London Baby!

I never thought turning 30 could be this good...

Caleb surprised me 4 days before we left and told me we were going to London (a.k.a. my favorite place in the world) for my birthday.

Our mantra: It's not about food or sleep...it's about doing. And we did a lot!

Here's our stop. Double decker buses are my favorite mode of transportation!

Love me the double decker bus.

Riding on the bus.

Next surprise: Diana, Scott, & my little niece, Iris. Thank you for coming! What a sacrifice. Hope it was as fun for you as it was for me.

Caleb & Scott. The reunion.

The sweetest surprise.

Diana & Scott.

Sweet Iris.

Waiting for Wicked.

The perfect picture.

Wicked.

My family. Climbed 523 feet to the top of St. Paul's Cathedral to see London. Breathtaking and unsafe:)

Not pictured: the London Eye. Giant Ferris Wheel type Deal. Takes 35 minutes to go around.

Also not pictured: COLDPLAY concert at Wembley stadium featuring Jay-Z. Wow. Floor seats, saw Gwenyth Paltrow, Moses, Chris Martin bouncing Apple on his shoulders during Jay-Z's performace. Coldplay drummer, Will & his son. 80,000+ people at the show. Fireworks, millions of paper butterflies, a short rain right before they came on...amazing.

My hotel. The Jolly Saint. This place used to be monastery.

Last but not least, thanks to Caleb. I never want to travel the world with anyone else. Who could know that amount of planning that went into this insane weekend getaway. You know me so well and completely blew me out of the water with your generosity, thoughtfulness, and love for me.

My Iris.

My sweet little niece Iris was born in Casablanca, Morocco. Her birthday is August 15th, 2009. I would tell you how much she weighs, how long she is... but I have no idea. Diana will have to blog about here experience about giving birth in a 3rd world country.

Sweet story. I was buying flowers for a baby shower. I picked irises because they have a blue/purple color and the shower was for a baby boy. The flowers were all closed tight the night that I bought them. We went out that night for a surprise party. When I got home, one iris was in full bloom while the rest remained shut. That was the night Iris was born. I took that flower and put it in my room and think of my new girl often.

Scott was able to keep us posted on the progress of Diana's labor via email. The clinic had Wifi on the 1st floor. We even got to see a picture of her so soon after she was born (thank you iPhone). We feel so blessed to feel as though we were there from so far away and so blessed to have our little Iris.

Iris Douglass was born!

Yea! I have another beautiful niece. I had to post this picture because Ella has been waiting and waiting for her baby sister to arrive. This picture was taken at the clinic. Ella was pretending that she had just had a baby. Love her. See little Iris on the right. What a love! Praise God for a smooth and safe delivery and for a sweet addition to the Douglass fam.

Ode to Diana.

My sister, my friend, and the wife of Scott.

The chef, the nurturer, and mother of tots.

Today only 2 but tomorrow maybe 3...

Can't wait to see what this one will bring.

May she bring more laughter, more fun,

More spice and more twirls.

So thankful for another little girl!

Only the Lord knows her name now,

How great is our God that He would allow...

these children to enter and bless our lives

that help us to make us more like Christ.

So whether it's Morocco or back in the states,

the day I meet #3 will be no doubt great.

In Morocco or Texas I trust He knows best.

So to bed now in case it's tomorrow, I should get some rest.

Remember that God loves you and has a plan,

He will provide all of your needs as only He can.

The Perfect Day.

Tail feathers.

Finally a group picture.

Douglass family.

Heading out.

Cheese!

The basket I bought.

Rides on the Cornishe. I almost lost my lunch. Seriously. I've lost my edge in my old age.

Sweet cousins in their "fancies".

Driving a car...with machine guns on the back....because, you know, babies need machine guns.

Ella Charlotte in rocket. No guns.

Train ride.

The wrath of Beckett.

Making nice again.

Label Vie.

Grocery store shopping at Label Vie.

Long line of carts. Containment is the name of the game.

Ella + fruit.

What they did while we pay for groceries.

The flower man made Charlotte & Ella their own special bouquet.

The picture that I have been waiting to take since we came in December.

The pool.

Dinner.

Dessert.

It's an Everyday Thing.

This is what we do here. Play! Treasuring every moment.