Mommy Brain?

You know that commercial where the guy is driving all over town with his briefcase on top of his car? I watched that thinking, "That is so something I would do."

WELL. Today I had lunch with some girlfriends, so I brought Andrew's pictures that were taken at Sears a few weeks ago. The package still had all of the pictures in it, because I hadn't framed any of them yet or even decided which we were going to keep and which we would give away. My friend Emily picked me up , we buckled the carseat in securely, and we drove downtown to meet our two other friends for lunch. We visited for a couple of hours. It wasn't until we returned that I remembered the pictures. Wait...I brought them, right? Where are they? I asked Emily, "Didn't I bring that packet of pictures with me? I forgot all about them!" "Yes," she said slowly, "You put them on top of the car while you were buckling in the carseat. I was going to remind you, but I thought you grabbed them!" My heart sank. Even the CD with files of all the poses was still in that envelope. We put the baby in the stroller and retraced our drive to the entrance of our neighborhood. Nothing. I asked my next door neighboors if they saw anything. Nope. We went back in the house. As I was feeding Andrew, trying not to cry, I prayed, "God, I know they are just pictures on paper - but I REALLY want them back. PLEASE, PLEASE?" After he was done eating I went back outside. My neighbor and I had just begun snooping in people's yards, when a man drove by in a red truck. "Are you looking for baby pictures?" he asked. "YES! YES!" I said. Turns out he is the brother of someone on our street, and he found them on the ground and took them to her house. She thought we weren't home, so she was going to bring them over later. Thank you God for nice neighbors! I came right home and copied th CD to my computer.

I am blaming this whole thing on motherhood. My girlfriends all told me that it makes you lose your mind, and now I believe them. That's okay, though. Look at these pictures. He is well worth a few brain cells!

Nature Boys

The weekend before the 4th, we took our first family vacation with Andrew. We left early Saturday morning and drove to Gatlinburg, TN and spent the next few days in the Smokies. Andrew did so well! He only really got fussy during that last 100 miles or so on the way home - that's a long time to be in the carseat! My husband and I are both lovers of nature, and we hope that Andrew will learn that same appreciation for God's creation. We shared a chalet with my sister-in-law and her family. It was pretty high up in the mountains with a terrific view. The photo above was taken the last morning of our stay. Father and son sharing one last look at the beautiful mountain side.


Andrew enjoyed many firsts over the weekend. His first taste of watermelon (just a few little licks, really), his first hike, and his first 4th of July holiday. I had a cute little American Flag onesie on him, but he soiled it before I got to take his picture. Above are pictures of his first dip in a swimming pool!

One of the highlights of our trip - especially for my husband - was an early morning visit from two black bears. Phil is an early riser, and he just happened to be out on the patio early one morning taking a picture of the view when he heard a rustling in the bushes. He looked over and saw a bear snooping around near the grill. As it made its way across the ledge, he quickly realized that the bear was not alone. TWO bears made their way across the patio and down the driveway. They tried opening the trash cans to no avail, and showed off with a sparring match before they went on their way. It all happened so fast, Phil didn't have a chance to wake everyone. Only his niece, Hannah was able to share the moment with him since she was awake and inside just near the door. I know it was a little gift for him from God. This is our third trip to the Smokies and each trip he has hoped to catch a glimpse of a bear. He never expected to be just 10 feet away from two of them!

Grandma Day

My mom and her sisters have devoloped a new tradition known as "Grandma Day." The three of them get together and invite their children and grandchildren for a day of food and fun. This only happens about once month during the summer. Last week, Andrew and I went to our first Grandma Day! Grandmas, Moms, and 18 grandchildren enjoyed the summer sun at my Aunt Cindy's house. Here's the story of Grandma Day:



Andrew arrived dressed and ready, having sweet dreams about splashing in the pool.
But the pool wasn't all it was cracked up to be - oooh, that's cold!






In the end, we were happy to just bask in the sun...away from the cold water!

All the other kids enjoyed the sun, too!