Faster than the speed of light - there goes the weekend...

Whew! Well, we survived it - it was our first bbq with about 40 or so of our close friends and family! It was great, there was lots of food, drink, fun and catching up with friends. But as with any other party I didnt get to spend as much time as I would have liked to with everyone - playing hostess (and host!) means that you get approximately 6 minutes with each guest :) which is why, one day, when we're rich and famous (or just rich) I'll hire people to work at all our bbqs so that I can sit and chat with all my friends.

Though Eric and I had worked our butts off all week to clean a house that was in disarray from renovations and go food shopping and shopping for outdoor furniture, we woke up on Saturday and realized that we had gotten through the entire week like true partners - no arguements, a lot of compromise and a lot of laughter. Of course, there was frustration but all of that melted away each night when we snuggled on the couch before going to bed.

And when our guests began to arrive on Saturday with sunny smiles and children and presents in tow we relaxed and just enjoyed our evening. Our friends and family are incredibly generous people - from my sisters who went food shopping for me and cooked sides in the morning (and picked up liquor and some ice - wow!) to my best friend who brought pasta salad and another who brought my smiley cake :) to our close friends who gave us everything from great bottles of wine, great beer, amazing pastries, cookies and cakes...and even a beautiful housewarming gift in the mix from my awesome cousin and his gorgeous (and fun!) wife! An enormously huge thanks to our friend Cairon - she's so close to our hearts she might as well be family - for lugging the huge canopy to work for us so we could borrow it. She couldnt even make the bbq but wanted to make sure we had everything we needed!

The first photos is of our friends Billy and Christina :) Christina and I have become great friends through Bill and Eric.
The second is of our friend Gerard (we met him and his fiance PatT on our honeymoon and they're amazing and fun people! We missed you Heather and Keith)

There's PatT! Gerard's lovely fiance



Eva is so curious about PatT's broken foot :) she touched the cast a few times but was still puzzled ... so cute!

Saturday came and went in a flash and soon Sunday morning was upon us. Eric woke at 4:45am to head to work (sigh) while I slept soundly. I promised him that I would clean up as much as possible in his absence but my day also had another important event in it! Visiting my friend Shenin and meeting her two baby girls for the first time!!

But first, I caught Morgen and Ginger napping on a freshly vacuumed couch. They were totally wiped out from a day of fun with all their people friends yesterday. Their cousin Belle (owned by close friends Tara and Gary) even sent treats for them!
Here's our Dining Room - not finished yet, but definately clean - and gives those of you who couldnt make it (and my mom and dad in Michigan! a work in progress view of the house)
and living room - Every time Morgen hears the beep of the camera turning on she comes into the frame. I'm convinced she thinks I should only take photos of her! Ginger is in this shot too - still sleeping on the couch.

What I refer to as our "Wedding Mantle" :)
Our bedroom - the first room finished :)
Second Bedroom :) - Mom and Dad - doesnt it look different?!

And then the best part of the day - meeting lil Sophia and Serena Jamal. They are beautiful little girls who were born 2 minutes apart. Serena is older and Sophia plays the part of the little sister incredibly well, though I promised to give her pointers as she grows. They did what all 6 week old babies do - they cried, slept, ate, and gave us immense pleasure as we held and cooed at them. Shenin is a beautiful mom and is blessed to have her calm and always smiling mom and dad here to help her with her new bundles of joy. Thank you for letting us share in your joy - you know we'll be back soon and even sooner if you need something!
Rukshana and Abdul with baby Serena - she's such a munchkin!

And there's Grandpa with baby Sophia and then Abdul and me on the couch with two sleeping babies with full bellies! I've got baby Sophia and he's got baby Serena - who makes the greatest faces when she dreams.

We love you girls!