SO many updates!

Hello all! I know I have been horrible at keeping you updated on everything going on in our lives..and a lot has happened since I last blogged! We had a wonderful summer as Michael finished ASBC. (Here's a picture of his graduation.)

Sara was with us for the rest of the summer after we road-tripped to San Antonio to pick her up! We stayed with the McCleskeys for the weekend and had so much fun catching up! It was also fun to introduce our little bug to them for the first time. Being their nanny for so long, they saw my relationship with Michael grow into marriage, pregnancy, and now parenthood! Here are the kids & dads swimming at their new house and Lori enjoying our baby boy!

We also celebrated Sara and Madison's 8th birthdays together! Sara had already turned 8 on June 27, and Madison was about to turn 8 on July 8. They are great friends and had a lot of fun together again.

After returning home to DC, we flew out the next day to California for a family vacation in Michael's homeland. We had a blast spending time with his family, who were also meeting Kellyn for the first time (2nd time for his dad!) Here's a cute pic of the kids and their Aunt Megan picking us up at the airport:

Kellyn met his great-grandpa for the first time, too! It was a very special time for us. Grandpa was and is so good to us, and we felt very blessed that we were able to introduce his first great-grandson to him!

Kellyn also met his Grammy, who was BEYOND excited to finally kiss her grandson!

We had a wonderful, relaxing day at Balboa Beach, where Kellyn napped, Sara played with her Uncle Chris, and the rest of us enjoyed the sunshine and beautiful California breeze!

Sara's (and my) favorite part of vacay was Disneyland, of course:

Michael's favorite part was our day in LA, which ended with Dodger tickets for his birthday surprise (where Kellyn napped once again!)

Well, I think I hit all of the major points of our summer. Whew! We had a GREAT time, but it never felt better to get home and settled once again! I'll update again soon on what has been going on since then!

Lots of travels!

We have been doing so much traveling lately! We drove down to Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, AL for Michael's ASBC training, and have been here since the end of May. We stopped in Myrtle Beach and Savannah, GA on our way down to split the driving up for baby Kellyn. The next weekend after we arrived in AL was Memorial Day weekend, which we decided to spend in Panama City, FL. THEN Kellyn and I flew to Chicago, to spend time with family, friends, and road trip down to NC with my mom for my friend, Andy's, wedding! It feels good to be back in AL for a bit, before we have to head to San Antonio to pick Sara up for the summer! But we did have a great time in Chicago, and it was fun to get to show Kellyn off! So many people had not met him yet before that visit! We sure did miss Daddy, though! :) Now we will just relax until July 1st, when we will start our trip to San Antonio!!

Introducing: Baby Gibb!

March 31, 2010 was the best day of our lives together! Our precious gift from God, Kellyn Paul, was born at 12:22pm, weighing 7lbs 4.5 oz and was 20 in long! He is so beautiful and looks just like his daddy! His big sister is so proud and immediately rocked him to sleep the first time she held him~what a little mama she is! We have enjoyed every moment of Kellyn's life so far, even through some very challenging beginning weeks of breastfeeding and LOTS of sleep-deprivation! He is such a blessing, and we have finally gotten back into the routine of life..just a completely different routine than before! But we just love this bundle of joy sooo much! :)

Chicago Baby Shower!

I was able to fly home to Chicago recently for two wonderful weeks with my family and friends! It was so much fun and so needed. I miss being with everyone @ home, plus I have had a STRONG pregnancy craving for the best pizza on earth-Bianchis!-which is only available in the beautiful town of Ottawa, IL. I had Bianchis twice while I was home and it was just perfect. :) Michael drove to join me for the last weekend I was there, which included a beautiful baby shower given by my lovely Mom and hosted at my Aunt Martie's home. It was so exciting to receive so many baby goods and see sooo many people that I love! I am really grateful for the chance to go home one more time before our baby boy gets here (thanks, Grandma Jean!) and so excited to bring Kellyn into such a wonderful, loving family!

NyC

Sara has been asking for the American Girl doll, Kaya, for quite some time. Michael and I decided that we would get this special gift for her for Christmas this year! Once we knew we were moving to Washington, DC, we decided to make this one big experience for Sara and take her to NYC and let her pick out her doll at the store and then have dinner at the American Girl Cafe. This was a very special day and we got dressed up for the occasion (which she loved, of course.) It was a long trip there, due to extra traffic for New Years weekend, but we made it and had a wonderful time! Sara loved every minute of being in the store and made many comments about how awesome and beautiful the place was! :) The cafe was so cute and girly, the food was delicious, and the service was wonderful! Our dinner began with warm cinnamon buns, followed by an appetizer tray consisting of spinach & artichoke dip, bread, tiny baked potatoes, veggies & dip, and chicken salad. Sara chose baked chicken tenders, mac & cheese, and fruit for her main course (the fruit being shaped into hearts and flowers.) Michael chose crusted tilapia, rice, and veggies. I had roasted herb chicken with garlic mashed & sweet potatoes, and veggies. It was all SO good! Our meal ended with our dessert arrangement: snowflake-shaped sugar cookie, heart-shaped cake slice, and a small flower pot of chocolate pudding with a flower sticking out! It was all just perfect for a 7 year old girl, and I couldn't help but enjoy it myself. :) It was a quick trip to the city, but so worth it to see how happy Sara was! Especially when she told us that this is her best childhood memory so far. Precious!

Michael's Commission!

After six years enlisted, Michael decided to separate from the AF and return to school & ROTC to pursue his officer's commission. After 2 1/2 years of hard work, not to mention many challenges for our family, he reached his goal and became 2Lt. Gibb on December 20, 2009! We are so proud of him, and very excited for his first assignment to the Pentagon! We cannot wait to get settled into our new home @ Bolling AFB, meet new friends, and enjoy living in the nation's capitol! Moving immediately after commissioning, over the holidays, has been such a whirlwind of excitement-although a little overwhelming at times, especially due to my being 7 months pregnant! We would not have it any other way, however, and thank the Lord for MANY answers to prayer as this time approached.