Mulberry Street

I have great friends. I don't say this to brag, but rather in appreciation for all the love and support they give me and my family. It is hard to live away from our families, but, having the friends I have makes it much easier and more manageable. Countless friends have offered and taken Genevieve off my hands for a few hours. I never knew how much help that could be. I regret never having made that offer to my friends in the past and I will never make that mistake again. My friends have brought meals, even weeks after Emory's birth. Not just a casserole, but a main dish, salad, sides, and dessert! Many have children and other obligations, so I know they have sacrificed precious free time for my benefit. I can't thank them all enough or send enough cards to express how much it means to me. I get teary eyed every time I think about all the help I've had. I pray for opportunities to serve my friends in the future. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Wow. I didn't realize how quickly one month could pass, I mean really just fly by...until now. The month of June has always been a busy one, and this year was no exception. So, I am declaring June "Celebration Month" (at least for our home). First we welcomed our son into the world. Audrey visited, or rather took care of us for 10 awesome days. Then we celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary. Eric took Genevieve camping. After that we congratulated Genevieve on her very first graduation. Which gave way for Genevieve's birthday. Father's Day came next. We hung out with Richie and Amber for a week. And finally, we had a "Pink Pig Party" as the grand finale. (Because, let's be honest, the month really revolved around Genevieve in more ways than her birthday.) See the posts below for more details. Check out the links to our photo site to see more of the action.

Since Emory decided to come a couple days early and since Audrey was here to help me, Eric was able to take Genevieve camping. Our friend Ben puts on an annual Daddy-Daughter camp out. To say that Genevieve was excited would be an understatement. She was ecstatic - beyond belief. Eric bought her a special camp chair, a special dinner from Old McDonald's (aka McDonald's), and gave her a special flashlight. They rowed around in the canoe, played in the tent, and ate marshmallows all night and the next morning too. When they got home Genevieve was full of stories about their adventures camping.

While my sister Audrey was here helping with Genevieve and Emory, we snuck out for dinner to celebrate our ninth anniversary. Yup - Nine years! We can hardly believe it ourselves but are happy about it, regardless. Between the two kids' birthdays, we'll have to make sure we don't get lost among pink and blue parties. Next year we want to get away - southern France has been calling our names for years. Here's hoping!

One year older and wiser too! Happy Birthday to You! Genevieve had been talking about her birthday for months. She learned her birth date and told everyone willing to listen about how she was going to have a "pink" party. In fact, whenever she heard about a party she would inquire, "What color is it?" (meaning the party). A pink party included pink balloons, pink cupcakes, pink plates and napkins, and of course pink presents. Then June rolled around and so did Genevieve's birthday. Despite my advanced preparations, the day came and went without a pink party. We (her parents) didn't even sing to her on her birthday or let her open presents, because, I had every intention of holding a party for her. She didn't even know it was her birthday that day. Are we terrible parents or what?! So, a week late we celebrated her birthday at the farm park. We decided to go see the pink pigs for her birthday with a few friends. We ate pink pig cupcakes and played with pi...

As with everything this month, we took this Father's Day picture a week late. In order to get Genevieve to smile, Eric told her he'd give her an M&M. We were running out of time to get out the door and oh, Emory was screaming. Nice. I was fortunate enough to remember it was Father's Day last Sunday, around noon, and actually wish Eric a good day. That was a feat! Happy Father's Day Eric.

...she played with Genevieve non-stop. ...she made her a dress that Genevieve danced around in, rather furiously. ...she held Emory anytime we needed a break, even at 3am. ...she fixed Genevieve's hair in super cute ways which I can't do, despite Genevieve's requests. ...she flew in just in time, even if it was a few hours after Emory's delivery. ...she made an airplane for Genevieve and "flew" her around in it. ...she took Genevieve to dance class and preschool and to the park. ...and she kept us afloat in our first ten days with Emory when, I'm positive, we would have sunk miserably. Thanks Aud. You are a life saver and I can't thank you (and everyone else who made it possible for you to come to VA) enough. I love you, come back soon. Aud's recap can be seen here .

Amber and Richie stayed with us for a week. It was really too short. I miss her already and she's only been gone 24 hours. Her visit was bittersweet actually, because it further solidified her living in L.A. I'm still in denial about that. However, getting to know Richie better helped me come to grips with reality. Genevieve will be the first to tell you how great Richie is, how fun Richie is, and how much Emory looks like Richie. Genevieve followed him around like a puppy dog. It was cute. I neglected to take a photo of any of us during their stay - DOH! So I stole this photo from Amber' s blog.

We learned our ABC's, colors, and numbers 1-10. The kids were great all year and it was a fantastic opportunity to teach them. We really do have smart kids, but we might all be a tad biased. I am excited to teach again next year! Pictures from our party here .

Resemblence to Genevieve ? Maybe, but she didn't look like a wrinkled old man the way Emory does. Check out pictures of our little guy at our photo site: http://melayela.shutterfly.com/ Blogging has taken a back seat for the time being.

Emory Jonathan

Genevieve, I realize, that in recent months, I have spent a lot of time working on the house or preparing for the baby to arrive. In the past few weeks, I have also realized how little one-on-one time I have left with you. I have tried to let things go (like the dishes, the laundry, cooking, etc) in an attempt to spend every last second with you. I love all the time we spend playing pretend, dancing, chasing, reading, and snuggling. Everyone tells me that my heart will grow in order to accommodate love for your sibling. I hope that is the case, because I can't imagine giving up any of the space in my heart that you currently fill. I love you. When the baby comes, I'll do my best to spend time with you. Please be patient with me. XOXO Mommy

This is the video Eric took on the big pink slide. Listen for Genevieve's giggles behind Eric's sound effects.