Friends with (not those kinds of) Benefits

Throughout 2011, I became close with a group of girls who last weekend threw two of us a shower--for our friend Mindy's second baby and for my third. These women are the sort who say things when we go out to dinner--or, you know, to the third Twilight movie--that make me laugh for months afterward. When I started spontaneously giggling the other night, Dave asked me why and I said, "Honestly? I was just thinking about something Julie said a few weeks ago." 

Here we all are, and if you think my expression makes me look a little strange, I can assure you it's because I was trying my best to keep my facial muscles from convulsing entirely with laughter. Even the group-photo-taking part of the morning was hilarious.

 (My bizarre expression in this photo is actually not due to suppressed laughter, but to the fact that I was kneeling down to make my bump level with Mindy's.)

(This last one shows Julie and Rachel performing the "necklace test" to determine the baby's sex. According to the almighty necklace, I'm having a boy and Mindy's having a girl--although my guess is the exact opposite. We'll find out soon!)

I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to these girls--

for an awesome shower and for their don't-know-how-I-ever-lived-without-it friendship.