Fun in the Snow--and Sun!

At noon on Friday, I was laughing: GPS had closed school early in anticipation of the "wintry mix" headed our way, and all of the local weathermen were telling people to get off the roads immediately. I looked outside my classroom window: sunshine and not a flurry in sight. My haughty Maryland perspective encouraged me to roll my eyes and turn back around to my computer so I could take advantage of the free time to revise our school newspaper's upcoming issue. Two hours later, I turn back around and...it's actually snowing! Like, for real snowing! By the time I drove home, the roads were slick and there was a solid layer of white over all of Chattanooga. Chattanooga got snow--4-5 inches of it! They weren't kidding!

Clay was supposed to be in Sewanee for a Vestry Retreat all weekend and I was supposed to chaperone a sophomore lock-in at school, but instead the city shut-down and everyone enjoyed a quiet, beautiful night at home. Our supper club gathered for a spontaneous potluck--yet another one of the many perks of living in a campus community. So many friends just steps away!

Camden LOVED the snow

Central Campus two days after the "great" snow

This was a big week in other ways, too! First and foremost, cousin Rachel and Joe welcomed baby Joseph on January 27! How cute is this little guy? Rachel had been on hospital bed rest for close to a week when her preeclampsia became so severe that they needed to go ahead and deliver Joseph. Thankfully, he was already a healthy, strong baby. Congrats, new Mom and Dad!

Sweet Baby Joseph

Today is also Catherine Grace's birthday! Happy happy birthday!!!! We love you!!

Speaking of birthdays, we find ourselves getting more and more ready for Baby Gahan's arrival...especially when our family makes it so easy! Look at some of the fun things we have already received in the form of really, really fun care packages!!

This was one of the first gifts that Baby Gahan received, and I treasure it. My parents gave this to us right after we found out we were expecting. Can't wait to hang it in the nursery.
(I can't get this picture to insert vertically for some reason--sorry!)

It wasn't a full week after we found out we were having a boy that a care package with this gift arrived from my parents. This kid play football? No way! If you look closely at the package, it says for ages 4+ but if I were a betting woman, I would guess it will come out of its package WAY earlier than 2014. Thank you, Mom and Dad!

The care package also included two adorable outfits! We love how they sent one that acknowledges Mama and another than honors Daddy.

I have been enjoying this gift from Ellen Robertson for weeks. Every page offers a funny or realistic or heartwarming reflection on what it means to be a mom. Reading one a day will definitely get me through the pregnancy!

The two bunnies from Catherine Grace. Both are ridiculously soft. I liked to hold them when we first received them, but I wasn't the only one--to keep them away from Camden, we have had to put them on the top shelf of a closet where they wait for BG.

One of my old students and XC runners gave this book to me the day after we found out it was a boy. I was so excited to know that we were having a son, but it is students like Mary Holland who also make me so glad I get to leave "my boys" at McC everyday and work with young women. They always amaze me with their love and thoughtfulness.

Brittany brought this all the way back from South Africa. Thanks to her, our kid is well-dressed AND global. She's pretty darn cute, too.

Brittany works at J&J, so thanks to her we are already getting set up with baby products!
They smell so good...

My dear friend and college roommate Kristen sent us this book a couple weeks ago. She said it is one of her daughter's favorites. It is also one of my favorites considering what I found inside...

I literally started crying at the mailbox. Kristen gave us a gift certificate for a baby portrait session. Kristen took our wedding pictures and has since become a well-known and in-demand photographer in the D.C. area. Her pictures are stunning, and it has been a dream of mine since we found out that we were expecting to have her take BG's picture while he is still little. What a gift--and from out of nowhere! Check out her website and blog.

Finally, Clay and I had fun looking at pictures of sunny beaches this week as we researched spring break getaways...and then we did it! We booked one! Jamaica, here we come!
That's right, friends--we are pulling a Michael Scott vacation and going to the Sandals Grande Ocho Rios resort for five night in early April. Please don't think less of us for going this route rather than a more original, more adventurous vacation...we agreed that this normally wouldn't be the place we would go for a "getaway," but this spring break is a little different than most: I will be 7 months pregnant, so the idea of long road trips or scenic day hikes might not be the best plan for now. What DID we want? To be together and relaxed and drinking fun drinks (virgin daiquiris for me, baby!) and eating yummy food and altogether living up life as a couple. I did a fair amount of research, and considering that Jamaica is a direct 2-hour flight from Atlanta and Sandals's all-inclusive package included 11 restaurants and 90-something pools, we kept coming back to this one. After a little price comparison on different travel websites and then a final conversation with a Sandals rep online, we got the best price straight from their website. That was the fun part :-). Buying the maternity bathing suit (which I also got majorly on sale--who wants to buy an expensive maternity swimsuit??) was way less fun. My body she is a'changing--more pictures on that to come in a later post!