Christmas morning, Curtis handed me a box that said it was from our friends the B family. It was a big box, and I wondered what on earth they'd give me since we don't usually exchange gifts.
When I opened the box, I found packing peanuts, and a lego airplane. And, I might have started to cry because Legos are many things, but they are not a gift to me. Luckily C told me to keep looking.
There, buried in the packing peanuts was an envelope containing the print outs for plane tickets for me to leave for Reagan National Airport on January 1. Oh good heavens. I was absolutely surprised. In the mass of Christmas morning action, I cried my surprised tears, and couldn't even get to asking C for details. In retrospect, this is funny to me.
Later, I realized that a truly stunning number of people had been keeping this big secret, for, well, months. If you're one of them, I am impressed ;)
While the big event of the visit was a combined shower for Attilla the Hunt and a birthday party for his old lady mama, the kitchen table parts of the time I spent in Virginia were such a good part. You know how kitchen table visits are... You're really good friends, if you can just sit in the kitchen, help yourself, and talk about everything. It's not the part most photographed, but those conversations are such food for the soul.

These friends know how to throw a shower ;) And, among them, J is the record-setter, having showered Jonah, Elijah, and this fourth baby. Oh, it is good to return to where you have a history, in case you wondered. I wished I could have brought Elijah, so our friends, who have loved him from the first and from afar could have met him...

This is the beautiful lunch they prepared. Check out that fancy birthday cake. And, those little cookies with the lemon curd filling, oooh, divine.
In some super-sneaky way, the hostesses (and Curtis, perhaps?) found friends from all different parts of my life in Virginia. It was so fun to catch up with South Arlington mom's, church friends, book club friends, and neighbors.

This isn't a good photo of me, but you have to see the hilarious shirt M found for Attilla (heh, heh... that's not his real name, but we don't have anything else just now). She joked, just about the time this photo was taken, that she and her husband debated changing the exclaimation mark to a question mark.

(Did I ever have my eyes open? Sigh) But, for posterity, you can see that I am resting the sock monkey jack-in-the-box on Attilla, so he can hear "Pop Goes the Weasel", and when the sock monkey popped out, the words say, "Surprise, it's a car seat."
Because that is the item we needed most in order for baby to come home.
And, unphotographed, but hopefully I'll show you soon, the birthday prize is a really beautiful garnet (which is the January birthstone) necklace.

Except for Enid, who had to slip away, these were the assembled friends. For fun, I've identified them by where I first met them (from back left): South Arlington Mom's Club, ditto, ditto, next door neighbor, friend known longest in Virginia (who hosted a shower for baby Laurel!), from my very first meeting of beloved book club, South Arlington Mom's Club, behind me is J, who I met first at Gymboree and who formed that playgroup (but who has walked alot of hills and drunk many a coffee and red wine with me too), church, and South Arlington Mom's Club.
I wish I could bottle up the conversations I had. From the spirited discussion of the various versions of Girl with a Dragon Tattoo and Hunger Games over lunch to kid and school talk, to all the sucesses and adventures we've had... It was at once like coming to a reunion and at the same time, walking back into a kitchen I'd been in a couple days before.

I should have taken more photos, but I might have been too busy talking ;) I wanted to include this one though, because although S wasn't able to be at the shower, she invited us (or maybe we invited ourselves?) to come visit her stunning and unique new house.
S taught me one of the most important lessons I learned about stay-at-home mama-ing. We met when L was not yet 5 months, and later that year, we were at a nature preserve. The drive to it nearly unhinged me. And, there was S, talking about the pure bliss that allows one to be out with the babes on a perfect day, that traffic doesn't matter, and being late doesn't matter, because you just get to be there in the perfect day with that sweet baby you love, not missing anything.
C (and her boys), and I had a good, long visit too... Fellow mama to three, figuring out the dynamics of a big girl and two boys, figuring out the work/life balance, unravelling a mystery or two kind of visit.
And, to add icing on the cake, my friend M came down from Maryland to catch up to talk about books, and being on the same page, and why it all matters.
How can I explain either here, or later to Attilla, the extremely generous spirits of these friends. For airport pick ups, for dessert, for meals shared, for confidences shared, for secret plans made, for coordinating and hosting, for cajoling Curtis and waiting for his answers, for a million little pieces of life, and being my friend even when I am crazy...
I am overwhelmed with gratitude... and this was only the first part. Hopefully, tomorrow, the second, also thrilling and full of friends with beautiful hearts.
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