We're Home!

Well, after spending a little under a week at the happiest place on earth, we are home...where I am also very happy to be. The ride home was not fun...baby is not being very nice to his mommy and my stomach has just been churning all day. John told him to be nice, but he apparently is a stubborn little guy and doesn't listen well. (I can't really attribute that to my or John's genes because we are both like that, though John is more stubborn and listens less, so I'll give it to him!)

We had a wonderful time with our dear friends. They are moving to Okinawa for THREE whole years and I will miss them terribly. There's a group of us who all met so many years ago when we were all young and newly married and we are family. We try to get together at least once a year (usually around Labor Day) and that may be more difficult now that Okinawa is in the mix! We'd love to trek to Japan, though, so we'll have to buy baby some travelling clothes at some point!

We did end up dealing with the horrendous Spring Break crowds, to the point of being turned away at Magic Kingdom yesterday because they were full by 11:30...Yep, FULL. Shut out at Disney! Thankfully, we have been before, so we weren't that disappointed, and we did some shopping and had dinner, but I didn't know that Disney actually shut parks down. Makes sense, with all the crowds, but still...

I also got to meet Rachel! It's amazing how you can *meet* someone online and then in real-life, it's like you've always known them! And let me tell you, her Alex and Scarlett are just flipping adorable. Unbelievably cute and sweet and just adorable. We took a picture, so that will be forthcoming. Needless to say, shopping and lunch were very fun!!

And now...home. I got several things to wear this summer---thank goodness Loft and White House Black Market are into stretchy knits, as I think I should be able to grow and still look like a human. I also bought two maternity dresses, and have to say that I teared up as I went into Motherhood. I still can't believe that I am so blessed and actually was shopping for me.

My cup certainly runneth over. As we look to celebrate Christ's victory over the grave this weekend, I am just overwhelmed with appreciation and gratitude for my life. This is so much more significant for me with my mother gone...on this day, 6 years ago, she passed away in her sleep. She valiantly fought breast cancer, and though she lost, right up until she died, she believed she would be fine. I miss her so much that it takes my breath away right now as I type. I wish I could share pregnancy stories with her, and most importantly, I wish she would be able to see the baby that I know she always wanted for me. She called my niece and nephew "Grandma's Revenge" because though my sister and her ex-husband both had brown hair and brown eyes, both Kayla and Jacob were born and looked JUST like my blond, blue-eyed mom. With my mom and John's dad gone, I have to admit that I pray I'll be able to see them in this little miracle inside of me.

I miss you, mom.