Bonus update: Just added the picture above - stole it from David's Facebook page! ♥
Just a few recent pictures of our precious granddaughter, Adelaide. (Thanks for sharing, David.)
She's five months old already, and looks ready to tackle the world!
Such a sweet, drooly little cutie pie. Love you, Adelaide! Miss you soooo much!♥
I awoke yesterday with an intense longing to be near the ocean. Perhaps it was because of of the many television programs that had aired the day before, commemorating the ninth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, which of course included heartbreaking stories of the many innocent people who died on that horrific day. My heavy heart desperately needed to celebrate LIFE, and to see the amazing power of God's creation.
So, Mark and I hopped in the car for a spontaneous trip to Beverly Beach, just north of Newport. The first thing we saw after hiking over the rocks to the sand was definitely not alive. This sea lion, however, was providing food for the many little critters who were crawling in and around it.
Not such a good shot of Mark, because of the position of the sun, but you can see what a breathtakingly beautiful and warm day it was on the coast.
Ahhh, just what my spirit needed!
Do any of you ever stomp on these little "bulbs" just to hear the POP it makes? Yes, I did pop a few yesterday!
Lunch: Absolutely scrumptious fish and chips and clam chowder at Szabo's. And then it was time to head back home, because I had a play date with Ayeresam!
He and I went to the waterfront in Corvallis to play in the fountain. He was very intrigued by the water bubbling up from the grates. Some water was soaring very high, and some streams were much smaller. It was such a joy to experience the fountain with him, to see his excitement and hear his sweet squeals of delight.
Baby A always has his pointer finger at the ready, just in case he needs to point to something!
Nothing is much cuter than a baby wearing only a diaper!
He was zonked by the end of the afternoon. I love this precious little guy SO much! And I think he kind of likes me, too! ♥
I enjoyed a very special evening last night with Sarah and Beka. We went to the home of #1 best-selling Christian fiction author Karen Kingsbury for an adoption baby shower. The event was being held as a fundraiser for a young couple who are adopting a son from Ethiopia (Jake and Beka knew of this couple through their own extensive networking with other adoptive families, which is how we came to know about it and receive an invitation). Of course, since we have a sweet, precious grandson from that same country, the shower provided the perfect opportunity for the three of us to help support another couple who want to bring their baby home as soon as possible.
Karen has also recently established a foundation to aid families who are in the adoption process. Called the One Chance Foundation, one of its primary goals is to provide financial support to families wishing to adopt. It was such a lovely evening. If you haven't read Karen's books, I would encourage you to do so. Her fiction has great depth, and will definitely encourage you in your walk with Christ. I have read most of what she has written, and her stories never fail to touch my heart. The main thing that impressed me last night was her reminder that we have "One chance to write the story of our lives," so live every day loving well, laughing often, and finding true life in Jesus Christ. It was such an honor to meet her, and an even greater joy to be able to spend the evening with two of my girls.
Today marks the first day of school for my sweet hubby -- and the beginning of year #22 at Philomath Middle School! He's actually been back in the swing of things for a few weeks now, with inservice meetings, classroom preparation, etc., but today is his first day with actual kids sitting in their actual seats at their actual desks (well, hopefully they're staying in their seats!). Mark's schedule this fall includes five classes of 8th grade U.S. History, and one class of 7th/8th grade Wood Shop. So, here's to a great year, honey. Your students are SO amazingly blessed to have you as their teacher. I'm so proud of you, and I love you to pieces! ♥
Truth be told, I'm not much of a jewelry person, with a few notable exceptions. I have my wedding and engagement rings, which are very simple yet priceless to me, an anniversary band, and a ring that used to belong to my grandmother. I didn't even get my ears pierced until I was 26, and the only earrings I wear are very small. But I have recently been the recipient of two very special pieces of jewelry, both of them bracelets that I am rarely without. The one shown above was a Mother's Day gift from Chris and Sarah, and was handmade by Sarah. It has thirteen beads on it, with each bead representing a person in our family: Mark, Jo, Sarah, Chris, Jake, Beka, Ayeresam, Ben, Christine, David, Nikki, Adelaide, and Hannah. I love that she made it especially for me, and that the beads are the color of each person's birthstone. Also, beads can be added to the bracelet as new people join our family. Love it, love it, love it! ♥
The second bracelet was a recent birthday gift from Dave and Nikki. You'll have to click on these pics to see the details, and when you do, you will see that this lovely piece says "Grammy." There is also a sweet little heart-shaped charm at one end that has two tiny baby footprints impressed in it. This one is precious to me on several levels as well. First, because it represents a wonderful, major change in my life that occurred this year when I became a grandmother. Second, because the word Grammy just makes me so happy! I went through a long thought process trying to decide what I wanted to be called when I became a grandmother. Would I be Grandma? Nana? Mimi? Granny? I have friends and relatives who go by each of these sweet names. I actually thought I had settled on being called Grandma, but somehow it just didn't feel like it quite fit me. Our recent trip to Santa Barbara helped me to solidify my thoughts. In talking to my mom (who is "Grammy" to our kids), I learned that both of my sisters are (or plan to be) "Grammy" to their grandchildren. And Mom told me that she would be so thrilled and honored if I, like her, chose to be called Grammy, too. And so, my decision was made. And it just feels so good and so right. Our grandkids' other grandmothers both go by Grandma, so being Grammy will also give our grandkids different names for each of their grandmothers, which could prove handy. So, thanks Sarah and Chris! Thanks, Dave and Nikki! Love the bracelets, love what they represent, and love you! ♥
On Tuesday, Mark and I journeyed for the first time to the beautiful Bavarian mountain town of Leavenworth, Washington, where we watched "The Sound of Music" in an outdoor amphitheater. Tickets to see the play were a birthday gift from Mark last month, and our date was August 17th. It was such an incredibly delightful production, performed very professionally by people from the Leavenworth community. So well done. As you can see above, the amphitheater is situated in the forest above the town, and is the perfect setting for the classic musical. When Maria begins singing "The Hills are Alive," she actually comes walking through the trees to the stage. Breathtaking.
This is the actress who played the part of Maria. Fans of the movie will know that Julie Andrews set the bar pretty high, and we wondered beforehand how Maria's voice and acting would be. We need not have worried - this young woman did an amazing job.
Some of the singing nuns! One very fun moment came during the wedding scene, when Maria weds Captain Von Trapp. As Maria, the beautiful bride, descended the hill in her gorgeous wedding gown, and proceeded down the center aisle of the amphitheater, everyone in the audience stood, just as we would at a real wedding. We were all so caught up in the story that it just seemed like the perfectly natural thing to do. Made me cry. ♥
Upon checking into our hotel room, we were greeted by this not-so-little fellow. I took his picture with a dime-sized coin next to him to give you an idea of perspective. He was just inside the door. Yes, inside. Mark got him outside alright, but I captured him and brought him home in a zip-lock bag. Why would I do such a crazy thing? Because I have a blog, and he needed to be documented. Duh. Plus, I thought he was pretty cool. Yes, the hills are indeed alive.
Today our dear daughter-in-law Christine turns 25!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR CHRISTINE!
