Smithfield Station

Yesterday, in lieu of having professional maternity pictures done, we decided to take some pictures ourselves down at Smithfield Station using the self-timer on our camera.  It is so beautiful with the marsh and marina.  The wildfires from the Great Dismal Swamp has made everything here very smokey, but I think they still turned out well!  I was looking at the pictures when we got home and did not realize how huge I look!  I know I feel that huge, but I didn't think I looked it! I wish we had taken these pictures two weeks earlier because I am starting to retain fluids and get all puffy everywhere! Come on, baby!!

Here are a few of my favorites:

Party for Baby Daniels!

This weekend we were blessed by our church who threw a party for our little one!  It's crazy that three of the best parties I have ever been to have been for someone who isn't even here yet! Our church family is so fun and has a great sense of humor.  One of the games that was played involved cleaning and diapering a baby blindfolded.  Jeff, our pastor and another father are the participants and all had quite different approaches.  Jeff's competitive nature won out over his detail-oriented engineering training and went super fast...even dropping the rash cream on the baby:)  We have gone to a baby class, where Jeff excelled in bathing and diapering, so I am not too worried!  We had so much fun with with our church family and love sharing life with them.  We can't wait to introduce them to our son!

Diapering baby quickly means you might stay dry!

No boring breakfast!

I love love love FRENCH TOAST!  And what could be better than STUFFED FRENCH TOAST??  I had made Emeril's recipe before and BAM! it was so good!! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/mascarpone-and-marmalade-stuffed-french-toast-recipe/index.html  Our guests loved it!  We served it with fresh fruit and it was perfect! However, this morning I really wanted some stuffed french toast. Since I didn't foresee this craving, I used what ingredients I had on hand- and made single serving:)  I used whole wheat bread in place of brioche, neufetel cheese (softened) in place of mascarpone, and some orange juice instead of a real orange.  I also used apricot preserves in the middle.  I think you can use anything you want like apple, blueberry, strawberry, or raspberry! Yum! I think it's so good and moist that you don't even need syrup! Hope you enjoy!!

No time for making it fancy! It was gone in minutes!

Renewed Hope

Ever since I left InterVarsity staff, I have been feeling a little hopeless.  I could see the Lord's purpose in my life when I was ministering to students, but during this last year of teaching in the east end Newport News I have felt a little lost.  We started attending a church plant in the east end whose prime ministry is to a pretty rough neighborhood.  After a year and a half of mentoring at the Boys and Girls Club, teaching Head Start in the neighborhood, and ministering through our church, one of our friends accepted Christ!  There are so many great things the Lord is doing in our fellowship, but this event struck something deeper in my heart.  I was overjoyed to see this young woman place her trust in Jesus!  Our friendship has been growing stronger since we both found out we were expecting our sons (Marie in May and I in August) earlier this year.  I am excited to continue to mentor and disciple her as we grow together in our faith and motherhood!

Here is a picture of some of the women from church.  Marie is the second to last woman from the right.

Anticipation!

We are so excited and are counting down til our little one arrives! It's a crazy feeling to know that he could make his grand entrance any day now, but most likely will take his time like other first-borns.  There are three weeks until his due date, and we have just about every material thing we think we might need thanks to our very generous family and friends!  As a momma-in-waiting, these are just a few of the things I have been anticipating over the past week:

*Where will I be when I go into labor? Home? Ice cream store? Wedding?

*Will I wait too long before I go to the hospital and have to deliver on the James River Bridge?

*Why would they let me and hubs take such a tiny, helpless thing home from the hospital with us?

*One of the parenting books said that he might get hungry on the way home.  Will I have to stop mid-way home to nurse in the car with all of the family following us?