Today marks the start of my birthday month, and anyone who knows me realizes that I love my birthday. I realize this is somewhat narcissistic because I’m basically saying that I love gifts, attention and celebration centered around me. But, I can’t help it–birthdays bring me joy and I love celebrating mine as well as other people’s special days.

Since this year I’m turning 30 (!!!) I am feeling the pressure to really reflect on the last decade of my life, and the decade to come. 30 feels BIG for some reason, and I’ve (admittedly) anticipated this birthday even more so than years past. My hope is that I can make some time to write a few 30/birthday related posts this month. Consider this the first of several more to come.

A few months ago, while wasting time on Pinterest, I stumbled across something that touched my heart. A blogger, Robyn, decided to celebrate her 30th birthday by doing 30 random acts of kindness. I read her post and thought it was such a great idea. And then I forgot about it. My friend Lori, however, did not. She turned 30 last weekend and celebrated by gathering her friends and family to spend the entire day (9am-11pm) doing kind acts for other people. This honestly doesn’t surprise me which says a lot about Lori. Anyone who knows her will agree she is genuinely kind, compassionate and giving. I love, love, love that she spent her 30th caring for others. I asked her if I could post a few pictures of her day and share some of the things she did.

If you’re inspired by Lori’s day, check out www.thebdayproject.com to see others who are celebrating their birthdays with kindness for others.

Lor, thanks for letting me share your story. I love you and your sweet heart. Happy 30th!

My friend Ashlee is the Managing Editor at The Violet Online, and this basically means that when I asked her if I could write an article for their upcoming winter issue, she said yes. It also means that I got to attend a mid-week brunch at her house a few Thursdays ago because she was shooting images for the issue. Translation: Lesley wins!

The issue debuts today and it’s lovely. I know you’ll enjoy the entire magazine–so many pretty photos, unique finds and crafty ideas– but at the very least I hope you’ll read my article on page 14. The prompt was friendship, and the piece I wrote is a reflection on my relationship with my childhood friend, Sarah.

Sarah, if you’re reading, I love you!

After a pretty horrible pre-Christmas week,  our vacation redeemed a lot of the feelings of tiredness and brokenness that we were feeling.

Sadly, there is not a photo of the fun fondue dinner party I hosted at my parents’ house. Sarah, Lauren and Katie all came and it was wonderful. I’ve known Sarah and Lauren since we were young and awkward, and I’ve known Katie since our freshman year at Westmont. We ate too much cheese and a lot of cookies. I wish I could do dinner parties with girlfriends every weekend.

I finally felt up to exercising by Christmas Eve day, so I took a spin class at my parent’s new gym. It kicked my butt, and I definitely ate extra sushi that night because I felt like I earned it. Yes, you read that correctly. Sushi. Huge, huge amounts of sushi at Christmas Eve dinner. I was happy to partake after 9 months without the stuff. Here is Anna and I with my grandpas, her great-grandpas:

The girl is plumping up so much that she doesn’t have wrists…it’s all baby fat! I, of course, am obsessed with her chunky thighs and cheeks. I can’t stop kissing them.

And then there was plenty of time with all Anna’s aunties and uncles. We spent Christmas day with both sides of the family–morning with the Sebeks, evening with the Millers. Somehow I missed a photo of her with Aunt Katie, but here is Auntie Allison and Aunt Sarah:

Funny, they kind of all look alike, huh? Sarah is my sister-in-law but the resemblance between all of us is striking, I think.

My mother-in-law always gives us pajamas as a Christmas gift. This year my PJs were leggings. I’d just like to comment that I have never, ever loved pajamas more than the leggings she gave me. Every person should wear leggings to bed. I wish I had 8 pairs. I have basically worn them for a week straight and never want to take them off. Go get some. Really.

Jonathan bought me the Adele album, a nativity set, an Etsy print, and the book Bittersweet. I’ve read Bittersweet before but didn’t have my own copy. I love that book, and it’s been so great to read it again this week next to our dying Christmas tree. I would like to suggest you buy a copy. I especially like the chapters called Alameda and 25.

All the Miller siblings and spouses saw Mission Impossible 4 together in IMAX. This girl NEVER gets popcorn and a soda but we splurged and got a huge tub, a huge Coke, and six candy boxes to split amongst us. The movie was a thrill and I left with a tummy ache. You wouldn’t guess so based on this photo:

The next day all of us drove to La Jolla for the day. It was about 75 degrees and gorgeous out. We strolled the beach, got Smashburger and cupcakes. The salt air was good for all of us. I’d like to comment that Jonathan still has his hair, and I think it looks particularly handsome in this photo. His hair is just starting to fall out which means it’s going to be buzzed here very soon. I will still think he’s incredibly attractive.

And then, before leaving So Cal on Wednesday, we squeezed in a visit with Erin, Mike and Jada who were visiting from Colorado. The last time we saw Erin and Mike was at Lori’s wedding last spring. All four of us shared a hotel room, and Erin and I had little baby bumps. Both of us were blessed with baby girls this year and they finally met. We walked around Balboa Island with our moms, while the guys got Starbucks and also caught up. Jada and Anna clearly had a connection. Next year we will force them to make cookies together just like our moms did to us years ago. Hopefully Lola Swanson and Addison Vogt can join. This was, clearly, the year of girl babies. We received eight baby girl announcements in 2011. Anna has lots of friends already and a few boyfriends too.

Today is New Years but it doesn’t really feel like it. No parade; no college games. We slept in (miracle!), stayed in jammies all day, never brushed our teeth, ate a huge breakfast, napped, and went for a walk (still in our jammies.) And now I’m drinking a little wine and blogging and writing resolutions. I’d say it’s a good start to a new year.

We are really exhausted around here. Like, a tired that we didn’t even experience when Anna arrived…because it’s a different kind of tired.

And yet, life goes on. The good and the bad. The parties, and the baking, and the friends, and the rough conversations- they are all happening.

I feel really fortunate that I get to be home in this season rather than working full time at an office. I am thankful I have the time and space to be a caretaker. To feed. To cook. To keep our house feeling cozy and clean. To go for walks. To listen to the quiet hum of the dishwasher. To look out my kitchen window and watch the clouds roll past. Even though I sometimes worry about the months to come, I know God has prepared the way.

So, this weekend has been full and slow, just like many of our days recently. It started out early Saturday morning at the Davis Turkey Trot 5K. I completed the run with these lovely ladies- my early morning running crew. (Above: Tammy, Anna, Me, Sharon.) We had intended to run the 10K but didn’t get our booties ready in time. The 5K felt perfect. It didn’t kill us, but it was still a nice challenge. Nothing beats cold fall air on your face, and lots of giggly kids and music and babies in strollers, and colorful leaves. Afterwards we stuffed our face at Cafe Bernardo where some of the hubbies and babies joined us in creating quite the spectacle.

I came home from the Turkey Trot, showered, and then got to hang out with one of my longest time friends, Sarah! I’m not going to write Sarah’s last name because one time I did on this very blog, and I realized that A LOT of people Google Sarah’s full name and end up on my blog because of it. Creepy, right? She’s a popular lady, apparently. Sarah is the ultimate gift giver and spoils me (and Anna) rotten every time we see her. Her visit not only brought a lot of laughter, brainwashing (she wants to turn Anna into a Democrat) and babysitting…but also an awesome Pottery Barn blanket and striped onesie seen above. Sarah works for Kaiser and has already given Jonathan and I lots of good advice. I am so thankful for her humor, honesty and love.

Have you seen the show Up All Night? It’s a new sitcom about a couple with a new baby. In the show, Maya Rudolph plays the couple’s single friend who knows nothing about babies but always wants to babysit. We joke that Sarah could be that friend in our life (although, to give her credit, she knows more about babies than she’ll admit.) Anyway, Sarah volunteered to watch Anna so that we could go to our friend Brett’s 30th Birthday Bash. His wife Ashlee did a really cute job with lots of yummy good, 80s music, and a photo booth.

And today? Well, Jonathan is radioactive today so I’m at home alone with the little one. No, really- I’m being serious. He went for a PET scan this morning at 7:30. The scan will see if there are any other tumors in his body. His oncologist has confirmed he has Hodgkin’s Lyphoma, and seems hopeful they’ve caught it early, but this scan and tomorrow’s bone marrow biopsy will help confirm or deny the doctor’s suspicions. We should know more later this coming week. The crazy thing is that the PET scan makes him radioactive for about 12-18 hours and he can’t be within 10 feet of Anna until late tonight. So, he’s off playing all day with friends while I stay at home and nurse a cold and a baby. I’ve read, baked, and played but I haven’t gotten dressed. That’s the best kind of Sunday, right?

Here’s Anna watching me make Mason jar oatmeal for the week and Vegan Banana and Chocolate Chip Oat Bars. We aren’t vegan but the recipe sounded yummy… and it is! Not too much banana- just the way I like it!

I wouldn’t say we’re big on Halloween at this house. The first year living in Sacramento we both had class on Halloween night. In the years since, we’ve stayed home in sweat pants, eaten soup, and gotten cozy. It’s not that I’m anti-Halloween, it’s just that I don’t really care that much. I’m more of a Christmas and Valentine’s Day sorta gal.

Until I had a baby.  And now, everything is different. Who started thinking about Halloween in August? THIS GIRL.

There are a million ways you can dress a baby for Halloween which will provoke even grown men to use the word “adorable” and “cute.”  Anna requested to be an owl, and I obliged. Her thought was that an owl costume might be cheap and easy to make, and if a cute knit hat were purchased it could also be worn again. I love her sense for recycling and saving money at such a young age.

I told you she was licking the feathers.

With Jonathan’s LEGO costume requiring some work on Thursday, I was glad the owl ensemble came together with just a hot glue gun, feather boa and white onesie. It took 15 minutes and only cost $10. I was happy about this because she licked/spit up all over the feathers within about 10 minutes of being put in the costume. It was in the trash after about 30 minutes of wear. Oh, babies.

I think the tights sealed the deal. Would you agree?

While Jonathan took home costume prize (YESSSS!!!!!), his office ooohed and ahhhed over the baby owl. I wore my Betty Draper costume because we were attending a Mad Men 30th birthday party for Sharon immediately following his office potluck. I don’t know if everyone in his office realized I was in costume. I think they just thought I like red lipstick. I assure you- I do not. I felt like a clown.

Betty and Baby Owl

We had lots of friends in town for the Mad Men bash, which was a total blast. Sam rented a coffee shop space downtown, and we all drank and “smoked” and ate- fondue, pigs in blankets, meatballs and a really funny caterpillar cake. I was happy for a night on the town without our little owl, and Jonathan appreciated the distraction too.

Me with the birthday girl

Brent, Brett & Jonathan

A classic Jonathan face

The next morning we had a few of our out-of-towners over for pumpkin pancakes with J’s special brown sugar banana sauce. The morning turned quickly into a long walk, football games on TV, a girls’ run to the mall, and a lazy dinner. Here are the mommies with their girls:

Sam & Eden, Jonathan & Anna, Brett & Scout

Isn’t this daddy daughter picture just heart melting? All the girls were born within six weeks of each other, and they are all about the same size now. Please note, Anna is playing with her hands in both photos. She discovered them on Saturday and has been obsessed ever since. It’s pretty darn cute.

On Monday Jonathan got great news- his heart looks just fine- so he’s proceeding with surgery on November 11 to remove and biopsy the lump on his neck. In the meantime we have a lot of research, praying, and playing to do.

She…

…lets me use the decorative pillows she’s no longer using in her own living room.

…offers to babysit, and she really means it.

…leaves me voicemails in a really deep, really silly man voice. Sometimes the voice has a British accent. Sometimes there is singing involved.

…sends me a Starbucks card in the mail and says, “Since we can’t get coffee together, have a drink on me and then e-mail me about your day.”

…lets me borrow her Spanx. And then later tells me they actually belong to her mother.

…isn’t afraid to ask for the personal details about Anna’s birth. And, I’m not afraid to answer.

…always wants to know how Jonathan is doing.

…offers me practical advice about being a mom, in a soothing yet confident tone that has me calling her back frequently for more insight.

…sends my baby U2 lullabies and pink Roxy sandals.

…buys Anna cute thrift store baby clothes.

…calls back.

…offers to come rock my baby so I can take a nap, even when she has her own baby to rock.

My life is rich because of my girlfriends. 

found the photo here

Let me tell you about a beautiful moment that happened spontaneously last September, on a hot and normal weekend night.

Jonathan and I had made a huge dinner–way more than we needed. We set the table much nicer than we normally do, and popped open a bottle of wine for no reason. Then, Sharon called.

“Can we stop by right now and drop something off,” she asked?

“Why don’t you just stay for dinner,” I replied. “We have more than enough.”

When they showed up minutes later, her hands were empty but her smile was huge.

As we stood in our small kitchen, anticipating dinner, she burst out the news. She was newly pregnant, and had come over to let us in on the big secret.

She cried when she told me, and so did I, although the boys couldn’t tell because we were jumping and hugging at the same time.

A few nights ago I cried again as I met their Eden, wide eyed and alert in her daddy’s arms. She looked wiser than a 12 hour baby normally does. Her mama wore the same wide smile that I recognized from her wedding day, another time when she couldn’t stop beaming.

There are moments in life that stand out to me as sacred. These moments are sometimes big events- weddings, births, deaths. Sometimes they are simple evenings shared around a kitchen table.

Meeting Eden was a reminder that there are many more sacred moments to come for us as mothers. But even better, there will be moments, memories, created between our daughters as they grow. I can’t wait for them to discover each other for the first time- when they are both active and alert enough to reach for each other’s chubby little hands and share Cheerios. I can’t wait to see them both bundled up in tiny hats, inside their jogging strollers, while Sharon and I attempt to lose baby weight. I can’t wait to see them with little tutus on preparing for their first ballet class. All of these moments will teach them the meaning of friendship. And I simply can’t wait.

I’m finally catching up on a few of the fun activities that stole my attention during April.

I keep meaning to post about Sharon’s baby shower and Lori’s wedding. Both events were filled with lots of love, giggling, and special touches.  I think pictures will do them more justice than words.

Sharon is having a baby girl any day. It is our not-so-secret plan to force our daughters to become friends. It shouldn’t be too difficult, we hope.

The setting for Sharon’s shower—Kara’s lovely house in East Sacramento. Among other yummies, we served mini apple and strawberry pies in Mason jars. (They were a lot of work—but totally worth it! I roped my sister-in-law, Sarah, to help me. Erica B made the cute tags.) You’ll have to head over to Erica’s blog for pictures of the day, and a few cute shots of Sam and Sharon.

And then, a week later, Lori’s wedding!

Can I first just say—I love Lori’s new husband. Dan is the perfect catch. He’s funny, kind, and creative. He gets Lori in a way that no one else could. (Of course, I think that could be said for most husbands. They are saints to put up with some of our shenanigans, right?) Here’s a picture of the newlyweds during the pre-reception party sing-a-long.

Lori wanted to elope. Dan wanted a wedding with 1,000 guests. They compromised. The result was a wedding that completely reflected their love for each other, for nature, for fun, for food, for friendship.

My favorite touches? All of us girls got to pick our own dresses and colored shoes! (Lori also made cute, colored felt flowers for us to wear). The wedding day didn’t feel rushed or formal—it just flowed easily and comfortably.  Guests didn’t feel like guests; everyone was part of the love and festivities. There were amazing pies for dessert, a barn dance, and a hilarious photo booth.

With baby on the way, this will be a quiet summer in terms of weddings. Next up? Zach and Dana’s Seattle wedding and Sarah B’s Orange County wedding this September. I think baby girl might need a party dress or two!

I just had to share pictures of a few special babes. They belong to my college girlfriends, and all of them were born within 23 days of each other. In October I was able to see their beautiful moms in Palm Springs during our annual trip. All of them were round and glowing in anticipation of their second babies to arrive. It’s amazing how much can happen in six months. There was a lot of feeding, burping, spitting up and sleeping last weekend between these three little ones, but not a whole lot of crying. They are all good babies… I think because they have incredible mamas.

From top to bottom: Addison Grace; Stone Hezekiah, Lola Mae

A few weekends ago I went to the mall and left with two diamond bras from Frederick’s of Hollywood, and three baby outfits from Janie and Jack. I felt a little silly exiting with my ‘naughty and nice’ gifts- red bag in one hand, pink and green bag in the other. A week later, some of those gifts got presented during a Bachelorette/Baby  shower weekend in Sacramento. Here’s the scene: 1 house, 2 nights, 13 girls, 3 infants, a four year old, 2 soon-to-be brides, 3 pregnant girls, and a lot of food (naturally). It sounds like the makings of a reality TV show although we lacked the drama necessary for it to be good reality TV because these girls actually get along…cuddle each others babies, rub each others tummies and cry the good tears.

Lisa just started reading Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist. It was a favorite book of mine last year, so I flipped to the chapter called Alameda and I made her read it, out loud, while several of us laid on the bed and stared out at the citrus trees and foggy air. I knew the girls would love the chapter because it talks about friendship, motherhood, California. Like Shauna, we all met at Westmont College. I’d loved these girls in our dorm rooms, in hotel rooms across Europe, in a rickety house on Loma Media that looked out over the ocean. When Lisa got to the end of the chapter, the part where it talks about how friendships are worth the investment of time and distance, she choked up. We all did. I thought about the women in the room, the women in my bible study, my Iron Well girls. My life is incredibly rich because of relationships that span years of memories, tough conversations, honest advice, goofy jokes. What did I ever do to deserve such a rich blessing?

I like Shauna’s reminder at the end of her chapter– deep, true, life giving friendships aren’t always easy to come by. If you need a few days under the orange trees, where conversation keeps flowing, food keeps arriving, tears and laughter intermingle, tough questions are worked though– then get a date on the calendar. Save the time and money necessary to see the people you love. In the meantime, send a bag of granola in the mail or a used book, or maybe just a card. Text them for no reason. Email a silly picture from your past. Pray for them and their little ones in the shower. And when you do finally reunite, give thanks to God for creating life giving relationships that offer us a peak at eternity to come.