Baby Skylar (and cousins) - 12/29/09

Bing and Andy's daughter Skylar was born while we were on our way home from Pennsylvania (with Lai, Bing's sister!). A week later, the girls and I got to visit the happy family along with Lai and family (from California). What a fun visit! Thanks, Bing for putting up with five extra little girls in your house. Isn't she beautiful?

Buddies Rose Marie and Abigail were delighted to see each other again!
Rose Marie with her tiny new cousin
Of course Abigail loved holding Skylar - and Autumn waited patiently for her turn.Our SIX precious little girls
Mommies too!

New baby Andre

December 21 two dear friends had their babies: Bing's (Lai's sister) daughter Skylar was born and Ree's son Andre was born! On the 23rd, the girls and I got to visit Ree and Andre in the hospital - what a handsome little guy!
Abigail took this picture of Ree and me with our babies.

Finally south - at Grandma's (12/20-21)

God granted us safe travel down to Grandma's and we arrived in time for supper Sunday evening. So glad to see her, though our visit would be short due to snow delays.
Uncle Tom, Aunt Janet and Landry squeezed in a quick visit after their church service that night
Abigail loves her Great Uncle Tom like I always did - he hasn't changed!
Grandma welcomed Lai (no strangers ever, least of all our good friend!) and had to show Lai her treasured picture albums. Lai was an interested audience, but sweet Havilah couldn't wait any longer to sleep!
Aunt Lucinda came by before work the next morning and brought gifts for the girls - to their great delight.
After many phone calls, Nathan was able to get a confirmed seat out for Lai and Havilah - back to the rest of their family. Though the plans were not ours, it was great for Grandma and Lai (and Havilah) to become friends.
Before we left for the airport and home, Lai and I managed to get a picture together - normally at least one of us is behind the camera. =)
What a trip - so many pictures and so many memories!

Snowed in - our lovely hotel abode in Philly

We did enjoy our little "forced vacation" at the Residence Inn. Lai and I took the girls for a swim in the indoor pool (after Abigail and I returned from play in the snow - what contrast!) Hannah and Abigail discovered this great hiding place in our suite - cute little prisoners, aren't they?
Finally, three clean tired girls in pajamas! Just wish we had Havilah's sister's Rose and Autumn (and daddy!) with us too!
Auntie Lai Lai and Hannah - see the snow drift against the window?
Our three little girls in front of the hotel Christmas tree. Who said anything about looking at the camera?
18 month old Havilah
Finally ready to brave the roads - though no flights yet, so we took Lai south with us to try another airport!

Cherith's wedding!

We left Aunt B.A.'s after breakfast December 18 and headed towards Pennsylvannia - for Cherith's wedding that evening! Outside D.C., we stopped at IKEA (just the parking garage!) to meet my dear friend Lai (from California, but visiting another friend in Virginia) and her youngest daughter Havilah. After Nathan repacked the van (six people and three car seats plus lots of baby gear, snacks, coats, etc.!), we set off again. The trip got merrier - Nathan was patient with five chatty females as passengers!
Despite a time crunch and an unexpected detour, we arrived before the wedding began and were delighted to see Cherith briefly. What a story of God's gracious leading this beautiful bride has! She spent the previous year doing language work in Papua New Guinea and met her now husband providentially just before she left for PNG!
Precious friends - Lai, Cherith and I (Nathan too!) became close friends during college days. We loved, served and learned together through a neighborhood Bible club and small church and have rejoiced to witness each others marriages.
Newlyweds Cherith and Jason! They plan to return to PNG after Jason completes Bible translator school.
Little girls in plaid - Havilah (18 months) and Abigial (four) playing during pictures
So tired Havilah relaxing with Uncle Nathan.
Our girls were troopers through the evening wedding (even after a LONG day of travel) and the lovely reception. We were among the first to leave around ten. (A most delightful day for my 30th! Couldn't have planned a better party. =)

Love those little people!

"But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Allow little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God." (Luke 18:16)

In case anyone was concerned about Abigail suffering from withdrawal or loneliness after we took Laoise and Gavin home, relax. I immediately resumed child care and the next day Caeden and Tirzah were with us. Traded two five year olds for two one year olds.

 

Abigail is an amazing helper (when she wants to be, at least). She loves practicing her mommy skills on real babies.

 

 

Two babies up from naps playing with their babies

 

Tennesee and Kentucky in July

Julia, Abigail and Hannah spent three days with GramMee and Grandpa and family towards the end of July. Though we've seen them several times, this was our first trip to their home in a year! Abigail LOVED playing dolls with her Aunt Karen (six years older) and Hannah enjoyed the extra attention (or rather, attention from more people). Highlights of the trip (at least in the eyes of our three year old!) were swimming at the neighborhood pool with Andrew and Karen, attending Wednesday night church and Kids for Truth, eating a hot dog and pizza lunch at Sam's Club, and getting Bruster's ice cream with the whole family.

We made a day trip to Kentucky to visit Julia's long-time friend Rachel and her two boys. Noah was born a few weeks after we last visited two years and Milo was born a few weeks before this visit. So much fun to get together with my girls and her boys!

Ice cream and hayrides!

June 19 we made a spur-of-the-moment (the most fun kind, and a rare treat when Daddy's in school!) run to a neighborhood ice cream parlor with our wonderful next door neighbors. Abigail and Sam kept us laughing and had a blast together. Abigail says she and Sam are "kid married" and prays for her "husband Sam" and their many kids - her dolls - every day. She's quite serious, but it's hard for us to be! In any case, we're a bit sad that Sam and his family just got a contract on their condo and will be moving to a "real house" one day soon. Happy for them though!

And the next day was our church picnic - complete with face paint(Abigail's first such experience), hay rides and great friends from the Heritage family!

Strawberry picking

May 20 the girls and I picked strawberries with our friends Bekah, David and Will (two years in a row, except that Will and Hannah hadn't been born last year!). It was a happy reunion for David and Abigail especially (I haven't been keeping David and Will since Hannah's arrival), and the strawberries, though small this year, were delicious! Ask Will. Abigail did a very good job this year of picking only the red strawberries - and of putting and leaving them in her basket! She didn't eat nearly as many this time. . . probably because she and David were so busy having adventures!

Special visitors

May 7 "Miss Carolyn" came for lunch. She and her husband Mack are good friends of ours from Maranatha (the small church we were part of for five years). It was fun to catch up on God's working in our families and for this sweet Grandma (several of her granddaughters used to be in my Sunday school class) to get to know my girlies.
And the next afternoon, my Aunt Beverley Anne (Dad's sister), Uncle David, and Emmy stopped for a visit (their first to our home!) on their way to Alex's graduation. What a special treat to have them here, even if only for an hour. Aunt BA was the first of my aunts to meet Hannah. (We're eager to travel to Virginia. . . but Nathan's got to get through this MBA independent study first!)
Umm. And Ian. Abigail posed one of her dolls and "borrowed" my camera so she could take Ian's portrait. I found 8-9 shots of him on the camera. =)