Halloween 2008

We dressed up as Juno and Bleeker for our Halloween party last night.

It's the last time I'll get to show off the belly, as tomorrow at 12:30pm we're scheduled to be induced. Wish us luck!

No baby news yet...

Two days past our due date. Still waiting...

Friday night hangout

We headed out for some Indian food with our friends Payal and Kapil last night. We made sure to take some pictures to capture on film how big baby Featherstone is getting.

Shower time

Last Saturday Connor and the partners club had the cutest shower for me at Connor's house. I love my partners girls.

And then last night Heather & Whitney hosted one at my house. You girls are the cutest. Thank you to everyone that was there. It was a blast!

Baby showers are the best! Thank you to everyone who was there.

Call it a late-night study break...

This made me laugh. Hopefully you will, too. Enjoy!

Getting closer

We're now at full term. We know he is coming soon, but I have a feeling he'll be late. We still have a few things to do, like pack the hospital bag and figure out how to install the car seat (yes, I know, very important things that we've been delaying). We finish up our classes this week. We had one tonight but I got a migraine so we had to reschedule it. :(

As promised, here are a few belly pics for our fabulous mothers. We can't wait until you'll be out in Chicago.

We love baby Featherstone!

Party week

This past week we hosted two major parties. For our church we had our big International Dinner (as Mike and I are the co-chairs of the Activities Committee). Here are our friends that kept us company at the registration table.

For the Chicago GSB Partners club we had our big welcome back party (as I am the co-chair of Social Activities). We had CPK cater it, and it turned out that so many partners came we had to call CPK back and have them send more food! I missed my co-chair Payal as she was still touring Europe. But the rest of the partners club leadership really pitched in and helped out.

The one thing I regret is we didn't take ANY pictures!

He keeps growing...

Last night on our way to the gym downstairs I had Mike snap a picture of my growing belly. We think Baby Featherstone must be having fun in there since he's moving around so much!

My new project is going to be sewing bedding for the crib. My friend Heather helped me find this cute fabric. My grandma is making the quilt, so I figure a bumper and a bedskirt shouldn't be too hard...(gulp)...

Back in Chicago

We are back in Chicago!

It took us a week to get unpacked and moved back in, but we're happy to be back. Mike's school starts Wednesday (he starts earlier than most since he's a LEAD facilitator this year).

Chicago is beautiful and SUNNY. It is a welcome relief to our grey rainy summer.

Last weekend in London

“You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London.
No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life;
for there is in London all that life can afford.”

- Samuel Johnson, 1709

London has been a brilliant city to us. Living here this summer has taught us so much. Every night we pray to say thanks to God for this experience.

We have learned so much about the history and culture of England and Europe. We have learned so much about each other as a couple--how we react in stressful situations, how we travel, our cultural interests, and our favorite climates & vacation types.

Baby Featherstone has grown so much while we've been here, and again we thank Heavenly Father that I have been so healthy throughout all our adventures, including taking the tube to work every day (which is an adventure itself). Only once I almost fainted! That's an accomplishment. Our English friends we've met here have been so helpful in suggesting names, including: Rupert, Tristan, and Basil. One of them even suggested Elvis!

We leave London on Saturday. We can't believe it's gone so quickly. Here are the pics from our last weekend in London. We tried to hit all the remaining places on our "Must See" list.

TOWER OF LONDON

The Tower of London is worth every bit of the 15 pounds entrance fee ($30).

It was particularly fascinating to me since I just finished reading the books "Innocent Traitor" (about Lady Jane Grey's 9 day reign as queen before Bloody Mary), and "Princes in the Tower" (about the two princes imprisoned after Henry IV's reign).

Here is the inner tower green where Anne Boleyn (Henry VIII's second wife), Lady Jane Grey, Katherine Howard (Henry VIII's fifth wife), and others were executed. Both Anne and Katherine are buried in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula just behind the green, along with Sir Thomas More.

Here is the Chapel of St. John the Evangelist inside the White Tower--the oldest chapel in England. When showed up for a tour of the White Tower we were the only ones there, so we got our own private tour.

Here is traitor's gate where the prisoners were brought by boat into the Tower.

CAMDEN & CAMDEN HIGH STREET

Who doesn't love Camden?!

Honestly, I don't know why Mike didn't let me buy these glasses. They are SO worth 5 pounds!

We had lunch outside Camden Lock. We watched the locks in action raising these two barges so they could continue their journey up Regent's Canal.

Here we're thinking "We can't believe it's our last Saturday in London!"

KENSINGTON PALACE & GARDENS

I also had to see Kensington Palace since I read "Diana: The Chronicles." It is the official residence where she and Prince Charles lived. It's also where all the royal extended family lives.

My absolute favorite garden in London is the sunken garden, which we stumbled upon trying to find our way out of Kensington Gardens. It was planted during the reign of Edward VII. You can't actually walk through it--you have to peek at it through the arched bushes.

We found this fabulous little hole in the wall Chinese place that Mike just loved. I made him pose in front so we could capture the moment.

THE REST OF LONDON

On Sunday we went to Evensong at Westminster Abbey at 3:30pm, and then to Evening Service at St. Paul's Cathedral at 6pm. We hadn't been inside either yet--it was a spectacular experience. We figured out that between our church meetings in the morning and our cathedral visits, we attended almost 6 hours of some kind of church that day!

Of course, Globe Theatre.

Here is the picture of Mike's pilgrimage to see the Economist building. Along with Foreign Affairs, he is a loyal subscriber to the Economist.

Thanks London, we'll miss you!