Under the tea cart and dreaming

5 and Done, or so I thought...

I had my 5th and last baby shower this past weekend. It was hosted by the extremely gifted Amy Seiffert and Jamie Alt. These two make quite the dream team when it comes to hospitality- shoot! It was so sweet to be surrounded by my beautiful friends and even some of their kiddos! I loved it and will cherish these pregnant memories forever. But just as I thought we were wrapping up the shower train, I got an invite for a shower at Ben's work. Can you feel the love?!

See more pics from this shower and others here.

Emergency Budget Committee Meeting

So tonight as I was knee deep in writing thank-you notes, Ben announced that we needed to have an emergency budget committee meeting. Budget committee meetings are a normal, monthly occurrence in our household, but mid-month and dubbed emergency??? Well, turns out that emergency was a strong word choice; we're basically just navigating what things are going to look like once we start loosing my phatty paycheck come September. Because we track every single penny, it gets complicated for The Keeper of the Books (Ben). All this to say, I always leave our meetings with a greater appreciation for Ben and how he provides and leads in this area. He checks and doubles checks, has buffer upon buffer and while it sometimes seems silly and tedious to me, I know it will be a rare day when we have a true "emergency" budget committee meeting because of my man's blood, sweat and tears. Thank you and we love you Papa! -Sara, Buster, and Baby M.

Up!

So I can't believe that I forgot to blog about my new favorite movie! (in the animation genre anyway) I've always been a sucker for Disney Pixar, but I think I can truly say that I like Up the best, with Cars, Nemo, The Incredibles, Bolt and the Toy Story movies right behind. Up will have you laughing and crying within the first 10-15 minutes. I immediately fell in love with the protagonist, a hesitant and nerdy young boy whose life you get to see in the blink of an eye. It was the perfect mix of humor, adventure, love, regret, and so much more. Just as there were themes of trust, upholding values and morals, friendship and loyalty in Cars, there were many (and deep) themes in Up. It was also interesting to see the topic of absentee fathers in the mix. I highly recommend this beloved film. Go see it and let me know what you think!

Embracing the Quiet

I found myself very reflective this weekend when Friday marked the 2 month mark to Baby Martin's arrival. Ben and I had a quiet evening at home: we ate dinner out on the back patio and sat quietly and read for the rest of the evening. When we headed to bed I couldn't help but feel some grief for the coming loss of times like these. Looking into that little bedroom across that hall I knew that things would soon never be the same. As we enjoy quiet, restful evenings they aren't being taken for granted, and at the same time, I want to embrace the times that are to come very soon.

Summer

It's Monday, June 8th, my first day of summer vacation. It's raining and dreary and I couldn't care less! The future that the Lord is building before me has me dizzy with excitement, praise and thankfulness. Today I'll have my first Brookside "staff" meeting with Kevin and George to begin to transition me into my part-time admin. position. I can't wait to serve the Lord in such a way and to be able to use the gifts and talents he has given me. Not to mention, how sweet will it be to walk up to the new office space that's above Finders instead of trucking it 35 minutes up to Toledo?! Baby Martin will even be able to join me while he's a little peanut babe. (and no, we don't know if he's a he, but I don't like calling him or her "it")

I'm also starting to get my hands on the guest room which will be baby's room. It's so fun to envision colors, arrange furniture in my head and think of our little one who will inhabit the space. All of our the gifts we have gotten so far are organized and waiting to be put to use. My mom threw a wonderful shower this past weekend in Cleveland with friends and family. Man I miss all of you guys I don't see so often! Thanks for your love and generosity that has blown my mind. You love well.

Click here to see pics from showers