You'll be glad this post has no pictures.

Today at lunch, I was so excited to be rocking my pre-preggo white pants! What an accomplishment...I mean you'd think after 7 months...

Anyway, I'm feeding Van and Evans comes home to get a sandwich. I am hoping he'll notice my nice white pants.

What he notices is a big, brown, wet spot all over my lap.

Leaky diaper, strike 1!

...well here is a picture for fun:

Gardening, Reading, Bluegrass

What a fun, hard-working weekend! Evans and I got our flower, herb, and vegetable gardens up to speed. Everything looks and smells so wonderful...I just love being outside this time of year before the mosquitos take over.

Herbs...

Vegetables...

Flowers...

G-diddy and G-mommy lent us their old fountain and Evans worked hard Saturday afternoon to get it up and running.

We finally broke down and turned on the AC since it reached the 90s but the season is teetering on one of my favorite parts of the year. {Fall, clearly being the best!}

Any ideas how to keep bunnies out of your plants? We don't want to scare ours away but the little rascals are eating the leaves off of our mums.

Ever since I embarked on my thesis I have been reading more than ever {non-thesis related material, that is}... I finished Rosamunde Pilcher's The End of Summer in a nice long, candlelit bubble bath Friday evening... I am 3 quarters through The Birth House, halfway into Conroy's South of Broad, and excited to start my two book club reads: Twilight and Dune Road. Let me know if you have any other recommendations! I love adding books to my list and multi-tasking plot lines.

Our pool opens this weekend and Van got some new swimming trunks from G-mommy! I will have to let him model later.

We spent this Sunday evening discussing our Farmshare Work Schedule to the tune of the PineCone Bluegrass Radio Music show.  Looks like we've hopped back into the early 20th century.  Have a great start to the week.

Get in my belly!!

Yesterday evening, I took supper to dear sweet mama Bex who is due technically June 2nd, but potentially any day now. Seeing her belly made me experience some sort of phantom-baby-pump pain that made me nostalgic for little baby Van in my belly. It is so strange how quickly you forget what its like to be pregnant! I know I was so ready for that baby to come out, but then now it seems so wonderful knowing this sweet little fella was growing inside of you that entire time:


Here is the recipe for Jerianne's Chicken Noodle Soup (plus a few additional goodies)
4 Tbs. Butter
4 Tbs. Flour
2 Small cans evaporated milk
Salt & Pepper
1.5 Cans chicken broth
2 Boiled, chopped boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 of a large bag of whole wheat egg noodles, cooked
1 Cup of shredded cheddar cheese
2 Cups of chopped spinach
One carrot, shredded

Melt butter
Whisk in flour
Whisk in evaporated milk
Stir until thickens
Add S&P
Add 1 can chicken broth
Stir and simmer until thickens
Add chicken & noodles
Add 1/2 cup of the cheese, spinach, and carrot
Stir and simmer
Add more S&P, chicken broth as needed

Top with remaining cheese and serve with whole wheat biscuits

Bisch brought a delicious cheeseball for dessert!

Today Van and I are headed to yet another college campus to visit some of my former co-workers at Peace College and potentially endeavor on a summer project helping out the career center.

Have a great morning!

Respect your mother!

Yesterday afternoon, I was at Kroger {again} buying some wine for book club. I was carded by Darlene {who doesn't remember meeting Van and has yet to ask me his name again, thank goodness} and while viewing my ID she screamed out: "OH MY GOSH... we have the same birthday!!"

How many similarities can we possibly have? Thanks for the cute shirt, Syd!

Spoiled Rotten.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the fantastic mothers and mothers-to-be reading this blog. It is HARD WORK but worth every effort. Happy Mother's Day especially to Rhombus! And to Jerianne who raised such a wonderful guy.

Rhombus, Evans, Van and even Soph spoiled me rotten. My spoiling began by being personally fitted by Rachel Pally with a very cute, fun skirt and top that will probably become my new uniform. Evans hid happy mother's day signs all over the house this weekend and they were popping up in the fridge, in my laptop, etc...

We had a pool date with Buddy Man & Soph...

Then Evans made some delicious mother's day pancakes (sans syrup)

and gave me some deliciously smelling body wash from the spa at Pebble Beach (I had to throw mine away from the CA wedding gift bag b/c the bottle was too big to fit through airport security).

Ah...pedicures and brunch with Rhombi {we were both feeling a little bollywoodish}...

                                A sewing project {the curtains}...

                 Lots of catching up on sleep, reading, and relaxing.

                  Such a beautiful, special first mother's day.

**AND HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO CUTE AND BEAUTIFUL AUNTIE SNAGS & FRAY**

Forever and Ever, Amen

Little debbie zebra cakes, take-out sushi, and cheesey Randy Travis was how we celebrated this anniversary. Not exactly as planned... but still memorable.

Van accompanied me to NCSU to hear some fellow graduate students present their thesis projects. Although I was extremely jealous they are finished with this milestone... It was a pleasant way to spend the morning until Van decided to test his vocal chords. My professors enjoyed meeting this guy who distracted most of their classes last year as he grew and grew in my belly.

Our yard is in bloom and so is Van's crawling instinct! He is scooting around backwards on the hardwood floors...I've heard this is normal but yet to confirm...

I am looking forward to Mother's Day weekend = starbucks, pedis., and brunch with Rhombus and some QT with my boys.

Have a great morning!

A sister is the best medicine!

I know we are lucky to have each other. But I don't think either one of us realized how much we had missed our silly inside jokes and bad taste in music and dance moves.

Before I get to the main course of the weekend, I need to tell an airport delay story {with a good ending}.

After our California trip, I was so pumped that this was going to be 2 quick flights of less than one hour, and then I'd be with my sister! So easy. But as soon as I landed in Baltimore, we got news of a flight delay from 8:55 p.m. until TWO O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING! Luckily I was out of there by midnight. But the point of my story is, had our flight not been delayed, I would not have met Vincent. {Sarah Turnbull--at this point, I can hear you saying "Em, you are so random..."}

The flight attendant announced over the loud speaker that 37 WWII vets were about to de-board from the plane that just arrived at our gate. She asked us to stand up and clap for them. It was such a special moment!

Vincent is a WWII veteran who was flying from his hometown to D.C. (courtesy of Southwest Airlines) for free, along with 36 other WWII veterans, so he could go visit the WWII memorial for the first time.

I made eye contact with Vincent, smiled at him, and he came over to me and said "You have the most beautiful smile! It is very special to have a good smile." Then he handed me 2 bags of potato chips and introduced himself.  He explained how happy he was to have this opportunity to see the memorial and told me to enjoy the chips.

Sorry for the long intro, but southwest definitely made up for their inconvenience with the effort to honor WWII vets who fought so hard for our country.

Now for the main course.  

Get excited!

CUE CONFETTI FROM THE LEFT!

I stole your line, Snags!

Here is my Fray monster: 

Who slept so soundly, unaware her mom and auntie em were up to crazy shenanigans such as:

Words just cannot explain, and even if they could, I think I must hold onto these memories for myself and not for the blog world. :) I'll end with some vermontography:

{BETSY AT THE BOTTOM}

{Captain Nemo!}

{Sweet-n-salty Jack}

{My cozy bedmate kitteh, Beamer}

I think I have only missed Pippa, Greta, Whispy, Moses, and fish. Most other animals are pictured in the backgrounds above.

{I must humbly confess, our wild 4-wheelin trip has been documented via video. If I can find time to uplaod, and swallow any pride I have ever possessed,  I will eventually post on the blog.}

I had such a fabulous trip, and am so excited to return this summer with my two guys and sweet soph. I am still going through Snags-withdrawal this morning but Soph just rolled in poo, and Van is needing more food, new diapers, and back into mommy-hood reality I go! {But this week I get to see my fellow grad school students present their thesis projects and celebrate Evans & my 3rd year wedding anniversary!!}

Here's to a happy happy week!!

Love and miss my Vermonters!!!!!