Us at 30

When I turned 29, my mother-in-law wrote in my birthday card something like "Congratulations!  You've reached the age all women seem to want to stay forever.  I'm not sure why. :)"  It made me smile, and it stuck with me for some reason.  Alasdair & I both turned 30 this month, and really, we feel pretty good about it!  Although most of the time I still don't feel like a grown up, I'm ok with getting older and so grateful to be where we are in life right now.  Of course life isn't always easy (and sometimes it's really hard!), but our 20's were good to us: finishing college, getting married, two years as campus ministers with the Navigators, 4 years in Philly (our first house, my first "real" job and Alasdair's 3 years in seminary and first counseling jobs, and of course becoming parents!), and now 2 years back in NH, starting the counseling center and becoming parents to 2.  We often marvel at how good God has been to us in providing great churches and community at every step of the way.  We've lived in 5 places since getting married, and in the last three years we've had two babies, started a company, and moved three times (plus an office move).  We are very happy be "settled" for the foreseeable future!!  

Family Reunion

Last weekend we had the whole Groves family (and family-to-be) at our house!  It was so much fun to be all together.  We visited cousins at Lake Mascoma (I met Dan's wife Heidi & new daughter Moriah for the first time).  Family games of basketball and soccer, a full table and good time sitting around the living room talking.... exactly the things we've been envisioning in this new house!

I am kicking myself for not getting a group picture.

Essex County Fair

Emily had the time of her life at the fair last year, and this year her cousins were there to join her.

the next day, in the boat:

Uncle Alden

We were so lucky to have Alden (or "Awda" in Adara speak) live with us for the summer.  Emily & Adara adore him, and so do we.  He arrived soon after we moved into the new house and jumped right into the chaos.  Since then, when he wasn't at work at the local grocery store, he's helped install countertops, painted, mowed the lawn, spent hours and hours playing with Adara or reading to Emily and watching her dance shows, and played basketball with Alasdair.  It's a little subdued around here since we said goodbye to him this morning!

College Friends

I am a month behind on blogging updates; time to start catching up!  It's been a good month.

For about 5 years after college, our friends would get together for New Years reunions.  We'd all meet at someone's house and sleep on the floor.  Lots of game playing and good conversations.  We hardly ever had TV, so we'd improvise our own midnight ball drop.  And then, some of us started having kids and suddenly crashing on the floor with all our best friends wasn't quite so viable.  After a few years off, our friends came from FL, OH, PA, NH, GA, NJ, MO and Jordan to spend 3 days at my family's Big House on Lake Champlain.  We all had our own rooms, but aside from that it was just like old times... lots of fun and games and good conversations.  These are the people who ask "how are you really doing?" and want the long answer, the people who have prayed each other through 12 years now of college and moves and jobs and relationships and life, the people who knew me as a teenager and now into my 30's.  I don't see many of them very often but I can't imagine life without these people!

I don't even know where to start with the almost-200 photos, but here are a few.  There are a few dozen more in this album.

10 Months

My baby is almost a year old!  I can't decide if that makes me so sad, or happy.  The best thing lately is watching the girls start to play together - there isn't much that makes me happier than that.

Tricks: The big news this month is that Adara is crawling!  She started at 9.5 months, just like her big sister.  While a mobile baby makes some things more complicated, overall I think it is so much easier.   After watching her friend Lucy Leander last week, Adara has started wanting us to hold her hands so she can stand up.  Here is her version of peekaboo.

Teeth: During her fussy week last week, I kept checking for her top middle teeth and didn't notice that one of the next ones over had snuck through.  She has 3 more up top on the verge of coming through.

Words: dada, mama, uh oh.  I think she was saying "da" at a dog and "nana" at her banana... but that might be my mommy imagination.  She also says "no" (in this painfully adorable way I wish I could capture) while pointing to things I've told her not to touch.  [She has been surprisingly responsive and obedient to being told no from the very first time.  I'm hoping she's always this naturally obedient.:)]   I think she says something like "adada" for herself and something that sounds like it might mean Alden.  She also grunts and growls a lot. :)