Kiran Loves Preschool!

Kiran started his first day of preschool on August 12th. That is when these pictures were taken. After his first day, he missed a couple of weeks when we went to TX, but he picked up right where he left off - having a blast! When we were headed to school last Tuesday, he said he wanted me to stay, but after he got there, he warmed up quickly! His teachers said, "We're glad you're back, Kiran!," and he replied in his grown-up voice (it's really deep, low, and slow), "I've been to TX. I rode a real tractor!" Then, he took off for the toys! Then, on Thursday, one of his teachers called around noon. My mind thought of about 10 things that could be wrong within a second, but I wasn't prepared for: "Our potties aren't working. Can you come pick Kiran up?" Oh boy! It was fun to go early, though. I got to sneak up on Kiran and observe him being such a big boy picking up all of his trash from lunch and throwing it away. Then, he cleaned the table.

This is our other "preschooler." She loves wearing any kind of bag and was happy to model Kiran's backpack! Ellery loves taking Kiran to school. The problem: she wants to stay, too! In the past week, Ellery has really started talking more, and today was by far her biggest leap with her vocabulary. She said about 10 new words! She is getting the hang of this talking thing! Another sweet story: Ellery has enjoyed climbing up on Kiran's toddler-sized bed for a couple of months. Since we've been home, her new thing is to get up on his pillow with a book and look at it from cover to cover. Well, today I was doing laundry (the laundry room is like a closet in the kids' bedroom), and I noticed Ellery was trying to lie down on Kiran's bed. I thought, boy she is sleepy! The next thing I knew, she pulled up his 2 blankets over herself and said, "night, night!" It became quite a fun game!

We're Back!

We're back! We have experienced a full and rich summer. We have had much time with family, more than we have ever had since moving away. Kiran, Ellery and I are getting to be professional travelers by car and plane! This summer has been full of joys and of sadness. We are grateful for all of the journey.

Sal

Last weekend, we returned home from one final summer trip to TX to visit with Sal and help care for her. Though I did not have the time with her that I had planned on this most recent trip, I was blessed to be with her for brief moments that are precious to me. For those of you who don't know, Sal is my grandmother, and she passed away three weeks ago. We have so many treasured memories of our time with her through the years. Her laughter, her love of life, her life of service, and her faith in God are what I remember most about her. We miss her dearly. Here are a few pictures of some special memories with Sal over the past few years.

Summer Adventures

I began this blog before our unexpected trip back to TX and wanted to share it even though it goes back to late June through July.

Sit down, grab cup of coffee or tea or your favorite beverage, and enjoy some pictures of our summer! We have had such fun and we are left with extraordinary memories from time spent with family in the past month or so of traveling! We took hundreds of pictures, and actually, I felt overwhelmed by trying to pick any for the blog. These are a sampling and though there are more and better photos from everyone's cameras, these are some favorites from our camera to make it simple. Hopefully you'll get the idea!

We first spent a week with Jeff's family in Estes Park, CO - a special vacation destination with lots of family tradition! Kiran and Ellery had so much fun playing with their cousins, Addie and Doak, and of course Cookie, Papa, Aunt Natalie, and Uncle Keri, too! We had such a great time with everyone! What a restful and playful week in the Rocky Mountains!








After resting for a few days, my dad flew to TN on July 4th. We loved having him here if only for a day to hang out in the backyard and to celebrate the 4th. Then, my dad drove with Kiran, Ellery, and me to TX for a visit with family. Daddy stayed behind for 2 weeks! We had a great trip with Grandad. The drive was not too bad, and the kids did really well. We had a special time with all of my family. We stopped for a night to see Ninny and Glenn. What a fabulous adventure. Kiran had such a great time on their "ranch." Debbie and Tommy came for dinner that night, and it was such a blessing to see everyone! I realized it had been since early in our marriage that Jeff and I had been to Ninny's! We drove on westward again the next day. It was wonderful to visit with Sal. Amanda and Kurt got to stay 5 days with us, and of course we spent lots of fun time with Granna and Grandad. We drove to see David, Karen, Kirk, Kade, and the goats! And, June came to meet us at the park. All in all, we are just more and more grateful for our sweet families all the time and can't wait to see them again soon!







Ellery is Walking!





















After a week with my family, the kids and I met Cookie and Papa. Then, we all drove to pick up Natalie, Addie and Doak to drive to Missouri for a family reunion and special celebration of Pa's 80th birthday. More road trip! And, again, the kids did amazingly well! We spent time at Big Cedar Lodge (we are so glad Aunt Mardi knew about this great resort) and Table Rock Lake - such a fun place to take a family! There was so much to do and see! All of the kids loved playing together again so soon (it's usually 6 months between visits!)! And, we all felt so blessed to spend time with Ma and Pa and most of Jeff's extended family! I missed pictures of the teenagers in our group, but what wonderful young guys and girls they are, and Kiran had a blast getting to know them!