Crawfish Boil

We had a blast at this year's Crawfish Boil! Thanks to our true Southern residents the crawfish were done up perfect, and all of the fixin's were delish. We had a great time with the resident families, as well as a few attendings and their families. It is hard to believe our "babies" have grown up so much during our time here in Greenville. The picture above of Sullivan, Blake and Dane tell the story...Sullivan was a mere 3 months old when we arrived, Dane was 8 months and Blake was just over 2 years old. My, how time has flown!

Mirage, No. Miracle, Yes.

What you see above was taken from our backyard and is what we are seeing all over our neighborhood now! The lots are FINALLY out of foreclosure (since the developer went bankrupt shortly after we moved in), and a new developer has FINALLY taken over. They have had a lot of heavy equipment moving dirt, cutting roads, grading lots and have even starting staking out the lots. We have high hopes that building will start very soon...and even more high hopes that this will only help us sell our home when that time comes. You know, we made the decision to live in this neighborhood three years ago. Wasn't the best decision, but you learn from your mistakes, suck it up and deal with it until it is time to move on. Luckily for us we are only here five short years, are pretty tolerant and good at seeing the silver lining (although we may complain sometimes!). We have learned to enjoy our quiet neighborhood out in the country, or what seems like the country, that is off the beaten path and away from it all. We have so much to look forward to and I'm sure someday we'll look back and realize this just wasn't that big of a deal. As for now, I am going to go blow up our pool (still no neighborhood pool, but oh well!) and enjoy the sights and sounds of diggers and dump trucks. Probably not near as much as my boys though.

Celebrating Baby!

The two lovely ladies above, Catie & Shane, hosted a baby shower for me here in Greenville last night. I was lucky to be surrounded by many friends sharing great food at my favorite local restaurant and was showered with beautiful gifts for our sweet baby girl. I could go on and on about the precious girly socks, and handmade bows and burp clothes that make this Mommy so excited to dress this baby girl. And the many practical, MUCH NEEDED and MUCH APPRECIATED gifts that include lotions, soaps, diaper creams, wipes, washcloths and lots of diapers! And then the unique gifts that I can't wait to use like a bag designed for wet clothing and diapers (so smart!) and Sophie, the giraffe, which I know will be a favorite toy :) Thank you all for throwing me a memorable shower and for all of the touching cards and gifts that make this time in my life so special and exciting!

Fired

The cleaning lady, that is. I am back to my original thought about hiring out...Don't. If you want it done right, do it yourself.

Road Trip 2011

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Here is proof that we made it to the Midwest for our 3rd annual road trip! I always wish I would have taken more pictures, but these show fun with family and the many Easter baskets the boys received and enjoyed so much! We were lucky to visit with parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. This may have been our last road trip from South Carolina to the Midwest since we will soon be a family of 5 and only have two more years in Greenville. But, I guess you never know what I will do! I may just road trip with three kiddos next spring ;)

A Girls' Staycation!

I was so lucky to have my two closest girlfriends take time out of their busy lives to come visit me here in Greenville! The minute I got the phone call from them saying their flight was booked I was totally giddy...I think I needed a paper chain to count down the days like the ones I make for my kids when something exciting is on the horizon :) We had an amazing weekend with weather we could not have ordered better. We enjoyed a lot of walking and exploring downtown, ate every meal we did not eat at home outside in the perfect weather, shopping (of course), and relaxing over great conversation (and LOTS of laughs!!). They even threw me a baby shower complete with sweet baby girl outfits, practical pieces, and a beautiful bracelet just for me to enjoy. Talk about feeling blessed! As Kelly, Mendy and I laughed and talked we realized we have all been friends for well over 20 years. We also realized how incredibly lucky we are to be able to say that and that we are always be able to pick up from where we left off. It is a gift that we all treasure and are thankful for as we have been there for one another through fun times and some of the most difficult moments we will ever face. Thanks girls from the bottom of my heart for giving me such a memorable staycation before baby arrives, and for your friendship.

Home

After 10 days, 6 states and over 2,000 miles we are back home in South Carolina. We experienced a 50 degree DROP in temperature from SC to Iowa, so I have to admit being back in the heat kind of feels good (even at almost 30 weeks pregnant!). We also had more bizarre weather adventures being a part of the big tornado in St. Louis, and being very lucky to not be in the path of destruction.

As we put a close to our 2011 road trip I am expecting some very exciting guests later this week, so I won't be posting our trip pictures for awhile. Two of my closest girlfriends are coming to visit for a few days and I can't wait! Unfortunately before they arrive I have to unpack, do piles of laundry, organize all of the boys' new goodies from family, clean my house, plan meals, go back to work and settle the boys back in school, and on and on. But, I will do it all with a smile on my face as I am so thankful for being able to travel home to see family and friends and now prepare for dear friends to visit!