So Long, Farewell Soeur...Adieu to You and You and...

My little sister is currently in the Missionary Training Center our church has to prepare missionaries to go out and serve all over the world. She's learning French for two months, at least the basics and enough to get around Belgium, she'll learn the rest from her assigned companion and the people once she gets there. She is also called as a medical care specialist, she was previously in nursing school with one semester left, so she's receiving lots of training to trouble shoot medical problems that might come up with other missionaries there in Belgium. Here are so photos of the send off with family and friends before she left, about six weeks ago. We'll sure miss her for this year and a half but we're so proud of her and excited for all that awaits her!

pizza night
Kate's good friends Amber and Kim came out to see her off

Grandma and Grandpa Z

Grandpa and Josh

Katie gave her talk on her 22nd birthday

Friends

The sibs

Four generations on both sides!

The family sing

Kate and her good friend Maury

Big talk.

Until now I've limited my verbalization to screaming at the top of my lungs and grunting. Now I am trying out some new words and it just sends chills up my Mom's and Dad's spines when I say the tiniest thing. The other day we were at the park swinging and I picked up on everyone saying "whoooo" so I started trying it as I was flying through the air. You have to listen real closely for my little voice. When it comes to talking, I'm a little shy and unsure how things are going to come out, so I stick to being cautious. I also tried to say "Whoa" and maybe even "uh-oh." It's hard to say. I heard Mom talking about the ducks at Lake Mohegan and I looked around for them, pointed and later said "guckie."

Mom's going to try and get Dad to post a video later.

we like having a yard

Sassafras

What is this stuff?

Mystic and Friends

I just LOVE that this woman in a wheelchair was pushed by just as I was taking a picture of my boy learning to walk!

Oh, oh, catch yourself.

The draw bridge, hours of entertainment

Dorms for sailing camp at Mystic Seaport

Don't they make a handsome couple?

So fun to see these friends!

Happy 3 again

Here's our sweet girl on her birthday, wearing her dress ups from Grandma G and blowing out the candles on her makeshift birthday cake. She had an ice cream cake that she shared with Aunt Katie, Uncle Josh and Aunt Hadley (all four bdays are really close) at the beach. When we got home and were able to be with Dad for the actual bday, Kev cut up a chocolate pie we already had and made it into the shape of a butterfly. Very innovative. Two big people and two little people only need so much cake:) Other than that, we had a quiet Sunday afternoon of opening presents and Jillian dancing around in the dress ups. We gave her a trike and Grandma and Pops got her a Cozy Coupe, I know- she's spoiled!, so Kev put them together and she and Pete gave them their initial rides around the house.

First Day of Residency

He made it through his first day (and now a month and a half more) alive.

We're proud of you, Honey! What a fungi! Haha.

Here's what is hidden under those calm and unassuming facades:) Break it down Jill! I'm trying to read Peter's expressions. Confusion? Delight?

Visiting with Baby A

We saw her mom too, of course, but J and P were definitely the most taken with A. I posted two pics b/c it's virtually impossible to get three active kids like these to look at the same camera and smile all together. Thanks for the fun visit guys!

Some fun photos of our mini giraffe man from last October...oh how he's grown!

NNNNNNNMmmmmmmmmpppppphhhhhhhhhhhuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! Ya know? Today I feel totally LAME for some reason. I think we all have these days for a reason but lately I haven't been so good at growing from them. I just wallow in my lameness. I hung out with a new friend all day long and still feel lonely. Lonely for my other friends I know so well and feel so comfortable with! Isn't being with a friend like that so wonderful and refreshing?!?! I'm grateful I have so many of them, yes, I'm talking about you:) I just wish you were here:) I really do believe there is a reason for all things, even the tiniest things like a lame day or a few lame months. Am I just supposed to learn to sit still? And focus on my children and husband and not my other friendships, with people close by anyway, right now? And that's not entirely it, because I do have a few good friends. Everyone else is just so busy. In different busy phases of life. And this afternoon I wanted to call several distant friends but I didn't want to be in a negative mood when I did! Am I supposed to learn greater appreciation for my friends who are far away?- that's definitely happening! Am I supposed to learn that it's okay to not have a buddy to do something with ALL the time? That probably sounds wierd to some of you who are more introverted types but I really just miss company when I don't have company. I love to read and find friends in the characters in books and be quiet and alone in that way. Not really the time in my life to sit down too often with books though. I do love quiet moments being alone with my children. But somehow I still feel lonely if it's just me and them ALL, maybe not all but a little all, the time. And maybe that's the rub...learning to be alone with them and truly enjoying each moment and not trying to triple task so I can hurry and...do what exactly? Hurry some more? And maybe I'm supposed to stop running and just clean my cluttered house:) And maybe I'm supposed to stop running and think more abstractly and learn to rely on my Savior to be my friend. Awww. Writing is so therapeutic. I'm already feeling a bit better. I'm sure it's all of these things.

Independence Day

This year I felt a bit more patriotic, having recently read a book about John and Abigail Adams and all that they sacrificed. YEARS of being apart, John abroad or in another city in the colonies and Abigail at home trying to raise and educate her children. She even lost a baby girl at birth and the next day sat down and wrote John a letter that he should continue attending to his duties because she could handle things alone and he was needed where he was! What perspective and an amazingly positive attitude. Her health was also bad much of her life and she suffered depression, at least that was my understanding of her situation as I read, but she bore it with fortitude as her husband and she gave their all that we might enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Many times they had friends change into enemies over night because of John's stance on things, especially dealing with the relationship between France and America. He had lived there for many years but people turned a bling eye to his warnings about what was going on with the French Revolution. Thomas Jefferson was a close friend and then, later in their careers, turned against his friend over differences of opinion and beat John for the presidency. Samuel Adams, their son, died of alcholism in his youth. I would probably consider this the greatest sacrifice on his father's part, as he was absent most of the boy's upbringing, and while he would have been an exemplary example had he been there, he wasn't there. I think this family and others are probably turning over in their graves at the apathy we sometimes display! I also think they would be horrified at some liberties they worked to establish that are now regulated. And with all the (work, blood, sweat and tears!) they gave to support themselves, they would be appalled that so many think these things should handed to them without lifting a finger. Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox:), and say we enjoyed a wonderful Independence Day and thought a little bit more about what has been bequeathed to us by others' countless sacrifices!

The librarian came up to us and said we were in trouble...because our kids were just too cute. Finally, someone who sees things how I see them:)

They even had face painting!

All-american girl