At the Zoo

Jon, Aaron, and I got to visit the Phoenix Zoo twice during Jon's Spring Break in March. It was a lot of fun, and Aaron LOVED seeing all the animals. Hopefully we'll get a chance to go a few more times before it's too hot to enjoy it as much!

 

My Baby Shower for Sarah

With only 11 days to go 'til Sarah's due date, my friends threw me a fantastic shower last Saturday, April 8th to help me get ready. The girls in the picture are all the ones that helped put it together and made it so wonderful. From the left--Darice Bosley, Hilari Howard (the shower was held at her house), Rachel Colby, Rebekah Rose, Me, Cary Brown with Spencer, and Tami Dunn with Bridgete.

 

Just Waiting

Sorry everybody that it's been so long since we last updated our blog--unfortunately I really don't have much of an excuse other than I've been trying to take advantage of the little remaining time I have before Sarah comes to take more naps while Aaron is down for his nap. Sarah's arrival is now "presumably" just a week away, but since Aaron had to be induced 10 days late, I'm not holding my breath for anytime too soon. But that's okay by me, as I'm not quite sure I'm ready for the late night feedings, painful recoveries, hormonal imbalances and complete lack sleep again! My parents will be coming to stay with us for about a week starting April 19th (Sarah's due date), so hopefully she'll be here at least before they have to fly home! Mom and Dad Coombs are also planning on coming down to help out a little later after I've gotten a little more settled with Sarah.

Aaron still has no idea the changes that are about to happen in our family. I try to tell him that he's going to have a little sister soon and that there will be another little baby in the house, but he continues to be blissfully ignorant of the impending interruption to his Aaron-centered life. That may be the trickiest part of this whole two-kid scenario! I just don't know how Aaron is going to deal with the divided attention he's going to have to share with his sister.

Some fun and exciting things have happened since the last time I had a chance to write. In February I celebrated my 31st birthday with all our friends at Claim Jumper, which was a lot of fun. I have to admit the only reason I chose Claim Jumper (and endured the hour-long drive to get there) was to indulge in one of their chocolate chip calzones, a true taste of Heaven that I hadn't had a chance to enjoy since California. It was definitely worth it!

On February 26th, we celebrated the arrival of Spencer Michael Brown, Cary and Warren's third child and first son. I have to admit, with as many false alarms and hospital runs that Cary had to make, most of February was spent in nervous anticipation of the big event as Jon and I were on call to watch Emma and Cami whenever necessary. I think I felt more nervous waiting for Spencer than I feel now waiting for Sarah! But Spencer did arrive and he is adorable--one of the sweetest and cutest little babies I've seen. Cary and Warren certainly know how to make cute kids!

Spencer's arrival also heralded the arrival of much family, and we loved playing host to both Mom and Dad Coombs and then Amy Coombs. It was so much fun to have them all in our home and we were only sad when it came time for them to leave. Mom and Dad spent most of their time with Cary helping her recover, but Jon and I joined them most nights at Cary's for dinner. I also got to enjoy being with Mom and Dad as we took Emma and Cami away to the mall while Cary enjoyed some alone time with Spencer and Warren. I think that was Cary's favorite part of their visit!

Amy's visit coincided with Jon's two-week spring break, so it was extra fun to have her with us. Amy did her best to make sure everyone had time to be with her one-on-one and as a big group. Several game nights, movie nights, trips to the zoo and to the mall, and great meals made for a fabulous week with Amy. We love having people come stay with us, so don't hesitate to come visit!

And finally, we once again hosted our fabulous Bi-Annual Inter-Session Conference BBQ the first weekend of April. This was our 5th BBQ and it has become one of our favorite traditions. We had a great group this year with 5 families (including 13 kids!) joining us between sessions of Sunday's conference. This is one tradition we hope to continue for many years to come!

Well, that pretty much hits the highlights of the last couple of months. It's been fun, and now we are just sitting back and preparing for Sarah to come. I have to admit, as uncomfortable as I am (at 39 weeks pregnant), I'm still a little nervous about the delivery and recovery after the 4+ months of trauma I endured after Aaron's birth. My doctor is very optimistic that I won't go through that again, but if I do, we may end up being just a 2-kid family! Okay, I'm probably joking, but please keep me in your prayers that this time is nothing like last time! We'll keep you all posted on everything and I'm sure we'll have pictures up as soon as possible.

We love you all and would love to hear how everyone is doing, so don't forget to keep us updated on your wonderful lives!