Best Anniversary Gift Ever

Before I (finally) publish our first post about our Great Western Trek, I realized that I first needed to post about our 14th wedding anniversary last November.

So, Mr. Pickles asked for a cappuccino machine.  At first I balked (what a yuppy appliance!), but now... I'm in love.

Miriam is turning out to be quite the little barista.

So, I gave Mr. Pickles a fancy coffee machine.  Mr. Pickles gave me (ahem)... another sweet gherkin!

Once again, he wins.

Since EVERYONE was hoping for a little girl this time we HAD to find out the gender beforehand.  So we could all find out together (since everyone from Katie down was at a sitter's -- Miriam came with us), we averted our eyes at the critical moment, and asked the sonographer to write the sex down on a piece of paper.  She was very sweet about it -- even including a couple shots of Evidence, and folding everything up carefully so we couldn't cheat. :)

....Aaaaaand the big reveal (along with a certain sassy person's reaction)......

Miriam was incensed by Katie's commentary and erased it soon after. :)

After the initial shock of YET ANOTHER BOY (two sets of bunkbeds!  no food in the house!  all that smelly laundry!), we are now totally excited and having fun debating about names.  Sweet little gherkin is due the first week of August (we'll be taking bets soon!), and there are TONS of awesome feast days around then.

I say this is evidence of God's sense of humor, since I never pictured myself as a mother of boyS, plural.  But I see how having boys has been good for me -- it's made me tougher.  And boys are a little easier to figure out -- everything's on the surface for all to see. :)  I'm happy that the boys have each other to shoot/wrestle/fight with.  AND I'm glad we had the girls first!!