Surprise!

It's been a whirlwind few weeks so I haven't spent a lot of time on the computer, but I'll try to do a bit of catching up! A couple of weeks ago, I flew to Wisconsin to surprise my mom for her 60th birthday. It was such a great weekend in so many ways! First of all the surprise worked! My dad did an awesome job with all his plotting and scheming and we pulled it off! Second, it was great to be able to travel without the kids -- I'd forgotten how easy and enjoyable flying can be -- imagine... 4 whole hours of uninterrupted time to read... it was heaven! Third, it was nice to spend some time getting to know my two adorable nephews, Keegan and Willem, (again, without the distraction of my own kids), and to just spend some time with my parents and sister, Andrea and brother, Stephen and their families. The whole weekend was such a breath of fresh air -- and I am immensely grateful to my husband and friends (who took care of my darling children) for making it possible! Me with my sister Andrea, my mom and Andrea's son, Willem. (We missed my sister Laura, but forgive her for missing this special weekend since she and her husband were in China to finalize the adoption of their new daughter, Gracia!)

Willem is lovin' his mama!

Sweet baby Willem

Silly Keegan

Adorable Keegan (sorry for the poor quality of this pic!)

Happy birthday, Mom!