Making Beautiful Memories

Our little family has been quite busy traveling this July.

We all kicked our feet up and relaxed.

July 3rd we headed to Pittsburgh to see the Muckian side of the family.  We had two full days of family time, which now-a-days just means playing with Elaine.  It's amazing how we can be fully entertained indefinitely just watching a baby!  Elaine had a great time swinging with Grandpa and going on walk with him and Grandma.  I know Mike especially loved being home.

We had to come home early though, because Mike was going to be out of town for a work trip the following week.  That wasn't as hard as I anticipated.  It certainly got lonely without him, but everything didn't fall apart like I half expected.  I was gooey enough to hold it all together.

Shopping

Girl time

She started feeding herself puffs that week

Obviously, we sent Daddy plenty of
adorable pictures.

She started eating so much food - at this sitting,
she had about a quarter cup of cereal, a few
tablespoons of avocado and an ice cube of potato.

Thanks to Mommy setting her plate on the floor,
Elaine learned how to creep as well that week.

I try to sit outside with her to enjoy the sunshine
and fresh air.

Have you ever seen eyes that twinkled more than these?

July 19th we drove to Winston-Salem, NC for Julie and Rob's wedding.  We officially joined the parents club by leaving at 1:30AM (Elaine didn't do well on the drive to/from Pittsburgh, so we knew the nine hour drive south wasn't going to happen while she was awake).  We arrived at the hotel early enough to spend a few minutes with one of my best friends from high school and her mother-in-law.  I'm so happy Mike finally got to meet her. :)  Next time, I hope we'll meet her husband and hang out longer - I invited them to stay with us if they ever visit Philly, which I hope they will.

We stopped for breakfast at Cracker Barrel
(or as I taught Elaine:  "Heaven").

The three Angels, reunited.
(we did not plan the matching outfits!)

She practiced creeping around
on her belly in the hotel room,

The rehearsal dinner, wedding, and reception were beautiful and so much fun - I can't wait to see pictures.   Mike got to wear his new suit, which looked amazing. Weddings certainly are different with a young child ... We spent a good portion of the night taking turns sitting out with her.

Elaine wasn't perfectly behaved all weekend...being off her routine and spending so much time in the car and in busy places took a toll on her, and I had a scare right at the wedding vows - we had to step out of the church and miss it! :( I couldn't risk a wayward shriek echoing in the cavernous ceiling in the middle of it.

After the fun (or rather, in the middle of it) we traveled a few hours to Chrissy and Zack's house.

She loved the water fountain and lights
display in the hotel lobby.

Cousins dressed up for Julie and Rob's big day.

Pretty girl <3

It was so good to see all my cousins!

July 21st we set off for Holden Beach, NC.  We stayed Sunday to Friday at Chrissy's in-laws beach house with both of my sisters and their families.  It was amazing to have a few days with them, especially since we rarely get to see the Dardens.  It did my heart so much good!  We had great weather, too, despite the forecast.

Elaine had a blast playing with her cousins.

  
We didn't get nearly as much time on the beach as I'm used to (i.e. I didn't turn 20 shades darker), but Elaine loved it - she liked sitting where the waves would wash over her sitting down and she didn't mind me taking her farther out into the water and letting bigger waves crash over her legs. She did eat a ton of sand, unfortunately, but we were able to keep her mostly to her usually routine as far as meals and naps go.

Zach (haha that's for you, Chrissy) took Mike and Sean out kayaking two mornings, which Mike loved.  One morning Mike took me out for a short trip, which was really fun.

I got to bake brownies with Mara (and eat them later - yumm) and she even helped me clean up.  We did an art project with air-drying clay, seashells and sand, which turned out more fragile than I anticipated...The fun was in getting to do something together.  :)

The morning we returned, I wanted to sleep in,
so I put Elaine to work doing the laundry.

Thank goodness we had two full days to recover when we returned, because we were completely exhausted.

She has gotten really good at
using her sippy cup.

Daddy takes every opportunity to spend time
with her on the weekends,

She is Ms. Drama Queen now - take
anything away from her, and prepare to get this.

Last week was her nine month appointment.  On the left is her still teary eyed after getting her shot.  I don't remember her exact measurements, but she's in the ballpark of:

     Height: 28.5" (50%-75%)
     Weight: 17lb. 10oz. (25%)
     Head:  18" (90%)

She's very healthy, on track developmentally, and I do believe she said "Da da" three times today (we repeated it back and forth).  Of course that happened while Da Da was out.

At the beach, she started standing up on her own by holding on to furniture for support.  She'll even take a step sideways, if she's encouraged.  On the floor, she's getting faster and faster - any day she is going to get her belly off the floor and start actually crawling.

Mike and I do still have lives, if you can believe it.  His project in NY is going very well, I think, and he's gaining a lot of useful experience.  My job is the same.  Our Metanoia group continues to blossom under the blessing of the good Lord and we are benefiting so much from it.  We're having an overnight retreat next weekend that we are a big part of.  We're expecting around 50 people, so it's quite an undertaking.

Chris and Elizabeth (right) with Emmalynn
and her godparents (left).

Our friends' new baby, Emmalynn, was baptized in June and we were able to attend.  It was a beautiful ceremony and reception.  They are doing great - we were just at their house yesterday visiting.  Emmalynn is now nine weeks old.  They live just down the street from, us so we try to get together with them around once a week.  We're so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.

Emmalynn

The rest of the summer looks low-key.  Mike will continue to work in Albany for a few more months and I will keep doing my best while he's away.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!  Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!  Psalm 34:8