birfday and baby fun

Well, I guess I'll just post a quick summary of the past week or so!
The day after the seminar in Atlanta was my birthday! So, I slept in and took my time getting up and ready. I donned a per-dy dress and went to church with my familio. I almost had to do nursery that day, but my sweet friend Tori ended up staying up there because, well, she's sweet! And she's so good with kids. Then, after church, my amazing then-very-pregnant sister in law Lauren took me out to Brio for lunch, with my very good friend Lora. Brio is my absolute favorite restaurant and those are 2 of my favorite people! A good combination. They each gave me some very sweet gifts and really blessed me with their company.
After lunch, I came home to find our wonderful friends from Wisconsin next door. I had been expecting them the next day, so this was a very pleasant suprise! They hadn't intended it to be a birthday present, but it was. It was awesome to have them around for a whole week, we always miss them. So that night after the kiddos went to bed, we had some lemony, strawberry, whipped-cream-topped cake for my b-day, supplied by the amazing baker extraordinaire, Susanna Internicola. I swear, she could bake a paper bag and it would taste good. Thank you again, Sooz!
After we had our yummy desert, we sat around and just talked, and my friends all decided to bless me with words of affirmation. That is always my favorite part about getting together with the people I love. I come away feeling better. And it's nice to have a focused time where people tell you how great you are! You just don't hear it all the time, and well, gosh darnit, sometimes ya just gotta hear it. :-) So thanks, friends, you guys really made my birthday great. Looking back, I'm wondering how I managed to not take ANY pictures that day. What the heck?!
The next few days were pretty much same old. Joel's new schedule is great and he is loving working so much. I have never met anyone who likes to program websites and applications as much as my nerdy hubby. He's having a blast! He works at his employers house twice a week, and then 3 days he is working upstairs in his office. Someday soon he hopes to start renting some office space with other techy friends of his.
Rowan is doing well too. Not a whole lot has changed lately, so we are hoping to get some wisdom soon on what to do next. I've made several calls trying to set up his evaluation to get an official diagnosis and very quickly learned that it's going to take a lot of months before he can get in. Which means it will be that long to get any home therapies. So right now, aside from his healing, my biggest prayer request is that the process of getting diagnosed would be sped up! I dont want to wait 6 months or more, and it would be best for him not to!
Asher is now talking up a storm. New words every day! His voice is so sweet to me. And his playfulness brings me joy beyond words! Now that he's 2, he's learning how to rebel and all that fun stuff, so it is interesting the contrasts I feel some days. You parents know what i mean :-)
Bella Rose is such a joy to us! Everyone says she's the happiest, smiliest, most social baby they've seen. And its true. She'd smile at you no matter what, I think. And she is now sitting up, crawling, even pulling up on the furniture. Still doesn't know how to get back down, but that'll come soon. And she has officially cut her first tooth! We are waiting for number 2 in the next few days.
All in all, we are well. I'm still sewing but have stepped away from it for a few days because of this: I have a new niece!! My sister in law, Lauren, had her little baby girl on Tuesday morning. Hannah Elizabeth. She's so stinking cute and precious. I could hold her all day! We prayed hard for this little baby to exist so there is much rejoicing! While Laur was in labor and recovering, I got to hang out with my nephew, Andrew. It was fun to have him around and get to know him more. I love my family.
On a personal note, I am saddened by the recent deaths of some celebrities, particularly Michael Jackson. I dont know why I care so much. Maybe because i had a mild crush on him during my college years, or maybe because I prayed for him to get saved so much (maybe he did, who knows?), or maybe it's just because I know how huge a role he played in influencing the music and dance in our nation and how missed he'll be in that regard. I dont know but I just feel bad about it. I pray that God will heal the hearts of those who loved him, especially his family members and children.