Part 3: Urbanna!

We ended our trip in Urbanna, VA, about an hour east of Richmond, where my parents will be moving at the end of May. They are retiring and moving into the house that my Grandma lived in. I had not been there since 2004 so it was a treat to see them and to enjoy some Urbanna charm for a little bit as well!

The whole bunch: Me, Nat, Kate, Mariah, Evan, Mum, Daddy, and Graham!

Sisters, Sisters...
Love these!
The park is right across the street!
And the Rappahannock River is a street(ish) away. My parents bought a sailboat so we went out sailing after church!
The captain!
And crew :o) Kate had this face almost the entire time. She. Did. Not. Like. The lifejacket!
It's not a trip to Urbanna unless you play with the blocks :o) Thank you so much to Gramma and Granddaddy (and Mariah and Evan too!) for keeping G and K during the whole wedding weekend! We loved seeing all of you!!

Beautiful Wedding, Beautiful Couple!

I really really really can't believe that Katrina and Eric's wedding was a whole month and a half ago... and that I am just now getting pictures on here. I promise I will send the two of you all of the gazillions of pictures from a wonderful celebratory weekend, but here are some :o) We enjoyed celebrating the marriage of these special friends. The events were beautiful, but their love for Jesus and for one another just made everything sparkle! I was also so thankful for time spent reuniting with other sweet friends and for Nat to have the chance to get to know their husbands! We were refreshed by you all.

Union Station in DC - early morning on the Amtrak down to Richmond! My lovely Aunt Judy picked me up and I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to catch up with her over a few hours at Panera!

Working working on Thursday night to get it all done!
Sweet :o)

The bridesmaids' luncheon was gorgeous. Katrina's family were wonderful hostesses.

The food was so beautiful it was hard to want to dig in! But we did and it was as delicious as it was beautiful :o)
Katrina with her mom :o)
The dress!! And the bride!!

Hooray for flowers on the morning of the wedding... Katrina was so excited about every detail that day as each one came together.
The sashes they made for our dresses
Yay! Almost time :o)

I loved sitting with Kelly during the reception and catching up... It was so very cold that day that we shared a blanket throughout dinner (thank you Nat)!
I love him.

Jenny! Another wonderful friend from college who I miss dearly!

Mr. and Mrs. Young!!!!
Shorts Hall, freshman year! Kelly, Andrea (my roomie!), me, Katrina, Emilie, and Becky! (Jenny, I think you had just left)

1st Stop: Maryland!

A few weeks ago we traveled east to be a part of the wedding of one of my dearest friends, Katrina! One huge perk to her wedding being in Richmond, VA was that we were still able to fly into Maryland to spend some time with Nat's family and also to be only one hour away from my parents' new house in Urbanna, VA so we were able to see our whole (immediate!) family! I was only in Maryland for a day before I hopped on the train to VA, but Nat and the kids were there for 3!

Seriously, Briggs (the dog) is enormous... he is very sweet, but G did not want him taking the lacrosse ball!!

Aunt Bridge with all of the cousins!
It is so wonderful to see Graham, Joel, Kate and Ella all play together... we enjoyed so much cousin love!
Bernie was very sweet and gave Nat an early birthday dinner the night we were all there - his birthday isn't until May, but it was great to celebrate with the family!
Uncle Mitch has a new best friend :o)

"Buddy"

A couple of weeks ago, Kate kept repeating "bu-ee seat," "bu-ee shoes," "bu-ee..." and I had no idea what she was trying to say. "Boy?" "No, bu-ee." "Graham's?" "No, bu-ee." Ohhh... "Buddy?" "Ya, bu-ee!" I didn't realize it until that day but I call Graham "buddy" just about as much as I call him "Graham." And it's all she calls him anymore.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Last week we had some friends come over for lunch... I was able to do some visiting, Nat and Leighton planted our garden (with help from G) and Annelise did a lot of playing with Kate! Thanks to their work we will have some yummy food growing soon! Graham and I made charts today to keep track of how they are growing - should be a fun project!

Washing hands before lunch...

On another note, Kate learned how to climb (throw herself, actually... I was peeking after the 2nd time) out of her crib today. (!!!!!). Tonight is her first night in a "big girl bed." So far, so good... she cried for only about 3 minutes at the door before I heard her climb back in bed. We're praying that the rest of the night goes just as smoothly - and the rest of the week!

Swing!

Their new everyday obsession

Last week during spring break we replaced the baby swing with a new "big" one to ease the (my own) pain of taking turns every few seconds! This really is just about all they want to do this week - and it's been a beautiful week for it! Graham is also super excited because he learned how to pump his legs to swing himself. Who taught him? Kate! Our little monkey will put her legs up to her forehead and then throw them down a couple of times to get herself moving!

A Peek

I can't believe we're at the end of March already! The time is going by so quickly and things have been busy here. We have had visits from Mitch and Jackie and from my parents, births to celebrate, and lives to reflect on and celebrate as well (our wonderful pastor, John-G, passed on into glory in January). We've had fun and crazy times with the students in the youth group and have really loved the growing relationships in our small group. We have been daily convicted and daily encouraged by the faithfulness of our Lord in big things and in "little" things. Graham and Kate are growing and changing and (finally!) enjoying playing with each other which is a HUGE blessing. We have our moments for sure, but I'm enjoying watching their relationship with each other really blossom. It feels like summer here - tank tops and capris are out already, but it's not been too hot (mid 70s) so we play outside alotalotalot. Outside also means meeting and getting to know new neighbors. We're all well (for now) and no sickies (today!). Nat planted a garden with the help of a young friend and Graham last week and we've been making changes in our kitchen. Short blurb, I know! Maybe pictures soon? We'll see!