Celebrating Life...with yogurt and kiwis

We have been parking it like crazy the last few days.  Doesn't matter if its the 15 dollar slide I bought for Newbie last fall in the backyard or the alligator park in town, we have found ourselves outside a LOT.  And, I KID YOU NOT when I say the thermometer in my car read 82 de-

[enter Opie drinking my entire glass of water (errr!) while I tend to Newbie who konked his head on the entertainment center.  Hard.  Complete with purple line and swelling.  And the refusal of a Lightening McQueen ice pack.  *sigh*]

-grees.  This kind of weather in March up here is just unheard of, and we are loving it.  Everyone and their cat came out of their caves today. I'm pretty sure most of them came to the park we picniked at this afternoon because WOW did I ever have to fend off a slew of big kids on the swirly slide while Newbie took his turn.  It's hard being 23 months when most of the kids at the playground are at least 5.  Its a jungle out there, man.

In other news...

Remember how I mentioned last Saturday being super special?  Well, my friend sent me a few pictures to share with you all.  She hosted a sweet get together Saturday morning to celebrate Jubilee.  She emailed me about throwing a shower a few days before we found out how sick Jubilee was, and when I shared the news with her, she was determined to find a way to celebrate this little life.  She told me she prayed about what to do to make the day special, and boy howdy, did she and the Lord ever deliver!  I was spoiled to bits and pieces by a few of my closest friends and family, and we celebrated little Jubilee with a delicious brunch and a sweet prayer and lots of laughs and smiles. 

Our fabulous hostess had asked everyone to bring a frozen meal for me to use at-will (hello, full freezer!) and a momento for me and Jubilee or something to treat me.  I'm never gonna argue with a "treat the momma" party, because I'm telling you right now, I walked away with more goodies and ice cream gift cards than should be legal in this country.

Laughs and smiles and celebration are the way I want to remember this pregnancy and my little Jubilee, and Saturday was just icing on that hope.  So much of our days could be filled with anxiety and questions and fear if we didn't chose joy and trust that each day is a gift to be treasured and explored to the fullest.  Tomorrow has enough trouble of its own, and I am so, so glad Jesus gives us permission not to worry and to just dwell in the present. 

And on Saturday, dwell in the present we did.

We are dwelling with joy and peace, and I could not have been more blessed by our family and friends joining us.  My friend A is an absolute hostess with the mostest, and there was more than one little bird working behind the scenes on this project.  I can't express how thankful I am for my girlfriends and my family.  HOLLAH to my ladies and a HUGE thank you to everyone who came on Saturday for joining me and the Hubs as we shout for joy and thanks for our little Jubilee! =)

(Me and the sweetest hostess ever...love love love you, A! Check out this post on her blog for her rendition of the day...and the same pictures because she's a fab photographer and I swiped them all.)

(yum)

(I'm always game for drooling over a baby.  This is A's sweet little girl snuggling with my sister.  I'm totally as thin as my sister when I'm not rocking a baby bump.  Psshhhh.  Not.  She's got the looks, but I've got the brains.  Everyone knows you can't have them both- it just wouldn't be fair.  Is that going too far into my personal theories and issues?  My bad.)

(There's nothing quite like girlfriends that turn into family, and I was thrilled to be sitting at a table with a slew of them.  I am richly, richly blessed.)

(I held it together well at the brunch, but when I got home and showed the Hubs all the cards (oh, the cards!), the sweet momentos for me and Jubilee and all the fun pamper-yo-self things I had been given, I was a blubbering mess.  There aren't words to describe how showered in love we were that day.  So, so sweet!)

(Hello, awesome teal tea kettle.  I love the way you sit out on my stove-you are a hottie.)

(I'm telling you- the cards were such a treasure.  So much love and encouragement and prayer seeping through each and every word.  I have them stacked on my table to read through when the going gets tough. =])

A girl after my own heart, A is all about the details.  My favorite part of the whole morning may have been these little sweeties:

Tiny little plaques for each guest engraved with "Jubilee" as a reminder to pray for our sweet babe and to shout for joy in all things.  What a keepsake!  And her hubby is a rockstar- not only did he take their kiddos out for breakfast so we could brunch back at the house, but he also helped A bead all of these tiny treasures.  Impressive, no? He also made the yogurt.  From scratch.  Yeah, they don't mess around, folks.

  We love their family so so much, and we have been so blessed to get to know them over the years.  And as if the brunch celebrating Jubilee and pampering me wasn't enough, Miss A rocked her photography skills for me post-party and took a bunch of fun baby bump pictures that I get to share with you all soon.  =) Hooray!

And that's why my Saturday rocked. 

You know what they say about good friends:  Good friends are a BIG DEAL.  Like, bigger than Dairy Queen is open again for the season BIG DEAL.  (Maybe I made that up.  I can't really remember the reference on that.)

Bottom line after Saturday: I have a lot of big deals in my life.  Some of them weren't there, but oh, how I have some good friends. I'm so so grateful for my sweet friends and my precious family.

And I'm grateful for all of you too...I can't tell you what an encouragement it is on this road to know you have people rooting for your little one when it feels like the walls are closing in.  Thank you so much for walking with us and praying us through and for all the little things you do to love on my family.  Whether its meals or cards or notes or hugs or just reading and following my little family online- it means so much to us, and I can't thank you enough. 

You're a big deal.

Go shout for joy...and see if you can't get yourself a mid-March sunburn because when I went to the park with Newbie today, that. happened. 

**We have a big day tomorrow with another real-deal ultrasound with the gurus.  It will be our first report-based ultrasound since the last one we had a month ago (the others have been just for fun to take a peek at our Jubilee and see her wiggling around without any medical stuff thrown in).  We would so appreciate prayers for clarity and wisdom for the doctors as they work towards a diagnosis, and for peace for the Hubs and I as we face another day of processing the reality of how sick Jubilee really is.  Reality stings, man. I'm betting its going to be a tough day, and we'd so appreciate the prayer support.  Thank you!!!