California

Almost 2 months ago I was able to visit my sister in California.  We had a great time! I have to post pictures from that, but in the mean time here are some pictures she took of Lucy while we were there.  I have these pictures because she took them, uploaded them, edited them, and then emailed them to me.  I still have all my pictures on my SD card and phone.

Her eyes really are THAT blue.

Jared

Our nephew, Jared, was killed in a car accident last Saturday, September 7th. This broke our hearts and our hearts will be broken for awhile. Due to the kindness of friends and family we were able to leave for 6 days to drive to Missouri for the funeral.  More importantly we were able to spend time with the Lane family and hear great stories about Jared and share in their sorrow.  Jared was so loved by many, we estimated 400-500 people came through for the viewing. I was so grateful to be in attendance to honor Jared and his family and to love and hug the Lane family.

I took pictures with permission from the family. They wanted this day to be documented. I want the Lane family to see who stood beside them. We stood by them, people showed up by the hundreds for Jared. We witnessed and we loved.  We were there. So many were there.

I have more pictures to share, but that is all for now.  I also need to post more pictures from earlier in the month. We love the Lane family, we love Jared, always and forever, no matter what.

First day of school 2013!

Back to school night, 2nd grade!

In our school district "back to school night" is before school actually begins.  This is my opportunity to take pictures in Lilly's classroom and with her teacher.  On the first day of school there is a strict drop at the door policy. On each back to school night I have taken a picture of Lilly under the "2011" stone and then a picture with her teacher.  That's what that collage is all about. Do I need to say "I can't believe how much she has grown??"

Back to school night 2013. My baby is 2nd grade. I REMEMBER 2nd grade very well. Now I HAVE a 2nd grader.

I love my 2nd grader.  She has been so excited for school and is such a happy girl.  Her teacher, Mrs. Long, gave all the kids special sleep glitter to put under their pillows before the first night of school.  She is a great teacher and Lilly is so excited for her school year.

Lilly's BFF from Kindergarten, Jera.

BFF from 1st grade, Daelynn.

Excited to see what new friends she will make this year.

4 months

Lucy turned 4 months on August 14.









She is a sweet, sweet baby.  She can roll over both ways, she can grab onto toys and laughs and smiles at us. At her 4 month check up she weighed 13 lbs and 7 oz. She was also 24.5 inches long.  She is in the 25-26th percentile for weight and height respectively. She is loved and adored by her siblings and her parents.

Beach Day

Beach day - 65 and rainy

We didn't go to just any beach, we went to the island of Chincoteague and Assateague. Have you read Misty of Chincoteague? It's a great story.  I went there as a child and had fond memories of the island and the wild ponies.  It has fascinating history.

Wild Ponies:

Wild ponies zoomed in:

You really need to read about these wild ponies.  They were shipwrecked hundreds of years ago and have adapted to life on the island.  Every year island men gather the ponies and swim them across the small channel and then auction them off.

(Wild ponies in the background above)

There is also a beautiful lighthouse on the island that was under renovations (we couldn't get close).  A memory came back to me as we walked the path to get to the light house.  My family visited the island when I was a teenager and we took my Grandmother Crane with us.  She had never seen the ocean before so she was very excited about the trip.  I remember when we took her to see the lighthouse she lay down on the ground flat on her back to get some good camera angles.  I was mortified as a teenager, I couldn't believe she would lay down on the GROUND in PUBLIC.  Now, I smile at my silly self and admire my grandmother for getting a really great shot of the lighthouse.  Sadly on this trip we were all being eaten alive by mosquito's and nasty green flies so I couldn't lay down to get a decent shot of the lighthouse.

We also "climbed" the high point of Delaware. I raced Jim from the car to the sign so I could be first, I'm mature like that. Then when he asked to take his picture I took the following:

Don't worry, I'm not a brat. I took a nice picture too.

As you can tell he is a good sport, then he had to text his friends about how funny his wife is.

Then we drove 8 hours home in traffic. It was worth it.

The End

Jim's Milky Way and Moon

Jim went camping in one of the darkest places on the east coast.  He used his brother's telescope (and our camera? not sure how this happened) to take these pictures.