Why the delay?

3 months without posting... sorry! But the reasons are semi-legit. See below for a very brief recap of what has kept us busy these past few months.

Weekend trips to DC/Maryland to look for housing. ~/everything was expensive or moldy, we couldn't decide between buying and renting, and we considered just moving into a van by the river/~

End of semester paper writing and projects. *#~not too bad this semester, especially with Marc home all of Marc~#*

On campus a great deal trying to form a dissertation committee and getting ready to leave school but continue to work on PhD. %--lots of praying about how to go about the PhD and if I should continue or not--%

Packing. ~/admittedly, Marc did most of it/~


Playing in the sunshine and with neighbors! ^(yes we love our backyard)^

Spent one furiously fast-packed Saturday in MD and found housing! ~[yup! we're renting in Rockville, MD and it turned out to be a great find!]~

Last minute goodbyes and goodtimes with friends in Philly. *-how many FHEs and BBQs can one family manage?-*

Welcomed our families to Philadelphia for some fun!! #"{oh, it was a full house of Tolleys and Hoyts and boxes being packed... all sharing one bathroom! we could be featured on 'Survivor'}"#

Announce to our families that I'm pregnant! &\\more pictures and details to come//&

Graduation! **^[Dr. Marc D. Tolley, what more can I say? Pictures and more to come]^**

More packing, combined with the City Pass for Philadelphia %*( a museum a day keeps the family at bay! Just kidding! It keeps them busy and exhausted and spending time with little Madeleine. Fun all around! )*%

Celebrate Madeleine's birthday (and Dad's birthday and Susan's birthday) with the family while in Philadelphia.

Moving. ++ Thank you to everyone who helped us pack, move everything 3 floors down, expertly fit into a massive moving truck, clean up our place on Greene Street, drive down to MD, move everything 2 1/2 floor up, clean up our place on Rockville Pike, unpack and hang pictures! We could NOT have done it without you! ++

No internet. For 28 days. {I cannot say more on this or I get very angry. So let's move on.}

Celebrate Madeleine's birthday, again. --{more pictures to come, and oh I love that little girl! 2 already???}--

We live in our new apartment without family, friends, internet, or TV for a good week. Very quiet, relaxing, contemplative, family-filled time. %%/we almost didn't know what to do with ourselves. We went to the library and military base a lot. Lots of walks and playing with Madeleine and exploring our surroundings and the city. Lots of reading, going swimming and just being together.\%%

Celebrated our 5 year anniversary with lots of TOGETHER time! *^^pictures to come!^^*

Marc experiences military residency orientation. ^[combination of wasted time through extreme inefficiency, getting used to wearing uniforms, staying busy with paper work, and surprisingly lots of time at home with us! we love it!]^

Make new friends, find a babysitter for Madeleine, and start enjoying our new friends and ward. =*{so easy to love this place and the people!}*=


Have my first prenatal care visit and ultrasound. ~(surprise! I'm 19 1/2 weeks pregnant, not 13 or 14 weeks like I thought! Due date: 12 November 2010. Almost found out the gender of the baby, but baby was uncooperative and would only showcase head, not parts. Next time! Any guesses?)~