summer vacation!

a few weeks ago we took a jaunt to the low country... south carolina ya'll! ever since gracie was a wee one my mom and i have tried to make the trip down to visit family.  it had been 3 years since we were last there to spend some quality time with the great-grands and other sweet family members. gracie and jack were so excited to get back to charleston and to aunt debbie's pool! in the south, life moves at a slower pace, the food tastes better and tea is served extra sweet. :)how could a kid not resist that!


highlights of our trip involved staying in charleston with one set of grandparents and meeting all their friends whose faces would light up at the sight of my two kiddos, getting sprayed by water during the 4D planet earth film at the south carolina aquarium, watching jack guzzle down 3 glasses of sweet tea like nobody's business, walking on the beach at isle of palms, butter beans and rice at browns bbq, trying to catch lizards by the pool, eating a big juicy watermelon with my sweet grandpa gordon, watching grace in all her glory riding a horse named jet, catching up with my aunt debbie and savoring all her hospitality.it was a blessing to spend time with those we love but don't get to see very often. memories were made and gracie and jack are ready to become low country bumpkins.

cookies and milk. and babies.

today i had the honor of throwing a dear friend a baby shower for her 4th bitty baby boy! what fun! our humble abode is quite humble and this momma has LOTS who love her! but we made it work and had an open house, cookies & milk themed shower. plenty of yummy goodies, and a stocked milk bar made for a fun day! the momma of 4-to-be was pampered with a manicure (thanks sherry! did you miss your calling!?), surprised by a far away friend, and showered with so many cute things for baby. thank you to all those who gave, helped bake and to those who came to show some love. we love you nancy and can't wait to meet #4!

the many faces of jack avery

seriously, what is better than a cute kid fresh from a bath? jack is now tall enough to see himself in the bathroom mirror and this is what happens. not just after bath. all. the. time. when left to his own devices, our silly kid entertains himself. he brings much joy to our life. it sure would be boring without him!

the class clown and the book worm.

the christmas season is over and we are back to work. as thankful as i am for a break, this year, the return of our home school routine was welcome. it is so funny and quite interesting to experience being a parent, especially a home school one. these two little people growing up before my eyes are so funny, serious, insightful, smart, weird, innocent, loving, crazy, i could go on and on.  the older they get the more we realize how different they are from eachother! god has given them each individual personalities and it is a blessing to get to know them.  after recieving a new 50mm lens for my camera these were some of the first shots i captured. a true picture of their absolute different personalities. my class clown and my book worm. love.

jack turns 5!

my little guy is growing up. someone tell me how to stop it. i have come to learn that years 5 and 6 are the end of little kid and the beginning of big kid. baby teeth are ready for the tooth fairy, chubby cheeks become less plump, and reading opens up a whole new world of adventure for their little minds. it has been a blessing and joy to be jack's momma and we love watching him grow!

a final goodbye

we spent the past few days in northern michigan. bidding a final farewell to my beloved grandparents. a bitter sweet time was had by all. it was a joy to be with family members, share stories and spend time celebrating life. the trip to ‘the lake’ was a bit more difficult than I had imagined, as it is a place that i hold close to my heart. the reality that we will not be able to spend the time there that we once had, and my children will not experience the joy there that i did, was a hard one to come to terms with. the distinct scents, the clear green water, the pockets of forest unexplored, will be longed for. through the viewfinder of my camera i captured my children doing the very same things i grew up doing. hunting for petosky stones, riding the paddle board and discovering all sorts of wildlife. it was a surreal and joyful experience. i didn’t want it to end. but something was missing. an empty place in our hearts translated to that physical place and I felt it. the bold, full spirit of my grandpa and the gentle, sweet soul of my grandma were not there. i pray that they are together for eternity sharing the love that we knew them to share on this earth, tenfold.

happily ever after.

three months to the day of my grandpa's passing, my dear sweet grandma closed her eyes and went to be with her love. we should have known it wouldn't be long...for they were hardly ever apart.
my grandma nancy holds such a special place in my heart and i have often secretly thought we were kindred spirits. my love for art, creativity, neatness and organization come from my grandma nancy. she always took the time to make things extra special for all of her grandkids. picnic scavenger hunts, painting rocks, baths in the lake, and hours of flipping through her detailed photo scrap books are all fond memories i have of time spent with my grandma.
the last few years grandma suffered from dementia, and when grandpa died i was able to spend some quiet time with her.  she was unaware of the sadness that was around her, but through her confusion still had a spark. i will treasure those moments.
although we all knew this time would come, it doesn't make it any easier. two people, who loved so great, and were loved by many will be sorely missed. a place in our hearts left empty.
i love you grandma and pray that this day you are whole again.

ringing in a new year....

 back to blogging after a busy and fun christmas season.....new years eve 2009 will be one for the books. getting older and having littles has its perks....one of them being our excuse to stay in and eat lots of sweets instead of drinking ourselves silly like back in the "olden days".  we told the kids they could stay up till midnight for a movie marathon consisting of  plenty of cheesy movies.  our menu of gummy bears, m &m's, cracker jacks kept us going and seltzer with a splash of juice was our bubbly! a mean game of SORRY went down at around 9:30, where I proceeded to school everyone in the art of board gaming. jack crashed around 11 and gracie made it until the ball dropped. daddy even slept in the living room with the kids...sleeping bags and all (i snuck up to our comfy bed!). simple joys and lots of love. i am blessed. praying that 2010 brings many more joys, sorrows that make us stronger and the motivation to make a difference!

jack!

my jack. so funny, cuter than words can describe and just plain fun. there have been lots of tears around here lately, and it was a nice change of pace to celebrate 4 years of life with our little guy today. he is just a bit obsessed with all things star wars. uncle chris sent him a real-life- every-man's boy's- dream- light saber. what an extra special surprise! i made him a homemade from scratch bantha- but it didn't get quite the attention that the light saber got! we love our jack and are so blessed we get to watch him grow!

saying goodbye

this weekend we said goodbye to a very special man. my grandpa bob. also affectionately known as "poppie" to some. some traveled, some were already there- but we all came together to celebrate the life of this wonderful, generous and dear man. although his death was unexpected and sooner than we would have liked, my grandpa led a full and blessed life. the weekend was spent remembering, crying, laughing,singing, eating!,celebrating and praying. as a tribute and a way to say goodbye we set off 87 balloons - one for each year of his life. we love him, we miss him and our lives won't be the same without him.

memories of my grandpa, a.k.a. poppie.

the lake.

sweet notes always with x's and o's.

homemade macaroni and cheese-with ketchup!
michigan football-
push that pigskin! 

cocktails at 5.

bebe guns and black squirrels.

picnics on the pontoon.

swims out to the raft.

lunch at dons.

murdicks fudge.

double mint gum.

ray bans.

big bear hugs.

i am sad today but you made me so happy. i will miss you grandpa and hope to see you again someday.

boo.

In the same way, let your light shine

before others, so that they may see

your good works and give glory to your

Father who is in heaven.

{the gospel of Matthew}

big sister. little brother.

childhood is the most beautiful

of all life's seasons.

{author unknown}

grandma and grandpa