now puts them on and takes them off each day! If the tree isn't on he begs for me to turn the lights on. And every morning he comes down the steps and says "Christmas Tree Mommy!!!!!!!"

Well, when Paul was little his dad always set up a huge Lionel Train display complete with towns and mountains. This year we dug out the old Lionel Steam Engine and set it up around the tree. Noah was allowed to push the button that made it say "Woo Woo" and allowed puffs of steam to come out. It was a magical moment....

Advent Conspiracy

This is the super cool movement that our church is focusing on this Christmas. I love it and we have all really gotten into it... being creative and giving of ourselves in radical ways. Take a minute to watch it and change your Christmas! Find out more at www.adventconspiracy.org

Pictures!!!

So, it's no surprise that I'm in love with photography and even joke about opening a studio some day. I just love capturing the moment in photos. When I think back I was always obsessed with pictures!

So, last month, I had the privilege of 2 of my photos being selected for different publications. This was completely random and just happened from people looking at my pictures on Flickr.

This picture will go in the Philly Fun Guide for Tourists. Each place on the map for people to go has a picture that goes with it and this picture will be the icon for the Philadelphia Zoo:


And this one will be in the Strasburg Railroad Visitor Brochure. It will also go into a photo album in the Railroad History Museum in Strasburg, PA.


So, neither of these are what I would consider my best or most exciting photos, but hey! And I don't get any money for them, but I do get name recognition and a copy of the publications once they are finished. I was pretty proud.... Now, if I could only find time to use my new lens, filters and flash!

Christmas Lights

Did you ever just get in the car with your parents and drive around to look at Christmas lights? There used to be a whole village near us that we would go to -- all full of Christmas lights. Well, we are located 3 miles from the Herr's Potato Chip Factory (which is a good thing and a bad thing). But in any case Herr's is very involved in the community and always doing things for the town. Every Christmas they put up a light display and we decided to pile the family into the car before bedtime and go look at the lights.


Noah was beside himself with excitement. On the way there he saw the moon and just kept shouting "The Moon is Coming With Us, Mommy!!!" I guess he usually isn't out and about when the moon is out but he was convinced the moon was coming along for the ride. As we approached the lights he just kept squealing... A Blue Tree, A purple tree, Deer, Mommy, DEER!!!!!!!!

It made me so happy to see him enjoy such a simple thing that I wasn't even bothered that he didn't fall asleep on the way home.

9.5 Weeks

Woohoo!!! I feel so much better. Almost immediately after I got my prescription most of the nausea went away. I still take one pill in the morning but I'm great the rest of the day. I'm slowly getting my energy back and have some clarity again. I hope it sticks... I don't remember feeling better until around 14 weeks last time.

I really don't feel that much different and most of the time I forget I'm pregnant. I have occasional back aches and fatigue. I still can't handle raw meat and don't have much of a taste for most vegetables, but other than that I'm doing fine.

It's getting harder to keep it all a secret. Because I've been so tired I've missed a bunch of social events and so people are starting to wonder where I am. I'm not worried and I assume most people know anyway because a bunch of people knew we were trying. Sometime around Christmas we'll let the cat out of the bag. There's still so many months ahead so I think that by keeping it a secret a little while longer the rest of the pregnancy won't seem so long.

As for my body, I'm just feeling a little "thicker." Holding steady with my old weight and old jeans and I hope to stay that way as long as possible!

I do often think about the impact it will have on our family. Noah really loves babies and he is pretty gentle around them considering he is NEVER gentle. He's a really good helper and very, very loving and so I expect him to share those traits with this child. He is the king of this castle, however, and so I just worry about him all the time... which is normal, I know. I still hold him a lot and I am there for him whenever he needs me. I know gazillions of people have had two children before and it will be fine....

8.5 weeks

Yipppeee!!! We got to see our little one this week on an ultrasound. I was measuring 8 weeks 4 days when I had it at 8 weeks 1 day, so essentially, right on schedule. That keeps the due date at July 15th. Paul's birthday is the 5th and I hope it doesn't happen then. The heart rate was 160 bpm, which is exactly what it was for Noah at his first appointment. The tech said everything looked normal, except some of the old fibroid tumors have grown. She saw 4 small ones and then one large one. The larger one will continue to be monitored because there is a chance the plancenta could implant on the wall where the fibroid is which could cause low birth weight. I just have to go for some extra ultrasound later on to see what is going on.

Last week it seemed as though the nausea was letting up a little bit but now it has taken a turn for the worse. I went from Unisom/Vitamin B to these B-natal drops the doctor reccomended and after spending this morning vomiting I finally broke down and got the prescription. I was hoping not to have to do that but I really need to be able to function! Last night I sat here on the couch absolutely famished but everything I looked at to eat made me sick. Finally some pistachio's sounded appealing and I managed to keep them down.

I keep telling Noah I have a belly ache and so he kisses my belly and makes a silly smile and says "I make you happy, Mommy?" and of course it brings a smile to my face. We keep asking him if he wants a baby and he always says no.

So, we'll see how this week goes with the medicine. I'll keep you posted, even though you can't read this anyway!

Family Fun

Tagged

Thanks to my friend Tammy, I've been blog tagged..

1. choose the 4th picture folder on my computer.

2. choose the 4th picture.

3. explain the picture.

4. tag at least 4 people to do the same.

This picture is from our engagement party. The guests were all gone and we were in Len and Sandra's kitchen playing with rib bones, I think. We were already showing our wacky love for each other and how much fun we have being silly together. People often see this photo and ask what on earth we were doing. We always smile because we have no idea what we were doing but we know it was a blast because we were together. Ok, I know I'm a total sap!!!

I tag:
1. AJ
2. DeLay
3. Ali
4. Jenn Reffner

7.5 Weeks

Well, we had our first doctor's appointment this week which was pretty underwhelming. It was just time to review the family history and make sure no one came down with any serious diseases that I might have contracted since Noah was born. We reviewed deli meat and soft cheese, oh joy.

I did manage to convince the nurse to order me an ultrasound to get an accurate due date and so next Thursday we will get to see what this little one is doing. I can't wait for that!

So far, things are still going very well. My nausea isn't as bad. As long as I take my vitamins first thing in the morning, I can make it through the day. I don't feel bloated or anything, really. I'm just completely exhausted and still having a hard time with meat.

I've been going along with the not-pregnant story pretty well. I have a few bottles of non-alcoholic wine that are horrible and I manage to pour myself a glass of that when others are drinking. No one asks twice and so far, no one has offered to pour me a drink. Phew! I've still been able to eat very healthy and exercise which has been a huge blessing for still feeling somewhat normal.

We plan to tell people in December sometime. We hope to give the family gifts to reveal our secret and tell a few friends here and there around the holidays. We'll tell the church in the new year. That will only leave about 6 months left for a "public" pregnancy which is still a long time but not as long as 9!

We'll update you more after the ultrasound!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a great low-key holiday here. With half the number of the normal crowd, things were pretty calm which was wonderful! But, somehow we managed to have hordes of food anyway. Noah slept through most of the feast and his cousins anxiously waited for him to come and play. When he finally woke up the boys all ran outside to play (it was about 60 degrees).

Vying for the wishbone

My little pilgrim (he looks ghetto but he is just sleepy)


And then, at the end of the night, we snuggled Noah up in his new jammies and tied the legs together. All, good old Templin Ashford fun....

We are so thankful for so many things... our amazing family, our absolutely precious little boy, and just so many of the comforts we so easily forget about.

The Sweetest Happiest Baby!!!!

We were so lucky to have our friends Doug and Lisa here from Seattle last weekend and even luckier to finally meet baby Adin. He is soooo sweet! He giggled and laughed the whole time, kicking his feet wildly with joy. He was one of the happiest babies I've ever seen, often just sitting and grinning from ear to ear. We were out in Seattle when Noah was exactly Adin's age (about 8 months) and so it was neat to compare them a little bit. Noah didn't seem to mind the baby. He wanted to hug him and kiss him a lot and we pulled out some baby toys with Adin which Noah wanted to play with a lot. Adin watched Noah's every move and wanted desperately to chase him around the house.

We also got some good grown up time to eat a nice meal and chit chat together. Sometimes it's great to catch up with old friends. Thanks for putting us on your travel plan Doug and Lisa!!!!!

6 weeks

So, we're 6 weeks along now and it is going slower than molasses. We haven't told anyone yet and we just want to announce it! I've been very good at drinking non-alcoholic wine (at my birthday and at all the girl's nights). I know many of my friends are just looking for a hint that I'm pregnant and it makes me smile to know my secret. But, as we watch some of our friends with two little ones we wonder how we will make it through. Life has become pretty darn easy with Noah and it will be a rude re-awakening to be up all night and not be able to communicate with the child for another year.

I've been pretty darn sick as well. Much more than with Noah. The nausea wakes me up at night and I spend many nights sleeping next to the toilet. Coffee and any meat products are unfathomable right now. I read online to take Unisom and B6 which my doc approved. They seemed to help a little bit so I'll stick to that before I head to any prescription meds.

We have our first doctor's appointment next Wednesday, November 26th where the blood test will be confirmed and we'll do prelim stuff. I'm guessing there will be no ultrasound, though I really wish there would be!

Where I've been...

Sorry I haven't been posting as much. My internet has been very touchy lately and often won't work. Both of our laptops are dying a slow and painful death.

In addition, the renovations on our house continue. We started working on this project LAST September. We had the back half of our house redone with new siding, windows, vents, etc. The contractor was so incredibly horrible and it took him 9 months to do the siding and windows. We couldn't do our part of the inside work until he was done the outside work. So, needless to say it has been a very slow process. I work most nights and often on the weekends and we can't work when Noah is awake so that gives us all of about 5 hours a week to work. We are hoping to be done by Thanksgiving because we're storing everything in the guest room and we have guests coming.






So, this is just a snap shot where we are. Hopefully there will be a finished picture soon. It doesn't look like that much, but we have added a window, torn down nasty panelling, uncovered a brick wall, built a closet, wired and networked the room, installed outlets and an overhead light, hung drywall, painted, repaired the ceiling, and this week we just had a contractor come in and refinish the floor (not visible in this pic!). So, we still have to do the molding which is all painted and ready to go and then we get to go shopping for a new couch and shelves. This room will be an office with both of our desks, our old TV, our treadmill and all of my scrapping stuff. I can't wait!!!!!!!

Welcome to the Club

That's what everyone keeps saying to me. Welcome to the club of being 30. Most people say that their thirties have been great so far. You're more sure of yourself, you have more of an identity, you're more established. Some of the middle aged folks I know chuckled with the memory of never trusting someone over 30.

Overall, it was a pretty mellow event. Friday night Paul took me for an amazing meal the Farmhouse Restaurant -- a place we've wanted to go for a while. When we got there one of my friends had a bouquet of orchids and purple roses placed on our table. At first I thought it was from Paul and I got all tearyeyed but he told me to check the card... it was from Yaz. Still beautiful and so thoughtful. We had the best dinner --- pure crab, filet, Paul had ostrich... and I had a delightful Praline Ice Cream Cake for dessert.

Saturday morning Noah slept until 9 AM which is completely unheard of. He then crawled into our bed and we just snuggled for a while. I knew something was up when Paul said he wanted to clean the house for me for my birthday. He vacuumed and dusted and organized and even cleaned off his desk which he NEVER does. At about 12 he asked if I wanted to go out to lunch and we went to a local sandwich shop. While we were there Paul's phone rang and it was his mom (who lives 2 hours away and was just there the previous weekend). She was at the house. I knew then that something was going on. We headed home and on the way Paul told me that he had planned an informal Wine and Cheese Open House. When we got home, people slowly trickled in with bottles of wine and blocks of cheese and gifts and lots of hugs and love. Family members, new and old friends and a lot of my favorite people. The night lasted a long time with people coming and going, Paul broke out the Icelandic Vodka and we ordered a pizza. I think the open house ended at 10 or 11.

I got my dream gifts-- a new telephoto lens for my camera that zooms into nosehair detail from Paul and an awesome external flash from my parents and brother. Noah sang me Happy Birthday all day long and sometimes got confused and said Happy Halloween.

It was really a great day... and the only real change that I feel is pressing the 30 instead of 29 into the ellipitical trainer each morning.... and it makes me smile.

Kisses

Noah is all about kisses. Everyone and everything in our house has to kiss all the time. It's mostly mamas and babies kissing...

Fabulous Fall

So, no matter how much I despise winter I love the other three seasons in PA sooooo much. Our awesome tree sheds the most beautiful yellow leaves and we just rolled and jumped and played forever today. The smells were incredible. Sophie even stayed still long enough to let Noah bury her!!!!

4 weeks

Ok, so 4 weeks is really not very far along. I know this time much earlier than last time and it is going so SLOW!!!!!!! The baby is the size of a grain of rice and the heart is starting to form. I can't believe I have 36 weeks ahead of me! Here's the first belly pic. I'm sure I won't do one every week, but I will now and then. I'm 15 lbs less than when I conceived with Noah -- we'll see how long that lasts!

Happy Halloween!!!

Propanganda

So, like many of you, we have been entranced by this election. We read every article and listen to every political show. We are excited and involved.

Today I was at the gym and I was eavesdropping on some older men who were psuedo-weightlifting. I was AMAZED at how direct their speech was out of the media. Neither party used their own language, instead they used the EXACT words of the media!!!! It seemed that 2 of them were for Obama and 1 for McCain and it went something like this....

M: You can't vote for Obama, he'll redistribute your wealth!
O: I don't have any wealth! Do you want to have another 4 more years of Bush?
M: McCain isn't more Bush, he's a maverick and has the record to prove it!
O: I am looking for change.
M: You just wait, you'll get change, but it might not be change for the good!
O: Obama is going to cut taxes on social security and help with my health benefits.
M: He's not going to cut taxes, he says he is but it is all lies. He is lying about everything he says.
O: Well, I'm excited no matter what you say. Obama promises no income tax for seniors making less than $50,000 and that includes me.
M: We'll talk about this again when Obama takes all the money out of all of your bank accounts and you won't know what happened. You can't trust him, I tell ya.

I'm dead serious. How many of these words were put directly into their mouths! I wonder what an election would look like WITHOUT the oversaturation of media.....

VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4th!!!!

Parade Party

Oxford has such a great Halloween Parade. It's such a big deal and everyone goes. Parking can get insane, so we invited a bunch of people over here before hand so they could grab a parking spot and we could all walk over together. We ordered pizza and the kids all dressed up and it was so much fun!!!!


Asher was the cutest frog!!!




This was my favorite -- a horse dressed as an elephant!!!

My sweet boys!!!!

What you've all been waiting for!

Yes, we are finally pregnant again! We found out October 30th with a great positive home pregnancy test! The first one was faint but the second one was tell tale.


It's just so hard to believe we are going to have the strength to go through all of it all over again! I know we'll be fine and we will re-emerge on the other side again, but all of the hard work in the middle is daunting! We have a wonderful two year old who uses the potty, climbs in and out of the car, uses utensils and complete sentences. It will surely be shocking to start from square one. But, it will also be so amazing to see new life all over again. Really, we're more giddy than scared.

So, the due date comes out as July 15th which sounds yucky! To be big and pregnant in July! Our house isn't air conditioned! Oh well... maybe this one will be early like Noah.

I'm nervous that these secret posts will somehow show up even though they're hidden, but I hope when you finally read this you'll be as excited as we are!

Blues Clues Live

On Tuesday we were invited to go and see Blues Clues Live with some friends of ours. I was hesitant at first but finally agreed Noah would like it. I was expecting a large scale event like you see on TV. We arrived at the Media Theater and found it quite empty. We piled into the third row and the show started promptly with a 12 year old lead character coming on stage. Slowly we realized that the $30 we had spent was for a VERY low budget children's theater! All of the characters were played by kids under 15 and each one was very proud of their one line! When Blue the doggie came out I was shocked... it was a small boy in blue pajamas! But, just when I thought Noah would protest and say -- Mommy, that's not Blue! he watched intently. In fact, he didn't move for the whole show and was fully engaged. As it all progressed, I was thrilled for him to see this small production of children on stage. I was sure he was engrossed but I knew he was also seeing a world of pretend that was completely new to him. It really challenged him because he knows Blue as a TV character and now he saw him on another dimension -- not the big production world of made to look real costumes, but the world of ordinary kids pretending to be dogs and shovels and pails.


Noah has been in a very shy, clingy stage recently and he was afraid to touch the doggie afterward but after some coaxing, he finally petted the little boy named blue.

My Little Pumpkin

My dad always called me pumpkin growing up and now I have my own little pumpkin... and his pumpkins!!!! I can't believe how different he looks each year!!!!

Family Night Out

Sunday night we had our annual family trip to Kilby Cream.

We ran through the corn maze, rode through bumpy deer-filled fields on a hay ride, and roasted weenies and marshmallows over the fire. (Noah's first time! -- He didn't like s'mores at all!)

One mom even brought fall stories to read and all the kids just piled on a blanket to listen. It was a picturesque fall day and it made me so happy to pile into the car smelling like campfire, licking the last bits of marshmallow off of my fingers....

Favorite Foto Friday (#11)

Flowers for no reason. That's worth a favorite photo. Thanks, sweets. ;)

Super Saturday

Months ago we got the invitation to our good friend AJ's baby shower. We planned it so that we could hang out with our friends in Macungie since they live near the place where the shower would be held. We got up early Saturday morning and drove north to be with Brian and Lisa. While I went to the shower Paul and Noah hung out with them.

AJ's shower was no less than wonderful (which I expected, of course!). Her family had decorated the house with ducks and booties and onesies. The food was spectacular and it was just a lovely afternoon. AJ is due in December and as you can tell from the pictures, she looks amazing!!! She is soon to join our camp crew of mommies... we counted and baby Cassidy will be number 7 born to our old gang. It's so hard to believe!!!

The soon to be Mommy and Daddy


Here are numbers 5 and 6, Amelia and Cora


And the whole crew of ladies from our camp days



After the shower I headed back to Brian and Lisa's and we all just had another wonderful night together. These are Paul's friends from high school and again, we just fall back into place as if no time as passed. Their two little boys and Noah played all day and well into the night.... what a riot it was trying to get one good picture of them!