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After enjoying my baby shower we brought all the stuff back to our hotel suite and began the daunting task of packing it all. First we had to show my dad each and every item :) and then I got to work packing it away. On my flight to MO I didn’t check any bags and lightly packed my carry-on. I also packed an extra duffle bag for my return flight. So on the way back to NJ I packed my roller carry-on to the brim and then filled the duffle bag with all sorts of other stuff. I ended up only having to check one bag and left only the bouncy seat with my parents to send at a later date. There were a few other items I left with my parents since they fell under the category of cute but not necessary for the first 3 months of Nacho’s life.
Of course I had to showcase all the goods so here they are…
We have the feeding section…
The bath/toiletry section…
Gotta love the Burt’s Bees…
A sweet baby book my parents bought for Nacho…
The clothing section…
Lucas even went to our neighborhood clothes swap while I was gone and picked up lots of great clothes and a manly diaper bag!
The diapering section…
We plan to use cloth gDiapers once we move back to Missouri and don’t have to pay per load for laundry. I was thrilled to receive our first little gPant and cloth inserts! Seriously one of the best presents ever! :)
My diaper bag my parents bought me when they visited this summer…I think we might be going with a green and brown theme…
And now we move on to the gear section…
A surprise gift in the mail from my cousin Nate and his wife Haila…I also have a sling I plan to use a bit but I’m sure the carrier will come in handy especially for daddy carrying times.
We already had a car seat from when our friends Ryan & Vanya visited with little Ciara but now Nacho will be nice and bundled for a February arrival…
And our stroller!
My parents bought this for us when they visited this summer but at the shower they outfitted with Bob with a warm and fuzzy liner and a double cup holder attachment. Pretty soon the Bob will be worth more than our car. :)
What a wonderful treat to be showered by friends and family. It definitely helps to feel a little more prepared for Nacho’s arrival although I know our world will inevitably be turned upside-down when this little one arrives…and we can’t wait!
-Shannon
The whole reason for my trip home to Missouri was for a baby shower! My parents flew me back and my friend Mandi, Aunt Shirley and Mom put the shower all together. I couldn’t wait to see some Missouri friends and to enjoy an afternoon together. Of course I wish I could have had an entire afternoon with each person but I’m thankful for the time I had.
Mandi made all the wonderfully delicious food…shrimp wontons, crab dip, chicken salad sandwiches, shortbread cookies and tuxedo brownies…
And the beautiful cake…we went with a green and brown theme…
Party favors/prayer candles…a wonderful idea picked up from friends in Vancouver…when they hear I’m in labor they’ll light the candle and pray…
My mom with one of the prizes…green and brown chocolates!
Kristy, Emily w/ Hunter on her lap, Julianne, Hannah & Olivia…
Mandi & Jennifer (who is due 2 weeks before me!)
Bonnie (Lucas’ mom), my Mom & Angie (sister-in-law)…
After food and mingling it was time for some games. First we played a guess the baby food game…
Jennifer & Jess sniffing it out…
Our other game was hilarious. When Mandi and Jesse visited us recently, Jesse filmed Lucas answering some questions about babies and fatherhood. Lucas’ answers were not the most serious but they were funny. :) I might try to post the video on here sometime but for now you’ll just have to enjoy the screenshot…
After the games it was time for presents…
Hunter decided to help me with them…
Quick story behind this next picture…first of all I’m bawling my eyes out and that is why I’m hiding behind the frame. :) My mom made this when she was pregnant with me. She has now passed it on to her first grandchild and wrote a little note to the baby on the back. I was really hoping she would pass this down to me and it was so touching to read her note and to remember what the stitching says…I still have it memorized after all the years of seeing it…
“Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow, for babies grow up we’ve learned to our sorrow, so quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep, I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep”
Once the cry fest was over we took a group picture…Back Row Standing L-R: Aunt Shirley, Kristy (friend from church), Alexandra (friend from church), Jennifer (friend from college), Mom, Angie (sister-in-law), Emily w/ Hunter (friend from church), Mandi (friend from high school & college), Bonnie (mother-in-law), Abby due Nov. 22! (married Lucas’ best friend and now friend of mine) Front Row Sitting L-R: Cindy w/ Lena (high school Pom coach and now friend), Jess (friend from grade school on), Julianne (friend from church)
And finally me with all the hostesses…Mom, Aunt Shirley and Mandi…
Besides enjoying the wonderful shower, I also enjoyed staying in Springfield the entire time. Normally when I visit MO I end up going to West Plains where my parents now live. But my mom and dad splurged a little and we got a 2 bedroom suite at a Marriot. My mom and I got into town on Thursday and then my dad came up on Friday evening. In between some shopping with Mandi on Friday and getting ready for the shower we enjoyed lots of yummy food…Steak N’ Shake, Pasta Express and even Nakatos on Friday night. And I was able to see all of my family minus my sister in Boston!
It was such a great trip and I’m so thankful for all the love and support!
-Shannon
In less than 5 days I’ll be heading home to Missouri for a baby shower for me! My parents graciously offered to fly me home and my friend Mandi, my Aunt and my Mom are hosting the shower for me. I can’t wait to see some friends and share in the excitement. Plus many of my friends who are coming are either pregnant or have had babies since I’ve seen them last. So I’m sure there will be lots of mom talk. I’m actually flying in next Wednesday and on Thursday my mom and I are going to make a little side trip over to Boonville so I can finally see our house in person. I can’t wait to look around the place that I soon call home and I’m sure I’ll have more than a few pictures to share after that.
When coming home my parents offered to fly me directly into Springfield but I opted to fly into KC so I could finally meet this little guy…
Let me introduce you to our nephew, Eli. I can’t wait to meet him and see the rest of the Endicott family during my quick time in KC. Back in August Lucas was able to meet Eli but I wasn’t there to share in the fun…
You can guarantee there will be a baby photo shoot going on while I visit with them. :) Congrats again to Todd & Angie…what a beautiful family!
-Shannon
Often times people ask us, “What is the next step?” We already think about this question a lot and with a baby on the way the question seems to hold even more weight than it once did. As you may or may not remember, Lucas has been accepted into the University of Missouri PhD program in History. Even with this offer on the table we weren’t sure we wanted to head back to Missouri.
Awhile ago Lucas started looking up real estate in MO especially in the Columbia area where the university is. He stumbled upon Boonville, a small town about 20 minutes away from Columbia. Prices were much lower and old houses were jumping out at us. We first came across a particular house and thought it looked wonderful but wondered about how sane we would be to buy a house months before we would need to be in Missouri. During our recent trip to Vermont we were both struck by how much we long for small town living and an easier pace to life. After that trip we deceded to do something about this house.
A few weeks later Lucas flew home for a previously scheduled trip and was able to look at the house. That day, August 28th, we placed an offer on it, sight unseen for me. A few days later our offer was rejected even though it was the higher offer. Apparently the sellers knew another party who was interested and they took their offer instead of ours. To say we were disappointed would be an understatement. But we figured something else would come along and again we were probably crazy for thinking of buying a house so soon.
After a few weeks of mourning the loss of the house, we began thinking of other things again. We stopped planning ways we would make it our own and moved on. However, during this time period our real estate agent kept telling us reasons the current offer might fall through. We had submitted a counter offer in case the first offer fell through but we weren’t holding our breath. Then this past Thursday we received a call…the first offer had fallen through at the last minute and the sellers had now accepted our offer!!!
We are still leery of celebrating too much but it looks like as of November 2 we will be the proud owners of 715 6th St! We are so excited and are praying that everything goes smoothly as we close on this house. As it turns out I am actually heading back to Missouri in a few weeks for a baby shower and during that time I’ll be able to set foot in the house myself! I can’t wait to take pictures and get a feel for the place. In the meantime I’ll share some realtor pictures with you. They aren’t the best quality but they give you a feel for the history (the house was built in 1876) and grandeur of it all.
Possibly Nacho’s future room…
Lucas is really looking forward to the barn…
And I’m really looking forward to the shop! That’s right, it comes with a small storefront that I plan to use to fill with crafty goodness. It sits down on the street level while the house sits up top a bit…
I guess the bottom line is we’re moving back to Missouri!
-Shannon
This past Monday we celebrated my 28th birthday! I started the day by going into work but I only stayed until noon and then had the rest of the day off. To celebrate, we headed to the orchard to pick some apples and enjoy the day. Afterwards Mandi and I headed to the grocery store to pick out lots of great food for the birthday feast. We ended up having spinach and artichoke dip and a BLT cheeseball with crackers for starters. Then for the main meal we enjoyed shrimp scampi, steak, asparagus and salad. To top the evening off Lucas made me my favorite kind of cake…FUNFETTI!
I also enjoyed 2 birthday boxes! One from my parents and one from my in-laws. They were both filled with wonderful things to enjoy. Lots of food/party items…
And some great gifts as well…
Lucas let me pick out a new camera lens that I am thoroughly enjoying and he even surprised me with a crafty project kit for a new planner. I’ll share pictures of it as I put it together.
Overall I had a great birthday and it was especially wonderful to share it not only with my lubber but also with great friends. I can’t believe that next year we’ll have a 7 month old to add to my birthday festivities. :)
-Shannon
First of all, my birthday was on Monday and even though it wasn’t technically the first day of fall I like to think that it is. :) We celebrated by going to the local orchard to pick apples and mums to bring in the fall.
And even though the pictures don’t show it we enjoyed this day with our friends Mandi & Jesse. They are visiting from Missouri and are here until Saturday! It has been so nice to have some old friends around and especially since they were here over my birthday.
I’ll have to take share the mums once I arrange them on our porch but with the apples on the kitchen table and the mums outside our door, fall has moved in to the Endicott household.
-Shannon
…we looked something like this…
Although I swear I was happier than this picture makes it appear. :)
Today Lucas and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary! Well actually the real celebration begins tomorrow when we head up to Killington, Vermont for the week. We found a nice lodge to stay at and we’re planning to relax, swim, hike and just generally get away from as many people as we can.
Today we went to church and announced our anniversary and the fact that it will be the last year with just the two of us as we told the church I am pregnant! It was nice to let our church family know and so now anyone and everyone who cares to know about Nacho has been informed.
After church we thought we’d grab a cheap lunch at Applebee’s, and while Lucas would be alright to never step foot in there again, I have to admit that sometimes I just like a good chain restaurant. As we were enjoying our meal the waiters came out to sing Happy Birthday to someone in true chain restaurant fashion. As they were doing this Lucas look s at me across the table and says, “Happy Anniversary” with a sarcastic smile on his face. The atmosphere wasn’t the best. :) So while we’re in Vermont we plan to enjoy a real anniversary dinner some evening. And hopefully there won’t be any Happy Birthday singing going on.
-Shannon
This year we celebrated the 4th of July with a visit from my sister Megan. Her birthday is on the 3rd so we were also able to throw in some birthday celebration as well. However, before she arrived we enjoyed the Princeton fireworks with our friends Vivek and Jeanie…
This one reminded me of Harry Potter with all the green…
Or maybe I just have Harry Potter on the brain with the new movie coming out…but I digress…
We enjoyed our time with Megan and ended up celebrating the 4th by spending the afternoon having a picnic. We enjoyed wonderful weather and a lazy afternoon…
Megan made a halo with these flowers…
It was a great weekend!
-Shannon
This past week my Aunt Shirley and cousin Carrie visited us as part of Carrie’s high school graduation trip! Neither one of them had ever been to NYC so I had fun showing them around and they even headed into the city on their own for a day. This past weekend the three of us girls stayed in the city at the New York Helmsley Hotel while Lucas enjoyed a weekend at home by himself. We all enjoyed dinner out on Friday night followed by the amazing experience of seeing The Lion King on Broadway.
On Saturday we headed out for the day and quickly came upon a little street fair…
We made our way up 5th Avenue stopping at the Library…
…St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Tiffany’s and eventually making our way to Central Park…
On Sunday morning we headed off to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. And even though I had just visited these places with Lucas’ parents I still enjoyed looking around and catching new views…
After our weekend in the city we headed down to Philadelphia for the afternoon on Monday.
After our quick stop at Independence Mall I dropped them off at their hotel for the night and then they flew back home to Missouri yesterday. It was such a great visit and I’m so glad I got to spend some extended time with them especially as Carrie heads off to Williem Jewell College this fall. I love you two!
-Shannon
We made it back to Vancouver much sooner than we ever thought we would. I was sure that when we left this place a year ago that I probably wouldn’t see it for another 5 years (except for on TV when Vancouver hosts the 2010 Olympics!). Thankfully I was wrong and we were able to make it back much sooner.
So I thought I’d share a couple posts from our time in Vancouver and I’ll start with a nice overview of our trip. After waking up at 3:30 am on Saturday to catch our flight to Seattle and then driving up to Vancouver, I was able to see a sight that I’ve thought about many times…the view at the top of Dunbar looking out to the water and mountains…
After checking in with our lovely hosts, Nathan & Karen as well as playing with Luke & Caleb (pictures to come), we headed off to the beach…
After our quick stop at the beach we were off to The Wolf & Hound for pub night. Several friends joined us for the evening and it was great to catch up with them. I guess I wasn’t in the picture taking mood, or it could be the fact that I had already been awake 20 hours straight, because this is the only picture I took. But at least I captured my dear friend Wendy…
After a good night’s sleep we went to our old church, University Chapel. It was such a refreshing time of seeing old friends and worshipping in a community that was such an integral part of our lives. After church we headed out to lunch and enjoyed the sunny day…(SIDE NOTE: we enjoyed clear, blue skies during our entire trip which can be unheard of in Vancouver this time of year)
Ellen, Karen, Fran & Andrew…
Kirsty, Mike & Lucas…
Me & Ellen…
Paul & Tiffany…they just got married in February and while Paul is from NZ, Tiffany is from Arkansas! It was our first time meeting her and we were so glad we did!
Nora and her lovely mom, Deanna…
After our long lunch we headed off to our favorite forest…Pacific Spirit Park. We parked by our old apartment and walked the path we used to walk at least 5 times a week. It was a great time of remembering our life here and also reflecting on how far God has brought us and how thankful we are for the time we had in Vancouver.
Once we were done with our walk we headed to one of my favorite spots…Kool Stop! They always have their slurpees for 99 cents no matter what the size…
On Sunday night we enjoyed dinner with Nathan & Karen and then headed over to Mike & Kirsty’s for dessert. It was great to catch up with them and to enjoy their new apartment which is directly across the street from the beach!
Monday brought Graduation Day and for clarification Lucas and I graduated last year. Several people thought we were back in town to graduate ourselves. But we just happened to come back into town over graduation and so we could cheer our friends on. So Monday was a day of celebrating our friends’ achievements. We started the day at Jeremy & Katy’s for a graduation brunch to celebrate Jeremy.
Of course Katy made some wonderful food…
Jeremy & Lucas…
Unfortunately I didn’t snap even one picture with Katy. :( We were too busy talking and wishing we could be together more often.
After brunch we headed off to Regent to meet up with Levi, Shelley and Avery.
Shelley and I enjoyed our time talking and playing with Avery. And I will have to dedicate an entire post to our time together…so for now a sneak peek…
Monday afternoon we went back over to Jeremy & Katy’s before heading off to graduation. It was so great to cheer our friends across the stage and to enjoy a few more moments together during the reception afterwards. 
The Edsalls (Deanna, Nora & Ben) & The Endicotts (us)…
And one last goodbye with Shelley…
Even though our time in Vancouver was way too short I’m so glad we made the trip. It was refreshing and wonderful and exhausting all at the same time. Vancouver is a place we will always call home but a funny thing happened while we were there. In the midst of being in the city I’ve longed for, I realized I also love the place we are now. Through the process of telling people what our life in Princeton is like I realized that I really enjoy our new life. So as the old Girl Scout song goes, “Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold”.
-Shannon
P.S. I actually never understood that song…so I should make new friends but my old ones are still way better than my new ones? Oh well, I’ll still keep singing it.
P.P.S I like my old friends and my new friends.
