{ Fambly }

Part III of the trip Lainie and I took to Idaho in January

:: just chillin' with my cousin Christy ::

:: fashion show courtesy of {L-R} Emily, Eli, Audrey, and Charlotte ::

:: second cousin Cecily {I so clearly remember when Cecily was Lainie's size!!} ::

:: second cousin Vivi ::

 

:: first snow--on a walk with Mama and Grandma ::

:: talking to great-uncle Ernie ::

:: standing with Grandma ::

:: loves from second cousin Audrey ::

:: chattin' with Grams ::

{note: the only reason there are so few photos of my mom is because I know how much she hates--hates--having photos of her publicized. Thinks she's not photogenic. It's not that I didn't take them, it's just that she wouldn't want me to put them on the internets.}

:: first kitchen sink baths ::

:: fun with my cousin Julie ::

:: lunch with uncle Joe--he's not really as frightening {nor is Lainie as shocked} as appearances suggest! ::

{ Second Cousins }

Part II of Adventures in Idaho ~ January 2013 edition

Did you know that second cousins and first cousins once removed mean the same thing? {At least as far as I can tell from the definitions Google provided!}

That's what Zach and Lainie are: His daddy Andrew is my cousin.

These two little punkins were due only two days apart, and while they do share a whole horde of relatives who dote on them both, they also have quite a few differences:

Zach was born on his due date; Lainie was 16 days early, which means their birthdays are not only 18 days apart, but in different months!
Zach has four older sisters; Lainie's a "lonely only" so far
Zach is growing up in a house on a hilltop farm in Idaho; Lainie lives in a third-story condo in Washington with a tiny balcony instead of a yard
Zach loves tummy time; Lainie hates it

:: proof ::

Zach is a chunky little monkey--he outweighs Lainie by a few pounds--while she is petite
Zach is a social fellow who loves company and prefers a houseful of people to being home alone with his mama; Lainie loves being home, prefers mommy over everyone else, and gets easily overwhelmed with lots of people

It was so fun to watch these two interact! The following is an actual series of photos I took the first afternoon they hung out.

I can't wait to see how this friendship develops over time!!

{ Grandpa Duck }

Part I of January's adventures in Idaho

 

:: two bald heads watching Jasper the dog outside ::

 

:: chattin' ::

 

:: basking in the wonders of the rice paddle--one of her favorite "toys" ::

 

:: breakfast SO funny! ::

 

:: um...isn't some of that mine?! ::

:: never mind...I'll just play with your chin whiskers ::

{ So Thankful }

For time with these precious people.

For domino games, all snuggled 'round Grandma's chair so she doesn't have to get up.

For the sure knowledge that even if this is the last time we hang out on earth, there's eternity to spend together.

For long rambles with Mom, Obediah, and Mike.

For the opportunity to spend time with a growing-up-too-fast 16-year-old brother. {Who has his learner's permit. Eek!}

For a 16-year-old's courage in embracing the talents and gifts he's been given, unashamed to be a little "different."

For the intricate mazes of trails the mice have carved out under the snow during the winter, visible now that the snow is melted.

For a Dad and brother who know how to fix a generator.

For God's sweet, unasked-for grace in working it out so that we got to see both my other brothers in our path during our whirlwind trip. We see them rarely, our lives flung wide across the Pacific Northwest and not often in the same place at the same time.

For a long "chat" with my cat, Bagheera. She is about 15 years old and is usually too skittish to pet, but we had several nice "conversations" this time!

For a husband who loved on Bagheera for my sake.

For wide open spaces.

For traveling mercies, through sometimes treacherous driving conditions.

For "The Magician's Nephew," which was read aloud in its entirety by Mrs. Mike during the drive.

For hard, emotionally-fraught, but very freeing {and very much needed} conversations between Mr. & Mrs. Mike.

For my mom's a-mazing cooking. Three meals a day. Food coma 24 hours per day.

For the opportunity to spend a few hours with my brother Joe.

For Mom's providential timing in taking this picture at the exact moment I smacked Mike's bottom for making bunny ears behind my head.

For YouTube videos that made my mom laugh till she cried.

For late-night games of Phase 10 and Hand & Foot with my cousin Christy.

For super-cushy beanbag chairs.

For silly, excited, snuggly Shih Tzus.

For these, and many other gifts from our recent trip to visit my family in Idaho, I am thankful.

{ When Brothers Wrestle }

...some interesting things may happen. It started innocently enough, with Oldest Baby Brother {Emery, age 24} deciding he's going to show Youngest Baby Brother {Obediah, age 16} who's who. Since Obie has outweighed Emery for at least a few years, this doesn't always turn out well for Emery...but Em does have the quick-and-wiry advantage! This isn't to say that Emery is a wimp, because he's not. It's just that Obie is incredibly muscular.

They seemed to start off pretty fairly matched.

Tuzu, my parents' shih tzu, was terribly interested in the wrestling match. After a few minutes, he decided to swoop in and aid his young master...

...by biting Emery in the behind.

It just goes to show, you never know who's got your back.

{ Busy busy }

Thank you all for your encouraging words in response to my last post. One of my great struggles is with vulnerability. Letting people see that I don't have it all together is a really frightening thing to me. But then you end up isolated, feeling alone and not known or understood...also not where I want to be. The Lord is gently showing me His love in this time, and part of that is through you ladies. Thank you.

Because life can never be "normal," Mr. Husband and I are driving to Idaho this Thursday to visit my grandma. She's not actually my grandma by blood; she is my cousins' grandma, but lives two miles from my family, across the road from my biological grandparents.

I remember being seven or eight years old and thinking how lucky I was to have three sets of grandparents. I thought it was normal!

Grandma isn't doing very well. She's had cancer for well over a decade; it was diagnosed as terminal a few years ago. In the last month she's started going downhill physically faster. Mr. Husband and I had planned on seeing her and grandpa when we visit my family for Easter next month. No one knows if she will be celebrating Easter here or with Jesus, so we've moved our plans up six weeks.

I've been too wrapped up in my own morose pity-party to even think about the fact that this may be the last time I see her this side of heaven. I want to be intentional in my time with her, to love her in the ways that will be most meaningful to her. I need to make time to process this before we go.

In spite of the fact that it will probably be an emotionally draining trip, I'm excited about:

~ A road trip with my husband

~ Reading The Magician's Nephew aloud in the car {can you believe he's never read The Chronicles of Narnia?!!}

~ Seeing my parents and youngest brother

~ Experiencing springtime, a.k.a. The Season of Mud, in the country for a few days

~ Catching up with cousins and their babies, who grow way too quickly between visits

~ Lunch with this dear friend and getting to meet her baby boy for the first time! {I love you, Oliver!}

{ Idaho: the Family }

Ahhhhhhhh, the family. I always save the best for last, don't I? Never mind, you don't have to answer that question. Just enjoy all the eye candy I'm about to share with you!

One of the things that makes trips back home so special is that it's an eight-hour drive. Eight-ish. Emphasis on -ish if you are under the age of sixty...it's more like seven-plus-ish. Regardless, it's a long trip and we don't make it very often and so it's always really special to see everyone. Especially seeing the babies, who are now kids and toddlers, and meeting the new babies, and loving on the old folks. {I do not mean my parents. I love on them, but I do not classify them as old. Yet.} Also, my dearest sweetest Julie-est cousin Julie lives at the opposite end of Idaho--it would probably take me twelve-ish hours to drive to her house--so when we are able to sync up our visit with hers {her family lives minutes from mine}, it's extra-special-wonderful! How was that for a run-on sentence? You know emotions are high when Nikki doesn't even care about run-on sentences. Enough talking, let's get to the good stuff!

My mama and my daddy with Audrey, my cousin Andrew's youngest daughter {they have four girls under the age of seven}. This photo was taken a few minutes after Dad, holding Charlotte {Julie's baby, a few days younger than Audrey}, declared, "Golly, she weighs two pounds less than a dead horse!"

I learn some kind of new, shocking, and colorful phrase every time I come home. Honest. Usually dead horses and five-month-old baby girls aren't referenced in the same phrase, though.

Me, Charlotte {left} and Audrey. Oh my goodness, are those flowery-feathery-headbands not enough to slay you?! I die every time I look at this picture. The cuteness is not unlike an acute coronary spasm.

Let me sidetrack for a moment to explain a bit of complicated genealogy. Julie, Andrew, and Christy are all my cousins. Julie is Charlotte's mama, and Andrew is Audrey's daddy, so Charlotte and Audrey are cousins. And they are going to be the cutest little old ladies together in 80 years, let me tell you!

How on earth does a two-year-old know how to pose like this?! Emily is the goofiest, clowniest little girl. She's Audrey's littlest big sister.

Emily again, her hair all static-y from jumping on the trampoline

Julie with five-month-old Charlotte. I love the expression on Charlotte's face: "Oh, here they go again, taking pictures of me. It's gonna be a looooong weekend..."

Lottie and Audie. Oh, the kissable squishable chubbiness of those two! I die!

This is my cousin Christy {auntie to all the children you see in this post} and her boyfriend Kevin. The revelation of Kevin as boyfriend was a really big deal. And I really like him! Well done, Christy. He loves Jesus, he's a nice guy, and he's funny. Probably shouldn't let him get away. ;-)

Emily was cold. Therefore, she requested {and was granted} admittance into her mother Corrie's jacket.

Eli is Charlotte's big brother. He's almost two, and anything to do with trucks, heavy equipment, driving, trucks, dirt, trucks, backhoes--did I mention trucks?--this boy loves. You would not believe how hard it was to get him to hold still long enough for a photo.

This smile could melt the coldest heart!

Now, before you see the next photo, I want you to know that I requested permission from the subject's mother to post this photo on the internet. Her response was essentially, "Oh, why not? Everyone who has seen her has seen it--it won't stay in her pants!"


{ Charlotte's crack }

This doesn't even begin to show you all the people with whom we laughed, ate, played games, and made fools of ourselves. I'm kind of afraid blogger will get mad at me if I upload any more pictures this week, though, so I'm going to call this the end of our Idaho adventures for the summer of 2010.

{ Idaho: the Scenery }

Home, home on the range. Except it's not "the range." It's the mountains. Anyhoo, the juxtaposition of such brilliant colors makes my heart sing. God really is an artist, isn't He?

Above is the view from a neighbor's house.

One day, we drove down this incredibly narrow, winding road:

with views like this:

to get here, our swimming spot on the river.

I was so tickled to get to show Mike more of my old stomping grounds!

Below is the view from my cousin Andrew's {and his wife Corrie's} house:


Amazing as that is, take a look at this rainbow to the east, reflecting the sunset: