sweet springtime...

So far, this season has brought with it a crazy mix of emotions for me. We're leaving for Cape Town in less than three weeks and for some brief moments I'm in complete denial that we're really going. One minute, I'm super excited...the next, super scared...and the next, super sentimental about leaving our family, friends, and home behind for three months. Then, as I type that..."three months", I feel super silly because I know it's really not THAT long.

In the midst of all the mixed emotions, I've had many good times lately that have allowed me to hang out with those that mean the most and keep my mind off of all of the unknowns. I feel bad putting it that way...it's not that I don't want to think about the trip or dread it...it's just that the unknowns are scary right now and they'll remain that way until we get there and know everything :-) So...until then, I choose not to dwell on them by keeping my mind on other things. The past two Saturdays have been perfect ones for celebrating two couples who are perfect for one another. We've attended two weddings that quickly climbed to the top of my "best weddings" list. Of course, the couples were amazing, but the people in attendance were also amazing and the decor/settings for both of them was Southern and relaxed. For those of you who know me well, you could guess that I "ooohed and awwwed" over the details only a couple of hundred times. I absolutely loved it and if it wouldn't have been just downright tacky of me, I would have brought my camera along and taken some pics and shared them with you.

Here's one pic of Jesse and I at the last wedding. He was looking especially handsome in his bowtie, which I also really loved :-)

This past Saturday evening was a bittersweet one. Some of my most precious girlfriends came over to our house for a pajama party. Yes...I said pajama party. I'm sure many would think that we've far outgrown such a party, but I say absolutely not! I think there's almost nothing more fun than drifting off to sleep in the middle of girl-talk and being sardined in a king-size bed of four girls. I think this was a record for us, by the way :-)

A highlight of our evening was a "gender reveal" by Whitney, our friend who is expecting twins! She was so creative. She ordered two boxes of cupcakes, calling one the Baby A box and the other the Baby B box. We each got a cupcake from each box. On the count of three, we took bites out of our cupcakes and discovered PINK filling in ALL of them! So...the Hinson family will have two more girls to join their already adorable two year-old daughter! I'm so excited for them and can't think of two better people to raise three beautiful daughters!

One more thing for now...I know that many people have already been praying and continue to pray for our family's upcoming trip and for that I am so thankful. If you haven't already, please remember us if you will. I know the Lord knows exactly what we need before we even speak it. However, if you would like to pray specifically for us, please make Eli a priority. A) Please pray that he will be able to sleep some on the flights and will be well-entertained by the many little toys and gadgets I've been collecting for him. B) Pray that he will adjust well to the major time change and living situation in Cape Town. And, C) Pray that if A and B don't work out well, the Lord will grant much patience and love to Jesse and I :-)

pop's party :-)

This post just has to begin with a really big "THANK YOU" to my Daddy for making last Friday such a memorable one for us. Each week, Eli counts down the days until Friday because that's the day when he and Pop hang out together. Last week, they worked hard all day to set up a camp site so that E could tent camp outside for the first time. After work, I headed over to join them and was pleasantly surprised. They had prepared a nice little food tent, a fire ring and had set out some cool torches and lanterns to be lit. Eli was so excited to show me everything! Once Jesse made it from work, we all enjoyed some yummy campfire hotdogs and roasted marshmallows. It was so relaxing to just sit out by the fire and enjoy the beautiful evening. Once it was dark, we lit sparklers and made some hot chocolate on the camp stove. Eli also rode around on his tractor in the dark and absolutely loved it. This is something that he has done a few times before so he's gotten pretty good at it. He rides with a head lamp and a light attached to the front of his tractor so that he can see where he's going. It's funny to watch the little blur of light flying around everywhere in the dark:-) I was planning to participate in a March of Dimes walk the next morning so I opted out of spending the night. As I got ready to leave, E, Jesse and Daddy were all bedding down and it was really, really dark out there. I was worried about how E would do. But, by the time I made it home and messaged Jesse, E was already sound asleep. The next morning, the guys cooked breakfast and enjoyed the fire a little more. If the success of the camp out could be measured by the amount of dirt under E's fingernails and how many shampoos it took to remove the smell of the campfire from his hair, then I'd say it was super successful! The next day, Eli was telling me something about the night and referred to it as Pop's party :-) If that's the case, I think Pop's gonna have to host many more parties in the woods and next time I'm in for the whole night!

These next two pics are of Maw-maw and E running around in the field with their sparklers. They're not very clear, but I really love them. Such sweet memories!

Thanks again, Daddy! We had lots of fun!