O.K. here you go Cari. Things I Have Learned

1. You may think you are done with the swine flu but no...

2. Lili can throw up and then go sing in the shower about autumn.

3. When Lil's says that her tummy is hurting a teensy, neensy, weensy little bit, it is probably a good idea to let her stay home. Yep.

4. When Sam says his hurts a little lot, it's probably a good idea to let him stay home. Yep.

5. I am a realy good hermit. I mean I can totally do this.

6. My Lili belle can sing "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone" as good as anyone.

7. That a child can be as sick as a dog one day and right as rain the next.

8. That an adult can be sick as a dog one day and be sick as a dog the next and the next and the next... then not quite right the rest of the week.

9. Abigail has an immune system that could eat mine because she ate off the floor and snuck drinks out of all of our glasses and still hasn't gotten anything.

10. I have a really great husband he took really good care of me and still managed to go to work.

Weddings

Oh , heavens to Betsy! Weddings! This last month I was asked to take pictures of David's cousin , Lydia, for her wedding. I was also asked to do the photography for the entire wedding. I took about 500 pics of everything from the bridal portrait to the throwing of the bouquet. They were beautiful, if I do say so myself. They were all on my camera at the wedding. When I went home, I was sooooo excited to start editing them. I plugged my camera in and there were only 152 pics there. 152. That number will forever be etched in my troubled mind. Yes, the brand new flash card that my beloved father-in-law had purchased for me, out of the goodness of his heart, was a corrupted card. After 2 weeks of desperately trying to retrieve the pics we have given up. The beautiful wedding that I froze forever in time with my Olympus 500 is gone. It is air. So here is one of the 152 shots that I did get to keep. Enjoy. Note to self, always test the flash card before you do a wedding. Yep.

Beach Pics

At the time Cari wrote that she thought you could have too much vacation, I thought she was crazy. Sorry, my friend, but I did. However, I have changed my position on this. Coming back from the coast I actually thought that if I had to go to the Hyatt after our trip I might cry. Now eventually I would get over myself and make myself enjoy the Hyatt and all of it's wonderful massages, I mean amenities, but holy cow! We had a blast and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves but we're so happy to be home. We boogie boarded which I think we all got addicted to, we built sandcastles and David , Sam and Aunt Sarah actually saw a shark swim underneath them. A black tip reef shark. They have never swam so fast.

We ate entirely to much and fought sand as if it were on the dark side of the Force but the sand won. I guess it is all part of the experience. It was Abigail's first time to see the ocean. It was so cold the first day I was afraid that we ruined her impression of it but, when it warmed up, she would jump up and down and say ,"OCEAN"! She loved it! I loved it too. Oh, by the way, we played the game of LIFE. I had totally forgotten about that game but Sam loved it and so did Lil's. Anyway thank you Lord for the trip and thank you Lord for home.

Pic of the Day: Sam's Dove

Sam went last Saturday with his grandfather to a bird habitat . I did not know how he would respond. You know if it was something that he would enjoy. He came back Saturday night beaming. He loved it! Grandpa gave him his own digital camera to take as many pics as he wanted. He learned many bird names and took great joy in showing me all of the his pictures . I love seeing him happy and I think Grandpa was good medicine. Thanks Grandpa. You made a little boy very happy. Oh, this is one of the many bird pics by sam. I love it! I think he has a great eye for composition.

Pic of the Day: Bliss

I love to watch Abigail when she sleeps. She is so perfectly still. That does not happen often. I get to watch every movement and see how much she's grown. It is bliss to look at one of my greatest gifts. Thank you God.

Pic of the Day : Out of the Trees

David put these leaves on her Lili's face with tree sap. It looks so beautiful but getting the sap off her face was not so beautiful. Oh well, I have this memory forever. It suits her.

Pic of the Day : Beck

This is Beck . He is the son of one of my oldest friends, Kristen. He is one of those reminders that God always keeps His promises. When I doubt whether or not I am going to see promises that I know God has made to me, I look at Beck. Beck is their third child. Tate is their first and one of Sam's best friends. It took them ten years to get pregnant with Tate. Then came Olive, who is one of Lili's best friends. It took them four years to get pregnant with her. Then came Beck 5 and a half years after Olive. Kristen and Bryan always believed God and pretty much always had a good attitude. They are wonderful parents and they have very precious children. Children of much promise.