Birthdays, anniversaries and other surprises . . .

What a month this has been! Apart from most recent exciting trip that we returned from, we've had so much to celebrate in this month of June. First, we received another report on the continued healthy development of our baby. During our 21 week ultrasound, we could see Baby Hunter kicking away feverishly inside mama's belly. What a sight! I've been feeling little kicks and jabs for a while now, but we truly couldn't believe how active this baby was from the images on our screen. Even the doctor commented on how active the baby was as well as how challenging it was making it for her to take all of her necessary measurements. At that point in time, the baby was measuring right on target in the 50 perentile of weight -- approximately 10 and 1/2 to 12 inches long and not even one full pound yet! I don't even want to think about what these little "karate chops" are going to feel like towards the end of nine months!
Below are some updated pictures of Baby Hunter taken during the ultrasound. I have to admit that the last one is my favorite!






Check out the legs on this baby! Dad couldn't stop commenting on them. Also, it appears that he or she has inherited Daddy's feet - notice the big toe is a bit shorter than the second . . . something I noticed right away. Brad couldn't be more proud!

Now, onto the big 30th birthday party! Yes, I have hit another landmark in my life and have decided to wholeheartedly embrace my 30's. After all, aren't the thirties the new twenties anyways? I have to say that my 30th birthday couldn't have started better - I received not one but three different gift deliveries that day, including a balloon and floral bouquet from Orla, a cookie bouquet (yum!) from the Murphy's, and a personal delivery of a dozen roses my husband. In that moment I decided that this was the result of one of two things: (1) People truly loved me, or (2) People felt sorry for me that I was turning 30. I opted to believe the first and went on with my day which included a lovely evening out with my husband. The birthday celebration continued with a quick visit from Christy, Chris and Kylie that following Saturday. We truly enjoyed our time together, and it's important to note that I received yet another bouquet of flowers. Once again, I was reminded of my recent feeling of being loved and a little concerned that I was running out of vases! Little did I know that the birthday fun was still not over . . . my friends were all accomplices to Brad's grand plan to get me downtown for a surprise birthday party. Thanks to the help of our friend and neighbor, Kristen, I unsuspectingly thought that I was simply meeting a few girlfriends out for dinner. When I reached the top floor of Gardella's Tavern, I soon saw many familiar faces and a few odd outfits which was later explained by Brad's choice of a totally 90's themed party. Yes, imagine pegged pants and the one shoulder overalls look. What were we thinking back then anyways? I digress. The best surprise of the entire night was walking in and seeing my Michael and Kelly's smiling faces . . . all the way from Florida! I couldn't believe that they made the trip up to Grand Rapids for the big event and was grateful to have some time with them for a few days. It was a wonderful evening and I feel especially blessed to have a husband who put that much time and effort into planning the party and making sure that my special birthday was marked with many special memories.

Which brings me to the last portion of our June celebrations . . . our 2 year wedding anniversary! Brad, we've been through so many exciting changes this year and I can't wait to see what's on the horizon. Thanks for making every day special and for being such a wonderful husband! Here's to 60 more . . .