Best Family Weekend Ever

My family is seriously AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL. Here are some more fun pictures from their weekend visit. Mom, Dad, and Brittany, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING TO CHATTANOOGA to help us welcome Baby G! We seriously could not be more grateful to you!

Notice Camden helping me open this amazing gift from Lynne...he was very intrigued.
Dear friend Lynne gave us her own son, J.P's, baby blanket and outfits. Once again, I feel so honored to have such thoughtful, generous friends. These are clearly family heirlooms, and she is entrusting them to us. I know Baby G will love them dearly. His mom and dad already do!
This blanket is SO soft. I WANT to sleep with it :-).
Love the family!
Look at this cute onesie from dear Suzanne Woods! It has a treasure island theme! Ah, I can't wait for Baby G to wear it!!
Isn't my sister the cutest? She is about to be Aunt B!
I mean, for real. The belly is HUGE.
I mean, our baby is going to be THE best dressed, especially in this three-piece outfit from Sally, Bill, Allison, and Shanoon. The vest is what got me--adorable. And so little!!
I love my mama!!!!
Camden definitely has no idea what is about to happen. That said, I think he knows something is coming. He has always been cuddly, but lately always wants to be right. on. our. laps. Could he be trying to establish his place? Hmm...

I just LOVE this picture of Clay holding sweet baby Joseph. Joseph is Clay's cousin Rachel's baby boy...and the CUTEST thing we have ever seen. Man, he is a sweetheart. Pretty crazy to think we might have a picture of Clay holding our own son here before too long!

The Little Yellow House Shower

We are drenched. We have been showered so much here in wonderful Chattanooga that we honestly don't know where to begin thanking people. Let's start with these amazing friends:Nick, Ashley, Sara, Clay, Nathan, and Kat

These dear friends threw us the most beautiful, elaborate, warm, fun, loving shower at Kat and Nate's Little Yellow House--so much so that I burst into tears when Clay and I got home because I was so overwhelmed with gratitude. Sure, pregnancy (especially third trimester--woah) makes you emotional, but this special event would have made any expectant mother tear up.

My special, special family. How lucky am I that all three of them made the effort to be with us this weekend. I have the greatest family ever.

Could this look any more appetizing?

Blue baby booties on petit fours. Precious.

Ashley MADE this centerpiece: sparkling tree branches featuring the shower favor:

Couldn't get any sweeter.

Yum. Wish I could have one (a mimosa that is. Don't worry--I have been eating so much chocolate that I think this little guy is going to come out crying for KitKats)

These guys are fun.

Awesome girlfriends Sarah, Kat, Mary, Lindsay, and Ashley.

The beautiful hostesses.

I am slightly obsessed with this picture of Joe, Rachel, and baby Joseph. Aren't they the cutest family?

Mary and KatAugusta and precious Mary Mae

Our "thrones" for the shower.

Kat's stepmother MADE this--special.

Reading baby advice from Amanda

Blue and white baby booties from Dodd and Ross. Perfect for McC football games.

My Crimson Tide devoted husband was not thrilled with this gift. I have a feeling our child will never wear this TN onesie--at least not during football season.

I just love Kat's laugh on this one.

How cute--and tiny--are these shorts? Thank you Carey and Mark!!!

Woohoo! We now have a high chair!

This is the moment I started to lose it. Mom, Dad, and Brittany wheel in this final gift...and I have a really exciting suspicion that it is the Chicco Cortina Travel System Stroller I have researched and fallen hard for these past few months.

Look at all those fancy Johnson&Johnson products in the seat--my sister rocks.

We now have a car seat! We can now have this baby!
Once again, a humbling, exciting, overwhelming baby shower.
I am so, so grateful.

Our child better love to read

Our two English Departments went above and beyond when they treated us to a baby book shower in a local used books store. We got so many classic and new children's books! Reading these books has been such a joy ever since--I feel like I am rediscovering a beautiful genre of literature that I have completely overlooked the past...ummm...28 years. Children's books are so rich with meaning and morality, gorgeously illustrated, and often interactive. I can't wait to read to Baby G...

Mom and Dad gave us Pat the Bunny--one I definitely remember from my childhood.
And my English Dept. went in together and bought us the top-of-the-line Baby Swing! I have been crushing on this swing. They rock.

We may have no idea how to raise this sweet child, but man, do we have books to read to him!

New House

Just a couple pics of the on-campus house we will be moving into this June.

Mom, me, and Dad waving on the back deck.

A view from the kitchen into the dining and living rooms.

This kitchen is only 4,976,382 times bigger than the one we have now. Seriously, you all, when I stand sideways against one side of our kitchen, my belly touches the other side.

A view from the living room into the dining room.

Thank you, sweet Mama and Brittany, for helping us pick out paint colors! I love them!

Warning: LOTS of adorable baby gifts ahead

I have always been incredibly aware of just how abundantly blessed I am to have such amazing friends and family, but these last three weeks have been overwhelmingly fun and special. I am very behind on my posts, so watch out: lots of pictures and posts coming up here tonight. But in the midst of end-of-the-school craziness and the last week of track season, somehow I got a rained out practice and a night off of grading and planning (thank you May Day), so I am determined to get these pics posted.

Final note: There are WAY too many pictures of me here. Look past me to the cute baby gifts!
My dear friends Katie, Heather, and Carol threw me a GPS shower at Heather's stunning house--and they somehow managed to nail the blue and green color combo that Clay and I are going for in the future nursery (which you will remember isn't set up yet because we are moving 2-3 post-Baby G). Don't you just love the chandelier above the table?

Beautiful table. Every detail was so thoughtful, so elegant.

Cupcakes=always a treat.

Even the napkins and flowers were blue and green. Somehow I have super classy and thoughtful friends.

Love my GPS friends. I love my job. I work with wonderful, wonderful people.

Aren't these the cutest? I love the little curl on baby's head.

Check out some of these adorable things now in Baby G's closet. First off: a onesie with an orange flower print tie. Perfect for his first trip to UVA.

It is hard to see these two outfits here (the one above and the one below), but these are ones I have a feeling I will pass down to Baby G's children. Tender, sweet outfits of impeccable quality.

This one has the nativity smocked across the top--and it is sized 18 mos. Perfect for Baby's 2nd Christmas!

Susan is our Director of College Guidance--and a dear friend.

Look at this loot!

The hostesses gave me this adorable (and monogrammed) laundry basket FULL of both luxurious and invaluable gifts. Too, too generous.

Me and sweet Jill (technology teacher and fellow sophomore advisor)

I am happy--and so very lucky.
I have the most wonderful friends (including childhood best friend Ali, who came all the way from Birmingham to be at the shower with me), the most beautiful baby things, the greatest husband, and a healthy baby boy on the way.

I just don't know how to thank God enough.