Very Welcome Visitors!!!

On Saturday all of the churches in the Chicagoland area had a Convocation.  It's kind of like a one day camp meeting and takes place on the campus of Wheaton College.  We ended up going and had a great time.  The Sabbath School for Monroe was done very well and she really seemed to enjoy it.  We ended up going to the Young Adult Church service (even though Mark was the only adult under 30) and it was great.  The music was good and it was refreshing to hear a younger speaker.  We had lunch with Mike & Melissa and the boys and then came home for a nice nap.

Wheaton College.  It is a very impressive campus.  It is beautiful! 

That night we started cleaning the basement for our visitors, Stephen & Michelle (who arrived this morning).  We ended up watching "When Harry Met Sally" which is a movie that neither Mark or I had seen.  Monroe was super cuddly and it was fun just hanging out as a family.  

This morning, bright and early, Mark and Monroe headed to the airport to pick up our guests!  Monroe has been on cloud nine since they arrived.  She has been hugging, kissing and loving all over them since the time they walked in the door.  She just adores them.  It makes me so happy that she warmed up to them so quickly and that she hadn't forgotten them from Christmas.

We had a nice homemade breakfast of biscuits and vegan gravy (it was surprisingly good), scrambled eggs (not vegan), fruit, cereal and oj.  Then we headed out to Oakbrook Mall to do some shopping.  We wanted to visit H&M and spent a little while walking around.  Monroe was pretty exhausted by that point, so we came back home and put her down for a nap.  She wasn't the only one of us who was tired and we all ended up dozing off for a bit.  After we all woke up, we decided to head back to Clara's (the Italian Restaurant in my previous post).  It was just as amazing as I had remembered it being and Stephen and Michelle really seemed to enjoy it, as well.

After a wonderful meal, we went grocery shopping and then came home to relax.  I'm so excited for Stephen and Michelle to do the cooking for us while they are here.  They are both AMAZING cooks and they really enjoy doing it.  If only I felt the same way about cooking...maybe someday.

It was such a nice day just reconnecting and enjoying each other's company.  Sadly, Mark has to work tomorrow:(.   I think we are going to go to the Cosley Zoo.  It's not a big zoo, but more of a petting zoo.  It's very cute and Monroe loves it.  Hopefully, the weather improves.  It was in the 40's today and was just unacceptable!!!  I need the warmth back ASAP!

Our mission for this week is to nail down a name for this kid in my belly.  Naming a child is really hard. It seemed so much easier with Monroe.  With this little girl we are having the hardest time.  I guess I should relax a little, because it seems that anything goes these days.  For example, I just read that Alicia Silverstone named her son Bear Blu.  She couldn't have been trying too hard to come up with that one.  Mark is rallying for the name Maitey because it means "virgin" which he prays she remains until the day she dies.  I'm not sold.  We do have it narrowed to three names.  We are open to others if you have any great ideas.

I was totally going to take pictures of the little table and chairs today, but the weather has been so yucky (cold and rainy) and that doesn't make for a good picture background.  I'll see what I can do tomorrow.

Well, my eyelids are getting rather heavy.  I better head to bed.  I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and to my girlies that went to see "Bridesmaids" tonight in their crazy bridesmaid dresses...I hope it was super fun and I'm so sad I couldn't go with you!

Love you all!