Cincinnati Visit, May 2011

Community. Support. Joy. Real people. Real truth. Accountability. Laughter. Tears. Long talks. Long walks. Enduring friendship. Love. These are some of the things I see when I look at this photo. James & I spent more than 10 of our 20 years of married life doing life in Cincinnati Ohio. This family represents a beautiful history of friendships made, and life lived with abundance. I cared for sweet, beautiful Amanda at our church, when she was just a baby. We've watched Matthew grow from newborn to adventurous young man. Nancy and Tom are some of our dearest "life" friends. They've walked alongside James & me, watching us shift from "married forever" career couple to first-time parents helping sustain us through the challenges that can come from such big life transition.

I'm missing Cincinnati these days. We darted back out west several years ago, chasing my career. I've loved so much of this time. I just have such an affinity for the western U.S. And, I love working, strategizing, building relationships that build a business. But I miss those long-standing deep friendships that we left behind. I miss our church. I miss the community. A lot has changed for James & me in the past 2 years. We lost my Mom; we gained our sweet baby girl. Pain and blessings that have affected our family in a very profound way. Hearts grow, desires and needs change, when life's path takes unexpected, winding turns.

I do believe there can be growth, opportunity and joy wherever we are planted. My goal is to focus on that, because we sure do have a lot to be thankful for where we are.

Amanda, loving on Georgea. Seeing the two of them together brings me a lot of joy.

Ginger, Jen and Steph. Three of my girls. Distance has not altered our bond.

With Usha. Friend, prayer warrior, confidante. Thankful me.

Daddy and his girl making the rounds at an "open house" that Tom and Nancy hosted for us.

With Susan & Jen.

A Vist with "Grandma Marge" 5-4-11

We made a trek to see my Grandmother, who lives in Ohio, in early May. Grandma Marge, who is an impressive 90 years of age, met Georgea for the very first time during this visit. She is truly an amazing woman. She still drives, goes to church every Sunday, lunch with friends, shopping- you name it! I'm so thankful we were able to make this trip and that Georgea had some time with her Great-Grandmother. Truly a blessing.

I had to snap this photo. For as long as I can remember this is what morning coffee-drinking looked like at my grandparents house. "Coffee Rich" and these same coffee cups and saucers. It's amazing how little things, part of the routine of life, simple rituals can bring a flood of memories to the forefront of one's mind. I have so many wonderful memories of trips made here with my parents and sister, to spend time with my grandparents. I could hear the sounds of my & my sisters young girl giggles, our schnauzer puppies (who went everywhere with us) trotting up and down the stairs, visions of my parents laughing and carrying on with my grandparents and all of our Ohio family. My Grandmother & I spent a good bit of time chatting about my beloved Mother during this visit. These conversations keep her alive in my heart and my mind. I know my Mom would have loved seeing Georgea there, in the midst of all of that family love. It was a wonderful visit and I'm so glad we were able to make it happen.

Still working on that smile for the camera.

Silly!

Easter 4-24-11

Big Easter baskets were an annual tradition during my growing up years. My Mom was the master of the big, full (of all sorts of amazing treats), beautiful Easter basket. Here's my attempt to honor that tradition, although I don't think I'll ever truly duplicate my Mom's awesome and beautiful creative talents.

Posing at home after church and ready to dig into her basket of goodies!

Sweet Easter dress, compliments of Grandma & Papa!

Raisins....because we're still able to dodge candy around here, for now.

Georgea has an affinity for stones & rocks. Not sure why, maybe because we live in the desert? In any case, I found these really cool stones at the bookstore & she loved them!

Stickers are always a big hit!

Tricycle! 4-10-11

Our cutie is learning to ride her new tricycle. We're working on gross motor skills, and just overall muscle strengthening and coordination. Georgea LOVES her trike, the pedals, wheels, bells....even her "hat" (read: helmet)! It's good fun all around and another step toward becoming a "big girl."

"HAT!"

So, Georgea is learning how to smile for pictures. These are some examples of what we get when we ask for a smile. Ha! I'm just happy she's looking at the camera. Georgea is usually very camera shy. So, I guess if she's looking toward the lens, I need to be satisfied with that for now. :-)

Happy Birthday Barbara

Barbara, Georgea's Au Pair, turned 22 on April 5th. She's been here (from Brazil) helping to care for Georgea for 6 months now, and we're so glad to have her with us.

"Bye-Bye Haba"

After a wonderful few months of having my Dad (Georgea's "Haba") just around the corner as a winter resident, spring has sprung and Dad has headed back east. Georgea loved hanging with her Haba this winter. They do a lot of laughing and cutting up when they are together & she is missing him already, as are we. This was our last Saturday together & it was a good one. We accommodated Georgea's request to stay in her "jammies" all day long. We enjoyed a nice, lazy breakfast out at one of our favorite spots and then took it easy the rest of the day. Perfect!

Princess In a Pouch

Well, the weight limit is 40 lbs., and we're not there yet. I keep saying jokingly, that my "baby" is going to be in her pouch until she won't fit anymore. But maybe that's not a joke. Georgea still wants to be pouched. The frequency comes and goes. We can go weeks without pulling out the pouch, and then there are other times where she's jumping in a couple of times a week. She tells me "pouch-pouch", and sometimes she even gets it out of the cupboard herself! She always wants to be in the front and makes this very clear, but there are times when a Mama just needs to be able to get a few things accomplished. Here we are on Friday night while I was preparing dinner. I love having her close to me and when she needs this close contact I'll stop whatever else is going on to accommodate this need.

Ergo says 40 lbs. is their "recommended" weight limit, but that they have tested the carrier successfully up to 90 lbs. Stay tuned...

Happy Camper

Georgea had her first camping experience earlier this month. Mama, Dada and baby girl headed out to Tucson with my Dad for a weekend of "roughing it." Lucky for us, my Dad's trailer is pretty well equipped including a microwave, flat screen TV, surround sound and all the other necessities. So, we didn't have it very rough after all. It was a lazy weekend of taking it easy and a little exploring. We visited the "Sonora Desert Museum" which is where we saw all the creatures pictured, as well as some amazing scenery. We survived the close quarters, even with a fussy first night for Georgea, and are hoping to do it again some time soon!

Georgea is very interested in and loves playing with stones, which is a beautiful thing living here in the desert.

Mountain Lions!

"Rattle-rattle" Mr. Diamondback

Bobcats. We also see these in our backyard sometimes.

Cracker Barrel for breakfast was a big hit for our pancake and bacon loving girl.

Georgea went up and down the trailer steps a hundred times. She found them very amusing.

Lounging in the bed with her best friends (who go everywhere with us).

When I see photos that show the change in Georgea's hands or feet, I'm still amazed that her surgery is behind us. Amazed and thankful.

Pretty happy!