Baby Shower from the Ladies at Mann

I was honored to have a beautiful baby shower this afternoon. Some of the ladies from my school organized a special get-together, and I was blessed by their thoughtfulness. They also created the shirt I'm wearing, which says, "BODY BY BABY."

These bibs say, "My Daddy Rocks" and "My Dad's a Hottie!"

I ABSOULTELY AGREE.

Our little girl has the hottest daddy on the planet. :)

Another adorable outfit for our little squirt. She will be the best dressed girl in town.
These are the wonderful women from Mann Middle School. I will REALLY miss seeing them on a daily basis next year. (From left to right...top: Faith Evans, Norelle Silati, Lauren Douglas, Jenny Prong, bottom: Jenny Gloer, Mama Hillary, Jill Benjamin). Thank you ladies!

Our Pet Owl

This owl, and one of his buddies, frequent out backyard. Phil usually hears them before we see them, and then he calls out to them. Phil and the owls hoot back and forth, and then they have a stare down. On this day, Phil won.

Celebrating Pregnancy

These are some of our favorite pictures from Stacey Clack's pregnancy photo shoot. Isn't she amazing? We drove down to Anna Maria Island again because Stacey wanted to take some pregnant pictures for her new photography business. Of course, we didn't mind acting as "models" for an evening. The weather was perfect, and she captured over 200 amazing photos. These are just a few, and you can see more on her website (http://staceyclackphotography.blogspot.com/).

Our Little Girl...

Pregnancy is one of the greatest joys of being a woman, and I feel incrediby blessed to feel the miracle of our daugther moving and growing inside of me. This special picture was taken by Stacey Clack, and she's planning on doing a mini-photo shoot later this week. She is a gifted photographer, and you can see some of her other beautiful shots on her blog (http://staceyclackphotography.blogspot.com/). Thanks, Stacey.

Beach Baby

It's no doubt that our little squirt will love the water because Phil and I are both water people. We spent the day at Anna Maria Island, with The Clack Family, and Phil snapped some fun preggo pictures. The water was warm, the weather was perfect, and it was a perfect way to spend my first "Mother's" Day.

Thanks, Heidi...the swimsuit works perfectly.
Where am I supposed to fit another three months of baby growth? YIKES!

Retired MSU Divers

We spent the afternoon with The Clacks, on Anna Maria Island, and Phil and Micah immediately reverted to "the good old days." As former divers for MSU, they insisted on strutting their stuff in the tiny pool that was only six feet deep. Stacey and I obviously encouraged their activity by photographing every single dive. Check out their blog (http://theclackfamily.blogspot.com/) for more pictures.

Nice form, boys!
Smooth entry???

Happy Mother's (and Mother's-to-Be) Day!!!

From the moment I woke up this morning (hence the fresh out of bed look), my amazing husband has gone out of his way to make me feel incredibly special. He gave me a card from him...along with some of my favorite goodies (different flavored almonds and dark chocolate M&M's) and then a card from our daughter (who still has to remain namelesss on the blog). It was all written in little kid handwriting, and it was all from her perspective. She thanked me for taking such good care of her, and the whole thing was so stinkin' adorable. She also gave me some tulips (my favorite flowers), and then daddy made a delicious breakfast for both of us... mommy and daugther that is. We started with freshly squeezed orange juice (from oranges that he picked in Ruskin), and then he made bird's nests (fried eggs inside pieces of bread...with syrup on top), and it was all topped off with a fresh grapefruit (from the tree in our backyard). WOW! I hadn't really thought that I would celebrate this Mother's day, but Phil had other plans. He truly blesses me beyond imagination.
For all of the other mothers, grandmothers, and "mothers-to-be" out there, I hope your day is special from start to end. You are special and deserving of celebration!!!

Our newest nephew...William Emerson Hillary

Keith and Wendy were due on May 8th, and they delieverd (in a record time of 45 minutes) on May 4th. Phil and I were still in Michigan, so we had the pleasure of meeting our nephew. William Emerson was 7 lbs. 10.5 oz., 20.5" long, and as handsome as can be!

Proud parents and family!
William Emerson Hillary

Wendy and her third baby. Another boy in the Hillary Gang!

Practicing for what is soon to come!!!

Hahn Connections

I enjoyed having tea with Grandma, Kathy Bartels, and Joni Groendyk. It was wonderful seeing family...even if only for a few hours. Check out our Shutterfly albums for more pictures and details of our weekend.

We had lunch with The Severances on Sunday afternoon.

With the Girls in Holland

One of the highlights of my weekend was connecting with my dear friends in Holland. I loved seeing my friends, Brooke and Rachel, as new mommies. It makes me even more excited to welcome our little girl into the world. Perhaps she'll be roomies with Teagan someday and married to Jabin. It's still okay to arrange marriages, right? Thank you, ladies, for showering me with love and such generous baby gifts. I miss all of you!!!

An afternoon with Mattawan Friends!!!

Phil and I had a GREAT trip back to Michigan this past weekend, and we were blessed by the many connections that we made throughout our trip. Even though we don't miss the weather or climate, we certainly DO miss our dear friends and family!

Kristen and Nyah Scranton (friend and former teacher buddy)

At Olgas...my favorite (sorry Ann)!

Liz Bosch and Laura Honeysett (former students)
(Dean and Smiddy...my other "dads" and dear friends in Mattawan)

I MISS ALL OF YOU!!!

Boston Marathon

Phil and I had a wonderful weekend in Boston. My dad ran his 7th Boston Marathon, and we were thrilled to cheer him on during the race. The 4.5 of us will have wonderful memories for years to come. There are more photos on our Shutterfly Album link.

On one of the MANY subways that we rode this weekend.

We were on our way to cheer on my dad.
This was on the pier, and my mom snuck this cute picture.

Our first GARDEN salad!!!

Last night, Phil and I devoured our first salad...fresh from our garden. We picked fresh romaine, radishes, green beans, snap peas, peppers, broccoli, and a few other goodies. Phil grilled chicken, and we enjoyed gigantic salads. YUM! Phil putting the final touches on his salad.

Some of the goodies...before they were washed clean of the bugs.

I was SO EXCITED...
in case the picture doesn't make that obvious!

Phil cutting off the first crown of broccoli.

Just one small handfull of green beans. We picked a bowl full.

Corrie picking some green beans!

An evening with Mandy and Nana!!!

Mandy Pomp, a dear friend from Holland, was in town this past weekend. Phil and I had the honor of spending an evening with Mandy and Nana. We truly enjoyed meeting this special man in Mandy's life, and we were thrilled to share in their joy.

Back Home!

We are back home now, and it was a WONDERFUL week. There were SO many highlights, and we have dozens of pictures that give little glimpses of the different experiences that we enjoyed. Instead of picking out a few, I've included the link to our Shutterfly albums (with our family and friends link list). From there, you're able to view all of the pictures and their descriptions. The link is http://hillary777.shutterfly.com/. ENJOY!

Greetings from South Carolina

Greetings from Charleston, South Carolina. Phil and I are having a GREAT week. We have dozens of great pictures to share, but we're about to head off for another adventure (Cypress Gardens). We just wanted to say hello, and we'll have more updates later. :)

Traveling north to feel like we're in the south...

Phil and I are THRILLED for our upcoming road trip. We are heading up to Charleston, South Carolina (for four nights) and Savannah, Georgia (for two nights). It's my spring break, and Phil took the week off of work. We are going to see the sights, relax, and enjoy our time together. Living in Florida isn't considered "the south." I know that sounds strange, but Florida is full of so many transplants (like Phil and myself) that we aren't considered "southern." Georgia and South Carolina, on the other hand, are truly "the south." Go figure. So, we're driving seven hours north so that we can experience the south. :)

Busting out Belly!

I suppose it's time for some belly updates. For those of you who have asked, here you go. I feel as though our little girl has made herself known in the last few weeks. Not only has my belly popped right out, but she is moving all over the place. Phil and I love talking to her every night, and she moves all around so that we can get to know her a little bit better. Other than the fact that I feel somewhat gigantic for 22-weeks pregnant, everything is going very well. I've been feeling great, and we're enjoying the stage very much!

22-weeks 21-weeks
20-weeks

Best Hubby in the World!!!

I just have to write about how much I love my husband. While the goofy picture shows his never-ending comical side, he has a sensitive side that I am priviledged to know better than anyone else. There are SO MANY little things that he does, and it would be impossible to capture them all in a blog. A few small examples come to mind, and I want to share them...for those who are interested. On Sunday evening, I was craving McDonald's ice cream. It wasn't one of those crazy pregnancy cravings; rather, it was a whimsical, ice cream sounds good right now kind of thing. We drove to the closest McDonalds, and their ice cream maching was BROKEN. Go figure. It wasn't that big of a deal to me because I knew I could find a replacement. That wasn't acceptable to my husband. He drove all the way across town to a different McDonalds, and he treated me to ice cream. On Monday, he worked through his entire lunch so that he could make it to our afternoon doctor's appointment. Even though it was a very basic check-up, he refuses to miss any part of our pregnancy. I love that! Today, Tuesday, he woke up early with me (even though it was his day off) in order to make me a delicious breakfast. He has such a servant's heart, and he makes me feel incredibly cherished and treasured. For those of you who don't know Phil, he is one of a kind. I wish you all the same happiness and joy that we're experiencing down here in The Sunshine State.