First time at OBX

We had a great short vacation to the Outer Banks (Hatteras Island, Avon specifically) a few weeks ago with another family from church, the Mayfields.

The first day was rainy for much of the day, so we took the opportunity to visit some historical sites. The Hatteras lighthouse was lovely. Clara was hiding behind us for this shot.

At the top.

Clara climbed 258 steps all by herself. At one point Michael told her, "You're doing great!" and she responded, "Quiet, I'm focusing!"

Success!

So technically I didn't actually get to climb the lighthouse since you had to be at least 40" tall (sadly Robbie didn't make the cut), but we enjoyed the view from the bottom.

The ocean was pretty rough when we went out later that afternoon.

Clara wasn't eager to get too deep into the ocean (I didn't get in at all), but she enjoyed having the shallower waves wash over her as she sat up on the shore.

We were thinking that Robbie would be hard to keep track of by the ocean, but with his lack of enthusiasm in the sticky sand and big waves, he was pretty easy to watch.

Chris was very kind to let Clara help him steer his trick kite. It was one of those moments that as a parent you think, "Oh, I should intervene and not let my child possibly annoy this other adult," but then I decided to not get involved. Clara really was proud of herself and I was very glad I hadn't stepped in assuming I knew best.


Super windy.

Michael braved the waves and enjoyed some boogie boarding.

Chris joined him but unfortunately got a near concussion when a big wave threw him headfirst onto the shore. Ouch ouch ouch.

The following day was perfect and we spent it on the sound side of the Outer Banks. SO much more kid-friendly and relaxing.

We rented these stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) which were totally awesome and manageable even for the Mayfield's three-year-old boy.

Another friend let me borrow her infant life jacket for the trip for Robbie, but he wasn't a big fan.

Clara rocking the boogie board.

When your kid does something that you aren't sure she would ever venture to do (even if it's in calm waters), it's pretty special.

Calm waters = happy people.

Trying out the SUPs.

Not being a big adventurous person, the SUP was just the right speed for me and I really enjoyed it. Hey, what can I say? I don't like doing things that scare me.

We found a dead crab in the ocean (it was turned upside down onto its white tummy, which is why we even saw it) and Michael fished it out. It was a hit with the kids.

The girls hanging out on the SUPs. It was so great for Clara to have friends her age to play with--she was more adventurous (and we enjoyed not having to entertain her as much). These girls were very kind to her and encouraging and inclusive.

Robbie had a lot of fun in the water and on the sand, but he was also happy to chill with me as a fellow pale person under the umbrella eating snacks.

 

The trip was a wonderful break from the stress of the move and work and life, and it was made even better by sharing it with friends. It was especially great when we got to trade babysitting and each go out on a date one night. For our date we went out for pizza and ice cream, and Michael had gotten tickets to see "The Lost Colony" musical play about the abandoned colony on Roanoke Island. It was really fun. Besides the yucky traffic on and off the Islands, the trip was lovely and a definite memory-maker.

More visit pics

Here are a few more pics from the Heiss visit, courtesy of their camera.

Girl's got her own sense of style.

 Hey, that's connected to my head!

 Crazy juicy black plums.

Budding musicians.

Our first visitors

For the five of you who read my blog, please excuse my hiatus over the past several weeks. I have been amazed at how having a busy toddler (along with a busy eight-year-old) completely limits one's time to do non-essential things. But despite my frequent considerations to stop doing the blog, I will keep on keeping on for a little while longer. And hey, guess what? I published my 500th post this past month, so that's pretty cool.

Moving on.

So we had our first visitors! Michael's sister, L'Anita, her husband, Erik, and their three beautiful children came to visit us. We so enjoyed our time with them.

 One of the highlights was seeing Samuel and Robbie interact, cousins just a month apart. As L'Anita said, it is fun to think that these boys could be in the MTC at the same time.

 Ahhh, clothes-free and a diaper and glasses case to play with. Life doesn't get much better than this.

 Anne and Abigail demonstrated their beautiful singing and acting skills for us during an evening devotional. Man, these girls are cute.

 Michael might wonder if he's getting too old for this (or that the girls are getting too big), but the kids beg to differ. Clara did well with her cousins overall and really enjoyed her time with them. I was impressed by how patient and sweet they were with her.

 A lovely picnic in Wildwood park with amazing July weather.

 Beautiful.

 Poor Samuel did a nose-dive during their trip up to PA, but he's still a handsome little man.

 Check out these sweet sunglasses--a gift from their great-Grandma Weiler. And hey, look, they caught some slimy grass or algae or something.

 Their last night we tried to roast s'mores over the fire pit, but the gas wouldn't go very high. Turns out our tank hadn't even been filled since we moved in. We still enjoyed microwave s'mores inside despite the letdown.

We are so glad and thankful to not only be related but to be friends with our siblings and cousins and can't wait to these folks again.

Recent happenings

So, we moved two weeks ago, and we have felt the delightful chaos of moving and unpacking and searching for missing things and trying to figure out where things go and routines and schedules being out of whack and shopping for all those silly things like shower rods and felt chair protectors.

I know, I know, I need to be patient. It's not going to be "done" for a long time.

I don't like being patient.

But just this morning I told Michael that I felt like things were getting better, and I am feeling more in control of my life. I am determined to go to bed early.

In direct contradiction to my last statement, I thought I'd share a few pics of things going on around these parts.

Robbie playing in the sun while I'm trying to clean up the old place. Don't you love the fun of cleaning up a rental? {How clean is clean enough? We'll find out in a couple of weeks when we get our deposit check in the mail.}

 Horsey rides are always available, especially on a little boy's birthday.

 Robbie was a great stool assembler helper.

 I was really pleased at how this Cumulus Cotton paint turned out on the ceiling. While I'm not a true Southern gal, I did live in Georgia most of my life. So, I figure I am allowed to take what I learned from my Southern life and apply it anywhere--like painting my porch ceiling pale blue.

 Here on the front porch, too.

Robbie turns one

I'm not sure how it happened, but apparently 365 days passed and this fun little boy turned a year old. We invited our former neighbor, Hazel, over to celebrate with us.

 What is that glowing thing? The testosterone within me urges me to touch the flame.

 Great. My family blew the pretty fire out before I even had a chance and gave me this brown sticky square instead.

 I'm not thinking I like it. In fact, I am just going to smash it and throw it mostly overboard before I even try it.

 I guess I'll sample it. Hey, this is actually pretty good.

 I suddenly want to cram every last morsel into my mouth. I will have to remember that in the future: brown sticky things are tasty . . . as long as they're on my plate and not coming from somewhere else.

 Paper that I am encouraged to rip? Sweet.

I don't know what all that fuss was about, but I am ready for bed.

Last date

Before Hyrum left, we used his fabulous babysitting skills to enjoy an early Father's Day gift for Michael: a golf date. I scheduled a tee time for us and walked the nine holes with him.

 The weather was perfect and we were practically alone on the course.

 Love him.

I wish I could play golf, but I am also glad to just be a caddy. Actually I didn't even carry his clubs, so I was more like his groupie.

I used to have real issues with golf, I have to say. Growing up, I thought golf and tennis were snooty sports for rich people. Now, I realize that lots of people like to play golf from all walks of life, and it's a sport that you can play even in your old age, which can't be said for most sports.

It was so nice to have this last date before Hyrum left--we sure were grateful for his sitting for us when he could--sad to say we haven't had a date since he left. We need to remedy that soon.

Clara Quotes

Clara says so many funny and off-the-wall things sometimes. I wish I could write them all down, but here is a smattering from the last few months.

(After a big snow in March)
Clara: It's like, totally, a white world! It's like Frosted Mini Wheats!
Michael: It sure is.
Clara: Awesome.

(After examining a new dinner dish of quinoa, black beans, and corn in a taco shell)
Clara: What is this throw-up? (and she wasn't trying to be rude)

(During her nightly prayers, a month or two after watching the movie, Dolphin Tale)
Clara: And please bless all the dolphins, that they can swim better, and thank thee for blessing Winter that she's all better.

(A few days after we had been talking about reaching out to people and being kind to them)
Clara: I reached out to someone today.
Me: Really?! That's great, Clara! Who did you reach out to?
Clara: I told Iman I was sorry.
Me: Oh, why did you need to say you were sorry?
Clara: Because I said something really really mean to her on the playground.
Me: Um, what did you say to her?
Clara: I can't tell you. It's personal.
(And no, I could never get her to tell me what she said.)

(An email from her teacher, Mrs. Miller): "So this morning during morning announcements, Mr Boyers was using the word "genius" and referred to Albert Einstein as being who people think of when they hear the word "genius." Clara turned to me with a big smile on her face and said, "Well, my mom and dad are double-genius!" (We have trained her well.)

(During prayers)
Clara: I thank thee that I don't have autism. (We just finished watching this video. . . . Not thinking we'll break the news to her anytime soon.)

(After sorting through toys (with my forcing encouraging her to give away ones that she no longer uses) as we prepared to move)
Clara: Too many stuffed animals are welcome.

(My friend Jenny took these pics for the activity day girls at church, and I just had to put them on here.)

Farm table

Several weeks ago, I drove up to Front Royal, Virginia to visit a woodshop that makes furniture from reclaimed wood. There are lots of old rundown barns here in the Shenandoah Valley, and unless an individual or company comes in and purchases the unwanted building, it is demolished and all of that beautiful old wood is destroyed. We thought it would be neat to have a kitchen table with some history, so I traveled to the Strong Oaks Woodshop to order one.

 The woodshop itself is housed in a very old building with lots of history. I loved this door. (The sound of the company is very cool, but the place was a bit sketchy. I was fortunate that the woodworker guy was reputable because I was alone with two kids in the middle of nowhere and felt a little nervous. But all's well that end's well, right?)

 The inside. Lots and lots of wood.

 This is a table made of tulip wood. The wood we will be using is old oak beams from a dairy barn built in the early 1800s. The barn was burnt down during the Civil War and then rebuilt in 1872 by Quakers using wood from the original. I am excited to see the table in person--the table above is a similar style.

Anyway, just a fun little story that I thought I'd share.