Celebrating Tobin, Celebrating Life

The Celebration of Life on Saturday evening was a great success! 62 people present (not all at once, but spread out through the evening)...tons of food (I seriously overestimated how much we would need!)...and lots of wonderful gifts for the pregnancy center. Along with the very practical gifts of diapers, wipes, bottles, etc., there were also adorable baby clothes and a number of beautiful hand-made blankets. We have talented, generous friends!

One of the best parts of it all for me was the personal victory of getting through the event and the days leading up to it without becoming a horribly grumpy, stressed-out wife and mother. I know in the past, there have been plenty of times when I have let the stress of activities such as this turn me into a person that none of my family wanted to be around. :) But this time was different, thanks to God! And I really did feel supported by all the great helpers around me: everyone in my family who pitched in to accomplish a number of various tasks; the Sauders who helped set up, serve, and clean up; some people who spontaneously helped at the end of the evening (like Ruth Schrock and Betty Kiser--and maybe others that I didn't notice because I was busy with other things?); and most of all, Amy Wampole, who did an amazing job of keeping track of a myriad of details and was willing to help out in any way imaginable. She also did an exceptional job of encouraging me if I found myself weighed down by the tasks at hand. A huge THANK YOU to all those involved!!!

During the party, I found myself torn between all the different people I wanted to talk to! Judy who drove up from North Carolina for the party...Ryan and Kate that I probably haven't seen in over a year...the Myers with their trio of children... I wish I could have spent more time with everyone there!

At the end of the evening, I found myself thinking, "I'm REALLY GLAD we did this...but I'm also really glad we don't do this every week!" :) It was so worth it, though...and it will be so nice to be able to tell Tobin about this as he grows up. At the party, we had the participants write notes that we'll put in an album for Tobin, along with pictures from the celebration. What fun in years to come to look back and remember who was there and what they said about Tobin!

~ all set and ready to go
~ the cake

~ the food line (we're still eating the left-overs) :)

~ playing a game of "Find Someone..."
~ the guest of honor, cuddling on Anna Kathryn's shoulder where he eventually fell asleep :)

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If you're interested, here is the "Find Someone..." game that we played. I know that we had someone there that fit each category, except for the "only child" and the "adopted" category--I'm not sure about those. We cut short the game before anyone found someone for all these questions. The winner got 14 out of 20. It was interesting to discover some new facts about our friends! :)

Find Someone…
____________ …who has been to China.

____________…who has been married 40+ years.

____________…who was born in a state other than Virginia.

____________…who was born in a country other than the United States.

____________…who enjoys spelunking.

____________…who is an only child.

____________…who has run a marathon.

____________…who is adopted.

____________…who has adopted one or more children.

____________…who doesn’t have a passport.

____________…who is a published author.

____________…who has eaten bear meat.

____________…who plays the trumpet.

____________…who is a schoolteacher.

____________…who was born on a holiday.

____________…who has climbed the Washington Memorial.

____________…who weighed more than 9 pounds at birth.

____________…who makes chai tea from scratch.

____________…who has ridden in a horse & buggy.

____________…who speaks a language other than English.