You know it’s been a while since I’ve posted a new blog
entry when the photos are from the sunny summer season and the leaves are now
turning fiery reds and golds and the air is getting brisk. I’ve been pretty consistent with monthly
posts, but this one has slipped away from me.
Oh summer, how is it over already? That being said, during the summer months,
the Mid-Atlantic is scorching and at times suffocating, seemingly never
ending. We ended our summer with a
breath of fresh air for a week at my parents’ cabin on Lake Michigan. We couldn’t have scripted a better holiday. The weather was perfect, we filled the days
with endless activities – boating, paddle boarding, kayaking, sailing, picking
blueberries, relaxing in the hammock, sipping wine at sunset, biking, perusing
the farmer’s market and of course quality family time together.
Looking good for being a "Grandma" and "Grandpa" !
The girls had an absolute blast. We felt like Sophiya turned into a different
child because she had so much stimulation and constant activities day after
day! She willingly hopped on the jet ski
without reservation, so clearly has inherited a bit of her Mom and Dad’s
fearlessness. She then proceeded to take
a ride on the jet ski each day with a different family member! She loved the beach, getting buried and
swimming in the cool, clear water. She
went blueberry picking for the second year in a row and the reaction was the
same – silence. Now, this is a very rare
occurrence for this child, and her reaction was silence only because she
proceeded to stuff her face with blueberries for 30 minutes straight! What a joy to watch her mouth turn blue full
of antioxidants! :)
Blueberry picking with Uncle Jamie!
Not the happiest photo, but how sweet is this beach chair for these two?
"This is fun..."
"Daddy buried me!!"
"Manicure with Auntie Co-Co"
Sibling Love
Farmer's Market Downtown Traverse City
Siena started crawling at a little after seven months which
was a HUGE shock as Sophiya crawled much later.
So, she is now all over the place, getting into everything and at the
stage where all she wants to do is move.
She’s pulling up and cruising along all our furniture, it’s a busy stage
but so sweet! She just wants to keep up
with her big sister and I have a feeling she’ll be walking before her first
birthday. She’s starting to adopt a
bouncing “dance” move whenever she is excited and also began to clap! Dana and I can’t help but be blown away on
how easy going and calm her demeanor is.
She won the hearts of all our family members and certainly was
not lacking in the attention department!
We had two very special family reunions. One with my mom’s Horton side of the family,
where all four sisters were together for the first time in a long time! It was wonderful to see everyone and we had a
lovely time catching up.
Aunt Sharon and Aunt Janice
Special Guests Cousin Michael and Indie from Arizona!
Smiley Auntie Allie!!!
Our second
family reunion was with my Dad’s side of the family, which was quite a huge get
together as he is one of 5 children, so many uncles/aunts, cousins and second
cousins. I actually had to make a family
chart for Dana to keep everyone straight!
Sophiya loved meeting all her cousins and having instant playmates for a
few days! It was tough having to say
goodbye after such a short time.
Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Crum
Tire Swing with Cousin Maddie and Cousin Olivia!
We stayed with my Grandma and Grandpa Crum; it was very
special to have my children there at the home that I grew up visiting as a
child and the home my Dad grew up in! It
was nostalgic to watch Sophiya and Siena playing with toys and books that I had
played with growing up with my cousins and siblings, some of which dated back
to the 1950’s! Sophiya thoroughly
enjoyed playing in the pool and was obsessed with picking/eating cherry
tomatoes from their garden! I now have a
new strategy to get her to eat vegetables – grow my own garden next year,
something more feasible now without a newborn!
Tomato Picking!
Being with family meant many options for babysitters! This allowed Dana and I to slip away guilt
and worry free to celebrate a belated five year anniversary. I can’t BELIEVE it’s been five years since we
exchanged vows on Kommeitjie Beach in Cape Town. What an amazing five years it’s been with so
many wonderful memories to look back on.
We explored every possible place we could in South Africa, our work with
Projects Abroad, summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, two beautiful daughters
and moving back to the USA to start yet another chapter in our marriage. I’m so blessed to have married my best
friend, the man I always know I can count on and stand by my side.
“Nothing is more beautiful than the love that has weathered
the storms of life”
[ Jerome K Jerome]
Saying goodbye to my parents, knowing their upcoming move to
Australia was going to be semi-permanent was not easy! However, it was more tolerable with the
knowledge that Dana and I were going to be visiting them in Melbourne during
the December holidays! The girls will be
staying in Seattle with my amazingly BRAVE in-laws while Dana and I enjoy our
first trip together without the little ones tagging along. It’s an exciting, liberating yet daunting
thought as we’ve spent so much time as full-on parents the past few years. It’s going to be wonderful to be able to do
all the things that we haven’t been able to do since having babies and spend
time with my family in their new home away from home!
Probably one more blog post on Halloween and Thanksgiving festivities, then Melbourne here we come!!
